Chapter 911: Chapter 474: Inspiration by the Highway
After 30 minutes, the SUV arrived at the foot of the mountain where the crime scene was located.
The four of them got out of the car one after another, Jiang An stepped forward to walk up, and the others followed closely behind.
The 500-meter mountain path wasn’t too long, but the slope was evident.
Upon reaching the summit platform, Jiang An panted lightly, turned around, and scanned the surroundings again.
This time, the view was more open, allowing the entire mountain area’s terrain to be seen clearly.
Jiang An turned to Political Commissioner Li, "Regarding the roads, you previously mentioned there’s a highway nearby; besides that, could there be other paths we’ve overlooked?"
Political Commissioner Li stepped forward, raising his arm to point southeast: "Based on the information we have, the highway is over there."
"There are indeed two old paths on this side, which are known shortcuts to the locals."
"However, the road conditions are very poor—narrow with many potholes, usually only familiar locals on motorcycles occasionally use them."
"If according to our previous analysis, the vehicle involved would most likely still use the main highway for passage."
Jiang An nodded thoughtfully, his gaze still fixed on the direction he was pointing.
At this moment, Director Hou approached and tapped Jiang An’s shoulder.
"Later, we’ll go for a field investigation together; experiencing it firsthand will be more direct."
Jiang An nodded slightly, responding, "This arrangement is more prudent."
He then looked at Mr. Qin, "How is your understanding of the highway’s surroundings?"
"I see the area is still mountains upon mountains; is there a possibility of residential areas?"
Mr. Qin squinted into the distance for a moment and replied, "The mountainous region is continuous, the nearest residential area is after crossing six or seven mountains, where there is a small village."
"However, the location is remote, development is relatively slow, most of the population is still concentrated on the highway side."
Upon hearing this, Director Hou sighed, "Mountainous transportation is really an old issue."
"I never thought people would still live in such deep mountains."
"These places have always been our focus for poverty alleviation, the conditions in recent years should have improved somewhat."
In conversation, the few began to slowly descend the mountain along the original path.
Back in the car, they found one of the "small paths" as described by Political Commissioner Li earlier.
The car barely parked at the road entrance, Jiang An just leaned out for a glance, then shook his head and said, "This small path is just over a meter wide; a large passenger bus can’t enter at all."
"Even for a small car, getting through would require considerable effort; the likelihood of the suspect vehicle passing through here is extremely low."
Sitting nearby, Mr. Qin nodded, taking over with a grave tone: "Exactly, so if talking about a traffic accident, this place seems really unsuitable."
Not long after, the four drove to the highway.
At this time, the road had few vehicles, occasionally a couple of trucks passed by, bringing a brief gust of wind.
They parked the car on the emergency lane, the hazard lights blinking.
Jiang An opened the door and got out, surveying the surroundings.
On both sides of the road were slightly desolate wild fields, with a few sparse trees in the distance, and closer some rusted metal fences could still be seen.
He walked a few steps forward, slightly furrowing his brow, and asked, "Does this road usually have many vehicles?"
Political Commissioner Li responded, "It’s okay, mainly at night there might be some large trucks passing through, relatively fewer during the day."
"Was this road already repaired at the time of the incident?"
"Yes, it has been repaired for many years now,"
Political Commissioner Li nodded, gently tapping the road surface with his foot, "See, this road looks relatively smooth now, but it was only like this after last year’s renovation."
"A few years ago, the road conditions were worse with many repair marks, and it was more prone to slipping or losing control."
Jiang An slowly walked to the police car, looked up toward the place where the body was found, and after a moment of silence said, "From the crime location’s perspective, once a traffic accident occurs here, the victim or vehicle debris is very likely to be moved to that location."
"The distance is neither too far nor too close, not easily discovered, moving it wouldn’t draw too much attention."
Upon hearing this, Director Hou turned around, looking troubled, and continued, "So the question arises, why would the victim appear here?"
Mr. Qin crossed his arms, speaking in a low voice, "Exactly, this place is quite remote."
"Even if someone passes through, it’s impossible to climb over the highway fence, it’s too unnatural."
Jiang An spoke softly, "Indeed, it does seem rather strange."
Instantly, the four fell into silence for a while, only the faint sound of the wind sweeping past the fence could be heard.
After a long time, Mr. Qin slightly knitted his brows, his tone containing some speculation, "Do you think it could be an interim passenger from the car who jumped off halfway and happened to encounter a traffic accident here?"
Director Hou pondered for a moment, slowly shaking his head, "This possibility, I find it unlikely."
"Think about it, a vehicle traveling at high speed, if someone rashly jumps from the car, the danger is self-evident."
"What’s more important is, if this were true, why would he not be wearing shoes?"
"This is indeed somewhat illogical."
While the two captains analyzed various possibilities in conversation, Jiang An, standing aside, remained silent.
His gaze was deep, clearly immersed in his own thoughts.
For this case, he had a unique perspective and insight.
After a long time of contemplation, Jiang An finally spoke, "From the scene, it’s very remote, and the victim’s attire is quite peculiar."
"But the most regrettable thing is, we cannot gather more information through the wear marks on the victim’s foot soles anymore."
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