Lu Chuan stood up, pointing at the map in front of him.

"Although we’ve scanned the entire Sun Valley terrain with drones, due to the high mountains and dense forests, it’s impossible to fully grasp the road conditions through such scans."

"So if we adopt the approach of surrounding without attacking, no one knows if there are any other exits in the valley."

"A crafty rabbit has three burrows; these people are desperados, so I think they must have their own escape routes."

"Yesterday afternoon, I chatted with our guide, Old Chen. The two entrances he knows are well-known to many people and are the ones most people use to enter Sun Valley."

"Relatively speaking, the terrain is flat, and many people use them, so naturally, two paths have formed."

"However, the peaks surrounding Sun Valley aren’t very high. If the opponents are trapped inside, they’re likely to be brave enough to scale the mountains and escape."

"The opponents only have four people, and although they have at least three guns, when weighing this kind of risk against directly battling with the police, I think they’ll definitely choose the former."

"So the scheme of encirclement without combat, although it minimizes the unexpected from conflicts, could very likely let the opponents escape."

"And once we miss this opportunity, trying to catch them again in the vast Beiliang Mountain has a very low chance of success."

"Moreover, using Li Zhenguo as bait and ambushing at the meeting point also carries certain risks."

"Our people are unfamiliar with jungle combat; during an ambush, we may damage the surrounding environment, and if the opponents find out, they might immediately flee."

"Then the ambush operation would turn into a pursuit mission, which is very unfavorable for us."

"Furthermore, we can’t entirely trust Song Zhenguo; the opponents are also familiar with the mountain conditions, and if, during the chaos, they seize the chance to escape, it’s not impossible."

"So using him as bait might lead Song Zhenguo to intentionally alert the opposition, and even if we’re well-hidden, chaos could ensue."

"Additionally, if we ambush them at the entrances, first of all, we can’t ensure that all four of them will enter through Sun Valley’s entrance."

"If they don’t enter the valley, the entire ambush plan fails."

"Since all three methods have drawbacks, turning from passive to active requires us to take the initiative in striking first."

Strike first?

Wang Song was a bit puzzled, "But we don’t even know where these people are, how do we strike first?"

"Beiliang Mountain is so vast; even Song Zhenguo doesn’t know where their hideout is."

"And if our people go into the mountains to fight, they also face supply issues, which are difficult to solve."

What Wang Song said made sense.

However, Lu Chuan had already thought about it.

"Brother Wang, when I say proactive attack, I don’t mean entering the mountains to search for them."

"I mean setting up an ambush at a place they’re bound to pass!"

"Everyone, take a look!"

Lu Chuan put away the drone map and opened a full map of Beiliang Mountain on the screen.

"The valley where we first discovered the bodies of three male victims is a camp valley for everyone entering the mountains."

"This valley has a water source, and the terrain at the bottom is flat."

"That’s the main reason this valley became a camping site, and because of that, the five victims and the poaching suspects encountered each other here."

"But to get out of here, one must pass through Sun Valley, though Sun Valley is not a campsite."

There are two main reasons for this.

Firstly, Sun Valley is close to the previous campsite; you can cross it in less than half a day.

Secondly, Sun Valley’s terrain is not suitable for camping. There is a gap on the west side of Sun Valley, which allows the sun to shine directly in for a long time, but at night, the cold wind is quite strong, making it a wind gap.

"So, if we just find out where the suspects last camped, and lay an ambush in advance, we can catch them all at once."

Song Mingguang nodded, "This idea is quite good, but there are four campsites around Sun Valley."

"It’s hard to say which campsite they would choose now."

"Are we supposed to set up an ambush at all four campsites?"

Lu Chuan shook his head, "Not all four campsites."

"Everyone, look here."

"This time, they met Song Zhenguo to sell the poached goods to him."

"After the handover, the opponents will definitely leave."

"Based on past experiences, after leaving Sun Valley, Song Zhenguo will camp in the valley where we found the bones."

"Then head down the mountain the next day."

"And the opponents will need to leave Sun Valley and return to their original campsite."

"Therefore, the campsite they choose must allow them a round trip to Sun Valley within a day."

"Among the four nearest campsites to Sun Valley, only the one in the northeast corner meets the condition for a round trip within a day."

Exactly!

Lu Chuan’s deduction made sense.

Whether they’re police, expedition teams, or these poachers living in the mountains year-round,

Once it’s nighttime, they must find a campsite to settle in Beiliang Mountain.

And since Sun Valley itself isn’t suitable for camping, poachers would have to leave from their previous spot, reach Sun Valley, and then find a campsite within a day.

At least for a day.

Of the four campsites Song Mingguang just mentioned, three have a journey to Sun Valley that takes a full day.

Or at least the better part of a day.

Only the campsite in the northeast corner is reachable from Sun Valley in less than half a day.

So that campsite should be considered the safest choice for the poachers.

"So my suggestion is to ambush them at the northeast campsite of Sun Valley."

"On one hand, the sparse vegetation around the campsite and the open terrain are advantageous for us to encircle them."

"On the other hand, since the campsite is half a day’s journey from the meeting point at Sun Valley, the poachers won’t be highly alert."

"If we ambush them there, we might catch them off guard and capture them all at once."

"Moreover, compared to Sun Valley, we can plan and prepare our ambush at the campsite in advance."

"Additionally, to be on the safe side, we can have a team stationed at the entrance to Sun Valley."

"That way, if our ambush fails, the team at the valley entrance can intercept them!"

Lu Chuan’s plan impressed everyone.

Though not foolproof, it was evidently better than the previous strategies.

After some thought, Li Donglin finally decided to go with Lu Chuan’s strategy.

"Send out the notifications, prepare to enter the mountains!"