Chapter 108 Tigers don't need wings...

Qiaoqiao stood guard beside Wu Xuan's stretcher and bowed deeply to Shen Zhenzhu. Words could not express it; everything was conveyed in her sweet and happy smile.

Qiaoqiao accompanied her sisters down the mountain, and Xiaobai exclaimed, "That's wonderful! All four of us came together and we can go back together. All of us are together, not one is missing."

Lu Ye reached out his hand, and a light drizzle fell from the sky, sticking to his skin and making him feel uncomfortable.

He looked at Chen Zhenzhu and was taken aback by her serious expression: "What's wrong? Aren't you happy that you solved the case?"

Chen Zhenzhu watched the group descending the mountain and said worriedly, "No, this is not right."

Lu Ye gulped down half a bottle of mineral water; with no food, he could only drink water to stave off hunger. He smiled and said, "The evidence is conclusive, the victim has been found, the suspect has been apprehended and confessed on the spot—there's nothing wrong with that. Is it because Case No. 1 has become more difficult, and you're finding it hard to accept how easily cases are solved?"

With his back to Chen Zhenzhu and Xiaobai, Zhao Qiqi took off his soaked T-shirt, wrung it out, squeezed out the water, and put it back on: "If anything is wrong, I think that Bodhisattva temple is eerie. I hope we can demolish it later. I think everything else is fine."

Xiao Bai stayed by Shen Zhenzhu's side the whole time. She carefully considered the arrest process and tried to tell Shen Zhenzhu in a tactful way: "The main reason for this case is that you discovered the body. The abbot has no reason to continue struggling. He is a smart man. I think it's okay for him to confess and submit to the law quickly."

She glanced at Chen Zhenzhu's expression and whispered, "I'm not sure if I'm right or wrong. Anyway, there are all kinds of people in the world, and cases don't necessarily have to be full of twists and turns."

Chen Zhenzhu looked at the other operators around her; they were still waiting for the organizers to give the order to dismiss them and call it a day. Exhaustion and weariness were visible on everyone's faces; they were all looking forward to going home, taking a hot shower, eating something, and getting a proper rest.

The officers at the grassroots police stations rarely participate in such large-scale arrest operations, and they are exhausted both physically and mentally, suffering greatly.

"Wait a little longer." Shen Zhenzhu walked to the side and pondered.

"Boss, we've captured and rescued everyone, and pieced the bodies back together. Is there anything else we need to do?" Seeing that Gu Yanzheng hadn't spoken up, Lu Ye took the initiative to walk over and ask, "Do you also feel that something's not right?"

Gu Yanzheng shook his head and said frankly, "I only assisted in this case, and my level of expertise is not as high as Lao Shen's. She asked us to wait a bit, so please wait."

"Okay." Lu Ye obeyed the order, walked up to the other officers and greeted them like brothers, offering cigarettes and water to those who were available, and told everyone to stay put.

Shen Zhenzhu was filled with confusion.

While searching for the three sisters, she tried to mentally deduce the abbot's criminal psychological profile, but each time she deduced that the abbot could not possibly have a tendency to commit brutal murder.

But the answer given by the Heavenly Eye's retrospective analysis was him.

Shen Zhenzhu wanted to continue searching for the real culprit, but she had no leads whatsoever. She kept telling herself that the abbot might not be the murderer, but everyone kept telling her, "No problem, you've already caught the suspect."

"Can we talk?" Gu Yanzheng was unwilling to get involved in Shen Zhenzhu's case, but this time he wanted to know what Shen Zhenzhu was hesitating about.

"Brother Zheng." Shen Zhenzhu turned around and saw Gu Yanzheng approaching. She didn't resist, but instead asked, "What are the basic criteria for judging whether someone is a murderer?"

Gu Yanzheng said: "Three basic characteristics: personality traits, crime patterns, and psychological motivations."

Shen Zhenzhu asked again: "Is a lecherous swindler who writes calligraphy and copies Buddhist scriptures and is gentle to others essentially the same as a murderer who commits impulsive violence, serial killings, and has seen through the illusions of the world?"

Gu Yanzheng recalled how, even after being arrested and confessing to killing six skeletons, the abbot still reached out and patted the woman's hand to comfort her. He couldn't help but calm down and instantly understood Chen Zhenzhu's concerns: "Not only are they different, but they also have fundamental contradictions in their basic characteristics."

Shen Zhenzhu remained silent, seemingly wanting to hear the answer she sought from Gu Yanzheng.

Gu Yanzheng understood immediately and continued, "The former requires long-term pretense and strong self-control, and involves covert, non-violent fraud and sexual exploitation. The latter involves extreme impulsiveness, violence, and uncontrollable aggression. These two types of personality cannot coexist in the same person."

Shen Zhenzhu clenched her fists at the seams of her trousers and said, word by word, "But in the history of international crime, there have been such 'two-faced' individuals. For example, Ted Bundy, who was extremely charming on the surface but was violent and a complete serial killer."

Gu Yanzheng said, "And then? What's your judgment?"

Chen Zhenzhu slowly lowered her head.

Trust in the clairvoyance of the heavens or trust in yourself.

Over the course of three years, the Heavenly Eye provided her with immense assistance, making her feel like a tiger with wings. She never imagined that her judgment would contradict the Heavenly Eye's retrospective analysis.

The murderer in the telescope's retrospective analysis is clearly the abbot. The victim's testimony also identifies him as the culprit.

What is the truth?

Is the Heavenly Eye's retrospective analysis always correct, and I always wrong?

In just a few seconds, many thoughts flashed through Shen Zhenzhu's mind. She even wondered if she would not be who she is today without the Heavenly Eye.

Chen Zhenzhu, should you believe in yourself?

Chen Zhenzhu, do you have to believe in yourself?

Chen Zhenzhu, when your own judgment contradicts your projection, can you still insist on believing in yourself?

"Shen Zhenzhu, answer me." Gu Yanzheng's sixth sense told him that he should speak up and interrupt Shen Zhenzhu's thoughts.

Time passed second by second, and Shen Zhenzhu seemed to have made a very firm decision.

She slowly raised her head, her gaze resolute, and clenched her fists tightly as she said, "Brother Zheng, I choose to trust my own judgment."

The real culprit is someone else.

Gu Yanzheng was silent for a moment, then nodded and stepped aside: "Go, time is running out. Find enough evidence to support your claim."

"Brother Zheng—"

"I will have everyone on standby and forbid anyone from leaving Qilin Mountain."

"Thank you, Brother Zheng." Shen Zhenzhu headed up the mountain without looking back.

......

She has lost count of how many times she has gone back and forth.

She remembered everything clearly: which stone steps had moss, which stone steps were missing a piece, which path led to which place, and where the burrows dug by wild animals were.

But there was no one there.

Xiao Bai gritted his teeth and followed behind Shen Zhenzhu, his mind blank.

Returning to the Temple of the Bodhisattva of Sending the Unicorn, they found only a few agents waiting for evacuation orders. When they saw Chen Zhenzhu ordering the site to be sealed off again, they looked at each other in confusion.

The empty outer hall's stone path was covered in mud from countless footprints. Chen Zhenzhu forced herself to calm down, knowing that she needed to stay rational, especially in this crucial moment.

She searched room by room, hoping to find clues to the real culprit.

After moving from the outer hall to the inner hall, we examined the ancient well beneath the seat of the Bodhisattva of Sending the Unicorn, overturned the incense table, and tapped the floor again, but still found no clues.

If nothing is found, the real culprit will likely vanish without a trace, like a wisp of smoke.

The last meditation room belongs to the abbot.

After discovering the large deposit book here, Shen Zhenzhu found nothing else. Because she was a suspect in the case, Shen Zhenzhu searched the place very thoroughly.

She entered without much hope and saw the walls covered with Buddhist scriptures. Her gaze swept to the desk, where a thick stack of copied scriptures and the Four Treasures of the Study were still neatly arranged.

Chen Zhenzhu opened the drawer, took out a long, simply packaged painkiller, and frowned slightly.

"Sister Pearl, what did you find?" Little White asked.

Chen Zhenzhu pointed to the forty or fifty painkillers and said, "I feel like I'm missing two."

Xiao Bai said, "Ah, I don't remember how many painkillers are here. Could it be that the abbot had a rheumatism flare-up and needed to take some, and someone just grabbed them?"

After thinking for a moment, Shen Zhenzhu simply put all the painkillers into the evidence bag and then put them into her own pocket.

She went back to the bedside and checked all the items on the bed, even finding two used condoms in the gap between the bed and the wall.

Xiao Bai clicked her tongue: "It seems that not everyone wants to have a child with him. Maybe it's just that Chun... Chun wants to sleep with him."

Shen Zhenzhu nodded: "That's possible."

She crouched down and looked under the bed, finding a feather duster that had been kicked inside. Chen Zhenzhu pulled out the feather duster, stood up again, and asked, "Do you see the cloth shoes here?"

Xiao Bai said, "I didn't check this area. When you were checking, Captain Gu called me out."

Shen Zhenzhu remembered that she had found a pair of old cloth shoes under the bed. Because the size was the abbot's, she glanced at them and kicked them aside.

"The right shoe of those shoes has obvious wear marks." The fog in Shen Zhenzhu's mind gradually cleared, and she slowly widened her eyes and said, "Xiaobai, do you think it's possible that the abbot doesn't have rheumatism?"

Xiao Bai was startled by this idea: "What? So you mean the missing cloth shoes belong to someone else?"

Shen Zhenzhu looked at the unusually wide bed. At first, she thought that the abbot and a woman were making love on it, so the bed must be big. But then she thought that the murderer might have had a good relationship with the abbot, or even slept here with the abbot on nights when no one was around.

"But the cloth shoes are gone, and words alone aren't enough to prove it!" Xiaobai searched the room frantically and said anxiously, "What should we do!"

Shen Zhenzhu said, "He's being stubborn. I'll go and interrogate that old monk!"

Xiao Bai followed Chen Zhenzhu down the mountain. She collapsed in the duty room, breathless, feeling that she was about to see her mother.

In the temporary dormitory of the duty room, the old monk under guard had not yet been put into the police car. When he saw that Shen Zhenzhu's visit was ill-intentioned, he subconsciously shrank back against the corner of the wall, showing none of the slickness he displayed when instigating others.

“Tell me again what you said about the murder.” Chen Zhenzhu sat opposite the old monk, her clothes soaking wet, and looked at him. “I have other leads. Confess and you will be treated leniently; resist and you will be punished severely.”

The old monk said in a slightly trembling voice, "Comrades, I have told you everything you asked me to confess."

Shen Zhenzhu narrowed her eyes slightly and stared at him for a long time.

The old monk seemed frightened by her and began to recount his previous statements incessantly, forcefully proving that the abbot was the murderer.

Shen Zhenzhu interrupted him again, jumping from one thought to another, "Then tell me about your son when he was a child."

The old monk blurted out, "Which son?" He froze, as if he had revealed a shocking secret.

Shen Zhenzhu pretended not to notice his micro-expression and said naturally, "Just say whoever the abbot is. He's the one who committed the crime, not someone else."

Upon hearing this, the old monk relaxed slightly and took a deep breath, thinking he hadn't been discovered.

He continued in his previous tone, "That's my youngest son. He's been very obedient since he was little, but his only flaw is that he likes women, he likes women too much."

Shen Zhenzhu said, "It's normal that he's spoiled because he's the youngest son."

The old monk said, "He wasn't spoiled. He's only a year younger than the eldest, but he's much more sensible than his brother."

Shen Zhenzhu said, "Your youngest son likes women so much, then his older brother must like women too, right?"

The old monk licked his dry lips and remained silent.

"So your eldest son likes to kill people?" Shen Zhenzhu's unexpected words almost made the old monk jump up.

He hurriedly said, "You, you, you mustn't talk nonsense! He wouldn't kill anyone. Their personalities are completely different, and besides, he's already dead!"

Shen Zhenzhu stood up and walked up to the old monk: "How did he die?"

The old monk insisted, "I fell off the roof and died twenty years ago while helping someone build a house! If I'm lying to you, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

Chen Zhenzhu nodded and pressed down on the old monk's excited shoulder: "Grandpa, why are you in such a hurry? Look, so many police officers are coming down the mountain waiting to go home for dinner. I'm just asking routine questions, so I can explain it to my superiors later, right?"

The old monk glanced out the window, then looked at the soft-spoken policewoman, feeling that the tense atmosphere just moments before was merely an illusion.

He asked a nearby policeman for cigarettes, but didn't notice that the policeman holding him had given them to him only after seeing Shen Zhenzhu's signal.

The old monk took a deep drag on his cigarette and said with a wry smile, "I don't know when I'll be able to smoke again."

Time ticked by, and Chen Zhenzhu was no longer in a hurry.

She waited quietly for the old monk to finish his cigarette before handing him the ashtray to put it out.

After the old monk had completely relaxed, she asked curiously, "You have two perfectly healthy sons. Oh, by the way, sir, why did your eldest son fall off the roof?"

The old monk sighed and said, "His foot, his foot was run over by a motorcycle. It was terrible. It hurts especially when it's windy and rainy. He was unlucky that day; it was cloudy. His foot hurt so much that he fell down."

"Dead?"

"He's dead," the old monk said.

Shen Zhenzhu smiled and said, "He injured his right foot and didn't ask anyone for compensation? He probably has a problem walking normally. If he fell from the roof, he should ask the driver of the car that ran over his foot for compensation."

The old monk did not refute Shen Zhenzhu's words, but instead said indignantly, "What compensation? She's already run away!"

***

Inside the duty room.

"So you suspect the real culprit is the old monk's eldest son?" Gu Yanzheng hadn't seen the hidden cloth shoes with his own eyes, so he spent some time assessing the possibility of his speculation.

Lu Ye said from the side, "But I asked the other monks, and none of them have seen the abbot have any brothers. What if the old monk wasn't lying and he really is dead?"

Shen Zhenzhu said, "Although there is no evidence, I have a feeling that the eldest son has always lived with them, but he is very well hidden. Do you remember the family annihilation case? Perhaps he insisted on not showing himself in front of strangers in order to escape, so many people have never seen him."

"You think this invisible man is the murderer?" Lu Ye squatted at the door of the duty room, slapped his arm and killed a poisonous mosquito: "It's not that I don't believe you, but the abbot bit the painkiller himself. He has rheumatism in his feet. Remember the pregnant woman at Uncle Xiaoshan's house? Didn't she say that the abbot himself said he had rheumatism? Could it be that they were already setting things up back then?"

“But when we arrested him, his legs were perfectly fine. The real culprit has not been caught for so many years, so he must be a ruthless and intelligent person with a strong sense of counter-surveillance.” Shen Zhenzhu still tended to believe that her eldest son, whom she had never met, was the murderer.

"He's 1.8 meters tall, has a limp in his right leg, and lived with them before the incident." Gu Yanzheng extracted three pieces of information, tapping his fingertips on the table as he continuously assessed the possibility of the incident in his mind.

Shen Zhenzhu stood obediently to the side, choosing to believe in herself and hoping that Gu Yanzheng would trust her enough. She spoke up, wanting to try again: "Brother Zheng, I..."

Gu Yanzheng raised his hand to stop her from continuing: "Go."

Shen Zhenzhu looked at him in surprise.

Gu Yanzheng said, "You believe in yourself, and I choose to believe in you too."

"Thank you for your trust, Brother Zheng. I promise to complete the mission!" Shen Zhenzhu was overjoyed. She turned to look at the agents waiting outside the window and was about to run out to issue the order to search again when Gu Yanzheng stopped her.

"etc."

Shen Zhenzhu stood at the door, her little hand still tugging at Lu Ye's collar, trying to get him to do something: "Brother Zheng?"

Gu Yanzheng walked over to Chen Zhenzhu and said earnestly, "You are the case handler, so you must learn to take responsibility for yourself from now on."

Shen Zhenzhu was stunned for a moment, then immediately stood at attention and said, "I am willing to bear all the consequences."

Gu Yanzheng patted her shoulder and said again, "Go."

Shen Zhenzhu was not disappointed in Gu Yanzheng. Braving the wind and rain, she walked towards the waiting agents: "The situation has changed. It is now 5:37 pm. Starting immediately, everyone search for an adult male who is about the same age as the abbot, has a slight limp in his right leg, and is about 1.8 meters tall!"

Police officers from various local stations had never encountered anything like this before. One of the hotheads shouted, "Section Chief Shen, if the murderer has already been caught, why are you still looking for a cripple?"

Seeing their confused and annoyed expressions, Shen Zhenzhu explained, "I suspect that's the real culprit."

Standing in the crowd, Gu Weiyong heard everyone complaining and felt utterly overwhelmed himself. He raised his hand and said, "My mother is sick, can I go home first?"

Shen Zhenzhu glanced at him and said, "No, none of the personnel involved in the investigation are allowed to leave the confinement area without orders!"

Then someone else asked, "Do you have any evidence? I heard you don't have any evidence, it's all just speculation!"

“Yes, I was there when they caught him. He clearly said he killed someone, he was so straightforward. But now he’s saying the murderer is someone else. The body is right in front of us, how could someone else have killed him?”

Shen Zhenzhu looked at them, who were filled with doubt, and said loudly, "I will explain to you naturally after this is over. Now, don't waste time, everyone start to take action!"

Shen Zhenzhu's words temporarily silenced the chorus of complaints. Seeing the operators dejectedly heading back up the mountain, Shen Zhenzhu bent down, rubbed her aching legs, and prepared to go up the mountain as well.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. As everyone headed up the mountain, a sudden flash of lightning and thunder followed, and a torrential downpour began.

The raindrops, each the size of a soybean, pounded against her, giving her a headache, and even shattered the terrain map in Chen Zhenzhu's hand.

......

This was a long manhunt, and Shen Zhenzhu was asked countless times, "When can you leave?", "Who exactly are you trying to catch?", "Why are you still persisting?", "Can I leave now?", "What are you playing at?"

At first, Chen Zhenzhu would answer, but later she remained silent.

Is this case simple?

It was a piece of cake for them.

Is this case difficult?

For Shen Zhenzhu, the difficulty was no less than that of Case No. 1.

Fortunately, she had the support of the four teams. Without them, Shen Zhenzhu felt she definitely wouldn't have been able to hold on.

Especially Brother Zheng.

From being fully conscious as she climbed the mountain to feeling numb, from darkness to dawn, Shen Zhenzhu was so exhausted that she couldn't remember how many times she slipped and fell.

The real culprit had no chance to escape; he must still be in the mountains.

Everyone told Chen Zhenzhu that the case was solved and that there was no need to add anything further.

They were consumed by exhaustion, weariness, and hunger, and failed to understand Chen Zhenzhu's perseverance. Sometimes, when they met, someone would even make sarcastic remarks. Some of the exhausted operators were too weak to walk any further and could only find shelter from the rain to rest.

"It's not that I don't want to walk, it's that I really can't walk anymore." On a tree stump beside the small earth god temple, Han Xiaojun was exhausted and sleepy. The blood flowing from his injured palm was quickly washed away by the rain and blended into the soil.

Chen Zhenzhu lifted her raincoat and rummaged through the pocket for a band-aid, only to find it was also soaked. She simply took off her already torn raincoat and threw it aside, then took out some water to rinse it off for him: "Luckily it's not deep, you can rest for a bit."

Han Xiaojun rubbed his wrist to relieve the pain. He looked at Chen Zhenzhu's dirty face and couldn't help but ask, "When can we retreat? The rain is so heavy, we haven't slept for a day and a night."

"Just a little longer." Chen Zhenzhu wouldn't budge, leaving a little bit at the bottom of the bottle before drinking it all in one gulp: "Where did you go just now? Let's split up and look for each other."

Han Xiaojun said, "I went to the temple and took a walk around, but I didn't find anything, so I came down."

Shen Zhenzhu disagreed, saying, "The temple has been turned upside down."

Han Xiaojun said with a wry smile, "Let me see if there are any secret passages or anything like that. That's how it's always portrayed in TV dramas."

Shen Zhenzhu gave a wry smile: "Then I'll go to the south. Thank you for your hard work. I'll praise you to Director Mao'ershan later."

Han Xiaojun said, "Then I'll thank you in advance, leader."

After passing Han Xiaojun, Chen Zhenzhu continued walking uphill. After a few steps, she looked back and saw Han Xiaojun pick up the raincoat she had just taken off and put it on himself.

"Sister Pearl, someone has slid down the hillside!" The cell phone signal was bad in the mountains, and Xiaobai's voice came through intermittently: "Captain Gu rescued the person and carried them down the mountain. Where are you? I'll go with you!"

“No need. Brother Aqi will meet me later. You continue to guard the mountain gate.” Shen Zhenzhu instructed her, “Although there are other people here, I’m not at ease. You’re one of my own, so you’re keeping watch for me. If anyone tries to force their way in, you can order someone to stop them with weapons.”

"...Yes, Sister Pearl, I know you've been taking care of me. Please, please be careful." Xiaobai's voice trembled with tears. She couldn't even imagine how exhausted Chen Zhenzhu must have been, searching the mountains for 24 hours straight without stopping. Meanwhile, there were constant voices questioning her and criticizing her behind her back. Under such pressure, she wondered how she had endured so long.

Shen Zhenzhu belatedly realized that she shouldn't make a phone call in the rain, so she quickly stuffed her cell phone into her bag and leaned on her cane to look up.

This is the twelfth time.

In the wind and rain, her petite figure appeared incredibly small.

She kept reinforcing her belief and telling herself that her judgment was correct.

A rumble of thunder drifted from afar, and from one end of the dense rain and mist, someone shouted: "Landslide at Nanfeng Mountain!! Don't go north! Be careful!"

"No, I have to leave this mountain, I can't take it anymore!"

"If we're going to leave, we'll leave together. I'd rather quit than die here!"

"What kind of leader of the serious crimes unit is he? One guess and he's ruined us brothers like this! I quit, whatever, I'm going home! I'm starving!"

......

The small earth god temple was filled with cries of anguish, but Chen Zhenzhu ignored them and continued on her way. Her feet were covered in blisters, but she limped on as she continued to search for a place to hide people.

In her judgment, the real killer not only committed rape but also had a peculiar interest in killing during the rape. In other words, the act of rape and murder became an uncontrollable sexual addiction for him.

He first raped and murdered young girls, and then, twenty years later, raped and murdered seven more women. This type of sexual behavior is addictive and difficult to break, and is accompanied by a escalating trend of increasing danger.

If we don't find him today, the consequences will be unimaginable if we let him go back to the mountains.

Shen Zhenzhu didn't want any more girls to be murdered after experiencing brutal sexual acts, so she could only grit her teeth and go against the tide of endless doubts.

Once again, they descended the mountain empty-handed. Lu Ye and Xiao Bai forced Chen Zhenzhu to take off her shoes and rest for a while.

Seeing the exhausted Chen Zhenzhu, Xiaobai held back her tears, not wanting to cry.

Gu Yanzheng pushed open the door and returned to the duty room. He had just entered the room and hadn't even exchanged information with Shen Zhenzhu when Director Liu called.

Gu Yanzheng first reported the case details, and then Shen Zhenzhu also reported the situation to Director Liu.

Director Liu said in a heavy voice on the other end of the phone, "I trust Xiao Shen, but don't take any risks. A senior official called to report that the landslide at Nanfeng Mountain is serious, and three potential landslide hazards have been found at Qilin Mountain. Xiao Shen, that's enough."

Shen Zhenzhu gripped the phone tightly and pleaded, "Director Liu, please let me try again. There's still some time."

Director Liu said on the other end of the phone, "Xiao Shen, you've been in the criminal investigation team for three years now, right? You've handled cases big and small with great success. This is the first criminal to escape from your hands, something every criminal investigator goes through. This job requires a strong heart, and you also need to learn to accept failure."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Zhenzhu sat silently at the table without saying a word.

Director Liu's meaning was clear: this is the end of it.

She pulled out her soaked notebook, her trembling fingers working out the calculations. She had done this countless times since last night; it had almost become a mechanical act.

Gu Yanzheng told the others not to disturb her and sat quietly on the other side watching her.

In Shen Zhenzhu's inner world, self-doubt began to emerge.

Criminal investigation is a battle of wits and a test of one's own abilities. Shen Zhenzhu thought that in the past, she had relied on the information provided by the surveillance system to "take shortcuts" in solving cases.

This time I really have to use my own judgment, so why can't I catch it?

Is it a matter of ability?

Is the confidence we built up in the past actually just a rootless duckweed adrift?

Now, amidst the storm, a sense of bewilderment has emerged within her.

She leaned against the window, as if she would be swept away by the wind and rain at any moment.

Two voices appeared in her mind:

Chen Zhenzhu, you must believe in yourself.

But people must learn to face failure.

......

She felt heavy-hearted, clutching her head as she pondered. Everyone awaited her decision on evacuation.

She pinched her arm hard, forcibly pulling herself out of her negative emotions.

Shen Zhenzhu, you are not a coward.

You must believe in your abilities. Even without the Sky Eye in the future, you can still use your brainpower to fight against criminals.

Shen Zhenzhu, you must remember that having the Heavenly Eye is like adding wings to a tiger, but a tiger without wings is still a ferocious beast.

“I told you, you’re in charge of this case,” Gu Yanzheng broke the silence and said to Shen Zhenzhu, “No one can stop unless you call it a halt.”

Shen Zhenzhu slowly raised her head, exhaled a deep breath, and said, "Brother Zheng, what if I'm wrong?"

Gu Yanzheng said, "No one is infallible. The important thing is whether you can get back up after making a mistake."

The growth of a fledgling eagle is never smooth sailing, but rather a process of tempering against adversity.

Shen Zhenzhu stood up, looked around at her comrades, and said firmly, "Many people think that to toughen me up, I have to stumble, but I don't want to stumble. Why should I stumble?"

"Great! Sister Pearl is absolutely right!" Lu Ye clapped his hands vigorously and nudged Xiao Bai with his elbow.

Xiao Bai clapped enthusiastically without needing any prompting: "We won't stumble! Sister Pearl, I believe in you! You can definitely catch the real culprit!"

“Brother Zheng, the landslide is very dangerous. Let some people go down the mountain to rest first.” Chen Zhenzhu’s fists clenched so tightly they cracked. She ground her back teeth and said, “I’ll go up one more time, the last time.”

After finishing his instant noodle soup, Zhao Qiqi wiped his mouth and said, "I'll stay with you."

Seeing that Shen Zhenzhu's face had regained its confidence, Gu Yanzheng smiled and said, "Okay, let's go up too. We'll dig three feet into the ground with you and find her."

"Yes, Sister Pearl, go for it! I'll help you if anything happens!" Xiao Bai patted his chest, clearly intending to help Chen Pearl get in through connections.

Shen Zhenzhu couldn't help but laugh: "So you blame it on the intern when something goes wrong? Come on, I said I'd take responsibility, so I'll take responsibility."

Chen Zhenzhu pushed open the door, and facing the countless mournful eyes under the tent, she forced a smile and said, "Is there anyone else willing to come up with me again?"

The scene was completely silent.

Zhao Qiqi chuckled from behind, and then Gu Weiyong, who was resting in the group, raised his hand.

Then several more people raised their hands, including Han Xiaojun, who had come down to receive treatment.

Shen Zhenzhu waved her hand: "The wounded comrades are all resting here. Give me three more hours."

While she was talking outside, Gu Yanzheng picked up the phone and dialed Director Liu's number.

Hearing that the search should continue, Director Liu's voice revealed his displeasure: "Stubborn, just as stubborn as you were back then! Do you have to wait until the whole mountain collapses before you stop? I heard that someone almost fell off the cliff. Do you know that will get you punished?!"

Gu Yanzheng remained calm, but his words upset Director Liu: "As Shen Zhenzhu's direct superior, I have the right to decide how to direct the scene. I asked her to continue the search. If you want to punish me, punish me as soon as I get back."

"Fine, I'll deal with you when you get back." Director Liu opened a drawer on the other end of the line, sounding like he'd taken his high blood pressure medication, before hanging up the phone.

Shen Zhenzhu was unaware of what her brother Zheng had done and was diligently searching the mountains.

She was perfectly lucid before coming up, but after all that commotion and encountering several groaning operators, she felt her mind becoming muddled.

Physical and mental strength have reached their limits, and physical fitness is on the verge of collapse.

If possible, Chen Zhenzhu could easily fall into a deep sleep in the rainy mountain forest.

Zhao Qiqi grabbed her as she was about to slip and said helplessly, "I heard a rumble in the mountain, Sister Pearl, we really have to go down the mountain. It's almost dawn, and the people down below have given us several warning signals. We have to retreat."

Perhaps it was God's mercy that allowed the rain to temporarily stop before dawn.

That's why the sound of the landslide echoed throughout the valley.

Ring ring—

Ring ring.

When Chen Zhenzhu's cell phone rang, she immediately answered it and heard her sixth sister's voice coming from the other end.

Seeing the stubborn Chen Zhenzhu turn her back to her trembling body, Zhao Qiqi wiped her eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "You're not sick. You had a great time, climbing mountains to watch the sunrise. You'll be home in a couple of days..."

A warm uniform jacket was draped over his tired body as Gu Yanzheng came up from the foot of the mountain.

Shen Zhenzhu held tightly to Gu Yanzheng's coat and said a few words to her mother, who was up early making steamed buns.

After Shen Zhenzhu finished her phone call with her sixth sister, Gu Yanzheng put his arm around her shoulder and "escorted" her down the mountain in a forceful manner.

Shen Zhenzhu walked step by step, thinking, why do people have to stumble and fall to grow up?

This question kept her thinking all the way.

Until they received a call from the police chief, who immediately issued an order to end the search.

"...yes."

"I'll talk to you when you come back."

"Yes." Shen Zhenzhu silently hung up the phone.

Gu Yanzheng leaned against the door, grinding his teeth inwardly. It must be Director Liu who complained.

The order from the Bureau of Massacre brought a sense of relief to everyone, and they silently cheered the end of this long manhunt.

Shen Zhenzhu stood at the only exit. She was only 22 years old, but her eyes were frighteningly stubborn.

The dozens of officers who participated in the search were not acquainted when they were temporarily transferred from police stations in various counties. After this "ordeal", they became brothers one by one and left exhausted from the exit in front of Shen Zhenzhu.

Director Tu personally ordered the search to end. There was a risk of landslides and collapses in the mountains at any time, and even Gu Yanzheng had no choice but to accept Director Tu's order.

The raindrops fell in a steady, pattering sound.

Shen Zhenzhu's stubbornness had a profound impact on the departing agents. They went from excitement at solving the case to doubt, and then from doubt to exhaustion. Before leaving, they all saluted Shen Zhenzhu.

Even though they didn't find the real culprit she claimed to be, Shen Zhenzhu's unwavering belief left a deep impression on them. Perhaps in the future, when faced with difficult cases, they will remember her standing firm in the face of adversity.

After giving the salute, Gu Weiyong extended his hand and waved it up and down with Chen Zhenzhu: "I hope we'll have the chance to meet again. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to work together."

Chen Zhenzhu nodded and said wearily, "Let's all go. The rain is getting heavier. Goodbye."

She has learned to give up with great difficulty.

The number of people at the scene dwindled, and everyone who left said goodbye to Chen Zhenzhu.

Finally, only Han Xiaojun remained. The gauze on his hand was wet again. He came to the only exit and reached out to shake hands with Chen Zhenzhu.

Shen Zhenzhu refused to shake hands, pointed to his injury and said, "Go back and disinfect it again."

Han Xiaojun smiled and said, "Okay."

Shen Zhenzhu turned her head and saw that everyone had left except for Gu Yanzheng and his group.

She sighed, wiped her rain-soaked face, and bent down to rub her aching thighs.

Han Xiaojun walked past her, and just as he was about to step towards the exit, he limped slightly on his right foot, but he continued walking forward without changing his expression.

Chen Zhenzhu slowly raised her head in the rain and mist.

"Don't move."

-----------------------

Author's Note: ******

Pearl: I see you.

******

An extra 3,000 words! Hehe, see you tomorrow, there's a red envelope! [Let me see]

Please don't spoil the killer's name! [Please] (kissing emoji)

He's not a real policeman.