The forest was eerily quiet, with sporadic sunlight filtering through the branches and leaves onto the ground. Above, birds circled and chirped, their calls unusually clear, as if echoing.
Xu Yu and Qiu Dongyuan stood still, gazing at the two diverging paths ahead. They exchanged a glance, each understanding what it meant—they were splitting into groups again.
This was already the third time they had divided into teams since entering these woods, where forks in the path seemed endless.
Xu Yu led one team, Qiu Dongyuan the other, and they continued forward.
…
By the time Su Anxi arrived at Wangliu County Hospital, the elderly woman was already in resuscitation.
She now stood outside the Resuscitation Room, staring at the heavy door. In the past, she had always been on the inside, but now she was shut out.
For the first time, she truly understood the feelings of a patient's family—the helplessness of being unable to do anything but wait.
Time ticked by, each minute feeling like an eternity.
Finally, the door to the Resuscitation Room slowly opened from within. Bao walked out, removing his mask and shaking his head quietly. "Go in. She wants to see you one last time."
Su Anxi looked at Bao expressionlessly, her hands clenching and unclenching. Her lips felt as if glued shut, her throat tightening, yet no sound emerged.
She could only nod and walk inside.
Everything before her was stark white. A beam of sunlight from the window happened to fall on the head of the bed, like a staircase from heaven.
"Dr. Su," the elderly woman murmured, her gaze somewhat unfocused as she smiled kindly at Su Anxi. "This time, I didn't mistake you."
Su Anxi forced a smile, walked over, and knelt by the bed, holding the old woman's dry, bark-like hand. The veins protruded, the skin yellowed and gray, cracked and wrinkled, yet warm.
"You didn't mistake me, but I can still be your daughter," Su Anxi said softly, her voice gentle, a tender smile lingering on her lips.
The old woman laughed, suddenly seeming more spirited. "My husband and I had our daughter late in life. Outsiders mocked me, calling me an old clam producing a pearl. My daughter was obedient and did well in her studies. After graduating from university, she could have stayed in the big city, but she returned to our hometown to start a business for an old woman like me. Who would have thought heaven would take her before me?"
Su Anxi watched quietly, knowing the old woman had much to say and not interrupting.
"Later, I grew confused and mistook you for my daughter, troubling you."
"No, not at all…" Su Anxi's nose tingled, her voice hoarse as if she had a cold.
The old woman patted Su Anxi's hand, coughed lightly, and smiled. "It's good. You're a good girl, truly. With you here, at least I'm not alone at the end."
Su Anxi nodded, her eyes reddening. "You won't be alone. You have me. I am your daughter!"
"Ah," the old woman looked at Su Anxi with tear-filled eyes. "Can you call me 'Mom'?"
"Mom," Su Anxi called out without hesitation, tears streaming down her face, yet she maintained a faint smile.
"Husband, daughter, you've come…" The old woman suddenly looked past Su Anxi, as if seeing something behind her, and slowly raised her other hand.
In the final moments before death, people often experience a brief resurgence of clarity, only to grow increasingly confused until their heart stops completely.
Su Anxi watched the rough hand claw at the air before falling still. The piercing sound of the heart monitor echoed in her ears as she saw all the readings on the screen drop to zero. She stared quietly at the elderly man who had already closed his eyes and departed with a gentle smile.
…
The sky gradually darkened as the sun sank behind the western mountains. The temperature plummeted accordingly—a characteristic of mountainous regions where the difference between day and night temperatures was particularly stark.
Xu Yu raised a hand in a pause gesture and said to the group, "I'll scout ahead. Everyone rest for a while."
Zhang Zhong approached Xu Yu. "Captain Xu, let me do the reconnaissance."
"No need. Let the two police officers eat something. We'll need to conserve energy for the night search." Xu Yu patted Zhang Zhong's shoulder and turned to walk forward.
Xia Junnan took a sip of water and, seeing Zhang Zhong approach, quickly asked, "Squad Leader Zhang, where is Captain Xu going?"
Zhang Zhong pulled out compressed biscuits and handed them to the two police officers as he replied, "Captain Xu wants us to replenish our energy first. He'll be back after checking ahead."
The three armed police officers and two criminal police officers sat on the ground, chewing dry compressed biscuits and drinking water. Before long, Xu Yu returned.
Xia Junnan handed water and biscuits to Xu Yu. "Captain Xu, any findings?"
Xu Yu shook his head, took the water, and gulped a mouthful before addressing everyone. "There's a steep slope ahead. Let's cross it before it gets completely dark."
Hearing this, everyone quickly stood up and gathered their belongings to continue the journey. Xu Yu hastily swallowed a piece of biscuit, took a few sips of water, and handed the rest back to Xia Junnan.
The group pressed on, leaving no corner unchecked.
After crossing the steep slope, they entered another dense forest. This area was vast and deep, making it an ideal hiding spot.
Xia Junnan, whose eyes were always sharp, scanned the surroundings and suddenly noticed something suspicious in the distance—its color slightly different from the grass. Walking over, he discovered it was a cigarette butt.
It was common for locals here to smoke while in the mountains, but upon closer inspection, he grew excited and turned to shout, "Captain Xu, I've found something!"
Xu Yu, Zhang Zhong, and the others hurried over, all looking where Xia Junnan pointed—a lone cigarette butt lying on the ground.
Zhang Zhong let out a sigh. "Junnan, we've come across plenty of cigarette butts along the way. Locals often come up here to smoke, and naturally, they discard their butts. What's so special about this one?"
Seeing Xu Yu curl the corner of his lips, Xia Junnan knew he understood his reasoning and explained, "Squad Leader Zhang, do you recognize the brand of this cigarette?"
"Kid, are you mocking me? Who doesn't recognize cigarette brands?" Zhang Zhong leaned in for a closer look. "It's Nanjing!"
Seeing Zhang Zhong still hadn't caught on, Xu Yu stood up and patted his shoulder. "Junnan really has found something this time."
Zhang Zhong looked utterly confused. "I genuinely don't see it."
Xia Junnan gave Zhang Zhong a look that questioned his intelligence. "Squad Leader Zhang, think about it. We've seen cigarette butts along the way, but they were all cheap brands. It's obvious the locals here can't afford this kind of cigarette. So, this must have been left by an outsider."
"But think about it, that slope we just passed—one misstep and you'd fall off a cliff. Would an ordinary outsider risk that out of sheer boredom? Probably not. There's no treasure hidden in these deep mountains and old forests. More importantly, we haven't seen this brand of cigarettes anywhere along our route until right here. What does that indicate?"
"What?" This question came not only from Zhang Zhong but also from the accompanying armed police officer Huang Yu and the two other criminal police officers.
"It means they're relieving stress. At first, the pressure was too high—they were too busy fleeing to dare smoke. Now that they've reached this spot and feel safe, they light one up. People like that are clearly the suspects we're looking for." Xia Junnan spoke with such conviction that everyone nodded in agreement.
"Hey, that actually makes sense." Zhang Zhong, as if awakened from a dream by Xia Junnan's words, scratched the back of his head and chuckled.
Xu Yu glanced at everyone and said to the group, "Stay alert at all times. The suspects are likely nearby."
Sure enough, after advancing about five hundred meters, they spotted suspicious individuals.
Xu Yu immediately raised a hand, signaling a concealed tactical gesture. Everyone quickly found cover to hide themselves.
Ahead were two individuals, armed with firearms. They seemed to be making a phone call, then moved to another spot, checking their phones as if searching for a signal.
Seizing the moment, Xu Yu gestured to Zhang Zhong, who nodded and slowly shifted to the optimal firing position on the other side, signaling that he was in place.
The remaining members then waited for Xu Yu's command, ready to rush forward and apprehend the suspects.
Shortly after, with a gesture from Xu Yu, everyone swiftly charged forward with their guns, surrounding the two and demanding their surrender.
The two raised their hands in surrender, but one of them secretly attempted to resist and draw his gun. Xu Yu, with lightning speed, sidestepped and restrained the suspect's gun-drawing hand with a reverse grip, followed by a combat takedown. The pistol slipped from the suspect's grasp, and he was firmly locked in place, howling in pain.
At that moment, Xu Yu pulled the restrained suspect and rolled to the side as a bullet struck the ground with a dull thud.
"Take cover!" Xu Yu shouted. Everyone quickly hid behind large trees.
Xu Yu peered out again, handed the person he was holding to Huang Yu, then looked toward Zhang Zhong, who was still lying prone across the way. He opened the walkie-talkie and said, "Zhang Zhong, cover me."
"Roger."
Xu Yu seized the opportunity and rolled out, immediately firing. Sure enough, figures were moving not far away. Gunshots echoed through the forest, startling birds into chaotic flight.
His speed was remarkable—every shot from the opponent landed only beside him. With the final gunshot, everything fell silent. The opponent had been hit.
The man, shot in the abdomen, was arrested. The other two had already been handcuffed with their hands behind their backs.
Xu Yu immediately asked, "Where's your boss?"
"Don't know," the two spat in unison, their voices filled with defiance.
Xu Yu suddenly curled one corner of his lips, his dark eyes sweeping over them. His tone was almost mocking. "Oh, so there really is a boss."
Only then did the two criminals realize they had been tricked into revealing information. Watching their wounded companion's pained expression, one of them snarled defiantly, "You'll never find him. At worst, it'll be a fight to the death."
"Is that so?" Xu Yu pressed his tongue against his cheek, then reached out and took both of their phones, handing them to Xia Junnan. "Your specialty."
Xia Junnan raised an eyebrow with a smile and saluted. "Mission accomplished, guaranteed."
According to the description provided by the officer who was shot at the time, there were indeed only three suspects in the car, meaning this criminal gang was operating in separate groups. The so-called leader had not yet been apprehended.
After descending the mountain, everyone returned to the temporary command center. As soon as Xia Junnan got out of the car, he rushed off to crack the phone’s location tracking system.
The police took the two suspects back for questioning. Both remained tight-lipped, providing no leads for the time being. Meanwhile, the suspect who had been shot in the abdomen was escorted by the police to the hospital for emergency treatment.
Late at night, Xia Junnan carried his computer to the temporary command room. “Reporting, I’ve found it.”
The computer was connected to the large screen, and the leaders’ eyes all turned toward it. The location of the red dot was none other than the county hospital.
At the same time, a report came in: a hostage situation had occurred at Wangliu County Hospital.
The hostages included two sick civilians and a female doctor.