When A Snail Falls in Love

The mountain in front of their eyes towered quietly. This area was the tallest mountain in the area and was said to be the most dangerous as well, such that even the locals rarely hiked up it.

Several teams encircled the mountain tightly as the first group charged up the mountainside. A number of brightly lit flashlights could be seen flashing in the night sky as they began the climb.

The first thing the criminal police did was track Yao Meng’s car. Eventually, they had identified and arrived at this location, but it had already been about six hours since the time she was kidnapped.

Ji Bai led a team of people as they climbed up the dark small paths on the mountain. His face was tense and heavy; when the news about Yao Meng was spread, the whole Criminal Police Unit was deeply sorrowed.

After scaling a steep rock wall, a dense and serene forest appeared in front of them, after which the members of the special force began fanning out to begin their search. After a while, someone shouted out loud, “Over here!”

Flashlights and shadows began to overlap and crisscross in the forest as the group rushed over to the source of the calls. Soon, they saw a human figure lying down on a plot of muddy land in front of them, she was not moving an inch. She was dressed in only a shirt which barely covered her thighs while loads of red and purple marks vandalized her body; her long hair was let down around her shoulders like a waterfall, revealing half of her beautiful face. Who else could it be if not Yao Meng?

The special force surrounded her and remained silent. Then, Ji Bai crouched beside her and held her wrist. Suddenly, he lifted his head and yelled, “She’s still alive!”

Xu Xu waited at the foot of the mountain along with the others.

She was extremely worried as the suspect’s rash actions meant that he was already showing signs of mania. At this point in time, he had reached a dead end, thus Yao Meng was most likely going to be his final meal.

After waiting for some time again, she suddenly saw a team of people running down the mountain road toward them, and one of the men was carrying a person. Xu Xu heart began to race as she ran forward with the others.

“Doctor!”, “Doctor!” Many people were shouting together.

Yao Meng guided them to the ambulance, where Yao Meng was wrapped in a wool blanket. Once the standby doctor gave her a quick examination, he breathed a sigh of relief. “She’s fine, she just fainted.”

A few moments later, Yao Meng began to regain consciousness and she opened her eyes to look at everyone around her. There was a sense of confusion in her gaze at first, but then she swiftly turned her head to look down; the pain and suffering in her eyes could not be hidden.

“Everything’s okay, you’re alright now.” Xu Xu reached out and held her hands.

Yao Meng stared at the grey ceiling above her as tears rolled down her cheeks. Upon seeing the situation, the police officers who were waiting beside the car walked away without saying a word.

Xu Xu’s tears flowed silently too. After some time, she whispered softly, “Don’t think about anything now. Get some rest, I’ll be right here with you.”

When Yao Meng’s eyes met hers, she froze for an instant.

She remembered that she did not escape on her own.

Owing to the fact the drug had not yet worn off, her head was still very heavy, therefore her memories of how she had escaped from the cave was blurry and disorganized.

She recalled that when she woke up, there was a lighted candle in the cave. She turned her head and saw the ranger from before, his hideous body was naked as he laid on a small bed beside her. Both her hands and feet were chained as she laid on a woolen blanket on the floor beside the bed. She was in a sorry, embarrassing state.

She was so terrified that she wanted to die, but there was no way she could get free from the chains. She wanted to kill him so bad, but this was impossible. Even if she was not chained up, there was not even the slightest sliver of strength in her body.

It was at this moment that she saw a tall figure walking into the cave. Despite her hazy vision, she saw him slowly approach her. He wore a faded Forestry Department uniform with a cap pulled down low on his head, and due to a face full of beard, she did not get a clear picture of his face. He picked up a bunch of keys from the table and walked over to her, and after a few attempts, unlocked the chains.

She immediately fell into his arms as he likewise hugged her tightly with his strong arms, he held her so tightly that she could barely breathe. Then, he helped her to her feet and led her out of the cave.

After leaving the cave, he led her forward step by step until they could see the faint flashing of flashlights cutting through the darkness in front of them. When he saw this, he suddenly released her and swiftly began walking back into the forest. The view of his back as he walked away was strange yet familiar to Yao Meng. Where had she seen it before? Why did it seem so familiar?

“Are you…” She asked with a husky voice, “You didn’t die… Why…”

That person paused for a moment before quickening his pace again. Soon enough, he vanished deep into the forest. Since she was out of strength, she collapsed to the ground again after taking a few more steps.

…

Yao Meng struggled to get up slowly as Xu Xu supported her. She pointed off into the distance and said softly, “He’s in the cave, I can’t remember the direction clearly… It’s probably just a bit further on from where you found me, near the peak.”

Xu Xu wanted to follow the doctor and send Yao Meng to the nearest hospital, but Yao Meng firmly declined.

“There’s no need to.” Her face was expressionless, and her eyes were empty. “I want to wait here. Xu Xu, I want to be alone.”

Before Xu Xu could say anything, she shut her eyes and laid down.

Later on in the night, the mountain had grown colder while the shadows from the trees swayed eerily under the moonlight.

Ji Bai led a team as they slowly approached the cave located at the edge of a cliff.

The cave was quiet and deep, and under the dark, unforgiving night sky, it looked like a black hole. A single flame could be seen burning steadily at the mouth of the cave, indicating that somebody was inside.

The number of police officers gathered outside the case was slowly increasing as officers crept slowly to its entrance. Da Hu received news from the logistics team and went over to Ji Bai to whisper to him, “Yao Meng is awake, she mentioned that the location of the cave should be here as well. This should be it.”

Ji Bai waved his hand and an officer behind him carrying a large searchlight quickly shone it into the cave. As expected, a lone figure was seen standing inside. Perhaps he was stunned by the light, as he quickly turned his body sideways and crouched down next to the rock wall. Behind him, they could see a small bed, a table, a chair, a cabinet, and a number of chains on the ground.

“Tan Liang, you’ve been surrounded, put your weapons down and come out!” Somebody ordered.

The figure inside the cave abruptly turned around as Ji Bai yelled, “Watch out!” Right after he said this, two muffled “pews” pierced the air as the person inside let out a small laugh.

“It’s a tranquilizer!” Da Hu broke into cold sweat. Fortunately, nobody was injured.

A clattering sound was heard as Tan Liang threw something onto the ground. Then, he walked out of the cave slowly.

Everyone was waiting with their guns ready, their eyes locked onto their target. Ji Bai also aimed his gun at Tan Liang’s forehead, ready to pull the trigger if there were any unusual movements.

He slowly walked out toward the light. His ranger uniform was in a mess, but he still looked calm as the bright light shone on his face. As he walked, the officers noticed that his face carried a peculiar, horrifying paleness. Not to mention, the pupils in his small, beady eyes seemed to be dilated.

“Put your hands on your head and get down on the ground!” Da Hu called out.

A hint of a smile flashed across Tan Liang’s face.

Ji Bai tried to act, but it was too late. Blood slowly trickled out from the corner of Tan Liang’s mouth as the potassium cyanide’s effects began taking place. Despite this, the joy in his eyes only became clearer.

“This world is unfair,” His voice was very gentle as he said, “at least I didn’t live my life in vain.”

Everyone watched on as he fell backward on his back, where he promptly passed away.

The lights lit up the entire forest to the point where the cave almost seemed as though it was daytime. Police officers marched out from the cave non-stop as they carried bags of evidence and reported to Ji Bai.

“We’ve found the remaining potassium cyanide and aphrodisiac.”

“There are strands of women’s hair in the cave, we’ve collected them.”

“We found the city car rental receipt among his rubbish – he used a pseudonym and a fake identification card to rent the car.”

“There are some women’s clothing in the cabinet, as well as some Johnson’s body shampoo, razors and so on.”

…

Ji Bai stood at the mouth of the cave with his hands folded behind his back, he looked stern and did not say a word. The atmosphere was anxious and tense as people continuously moved around; Tan Liang’s body was covered with a white cloth, which was neatly spread out over the mud.

The news of the incident very quickly spread to the surrounding areas, causing the whole area to be in an uproar. More police officers from other areas had to be called in as even the media teams who had stayed at the farmhouse started to flock to the site. Even though the police officers tried to stop them, the continuous flashes from their cameras all but lit up the night sky.

Xu Xu was waiting in a police car the entire time. When she received the news, she left the car and made her way through the bustling crowd toward Yao Meng who was not far away.

Yao Meng had already gotten up and was now sitting at the back of the ambulance. She was wrapped in a woolen blanket, holding a hot cup of tea. While she seemed to have calmed down, her eyes were still red, and her gaze was still empty.

Xu Xu walked over to her and gently said, “Tan Liang is dead.”

Yao Meng’s shoulders shivered a little, then she nodded and flashed Xu Xu a wry, indifferent smile.

Xu Xu wanted to say something, but she knew that nothing she said would lessen the pain that Yao Meng was feeling. Looking at her dispirited, drooping shoulders, Xu Xu’s eyes became moist again, but all she could do was remain silent.

At this moment, Yao Meng’s colleague walked towards the car and passed a phone to her before saying gently, “It’s Chief Lin.”

Yao Meng paused for an instant, then she picked up the phone. Tears immediately started flowing down her face as she spoke on the phone. “Mmm… I’m here. Alright, I’ll wait for you.” After she hung up, she glanced up at Xu Xu.

“Qingyan will be here in no time.” She took a deep breath as a coldness suddenly appeared in her eyes. “Now the culprit is dead and I’m in such a sorry state, tell me, Xu Xu, do you still insist on suspecting Qingyan? Now will you believe that you were wrong? I shouldn’t have turned around back then…”

Even before she finished, Xu Xu felt a stab of pain in her chest as her whole body stiffened up. The two of them fell silent for a second, then Xu Xu whispered in a low tone, “I’m sorry.”

Yao Meng did not say anything else, and she looked away. Xu Xu could do nothing but apologize again. “I’m sorry” then she left quietly.

By the time Ji Bai left the mountain, the sky was already bright. The crowd in front of him was very agitated, all of them were gunning to get a glimpse of the body of the so-called ‘pervert serial killer’.

Ji Bai was exhausted, so he went around the crowd and scanned the parking lot. After a short while, he spotted a familiar small figure standing beside a police car with her head lowered.

His tense and heavy heart instantly relaxed the moment his eyes fell on her as Ji Bai paced towards her quickly before stopping in front of her.

However, when Ji Bai saw her wet and reddened eyes, he did not ask any questions. Instead, he pulled her into his arms gently.

Xu Xu still felt suffocated, so she just kept quiet.

A moment later, Ji Bai noticed that her eyes were set on something behind him, hence he turned to see what it was.

It was an ambulance that was just a short distance away. Lin Qingyan’s suit and hair were in a mess as he hugged Yao Meng with a tense, ghastly face. His eyes were cold and still, and he did move at all.

Ji Bai turned back to look at his partner coolly with his piercing black eyes. “Don’t think about it anymore, go back home and rest. I understand.”

Xu Xu did not make a sound as she continued to look past Ji Bai, straight at Lin Qingyan. This time, as if he had sensed her gaze, he turned his face slowly and stared right back at her.

His eyes looked indifferent and aggrieved, which was befitting of a man who was enraged and upset at the misfortune suffered by his loved one.

Xu Xu looked right at him unblinkingly.

Seconds later, the anguish in his eyes slowly dissipated, and his delicate brows became calm again. However, Xu Xu suddenly noticed the corners of his lips curling up slightly to form the faintest smile.

At the time, nobody else was looking at him, hence nobody had noticed the change in his expression. Only Xu Xu was spotted it, and blood rushed to her checks.

The past few days had completely worn her out. Right now, as an overwhelming anger and anxiety filled her heart, she was unable to even say a word. The world turned black as she fainted in Ji Bai’s arms.