Chapter 2: Searching for Bodies in the Reservoir
The middle-aged man stared at me intently for over ten seconds, making me feel quite uneasy. Just when I thought he would call someone to have me removed, he turned to his subordinate and said, "Take this kid onto the boat, and find someone good at swimming to accompany him!" He then turned back to me and said, "Go ahead and give it a try; if you can't find me, I won't hold it against you..."
The young man at the forefront raised his hand to stop the others, then looked me up and down. Perhaps they truly could not find that child, so they had no choice but to treat a dead horse as if it were alive; in any case, they brought me inside.
The individuals who usually come to this reservoir for leisure are primarily fishing enthusiasts, which is why there are several privately constructed simple pavilions at the northeast corner of the reservoir, specifically at the entrance, where people typically fish.
The man immediately put down the paddle in his hand and asked, "What? Row back?"
Upon hearing that I was going in to find her dog, the little girl eagerly nodded her head and then obediently stayed in place. After I had settled the little girl, I turned around and walked towards the reservoir
Although this reservoir appears calm on the surface, there are actually undercurrents flowing beneath. The boy's body was quickly carried by the water to the west side of the reservoir, where the aquatic vegetation is lush. Ultimately, his body became trapped among the water plants and mud, failing to surface.
So the two of us continued to move forward in the lifeboat for a while, when suddenly, I shouted, "Stop!"
However, that boy did not fall into the water right there; he must have walked a distance inward and slipped into the water in a densely reed-covered area. However, because he could not swim, he sank without struggling much.
I honestly shook my head, "I don't know..."
I nodded to him, then followed his subordinate to the edge of the reservoir, boarded a lifeboat, and soon a thin, dark-skinned man came to row for me
Just before boarding the ship, I mentioned that I only take care of finding bodies, not retrieving them. So, after waiting for everyone to arrive, I waved to the man underwater, saying, "Come up, take me back to the shore!"
Looking at his attire, coupled with his bloodshot eyes, I thought to myself that he must be the child's father. Seeing his sorrowful expression, I did not wish to engage in unnecessary conversation; I approached him directly and said: "Hello, I can help you locate your son's exact whereabouts, but the task of retrieving the body from the water must be left to others"
A man next to me immediately tried to grab my collar, and I quickly shouted, "If you take me now, I can guarantee that you will be able to go home and sleep tonight!"
The man was taken aback for a moment, but he did not say anything. He simply paused for a few seconds before rowing the lifeboat towards the west
Several men were taken aback, and the young man at the forefront asked curiously, "Are you looking for our boss? Do you know him?"
The young man thought for a moment and felt that what I said made some sense. He then said to me, "That child was wearing a black Adidas T-shirt on the upper body, blue jeans on the lower body, and a pair of white sneakers on his feet. We have been searching for a full three days, and until now, we haven't even seen a shadow of him..."
I also want to help, don't I? I come here often and am quite familiar with the area. If you could describe the child's clothing to me, I can help look around as well. With one more person, there will be more strength in the search, and perhaps we can find them!
A few minutes later, the man emerged from the water, wiped the water from his face, and said excitedly, "Down there, right down there!"
Thus, I was taken to the side of a black Cayenne, where the young man in the lead murmured a few words towards the open window, and then a tall middle-aged man stepped out of the car
Looking at the somewhat desperate expression of the middle-aged man, I knew that it was the look of a father who had lost his child. Perhaps the only thing that could comfort him now was to help him find his son's body as soon as possible
The man was taken aback for a moment, "Why are you asking this?"
Upon reconsideration, the scene that just flashed through my mind is likely the son of the boss he mentioned. With this in mind, I asked the young man, "What color was your boss's son wearing when he went missing?"
The thin, dark-skinned man noticed that I had been silent for a long time, so he steered the boat towards the area with more people. At that moment, I suddenly opened my eyes and said: "Row towards the west!"
The man nodded at me and then plunged into the water. Just moments ago, those people who were making a fuss on the surface of the water all stood still on the boat as soon as they saw us diving in. It seemed as if they were all waiting to watch a spectacle, looking at me on the lifeboat with amusement
The middle-aged man glanced at me from top to bottom, then pointed at a group of people on the water's surface and coldly said: "The dozens of people under my command have been searching in the water for three days, yet they have found nothing. Why should I believe that you can find anything?"
I felt a surge of joy in my heart, it worked! I then stood up and waved to the shore, signaling that the people were right below.
As soon as I heard it, wasn't it the boy in his teens who had just appeared in my mind? So I turned around and whispered in the little girl's ear: "Wait for me here, don't run around. I'll go in first to see if your dog is here. Remember, if anyone asks you what you're here for, you must not say it's to look for a dog!"
I glanced at him and said, "Haven't we searched everywhere near the shore and found nothing? Just keep rowing west, and when I say stop, you stop. We will definitely be able to find that child together." The thin, dark man did not say anything else after hearing this, ... and forcefully rowed the boat westward ...
"Then why are you making a fuss? Are you trying to take advantage of this moment to swindle money? Get lost!" said the young man with an impatient expression
The lifeboat slowly drifted away from the shore, and I closed my eyes, allowing my heart to calm down. Although the shouts of people searching for others on the water still echoed in my ears, I knew that they were searching in the wrong direction
The thin, dark-skinned man, seeing that I had not spoken for a while, asked me with a puzzled expression, "Is it possible for that child to be over here, given that this place is too far from the shore?"
I shot him a glance and said irritably, "What do you mean by rowing back! I can't swim. You go down and take a look, is he entangled in the water plants below!"
I naturally knew that he did not believe me, thinking that I was trying to take advantage of the situation to swindle money. So I raised my neck and said, "I don't want your money; wouldn't it be better for you to have someone else helping you find your son? As long as you provide me with a boat, I am 70% confident that I can find him."
As I walked, I said to these several men: "Gentlemen, where is your boss? I would like to meet him"
I became angry upon hearing this and coldly snorted, saying: "If you do not take me to find your boss right now, I can guarantee that even if you search for three more days, you will not find that child!"