Mr. Wang scanned the surroundings.

This is the depths of the forest, all around are trees and weeds, completely deserted. Where would a ladder come from?

He frowned, deep lines forming on his forehead, and said, "There's no ladder right now, but we can have the village officials bring one over. It's just over half an hour's journey."

Jiang An looked at the height of the pine tree. The trunk was straight, about three meters tall, and the fibrous substance was hanging near the top.

He shook his head, his tone considerate of the villagers: "Forget it, it'd be troublesome to make the residents back and forth, they're quite busy usually."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding officers, and said, "Let's do this, get a few people to lift me up, I'll go up to take a look, it's quick."

"Lift up?"

Wang Yang and Chen Biao seemed as if they'd heard something unbelievable, their eyes widening in unison. They exchanged a glance, seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.

While speaking, the two simultaneously looked up at the tree branch. Only a few dried leaves swayed gently in the breeze; there was nothing else there.

The sunlight dazzled them, making it difficult to keep their eyes open. Chen Biao couldn't help but use his hand to shield his eyes.

Chen Biao couldn't resist laughing, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile, his tone slightly teasing: "Mr. Jiang, what's worth all the effort to see on the tree? Is it worth building a human ladder for?"

"It looks no different from other branches to me, just some ragged strips hanging there?"

Jiang An's expression was serious, his brow slightly furrowed, his gaze sharp as an eagle: "I think that spot looks like remnants of a rope, not ordinary cloth. Look closely, pay attention to the color and shape."

"Rope?"

Wang Yang couldn't help but click his tongue: "This brown-gray tree bark is similar in color to a rope. Even if there was a rope, it would've rotted away long ago, right? Where's the rope now?"

Jiang An patiently explained, his voice calming slightly: "It's possible that due to long-term exposure to the sun and wind, most of the rope has decomposed, the fibers scattered.

However, on the side of the bark, you should still see some fibrous substance, which are tougher fibers and aren't easily completely decomposed."

He stepped aside, raising his hand to indicate: "If you don't believe me, come over and look down along my finger, it's right by the tree knot."

The two immediately crowded next to Jiang An, like two curious squirrels, heads together, following his finger's direction carefully.

This time, they finally saw clearly—a strip-shaped, dark gray substance resembling old rope was indeed on the tree bark, tightly adhered to the bark, with some fringe fibers on the edges. Looking closely, you'd think it was naturally formed textures of the bark.

"There really is!"

Wang Yang said in surprise, his voice raised slightly, eyes glinting with disbelief.

"This place is too hidden, the color practically the same as the bark. You wouldn't notice without a keen eye, Mr. Jiang—your vision is too sharp!"

Jiang An nodded, his gaze still focused: "That's why I need to get up for a closer look, to confirm if it's a rope and if there are any special marks on it."

Wang Yang decisively commanded, with a loud voice: "Alright! Friends, come over, those with strength, build a human ladder to let Mr. Jiang go up for a look!"

Soon, five or six sturdy officers came over, all known in the team as strongmen.

The group exchanged a glance, a tacit understanding forming as they linked arms to create a sturdy human wall, arms crossed to form a solid base.

Wang Yang held Jiang An's arm, advising: "Mr. Jiang, be careful, step firmly before climbing up, don't rush."

Jiang An nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the base of the human wall.

As the human wall gradually rose, his body elevated, his sight gradually level with the fibrous substance.

The surrounding air seemed to thin, the officers' breathing clearly audible.

Upon closer inspection, he saw more clearly—the object was about five centimeters long, with fibrous fibers spreading out on both sides like dandelion fluff. The middle, due to years of sun exposure and rain, had small openings and was brittle looking.

With gloves on, he gently touched it; the moment his fingertip made contact, it trembled like fragile glass, and with a little force, a small tear appeared.

Jiang An immediately withdrew his hand, forsaking further touch, turning to Mr. Wang below, saying: "Mr. Wang, have the team bring an evidence bag, tweezers, and a sealed box. I need to collect this, and it must be done delicately."

"Alright, I'll have someone fetch it right away!"

Wang Yang promptly ordered the officers around him, "Quickly get the evidence bag and tools from the technical team, hurry!"

"Technical team, quickly prepare the evidence bag and tools, photograph this important evidence, capture it from multiple angles!"

He shouted into the distance, his voice echoing among the trees.

At this moment, standing far away with the technical team, Wang Yan stood up after hearing the commotion, brushing off dirt from his pants, and asked his colleague with some confusion: "There's something on the tree that needs photographing? How come we didn't notice this during our previous checks, did we miss something?"

The colleague beside him also looked over, squinting eyes straining for a long time, barely seeing the small fibrous substance.

"The spot Mr. Jiang pointed at is so high and small—indeed, we didn't notice it before.