The hiking trails at Hot Spring National Park are marked on the map, usually a 2-3 hour walk; it's a great way to see the scenery and pass the time.

As Jimmy walked, he looked around at the environment, coming purely for relaxation. Today the trails were almost deserted, which added to the tranquility.

In the past few months, Jimmy had been quite busy, first working in a restaurant and then patrolling and solving cases daily. Apart from his days off, he hardly had any free time. This little getaway was a reward for his hard work over the past months, and he finally felt settled and at ease.

It was early spring, and the outdoors were already showing signs of green. Hot Spring Park, with its geothermal warmth and moisture, was lush with greenery all year round, avoiding the sight of mere barren trunks and branches.

Jimmy had made a small miscalculation; he hadn't brought a camera. He could only observe these scenes and not preserve them. He was used to taking photos with a smartphone, but now his phone lacked any such function. He hadn't thought it through when leaving home, missing the chance to capture any memories.

One of the benefits of hiking was that when you saw a spot you liked, you could turn off the path to get a closer look. Jimmy spotted a clump of flowers, stepped off the trail, sat down beside them, and took a break to enjoy the flowers and a drink of water.

Suddenly, a siren wailed from the road nearby. Jimmy was now very familiar with the sound of police sirens. Was a police car rushing by?

This was within the jurisdiction of Hot Spring County and had nothing to do with Plaskey County. Jimmy's police badge was of no use here, and he was too lazy to get involved, preferring to stay and rest where he was.

After resting for a bit, Jimmy set off again. An hour into his walk, he saw a county police car ahead. It bore the emblem of the Hot Spring County Police. Strangely, there was no one around. Jimmy looked to the left and right, but couldn't spot any officers.

Curbing his curiosity, Jimmy moved on, only to face a misfortune soon after.

The weather can be unpredictable, and what had been a clear sky now grew overcast with huge clouds, the wind picking up strength. Jimmy scanned his surroundings, then checked the map where the service point seemed to be a few kilometers away from him.

Seeing the weather, he realized rain was imminent and he needed to find shelter quickly; he hadn't packed an umbrella or raincoat in his backpack for the outing.

Jimmy ran while scanning the area but could find no suitable shelter. He decided to turn back, hoping to catch a ride to Hot Springs with the police car he had seen earlier.

He hurried back to the police car just as the raindrops began to fall. He called out next to the car, "Anyone there?", but there was no response.

With no other options, Jimmy used his backpack to shield his head and waited beside the car. Getting into the police car without permission was out of the question; stealing police equipment was a serious offense.

The rain was getting heavier. Jimmy looked to the sky and figured there was unlikely to be thunder. He stepped off the road and took shelter under a tree, knowing it was unsafe but at least feeling somewhat more comfortable.

After a long wait, the rain finally began to ease. Only a drizzle remained, but Jimmy was completely soaked anyway. The tree had only blocked some of the rain; a considerable amount had drenched his body and hair. The backpack was ineffective, dripping wet, indicating its contents were likely saturated.

The damp clothes and pants made Jimmy very uncomfortable. Forget hiking; he just wanted to rush back to his car and strip off his wet clothes in the warmth of the heater.

Just then, Jimmy saw a police officer descending from the mountain dressed in uniform with a raincoat over it. Jimmy hurried back to the road and called out to the officer.

"Hey, officer, could you give me a lift down the mountain? I'm soaked all over and need to get down to change."

"Sorry, I'm handling a case right now and can't come down the mountain," the police officer said, opening the trunk and taking out a bag. Jimmy also glanced at it, feeling something was off. He had the same kind of bag in his police car, which contained tubes for collecting blood and a reagent for revealing fingerprints, used for collecting evidence.

"Well, then I'll walk down by myself," Jimmy shrugged and turned to leave, then he asked one more question. "Is there a murder here?"

"How did you know that? Who are you? Stop, don't move. Put your hands up,"

"Calm down, calm down. I'm a police officer too, from Plaskey County police. I came here for a hiking trip today."

The police officer came over and cuffed Jimmy's hands behind his back without hesitation. Jimmy didn't resist, but he kept talking.

"My credentials are in my trouser pocket; you can take them out and look. I just asked when I saw you take out the bag. I have nothing to do with your case."

"Don't move." The officer didn't immediately go for Jimmy's credentials but instead frisked him first. A revolver in the holster under his arm, two speed loaders hanging on his belt; the police officer took them off and placed them on the roof of the patrol car before he finally took the wallet out of Jimmy's trouser pocket. It indeed contained a driver's license and a police badge.

The officer went back to the patrol car and picked up the radio to call the dispatch center.

"Calling dispatch, need an identity check for Jimmy Yang, Plaskey County police, badge number XXX."

"Identity verified with no issues," the dispatch center responded.

The officer got out of the patrol car, walked over to Jimmy and unlocked the handcuffs. "Sorry, brother, you know how it is, just following procedure."

"It's okay, I understand. What happened on the mountain?" After the handcuffs were removed, Jimmy put his gun and speed loaders back in place, took back his wallet and credentials.

"A murder case, a middle-aged man and a young adult were found dead in the woods."

"OK, I won't keep you then. I'm heading down now before I catch a cold. Goodbye."

Jimmy waved goodbye to the officer and started running towards Hot Springs, reasoning that a bit more exercise to warm up the body was better than walking in wet clothes, which would make it easier to lose body heat.

Jimmy ran quickly back to the parking lot, got into his car, and took everything out of his backpack. Everything was soaked, including his lunch. With no change of clothes in the car, he had to just turn on the car heater and tough it out in his underwear.

Having no change of clothes, Jimmy's hiking trip for the day came to an abrupt end. He drove home, took a hot shower, then went to the nearby grocery store to buy scallions and ginger, and then continued back home to make ginger soup.

No cold had set in yet, so there was no immediate need to go to the pharmacy for medication. First, drink a bowl of piping hot ginger soup, then go to bed and sleep.

The physical condition of this body was still decent; it hadn't fallen ill in months. Whether it was the ginger soup at work or not, there was no sign of a cold at all—no headaches, no nasal congestion or runny nose, no sneezing, perfect.

Jimmy woke up hungry, realizing that when he had gone to buy scallions and ginger, he had only thought about the ginger soup and didn't buy any ingredients for lunch. He ended up having to take another trip to the supermarket, buying some vegetables and pasta to make lunch. Although it wasn't much to look at, it was enough to fill his stomach.