You Mingxu stared at the person on the ground, her heart pounding and fingertips growing cold.

“Are you alright?”

Following the voice, she saw Gu Tiancheng asking Zou Furong. Zou Furong’s face was pale as she tightly held Song Lan, managing a weak smile at him. “I’m fine. Thanks to you just now. Otherwise, I… would have fallen into this serial killer’s hands!”

Gu Tiancheng replied, “What are you saying? How could I stand by and watch any of you come to harm?” Zou Furong and Song Lan both gazed at him with trust and gratitude, but he said nothing more, turning instead to walk toward You Mingxu.

When their eyes met, there seemed to be an understanding that others couldn’t perceive.

He stopped beside her, and they both looked at the person on the ground. Ming-Tao was frantically taking photos and recording videos, muttering continuously, “Holy shit, I knocked him out… I caught him! Didn’t he just say he killed seven people, not four? How would he know the number if he wasn’t the killer? Even more than what the police know?”

No one paid attention to Ming Tao.

Gu Tiancheng asked, “Are you scared?”

You Mingxu shook her head.

A slight smile appeared on Gu Tiancheng’s face as he said, “You were very brave, even protecting others.”

You Mingxu replied languidly, “What are you saying? How could I stand by and watch someone come to harm?”

Her attitude somehow amused Gu Tiancheng, his eyes filling with mirth even as he lectured her: “Now you know not to trust people so easily? This person was suspicious in every way, yet we stumbled upon the serial killer. And you… you even dared to get so close to him earlier.”

You Mingxu sighed and said, “I’ll learn my lesson next time. He seemed harmless at first.”

“Will you learn?” he asked again, his tone slightly playful.

You Mingxu scoffed but ignored his teasing.

Ming-Tao crouched on the ground, looking up with an expression of disbelief: “Did we really… catch the highway serial killer? Is he just an unorganized, violent killer? Yet he managed to escape the frantic pursuit of both Xiangcheng and Sichuan-Tibet police forces. That’s impressive!”

Gu Tiancheng said, “We’ll know if he’s the killer when we hand him over to the police at dawn tomorrow.”

You Mingxu nodded in agreement.

Ming-Tao looked at the unconscious man beside him and asked, “So what do we do now?”

Gu Tiancheng answered, “While he’s still unconscious, I have spare rope in my car. Let’s tie him up.” Ming-Tao snapped his fingers: “Perfect.”

Gu Tiancheng had an outdoor rope in his car, leftover from when he tied You Mingxu and Ming Tao’s bicycles earlier. He brought it over, and together with Ming Tao, they efficiently bound the man tightly.

“What next?” Ming Tao asked.

Gu Tiancheng looked around and said, “We need to lock him up somewhere to prevent any trouble when he wakes up.” Then he asked, “Does anyone have tape?” Ming-Tao 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, “Ming Tao, why do you carry strong tape with you?”

Ming-Tao replied casually, “For emergencies, of course. See how useful it is now? Where should we lock him up?”

You Mingxu looked around and saw that Zou Furong had already retreated to her small cabin with Song Lan accompanying her. Both women were watching their progress with concern.

You Mingxu suggested, “Lock him in the other cabin?”

Gu Tiancheng shook his head: “No good. I checked earlier—the locks on both cabins are broken. What if he escapes?”

Ming Tao: “Tie him to a tree?”

Gu Tiancheng said, “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 fell on his car nearby. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “What if… we lock him in the trunk? My car’s ruined anyway, so we can’t use it.”

You Mingxu and Ming Tao remained silent, offering no objection.

Gu Tiancheng and Ming Tao then carried the man and put him in the trunk. You Mingxu followed behind. The trunk was nearly empty except for some miscellaneous items. Though the man was tall, he just barely fit.

As she watched Gu Tiancheng close and lock the trunk, You Mingxu remembered something and said, “Wonder where he threw your two large suitcases after stealing them.”

Gu Tiancheng replied, “Yeah. But they’re just clothes, nothing valuable. We’ll deal with that later.”

The wilderness grew quiet again. You Mingxu checked her watch—it was nearly three in the morning. At least three hours until dawn.

She asked, “Should we try to notify the police now?”

Gu Tiancheng thought for a moment and said, “I’ll try calling 110 later to see if it connects and explain the situation. However, ultimately, he only stole our things and seems mentally unstable. There’s no concrete evidence proving he’s the killer. So I don’t know if the police will take it seriously. Besides, this place is so remote that even if they respond, it’ll be dawn before they arrive. Whether the police come or not, I think we should rest and regain our strength. Tomorrow morning, we’ll seek help and turn this troublemaker over to them.”

Ming-Tao added, “Yeah, we’ve caught him already, what’s there to worry about? Tomorrow morning, we’ll personally escort him to the police station. I’ll record another video and upload it to Douyin. Man, the view count will be insane, it’ll go viral!”

Gu Tiancheng’s lips curled in a sarcastic smile. You Mingxu couldn’t be bothered to respond to the youth.

As the three walked back to the tents, Song Lan told them, “We won’t sleep tonight. I’ll keep Furong company until dawn.” Zou Furong, looking much calmer now, nodded at them, her eyes lingering on Gu Tiancheng with a tender gaze.

Gu Tiancheng seemed not to notice, simply saying, “It’s fine, I’ll keep watch and stay awake. You all should get some rest.”

Ming-Tao chuckled and said, “Fine, continue being the hero. I’m getting some sleep to stay energized for tomorrow.” He crawled into his tent.

You Mingxu looked at Gu Tiancheng: “Then I’ll sleep for a bit too. Wake me if anything happens.”

Gu Tiancheng sat down in his tent and said, “Nothing else will happen, sleep well.” As he spoke, his expression showed both fatigue and gentleness. His sharp features were softened by his deep gaze.

You Mingxu gave him a look before bending down to enter her tent.

Seeing the mess inside her tent, You Mingxu paused. She immediately recalled how that man had somehow specifically chosen her tent, clinging to her like an oversized young animal that wouldn’t let go. Everything about that man left You Mingxu’s thoughts in chaos. But undoubtedly, he must be connected to the serial killings—that would explain his bizarre reaction.

But those eyes appeared again in You Mingxu’s mind. They were clear and bright, with distinct blacks and whites, like those of a child who hadn’t grown up. He had stared at her so foolishly, his eyes containing hints of ingratiation and grievance, along with sadness and stubbornness.

An unorganized, schizophrenic… serial killer?