Ke-style law enforcement officers

Chapter 156 Heart palpitations
The tracking team spread from the city to the wilderness on the outskirts.

The most common things in the outskirts of Nanwei City are wild graves, trees, and coyotes.

Once fully exposed to the wild, the horses struggle to move, as the complex mountainous terrain and dense bushes obstruct their hooves, making tracking more difficult.

Unfortunately, they eventually ended up in the mountains.

This area is like a maze; unfortunate off-roaders who get lost here often have their bodies discovered by chance, several years later.

……

Once they entered the mountainous area, the group had to dismount at the edge of the jungle.

The good news was that when they arrived, they saw the black horse that the assassin had abandoned grazing in the fields.

"He went into the jungle."

Old Theon drew the machete from his waist and signaled the group to split into groups.

"This is a skilled assassin. Make some noise as soon as you spot him. Don't rush to make a name for yourself. I hope to see you all at the cafeteria at lunchtime. Let's go."

Just as they were preparing to enter the jungle, another group of people arrived at the scene.

They are also law enforcement officers, but they are not under the jurisdiction of the South City Law Enforcement Office. They are from the West City Law Enforcement Office, and their leader is their chief law enforcement officer, Charles Winton.

Among the many unfamiliar faces, Milo recognized an acquaintance—Colin.

Although other law enforcement agencies had indeed been notified to cooperate with the operation, the speed of Charles's response was still somewhat surprising.

Because this is not his usual style.

Charles usually doesn't personally take the lead.

However, given the special circumstances today, the people at the Chengnan Law Enforcement Office did not think about it too much.

Only Milo and old Theon knew the truth.

They both knew why Charles was so enthusiastic.

……

Charles knew what Milo and old Theon were investigating. When he received the news that a student from the Gus Society had been shot, he immediately sensed a clue and rushed over with his men.

This case involves his missing younger brother.

……

The two sides exchanged glances and nodded, without any verbal communication, and the team quickly split into groups and entered the jungle.

"You come with me."

Old Theon patted Milo on the shoulder.

Milo followed the other person's pace without saying a word.

……

The last time Milo entered this jungle was when he and Rebecca were searching for the missing Daisy.

The scenes he witnessed in the abandoned patient shelter were still vivid in his mind: twisted, piled-up mummified corpses, countless black shrouds, and decaying wooden houses...

The previous search and rescue operation took place at night, and the damp jungle was filled with an unsettling atmosphere. Although this time it was daytime, the eerie and sinister atmosphere was no less intense.

Milo and old Theon searched for clues among the dense bushes and vines.

One advantage of this primeval forest is that anyone who passes through it will inevitably leave traces.

Trampled leaves and branches scratched by limbs are impossible to hide; anyone with a keen eye can easily spot them.

Theon and Milo maintained a distance of about five meters from each other as they advanced, providing cover for each other.

This ensures their safety. If the assassin chooses to fight to the death, they can hide and ambush each other. With the two of them in different positions, even if one of them is shot, the other can retaliate immediately, instead of being killed by two shots while standing together.

Milo held the Gambling Knife in his left hand and the Revolver in his right, ready to use the blade to cut down any vines blocking his path if necessary.

It's almost early spring, and although the local temperature hasn't risen yet, the trees are changing their forms entirely according to the season. They've sprouted new branches and leaves, covering the entire jungle with lush green foliage that blocks the already scarce sunlight. Even though it's early morning, if you stay deep in the jungle for a while, you'll get the illusion that it's nearing evening.

The surrounding light was insufficient, and everything in sight was in a grayish hue, creating an invisible sense of oppression over all the law enforcement officers.

Milo was completely focused and dared not relax his vigilance for even a moment.

But for some reason, the once energetic Theon, who had been in charge of on-site command, began to walk with heavy steps.

Milo could tell this simply by the sound of the other person stepping on the dead wood on the ground.

Old Theon is acting strangely.

"How did you..."

He was about to open his mouth to ask a question.

But they saw that old Theon had stopped in place.

His weathered face wasn't turned towards Milo, but rather fixed on the dense forest behind him, maintaining the single-handed grip on his gun.

Milo saw old Theon's thumb slowly pulling the trigger of the flintlock musket.

Behind old Theon, there was no movement in the dense forest, only the rotting leaves trampled by their own footsteps as they passed by...

Milo remained silent and quietly turned his gun around.

He found nothing, but his heart was pounding wildly.

His intuition told him that old Theon must have discovered something, and that what was hidden in that direction was definitely not the murder from earlier, otherwise they would have noticed when they came over.

The eerie palpitations that had occurred before returned, and Milo felt a slight discomfort, as if he were lacking oxygen.

Cold sweat began to seep from his back.

It's an instinctive fear.

Milo firmly believed that an assassin was not enough to put him under such pressure, and that he would not have such a violent reaction even if the assassin were standing right in front of him.

Just last night, Milo went through this situation.

At that time, old Theon, holding his flintlock musket, stared blankly at an empty street corner.

His serious and prepared demeanor suggested he was facing some extremely dangerous enemy or wild beast.

……

Both men silently raised their guns, pointing them to the side and behind them along the path they had walked.

There was no sound coming from the dense bushes, but neither of them let their guard down.

The only difference was that old Theon seemed to know what he was facing, while Milo had no idea what was on the other side of the bushes.

This bizarre standoff lasted for a full three minutes.

In the end, it was old Theon who was the first to lower his gun.

He looked at Milo with a complicated expression:

"What exactly have you been up to outside?"

“Hmm… I might need to make a list to answer your question.” Milo shrugged, the deep-seated oppressive aura vanishing instantly. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow and joked with old Theon:

"Why do I feel like you're making me fight against thin air?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than gunshots rang out from another direction deep within the jungle:
"Bang! Bang bang!!!"

"go!"

The two turned and ran wildly in the direction from which the gunshot had come.

(End of this chapter)