"Because there are many mountains and the geology is unstable, landslides happen sometimes. Last year, there was a small-scale landslide that knocked down several trees at the foot of the mountain."

Upon hearing this, a hypothesis instantly formed in Jiang An's mind, his eyes lighting up as if he had found a crucial piece of the puzzle.

He crouched down and raised his hand to feel the soil on the ground.

Then he looked at the spot where the corpse was discovered, noticing that the soil there was slightly darker than the surrounding area.

He asked, "When you handled the body, did you notice any signs of it being buried under soil? Like soil in the gaps of the bones?"

"Yes!"

Wang Yang immediately nodded, confirming, "When we discovered the deceased, his feet and sleeves were full of soil, and there was some in the gaps of the bones as well. It seems like a landslide covered part of the body.

This area isn't very high, it's on the mountainside. If there was a landslide upstream, it could've easily flooded down here."

At this point, Chen Biao stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back, and inquired solemnly, "Mr. Jiang, does the cloth strip you found earlier hold significant meaning?" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Could this strip have been used as a hanging rope?"

His eyes showed expectation, as if hoping for a positive answer.

Jiang An turned to look at him and replied objectively, "If we're considering hanging, the conditions here indeed make it possible."

"Look at the load-bearing capacity of the tree branch; it can support the weight of an adult. Also, though the rope's position has worn out over time, the bark's texture is smoother than the surrounding area, likely from long-term pressure."

He paused briefly and continued his analysis: "Even though the body is not directly under the branch, over time with exposure to the elements, the corpse might have shifted its center of gravity upon decomposing and swelling up, coupled with landslide mudflow and animal dragging; the body may have been moved, deviating from its original location."

"Could it be that someone really hanged themselves here, and the body fell afterward?"

Wang Yang asked with a puzzled expression, his face full of confusion, "But that's not right. Even if it fell, why is there no head? It couldn't just vanish into thin air, right?"

After Wang Yang spoke, Chen Biao nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, this is also the part we couldn't figure out. How could a complete body be missing just the head?"

Immediately, Wang Yang added, "If there's a rope here and a body below it, there's an eighty to ninety percent likelihood of hanging. It's hard to explain the rope and body simultaneously being here otherwise."

Jiang An didn't readily agree but just said, "The conditions for hanging are indeed met, but the whereabouts of the head remain an issue. Without solving this point, we can't hastily conclude."

At this moment, Zhang Yean came forward, holding a notebook, and while taking notes, she asked with a puzzled expression, "If it was hanging, then why did the rope come off?"

"Logically, the rope should remain tightly tied above. Even if the body decomposes, the rope should still be on the branch."

Wan also curiously echoed, his eyes wide, "Yes, if it's hanging, the rope would definitely be around the neck. How could the body fall to the ground? Did the rope break?"

Jiang An smiled slightly and explained, "What you're saying pertains to the early stage."

"When a person first hangs, the rope indeed keeps the neck tightly bound to the branch."

"But at a later stage, as the body decomposes extensively, the soft tissues gradually liquefy and break down, leaving only skin and bones, or even just a skeleton. The neck muscles and ligaments lose their tenacity, becoming very fragile, so they may slip out of the rope under gravity, causing the body to fall, with the rope possibly remaining on the branch or falling with the body too."

"Ah? So you're suggesting the head might've fallen to the ground and was taken away by something?"

Following his reasoning, Wang Yang speculated, his tone carrying a trace of uncertainty.

"We initially thought so. There's lots of wildlife here in the mountain, like wild boars, foxes, and weasels; perhaps they came for the scent..."

Jiang An scanned the dense forested surroundings. The trees were lush, blocking out the sunlight; indeed, various animals could be hiding.

Yet he did not immediately speak but scanned the environment deeply.

He pointed towards a depression not far downstream, where the grass grew unusually thick and lush, a vivid green patch in stark contrast to the sparse vegetation around it.

He asked, "Why does the grass grow so densely there, and the terrain is relatively low, was rice planted there before?"

"No."

Wang Yang shook his head and walked over to him, following his gaze, "That spot is a small hollow, a lowlying area; it should be from a previous landslide, bringing lots of mud down from the mountain and piling up there, making the soil richer and moisture more adequate compared to other places, hence the lush growth of water grass."

Upon hearing this, Jiang An nodded slightly but lingered his gaze on the depression for quite some time, as if appraising a piece of artwork.

He suddenly felt something was not right — the surrounding stones were exposed, and the sparse yellow soil bore short, withered grass, yet the grass in that hollow grew tall and dense, richly green, which gave him a vague sense of unease, like an abrupt patch of green.

So, he turned around and said to the officers beside him, "Is there a small shovel at the scene? I'd like to use one to dig and see the soil under that patch of grass."

"Yes! I have one in my toolbox!"

A young officer responded loudly and promptly.

"Why do you need a shovel?"

Mr. Wang asked, puzzled, with a furrowed brow, thinking to himself.

The ground is all dirt, so they're going to use a shovel to dig rocks?

What does that have to do with solving a case?

Could there really be a body hidden under that grass?

Wan and Zhang Yean were also confused, exchanging glances and saw the same confusion in each other's eyes.

They knew Jiang An was always meticulous in his work, never fighting an unprepared battle. Since he asked for a tool, he must have had a reason.

They didn't ask further, but their eyes stayed fixed on the hollow, filled with curiosity.