Chapter 16 It’s Unlikely Someone Would Kill in a Scenic Area at Noon…

Chapter 16 Who would commit murder in broad daylight at a scenic area...?

Guan Xia knew that the camping trip organized by Attorney Shi was quite large, but when everyone finally gathered, she couldn’t help feeling surprised at just how many people there were.

Although young people made up the majority, there were also quite a few middle-aged people in their forties and fifties in the crowd.

As the organizer of this trip, Attorney Shi seemed to know everyone. After brief greetings, he arranged the order of the group, double-checked that no one was missing, and then got the whole group moving.

Guan Xia and Pang Le were placed in the middle or back of the group. Attorney Shi and Dong Yuncheng didn’t go to the very front either, instead climbing slowly alongside them.

Guan Xia had initially been worried that this wild mountain would be extremely difficult to climb, but once they started, she realized that countless hikers before them had already trampled a narrow path bare of vegetation. On the steeper slopes, small footholds had formed in easier-to-step spots. Apart from being tiring, it wasn’t particularly dangerous.

Pang Le stuck close to Guan Xia the entire time and easily noticed the change in her expression. After pulling her up a steep slope, he raised an eyebrow with pride and said, “So? Made the trip worth it, didn't I?”

Guan Xia took a couple of deep breaths to calm her racing heart before nodding helplessly. “I overthought it. It’s tiring, but it’s definitely a great experience.”

After taking a breather for another couple of seconds, Guan Xia glanced back and saw the people behind catching up. She patted Pang Le and said, “Let’s go, keep going.”

Pang Le quickly unwrapped a piece of candy and stuffed it into Guan Xia’s mouth before turning around and continuing the climb, bouncing along.

As the climb progressed, Guan Xia initially focused all her attention on her footing and Pang Le. But after a while, her eyes kept drifting to a figure in light green.

It was a very young girl, who looked to be in her early twenties. She wasn’t tall but was full of energy, her high ponytail swaying with each step. Not only did she keep up with the group effortlessly, but she also had the energy to film everything she saw with her phone.

After climbing another steep slope with Pang Le’s help, Guan Xia caught her balance and immediately searched for that figure. Sure enough, the girl was happily filming again with her phone. Seeing her cheerful expression, Guan Xia felt her spirits lift inexplicably.

“What are you looking at?” Pang Le asked after taking a couple sips of water, sounding puzzled.

Guan Xia gestured with her chin toward the girl. “That girl, the one filming. She’s amazing. I’m exhausted, but she still has the energy to film everything. I’ve seen her filming the whole way.”

“She’s a travel blogger,” Dong Yuncheng, who had just climbed up behind Guan Xia, added. “I think her name is Song Yi. I heard she’s part of thirty or forty different camping groups like ours. She joins almost every trip as long as the timing doesn’t conflict, especially loves these lesser-known mountains. Many people in the circle like her, but there are also plenty who don’t.”

Guan Xia couldn’t help but ask, “Why?”

Dong Yuncheng smiled. “Because whenever she comes, the next camping trip has to change locations. Most people really can’t stand the feeling of ‘crowds on the trail’.”

Guan Xia looked up and then down before realizing what he meant by “traffic jams.”

“Let’s go,” Dong Yuncheng said, looking up the trail. “We should reach the resting spot in about an hour and a half. The weather doesn’t look like rain, but it’ll get dark earlier. We should hurry.”

Guan Xia then noticed that the sun, which had earlier peeked out from the clouds, was now hidden again, and a light breeze had sprung up in the forest.

Just as Dong Yuncheng had said, after another hour or so of climbing, they finally reached a relatively open, though not entirely flat, platform that could accommodate quite a few people.

This platform was halfway up the mountain. Guan Xia made her way over to a large rock and sat down. When she looked up, she could just make out another, much taller peak diagonally across from them.

Pang Le sat down beside her, chugged half a bottle of water in one go, popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth, and then started helping Guan Xia with her sore muscles.

“Don’t just sit there,” Pang Le said. “You don’t exercise much normally. If you don’t properly recover after such a sudden intense workout, you’ll end up like last time—unable to walk the next day because your legs hurt so much. We have to go down the mountain tomorrow.”

Guan Xia was completely wiped out. As much as she wanted to collapse, she had to follow Pang Le’s advice and massage her legs.

Seeing how exhausted Guan Xia was, she couldn’t help but feel envious when she noticed the girl walking past her, phone in hand, looking like it was nothing.

While the girl had been filming randomly during the climb, this time she was both filming and talking.

“Hey everyone! This is a new hidden gem mountain I recently discovered. Isn’t it beautiful? Even though this small peak doesn’t have a name, it’s part of the famous Cuiping Mountain Range. See that towering peak across the way? That’s the bustling Niujiao Peak, which gets packed every year. We’re currently at a resting spot where we can see Niujiao Peak diagonally across. Hold on, let me move a bit… See those glimmering reflective spots? That’s the glass walkway built near the top of Niujiao Peak about two years ago, covering about a third of the circumference. I’ve been up there once. It wasn’t scary, but it was really crowded. I was always worried about being pushed off. That’s why I prefer these lesser-known small mountains—no crowds, just a leisurely climb with a gentle breeze and the sounds of nature. If you’re not pressed for time, you can even zone out. Since there are few people, no one's rushing you.”

The girl’s voice was light and crisp. The scattered groups that had been chatting, soon grew quiet, drawn in by her narration.

The girl was truly energetic and exceptionally skilled at finding beauty. Even though the platform wasn’t large and the surrounding scenery, while beautiful at first glance, could easily become repetitive, she managed to film and talk for over half an hour.

Guan Xia watched the girl’s entire filming process with interest. Only after she finished did Guan Xia pat Pang Le’s shoulder and ask, “Aside from you, she’s the first girl I’ve met with such great stamina. Can you tell? Has she trained before?”

In the past, Guan Xia wouldn’t have thought this way. But since learning that the world she’d transmigrated into was a fusion of detective novels, whenever she saw an exceptional woman, she couldn’t help wondering if she might be some important character.

Guan Xia waited a couple of seconds, But Pang Le didn’t respond. She patted him again, and only then did Pang Le snap back to attention and look at her. “What did you say just now?”

Guan Xia followed Pang Le’s earlier gaze but saw nothing unusual. “What’s wrong? What were you looking at so intently?”

She paused mid-sentence, suddenly thinking of something, and her expression turned serious. “Did you find something? It can’t be such a coincidence, right? We run into something even while hiking?”

Although Guan Xia was mentally prepared, actually encountering something still made her think to herself about how frequently these things happened.

Pang Le was momentarily stunned before realizing what Guan Xia meant. After a moment’s thought, he shook his head. “Probably… not. I just saw something red fall from the glass walkway on Niujiao Peak across the way. Might’ve been a plastic bag.”

Pang Le made an uncertain guess.

Guan Xia thought for a moment and hesitantly said, “It’s broad daylight—surely no one would commit murder in a scenic area. I think it’s probably just someone accidentally dropping a bag while taking photos.”

The two shared a wry smile, both feeling that the previous two incidents had made them overly paranoid. They started eating to replenish their energy.

After a short break, the group set off again. This time, they didn’t stop along the way. After nearly three more hours of climbing, they finally reached the campsite right before dark.

This was another platform near the mountaintop. It was spacious enough and protected by a tall rock wall that provided shelter from the wind. It could easily accommodate their small team, allowing them to set up tents without crowding.

Although it wasn’t tall compared to the surrounding peaks, just as the girl named Song Yi had said, there were no crowds. It felt completely away from the city noise, as if their hearts had found peace.

Attorney Shi and Dong Yuncheng took care of setting up the tents. Guan Xia tried to help but ended up only passing nails and tools.

It was clear both were experienced—they didn’t even need to consult the instructions, assembling the tents effortlessly as if by instinct.

Pang Le watched for a bit before confidently digging through his backpack. Once the tents were up, he rushed over with a bunch of items. “I specifically went to the supermarket last night to buy instant hot pots. Anyone want one? I also got some cold dishes, duck necks, and other stuff. Let’s get ready to eat?”

Guan Xia, having climbed for so long, was starving by now and had been relying on chocolate to keep going. She immediately nodded. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Attorney Shi and Dong Yuncheng took the instant hot pots to boil water. Guan Xia pulled out disposable plates and served the cold dishes. Pang Le sighed regretfully. “The best part of camping is the barbecue, but this mountain is too wild—we can’t drive up. Next time, let’s find a mountain we don’t have to climb and really enjoy ourselves. I heard Attorney Shi is quite skilled.”

Guan Xia was already hungry, and hearing this made her even hungrier. She simply unwrapped another piece of candy and popped it into her mouth.

Pang Le just said with a sigh before squatting down to help.

As the two were busy working, they suddenly heard some noise outside.

Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged glances, put down what they were doing, and stepped out of the tent.

Just then, Attorney Shi and Dong Yuncheng walked over. Pang Le asked, “What’s going on? We heard shouts outside. Did something happen?”

Guan Xia glanced toward the edge of the platform, most afraid that someone might have accidentally fallen off the mountaintop.

Attorney Shi and Dong Yuncheng both looked serious.

Dong Yuncheng said, “Song Yi captured something on her phone. Back when we were resting on the mountainside at noon, while she was filming the glass walkway on Niujiao Peak, she accidentally recorded someone pushing a child off the mountain. Attorney Shi’s phone has satellite phone capability. He came back to get it to call the police.”

Guan Xia and Pang Le both looked shocked.

They exchanged glances, almost immediately recalling what Pang Le had said at noon. They had thought they were just being paranoid, but now it seemed it really was that coincidental—something always seems to happen whenever they went out.

Guan Xia couldn’t help but look up at Niujiao Peak across the way. Although it seemed impossible, she still held onto hope that the child was lucky enough to make it until rescue arrived.