Half an hour later, the investigation work paused.

Jiang An slowly stood up, his spine making a slight cracking sound.

He patted the dirt off his pants and exchanged a knowing glance with Chen Biao not far away.

"Mr. Chen, judging from the brake marks, the driver was very flustered at the time."

He paused here, his gaze turning profound, "I think we should head immediately to where the body was found."

"The killer didn't choose that spot to dump the body by chance, he must be very familiar with that place, perhaps even..."

Chen Biao picked up the thread, "I completely agree."

He turned and shouted to the other officers, startling the birds into flight with his booming voice, "Attention everyone! Be packed and ready to move out in five minutes! Move quickly!"

Thirty minutes later, two police cars drove one after the other into the clearing at the foot of the mountain.

Wang Yang was holding the steering wheel, watching the flashing police lights in the rearview mirror, his brow furrowing involuntarily, "Hey, this license plate..."

He turned to look at Zhou Yong in the passenger seat, "Is it a car from our team?"

Zhou Yong suddenly slapped his thigh, "Could it be Mr. Chen and the others?"

"Didn't they go to investigate the place where the disappearance happened?"

His eyes widened, "Could they have also found some clues?"

Wang Yang's lips curved into a meaningful smile, "You know what, it really is..."

He shook his head, not continuing, but a touch of relief flashed in his eyes.

The two cars stopped almost simultaneously.

Wang Yang had just pushed the car door open when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

Chen Biao, Jiang An, Wan, Wu Bin, and others came walking briskly, their boots making crisp sounds on the gravel road.

"Mr. Wang!"

"What's up?"

Wang Yang gave a thumbs up, his eyes shining brightly, "That's what they call telepathy!"

"Our Chuan City criminal police really are cut from the same cloth!"

Wang Yang glanced around at everybody, seeing the dark circles under Jiang An's eyes, Chen Biao's sweat-soaked collar, Wan's mud-stained pant legs...

These details made his throat tighten a little.

"Brothers,"

His voice suddenly turned serious, "We've all pulled several all-nighters for this case."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each exhausted yet resolute face.

"But I always believe, our Chuan City criminal police are a unit that can win battles and dare to fight tough fights."

"From the time the case started till now, every step we've taken has been solid."

His gaze turned to Jiang An, his tone filled with sincere respect, "Especially since Mr. Jiang came from Jiangcheng to support us."

"We've made breakthroughs in key areas like time of death estimation and nature of the case judgment."

Here, he suddenly raised his voice, "Let's give a round of applause to comrades Jiang An, Wan Junjie, and Zhang Yean!"

In an instant, a thunderous applause erupted at the village entrance, the enthusiastic sound startling a few sparrows from the tree branches not far away.

After the applause gradually subsided, Jiang An slightly lifted the corners of his mouth, revealing a warm and determined smile.

"Mr. Wang, Mr. Zhou, you are too kind."

"Actually, I've always held onto the belief that criminal police all over the world are family."

"Whether in a bustling city or a remote village, as long as we wear this police uniform, we will definitely unite as one and work together to solve the case's mysteries."

"As the ancients say, 'Those who travel a thousand miles are halfway to their journey at ninety percent,' now is the most critical moment."

"I believe, whether in Jiangcheng or Chuan City, our police brothers have the same goal—to bring the killer to justice, to give the victims fairness, and to provide society with an explanation."

Wang Yang nodded in deep agreement, the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves and casting dappled light on his determined face.

He stepped forward and said, "Mr. Jiang, time is of the essence, let's start the operation now."

"This case has entered the final breakthrough stage, I have a feeling that as long as we break through this key point, the killer will soon be unmasked."

Jiang An raised his head, "The appearance of the body in this position is by no means accidental, there must be some special connection between the killer and this area."

He pointed to the distant rolling hills, his voice gradually deepening, "I even suspect that the killer chose this place to dump the body after careful calculation—it's very likely within his daily activity range, allowing him to monitor the case's progress at any time."

Seeing Wang Yang and Zhou Yong with contemplative expressions, Jiang An continued to explain, "From a criminal psychology perspective, perpetrators like this often have a strong desire for control and anti-investigation awareness."

"They will choose familiar environments to commit crimes, so they can master the initiative and obtain the police's movements timely."

His tone became grave, "What's more terrifying is, we have encountered many cases where the killer even participates in the investigation or mixes with onlookers to observe the police's progress."

Zhou Yong couldn't help but sharply inhale upon hearing this, removing his glasses to wipe the lenses, his voice somewhat trembling.

"You're absolutely right."

"Three years ago while handling a case in Lijiang County, a subordinate jurisdiction of Chuan City, the suspect was among the crowd and even pretended to be an enthusiastic citizen providing us with leads."

"If it weren't for the DNA comparison later giving him away, this cunning guy almost got away with it."

Wang Yang's expression turned exceptionally serious, he adjusted the collar of his uniform and said solemnly, "This time we absolutely cannot repeat the same mistake, otherwise, it's truly a disgrace to this uniform." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Let's move, immediately begin a thorough search of the village."

He turned to Jiang An to inquire, "Mr. Jiang, regarding the specific standards for vehicle checks, do you have any additional opinions?"