Chapter 698 - 332: The Cunning Crime Syndicate

Chapter 698: Chapter 332: The Cunning Crime Syndicate

"It’s a trap." Lin Yu’an’s voice was not loud, but it reached every team member’s ears clearly, "A psychological trap."

He pointed at the footprints on the ground, "Captain, look at these footprints. Each one has almost the same depth, and the pressure and stride are too uniform, like a textbook standard made with a mold."

"But the poachers just succeeded and are fleeing with a load of dozens of kilograms. Their steps should be deep at times, staggering at others, and there’s no way they could walk so clean and neatly."

"This is a fake path they’ve deliberately left for us to see," his voice turned icy, "They’re betting that if there are pursuers, they’ll unhesitatingly follow the clear footprints. And that path very likely ends in a dead end."

This analysis made the backs of several young soldiers break out in a cold sweat.

Lin Yu’an didn’t stop. He began searching for the real traces around. Soon, behind an inconspicuous bush, he found a patch of trampled grass blades.

"The real traces are here, very well hidden. The direction of the flattened grass points southwest." He pointed at a fallen log on the ground, with a scratch that almost blended into the wood grain.

"Look, this is where the rubber from their shoe soles rubbed off, with fresh soil still on it. They stepped over here and even chose to step on this smooth deadwood to avoid leaving footprints."

Yang Zhen immediately used his tactical flashlight to shine a focused beam on the scratch, then looked at Lin Yu’an, his eyes showing genuine admiration for the first time.

Under his command, these two elite soldiers were already top-notch trackers in the team, yet they still fell into a cognitive bias, deceived by the most obvious traces.

If it weren’t for this man, their seven-member team might have already plunged into the enemy’s carefully laid trap.

"Everyone, listen to Teacher Lin." Yang Zhen gave a new command without any hesitation, "From now on, Comrade Lin Yu’an will lead the tracking direction, No. 1 and No. 2 will provide cover and alert on his sides!"

This time, Lin Yu’an was officially put at the forefront of the team. He was no longer a protected advisor but became the eyes and radar of the squad.

The chase truly got on track from this moment.

"Everyone, slow down, watch your step." Lin Yu’an’s voice was clear over everyone’s earpiece.

His pace slowed down, but every step was purposeful. Constantly conducting small zigzag searches along both sides of the path, looking for those minor details overlooked by fast-moving soldiers.

Nearly an hour passed, and the team’s actual progress might have been less than three kilometers.

The atmosphere started to grow heavy.

The young soldier Xiaowang finally couldn’t help but quietly ask, "Teacher Lin, at this pace... can we catch up? They’ve been ahead of us for several hours."

Lin Yu’an didn’t turn back, crouched, and pointed to the side of a rock where a small patch of moss had been rubbed off, revealing the fresh, moist rock surface underneath.

"This was scraped off by a backpack or a trouser leg. The moss’s break point is still very moist and hasn’t started to dry out. This indicates they passed here about three to four hours ago."

"Three hours?" Xiaowang and several soldiers were stunned. They had clearly only set out just over an hour ago; how had the time gap shortened so much?

Yang Zhen explained in a deep voice from the side, "Because we took a direct path, while they took a big circle around the mountains. We retrieved three to four hours of their journey in an hour via a perilous route!"

This discovery acted like a shot of adrenaline, instantly lifting the entire squad’s morale!

Lin Yu’an stood up and continued, "Furthermore, this also tells us we are completely heading in the right direction."

"Now we just need to patiently and step by step close in. With them carrying dozens of kilograms, every step is a huge drain. We just have to follow the traces they leave and exhaust them to death."

In the subsequent tracking, the entire squad entered a whole new state.

They were no longer anxious about speed, but focused on collaborating with Lin Yu’an in a meticulous forest puzzle-solving game.

Lin Yu’an deduced from a small patch of crushed, distinctively scented medicinal Angelica leaves, that the other side had briefly stopped here for rest and bandaging.

This discovery lifted the team’s spirits, but the clues were still not precise enough.

"They rested here, so they must have left more than just trampling marks on plants." He whispered to Yang Zhen, who was following behind him, "A hurried fugitive can’t clean up all traces."

A glint of understanding flashed in Yang Zhen’s eyes, "Everyone, spread out ten meters from this rest point and conduct a grid search! Watch your step, check between rocks, look for anything that doesn’t belong in this forest! Leave no stone unturned!"

"Yes!"

The soldiers immediately spread out in groups of two, fanning out like the most precise of combs, meticulously sweeping through the area. Their movements were professional and detailed, their gaze sharply scanning the ground, crevices, and tree roots...

Lin Yu’an didn’t join the wide-range search. Instead, he focused his gaze on the core, most likely area within the trampled region where something might have been left behind.