The Waterlogged Infant: The Suicidal Man

9:27 p.m., March 25, 2006, on a small mountain in Jinxi County, Tianfu City

A man in a Black Windbreaker knelt before two gravestones, tears dripping onto his legs one drop at a time. Besides these two gravestones, the mountain was dotted with many other burial mounds.

The man did not know how long he had been kneeling there, his body completely motionless. Then, from a grave not far away, a bony hand slowly reached out. Gradually, a body crawled bit by bit from the grave. An old woman with white hair, dressed in a white burial gown, stood before her own tomb.

Many parts of the old woman's body had rotted away, covered in earthworms and maggots. Her white eyeballs stared fixedly at the man in black kneeling not far from her.

Step by agonizingly slow step, the old woman moved toward the man in black. Much of her legs had already decayed, exposing blackened white bones that seemed barely able to support her body.

The man in black seemed utterly unaware of the changes beside him. His eyes remained fixed on the two gravestones, and his tears never stopped falling drop by drop.

The old woman in the burial gown had reached the man's back. Suddenly, tiny pupils grew between her two white eyeballs as she stared at the man before her.

The old woman stretched out her two pale, rotten hands and lunged swiftly for the man's neck. Then something unimaginable happened. Three mouths suddenly opened on the man's neck. Before the old woman could pull back her hands, they plunged directly into the mouths and were bitten off.

A trace of fear appeared on the old woman's pale face. Just as she tried to leave, time seemed to freeze. She stood motionless, then her body slowly turned into white powder and streamed into the mouths on the man's neck.

The man stopped crying and stood up, the mouths on his neck vanishing as well. After one final look at the two gravestones before him, he gently kissed them and turned to leave.

Yufang Middle School, Class 3, Grade 8, Jinxi County. Time moved back four hours.

"Brother Chen, tomorrow's Friday. Want to go have some fun tomorrow afternoon?" A short, chubby boy sitting backward on his chair spoke to the boy across from him, who wore oval rimless glasses.

Brother Chen's real name was Zhang Chen. He was a student in Class 3, Grade 8 at Yufang Middle School. At fourteen, Zhang Chen was nearly 1.75 meters tall and fairly pale, but his slightly protruding belly and messy hairstyle kept the girls around him at a respectful distance.

"Tan Fei, didn't your mom drag you home just last time? We could hear you squealing outside the internet café like a pig being slaughtered. You're itching for another beating this week?" Zhang Chen teased.

This Fatty Tan, whose full name was Tan Yaoguang, had a name that sounded upright and grand, but he was actually a sinister little fat bastard.

"My mom's working overtime tomorrow, and my dad doesn't care what I do, so you don't need to worry about my ass at all."

Fatty Tan was not offended in the slightest and kept talking excitedly, seeming ready to stand up and show Zhang Chen his butt. Even Wang Ban Hua, the class beauty and top student sitting nearby, scooted her chair farther away.

Zhang Chen glanced at Wang Ban Hua's disgusted expression. Though he knew she was probably out of his league, he still did not want to leave a bad impression. He could only sigh. What could he do? He had ended up with Fatty Tan as a friend.

"Brother Chen, I already told Er Wa. Look at him, he can barely hold it in. He's already entered a meditative state."

Sitting not far behind and to the left of them was naturally the Er Wa Fatty Tan had mentioned. He had a neat crew cut, a large square face, and a big nose. Beneath that nose, instead of immediately being followed by a mouth, there was a black mole in between. At that moment, Er Wa stared blankly ahead, his right hand seeming to grip an invisible mouse and slowly move it around.

Er Wa's real name was Hu Dazhi. Even Zhang Chen and Tan Fei, his two best friends, had no idea where the nickname came from. Someone had called him that as soon as they entered middle school, and apparently it had been used back in elementary school too. Everyone simply followed along without thinking much about it.

Zhang Chen shook his head, but could not help snickering twice.

Just then, Zhang Chen saw Er Wa's eyes suddenly become lively. He picked up his pen, apparently ready to write something. Zhang Chen looked at the electronic watch on his wrist again. "18:25." He immediately understood, turned around, sat up straight, and began looking for a pen on his desk.

"Creak." The door opened. The crisp click of high heels rang through the classroom. Every student immediately sat ramrod straight, left arm laid across the desk, right hand writing something. Even Fatty Tan instantly twisted his fat body around and became a fake top student. Only Zhang Chen was still searching his desk for his one and only one-yuan gel pen, occasionally even looking under the desk.

"Zhang Chen!!" A furious shout made Zhang Chen sit up even straighter.

Zhang Chen looked at the woman standing at the classroom door. She wore black high heels at least ten centimeters tall, yet her total height was only exactly 1.6 meters. Her medium-length hair had been curled, and she held the legendary artifact, New Target English. He knew he was finished.

Damn! It's Thursday. It's homeroom teacher Lu Ba's evening study session. Please, please, don't make me stay behind. Just yell at me now, just yell at me now. Zhang Chen's heart churned like raging waves.

"Everyone else is studying properly, and you still think you can put on an act for me? I heard people making noise before I even reached the classroom. Fine, then. So as not to delay everyone's evening reading, come to my office after evening study."

Great. I'll be getting home another half hour late tonight. This damn woman has a husband but won't keep him company, insisting on keeping me company instead. Careful your husband doesn't run off with someone else. Zhang Chen immediately began complaining inwardly.

"Zhang Chen, what are you muttering about? Read your book!" the homeroom teacher said viciously, glaring at him.

"What's your name?" "My name is Han Meimei."

There were two minutes left until nine, when evening study would end. The whole classroom buzzed with restless energy, but because of the homeroom teacher, everyone could only suppress their excitement.

Just then, Zhang Chen felt someone touching his calf. Knowing someone was looking for him, he lowered his right hand and brought it back up with a small slip of paper. He opened it and read:

"Brother Chen, we won't be keeping you company tonight. Since Lu Ba called you over, it'll definitely be at least half an hour. We've got business tomorrow afternoon, so Er Wa and I are heading home first. Brother Chen, take care of yourself!"

"Ring~~~~~" Just as Zhang Chen finished reading Tan Fei's note, the bell signaling the end of evening study rang. He hurriedly crumpled the note into a ball and stuffed it into his desk drawer. Then he looked up at the sleazy-looking Tan Fei and the daydreaming Er Wa, already at the classroom door, and could only shake his head. Seeing Lu Ba's gaze fixed on him, Zhang Chen immediately rose from his seat and followed Lu Ba out of the classroom dejectedly.

Half an hour of scolding followed by another half hour of lecturing dragged things out until ten o'clock.

Naturally, Zhang Chen pretended to be deeply enlightened as he said goodbye to Lu Ba. Seeing how sincere he looked, and considering how late it was, Lu Ba actually asked whether he needed her to take him home. Zhang Chen repeatedly refused and left the teaching building alone.

At ten o'clock, apart from the boarding students and the security guard, Yufang Middle School probably only had Zhang Chen and the homeroom teacher left. The silent campus made him feel a little scared. As he fetched his bicycle, he even muttered to himself, "This is way too creepy. Don't let some female ghost in white show up for me. I should've watched fewer horror movies."

Zhang Chen got on his bicycle and immediately rode out of Yufang Middle School.

Since I don't have to walk those two horny bastards home tonight, I might as well take the shortcut. If I get home too late, I'll have to explain myself to my parents. With that thought, Zhang Chen changed his usual route. Instead of taking the main road, he headed home along the Jinxi River.

There were not many pedestrians left on the road, so he naturally pedaled faster. After less than ten minutes, he arrived before a small bridge.

Zhang Chen's heart suddenly tightened. He slowed down, and several pieces of information surfaced in his mind.

Ever since I started hanging out with Tan Fei and Er Wa, I haven't crossed this bridge at night for almost half a year. I heard from people in class that half a year ago, a woman jumped into the river here to kill herself, and a man who went down to save her drowned too. How did Lu Ba's lecture make me forget about that? It's not like I can turn around now. Zhang Chen muttered as he slowly rode onward.

The bridge was called Jinshui Bridge, named after the river. It was only around ten meters long. Zhang Chen slowly pedaled forward and was soon nearing the middle.

Suddenly, in the corner of his eye, the highly tense Zhang Chen spotted a man in a Black Windbreaker standing outside the railing on the opposite side of the bridge. The streetlights on the bridge were broken, and the man was dressed entirely in black, so Zhang Chen would never have noticed him if he had not been looking carefully. Zhang Chen was so startled that he actually stopped his bicycle.

Oh, damn! Could that be the guy who tried to save the suicidal woman? Is he unwilling to rest, his wronged soul lingering here to drag people into the water? Fuck, why did I stop? Get moving!

Although his legs trembled, they still managed to pedal the bicycle. He rushed off the bridge and only stopped, panting heavily, after riding nearly a hundred meters. Zhang Chen naturally looked back and vaguely saw the man in the Black Windbreaker still standing there.

Wait. There are no ghosts in this world. Maybe that guy really can't take it anymore and wants to jump into the river. Should I go check on him?

Zhang Chen was genuinely conflicted, but in the end, he chose to turn back.

Forget it. Mom always said saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Besides, if I get home this late, I'll have an excuse.

After thinking that, Zhang Chen turned around and slowly rode back onto the bridge. His emotions, which had calmed down a little along the way, became tense again. It was already late, there was no one in sight on either side, there were rumors about the bridge, and there was the black-clothed man standing motionlessly outside the railing. Zhang Chen swallowed and spoke slowly to the man in standard Mandarin.

"Sir, may I ask..."

Zhang Chen had only uttered four words when the man suddenly moved, turning his head at once and scaring Zhang Chen into a cold sweat. Fortunately, there was nothing unusual about the man's face.

The man had large eyes, thick straight brows, a nose neither too high nor too low, a mouth neither too big nor too small, and a sharply defined face. He was actually quite handsome, and looked to be around thirty.

After staring at Zhang Chen, the man slightly furrowed his brows. Zhang Chen did not dare speak. Under the man's gaze, beads of cold sweat seeped down his back.

"Kid, there's something unclean in your home." After staring at Zhang Chen for half a minute, the man said something utterly inexplicable.

Once the man spoke, Zhang Chen's fear eased a little. He said,

"Sir, I just wanted to say that it's dangerous for you to stand there this late at night. If there's something bothering you, you can come down and talk about it."

"Haha, something bothering me? What a strange thing to say. Young man, you should hurry home and visit a temple as soon as possible."

The man said another inexplicable thing. Zhang Chen thought he was mentally ill and was just about to speak when the man spread his arms and leapt into the Jinxi River.

"Fuck, I run into a lunatic too? If you're going to jump, at least explain yourself first! You think being handsome makes you special?" Zhang Chen grumbled nonstop. Then he pulled out a tiny Ruojia phone, intending to call 110 first, but no matter how many times he pressed it, the screen remained black.

"Ah~~~ It's dead at a time like this? Forget it. I learned to swim in first grade for a reason. If I save this lunatic, maybe they'll even add fifty points to my high school entrance exam. Just thinking about it feels amazing." After thinking that, Zhang Chen took off his clothes and pants, stood outside the bridge railing, and looked down at the river. There was not a single ripple on the water, nothing like someone had just jumped in.

Zhang Chen did not think too much about it. He leapt down and hit the water with a splash. It was spring, and the river water was probably only sixteen degrees Celsius. The cold struck Zhang Chen the instant he entered the water. Then, without warming up first, his right leg cramped.

"Glug glug~~" Zhang Chen could no longer keep his balance in the water.

Damn it! I came to save someone, but I can't even find him, and now I'm done for myself. Zhang Chen's right leg felt as though it had been filled with lead, and his entire body began sinking.

Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds...

Great gulps of water flooded Zhang Chen's lungs. Gradually, his vision grew darker and darker. He could no longer feel the tearing pain of water entering his lungs. Darkness Descends.

In the darkness, Zhang Chen saw the black-clothed man he had meant to save standing before him. He could not move now, nor could he speak. The man suddenly thrust his right hand into Zhang Chen's chest. Blood splattered everywhere, yet there was no pain. Then Zhang Chen saw his own bloody, still-beating heart held in the man's hand.

Zhang Chen stared fixedly at his heart, unable to believe what was happening before him. Then the man inserted his left hand into his own chest and dug something out. It was not a heart, but a round black bead. He then placed the bead into Zhang Chen's chest cavity.

"Ah~~~~" Zhang Chen suddenly sat up, as if he had taken a trip through the gates of hell. He repeatedly touched his body and found nothing wrong with himself. Even his clothes and pants were dry.

That man in black was definitely a ghost, no doubt about it. But he didn't hurt me. Should I say I'm lucky or unlucky? After thinking that, Zhang Chen slowly picked up his bicycle and rode home.

What Zhang Chen did not realize was that he no longer felt the slightest fear.