Animal Detective

Chapter 390: Chapter 321: Downpour

The search on both sides of the road was still ongoing.

Li Xiaowen had calculated they could search three kilometers a day, but in reality, that was completely unrealistic.

People weren’t machines; they couldn’t maintain that level of efficiency.

It was April, a time when the grass grows long and birds take flight. The mountains were covered in small trees and dense thorns. It was all uphill and downhill, and just a few trips were enough to leave a person gasping for breath.

"Captain Zhu, that guy is still staring at us. I’ll go run him off."

one of his subordinates said to Zhu Qiuwei.

He pointed toward the road.

Through the trees, they could see Duan Dongqiang. He was on his electric scooter, just watching them from a distance.

It was about to rain. The wind had picked up, cooling the air a little, but Zhu Qiuwei was still drenched in sweat. He turned to look, then gritted his teeth and said, "Ignore him. Let him watch. Let him watch us find it with our own two hands."

"Besides, the more nervous he is, the more it proves we’re on the right track. He definitely took the chance while he was working to toss the murder weapon."

The subordinate sighed and turned back to his work.

Just then, Zhu Qiuwei received a call from Li Xiaowen.

"What? Shen Xin found it!"

Zhu Qiuwei’s eyes shot wide open.

He was so loud that the criminal investigators searching nearby all looked over.

"Okay, okay, I’m on my way!"

Zhu Qiuwei didn’t have time to ask for details.

It didn’t matter how it was found; Li Xiaowen said they’d found it.

"Let’s go!"

Zhu Qiuwei yelled, summoning everyone to move out.

The group of more than a dozen men scrambled down the mountain and waited for the police cars to arrive.

The commotion startled Duan Dongqiang, who was watching from the roadside.

Zhu Qiuwei stared straight at him without saying a word.

Soon, the group piled into the police cars and sped off toward Ma Bao Gou Village.

Duan Dongqiang’s heart skipped a beat. He got on his electric scooter and followed them.

When Zhu Qiuwei arrived, Li Xiaowen was already at the scene.

He jogged up the mountain, his face lit with joy, and eagerly asked where it was.

Li Xiaowen and Shen Xin were huddled together, tensely calculating how to conduct the search.

A brick. They didn’t know how far Duan Dongqiang could throw it.

Factoring in the distance it might have rolled after landing, they estimated fifty meters.

Fifty meters out, with a drop of about fifty meters as well.

That made the hypotenuse over seventy meters long.

Then there was the uncertainty of the direction he threw it in—they estimated a one-hundred-degree arc.

This was no small area.

Moreover, this section was quite steep and the terrain was complex, making the search difficult.

But Li Xiaowen was optimistic.

They knew the position and the general direction. Now, they would search every inch of this mountainside if they had to, no matter the cost.

"Let’s do it that way."

After discussing it, the two decided to start searching outwards in all directions from a point seventy meters from the edge of the slope.

He called for Zhu Qiuwei to quickly organize the men and get a drone in the air to get an overview of the situation.

Full of energy, the group immediately started down the slope.

"I’m going too."

Li Shi suddenly started to follow.

Shen Xin’s reflexes were quick; he grabbed him and chided, "What are you getting involved for? Do you even know what we’re looking for? Just stay put."

Li Shi looked up, his gaze surprisingly firm. "I know it’s the evidence you need. And you said it yourself: you can’t give up without trying, without putting in the effort. I can help, too."

Shen Xin was taken aback. ’Looks like the kid might have actually taken my words to heart.’

"We still don’t need you. Be good and go watch Wanyuan." Shen Xin pointed to Wanyuan, who was standing nearby.

Speaking of Wanyuan, Zhu Qiuwei actually ran over and planted two big kisses on Wanyuan’s forehead.

Wanyuan backed away, braying and twitching.

"Hey, he’s giving me the cold shoulder."

Zhu Qiuwei said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

A smile returned to his face.

Li Xiaowen laughed too. ’I’ve already been a suspect myself,’ he thought.

Just then, Zhu Qiuwei turned his head and saw the figure on the road at the foot of the mountain.

Duan Dongqiang had followed them.

"Lao Li, look, the bastard is following us," Zhu Qiuwei said, pointing down the mountain.

Li Xiaowen glanced over from a distance. "Have someone keep an eye on him. Then start searching. We’re going to find it right in front of his face."

He remembered the end of the previous interrogation, when they had been forced to let Duan Dongqiang go.

How arrogant he’d been.

He’d pointed at them and cursed them out, saying they were dumber than a donkey.

’And now? Right in front of you, with the help of *your* donkey, we’re going to find the murder weapon and nail you for good.’

Zhu Qiuwei understood and nodded emphatically.

It was now a little after three in the afternoon.

Shen Xin stood on the mountainside, dark clouds churning overhead.

To be honest, Shen Xin didn’t think he’d ever seen clouds this dark in his life.

It was as if the entire sky had turned black.

Then, with a RUMBLE, the faint sound of rolling thunder spread through the air.

It wasn’t even four o’clock, a time when it was usually still light out, yet it was already so dark they needed flashlights.

Li Xiaowen watched anxiously. He was afraid a downpour would make the search impossible, or worse, destroy the evidence.

Just then, Sun Yongjie arrived in a hurry, bringing Tian Kui with him.

Guo Jin hadn’t come. A storm was brewing, so he had gone with the town leaders to inspect the villages.

Now that they knew the general area, a police dog would definitely be the most efficient way to search.

Shen Xin immediately took Tian Kui’s leash and headed down the mountain.

Li Shi followed again, speaking before Shen Xin could say anything. "You said I should stick with you."

Shen Xin stopped him and lectured, "It’s good to be determined, but you have to be smart about it. Know when you’re just getting in the way. Stay put."

With that, he set off, leading Tian Kui.

This was a completely untrodden patch of wilderness. Grass and trees grew wild, with vines tangling everything together. There wasn’t even a path.

It was a difficult place for even Tian Kui to navigate, let alone a person.

Besides, it was already dark, and it only got darker once they entered the woods.

Thunder rolled overhead, and the rain could start falling at any moment. Time was short.