"So the frequent suicides at Cihang Bridge are connected to a water ghost. And this one can not only turn invisible, it can even come ashore when it rains!"
Chen Feng had just finished his story when he felt the car slow down.
"We're here."
Old Li eased onto the brakes. Looking at the figure sitting on the bridge railing ahead, he turned and said, "Mr. Chen, wait in the car. We'll be right back."
"Okay."
Chen Feng nodded. Based on what had happened last time, all he had to do was wait in the car for the water ghost to appear and kill the three of them. Then he could drive away and complete the task with ease.
So why did it feel so wrong?
Old Li was a good man. To save someone, he would jump into a raging river without hesitation. Even after the girl stole his lifeline, he had repaid her cruelty with kindness and pushed her toward shore.
A good man like that shouldn't die here.
At that thought, Chen Feng suddenly changed his mind. "Wait."
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Chen Feng said, "You're going to rescue someone empty-handed?"
"Oh, right!"
Chen Feng's reminder made Old Li remember the rescue rope in the trunk.
After they took out the rope, Chen Feng volunteered. "I'm coming too."
Just like last time.
Once the girl surnamed Zhong saw that she had an audience for her suicide act, she jumped off the bridge without hesitation.
"Ruobing, keep an eye on where she lands."
"I'm going in after her!"
Old Li was already about to take off his clothes and repeat his mistake.
Chen Feng hurried to stop him. "Uncle Li, don't jump! We only have one rescue rope. If you jump in too, you might not save her, and you could lose your own life."
A warning about the danger would never have stopped Old Li. But hearing that his jump might get both of them killed gave him pause. "But can we save her with just a rope?"
His concern was reasonable. A rescue rope wasn't a life jacket. If the girl didn't know how to use it, it wouldn't save her.
Chen Feng rubbed his eyes and pointed down. "Uncle Li, look how strong the current is. She isn't thrashing around, and she's keeping her head tilted back. She's floating steadily. Someone who could only tread water couldn't do that."
"You're right."
Old Li had been too caught up in the moment to see it. With Chen Feng's reminder, he understood.
"Throw it!"
At his command, Zhang Ruobing tossed the rescue rope in front of the girl.
The rope was close enough for the girl to reach with a single kick, but she did nothing.
"She's exhausted!" Zhang Ruobing cried.
"No."
Old Li corrected her. "Someone who can't swim would grab anything that could keep them afloat. If she isn't grabbing it, she's still fine."
Old Li really knows his stuff.
Chen Feng had been afraid the girl's acting would lure Old Li into the river and undo everything he'd done. Now that Old Li hadn't fallen for it, all Chen Feng had to do was wait for the water ghost to appear, and the task would be his.
"Should be about time."
As soon as Chen Feng said it, the girl who had been floating on the surface sank beneath the water.
"Help! Glug-glug-glug!"
Old Li immediately threw the rope, but the river churned on, empty. The girl was nowhere to be seen.
A system notification sounded in Chen Feng's ear:
[Ding! Task complete] [Congratulations! You have earned one System Point]
One System Point could be exchanged for one additional save-load attempt. This life had already paid for itself.
Chen Feng looked at the rescue rope. Just like last time, there was clearly nothing at its end, yet it was pulled taut and jerking in fits and starts.
Zhang Ruobing stared in shock. "Wh-what is that?"
Chen Feng shouted to Old Li, "Uncle Li, break the rope! The water ghost is coming up!"
"Water ghost?"
At the eerie sight, Old Li remembered what Chen Feng had told him on the way here: the water ghost could come ashore and turn invisible. He immediately drew his handgun.
"Master, what are you doing?" Zhang Ruobing asked.
Old Li couldn't see it, but if the water ghost was climbing up along the rope, it could only come in a straight line. He aimed downward and fired several shots.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sharp gunshots rang out. As the bullets flew, blood suddenly spattered out of thin air!
"Ah!"
Zhang Ruobing screamed. She could hardly believe her eyes. There was nothing there—how could it be bleeding?
"Don't shoot it," Chen Feng called. "Shoot the rope!"
"Right!"
Old Li aimed at the rope. Bang! It snapped, and the severed end fell onto the river, throwing up an unnaturally large splash.
Zhang Ruobing's voice trembled. "Master, was that...?"
Old Li's face was grim. "A water ghost."
An eerie silence fell over them, broken only by the howling wind and rain.
Chen Feng couldn't help asking, "Why are we still standing around?"
"Procedure says we should secure the scene, confirm where the victim went into the water, and call the fire department to recover the body," Zhang Ruobing explained.
She took out her phone, only to find she had no signal.
"Forget the body!" Chen Feng urged. "If we don't run, we'll be bodies!"
Old Li froze. "Run? That thing isn't dead?"
"Of course it isn't!"
Chen Feng spoke with absolute certainty. Last time, he had hit the monster with a car and still failed to kill it. What good would a few bullets do?
The three of them hurried back to the car. Old Li started the engine, and they fled.
Old Li pressed the accelerator, still shaken. "Brother Chen, we owe you one."
If the young man hadn't reminded him to get the rescue rope and stopped him from jumping, the water ghost might already have killed him.
Chen Feng waved it off. "It's nothing. Where are we going now?"
Old Li turned the wheel. "Back to the station to change into dry clothes. Then..."
As he spoke, Old Li saw Zhang Ruobing pick up the radio to report what had happened. He quickly stopped her. "Wait."
"What is it, Master?" Zhang Ruobing asked.
"What are you going to tell our superiors?"
"The truth."
"The truth? That a water ghost killed the girl in the river, then followed the rope up to come after us?" Old Li shook his head. "Do you think they'd believe that? I don't want to see you sent to the Fourth Mental Hospital."
"Well..." Zhang Ruobing hesitated. If she hadn't seen it herself, she wouldn't have believed it either. "Wait, we have body cameras! That's strange. Why did mine break?"
A phone with no signal. A broken body camera.
Thinking back to the power outage at Happiness Internet Cafe, Chen Feng suspected that electrical devices failed whenever something supernatural appeared.
But Zhang Ruobing still refused to give up. "Whatever happens, we can't let that water ghost keep killing people!"
Old Li was silent for a long time before making a decision. "I'll find someone to handle this. Go home, get some sleep, and forget what happened today."
"But..."
"Enough!" Old Li slammed on the brakes and pointed at Zhang Ruobing, shouting, "This isn't something you can handle! If anything happened to you, how would I face your late father?"
Zhang Ruobing stood her ground. "And if something happens to you, what will your wife do all alone?"
Chen Feng was puzzled. Old Li was that old and had never had children?
The three of them were still arguing in the car, unaware of what happened behind them.
Not long after they drove away, a trail of indented footprints appeared from nowhere on the rain-soaked road.
Strangely, there was no one above them.
Before you continue