Chapter 699 - 332: Cunning Criminal Gang! (Part 2)

Chapter 699: Chapter 332: Cunning Criminal Gang! (Part 2)

He knew that when people rested, they would subconsciously choose the most comfortable, sheltered spot.

A few minutes later, a young warrior named Xiaowang suddenly made a discovery in a moss-covered crevice in the rocks.

"Captain! Over here!" he called out in a low, excited voice, waving his hand.

Yang Zhen and Lin Yu’an immediately rushed over.

Xiaowang pointed to the rock crevice, where a filter-less cigarette butt lay quietly inside.

"Well done!" Yang Zhen praised, patting Xiaowang on the shoulder.

He motioned for Xiaowang to hand over an evidence bag, then carefully used a thin twig to extract the cigarette butt from the crevice and placed it in the bag.

Yang Zhen asked in a low voice, "Can Teacher Lin deduce anything?"

"Quite a lot." Lin Yu’an stood up, resembling a forensic expert analyzing a crime scene, and began his deduction.

"This is not a cigarette produced by a regular factory. The coarse rolling paper and unevenly cut tobacco suggest it’s a local hand-rolled cigarette, a type commonly seen here. This further supports our assumption—the group is likely local habitual offenders familiar with the mountains and forests."

He continued, "The cigarette butt was pinched out, not burned to the end. This indicates that the smoker was in a hurry or very cautious. Moreover, the tightly pinched cigarette end, almost deformed, is a subconscious action when a person is tense or anxious."

"The most crucial point is determining the time." Lin Yu’an’s eyes became intensely focused.

He pointed to the slightly damp cigarette butt inside the evidence bag and then to the similarly moist fallen leaves on the ground.

"This cigarette butt, although damp, is noticeably drier than the surrounding leaves. Also, the tobacco’s bright yellow color hasn’t turned dark brown from prolonged moisture exposure."

"This indicates that when it was discarded here, the ground and air were less humid than now."

He looked up at the gradually clustering clouds in the sky and the fog slowly rising between the trees.

"As we’ve been tracking them, we’ve clearly felt the increasing humidity in the air. Based on this differential drying and the tobacco’s oxidation state, I have a bold yet confident deduction."

He met Yang Zhen’s expectant gaze and gave a startling conclusion: "The person stood here and smoked this cigarette one to two hours ago!"

"Two hours!" Yang Zhen’s fist pounded into his palm.

If the previous three to four-hour estimation was a shot of adrenaline, then this two-hour conclusion sounded the charge! This meant they had closed the distance to a visible range!

"They’re just ahead!" Xiaowang whispered excitedly, pride evident on his face for finding this crucial evidence.

"Exactly," Lin Yu’an picked up the conversation, "It’s around 5:30 PM, with less than two hours to dark. They can’t have gone far and must be looking for a place to camp."

"We must speed up! We have to catch up with them before they fully settle down!"

This conclusion rekindled the flames in all the warriors’ eyes! Fatigue seemed to vanish, leaving only anticipation for the upcoming showdown.

"Everyone, accelerate, and stay concealed!" Yang Zhen issued a concise and powerful order.

In the following pursuit, the entire team’s pace noticeably quickened.

Lin Yu’an’s performance was like a high-precision biological radar, constantly reading the increasingly fresh traces left by the poachers in the forest.

A broken branch, a patch of grass trampled into the mud, even a small piece of shattered moss...

Each new discovery kept confirming that they were swiftly closing the distance to their target!

However, just when everyone thought victory was in sight, an enemy they couldn’t fight began to descend quietly.

The night fell too quickly.

Unlike the slow dusk in the city, in the primeval jungles of Ailao Mountain, especially on a cloudy day, the transition between day and night happened almost brutally fast.

At 5:30 PM, the sky was still just overcast. But within a few minutes, when the light was completely swallowed by the thick clouds and the layered forest canopy, it was as if a black curtain had suddenly been drawn over the world.

The light didn’t dim slowly but instead vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The light and shadows in the forest quickly faded, all objects losing their distinct outlines, merging into vague and eerie gray silhouettes.

Tree roots and rocks underfoot became hard to distinguish, drastically increasing the peril of moving forward.

More deadly, as the sun disappeared, fog began to rise from the valleys and depressions in the mountains, like white phantoms silently winding through the trees.

Visibility plummeted from tens of meters to less than ten meters within just a few minutes, continuing to worsen.

The surrounding temperature also plummeted as if off a cliff. The damp, cold air started to seep through their sweat-drenched clothes, sapping precious body heat.

Finally, at a steep riverbank, while sidestepping along a narrow path, Lin Yu’an suddenly raised his hand, signaling the group to stop immediately.

"We can’t go any further!" His voice, resonating through the wet, cold fog, was exceptionally serious and determined, carrying an undeniable sense of command.

"Teacher Lin? Did you find them?" Yang Zhen immediately slid to his side, vigilantly raising his gun to look around, but his vision couldn’t pierce through the dense white mist in front of him.