Chapter 668: Chapter 666: The Old Path (26)_1 Chapter 668: Chapter 666: The Old Path (26)_1 “The mountain is on fire.”
In the midst of a startled cry, the police officer acting as the driver forcefully braked the car to a stop, staring at the column of smoke that soared into the sky.
“It looks like it’s the house midway up the mountain.”
Murmuring to himself, he subconsciously turned his head to look at Jones, only to see the latter gripping the gun in his hand, his face having turned ashen.
The officer was right, from this close distance one could clearly see where the billowing smoke was rising–it was indeed inside that abandoned mansion.
“What’s going on here?”
By this time, the cars behind had already caught up; Mrs. Mary rushed out in a panic and stood there, staring blankly.
“We’re not sure at the moment.”
Jones whispered in reassurance, and then turned to look at Fu Qian.
The latter was holding his cheek in one hand, deep in thought.
“Do you know what’s going on?”
“The fire is spreading quickly, there seems to be more than one point of origin.”
Fu Qian didn’t even turn around.
“The likelihood of it being man-made seems greater.”
…
Unexpectedly, Fu Qian was seriously analyzing the situation; Jones fell silent for a moment, then opened the car door on his own side and took his wife by the hand.
“Come over to this side, let’s go take a look together.”
Gathering the distraught Mrs. Mary into the car, Jones signaled the officer to change the destination, heading straight for the mountain.
Click!
Meanwhile, a pair of shiny handcuffs were clapped onto Fu Qian’s wrists.
“Isn’t this a bit irregular?”
Fu Qian glanced down at them, his expression unfazed.
“I don’t even qualify as a suspect right now, do I?”
“You can sue me.”
Jones’s response was just as direct, continuing to handcuff Fu Qian’s other hand as well before putting away the gun.
…
By the time the two cars arrived at the mountain, there were already many vehicles squeezed in there.
Behind them, the road was still flooded with a continuous stream of cars arriving.
And among the crowd that disembarked from the cars, at a glance, besides some firefighting tools, quite a few people were even carrying chainsaws and axes.
Given the scale of this small town, the chances of having professional firefighters were indeed slim; the residents had come to volunteer spontaneously.
And at this very moment, perhaps due to the wooden structure, the spread of the fire was also extremely fast.
From this vantage point, the flames almost painted half the sky crimson; the entire mansion on the hillside was by now entirely engulfed in flames, and the fire had even started to spread around.
After years of silence and decay, this ancient building was now witnessing its final moment of splendor.
Even now, the air was filled with a strange scent.
The execution was far too precise!
With his hands cuffed, Fu Qian had already nonchalantly stepped out of the car, gazing at the mountain while deeply reflecting.
Not only could he deduce that the fire was probably set deliberately, but he could even guess who had done it.
During the previous conversation with Lei in the hotel, he had mentioned that even if this place were burned to ashes, he would not find the person he was looking for.
At the time, the intent was to suggest that Lei could make a bolder move, but he hadn’t expected the latter to take it literally.
One had to say, it qualified as quite a surprise.
“Ah!”
In the midst of his reflection, an astonished cry rang out beside him.
Turning his head, he saw Fran, who had just gotten out of the car behind, staring dumbfounded at his handcuffed hands.
“How could you–”
“Good question! I don’t know either.”
Fu Qian raised his hand for a closer look, and gestured with his chin towards Jones.
The object was obviously difficult to explain, and the police chief’s face grew even darker.
Mrs. Mary, standing beside him, was still somewhat limp and was propped up by him to prevent her from falling.
At this moment, shouts erupted around them, as many people began to spontaneously organize and tried to set up a makeshift quarantine area.
However, the intensity of the flames was beyond imagination, spreading from the mansion in no time and threatening to engulf the entire hilltop.
“Chief?”
The driver, witnessing the scene, wanted to move forward to help, but instinctively turned back to seek an opinion first.
“It’s best to have them pull back.”
Jones didn’t respond at first, it was Fu Qian beside him who spoke instead.
“Listen to him.”
As the officer was dazed, Jones, who had been observing for a while, finally bit his teeth and spoke up.
“It’s too late! Even though the wind isn’t blowing this way, the spread of the fire is abnormally fast. Continuing like this will be dangerous!”
“Quick!”
Jones’s last word was almost a shout, sounding very displeased.
But Fu Qian was right; the heat wave could already be felt.
Since Jones had said so, the officer didn’t dare to delay anymore and ran forward immediately.
However, given the disordered scene, by the time he and his colleagues had pulled everyone back, the surging flames were already at hand.
Then, as the residents retreated a distance, they all became quiet watching the fiery mountain before them.
The might of nature was always terrifying, easily making humans feel insignificant.
“Is there anyone else?”
At that moment, a well-fed elderly gentleman hurried out of a newly arrived car, sighed in relief at the scene, then turned to Jones and asked, seemingly a figure like the mayor, based on his tone.
“There shouldn’t be anyone left–”
Seeing Jones was in no mood to talk, his subordinate helped answer.
However, before he could finish, the crowd let out a cry of surprise.
Looking towards the source of the noise, they saw a figure slowly walking out from the thick smoke and fierce flames.
It was unknown where he had come from, but he was covered head to toe in a heavy blanket, scorched all over.
Against the backdrop of the sky-high flames, his appearance was truly a shocking sight.
As the group wondered whether it was a human or a ghost, the figure walked a short distance, bent down, and threw everything on the ground, revealing his face.
“Lei?”
Mrs. Mary almost screamed out in recognition.
“How could it be you?”
Under the blanket was Lei, who had previously disappeared from the hotel.
Impossibly, he had come to the mountain, and even now, aside from slightly singed hair and eyebrows, seemed unusually unharmed.
It was hard to imagine how he had crossed the sea of fire.
Under the watchful eyes of all, Lei’s expression was stoic, showing no response to his aunt’s call, his gaze fixed intently on Fu Qian.
“I understand now, I understand everything! I’ve finally found the answer!”
“Oh? Congratulations! But I don’t understand what you have understood.”
Becoming the center of attention in an instant and sparking numerous whispers with a pair of silver bracelets, Fu Qian looked innocently.
At this very moment, the countdown before him was less than one hundred minutes away.
“Don’t understand? Hehehehe…”
A series of laughter came from Lei’s throat, and his facial expression was quite exaggerated.
“Your flaw is being too arrogant…”
“Last night, you really shouldn’t have told me so much.”