Ling Lie didn’t take the safer small path but rappelled directly down from the cliff top. Many of the greyish-white rocks in the river valley were already stained red. Some of the SWAT officers had red eyes; three deaths had already been confirmed, and four others were critically injured and needed to be sent to the hospital immediately.

After checking everyone’s condition, Ling Lie observed the surroundings.

The medical vehicle couldn’t drive here, and even if a helicopter came later, it wouldn’t be able to land. They had to get everyone up first before proceeding to the next step. But unlike those hanging on the broken bridge, many here had fractured ribs. Moving them rashly could very likely damage their internal organs.

Ling Lie confirmed each one individually, personally securing them, and taught the team members on the spot how to move critically injured patients with fractures in a battlefield scenario.

“Do not slip up. What I am entrusting to your hands right now are human lives!”

“Yes, sir!”

The transport work unfolded urgently and meticulously. Finally, the police cars from the emergency center, the municipal bureau, and the branch bureau arrived.

The victims were covered with white cloths, and the injured were sent onto helicopters or ambulances in order of severity, from critical to minor injuries.

Ling Lie took off his goggles, wiped away his sweat, and when he put his hand down, he saw a familiar figure running towards him, immediately raising an eyebrow.

“Why are you here?”

Ji Chenjiao’s brows were tightly furrowed as his gaze scanned over him.

Ling Lie said, “I’m fine. What kind of constitution do you think I have? I decide to bring the team out for field training on a whim, and we actually encounter an accident. Would you consider this the most vivid lesson for them?”

After checking Ling Lie over, Ji Chenjiao breathed a sigh of relief.

The scene had been taken over by the emergency center; for the time being, there was nothing for Ling Lie and the SWAT team to do. Ling Lie asked, “The Serious Crimes Unit was dispatched. Is this a criminal case?”

“Not necessarily, but with such a major accident, Captain Xie asked me to see if there’s anything suspicious,” Ji Chenjiao said, looking diagonally ahead. Some staff members and Fanfei employees who hadn’t gotten on the bridge were gathered there; Xi Wan and a few other team members were questioning them.

After all this bustling about, Ling Lie finally felt thirsty and hurried to the police car to find water. He leaned his upper body inside, leaving his waist and legs outside, rummaging for a long time without finding any. Twisting his head back, he asked, “Xiao Ji, where’s the water?”

Ji Chenjiao was still looking at his waist. Snapping back to reality, he said, “Isn’t it right there?”

Ling Lie found Ji Chenjiao’s well-worn water bottle, unscrewed it, and guzzled it down with a look of utter disdain.

“What’s the background of this group of people?” Although Ling Lie had rescued them all, the incident happened so suddenly that he hadn’t had time to learn their identities in detail.

Ji Chenjiao said, “You’ve heard of Fanfei Electrical, right? They’re holding an outdoor team-building event for new employees. Everyone who came today is a newly recruited programmer. This club is very famous in the outdoor team-building industry; companies often organize groups to come here. Their operations are quite mature.”

“And an accident still happened?” Ling Lie said. “Have there been accidents here before?”

Ji Chenjiao said, “None found so far. Definitely no major accidents; we still need to investigate minor ones.”

Ling Lie walked to the cliff edge again. The rope bridge had broken from this end. Although it was called a rope bridge, both ends were actually secured with steel rings, so the safety factor wasn’t low. Ling Lie pondered for a while, and Ji Chenjiao walked over too.

Ling Lie said, “Could it be that someone tampered with it?”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Evidence?”

Ling Lie smiled. “Just guessing. As a person, I’m still more accustomed to thinking about problems from a malicious angle.”

At this moment, the sound of crying came from the crowd. Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie both turned around. The person crying loudly was a woman with a ponytail, looking very young.

Ji Chenjiao said, “Her name is Xiao Huan. She didn’t get on the bridge and escaped disaster.”

Ling Lie patted Ji Chenjiao on the butt. “Let’s go, take a look.”

Ji Chenjiao: “…” Go if you want to go, why are you getting handsy?

“I’m sorry, Xiao Huan is the most timid of our group. Watching her companions fall right in front of her eyes today caused her to have a mental breakdown.” Zhao Jie nervously explained to Xi Wan. “Can we let her go rest first? I think she also needs to go to the hospital for a check-up. You can ask me if there’s anything.”

Xi Wan had no choice but to let Xiao Huan sit aside first. She had just wanted to ask Xiao Huan if she noticed anything unusual by the bridge, or if the club had given a detailed explanation regarding safety issues before the event started—these were the most routine questions that absolutely had to be understood. But Xiao Huan faltered for a moment and actually broke down.

Seeing Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie approaching, she quickly greeted them. “How many casualties?”

Zhao Jie’s lowered head tilted up slightly, but the movement was extremely subtle; no one noticed.

“Hard to say for the critically injured. With spinal injuries, their lives going forward will probably be difficult,” Ling Lie said, his gaze landing on Zhao Jie.

Zhao Jie immediately withdrew his gaze.

“This is Teacher Zhao, the person in charge of Fanfei’s team building this time,” Xi Wan said. “I was just asking him about the situation before the accident occurred.”

Zhao Jie hurriedly said, “I’m not any teacher, just call me Zhao Jie.”

Ling Lie’s gaze was like that snapped rope, unceremoniously strangling Zhao Jie.

“What does ‘person in charge’ mean?” Ling Lie said. “Responsible for the safety of all employees?”

He was still wearing the SWAT uniform at this time, his expression carrying a hint of murderous aura. At the time, the criminal police and medical personnel hadn’t arrived yet; only the club’s security and this group of black-clad SWAT officers had rushed over. Zhao Jie had seen him long ago and knew he was the head of the SWAT team, but he didn’t expect him to come over for a “chat.”

“That… that’s not it. I’m just leading the team. Our unit follows the practice of seniors leading juniors,” Zhao Jie stammered. “I was just following the company’s procedures. If you really want me personally to be responsible, I can’t afford that responsibility either.”

Ling Lie looked past the top of his head to the other three male employees who hadn’t gotten on the bridge. They were all big guys, currently huddled with hunched shoulders; some were crying, some were silent.

“How did you arrange the order for getting on the bridge?” Ling Lie asked again.

Zhao Jie said, “The brave and light ones went first, the ladies in the middle. Xiao Huan was too scared and insisted on going last with me. The heavier guys, well, they brought up the rear.”

Ling Lie said, “By that logic, you should have been at the front.”

“I already walked it once.” Zhao Jie puffed out his chest, seemingly dissatisfied with Ling Lie’s aggressiveness. “After the club staff demonstrated, I also demonstrated a round trip. Walking last this time was also to look after them.”

Ling Lie nodded. “Understood.”

All the injured had been transferred, but the on-site investigation was still ongoing. The Serious Crimes Unit successively took statements from the club staff and the Fanfei employees who were able to speak. Fanfei’s side insisted they followed the safety rules for the activity, didn’t shake or horse around on the bridge, maintained a normal speed of movement, and that there were staff members supervising nearby. Even if they were too crowded on the bridge, the staff should have warned them. The reality, however, was that the staff not only didn’t warn them but were smoking and chatting on the side.

The club side also felt very innocent. They said the facilities for every project were maintained monthly to ensure no safety issues would arise. They were also angry and sad that such a thing happened and would fully cooperate with the investigation; they would absolutely not equivocate on any compensation owed.

Both sides felt this was an accident no one wanted to happen.

It started raining in the mountains, dropping the already cool temperature by a few more degrees. News came from the emergency center that two critically injured victims had passed away. By the next day, the death toll reached six.

The SWAT team had already returned to the municipal bureau, but their instructor didn’t go back with them. On this day, Ling Lie’s identity switched from the SWAT team’s “special guest” instructor back to the Serious Crimes Unit’s “cheat code.”

After being tortured by the devil instructor for so many days, switching back to a gentle instructor made the SWAT officers feel somewhat unacclimated. Not long after parting, they masochistically started to miss Ling Lie.

Ling Lie, however, had no time to miss his “children.” Currently wearing a raincoat and rain boots, he was walking along the path the Fanfei employees had taken, holding a project introduction brochure in his hand.

The club’s projects were divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D. A and B were more difficult, mainly catering to outdoor enthusiasts with professional equipment. C and D were geared towards companies. Fanfei had chosen the simplest Level D.

The club had been established for seven years and had some minor safety accidents, but Level D had never had an incident. Fanfei had been conducting team building here regularly for three years, choosing both Level C and D. This year, they chose Level D. Of course, the Level D projects weren’t the same every year; projects would be phased out and new ones added.

When Ling Lie was jumping on the high platform, Ji Chenjiao stood below watching him. It was a very easy task, performed with a very light posture.

“Look, I have a safety rope tied to me,” Ling Lie said after coming down. “This year, Level D has twelve projects. Putting aside the hiking types, there are only seven left. The rope bridge is the safest one, so it’s also the only aerial project that doesn’t require a safety rope.”

Ji Chenjiao’s eyes shone like stars. “But coincidentally, this is the project where the accident happened.”

Ling Lie took off the safety rope and tossed it aside. “The club believes the rope bridge is absolutely safe, especially with staff members guiding nearby. I heard from Fanfei employees that six people were maintaining order the whole time. For the previous projects, they were all dutiful, but when they got to the rope bridge, they were actually smoking.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “The cigarettes diverted their attention? Who gave them the cigarettes?”

The two returned to the side of the rope bridge. Now, all the club’s projects were suspended, and yellow police tape was strung up around the rope bridge. The footprints here had long since become messy. The rope had snapped from the steel ring; nothing suspicious could be seen. The most reasonable explanation was long-term use and excessive wear and tear.

The club’s equipment team, Xi Wan, and a professional installation team were all present. They needed to issue an inspection report on the rope as soon as possible to determine if the accident was caused by aging or improper maintenance, or if there were other reasons.

The club’s boss frowned deeply, anxious like an ant on a hot pan. If the report concluded that it was improper maintenance, not only would he have to bear huge compensation, but he could forget about doing this business in the future.

Ji Chenjiao found him and asked for the Level C and D project lists from previous years. The boss complained about his bad luck while asking his secretary to find them, saying that this rope bridge wasn’t even considered a project before; it was just for guests to play on—because there really was no difficulty. This year, the aerial leap from Level D was adjusted to Level C, so the rope bridge was added in. Who knew an accident would happen?

Ji Chenjiao saw in the project list that Fanfei had participated for three consecutive years. Different departments participated separately, so on average, they participated five times a year. Departments with more female employees usually chose Level D, while those with more male employees chose Level C.

Last year, the Engineering Center chose Level C, but this year they downgraded and chose Level D.

Ji Chenjiao compared them carefully. All aerial projects in Level C had safety ropes, while the rope bridge in Level D did not.

“Did you recommend which projects to choose, or did the client choose themselves?”

“They chose it all themselves!”

Ji Chenjiao made a call to Liang Wenxian, asking him to go to Fanfei to ask who decided to choose Level D, and why a department with so many male employees didn’t choose Level C.

The atmosphere in the entire Fanfei company was very tense. Families of the deceased were holding banners and demonstrating downstairs, and work at the Engineering Center had almost ground to a halt.

“It should have been decided by their own discussion. I’m only responsible for allocating funds and arranging vehicles,” the HR rep said anxiously. “Why don’t you ask Zhao Jie? He led the team last year too; he has experience.”

Zhao Jie was hospitalized, receiving psychological treatment along with Xiao Huan and others. Wearing a patient gown, he looked thinner and paler than he did on the mountain. Hearing Liang Wenxian’s question, he paused for a moment and said, “Does the company want me to take responsibility?”

Liang Wenxian said, “The cause of the accident hasn’t been investigated clearly yet, so it’s not time to determine who takes responsibility.”

Zhao Jie gave a miserable smile. “But that’s what the company means, right? Originally, this kind of outdoor team building is HR’s business; it shouldn’t have been organized by me no matter what. HR wants to pass the buck, I can only take it. The Level C and D thing you mentioned, I decided that. I didn’t look at the projects in detail, nor did I notice that the rope bridge was the only aerial project without safety ropes. If I knew something would happen at the rope bridge, I definitely wouldn’t have chosen Level D.”

Liang Wenxian asked, “Your department has more male employees. Why didn’t you choose Level C like before?”

“More male employees doesn’t mean no female employees. We can’t only see the men and ignore the women, right?” Zhao Jie sighed. “Last year, I thought the same as you. I felt the new employees were basically all guys, so choose C. But once we went, we realized some Level C projects were really not easy for ladies. Plus, this year we had Xiao Huan who is particularly timid, so we chose D.”

When Liang Wenxian informed Ji Chenjiao of the questioning results, the inspection on the mountain also produced a preliminary conclusion.

The rope hadn’t aged, but at the connection point with the steel ring and steel bar, there were many nicks. Someone had used a sharp tool to cut the rope before people got on the bridge, causing the rope to be unable to bear the weight it originally could.

This wasn’t an accident; it was a crime!

The club was in an uproar. Everyone from the boss to the security guards was furious. The boss excitedly and indignantly accused: “Carter wants to screw me over! They must have done it!”

Carter was another outdoor club in these mountains, relatively new, operating under a foreign banner, recruiting many foreign coaches, and offering mostly very thrilling projects. Although established later, its rising momentum was fierce.

Ling Lie stared at the inspection report. “This hot-tempered boss, why doesn’t he think about how troublesome it would be for a competitor’s people to come onto his turf to cause sabotage?”

Ji Chenjiao leaned against the edge of the table with arms crossed. “Man-made sabotage. The key is ‘man’. The club’s internal staff and Fanfei’s people are the most likely to commit the crime.”

Ling Lie looked up. “Who do you suspect?”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Those who died and were injured were all Fanfei people. The five from Fanfei who didn’t get on the bridge are the most suspicious. Especially that team leader Zhao Jie, and Xiao Huan, whose emotions are particularly strange. Of course, the six accompanying staff members also need to be investigated, but they were assigned randomly, so the possibility of them committing the crime is relatively smaller.”

Ling Lie said, “Whoever gave the staff cigarettes has high suspicion.”

The club boss moved faster than the Serious Crimes Unit. Convinced that his competitor wanted to ruin him, he actually called the police again and directly locked all employees on the mountain. There was no surveillance in the project area, but there was at the entrance and exit. Surveillance showed that no one other than employees and guests had entered recently. Carter’s people couldn’t get in, so he could only look for the perpetrator internally.

But after searching and searching, no employee admitted to taking money to tamper with things.

Ji Chenjiao called the boss aside. “You are engaging in illegal detention in front of the police.”

The boss was startled. “Then what should I do? I have to flush the person out!”

Ji Chenjiao: “Go find me the six people who accompanied the project first.”

Before long, the boss brought the people over. Everyone was dejected; they were the ones receiving the most blame.

Ji Chenjiao asked some questions about before getting on the rope bridge, and then mentioned the cigarettes: “I heard from Fanfei people that after they got on the bridge, you didn’t accompany them but were smoking on the side?”

“They said they could go across themselves and didn’t need protection. Besides, we were just seizing time to take a break!”

“Did you bring your own cigarettes?”

“We did, but we didn’t smoke them. We smoked what Fanfei gave us.”

“Who gave them?”

Everyone looked at each other, and one of them said, “Just that team leader, Brother Zhao.”

Ji Chenjiao asked again, “When did he give them to you?”

“Once during lunch, and he gave them again when we were resting by the bridge. It’s normal; many companies come and distribute cigarettes to us.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Then did you notice anyone getting close to the broken post?”