At this time, Zhou Yuanyuan was sitting in a military helicopter on her way to the small mountain village. Besides Zhou Xi, she was also traveling with three other members of the special forces.
Honestly, serving in the Special Operations Corps is essentially a lifelong commitment. As long as you're still alive, regardless of age or retirement, you'll be ready to serve whenever the country needs you, just like Zhou Xi. The idea of serving the people is deeply ingrained in the minds of the members.
Zhang Qiang, now 28 years old, has had flames erupting from his body since infancy, burning everything around him. His family, believing him to be a "monster," abandoned him at the Qingshi City Welfare Institution. After Zhou Xi's special operations team discovered Zhang Qiang's anomaly, he was taken from the institution and transferred to a state-run nursery specifically established for those with special abilities. From the age of three, Zhang Qiang was taught by a specialized instructor to control his inner flames. At eighteen, he joined the special operations team and participated in two missions of varying sizes.
Zhang Qiang is the fire-type mutant that General Zhou had met before.
Yu Xiaochuan, 35 years old, is a veteran of the special operations team. His specialty is his exceptional speed, capable of teleporting over a hundred meters in a second, making him a valuable surprise rescuer. Unfortunately, Yu Xiaochuan's teleportation isn't unlimited; it can only be performed twice within an hour.
Zhou Cheng, 31, possessed a special ability to smell. He could trace the whereabouts of a person by following the scent he'd smelled, no matter how long ago. Zhou Xi had brought him along this time, wanting him to smell the scene so he could determine the direction of his pursuit. Even if the murderer wasn't human, Zhou Cheng would be able to sniff it out.
Aside from Zhou Xi, the other three team members had been curious about Zhou Yuanyuan. Just as the plane was about to take off, they were informed that an extra reinforcement would be sent to the small mountain village. Initially, the three were excited. After all, their special operations team hadn't had any new recruits in the past ten years, and the least capable of being considered an extra reinforcement was at least Zhou Xi's level. Everyone understood the principle of having an extra expert to help.
After a flurry of scrambling to make room, Zhou Yuanyuan sat next to Zhou Xi. Zhou Xi had reserved a seat near the inside for Zhou Yuanyuan, fearing that the little girl would get airsick when she saw the ground gradually receding outside the window.
In response to Zhou Xi's thoughtfulness, Zhou Yuanyuan smiled and took Zhou Xi's arm, saying, "Grandpa Xi, you are so kind."
Zhou Xi seemed a little unaccustomed to Zhou Yuanyuan's intimacy. He had been alone for decades, and even the slightest intimacy from a younger person would make his eyes water unknowingly. He glanced at a few of his fellow team members and complained helplessly, "Miss, you're so naughty."
Zhou Xi was really worried about Zhou Yuanyuan. He didn't understand what happened to the always wise master this time. He actually called to intercept their helicopter that was about to take off, just to wait for Zhou Yuanyuan to catch up with their team.
After Zhou Yuanyuan boarded the plane, the team members fell silent. From Zhou Xi's way of addressing her, the team members had already guessed her identity: General Zhou's great-granddaughter.
The three special operations team members didn't show any emotion at Zhou Yuanyuan's arrival, but they were actually unhappy. A little girl, seemingly capable of little things, insisted on accompanying them to that remote mountain forest instead of staying home to study. Did she think they were just going on a trip to enjoy the scenery? Furthermore, Zhou Yuanyuan's status made them think she was a spoiled little girl, the kind who only cared about having fun by relying on her elders' influence.
Zhou Yuanyuan didn't realize she had been labeled "Miss Jiao" in an instant. Out of courtesy, after boarding the plane, Zhou Yuanyuan smiled and greeted a few people: "Hello, seniors."
Zhou Xi didn't introduce Zhou Yuanyuan, and Zhou Yuanyuan didn't know how to address everyone, so she just mumbled "senior." Yu Xiaochuan and Zhou Cheng, being older and more diplomatic, smiled and nodded in response. Only Zhang Qiang, the youthful and energetic, ignored Zhou Yuanyuan's greetings and turned his head away with a stern face.
Zhou Yuanyuan didn't care when she saw Zhang Qiang like this. If she hadn't seen General Zhou worried about Zhou Xi, she wouldn't have come here to catch a plane. She was already a cultivator in the great perfection stage of foundation building. Even if she didn't take this plane, she could fly to the small mountain village by herself on a sword, and the whole journey would take less than two hours.
Zhou Xi understood everyone's resentment, but he couldn't oppose General Zhou's decision. By the time Zhou Yuanyuan arrived at the airport, it was already twenty minutes past the scheduled departure time.
Zhou Xi was exhausted from complaining about General Zhou's occasional outbursts of stubbornness. What did "Yuanyuan can help you" mean? What good would a thirteen-year-old girl, even if she had superb medical skills? This time, their team wasn't dealing with a difficult disease, but rather an unknown and bizarre death!
"Grandpa Xi, don't worry! I won't drag you down." Facing Zhou Xi who looked helpless, Zhou Yuanyuan confidently comforted him. Zhou Yuanyuan did not boast. According to Xiaoyu, among the people traveling together, Zhou Xi was the strongest, and the others combined were not a match for Zhou Yuanyuan in one move.
The small mountain village has a pleasant name: Cuiyuan Village. It's the most remote village in Kanshan Town, nestled amidst the Shiwanda Mountains. Cuiyuan Village is so remote, so secluded that there's no road leading into the village, and only a narrow path connects it to the outside world.
The fastest way to get from Cuiyuan Village to Kanshan Town is over five hours on foot. Bicycling, where the roads are poor in some places and you have to get off and push the bike, can still take two hours. Because of this lack of transportation, the villagers rarely leave the village year-round, living a self-sufficient life in the mountains.
There are only a dozen households in the small mountain village, and including two babies who were born two months ago, there are a total of fifty-three people.
Two days ago, a group of hikers went into the mountains and got lost, so they set up camp. Early the next morning, after wandering through the mountains for most of the day, they finally reached Cuiyuan Village around noon. The hungry and thirsty hikers spotted the village and happily ran over to buy some food. Instead, they found a village littered with corpses.
Several hikers were so scared that they ran out of the village and returned to Kanshan Town along the narrow path.
If no hikers had gone to the police station to report the case, it would have taken an unknown amount of time for the dead people in Cuiyuan Village to be discovered.
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