Chapter 10

Lu Qi stated that he had never doubted him. He was very clear that if it weren't for Xu Chunliang that day, he might have been strangled to death by the large snake. He just couldn't figure out who could have the skills to make those two large snakes obediently follow orders and help carry out the theft.

Xu Chunliang recalled that Lu Qi had come to the store to buy ointment that day, and he might have suspected him all along, so he found an excuse to investigate at Huichuntang.

Actually, this was understandable. There weren't many people who could control two large snakes so effectively. He just regretted being careless at the time and not realizing there was another case behind it. The person who orchestrated this must be very familiar with the procedures for handling such incidents.

Replaying the scene in his mind, the female snake's belly was slightly swollen, while the male snake was responsible for scaring the crowd and diverting attention. After everyone was frightened and fled the store, the female snake calmly entered the warehouse through the ventilation duct and swallowed the phones one by one.

Originally, the two snakes had clear roles, and the female snake responsible for the theft should have retreated first. However, Lu Qi and Li Zhong's timely arrival put the male snake's safety at risk, and the female snake attacked Lu Qi while escaping.

From that moment on, the plan had already deviated from the snake handler's control. After Xu Chunliang stepped in, the situation changed completely.

Xu Chunliang told Lu Qi that generally, king snakes don't have a habit of eating non-food items and wouldn't swallow phones on their own. There must be someone manipulating them. He was also very interested in the fate of the two snakes. Who did the police hand them over to, and who was responsible for their release?

These were things Lu Qi hadn't considered before. Xu Chunliang's reminder made him realize that the case was more complex than he had imagined. Typically, such incidents are handled by the fire department, which arranges for professional snake catchers. The captured animals are then handed over to the forestry department for processing. Since so much time had passed, the two snakes had likely already returned to the mountains, making it difficult to solve the case.

Xu Chunliang's gaze turned to the car window, where the colorful neon lights on the roadside painted a bizarre and fantastical world. It seemed that this world was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

On Saturday morning, Xu Chunliang received a call from Lu Qi, asking if he was free and inviting him to visit the release site of the forestry department. Since Xu Chunliang was very familiar with the habits of snakes and insects, he might be able to provide some insight into the case.

Xu Chunliang had nothing else to do, so he agreed.

Half an hour later, Lu Qi and Li Zhong arrived in a police car to pick him up.

Li Zhong drove, while Lu Qi sat in the back with Xu Chunliang.

Lu Qi recounted the subsequent events involving the two king snakes. After Xu Chunliang subdued the two large snakes that day, they handed them over to the city forestry bureau.

A professional snake catcher named Fan Yajun, who was a regular employee of the forestry bureau, came to perform a routine health check on the two king snakes and then released them in the Qinglong Mountain Nature Reserve that same day.

"Is there a problem with him?"

Lu Qi shook his head. "This person has a good reputation at work, is diligent, and has been awarded the city's labor model multiple times."

"Things are not always what they seem."

"He has an alibi, and he wasn't the only one who went to release the snakes that day. We also investigated his schedule for those days and found no suspicious points."

Xu Chunliang said, "Maybe it was a group effort."

Li Zhong couldn't help but laugh. "Xu, you should be a police officer, not a doctor."

Lu Qi didn't find it funny. Xu Chunliang's point was valid. On the surface, the procedures were followed, but upon investigation, some unusual points were discovered. For example, the snakes were released in the nature reserve that day, but typically, captured wild animals are kept in captivity for a few days to ensure they are healthy before being released into the wild.

Just from this point alone, it was hard to suspect Fan Yajun. The release was approved by the forestry bureau, and three employees went to Qinglong Mountain. There was a dedicated person at the Qinglong Mountain Nature Reserve to receive them. After the release, the four forestry bureau employees immediately returned, and none of them had left the city since then.

Li Zhong thought that visiting the release site was pointless. So much time had passed, and the two snakes had likely already wandered off. He didn't believe that a king snake could swallow a phone and then excrete it intact. However, Lu Qi insisted on making the trip, and as his partner, Li Zhong had to accompany him.

Qinglong Mountain is 25 kilometers from Dongzhou City and has an altitude of over 400 meters, making it a significant mountain in the predominantly flat Pingjiang Province.

They followed the map to the Qinglong Mountain Nature Reserve office, where they had already made contact. Zhou Meng, the forest ranger who participated in the release that day, was waiting for them.

Seeing the police car approach, he hurried out to greet them.

Zhou Meng took over his father's position in the forestry bureau. In today's society, it's rare for someone to take over a position, but his father was injured in a heroic act while fighting a forest fire seven years ago. To honor his bravery, the organization made an exception and arranged for Zhou Meng to take over.

Standing at 1.92 meters tall, Zhou Meng had a dark complexion and a robust build. He warmly extended his hand to shake hands with the three of them, welcoming their arrival.

When he shook hands with Xu Chunliang, he noticed that Xu wasn't wearing a police uniform. According to Zhou Meng's understanding, people who don't wear uniforms are usually high-ranking officials. He was puzzled, thinking, "This young man looks even younger than me, and he's already a leader?"

Xu Chunliang noticed that Zhou Meng's hand was broad and sturdy, with calluses on the palms and knuckles, indicating that he had considerable external martial arts training.

Lu Qi skipped the formal introductions, as they were there on official business, not to socialize.

Zhou Meng knew their purpose and pointed up the mountain, indicating that the release site was up there.

"Is it far?" Li Zhong asked.

"Not far, just a few steps away."

They soon realized the true meaning of "not far" as they trekked through the forest for nearly 40 minutes before reaching the release site deep in the woods.

Li Zhong was out of breath, and Lu Qi wasn't much better. Zhou Meng, with his long legs, had a large stride and was accustomed to patrolling the mountains, making the journey easy for him. Today, he deliberately slowed down to accommodate the police officers, but on a normal day, he could reach the site in just over 20 minutes.

Surprisingly, Xu Chunliang kept up with Zhou Meng the entire time.

Zhou Meng was impressed, thinking, "This young man is not to be underestimated; he has a good physique."

Li Zhong couldn't keep up anymore and stopped to catch his breath, leaning against a crooked tree. He panted, "Zhou... take a break... before we continue..."

Zhou Meng stopped and turned around. "We're almost there."

Li Zhong thought, "I don't believe you."

"Stay still!" Zhou Meng suddenly shouted.

Lu Qi and Li Zhong, startled, froze in place.

Xu Chunliang saw a red-and-black coral snake poised to strike from a branch above Li Zhong's head.

Zhou Meng pulled out a red sandalwood slingshot from his waist. The Y-shaped frame was polished from frequent use, shining brightly.

He aimed and shot a stone, pulling the rubber band only halfway to control the force. The stone flew out and hit the coral snake's head, driving it away without injuring it.

Xu Chunliang watched, impressed by Zhou Meng's accuracy and the smoothness of his actions. He hadn't expected this large man to have such good shooting skills, especially his control of force.

The coral snake, startled, quickly fled into the underbrush, leaving behind a series of rustling sounds that were soon drowned out by the mountain wind.

Lu Qi and Li Zhong both sighed in relief. Li Zhong, still shaken, said, "I almost didn't make it."

Xu Chunliang smiled. "This coral snake has weak venom and wouldn't be fatal."

Zhou Meng looked at Xu Chunliang with surprise. "Leader, you know about this?"

"I'm not a leader."

Lu Qi walked over. "I forgot to introduce him. He's a snake expert we invited from Changxing Hospital."

Zhou Meng was even more respectful. In his mind, an expert was even more prestigious than a leader. He only had a junior high school education and admired knowledgeable people.

The four of them arrived at the release site. Zhou Meng pointed to the grass and said that they had released the snakes there, and he had personally watched them slither into the dense forest.

Lu Qi and Li Zhong inspected the area but found no clues, especially since so much time had passed.

Zhou Meng asked curiously, "Are you looking for the two large snakes?"

Lu Qi replied, "Can you still find them?"

Zhou Meng shook his head. "Qinglong Mountain isn't very high, but the forest area is large, and the twelve peaks are connected. After so much time, they could be anywhere."

Lu Qi was at a loss and looked to Xu Chunliang for help. Was today's trip in vain?

Xu Chunliang said, "Rats have their paths, and snakes have theirs. These two large snakes must have left some traces."

He looked into the dense forest. Snakes have a natural musky odor, different from fish, mixed with the smell of soil.

The odor varies by species. Even after so much time, the musky smell of the king snakes would still cling to the grass, lasting for days.

Ordinary people wouldn't be able to smell this odor even if they put their noses close to the grass, but Xu Chunliang, with his heightened senses, could easily detect it. The initial training in the "Tongtian Baojian" focused on enhancing the five senses.

Although Xu Chunliang's internal strength had diminished, the scents of various snakes and insects were deeply ingrained in his memory. King snakes have a strong odor, especially from their anal glands, which emit a unique stench.

This distinct musky smell formed a winding trail in front of Xu Chunliang. He walked confidently, with the three others following. Zhou Meng had no problem keeping up.

Lu Qi and Li Zhong, however, were struggling. As police officers, they couldn't show weakness, so they pushed themselves to keep up, but they were still lagging behind by about ten meters.

After about ten minutes in the dense forest, Xu Chunliang stopped and sniffed the air. "It's nearby."

Zhou Meng imitated him, sniffing the air and detecting a foul smell that almost made him vomit.

Xu Chunliang pointed to the right. Lu Qi used a bamboo stick to part the grass and found a large snake with its skin removed, lying dead and decomposing, emitting a nauseating odor.

Zhou Meng, pinching his nose, said, "How did it die?" It wasn't uncommon for animals to die in the wild after being released, as they often couldn't adapt to the environment.

The evidence suggested it had been hunted.

The king snake's skin had been removed and taken away, leaving only the bloody flesh. Lu Qi, wearing a mask and gloves, examined the dead snake and found a long cut in its belly, likely where the stolen phones were stored.

After the release, someone must have been waiting there.

Li Zhong asked, "Why use such a cruel method to kill it? Couldn't they just make it regurgitate the phones?" He had seen on animal shows that snakes can regurgitate items they can't digest.

Lu Qi replied, "The phones were square and couldn't be regurgitated, so they had to use this method to retrieve the items."

Xu Chunliang said, "Open its mouth and see."

Lu Qi used a knife to pry open the snake's mouth. Despite the mask, the stench almost overwhelmed him. He found blue fabric fibers on the snake's fangs, suggesting it had attacked someone, who then killed it in retaliation. However, the person who could kill such a large king snake was not ordinary.

Xu Chunliang said, "This snake was likely summoned here."