Chapter 15 I Wonder If This Person Has Ever Fished Out a Body…

Chapter 15: Wonder if this guy’s ever hooked a body…

Friday was clear and sunny, but Saturday was overcast, with gray clouds blanketed the sky. As Guan Xia descended the stairs with her backpack, she couldn’t help but worry about the possibility of rain.

Today, Pang Le wasn’t driving; instead, Shi Lu was behind the wheel. Out of his suit and dressed in hiking clothes, the usually stern man had a surprisingly youthful vibe.

While Guan Xia was concerned about the weather, Pang Le was pretty happy. "The weather’s great today. Even if it rains, it won’t be heavy since there’s no sun. No need to worry about getting sunburned, and it won’t affect our hike. Perfect."

Shi Lu took the heavy hiking backpack from Guan Xia and casually placed it in the trunk, smiling as he added, "It really is nice. I saw the forecast—the drizzle will let up by dawn, and tomorrow will be clear, perfect for watching the sunrise."

Guan Xia hadn’t eaten much for breakfast, but after hearing their comments, she suddenly felt the buns she’d grabbed near her place that morning were a bit too greasy.

When she got in the car, Guan Xia noticed another person in the back seat. He appeared to be around Shi Lu’s age but looked far worse—dark circles under his eyes and an expression of exhaustion, as if he hadn’t slept in days.

After just a brief glance, Guan Xia grew concerned that he might pass out halfway up the mountain.

Though her gaze was fleeting, the young man noticed it keenly. He lifted his head, revealing a thin, gaunt face, and flashed a bright smile. "You must be Guan Xia? I’m Dong Yuncheng, a friend of Shi Guangbo."

Guan Xia shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Dong Yuncheng seemed much easier to get along with than Shi Lu. Sensing her worry, he explained kindly, "Don’t worry. I may not look very strong, but I actually exercise more regularly than Shi Lu. I look this sleep-deprived because I’ve been burning the midnight oil too much. Even after nine hours of sleep last night, I still haven’t fully recovered."

Guan Xia wanted to ask why he’d even attempt hiking in such a state, but she kept the thought to herself, just gave an awkward smile in response.

"Did you have breakfast?" Pang Le fastened her seatbelt and turned to ask Guan Xia. "Shi Lu brought some homemade cookies. Want to try one?"

Guan Xia immediately shook her head. "I ate, and I’m really full."

Pang Le was just being polite. Seeing Guan Xia decline, she didn’t press further and shared the cookies with Dong Yuncheng instead.

Dong Yuncheng seemed genuinely hungry. He polished off five or six cookies, two bags of bread, three tea eggs, and a box of milk before finally stopped eating.

But after just a few minutes, he pulled out a laptop, placed it on his knees, and got to work, looking super focused, almost intense.

Guan Xia had initially been worried about chatting during the ride, but seeing Dong Yuncheng so absorbed in his work, she was amazed but also relieved. Happily, she took out her phone and got absorbed in her show.

She’d had this idea in the middle of the night. The system had been triggered three times about the killer’s slip-ups: once by bloodstains on the cuff, once by voice, and once even by the face. These were all quite ordinary yet pretty solid clues. Any ordinary person with a good memory might have noticed them, which didn’t really live up to the system’s name.

Guan Xia couldn’t help but wonder: if she, as the host, were to pick up some cop skills, would the chances of it triggering go up?

It reminded her of experienced detectives who could easily tell something’s off about someone in a crowded place just by noticing subtle details.

Though the idea sounded a bit out there, the more Guan Xia thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. So, after waking up in the middle of the night, she downloaded a ton of top-rated crime shows and even searched for textbooks from the Public Security University on criminal investigation courses. She figured it was worth a try—who knows, it might help?

During the drive to the meeting point, Shi Lu and Pang Le chatted happily, Dong Yuncheng worked with a sense of accomplishment, and Guan Xia was totally into her show. It wasn’t until the car pulled into the parking lot and Pang Le called her that Guan Xia realized her neck had stiff from staring down so long.

"What were you watching that got you so glued? I called you several times, and you didn’t even hear me." Pang Le, after getting no response, simply came over and opened the car door for her.

Guan Xia showed her the still-open phone screen. "Here, a crime drama."

Pang Le’s face instantly looked kinda weird. "Why the sudden interest in crime dramas? Did that last thing mess you up that bad?"

"Maybe," Guan Xia locked her phone, tucked it into her jacket pocket, and got out of the car to stretch her stiff neck. "Anyway, I’ve got no ideas for a new comic right now. Since I’ve got free time, I figured I’d just watch something."

"Seems like you’ve gotten hooked on playing vigilante, huh?" Pang Le eyed Guan Xia suspiciously. "Three people busted in just ten days. But honestly, it’s not just you—I find it thrilling too. It’d be even more satisfying if I could take a few down myself."

Now it was Guan Xia’s turn to look at Pang Le with suspicion. "Don’t do anything reckless. You’re tough, but even the best can’t fight a knife. I enjoy hanging out with you and don’t want to end up visiting you in the hospital."

Pang Le snorted coldly and gave Guan Xia a heavy pat on the shoulder. "That’s exactly what I wanted to say to you. You might have some talent, but before you do anything, think about your own physical limitations. Those killers are all total psychos, with logic completely different from ordinary people. Like that last guy—just because you walked past him with a hiking pole, he felt deceived and wanted to kill you. I don’t want to hear someday that you got stabbed because you gave someone the wrong look."

Guan Xia shuddered, recalling some news stories she’d seen. "It couldn’t be that bad, could it?"

"Can’t be too careful, dude," Pang Le squeezed Guan Xia’s shoulder a little harder. "But when I’m with you, it’s a different story. You can look all you want, and even quietly tell me about it. You might be fragile, but I can handle it."

Guan Xia’s worry instantly turned to speechlessness. She couldn’t even be bothered to reply, simply rolling her eyes to express her feelings.

Pang Le laughed at that.

Shi Lu and Dong Yuncheng unloaded the gear from the trunk and handed Guan Xia her backpack. Looking at Pang Le, Shi Lu asked, "What were you two chatting about so happily?"

Pang Le and Guan Xia exchanged a glance before Pang Le raised an eyebrow at Shi Lu. "Something a bit exciting. I want to do it, but she won’t let me."

Naturally, Shi Lu didn’t understand, but he didn’t press further. Instead, he smiled and said, "Then I’ll join you?"

Pang Le looked surprised, her smile widening. "Sure, if the opportunity arises."

As the two of them chatted more and more animatedly, Guan Xia stepped aside. While organizing items she might need during the hike from her pockets, she glanced around.

This was an unmarked wilderness mountain, part of the Cuiping Mountain range—a small, relatively low, and obscure peak without even a name. But it was lush with vegetation, a verdant expanse as far as the eye could see.

Since it was undeveloped, there was no proper parking lot. They had parked on a large, relatively flat open area. Though not many cars were parked there, it wasn’t empty either. A few vehicles were even covered in a thick layer of dust, as if they’d been there for a long time.

Though Guan Xia was a homebody, she loved mountains, rivers, flowers, and trees. The refreshing scenery lifted her spirits, but she also felt a twinge of apprehension.

The mountain might not look tall, but the path up was quite steep. Guan Xia began to doubt whether she could make it to the summit.

Just as she was feeling uneasy, a brilliant ray of sunlight suddenly shone on her face. She looked up and realized the clouds had parted, revealing the golden sun.

"It actually cleared up!" Pang Le exclaimed with delight. Remembering something, she pulled sunscreen from her backpack, applying it on herself before carefully spreading some on Guan Xia’s face. "Did you bring sunscreen?"

"Yeah, I have some." After Pang Le finished applying it, Guan Xia took out her own sunscreen to carry with her.

"Oh, and sunglasses too." Pang Le began rummaging through her bag again.

Guan Xia squinted at the sun and decided it was necessary. She put on her sunglasses and, out of the corner of her eye, noticed someone dressed very discreetly emerging from the mountains and heading toward the parking lot.

Guan Xia was surprised. "There’s someone else camping here? They’re really brave."

"Probably a fisherman," Dong Yuncheng said, appearing beside Guan Xia unexpectedly and following her gaze. "Shi Guangbo and I have been to this wild mountain before. There’s a small river in the valley—rumored to have fish, though we’ve never tried fishing there. Not sure if it’s true."

Guan Xia observed the person’s attire: a wide-brimmed fisherman’s hat, sunglasses, a jacket zipped all the way to the chin, and a bucket in hand that seemed quite heavy. Whether there were fish inside, she couldn’t tell.

Looking at this person, Guan Xia suddenly recalled a saying she’d heard before her transmigration: aside from the police, fishermen and hikers were natural enemies of murderers. These types of people often ventured into the most remote wilderness, and many had encountered or even fished out corpses. Some experienced fishermen would even continue fishing while waiting for the police to arrive. She wondered if this person had ever fished out a body.

Her curiosity lasted only a moment before she looked away. Just then, two more cars arrived, and several people noisily stepped out. Shi Lu did a final check of their equipment and said, "Let’s go. Everyone’s here. We can set off now."