Under the guidance of Lin Heyu, the two took a shortcut, bypassing the marshy area. About a mile from the larch forest, not far from Lover’s Peak, there was a rarely visited cave hidden among the withered vines and grass.
Yi Shi stood on a high point, holding the receiving coil. He exhaled and initially planned to wipe off the fingerprints on the surface but thought better of it and didn’t. This item hadn’t been thoroughly investigated; it just appeared in the evidence column, so there was no need to overdo it.
He let go, and the white circular shell fell to the ground. The steep drop caused it to roll down the muddy ground, bumping against a rock and bouncing before finally landing in a pile of dead leaves. Lin Heyu jumped down from the tree, brushing the dust off his pants. “There’s a plainclothes team searching the mountain over there. They’ll be here soon, so let’s go check on the hostages first.”
“Can we go?” Yi Shi looked up at the sky. Lin Heyu smiled, “It’s fine. The drones have all gone north toward Cheng’an. As long as we don’t run into the search team, we’ll be okay.”
“Oh.” Yi Shi followed in his footsteps. After all, it was why he wanted Lin Heyu by his side. These trivial details during the case wouldn’t be recorded, and only he understood them best.
Lin Heyu led the way, taking the most concealed shortcuts, which showed his familiarity with Cheng’an Mountain was comparable to Lin Erde’s. Yi Shi curiously asked, “Did you often come to Cheng’an Mountain before?”
“Yeah, I grew up in Linjia Village. What kid doesn’t like going into the mountains?” Lin Heyu glanced back at the larch forest in the marshy area. “…Actually, I’ve been here before, but it was many years ago, so I don’t have much of an impression. It wasn’t until I came to find you this time that I gradually started to recall.”
“I remember you told me you didn’t like staying in Linjia Village and would skip class to go into the mountains.”
“Right. Linjia Village is my mother’s hometown, but I’m an outsider here. The elders of the clan wouldn’t accept me and forced me to change my name and surname to belong to the Linjia Village bloodline, or they’d kick me out of the village. When I was younger, I could only let them mess with me and bottled up a lot of resentment, running around in the mountains until I calmed down before returning.”
Speaking of the past, Lin Heyu’s tone was flat, as if discussing someone else’s family matters. Yi Shi smiled, “That’s a good way to relieve stress; at least you didn’t do anything outrageous.”
Lin Heyu looked at him, his dark eyes tinged with teasing. “Yeah, compared to when you were a kid, you’ve been much more obedient. A half-grown child running around everywhere, no one could keep an eye on him, not even my words could reach him.”
Yi Shi’s face turned slightly red. He didn’t have the memories of Xiao Shitou and didn’t know what his childhood was like. Lin Heyu’s tone didn’t sound like he was lying, and considering Yi Shi’s usual fearless style of acting, it made sense for him to have run around like that.
Lin Heyu casually wrapped his arm around Yi Shi’s shoulder, pulling him close and gently patting his cheek. “I hope this time when you’re rescued, you’ll be a bit more well-behaved and give me less to worry about.”
Yi Shi nodded in a daze, his cheeks turning even redder.
This mountain range had a gentle terrain, with the walls and ground covered in withered vines and old leaves. This type of shrub grew according to the seasons; flourishing in spring and wilting in winter. In early spring, only a few green sprouts emerged, but after April, they would thrive, soon dressing the mountains in new attire.
The cave where the hostages were held was only about four meters above the ground. Yi Shi grabbed a vine that stretched down from above for support, stepping on the protruding stones to leap up, pushing aside the heavy withered grass. Lin Heyu followed behind, and once the two entered the cave, he neatly rearranged the withered grass that acted as a curtain.
The cave wasn’t particularly large; the children huddled together with their hands and feet bound by iron chains the thickness of a thumb. Several chains were coiled around a large rock inside the cave, preventing them from moving. Compared to the marshy area, it was much drier here, and not as chilly; the heavy withered grass blocked the cold wind, so there was no worry about freezing to death.
Xiao Shitou curled up in the corner, lying on his side with his eyes covered by a black cloth. Hearing footsteps, he lifted his head and instinctively recoiled. Not just him; the other children trembled as well at the sound of footsteps. It was easy to imagine the severe psychological damage they had suffered after being kidnapped for several days.
Yi Shi’s right hand clenched into a fist as he closed his eyes, suppressing the anger that flared within him. He walked to Xiao Shitou’s side, and just as his hand touched the boy’s arm, the child shuddered and desperately shrank into a ball. Yi Shi quickly picked him up, whispering in his ear, “It’s me.”
The small body in his arms stopped trembling, and Yi Shi carefully tore off the tape covering his mouth. Xiao Shitou eagerly spoke, “Is it really you? Teacher?”
“Yeah, don’t be afraid. The police uncles will come to rescue you soon.” Yi Shi held his hand. “Where’s your sister? Where did they take her?”
Hearing the name “Gardenia,” Xiao Shitou’s emotions became agitated. “I don’t know! It was raining heavily that day, and they took several people away. The next day, they locked us up here and said they would bring us food the following day…”
“Who took them away?”
“It was that injured bald man. When the rain stopped, he casually grabbed a few kids, including Gardenia.” Xiao Shitou bit his lip, his voice trembling slightly. “Will he kill everyone? He was so angry; ever since you ran away, he kept cursing and saying he would kill you…”
Yi Shi’s lowered eyelashes trembled slightly; it seemed that because of him, the hostages had been taken in batches. Wasn’t this exactly what Lin Heyu had said? In the face of established facts, any change acted as a push, making the development of events more cohesive and smooth.
“They won’t die, Gardenia won’t die. Don’t be afraid,” Yi Shi comforted him softly, holding him close. Xiao Shitou seemed to clutch at a lifeline, asking anxiously, “Really? Did you see her? How is she? Is she hurt?”
Yi Shi forced a smile; he didn’t know either. Perhaps Lin Heyu behind him could answer that question. For now, he could only tell Xiao Shitou that the police uncles would soon come to rescue them, taking them away from this terrifying kidnapping case.
Xiao Shitou mumbled, “Really? Will they save someone like me, an orphan? … Throughout my life, only one police officer has saved me…”
“They will, and the person who rescues you will be the one you trust the most in your life.” Yi Shi gently stroked the boy’s tender cheek, feeling deeply moved at seeing a past version of himself so miserable and helpless. Lin Heyu coughed lightly, signaling that it was time to go. Yi Shi whispered, “Don’t mention my situation to anyone, okay?”
Xiao Shitou nodded gently. As the warmth next to him left, he continued to curl up, secretly awaiting the arrival of hope.
As they left, Lin Heyu casually took off one of the children’s sneakers and threw it out of the cave entrance. Yi Shi restored the entrance to its original state, and as he jumped down, he was just about to be caught in an embrace. He felt overly cared for these past few days, lightly coughing to politely express that he was feeling better and not so weak; a height like this wasn’t enough to scare him.
“I’m not worried about your health,” Lin Heyu said.
Huh? So he just wanted a hug?
Yi Shi felt somewhat speechless, unsure when this person’s serious impression had gradually developed cracks in his mind.
—
[01/31, 14:41, Southern Cheng’an Mountain]
Yi Shi and Lin Heyu were hiding at the foot of the mountain opposite the cave. Although they were at the mountain’s base, there was still nearly a ten-meter height difference from the ground, with massive snow pines all around. They lay by the roots of a tree, their figures easily concealed by the hanging needles.
Lin Heyu’s pocket was like Doraemon’s pouch; he could pull out anything. Just as Yi Shi lay down, a small telescope was handed to him, along with a mask.
Forty minutes ago, a search team pretending to be out for a stroll, accompanied by police dogs, had found the cochlea receiver and quickly reported it. Soon, nearby search team members arrived together, and with five police dogs working in unison, they successfully found the sneaker that had fallen into a pile of grass. The rarely visited cave was finally exposed.
“When will your people arrive?”
“One team is at the timber yard, and the second team is at Cheng’an Temple; they can arrive before three.”
In the next ten minutes, Lin Heyu frequently checked his watch. Yi Shi asked softly, “What’s wrong? Is there a timing issue?”
“It’s not that; I want to verify something else,” Lin Heyu smiled. “Since I’m involved in this operation, you’ll soon see two of me. Aren’t you curious what will happen?”
Yi Shi was taken aback; he hadn’t thought about this situation in detail. Although they were both Lin Heyu, they existed in two different time periods. If they met, what subtle chemical reaction would occur?
Before long, he realized something and grabbed Lin Heyu’s arm. “Wait, you don’t mean…”
“Shh.” Lin Heyu suddenly covered his mouth and turned to look to the right and behind him. “Someone’s coming.”
Yi Shi turned his head, catching a glimpse of a shadow sneaking behind the snow pine. The person was wearing a military coat and black pants, holding a bag of steamed buns, squatting behind a tree and peeking out.
He was behind and close now, his attention focused on the plainclothes officer. But if he turned around, their position would be completely exposed. Lin Heyu’s hand slowly crept onto Yi Shi’s shoulder, inching closer to him. Yi Shi understood his intention but couldn’t hide his reluctance.
He didn’t need Lin Heyu to go to such lengths; he was always stepping in to protect him. Besides, with just Lin Erde, could the two of them not handle the situation?
“He has a gun,” Lin Heyu whispered.
Sure enough, when Lin Erde turned around and spotted the two lying there, his eyes widened, and he slowly pulled out a gun from his military coat.
And it was loaded because this gun had injured Luo Fei from Haijing’s vice captain.
The bag of steamed buns was carelessly tossed into the woods as Lin Erde carefully approached them, gun in hand. Lin Heyu stood up, backing against the tree trunk, hidden among the thick needles of the snow pines, and no one realized there was a standoff among the three.
When they were face to face, Lin Erde noticed the two didn’t dare to move and secretly sighed in relief. “Who are you two?”
Yi Shi didn’t speak; it seemed this guy hadn’t recognized him. If he found out that the female teacher he had teased before was actually a man without a chest or backside, his expression would surely be more colorful than a spilled palette.
“Speak! Who are you? What are you doing here?!”
The gun barrel jabbed a little closer, and Lin Heyu answered in a low voice, “From Linjia Village.”
“Linjia Village?” Lin Erde scrutinized him. “Bullshit! I’m from Linjia Village too, and I’ve never seen you.”
Lin Heyu’s gaze was deep, and seeing Lin Erde so uncomfortable, he wanted to say something harsh, but the noise below began to grow chaotic. Yi Shi pushed aside the needles behind him and saw more than a dozen people orderly coming from the road by Lover’s Peak; it was Hai Jing’s second team.
“Damn it! Why are there more and more police?!” Lin Erde was extremely agitated, waving the gun in front of the two. “You two better stay put and don’t move! If you move, I’ll shoot!”
Yi Shi squinted his eyes; the thought of seizing the gun just formed in his mind when his body began to act. As he raised his arm, it was pressed down again, and Lin Heyu gently shook his head at him.
