Xu Xinghe paused, looked up at him, her eyes full of doubt.
Jiang Linchuan pursed his thin lips and slowly said, "We just went up the mountain to investigate. That mudslide was not a natural disaster, but was caused by humans."
"What?" Xu Xinghe stood up abruptly, the smile on her face vanishing instantly, replaced by disbelief. "Man-made? How is that possible? I always thought that mudslides could only be natural disasters."
“It’s true.” Jiang Linchuan said solemnly, explaining simply, “There were originally several old pine trees on the mountain that helped stabilize the soil, but they were cut down at the roots and several large pits were dug in the weak points of the mountain to induce landslides during heavy rain. The rain washed away a lot of the traces, but the remaining evidence is enough to prove that it was done by humans.”
Xu Xinghe was stunned and speechless for a long time.
She simply couldn't imagine that anyone would create such a terrible disaster in this way.
This mudslide only damaged the railway tracks, so we were lucky.
If you're unlucky, it could even destroy the entire village and kill many people!
“We suspect this is related to the General Staff,” Jiang Linchuan continued. “They are currently the only outsiders in the military. Logically, they should have completed their inspection and returned home a couple of days ago, but they have to stay here temporarily because the railway was washed away. The fact that they could calculate this so precisely means that their scheme is definitely not simple.”
Xu Xinghe frowned and muttered, "Weren't the Generals here for an inspection? Did they find out something that would make someone take such a risk?"
Jiang Linchuan shook his head. "It's not clear yet."
He looked at Xu Xinghe's bewildered face and frowned slightly.
When the General left, besides the routine inspection report, he might also take away the external wound medicine that Xu Xinghe had.
This prescription has miraculous effects, and if it falls into the covetous hands of someone with ulterior motives, it could indeed cause such trouble.
But he couldn't voice this guess, for fear of frightening Xu Xinghe and causing her panic.
After thinking it over, he only said one sentence, "Xinghe, listen to me, you must keep your prescription safe and hide it in the safest place. No matter who asks for it, even if they seem to have no ill intentions, you must not give it to them. Wait until the generals are about to leave before giving it to them."
Although Xu Xinghe didn't fully understand the implications, she could sense the seriousness of the matter. "I understand, Lin Chuan. I will keep the prescription safe and won't give it to anyone."
Jiang Linchuan breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw her serious expression.
He reached out and ruffled her hair, his tone softening slightly, "I have to go to town. Have someone contact me immediately if anything happens."
"Okay, you be careful too."
Jiang Linchuan responded, turned around and quickly left the courtyard, heading towards the town.
The sun was still shining brightly, but Xu Xinghe had lost all interest in tending to the medicinal herb field.
She stood up and looked at Jiang Linchuan's departing figure, her mind a jumble of emotions.
The man-made mudslide, the trapped general, the medicine prescriptions that needed to be hidden... all of this made her vaguely feel that an even bigger storm was quietly approaching.
And the target... seems to be himself!
Once this thought arose, it entwined Xu Xinghe's heart like a vine, making her inexplicably panicked.
However, the thought that the prescription and the herbs were in her spatial storage, and that no one could take them away, reassured her a little.
She would remember Jiang Linchuan's words and never give the prescription to anyone.
An hour later.
Jiang Linchuan and Lian Xiao, along with a group of soldiers, have already begun a comprehensive search of the town.
They split into several groups and visited residents door-to-door, asking if they had seen any unfamiliar faces or unusual activity recently.
"Fellow villager, may I ask if you've seen anyone from outside our town visiting in the last two weeks?" Lian Xiao stopped an elderly woman who was drying vegetables at her door and asked politely.
The old woman paused for a moment, thought carefully, and nodded, "Yes! About three or four days ago, I saw a few people from out of town. I couldn't tell anything from their clothes, but they didn't sound like people from around here when they started talking. They stayed at the teahouse at the east end of town for quite a while."
Another elderly man who was also setting up a stall came over and said, "I've seen him too! There was a man carrying a black bag who used to hang around here a couple of days ago, but I haven't seen him since."
More and more residents have provided clues, saying that a lot of strangers have indeed come recently, scattered in different parts of the town.
Although no particularly suspicious behavior was found, it was certainly unusual.
"It seems these people are the key!" Jiang Linchuan's eyes darkened, and he immediately ordered, "Everyone, listen up! Based on the clues provided by the residents, conduct surprise inspections of the areas where the suspicious persons have appeared. We must find them!"
"Yes!" the soldiers responded in unison, quickly dispersing and rushing toward their respective target areas.
The raid was swift, but the strangers were clearly very alert.
Several residences that were searched were found to be deserted when the soldiers rushed in, leaving only some messy traces, indicating that the inhabitants had received advance notice and fled in haste.
"You ran fast!" Lian Xiao looked at the empty room. "You must have something to hide!"
Jiang Linchuan was not surprised. The forces behind such a major event as a man-made mudslide must be well-informed and quick to react.
Perhaps someone was already watching them secretly while they were conducting their investigation.
It would be too time-consuming and laborious for them to conduct a thorough investigation of the entire town; we still need to rely on the residents.
Without stopping, he led two soldiers toward a clothing shop at the west end of town.
Residents had previously reported that strangers frequently entered and exited the shop, behaving suspiciously.
Jiang Linchuan pushed open the wooden door of the shop.
The sewing machine, fabric, scissors, and other tools were still inside. There were even unfinished clothes on the table, and the water in the teacup was still warm. It was clear that the person had left in a great hurry and hadn't even had time to pack up.
“They just left not long ago.” Jiang Linchuan touched the teacup on the table. “If they were just ordinary outsiders, there would be no need for them to flee in such a panic. Now that they’ve run away, it only confirms that they have something to do with it.”
The soldiers searched the shop carefully but found no identification or suspicious items. They only found a broken saw blade in the corner that did not belong there, and its material was very similar to the saw blade fragments found on the mountain.
"It seems they are the accomplices who sabotaged the mountain!" a soldier said in a deep voice.
Jiang Linchuan nodded, a cold glint in his eyes. "They can't have gone far. Expand the search area and seal off all entrances and exits to the town. We absolutely cannot let them escape!"
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