"That person told me that they were all having a great time after going up the mountain, but after taking photos in Xiaolin Peak Area 1, that girl went to talk to Lin Yucheng alone, and I even heard Lin’s boyfriend’s name mentioned. Since then, Lin’s mood has been down, all the way until just now when she had a big argument with her boyfriend and left the group,"
"What does this have to do with finding the missing person?"
"I don’t know, maybe nothing. But it is certain that Lin Yucheng left the group due to emotional issues. Since she left without saying anything, it means she intended to avoid the others. With that said, her subsequent route would not be the same as what the group had planned before,"
As Tang Shu was walking, she took out her map, which already had a long route drawn on it with a marker.
"I asked that guy about the route they had originally planned. This group was going to climb to the peak to watch the sunset, which means if Lin Yucheng was not planning to end her life, her destination would be the summit of Xiaolin Peak. There’s only one path leading to the peak so..."
Roger’s eyes brightened as he looked at the map and took over the conversation, "So she wouldn’t have taken the main path but instead would have taken a shortcut!"
Tang Shu nodded, "We are currently in charge of Area A. If she took a shortcut, she could only go through the hills on this side. Lin Yucheng left the group half an hour ago, so according to an average person’s pace, she should have reached this location."
She marked a small black dot in one of the places.
"So, Mr. Roger, we need to pick up the pace."
"Hmph, that’s somewhat useful,"
Mr. Roger once again arrogantly lifted his chin.
Tang Shu gave him a look and couldn’t be bothered to deal with him, folded up the map, and quickened her pace.
The scenic area’s mountains were extremely perilous, with sheer cliffs and knife-like ridges.
Even tourists wanting to climb had to firmly grasp the iron chains on both sides and needed to concentrate their energy, as well as being tethered for safety.
If one didn’t use the normal tourist path, climbing to the summit was a considerable challenge. Although it was less perilous through the smaller paths, the 45-degree angle of the mountains still deterred most.
Tang Shu and Roger had mostly recovered their energy during their car ride, so their pace had quickened considerably. From time to time, they would leap from stone to stone along the path, moving two to three times faster than the average person.
The two walked on the narrow path in Area A. If they looked up into the distance, they could faintly make out Captain Cheng and the others.
About fifteen minutes later, voices gradually came through the walkie-talkie.
"No sign of the missing person in Area B."
"No sign of the missing person in Area C."
Tang Shu followed suit, "No sign of the missing person in Area A."
"Keep patrolling. Don’t miss any spot."
Everyone said in unison. Shortly after the conversation ended, Roger found a red hat.
"Your guess was very accurate, Lin indeed took this route!"
The red hat, which had been in the group photo, even had the red butterfly knot on it, confirming it was Lin Yucheng’s.
Tang Shu’s eyes became sharp, first she glanced down the slope for a few moments, relieved to see no one.