(A sunny weekend)
"Wanwan! Help me!" Chen Yu's voice was breathless and pleading on the phone.
"For the geology survey, the teacher added a new location for rock sample collection. It's over at Qingshi'ao! I'm a little scared to go alone; it looks pretty remote... Come with me! Three hours at most! When you come back, I'll treat you to milk tea for a month!"
Chen Yu is Ning Xiwan's classmate and one of the few friends she hasn't deliberately distanced herself from due to her status since returning to the Ning family. She's a slightly confused but kind-hearted geology student.
Ning Xiwan was curled up on the sofa in Duan Shuce's apartment, watching him frown as he pondered a pile of complex data and maps on the computer screen at his desk - that was his "part-time" job as a special adviser to Interpol.
Although Duan Shuce is young, he possesses logical reasoning ability and spatial analysis talent that is beyond the reach of ordinary people. He was exceptionally recruited as a non-staff consultant to handle some difficult cases involving complex geographical information or code cracking.
"Qingshi'ao?" Ning Xiwan frowned slightly. She had a vague impression of the place name. It seemed to be at the foot of a series of hills on the outskirts of the city, quite far from the urban area. "That place is a bit remote."
"Yes, yes, yes! It's right there! It is said that there are some special stratigraphic sections at the foot of the mountain, and the teacher specifically asked for it!" Chen Yu said hurriedly on the other end of the phone.
"I checked the map, and there seems to be a small village at the foot of the mountain. Wanwan, you're the best! Come with me! I promise to make it quick and easy!"
Ning Xiwan looked up at Duan Shuce. He seemed to be distracted by the content of the call, and he temporarily looked away from the screen and looked at her with a questioning look.
"Chen Yu, we're going to Qingshi'ao for a geological survey to collect rock samples, and we want me to accompany you," Ning Xiwan explained simply.
Duan Shuce's brows twitched slightly, and his fingers tapped twice on the keyboard unconsciously, as if he was quickly retrieving some information.
He looked at Ning Xiwan, his tone filled with his usual concern for her safety: "Qingshi'ao? The mountainous area near the border with the neighboring province? The road conditions are not very good, and the village is also very isolated. I happen to have nothing to do this afternoon, so I'll accompany you..."
"No need!" Ning Xiwan interrupted him and said to Chen Yu on the other end of the phone, "Okay, I'll go with you. Meet me at the east gate of the school. We'll leave in half an hour."
After hanging up the phone, she smiled at Duan Shuce and said, "It's just a stone mining trip, three hours round trip. You can focus on your consulting work, Mr. Duan."
She deliberately emphasized the word "consultant" with a hint of sarcasm. She knew Duan Shuce was currently following a lead on a transnational smuggling case and didn't want to disturb him.
Duan Shuce's gaze behind the lenses lingered on her face for a few seconds, confirming that she looked relaxed and was indeed just helping a friend complete an ordinary assignment.
He nodded, but still reminded me, "Keep your phone connected and send me your location when you arrive. Be careful and don't go too deep into the mountains. The cell phone coverage is poor there."
"I know, butler!" Ning Xiwan leaned over and gave him a loud kiss on the cheek, leaving a faint lip mark, then grabbed her coat and ran out in a hurry.
Duan Shuce touched his cheek, looked at the closed door, and smiled helplessly, but there was still a trace of imperceptible sharpness in his eyes.
He sat back in front of the computer, his fingers tapping quickly on the keyboard, calling up a detailed satellite map of Qingshi'ao and surrounding areas and limited household registration information.
Ning Xiwan drove her SUV and drove away from the bustling city with Chen Yu, who was holding a geological hammer, a magnifying glass and a sample bag, and looked excited and a little nervous.
The tall buildings were gradually replaced by low bungalows and open fields, and finally the road became narrow and rugged, with bleak mountains and forests in late autumn on both sides.
The air was cool, with the scent of earth and dead leaves.
Just as the navigation system showed us we were near our destination, a small, extremely dilapidated village appeared ahead. A dozen or so low-rise adobe or brick houses were scattered at the foot of the mountain, most of them with their doors and windows tightly shut, a lifeless scene.
Under a huge old locust tree at the entrance of the village, there were a few old men sitting in the sun, with cloudy eyes, looking curiously at the city SUV that suddenly appeared.
"That's it!" Chen Yu compared the coordinates on his phone with the diagram the teacher gave him. "The section the teacher mentioned should be right under the cliff behind the village."
Ning Xiwan parked the car on a relatively flat open space at the entrance of the village and turned off the engine.
The surroundings were unusually quiet, with only the sound of the wind blowing through the bare branches and the occasional faint barking of dogs in the distance.
She looked around. The feeling of isolation and desolation, as well as the indescribable dullness in the air, made a deliberately forgotten corner deep in her heart twitch slightly.
Those dark fragments of memories before the age of fourteen suddenly flooded back into my mind like a cold tide - the dirty mud house, the pungent smell, the fierce scolding, the punches and kicks on my body...
She subconsciously gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning slightly white.
"Wanwan? What's wrong?" Chen Yu noticed that something was wrong with her.
"...It's okay." Ning Xiwan took a deep breath, suppressed her turbulent thoughts, and forced herself to calm down. "Let's go, and make this a quick and decisive battle."
She pushed the door open and got out of the car. Her movements were quick and decisive, but her eyes were sharper and more alert than usual.
The two men, carrying their tool bags, followed a well-trodden, gravelly path, bypassing the quiet village and heading towards the cliff. The cliff was not high, but it was severely weathered, exposing the gray-yellow and ochre-red rock layers.
Chen Yu quickly found the target profile and began to tap, observe, and record attentively, occasionally letting out low cries of surprise.
Ning Xiwan did not go close to the cliff, but chose to stand in a position with a relatively wide view, with her back against a huge rock.
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