Chapter 14: The Vanished Woman (7)

That afternoon, Meng Siqi barely ate anything. Her mind was overwhelmed. She turned to Zhao Leiting and said, “Zhao Leiting, I want to go for a walk. Can you drive me somewhere?”

As a trainee, she wasn’t allowed to visit crime scenes alone. It was best to bring along an experienced officer, and she felt Zhao Leiting would be helpful.

Zhao Leiting studied her for a moment before nodding. “Sure. I need to pick up some documents from the community office anyway.”

Once they were in the car, he asked, “Where do you want to go?”

“Qindongzi Canyon,” Meng Siqi said weakly from the passenger seat.

“Huh? Why go there? I thought—”

I thought the case was closed. That’s what he probably wanted to say.

Meng Siqi turned to look at him. “Can you take me there?”

“Alright, but can you at least tell me what you’re thinking?”

“Mm.”

Qindongzi Canyon wasn’t far, just over an hour away. When they arrived at the parking lot, they got out and took a stroll. Meng Siqi gazed at the mountain range in the distance and asked, “Zhao Leiting, where’s the best spot around here to watch the sunrise?”

“Sunrise? You want to see the sunrise?”

“There!” Meng Siqi pointed towards a towering peak near the canyon.

The terrain of the canyon was relatively low, making it unsuitable for watching the sunrise. But that mountain was different. If someone stood at the peak, they would have a perfect view of both the sunrise and the canyon’s stunning landscape.

A sudden chill ran through her body, an icy fear creeping up from deep within.

“That’s Xiaobie Mountain.” Zhao Leiting said.

“That’s it! Teng Fei must have gone there!” Meng Siqi’s lips trembled as she spoke.

“What do you mean? Are you saying Teng Fei didn’t go into the canyon that day, but instead went to Xiaobie Mountain?”

“Yes, exactly!”

Zhao Leiting’s expression darkened, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

“But how do you know? Is this some kind of woman’s intuition again?”

“I saw Liu Yuwei’s photo today. She wrote that she loved the sun. That day, Teng Fei must have taken her to watch the sunrise. They probably stopped briefly at the canyon entrance but then went to Xiaobie Mountain instead. He lied!”

Zhao Leiting’s face grew more serious, his forehead damp with sweat.

“Can you contact Captain Han? We need to go to Xiaobie Mountain!” Meng Siqi’s voice was urgent and firm.

“Alright! I’ll go find a phone right now!” Zhao Leiting took off running toward a nearby store. “Wait here!”

His figure quickly disappeared from sight.

More than an hour later, a police car arrived at the parking lot.

They went to greet it, and to their surprise, only Han Changlin stepped out.

His excitement was hard to conceal. “I heard you made a major discovery.”

Zhao Leiting quickly pointed toward Xiaobie Mountain. “Captain, look over there. That’s Xiaobie Mountain. We suspect that’s where Teng Fei really went that day.”

“Good,” Han Changlin said as he walked toward the peak, his sharp eyes scanning the landscape.

At the mountain entrance, a narrow path was hidden among the grass. It wasn’t obvious at first glance, but it was clearly a trail formed by frequent foot traffic.

Zhao Leiting pointed at the barely visible path. “Captain Han, look. There’s a small trail here. We suspect Teng Fei deliberately stopped at the canyon entrance to buy cigarettes and create a false impression that he entered the canyon. But in reality, he took this small trail up Xiaobie Mountain. After committing the murder there, he returned to the canyon to set up a false narrative. The tent and that shoe—he might have placed them there himself.”

Han Changlin stared at Xiaobie Mountain and seemed to be in deep thought.

Zhao Leiting added, “Captain Han, this discovery is all thanks to Siqi.”

After a long pause, Han Changlin turned his gaze from Zhao Leiting to Meng Siqi. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. “Good work, Xiao Meng.”

Meng Siqi had been quietly following them without saying much. Hearing Han Changlin’s praise, she was caught off guard and quickly said, “Captain Han, it was just a coincidence. I only thought of it after seeing Liu Yuwei’s photo mentioning her love for the sun. But we still don’t have solid evidence to confirm our theory.”

“That’s right. We haven’t confirmed anything yet, which is why we need to go up the mountain and take a look,” Han Changlin said. “I already contacted Li Ping before coming here. He said it’s not safe to climb the mountain at night, and the visibility is poor. So, we’ll set out first thing tomorrow morning. We must find the evidence.”

No wonder Han Changlin came alone. He was here to personally confirm their suspicions. At the moment, he seemed quite confident in this theory as well.

At 3 AM the next morning, Meng Siqi wrapped herself up tightly. The last time she went up the mountain, she suffered quite a bit, with her skin getting scratched in multiple places. This time, she dressed as securely as possible, covering her neck and face with cloth and even wearing a hat.

She tried to make as little noise as possible when going downstairs. Suddenly, a scream broke the silence, making her jump. A shadowy figure stood in the living room, so she quickly turned on the light.

The person in the living room was Ye Xiuhui. Her face was pale, and after recognizing Meng Siqi, she immediately started scolding, “Are you insane? Dressed like that in the middle of the night. Are you trying to scare someone to death?”

Meng Siqi was confused. “Wait, why are you up so late?”

“I was thirsty and came to get some water. That’s not allowed?”

“Oh, I’m heading up the mountain to look for a body, so I dressed like this.”

“Go, go, hurry up and leave!” Ye Xiuhui shrank her neck and waved her hands quickly, as if wanting to distance herself from the whole situation.

Outside, the wind was a little chilly. Zhao Leiting picked her and Li Ping up along the way. When he saw how she was dressed, his expression froze for a moment.

Soon, the whole team gathered at the parking lot near the canyon entrance. This time, a detective had brought a police dog to assist in the investigation.

Having learned from their previous experience, Li Ping and Han Changlin took the lead, making the journey much smoother.

The sky was still dark, with only a faint glow in the east. The forest was eerily quiet, and the occasional gust of wind produced unsettling sounds.

Meng Siqi walked in the middle of the group. She wasn’t the bravest person, and from time to time, she thought she heard faint, distant howls. Even the police dog seemed to respond with a few barks.

“Are there wolves in the mountains?” she asked cautiously.

“Don’t scare me,” Zhao Leiting muttered.

Up ahead, Li Ping chuckled. “Those aren’t wolves. You won’t find wolves here anymore. It’s probably wild dogs or something similar.”

Xiaobie Mountain wasn’t particularly high. Under normal circumstances, it would take a little over an hour to reach the top during the day. However, with poor lighting and heavy dew, the journey was exhausting. About halfway through, Meng Siqi started struggling again.

The forest was so silent that even her heavy breathing sounded loud.

Zhao Leiting glanced at her and asked, “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she panted.

A few steps later, Feng Shaomin suddenly stopped and called out, “Captain Han, the dew is too heavy. Should we take a short break?”

Han Changlin turned around and nodded. “Alright, let’s rest for five minutes.”

Finally, a break. Meng Siqi was grateful. She suspected Feng Shaomin had noticed she was struggling.

Half an hour later, they finally reached the mountaintop. The sun had already risen, its reddish light casting a warm glow over the rocks and ground.

At the summit, a few beautiful welcoming pine trees and twisted, gnarled old trees stood among jagged rocks, creating an almost surreal landscape.

Han Changlin and the others stood at the edge, gazing into the distance. Meng Siqi was still catching her breath at the back of the group. She looked up and saw the rising sun silhouetting their figures, creating a striking image.

She took a few steps forward. The view ahead was vast and breathtaking. Wisps of mist swirled over the mountains and valleys, bathed in the golden morning light. It looked like a paradise.

But soon, memories flooded back—memories of Liu Yuwei’s tear-streaked face in that same crimson sunrise.

The police dog was already sniffing around the summit, but after a long search, there were no discoveries.

Han Changlin and his team began conducting a thorough investigation of the mountaintop.

Seven months had passed, and with new visitors disturbing the area, it was possible that no evidence remained.

Yet Meng Siqi was almost certain—this was the place. In the glow of that beautiful sunrise, Liu Yuwei had stood here and met her tragic fate.

To erase all traces of the crime, the killer would have had only one option—to push her off the cliff.

Meng Siqi stepped closer and peered over the edge. Below was a terrifying abyss.

Han Changlin and Feng Shaomin were already preparing the ropes. Li Ping was checking the safety equipment—they had come prepared.

Li Ping offered, “Captain Han, let me go down. I’ve done some rock climbing before.”

Han Changlin refused without hesitation. “No. Mr. Li, you’ve helped us enough already. We can’t trouble you any further.”

Feng Shaomin added, “Mr. Li, we’ve already discussed this earlier. Xiaochuan and I will go down. If you have any suggestions, just relay them through the radio.”

Soon, the harnesses were secured around Feng Shaomin and Tang Xiaochuan’s waists, while Li Ping did a final inspection. The other end of the rope was firmly tied to a sturdy tree.

As the ropes lowered, Feng Shaomin and Tang Xiaochuan rappelled down the cliffside with practiced ease.

Meng Siqi watched nervously. This was clearly something they had done before. Ever since she joined the police force—especially the criminal investigation unit—she had heard countless stories about how tough and dangerous the job was.

When she, a young woman, was first assigned to this department, she faced a lot of skepticism. But in moments like this, she felt lucky to be part of such a team.

“Report back if you can hear me!” Han Changlin called into the radio from the edge of the cliff.

Feng Shaomin and Tang Xiaochuan both had radios strapped to their necks. At first, the radio crackled with static, and they responded with instructions to lower the rope further. But as time passed, the signal seemed to weaken.

The team tensed up.

Han Changlin quickly asked, “Should we pull them up?”

Li Ping, experienced in such matters, suggested, “Let’s pull the rope and see if there is any response from below.”

After repeatedly confirming movement on the other end of the rope, Li Ping suggested continuing to let the rope down.

No one knew how long it had been, but eventually, the rope reached its limit. It loosened slightly, indicating that the two had reached the bottom.

Han Changlin kept calling, “Old Feng, do you copy? Xiaochuan…”

Apart from the occasional burst of static, there was no response.

No one knew if they had encountered danger. Meng Siqi could see sweat forming on Han Changlin’s forehead.

Zhao Leiting, usually lively and energetic, was unusually solemn at this moment, keeping his eyes fixed on the rope’s movement.

Meng Siqi remained tense, waiting anxiously for any response from below.

After a long while, Zhao Leiting suddenly exclaimed, “The rope is moving!”

At Zhao Leiting’s reminder, the rope began to sway noticeably. Since the rope had been lowered to a significant depth, such movement indicated a strong force exerted from below. Faint shouts echoed from the depths of the cliff, but the voices were too weak to make out clearly.

Li Ping said, “That should be it. Let’s pull them up.”

After repeated confirmation, they started retrieving the rope. Soon, a voice came through the walkie-talkie—it was Tang Xiaochuan’s, though it was intermittent: “…the body… Old Feng’s on it…”

The body? The body had been found! It was as if the clouds had parted, revealing a bright, clear sky.

A strange surge of emotion welled up inside Meng Siqi. She had never felt this way before—an overwhelming urge to cry.

Excitement and relief spread across everyone’s faces.

Tang Xiaochuan was the first to ascend. His entire body was soaked, his face covered in scratches, and his clothes torn in multiple places. The sight suppressed Meng Siqi’s urge to cry no longer. A single tear slipped down her cheek.

Shortly after, Feng Shaomin was also pulled up. Like Tang Xiaochuan, he was covered in wounds, but he clutched a tightly wrapped bag in his arms. Inside it, without a doubt, were Liu Yuwei’s remains.