You Mingxu stared at the person on the ground, feeling her heart pounding and her fingertips still cold.
"Are you alright?"
She followed the voice and saw Gu Tiancheng asking Zou Furong. Zou Furong's face was pale as she clung tightly to Song Lan, forcing a weak smile: "I'm fine. Thank you so much earlier. Otherwise, I... would have fallen into this serial killer's hands!"
Gu Tiancheng said: "What are you talking about? How could I stand by and watch any of you come to harm?" Both Zou Furong and Song Lan looked at him with trusting gratitude, but he said nothing more and turned to walk toward You Mingxu.
When their eyes met, there seemed to be an unspoken understanding that others couldn't detect.
He came to her side, and they both looked down at the person on the ground. Mingtao was frantically taking photos and recording videos while muttering incessantly: "Damn, I knocked him out... I caught him! Didn't he just say he killed seven, not four? If he weren't the killer, how would he know the exact number? Even more than the police?"
No one paid attention to Mingtao.
Gu Tiancheng asked: "Scared?"
You Mingxu shook her head.
A faint smile appeared on Gu Tiancheng's face as he said: "You're very brave. You were protecting others earlier."
You Mingxu replied leisurely: "What are you talking about? How could I stand by and watch someone come to harm?"
For some reason, her attitude amused Gu Tiancheng. His eyes filled with deep laughter as he scolded her: "Now you know not to trust people easily? This guy was suspicious from the start. Who knew we'd actually run into a serial killer. And you... dared to get so close to him earlier."
You Mingxu sighed and said: "I'll remember this lesson next time. At first, he really seemed harmless."
"Will you really remember?" he asked again in a slightly lazy tone.
You Mingxu snorted but ignored his teasing.
Just then, Mingtao crouched on the ground and looked up, his expression still disbelieving: "Did we really... catch that highway serial killer? Is he really a disorganized violent killer? To think he managed to escape the frantic pursuit of both Xiangcheng and Chuandang police - that's impressive!"
Gu Tiancheng said: "Whether he's the killer or not, we'll know when we hand him over to the police at daybreak."
You Mingxu nodded in agreement.
Mingtao looked at the unconscious man beside him and asked: "What do we do now?"
Gu Tiancheng replied: "While he's still out, I have spare rope in my car. Let's tie him up." Mingtao snapped his fingers: "Perfect."
Gu Tiancheng had outdoor rope in his car that hadn't been completely used when tying up You Mingxu and Mingtao's bicycles earlier. He brought it over and efficiently tied the man up tightly with Mingtao.
"What next?" Mingtao asked.
Gu Tiancheng looked around and said: "Let's find a place to lock him up so he doesn't cause trouble when he wakes up." Then he asked: "Who has tape?" Mingtao raised his hand: "I do." He quickly retrieved it from his bag, and Gu Tiancheng sealed the man's mouth.
You Mingxu watched from the side and asked: "Mingtao, why do you carry heavy-duty tape with you?"
Mingtao answered casually: "For unexpected needs. See? It came in handy now. Where should we lock him up?"
You Mingxu looked up and saw that Zou Furong had already retreated to her cabin, with Song Lan keeping her company nearby. Both were still watching the proceedings with concern.
You Mingxu suggested: "Should we lock him in another room?"Gu Tiancheng shook his head: "No, I checked earlier—the locks on both rooms are broken. What if he runs away?"
Mingtao: "Tie him to a tree?"
Gu Tiancheng said: "Then he might still cause trouble." You Mingxu added: "If he wakes up, we'd have to watch him struggle constantly. I don't want to see that." She exchanged a glance with Gu Tiancheng, whose gaze then fell on the nearby car. After a moment's hesitation, he said: "How about... locking him in the trunk. My car's useless now anyway—it's not going anywhere."
You Mingxu and Mingtao remained silent, offering no objection.
So Gu Tiancheng and Mingtao carried the man and tossed him into the trunk. You Mingxu followed behind. Aside from some miscellaneous items, the trunk was practically empty. Though the man was tall and long-limbed, he just barely fit inside.
Watching Gu Tiancheng close the trunk lid and lock the car, You Mingxu suddenly remembered something and said: "I wonder where he dumped those two large suitcases he stole from you."
Gu Tiancheng replied: "Yeah. But they're just clothes, nothing valuable. We can deal with it later."
The wilderness fell silent again. You Mingxu glanced at her watch—it was almost 3 a.m. At least three hours remained until dawn.
She asked: "Should we try to notify the police first?"
Gu Tiancheng thought for a moment and said: "Here's what we'll do—I'll try calling 110 later to see if I can get through and explain the situation. But ultimately, he only stole from us and he's mentally unstable. We have no concrete evidence proving he's definitely the killer. So I don't know if the police will take it seriously. Besides, this place is so remote—even if they dispatch officers, it'll be daylight by the time they arrive. Whether the police come or not, I think we should still get some proper rest and recover our energy. Tomorrow morning we'll seek rescue and hand this troublemaker over."
Mingtao added: "Right, we've already caught him—what's there to fear? Tomorrow morning we'll personally deliver him to the police station. I'll even record a video and upload it to Douyin—damn, that'd get so many clicks, it'd go viral for sure!"
Gu Tiancheng's mouth twitched in a clearly sarcastic smile. You Mingxu couldn't be bothered to acknowledge the kid.
The three returned to the tents where Song Lan told them: "We're not sleeping tonight. I'll stay with Furong until daybreak." Zou Furong had calmed down considerably, nodding at them before turning her shimmering eyes toward Gu Tiancheng.
Gu Tiancheng seemed not to notice, simply saying: "No problem. I'll keep watch—I won't sleep. The rest of you should get some more rest."
Mingtao chuckled and said: "Fine, you keep playing hero. I'm definitely getting some sleep—need to be well-rested for tomorrow." He crawled into his tent.
You Mingxu looked at Gu Tiancheng: "Then I'll sleep for a little while too. Call me if anything happens."
Gu Tiancheng sat down in his own tent and said: "Nothing else will happen. Sleep well." As he spoke, he looked both weary and gentle, his sharply defined face shadowed by deep, thoughtful eyes.
You Mingxu glanced at him once more before bending down to enter her tent.
Seeing the chaotic state of her tent, You Mingxu froze for a moment. She immediately recalled how that man had inexplicably chosen to crawl into her tent alone, clinging to her like some oversized young animal. Truthfully, her thoughts about everything concerning that man were still tangled. But there was no doubt—he was connected to the serial murders. That would explain his bizarre reaction earlier.But once again, that pair of eyes appeared in You Mingxu's mind. They were very clear and bright, with distinct black and white, like those of a child who hadn't grown up. He just stared at her foolishly, his eyes holding a hint of ingratiation, a trace of grievance, along with sorrow and stubbornness.
A disorganized, schizophrenic... serial killer?
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