Chapter 122 Are you talking about the murderer of the 0217 family extermination case? ...
There were veterans and active police officers present, but Pang Le was the first to ask Guan Xia for confirmation, anxiously asking, "What's going on? Guan Xia, was that a gunshot?"
Because the system was not triggered, Guan Xia was a little hesitant. His intuition did feel that it was the case, but he was not very sure.
Just as Guan Xia was hesitating, the same sound as before came from afar.
Although Meng Lan was still confused and didn't understand what was going on, she became extremely nervous when she saw the solemn expressions on everyone's faces.
Zhong Xiaoyu had been listening intently from the moment he heard the noise. After a few seconds, he said confidently, "I'm not mistaken. It was indeed gunfire. Including this one, there were five shots in total."
Meng Lan was completely stunned, her expression blank. "Weren't we just hiking? Why were there gunshots? Poachers?"
This question didn't need the more professional Xu Nian and the others to answer. Guan Xia was the first to shake her head. "It's unlikely. The Cuiping Mountains cover a vast area. There is indeed a natural animal reserve, but it's in the innermost area, completely undeveloped. We're still quite far away, and we didn't see any wild animals along the way. It's unlikely to be poaching."
Meng Lan panicked even more. "If they're not poachers, then they're criminals? Are we so unlucky? We just happened to encounter armed criminals while climbing a mountain?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone except Zhong Xiaoyu subconsciously turned their eyes to Guan Xia and Pang Le.
Pang Le's expression remained unchanged, but Guan Xia remembered something and seemed to be lost in thought.
Before Guan Xia could figure out what was going on, she suddenly heard Qi Bai say, "Cuiping Mountains, armed criminals, why do these things sound so familiar to me?"
Wang Yu said, "Of course this sounds familiar to you. Remember when we were investigating the 0503 serial murder and dismemberment case? Do you remember the cigarette butts we collected from the creek in the mountains three kilometers away from where the body bags were found?"
After this reminder, Qi Bai finally remembered everything. He said with a horrified expression, "Are you talking about the murderer of the 0217 family massacre?"
Wang Yu hummed, glanced at Xu Nian, who had been silent and studying the map, and asked, "Captain Xu should have thought of this a long time ago, right?"
Xu Nian didn't answer, but said, "Based on the gunshots just now, I roughly guessed that if the criminal opened fire to kill people, then he should be at this camping spot now."
Xu Nian said this as he pointed his finger at a spot on the map.
Everyone gathered around immediately upon hearing this. Fortunately, everyone was used to considering Guan Xia's height, allowing her to occupy a position with the best view.
Almost right next to Xu Nian, Guan Xia noticed the place Xu Nian pointed to. According to the map, it was located northeast of their location, with a straight-line distance of nearly four kilometers. If it was a winding mountain road, it would be even farther away.
Meng Lan asked in shock and confusion, "How do you know that the armed criminal is likely to be at this campsite?"
Jiang Yingyao patiently explained, "First, judging from the direction the gunshots came from, they were to our northeast. The sound we heard was very faint, which means it's very far away. As you can see from the map, there are three camping spots to the northeast of our current location. The closest one is less than two kilometers away. It's also a cave, but there's no platform outside. There's only one cave that can accommodate one person. If the criminals killed people at this camping spot, we wouldn't be able to hear the gunshots because of the mountain wall. The farthest camping spot is nearly seven kilometers away. Even if the environment in the mountains is very open, it's difficult for us to hear gunshots from such a distance. That rules out the other two options, and this camping spot is the only one left."
Meng Lan listened and nodded with some confusion.
Wang Yu added, "There's also the geographical location of the campsite. This is the only campsite to our northeast that has the basin pattern I mentioned earlier. You should have noticed the frequency of the gunshots: two shots with long intervals, followed by three in quick succession. I've learned some information about the killer in case 0217. He's a natural sociopath. His killings aren't like the usual killers with clear motives, nor are they crimes of passion. He's more interested in the thrill of controlling human life."
Wang Yu took out her cell phone and found the actual photos of the campsite she had found from the guide she looked up online.
Wang Yu showed everyone the area and said, "Look at the geographical location of this campsite. The entrance and exit are narrow, and the cliffs on both sides are not very high but they are high above the ground. This is very consistent with the killing ethos of the murderer in case 0217."
Meng Lan's eyes almost popped out of her head when she heard this. "Such a dangerous criminal hasn't been caught yet?"
Jiang Yingyao said: "This criminal is arrogant but also very cunning. He has always relied on the unique geographical environment of the Cuiping Mountains, which spans several provinces and cities. He has moved to a new location after each shot. Police from all over the country have organized many manhunts for him, but have never been able to catch him."
Meng Lan didn't know what she was thinking about. Her expression turned pale. She tightly grasped Guan Xia's hand and said tremblingly, "Could this person... deliberately target these places? After killing everyone at this campsite, is it possible that he will move to our campsite? Wouldn't that put us in great danger?"
"He has a gun," Meng Lan's voice changed with nervousness. "He has a gun in his hand. Even if we are more than us, we can't stop him from shooting one by one. No one can escape. So let's go down the mountain, go down the mountain now, and call the police for backup."
Meng Lan said this and hurriedly turned around to pack her things, but no one else moved.
Guan Xia came up with something based on Meng Lan's previous words. If the murderer was really at that camping spot as Xu Nian and the others had speculated, it meant that he must have stayed in this mountain for quite some time, otherwise he would not have been so familiar with the terrain.
And there is... Guan Xia remembered the groups of figures he had seen when he looked up before. Because they were a bit far away, he could not see them clearly, but judging from their body shape and clothing, those people who were hiking and camping were not very old, and quite a few of them were young people.
Guan Xia didn't count the number of people at the time, but vaguely remembered that there should be more than a dozen people, a smaller group that was larger than theirs. If all of them were killed...
Guan Xia didn't dare to think too much about it. Just a little imagination made her scalp tingle.
Wang Yu said, "From what I've learned about the killer in Case 0217, his firearms have always been homemade. I also asked Sister Yu from the technical team about the photos of the firearms posted online. She told me that while these firearms are powerful, they have a limited range and poor accuracy. Unless someone is fired at close range and from a high position, it's unlikely to cause a fatal injury."
Guan Xia understood these words and immediately felt relieved. In other words, the five shots before were more of a deterrent and a game for the murderer, which would not cause too many casualties for the time being.
Pang Le's brow furrowed as he listened. "Is this murderer crazy? He's even provoking you police officers, deliberately choosing a public place like this to fire a gun. Could it be that he wants to play a game of cat and mouse with the police?"
Guan Xia was simply baffled. At this point, he was too lazy to speculate on the murderer's thoughts. He looked at Xu Nian and asked, "What are your plans? Do you want to go over and take a look?"
Although Guan Xia asked this, based on her understanding of Xu Nian, he would not be so reckless.
Sure enough, Xu Nian shook his head and said, "This is an undeveloped wild mountain. It's too dangerous to act rashly at night. What's more, everything is just our speculation. We don't know the specific situation yet. In addition, we have no weapons and no information. If we really go there, it will not be of any use. I have just reported it to Director Ren via satellite phone. He will contact the local police and armed police forces. All we can do now is to gather as much information as possible and see if there is a chance to get closer."
Qi Bai felt relieved when he heard this and touched the telescope still hanging around his neck. He said, "Fortunately, I had the sudden idea to bring a telescope this time. Otherwise, we would be completely blind in the dark."
As Qi Bai took off the telescope from his neck and was about to hand it to Xu Nian, but halfway through, a hand came from the side and snatched the telescope away.
It was Zhong Xiaoyu, fiddling with a telescope as she said, "I'm from the armed police force. Although I've been retired for a few years, my skills haven't faded much. You guys stay in the cave, I'll find an observation point and observe with the telescope, and then come back to find you."
Zhong Xiaoyu was a man of action. After he finished speaking, without waiting for anyone to react, he hung the telescope around his neck, went back to the cave, packed up some necessary supplies, and was about to go out.
Ji An hurriedly pulled her up and said, "It's too dangerous for you to go alone. Let me go with you. We have often worked together before."
Zhong Xiaoyu firmly brushed off Ji An's hand that was tugging at her arm and said seriously, "Sister Ji, this time is different from before. The criminals we're facing this time are armed with guns, and the number is unknown. I'm from the armed police force and have undergone special training. I can handle some situations that you can't, so you all wait here. I promise you, I'm just going to investigate and won't approach rashly. Once I understand the situation, I'll come back to discuss it with you."
At this moment, even if everyone followed, they would only be a hindrance. So after a brief silence, Ji An finally hugged Zhong Xiaoyu helplessly, patted her shoulder and told her to be careful. The others also gave her a few worried words of advice.
Watching Zhong Xiaoyu's figure gradually disappear on the dark mountain road, Guan Xia couldn't help but ask Xu Nian, "How long will it take for support to arrive at the fastest speed?"
Xu Nian glanced at the time and said, "The fastest support should come from the local police, but it will take at least four or five hours."
Guan Xia recalled the route they had taken to climb up. If they hadn't rested and were strong enough and fast enough, it would indeed take four or five hours.
Pang Le sighed, "Four or five hours, I don't know what the situation is like over there. I hope someone can escape and there aren't too many casualties."
The next period of time was spent waiting. Without the telescope that Qi Bai brought, even with a flashlight, the range of illumination was limited. They could not see anything and would expose their position.
Meng Lan was determined to go down the mountain at first, but after listening to Xu Nian and the others' analysis, she changed her mind and said helplessly, "What kind of physical condition are we in? We were just going on a simple trip to relax, so how could we encounter such bad luck? I even chose a niche attraction, and this happened to us."
As soon as Meng Lan finished speaking, everyone subconsciously looked at Guan Xia and Pang Le.
Meng Lan finally reacted belatedly and looked at Guan Xia hesitantly and said, "What do they mean by looking at you? I remember I seemed to have said something similar before, and they also subconsciously looked at you. Could it be..."
Meng Lan looked a little surprised and doubtful as she spoke.
Guan Xia smiled a little embarrassedly and whispered, "It's exactly what you think. Whenever Pang Le and I go out to play recently, there's a high chance we'll run into a murder case."
After Guan Xia finished speaking, she suddenly thought of something. She glanced at Jiang Yingyao, then at Wang Yu and Xu Nian.
If she remembered correctly, it seemed that from the moment they started climbing the mountain, Xu Nian and the others, including Ji An, had an inexplicable alertness. They would look around after climbing a few steps, as if they were looking for something.
She was a little surprised before, but now when she heard Meng Lan bring up this topic, she suddenly realized that she was certain that their hiking trip would not be peaceful, so she was looking around all the way. She must have been making preparations since then.
After figuring out her previous doubts, Guan Xia stared at Pang Le with wide eyes and threateningly said, "Show me your phone. How did you send the group message before?"
Pang Le scratched his chin guiltily, staring at the cave ceiling as if he had suddenly discovered something particularly beautiful. He said, looking around, "The weather is really great today. The moon is so big, and the starry sky is so clear."
Guan Xia snorted in dissatisfaction and tried to grab the phone. Pang Le saw that he couldn't dodge it, so he said honestly: "I am telling the truth. If you don't believe me, ask Xu Nian if I am telling the truth."
Facing Guan Xia's gaze, Xu Nian felt somewhat helpless. He handed over the phone and said, "I don't know how to describe it either. Why don't you take a look for yourself?"
Guan Xia was not polite and took the phone from Xu Nian's hand and opened the chat box between him and Pang Le. The last message from Pang Le was: Xu Nian, Guan Xia is going hiking and camping with Meng Lan, and I want to go too. I have a feeling that we will encounter something when we go out this time, and I don’t think I can handle it alone. Do you want to go together?
Guan Xia was stunned for a moment, then said, "No wonder Sister Ji and Zhong Xiaoyu are here. Lu Tingfeng also wants to come. If you say so, how can they not come?"
Pang Le said innocently, "But I wasn't wrong. I did have such a premonition. The most important thing is whether this premonition came true. Look, Zhong Xiaoyu is now useful. She's the only one here who has served in the military. Qi Bai even brought a telescope. If they hadn't come, with only the three of us, we would be completely blind, unable to advance or retreat. You two are so weak that I don't even dare to take you down the mountain, for fear that someone would slip and fall if I wasn't watching."
Guan Xia felt helpless after hearing this. After returning the phone to Xu Nian, she said, "Yes, what you said makes a lot of sense. Thank you so much. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't be sitting here feeling so safe and in the mood to chat with you about this."
Pang Le put his arm around Guan Xia's shoulders and said proudly, "You're welcome. I'm just taking precautions. But to be honest, I really have to thank Qi Bai. If it weren't for his telescope, we would be in a dilemma."
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