Chapter 290 Perfect Cover-up
The other three were skilled foreign skiers, two men and one woman.
Finding people overseas is far less convenient than in Longguo, and it is impossible to quickly access the household registration system for identity comparison.
Xia Lili planned to take the initiative to contact these five key figures first, find out as much as possible about their background, and then report to Captain Li to jointly analyze who is most likely the hidden murderer.
Xia Lili even considered another possibility.
In addition to these six people, is there a seventh person hiding in the windy and snowy mountains?
After all, weapons like crossbows are not something that ordinary tourists or skiers would carry. They are more likely to be carried by hunters who are familiar with the mountains and forests.
......
The cable car climbs steadily, leaving the hustle and bustle of the mountain below and the beginners' practice area far behind.
Passing through the swirling clouds, the view on the top of the mountain suddenly becomes clear.
The advanced ski area was not crowded, with about a dozen skiers scattered across the vast expanse of white snow.
The atmosphere here is completely different from that at the foot of the mountain. It is less noisy and more focused and calm, with a sense of challenging one's limits.
The air was cold and fresh, as if it had been thoroughly washed by snow.
Xia Lili, the newbie, was dragged by An Zhaoyan to the viewing area next to the track.
On the track, at the starting point of the steepest black diamond track in the middle, a small group of people gathered together, bursting into exclamations and warm applause from time to time.
In the center of the circle, an expert in bright red professional skiing clothes became the focus of the audience.
Instead of rushing down the steep slope directly, he chose a naturally formed steep snow cornice at the starting point as a jumping platform.
He accelerated his dive, lowered his body, and suddenly took off into the air the moment he broke through the snow cornice.
Xia Lili couldn't help but hold her breath!
She noticed that An Zhaoyuan was obviously also very interested in this skiing expert and was staring at him without blinking.
In the air, the ski expert completed a breathtaking board grab.
With the body extremely stretched, the right hand accurately grasps the back edge of the ski, forming a perfect and thrilling "comet" posture.
At the same time, his body was still rotating at high speed, completing at least two eccentric rotations.
The skis drew dizzying arcs against the blue sky.
Time seemed to stand still.
The next moment, he landed steadily, splashing a wave of flying snow.
With his knees slightly bent, he perfectly cushioned the impact, and with a sharp sliding sound, he stopped steadily at the bottom of the slope.
The whole set of movements is smooth and neat, full of the beauty of power and control.
The crowd around him, including other skiers who were obviously quite skilled, couldn't help but cheer and applaud him.
Even Xia Lili could feel An Zhaoyan's excitement beside her.
An Zhaoyan sighed softly at this time: "Senior Thorne is really amazing."
Xia Lili could see that An Zhaoyan was a fan of this skiing expert.
The applause was particularly clear and loud on the empty mountain top. Some people even whistled and raised their mobile phones to record this wonderful moment.
Xia Lili took the snacks, but her eyes drifted to the figure skating smoothly not far away. She couldn't help but exclaim, "That person skates so well... Is he a professional skater?"
An Zhaoyan followed her gaze and a smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his lips: "He is my ski coach, his name is Thorne."
Her eyes followed the figure, her tone filled with obvious trust and admiration, "My snowboarding edge changes, jumps, and skating rhythm were all taught by him."
Xia Lili narrowed her eyes, thoughtfully: "He's a coach here, so he... should be very familiar with this snowy mountain, right?"
An Zhaoyan said without hesitation, "Of course I'm familiar with it."
She spoke with conviction, saying something that made Xia Lili look sideways: "His grandfather used to be a hunter in these mountains. Thorn... practically grew up in the snow."
Xia Lili secretly memorized the name Thorne.
After An Zhaoyan left, Xia Lili sat alone in the viewing area and took out her usual sketchbook and a box of colored pencils from her bag.
She carefully sketched on paper the scene of An Zhaoyan lying in the snow in her hallucination.
About half an hour later, a sketch of the scene was completed, with the location of every scar on An Zhaoyan's body clearly marked.
Xia Lili had just taken a picture of the shocking sketch and sent it to Li Qihan, explaining the hallucination she had seen this time.
Within a few minutes, the video call request prompt sounded rapidly.
She immediately pressed the answer button, and Li Qihan's figure appeared on the other side of the screen, with the white ward wall as the background.
A corner of the gauze was still exposed on his neck.
"Captain Li," Xia Lili spoke first, her tone full of obvious concern, "How is your injury?"
"It's okay, a minor problem. I'll be discharged after a few days of observation." Li Qihan was startled when he heard Xia Lili's concern for him. He then briefly explained his situation and immediately changed the subject, "I saw the picture you sent. It's very detailed."
His brows furrowed slightly, his eyes seemed to penetrate the screen as he carefully examined every detail on the sketch.
"The lacerations inflicted by these bear claws may look horrific, but their distribution and depth are not sufficient to be immediately fatal."
Li Qihan analyzed in a calm, almost cold, professional tone, "The real problem is this: the wound on the unfortunate individual's lower back."
Xia Lili saw his finger tap the screen, seemingly pointing precisely at the position of An Zhaoyan's midfielder.
"This wound is completely different. It's located slightly above the lower back, the wound is deep, and the edges are unusually smooth. It's a typical penetrating wound... A beast could never inflict such a wound."
His tone sank, and he made a chilling judgment:
"It's a crossbow."
Before Xia Lili could digest this information, he continued to analyze it. In a low and clear voice, he listed two more cruel possibilities:
"The first possibility is that someone was hunting with a crossbow in the mountains, perhaps targeting the bear, but a stray arrow accidentally struck the unfortunate individual."
Li Qihan paused for a moment, his eyes becoming more serious.
"But the second scenario is more troublesome."
"It's very likely not an accident. Someone deliberately created a chaotic scene where they were chased by a bear."
"Then, the murderer took advantage of the unfortunate person's panic and obstructed vision to deliver a fatal blow from behind... or from the side, using a crossbow, perfectly disguising the murder as a hunting accident or an attack by a wild animal."
Xia Lili was shocked after hearing this analysis.
She glanced in the direction of the cable car station and shuddered. "If this wasn't an accident but murder, then the cable car malfunction could have been caused by someone deliberately stranding An Zhaoyan on the mountain?"
Xia Lili couldn't help but wonder, what kind of hatred or resentment could make someone go to so much trouble to plan this murder?
If I want to take An Zhaoyan down the mountain before dark, will anyone stop me?
Maybe that person is the mastermind behind this!
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