Chapter 102 Bolang Mountain

Chapter 102: Bolang Mountain

After identifying the suspect, the group wasted no time and quickly headed toward the Management School.

However, upon arriving, when they inquired about Ke Zhiwei, his roommates told them:

"Ke Zhiwei isn't here."

Gao Xuefeng flinched slightly as he noticed the police officers' faces darkening, a sudden sense of dread creeping into his heart.

Captain Yang frowned deeply, his voice urgent: "Not here? Where did he go? When did he leave?"

Tang Hao stammered, "H-he left around six a.m. Said he had a company interview and needed to go early."

"Six a.m.?" Shen Qingye's heart sank. "What interview happens that early?"

The group exchanged glances, all realizing something was wrong.

Ke Zhiwei had personally orchestrated this scheme, diverting public attention to Zhou Yuanfeng and even framing him as colluding with the police. Though the rumors were spreading fast, it was still just a rumor. They lacked hard evidence of Zhou Yuanfeng's involvement in the kidnapping. If Ke Zhiwei truly wanted to frame Zhou Yuanfeng for good, what should he do now?

—Kill Qin Jiayu and frame Zhou Yuanfeng for it.

As Zhou Yuanfeng's roommate, Ke Zhiwei had countless ways to obtain personal items belonging to Zhou Yuanfeng. If he left any of them at where he'd leave the body or on the body itself, Zhou Yuanfeng would never be able to talk his way out of it.

Qin Jiayu was now in mortal danger, and everyone clearly realized this, their panic growing. But no matter how urgent the situation, they had to stay calm—

The most critical question now was: Where was Ke Zhiwei?

Where had he taken Qin Jiayu?

Yue Lingchuan spoke rapidly: "If he wants to pin this on Zhou Yuanfeng, then where he'd leave the body must have some connection to Zhou Yuanfeng. Either near his home or somewhere he’s been before."

"From that, we can infer that the place where Ke Zhiwei took Qin Jiayu might not be far from there either."

Shen Qingye also took a deep breath and analyzed calmly: "Exactly. If it’s too far, disposing of the body would be difficult. Besides, it’s daytime now—he wouldn’t risk going to upscale neighborhoods or busy city centers where the chances of being spotted are too high."

Captain Yang added, "In crowded places, pulling off a kidnapping and moving back and forth would also draw suspicion."

Li Mingliang said, "So that means Ke Zhiwei must have taken her somewhere deserted."

A remote place connected to Zhou Yuanfeng...

Tang Hao, listening to them, grew uneasy and didn’t dare dwell too deeply on their words. He tripped over his words, "Wait, wh-what are you talking about? Kidnapping? Framing? Are you saying Zhiwei kidnapped Qin Jiayu to set up Zhou Yuanfeng? No, how is that possible? Th-this can’t be..."

His mind was racing, his hands fumbling. Shen Qingye shot him a stern look. "Believe it or not, we already have hard evidence. What you need to do now is think carefully—has Zhou Yuanfeng ever taken you to any remote places?"

"R-remote places?" Tang Hao’s thoughts were scattered, his mouth repeating the words unconsciously, barely aware of his own words.

It was Gao Xuefeng beside him who calmed down first, taking a deep breath and thinking carefully. "Remote places... Before, Yuanfeng once took us to a villa halfway up Bolang Mountain. It was just after summer vacation began, and we crashed there for a few days. Also... he once took us to a rural village in the southern suburbs for fishing—I think it was called Danlin Village. We stayed overnight."

Shen Qingye leaned forward intently. "Were all four of you there?"

Gao Xuefeng nodded. "Yes."

Yue Lingchuan asked, "Are there any other places people could stay near that villa?"

Gao Xuefeng shook his head. "I’m not sure. Back then, we only stayed inside the villa. The mountain roads outside were winding, and there was a forest—we didn’t go far."

Captain Yang asked, "What about the village? Are there many people there?"

Gao Xuefeng said, "Yeah, there were a lot of people back when we visited. Their village is known for its maple trees, and every autumn, it seems many people visit. No idea about now, though."

They all looked at each other, still uncertain about where exactly Ke Zhiwei might have taken the victim. They were just debating whether to split up when Yue Lingchuan’s phone suddenly rang.

Yue Lingchuan checked it—it was a call from the team.

"Hello?"

·

Han Songlin was up at the crack of dawn today.

After checking on the tabby yesterday, he had originally planned to return to school. But right before leaving, he got a call from other members of the club, saying someone had spotted a cat near Bolang Mountain. The cat was solid black, seemingly still a juvenile, not yet fully grown. Maybe chasing birds or something, it had gotten stuck on a small cliff halfway up Bolang Mountain, stuck there, meowing helplessly.

It was said the cat had been trapped there for two days—unable to climb down, and no one could reach it. Any longer, and it’d starve or fall to its death.

Of course, Han Songlin couldn’t just leave it. So he agreed to join the other club members and arrived early this morning, armed with ladders, nets, and all kinds of gear.

After over two hours of struggling, they finally managed to rescue it.

When the kitten finally tumbled into the net, they all cheered. They were gonna cage it, feed it, and then take it back for a health check—maybe even schedule a neutering. But the kitten was freaked out, hissing like crazy, possibly due to being trapped for so long or overwhelmed by the crowd.

They tried luring it with food, but in a split second, the kitten saw its chance and bolted.

Of course, they couldn’t just let it wander alone. The mountain was home to an upscale villa area, with cars constantly coming and going. If anything happened to it, that would be the end.

Dead tired but stubborn, they spent another hour rigging a trap with cat food as bait. When the starving kitten finally pounced on the food, Han Songlin, hidden nearby, lunged forward, grabbing its tail first and then the scruff of its neck. The kitten went limp, meowing pitifully, finally giving up.

The two girls let out a relieved sigh and quickly secured it in the cage, not daring to let their guard down again.

Once everything was settled, they finally relaxed a little. One girl poked the kitten’s head through the bars and scolded, "You little troublemaker, you really gave us a hard time."

The kitten, still scared, shrank back in the cage and swiped a paw at her. The girl pulled her hand back just in time, unfazed—those who worked with cats often ended up with scratches.

Looking closer, they figured the kitten was maybe eight or nine months old. Its fur was jet black, except for a white patch under its chin, a small patch of white on its belly, and white paws that looked like little gloves.

But after days without food, its fur was matted and scraggly, making it look scrawny and weak. Feeling bad for it, the girls insisted on taking it straight to the vet. Just as Han Songlin was about to agree, he caught sight of a vaguely familiar figure walking up the mountain path in the distance.

Han Songlin paused.

They had been hiding in the woods by the roadside to catch the cat, so the person on the main path couldn’t see them.

He signaled for the others to stay quiet and took a few steps forward, studying the figure. The familiarity wasn’t just his imagination—

About 1.75 meters tall, a lean build, a familiar hairstyle, a familiar profile...

Han Songlin narrowed his eyes.

He wasn’t fond of socializing, but he had a good memory for faces.

After all, compared to people, cats looked much more alike. If he couldn’t remember the many cats he’d rescued, he wouldn’t be very good at his job.

And that person...

Was a classmate of his.

Even though they had barely ever spoken.

That’s odd. Why would he be here so early in the morning?

Han Songlin’s fingers flexed slightly. Only when the figure was out of sight did he slowly withdraw his gaze.

The two girls, silent until then, cautiously approached and whispered, "What’s wrong? Did something happen?"

Han Songlin shook himself out of his thoughts and shook his head, his usual curt self. "No."

He paused, glancing at the kitten. "Take it back for now. Something came up."

The girls exchanged looks. "But how will you get back? Taxis are hard to find around here."

Han Songlin replied, "It’s fine."

"I’ve got a ride coming," he said.

The kitten was still huddled in the cage, watching them warily. Han Songlin resisted the urge to poke it and thought to himself: *Seems like you’re the hero today.*

Seeing he wouldn’t budge, the girls didn’t press further. They packed up the kitten and gear and left.

Han Songlin waited in the woods for a moment, gazing down the deserted road before slowly pulling out his phone and dialing a number:

"Hello, 110?"

His tone was calm. "I need to report something."

A staticky female voice responded, "Go ahead."

"Patch me through to Captain Yue from the Municipal Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Detachment," Han Songlin said slowly. "Tell him I have a lead on the case they’re working on..."

...

Yue Lingchuan answered the call, his face hardening. "Are you sure?"

Xiao Liu, the dispatcher, rattled off, "Positive!"

"The caller was Han Songlin. He said he saw the suspect halfway up remote Bolang Mountain! The suspect is heading uphill now!"

Yue Lingchuan said, "Understood."

He hung up, scanned the room, and strode toward the exit. "Ke Zhiwei is at Bolang Mountain!"

The team snapped to attention and moved out.

Captain Yang ordered, "Lao Huang, stay behind and gather evidence!"

"On it!"

...

Nestled in the thick woods halfway up Bolang Mountain stood a ramshackle cabin.

Not even the developers of the nearby luxury villas likely knew this hidden shack existed.

Its origins and purpose were a mystery.

And Qin Jiayu had already endured four days inside.

She met the gaze of the grim-faced man before her, drew a steadying breath, and fought to keep her composure.