Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

With the fish fry released into the pond, life in Dongwan Village seemed to be getting back on track with this vibrant life. Long Lifan, Hu Lili, and several other former educated youths were enjoying a rare moment of tranquility. However, a rapid and forceful knocking on the door shattered the peace.

Long Lifan hurried towards the courtyard gate, a vague premonition rising in her heart. The gate opened, and Miao Dashan stood outside, drenched in sweat and looking panicked, panting as he shouted, "Long Zhiqing, something terrible has happened! A skeleton has been found on the mountain..."

"Skeletons?" Long Lifan's heart tightened, her brows furrowed, and she asked in confusion, "Whose are they?"

Miao Dashan sighed helplessly, shook his head, and looked confused: "We don't know either. These remains were probably washed out by the heavy rain a while ago."

Upon hearing this, Long Lifan frowned slightly, puzzled. "If you don't know whose grave it is, why don't you just find another place to bury it? Why are you all so panicked?" In this era, it was common practice for people to be buried in the mountains after they died. She thought to herself that it was probably a grave that had been washed away by the heavy rains a while ago, so she didn't pay much attention.

Miao Dashan, however, looked grave. He glanced at Long Lifan, seemingly worried about frightening the young female educated youth, and his tone became gentle and low: "But this skeleton is a bit different. Not only is an arm missing, but several bullet heads were also found on the skeleton..."

Upon hearing this, Long Lifan felt a chill run down her spine, and a sense of foreboding welled up within her. The appearance of this skeleton seemed to foreshadow untold secrets and crises hidden beneath the peaceful surface of Dongwan Village.

Dongwan Village, a small village hidden in a poor mountain valley, has always been far removed from the conflicts of the outside world, and the flames of war in the past never touched this peaceful land. However, today's sudden discovery has cast a shadow over the entire village.

"I gonna go see."

Long Lifan took a deep breath, trying to calm her inner turmoil, and decided to go and check the situation herself. She had Miao Dashan lead the way, and she followed closely behind. Although Hu Lili was afraid, she couldn't suppress her curiosity. Seeing that Sister Fan and the others were getting further and further away, she hurriedly called Lin Yue and the others to follow.

The remains were discovered on a slope, where a number of villagers had already gathered. Some stood, some stood still, all eyes fixed on the mysterious skeleton. The bolder villagers stood at the front, while some women stood at a distance, both curious and timid.

Long Lifan's arrival drew everyone's attention, and they quickly made way for her. Lin Guodong walked over from beside the remains, his expression grave as he pointed to the situation on the ground: "Long Zhiqing, look at this situation, what should we do?"

Long Lifan frowned, staring at the skeleton before her, her mind racing. The most difficult part was identifying the remains. After a long silence, she said to Lin Guodong, "Captain, have the villagers thoroughly search the surrounding area to see if they can find anything that could prove their identity."

Upon hearing this, the commune members searched the surrounding area thoroughly, but still found no clues to identify the remains. Long Lifan watched the busy figures of the villagers, pondered for a moment, and decided to seek help from the county. "Captain, I feel this matter is not simple; let's report it to the higher-ups!"

Her tone was firm; the bullet holes and the missing arm clearly hinted at a hidden secret.

Upon hearing this, Lin Guodong nodded, also realizing the gravity of the matter. That afternoon, he hurriedly rode the bicycle he had borrowed from Long Lifan to the county public security bureau to report the case. The remains were left at the scene for the time being, awaiting processing by the county public security bureau officers the following day.

As night fell, an eerie atmosphere enveloped Dongwan Village. The villagers whispered amongst themselves, their hearts filled with unease and curiosity.

Under the cover of night, a figure stealthily slipped out the door and, using the darkness as cover, approached the remains. Looking at the skeleton before him, a wave of sorrow washed over him, and complex emotions flickered in his eyes. He quickly placed what he was carrying beside the remains, and then left the scene unnoticed.

This night was destined to be anything but peaceful for Dongwan Village. The mysterious skeleton, like a puzzle hanging in the air, plunged the entire village into panic and speculation.

Time quietly slipped by until the next morning, when the roar of a car broke the tranquility of the countryside, signaling the arrival of the county public security bureau officers. Long Lifan recognized the leader; it was none other than Director Luo Yonghao, who had presented her with an award flag years before. Several dashing police officers accompanied him.

"Long Zhiqing, what a coincidence that we meet again!" Luo Yonghao greeted Long Lifan with a big smile.

Long Lifan smiled and replied, "Hello, leader!" After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Luo Yonghao's expression turned serious, and he said to Lin Guodong beside him, "Captain Lin, please take us to the site."

Lin Guodong nodded in agreement and then led the way. Luo Yonghao and his group followed closely behind, their steps steady. Long Lifan and the other members of the community also spontaneously followed the police team, their hearts filled with curiosity and interest in what was to come.

Luo Yonghao walked to the remains, pacing back and forth cautiously. Looking at the several bullet fragments embedded in the bones, he suddenly realized things weren't so simple. No wonder Lin Guodong chose to report it to the police!

Luo Yonghao, true to his old policeman reputation, frowned slightly and quickly responded, "You guys take a look around and see if there's anything else."

Lin Guodong was taken aback. He hadn't expected the county police to react in the same way Long Zhiqing had yesterday afternoon. He was about to say that it wasn't necessary, since the commune members had already searched the area thoroughly yesterday.

But he swallowed the words back; wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the county leaders? So he stood there silently, watching the police officers busy themselves.

"Report, we've found something here..." At that moment, a police officer suddenly stood up and pointed to the loose spot at his feet. A tattered sack was faintly visible from under the mud.

Upon hearing this, Luo Yonghao's expression instantly turned serious. He quickly walked up to the police officer, squatted down, and carefully examined the tattered cloth bag that had been dug out. The marks of time were mottled and uneven, but one could still vaguely see that it had once been carefully sewn together.

"No, there really is something?" Lin Guodong was stunned. So many commune members searched for so long yesterday and found nothing. Did the police officers have an innate talent for searching? At this moment, he lost confidence. He looked at Long Lifan beside him and said with a smile, "Long Zhiqing, you said it has to be the police officers. Look, we searched for so long yesterday and found nothing, but the police officers found something as soon as they arrived!"

The moment Long Lifan heard the police officer speak, she turned her gaze in that direction! Listening to Lin Guodong's words, she didn't think so. She knew how heavy the rain had been a while ago, and the tattered bag didn't look like it had been rained on at all!

She had a feeling that things weren't so simple!