10 Devil Mountain
Three days later, the coastal highway connects the border of Lianzhou.
Zhou Yun took a taxi there, and when she got out, Fang Chengjin was already waiting for her at the village entrance. He was wearing hiking clothes, with a small black bag slung across his shoulder, and he was extremely tall and thin.
Zhou Yun got out of the car and walked towards him. When she got closer, Fang Chengjin was still wearing a mask as always, and his exposed eyes remained calm.
Fang Chengjin said, "Let's go, go through this village, go around to the mountain behind it, and we'll find Devil Mountain."
Zhou Yun nodded without hesitation and followed him.
The entrance to Devil Mountain is not easy to find; it is located at the junction of two mountains. It is said that if you see rows of dawn redwood trees in the mountains, then you are close to Devil Mountain.
Entering the village was not difficult. When the two of them arrived at the village entrance, there was no one in the village. In fact, they walked for quite a while before they saw two or three old people drawing water from the well and children playing.
Zhou Yun couldn't help but say, "I checked the information last night. The first mountain we climbed was the one behind this village. The village is called Jingshui Village. It is said that many wells were dug here back then. Judging from the situation, there are very few people here. The people living nearby are mostly elderly people and left-behind children. I guess their parents have all gone out to work. It's about a two-hour drive from here to the central area of Hong Kong Island."
Fang Chengjin: "This is a poor village. Not every place on Hong Kong Island is a rich area."
Zhou Yun nodded and followed Fang Chengjin, looking around at the village environment.
As they walked, passing by willow trees, Fang Cheng asked cautiously, "How's it going with the books you took back? When you get back to school, you can go to the library often to look up information. My book cites many examples from other works, some of which aren't very detailed. Besides, the University of Hong Kong's library is quite beautiful."
Zhou Yun smiled and said, "I've been to the library. It's really beautiful, and you can tell how much money they have just by looking at it." She then added, "I've already finished reading the first book, 'Criminal Profiling,' and the profiling analysis in it has been very helpful to me."
The equation set then asked, "Do you remember what was written on page 38?"
Zhou Yun: "......"
Random sampling? Who can remember what's written on which page? It's not like I wrote the book myself.
Zhou Yun coughed, covering her mouth with her hand to hide her guilty conscience. She really couldn't remember what was written on that page...
Seeing that she was silent, Fang Cheng probably knew that she didn't remember, so he said directly: "Simulating the victim's victimization process is commonly known as simulating the crime scene or reenacting the case."
Zhou Yun exclaimed, "Yes, that's it! I remember now, this is a classic!"
Fang Chengjin: "This is the most effective way to depict a criminal profile. The killer's desires are directly reflected in their methods of violence—whether it's using a knife, burning, or slitting the throat to bleed like a castrated rooster. These are all the killer's inner desires. So, the first step when encountering a difficult case is not to rush. You need to think about how exactly the perpetrator lured the victim to the crime scene..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Chengjin suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Zhou Yun almost bumped into him and was startled.
Fang Chengjin turned his head and looked up, saying coldly, "We've arrived."
Zhou Yun looked in his direction and saw a small path leading up the mountain on the right side of their road.
The path was narrow, barely wide enough for one person to walk on at a time. It seemed to have been carved out by human hands, consisting of dirt roads without any stone steps. There were also many tall trees around it, and a small sign with distorted writing on it read: Devil Mountain.
Zhou Yun: "This sign is so simple, could it have been written by a villager from nearby?"
Fang Chengjin: "Not necessarily. It could also be something left by those who came before to those who came after."
There are always some kind-hearted people among mountain climbing enthusiasts who leave markers for other adventurous individuals, especially in remote mountain forests. Regardless, this was an entrance, so the two began climbing up the path.
**
After climbing for about half an hour, the two of them arrived in the lush forest. Amidst the chaotic mountain peaks, Zhou Yun turned around and could vaguely see the clouds and mist outside the forest.
Zhou Yun heard some panting ahead. She looked up and saw Fang Chengjin wearing a mask, breathing rapidly, and sweating slightly on his forehead.
Zhou Yun couldn't help but say, "Take off your mask. It's a bit hot today, and it's hard to breathe while hiking with a mask on."
Fang Cheng stopped and actually took off his mask. He took a deep breath and finally came to his senses.
He said, "The oxygen concentration here is too high, and I feel dizzy for a moment."
It can even taste the oxygen? That's impressive.
Zhou Yun stepped forward and finally stood beside him, the two of them standing by a small rock. Zhou Yun looked around; there were two paths in front of them. One was rather desolate, surrounded by empty space, and it was unclear where it led. The other had more trees and looked difficult to proceed.
The temperature in the mountains was sweltering, so Zhou Yun couldn't help but take off her coat and tie it around her waist, revealing a black tank top underneath. Her arms were both thin and muscular, with a slender and beautiful appearance.
"What's the next step?" she asked.
Fang Chengjin didn't respond immediately; he looked around at the road ahead. He hadn't expected there to be a fork in the road here. Lin Long had told him before he came that he could just go straight up. Had he taken a wrong turn along the way?
Fang Cheng turned around to look at the road he had come from. The road behind him was winding, and it was hard to tell whether he had taken a wrong turn.
“You choose,” Fang Chengjin said to Zhou Yun.
Zhou Yun looked at the two roads and was about to speak when she heard footsteps behind them.
The two exchanged a glance, then immediately looked behind them warily and took a few steps back.
When they climbed up the mountain, it was extremely quiet around them, and there was no one else around. It's hard to say whether what came out at this time was a person or an animal.
The footsteps drew closer, and a figure emerged from the lush bushes.
The newcomer was a fairly handsome man with slightly spiky, short, dark hair, fair skin, and a height of about 1.8 meters. He first met Zhou Yun's gaze, showing a surprised expression, then smiled, revealing his bright white teeth, and quickened his pace to stand in front of the two of them.
"Hello!" the man greeted us warmly. He was carrying a backpack and wearing black hiking clothes.
Fang Chengjin did not respond. He looked coldly at the person in front of him, his gaze sweeping over the man's shoes, which were covered in a layer of yellow mud.
Zhou Yun was more easygoing; she replied, "Hello."
The man introduced himself: "My name is Pan Fei, I'm a hiking enthusiast, are you too?"
Zhou Yun replied, "It's about right."
Pan Fei said "Oh," and then added, "How about we go together? It's good to have company. I heard there's a Devil's Mountain nearby, a popular spot for online influencers. Do you want to go check it out?"
Zhou Yun: "We just happen to be going to this location."
Pan Fei smiled, "That's great!"
Zhou Yun glanced at Fang Chengjin and, seeing that he had no objections, did not refuse Pan Fei's invitation to join her.
Pan Fei walked forward, choosing a lush, green path with many branches, which looked difficult to walk on.
Zhou Yun couldn't help but quietly ask Fang Chengjin from behind, "Professor Fang, should we come with us?"
She couldn't figure out what Fang Chengjin was thinking.
"Let's go together." Fang Chengjin glanced at the figure ahead, his eyes flashing. He turned to look at Zhou Yun's bare arms and reminded her, "Put your clothes on, be careful not to get scratched by tree branches."
Zhou Yun did as she was told, taking off her coat and putting it back on.
**
Pan Fei was very talkative, enthusiastic, and cheerful. He initiated many conversations along the way and seemed quite knowledgeable. Zhou Yun responded to him more often, while Fang Chengjin was quiet and reserved.
Pan Fei couldn't help but whisper to Zhou Yun, "Is this your boyfriend? He doesn't seem to talk much."
Zhou Yun shook her head. "No, he is my supervisor. I am currently a graduate student."
Pan Fei asked curiously and in surprise, "Wow, that's amazing! What did you study?"
Zhou Yun didn't reply immediately. She pondered for a moment, leaving some room for interpretation: "Psychology." As for things like crime, she wouldn't say anything.
Pan Fei exclaimed in amazement, his eyes shining: "Amazing!"
Zhou Yun smiled but didn't explain further.
Pan Fei then asked, "Can you use psychology to see through a person?"
Zhou Yun: "We'll see."
Pan Fei asked, "So what kind of person do you think I am?"
Zhou Yun was momentarily stunned. She glanced at Pan Fei, feeling a little strange. She'd only just met him; it wasn't appropriate to judge him so quickly.
Perhaps sensing Zhou Yun's reaction and realizing his abruptness, Pan Fei scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, I just think psychology is amazing. I don't have any friends who study psychology, so I was just curious."
Pan Fei then changed the subject, talking about other trivial matters.
They continued walking uphill for a while, and half an hour later, the three of them reached the top of the mountain in the distance. Not far away, a huge rock stood, shaped like five fingers.
"We've arrived!" Zhou Yun was the first to notice, and she couldn't help but point ahead and say to Fang Chengjin.
Fang Chengjin hummed in agreement, saying little else.
Pan Fei exclaimed with delight, "It seems we were quite lucky; we reached the top in no time!"
The three approached and soon arrived at the giant rock. Standing on the mountaintop, they had an unobstructed view of the beautiful Hong Kong Island.
Pan Fei put down his backpack, put his hands on his hips, and said happily, "Everyone says that the most beautiful mountain on Hong Kong Island is Victoria Peak, but I actually think Devil's Peak is the most beautiful."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Cheng, who was standing behind him, glanced at him with a complex mix of thoughts in his eyes.
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