We fumbled around with the multi-band light source. Although I was in charge, I got my hands dirty too, guiding everyone on how to search. A police officer commented, "Director He, you seem to know everything. Do you just read books all the time?"
"I enjoy learning; I don't usually go out and play," I replied casually. Not far away, under a tree, Gao Mingqiang found some flower petals next to the soil.
I went over and realized they were from a June chrysanthemum. After spraying them with Luminol, they reacted to blood. Did this June chrysanthemum fall off the bouquet found at home?
But whose blood was it? I remembered there was no blood at home. So, this blood might have dripped off and stuck to them en route. Perhaps He Xin and Grandpa were injured on the way, which made me more anxious. I hoped nothing had happened.
I first asked the forensic team to take them back for analysis. Then, I walked around the trees. The soil here was soft, and footprints would surely be found at the scene. Using the footprint light and investigation lamp, we searched along the path. In a patch of mud under the trees, we found several sets of footprints. There were no signs of disturbance here. Judging by the stride, they were walking in a hurry. However, one set of footprints had a faint mark on the right edge, while the left footprint was significantly deeper. Based on the depth and size, it was likely left by a male, and his right leg was probably injured.
The forensic technician had already taken photos. We followed the direction of the footprints past the large tree and reached the sea not far away. This wasn't a road. If someone had been here, it should have been easy to find, as there weren't many footprints in such a secluded spot, making them less likely to be confused.
This guy didn't seem that foolish. Choosing such a place to take them would easily expose him, wouldn't it?
We had encountered Cao Youqin before; he was exceptionally smart. Now it was Cao Xiangchen's turn. This guy, having been missing for so many years without being caught by the police, must be even harder to deal with than Cao Youqin.
We continued to explore and searched along the coast but found no traces of any boats leaving. They shouldn't have left by water. Since the seawater here often washed ashore, any traces along the path would have been washed away long ago. He should have thought of this, but it was uncertain. What if the seawater didn't completely wash away the traces? They would still be exposed for us to find.
Therefore, I thought he probably hadn't considered this issue too much at the time. Perhaps he believed that even if this information was exposed, we wouldn't be able to find him. Indeed, when we reached the end of the edge, we saw mountains before us, blocking our path. There were no signs of ascending the mountain nearby. But proceeding in this direction, the only possible area to enter was this region.
I turned to Liu Yuning and said, "Get more people over here. We need to search the mountain."
"Okay, I'll call Li Fan and Zhao Xiong."
As Liu Yuning spoke, she walked to the rocks by the sea and made a call. The others stood by, searching. Before entering the mountain, we waited for about 20 minutes until the SWAT and armed police arrived. With sufficient manpower, we then entered the mountain to search.
I had arranged for a large number of personnel this time, as these were all people I could mobilize. This time, we had more than 200 police officers with us, including over 50 from the SWAT team. Coupled with the armed police, they constituted almost half of our force. Although these mountains were continuous and covered a large area, they couldn't be thoroughly searched in a short time. I told everyone to be vigilant, divide into multiple groups, and follow me step by step. But later, we started acting separately, otherwise, it would take forever to search such a vast area.
With our equipment, there shouldn't be any problems. Besides, the other party was lame. If we found him, arresting him should be a matter of minutes. I just didn't know what kind of elaborate plan he was behind.
After searching the mountain for a while, we didn't find any traces. But near a rock, we saw some footprints that looked similar to those found at the edge of the sea. So we continued to follow these footprints. However, after a while, they were covered by dense grass again. The reason the previous footprints appeared was likely that they had stopped somewhere nearby as they walked. If we continued to follow now, we should still find some clues. But later, our people became more and more scattered, leaving me with only a few SWAT officers. Liu Yuning and the others had already gone in one direction.
Originally, I didn't want to separate from her, given our past experiences of many separations. I was worried she might disappear mysteriously like the victims in this case. But with Dao Zhi Yong following her, I wasn't afraid.
This monkey was very smart and brave, and there were many armed police with him. I believed they would be fine. Conversely, when we arrived near a cave, we found the environment had changed drastically. At that moment, several SWAT officers and I looked surprised: "Director He, it seems we shouldn't have left so few people."
"Don't worry, I'm different from other leaders. I have two bodyguards with me!"
These SWAT officers clearly didn't understand what I meant at the time, but I didn't explain. In fact, I had already felt that He Bailing and He Jinghui were watching nearby, and there were even some people from He Family Village. With my grandfather's whereabouts unknown, how could the people from He Family Village stand by idly?
Seeing me so calm, the SWAT officers naturally didn't falter. We turned and passed through a layer of mist, entering the cave. Those SWAT officers were very confused about how I knew the entrance to the cave was here. But legend had it that I was a divine detective, so perhaps they found it natural that this would happen to me and didn't ask further.
The cave was damp. The walls on both sides were covered with a misty layer, and water dripped from above, soaking our clothes after we had walked only a short distance. This time, I also carried a submachine gun, which I had planned for our Punishers Squad at the Provincial Department. In addition, there were grappling hooks and various lightweight investigation tools, all of which were now standard equipment for our Punishers Squad.
In a corner of the cave, we suddenly noticed a mud pit. Several SWAT officers were about to move forward, but I stopped them: "Don't rush. There's a trap here!"
"A trap? Is it another one of that scientist's masterpieces?"
I didn't answer. Cao Xiangchen probably had something in common with Cao Youqin, especially given their relationship and the instigator. How could I not understand? I nodded and said, "Everyone follow me along the edge."
Since I wasn't sure if this was a priority investigation area, I hadn't notified everyone to gather here. What if it was just a peculiar cave? Without any signs of He Xin and Grandpa, if we gathered our manpower, it would waste everyone's search time.