<h4>Chapter 781: 724 Chapter: Assembly</h4><h4></h4>


    Zhanggang Vige.


    Cui Qishan sat in front of a bonfire, grinning as he roasted the fire, casually flipping the ribs on the mes, sprinkling some salt, taking a sip of beer, utterly at ease.


    Having stayed in a ce for a long time, one would gradually adapt. Zhanggang Vige indeed was a poor area—so much so that the temperature was even 10 degrees lower than in Beijing—but once you epted its poverty, you could still find some good things.


    For example, the local pork was delicious. Of course, there was no beef or mutton to be had, let alone seafood to buy. You had to invite a butcher over to ughter the pig, but no matter what, the vigers’ home-raised hogs, not just saved for the New Year’s feast, were very tasty.


    Ribs like these, simply seasoned withmon spices, sealed on high heat, then slowly roasted next to the fire until well-done or even a bit overcooked, were still sizzling with fat when eaten—more delicious than what many upscale hotels in Beijing could serve.


    Beijing’s hotels didn’t have such conditions. They had to maintain consistent quality, meaning even if asionally they got hold of something exceptionally good, they couldn’t use it.


    Besides, the river delicacies from Zhanggang Vige deserved mention.


    The carp soup was good, and frogs caught in the evening could be eaten the next day—as long as you didn’t watch the process, it was wonderfully delicious. Eels and loaches were another dimension of food that Cui Qishan personally didn’t like. He hadn’t eaten them much as a child and didn’t fancy them as an adult. However, team member Li Jiang liked to eat them and knew how to cook them. With a few people gathered around a small pot, the vor was exceptionally good.


    That was until the travel allowance ran out.


    But Cui Qishan thought it was rather nice. Maintaining team morale in such a tough ce was quite difficult. Finding something of interest was more important than anything else.


    The main reason why people were reluctant to take on such assignments was that the hours of leisure time outside the eight hours of work were even more torturous than work. At least now, there were delicious farm-raised pork and local Snow Pioneering beer to enjoy—a considerable constion.


    Buzz...


    The vibration of the mobile phone started, and Cui Qishan hurriedly stood up to answer, taking the opportunity to go to the bathroom to relieve himself.


    "Reinforcements have been sent to you. They should be arriving at Zhanggang Vige soon. Take charge of receiving them. Cooperate with each other to prioritize thepletion of tasks, ensure your safety, and report any situation at any time..." Tao Lu wrapped up the instructions in a few words, and with a "beep," the call ended.


    Cui Qishan couldn’t help feeling a bit mncholic. Such an advanced smartphone, as the vige’s most high-tech electronic device, was hung up after just a brief conversation, not evensting the duration of a pee, a sheer waste. Typically, no calls woulde in, and it wasn’t practical to call home every day. With teammates around, if you mentioned you missed home, they might burst into tears on the spot—what then? Go aroundforting a burly 190-pound man?


    Whoosh whoosh...


    "It’s raining!" Xiao Si’s shout came over, and then raindrops as big as coins hit Cui Qishan’s face.


    "The rain’s pretty... oh crap, the ribs!" Cui Qishan put away his phone and ran back into the courtyard.


    The rain fell fast and hard, as if released by a teenage Dragon King in a fit of temper. When Cui Qishan reached the courtyard, he saw the once delightful bonfire had been extinguished by the downpour, and Xiao Si and others stood under the eaves, each clutching a couple of ribs, faces as ck as if their rice bowls had been overturned and lost.


    Morale, truly, was in shambles.


    Mncholically stepping under the shelter of the eaves and wiping his face, Cui Qishan sincerely hoped no one would suddenly cry out, "Captain, I miss my mom!"


    If that happened, to maintain this team, wouldn’t he end up marrying and having children in Zhanggang Vige, perhaps even with an 18-year-old suspect?


    "The meat got rained on; I’m afraid it won’t taste good," Xiao Si shook the ribs, suggesting he was thinking of throwing them away.


    Cui Qishan responded with a nomittal grunt and asked, "Didn’t have time to take them down?"


    "They were too hot. I used a cloth to pull a couple down, but the rest were all soaked before I managed to remove them," Xiao Si sighed, "When it rains, it really pours. This damn ce!"


    "Quiet, don’t let the locals hear you." Cui Qishan sighed. He temporarily agreed with Xiao Si’s assessment of Zhanggang Vige—it was really a desperately poor ce—and thought that staying in such a ce, he should also think of a way out. If there was one.


    "The good news is that the rice is cooked," Li Jiang said, holding a less than appetizing rib. "Once the rain stops, we can reheat them, and they should still be edible."


    "It’s still better than nothing," Xiao Si muttered, adding, "If a restaurant in Beijing served me ribs like this, I’d call the police on the spot."


    "We’ll make some braised pork or somethingter. We’ve got reinforcementsing today," Cui Qishan updated his team members with the new information.


    Xiao Si clicked his tongue twice, "So this rain literally trapped them on the road, huh?"


    Thinking about it, Cui Qishan realized it was indeed so.


    This was trouble—they had to push their vehicle at certain parts whening to Zhanggang Vige. Cui Qishan himself had ended up with a mouthful of mud. Now with such heavy rain, who knew what the neers would have to endure.


    "Prepare some hot water. They might be able to take a bathter," Cui Qishan made arrangements.


    They had rented two sets of rooms in the vige, both equipped with sr water heaters. If they were frugal, they could just about manage a warm shower.


    Wang Chao nodded and went off to make arrangements.


    Cui Qishan personally went to the kitchen, asking the hired cook to prepare some meat dishes.


    As wisps of smoke began to rise again, Wang Chao came running back.


    "The rain broke the pipes, and the roof is leaking. There’ll be no showers today, and even sleeping will be an issue," Wang Chao said, hands spread in a gesture ofplete resignation.


    "Well, that’s their bad luck," Cui Qishan paused before shaking his head, "Or our bad luck. Are we not going to have a hot shower either?"


    "Heat some water for a bath?"


    "As if that wouldn’t be troublesome enough."


    "Forget it, we still need to free up a room for them tonight." After discussing in the kitchen for a while, Cui Qishan’s phone rang again.


    The call was from the vige chief.


    "The road to the vige is cut off and there might be a mudslide; let your people know, so they don’t get washed away." The vige chief’s voice was loud and urgent; he was genuinely afraid that the officials from Beijing would get buried here.


    "I got it, thank you so much." After hanging up, Cui Qishan stood there in a daze before remembering to call Tao Lu, informed her about the situation here, and then asked, "The reinforcements... I mean, who areing, do I know them? I’ll call them directly."


    "Hmm, it’s Qi Changye leading his team, so I didn’t tell you earlier," Tao Lu finally exined and briefly shared Liu Jinghui’s reasoning.


    "Understood, I’ll make sure to cooperate." Cui Qishan hadn’t asked before for the same reason – the police are, after all, a disciplined force, and if the superiors didn’t mention something, there must be a reason. With cases like this one, involving irregr religious activities, it’s definitely Qi Changye and his team’s job.


    After ending the call, Cui Qishan also felt at ease.


    "It’s Qi Changye and his teaming. Looks like they won’t be able to make it for a while; let’s eat." They didn’t interact much usually, and these rains causing the chaos weren’t his doing, so let it be.


    Everyone heartily ate up dishes like braised pork, and imagining the hardships Qi Changye and his team faced on their way, they slept soundly in the houses that didn’t leak.


    The next day.


    It wasn’t until almost noon that a mud-covered Qi Changye and his team arrived at Zhanggang Vige.


    "The vehicle broke down on the road," Qi Changye exined with a wry smile to Cui Qishan, "the road was damaged, the bridge copsed. We had to detour, and then we faced a mudslide, so it took us longer."


    He tried to minimize the description of the hardships they endured. Qi Changye understood that no one would sympathize, they would only ridicule.


    Cui Qishan listened quite seriously and said, "We’ve been affected by the heavy rain here, too. The roof is leaking a bit, the water heater is broken, but we have enough food for now; should we get some for you?"


    "Alright. Thank you." What else could Qi Changye say? Given yesterday’s experience, he was just d to be alive.


    The recent cases had increased, making life and work particrly tough.


    Qi Changye gritted his teeth; if there was one quality he could boast about, it was his resilience.


    Solving cases under tough conditions was nothing new for him.


    ...


    Zhengguang Bureau.


    Jiang Yuan pondered over the mass of fingerprint, DNA, and footprint evidence before him.


    Liu Jinghui’s thinking was good, Tao Lu provided ample resources, but without finding the people, it all came to nothing.


    "For such a group to vanish without any trace, living or dead, is not a good sign." Tao Lu also felt somewhat anxious and, after a short while, wandered into Jiang Yuan’s office.


    He usually wouldn’te by so frequently, preferring to have others report to him. Now, however, Tao Lu was slightly worried about interfering with Jiang Yuan’s work.


    Liu Jinghui sat by the side, not even distracted by his phone, just appearing deep in thought. Hearing Tao Lu’s words, he spoke slowly, "Escapism or collective suicide often marks an esction in heretical sects."


    Many fringe religious groups overseas have taken one of these two paths. The famous include the Amish, who reject modern technology, and the tragic mass suicide of over 900 people by the Peoples Temple.


    Liu Jinghui and Tao Lu didn’t truly believe the situation was that severe, but as police officers, vignce was essential.


    Moreover, the possibility was too terrifying for Tao Lu even to contemte – imagining digging up such a case was enough to shock the higher-ups!


    Even tripling expenditures would be an understatement.


    "Jiang Yuan, if you have any ideas, feel free to share," said Tao Lu, knowing Jiang Yuan was resourceful and,pared to Liu Jinghui, he trusted Jiang Yuan more.


    Liu Jinghui was all talk and had no ountability, akin to ancient strategists. In contrast, Jiang Yuan was different; he led a team with the explicit goal of solving cases. Huang Qiangmin wouldn’t tarnish his or Jiang Yuan’s reputation.


    Those who are paid tend to be more reliable. Such was Tao Lu’s thinking.


    Jiang Yuan had also been pondering for a while and said, "Assuming we follow Director Liu’s line of thought and it indeed pertains to religious behavior, if these people are all dead, that’s one thing; but if they are alive and there’s no information, it’s likely they have isted residences and separate livingmunities, just like Qingling Mountain."


    Tao Lu nodded earnestly; it was a natural choice. An organization that had managed to build such estates wouldn’t likely copse thereafter.


    Especially those with heretical leanings, which typically aren’t short of funds.


    In modern society, where money isn’tcking, there are quite a few ways to live in seclusion.


    "Should we start by tracking living supplies?" Tao Lu naturally suggested an approach.


    Jiang Yuan looked at Liu Jinghui and thought for a moment, "If we’re going to conduct a search, I’d like to rmend someone. From our Shannan Province, Xu Taining is a first-ss senior police officer, excellent at organizing search operations. We often coborate."


    "That’s fine, I’ll invite him through the ministry and talk to the Shannan Provincial Department," Tao Lu agreed immediately. Although the ministry itself had experts specialized in organizing searches, ranks were not written on their faces, so it’s hard to say who’s the best.


    Since it was Jiang Yuan’s rmendation, and a senior police officer he was used to working with, Tao Lu had no objections.


    On the other hand, everyone knew searches were expensive, and Tao Lu thought, if it were a police officer from Shannan Province, they would at least be a bit more frugal.