Wang Xianjiang bent over, looking down at the Weihong Canal. The grayish-black water surface was littered with plastic bags, tree branches, fallen leaves, beer cans, and various debris. Even on this rainy morning, a pungent stench rose from the water. Looking ahead, Wang saw the canal winding into the distance. Green trees lined both banks, but failed to cast beautiful reflections on the water – the canal resembled a tattered gray ribbon, lying dejectedly in the dust.
He turned his gaze back to his feet, the tragic image of three decomposing corpses bobbing in the polluted water resurfacing in his mind.
Wang had been among the first police officers to arrive at the scene. After hearing the ashen-faced sanitation worker’s account, he still couldn’t believe it. In the dim morning light, he repeatedly shone his flashlight on the drainage pipe in the canal wall. Indeed, a swollen, dark green object protruding from the iron grate of the pipe outlet had the shape of a human hand. In the gushing water flow, that “hand” swayed gently, as if silently calling out.
While Wang hesitated, Tai Wei had already stripped down to his underwear and jumped into the Weihong Canal. Taking advantage of the rising water level, he quickly swam to the drainage pipe. Grabbing the iron grate, Tai Wei took one look inside the pipe and immediately cursed.
Wang’s heart tightened. “Is it a dead body?”
Tai Wei swam back to the shore, his face turning deathly pale. Even from several meters away, Wang could hear his teeth chattering.
“Yes, and not just one.”
Wang froze for a few seconds. “Can we get them out?”
Treading water, Tai Wei looked back at the pipe opening and gritted his teeth. “Get me a wrench.”
The wrench arrived quickly. Tai Wei swam back under the pipe opening, carefully avoiding the protruding hand, and struggled with the iron grate. It was fixed to the canal wall with four iron pieces. Tai Wei twisted and hammered with the wrench, eventually removing three. As the grate rotated and fell away, a sight that Wang would never forget appeared before his eyes.
A rigid, swollen, mottled female corpse slid out of the pipe opening, splashing into the water beside Tai Wei. Immediately, she floated face-up, bobbing up and down.
Then came the second… and the third…
Tai Wei clung to the iron grate, veins bulging on his arms, staring blankly at the three female corpses floating around him…
Wang closed his eyes, swaying slightly. He immediately felt someone grab his arm.
“Master, are you alright?” Tai Wei’s face appeared before him. “Should I take you back?”
“No need.” Wang shook him off. “Is everything prepared?”
Tai Wei nodded, taking a large canvas bag off his shoulder and pulling out gas masks, plastic gloves, and boots.
Wang frowned, nudging something that looked like a diving tank with his toe. “What’s this?”
“Air respirator,” Tai Wei replied, lifting the tank and gesturing with it. “The Urban Construction Bureau people said we’d need it.”
“We’re not Freaking…”
“He’s right, you will need it,” a thin, bespectacled man stepped out of the nearby van. “The air inside is thin, with low oxygen levels.”
Wang looked at the pipe opening, the iron grate still dangling beside it. “Isn’t this open?”
“Our city has 47 kilometers of underground sewage lines, 5 meters deep,” the thin man said with a worried expression. “Without air respirators, you won’t get far.”
Wang looked him up and down. Tai Wei quickly introduced him: “This is Professor Chen from the City Planning Institute.”
The two men nodded in greeting. Wang’s expression darkened as he watched the other young police officers climbing out of the van.
“Is this all we have?”
“Who’d want this rotten job?” Tai Wei clumsily strapped on the air respirator. “Don’t worry, Master. I’m here.”
Wang, not wanting to waste more words, took out the design blueprint from his leather bag, unfolded it, and turned to Professor Chen. “Where do you think we should start?”
Chen glanced at the blueprint and smiled wryly. “If we follow this, it’ll be like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
Before Wang could ask, Chen produced another diagram, also a pipeline design. Though the lines on it crisscrossed complexly and most labels were in Japanese, it was much simpler than Wang’s blueprint.
“What’s this?”
“Theoretically, a city’s sewage system should include two types: a rainwater pipeline system and a sewage pipeline system. However, most Chinese cities, especially in old urban areas, combine these two systems. Our situation is unique. During the Japanese occupation, they implemented a design that separated rainwater and sewage systems.” Chen pointed at the pipe opening in the Weihong Canal. “That’s a rainwater pipe.” He tapped the diagram in his hand. “If those three corpses were flushed out of this pipe, they were in the rainwater pipeline system. In other words, this diagram is all we need.”
Wang sighed in relief. “That makes it much easier.”
“Not necessarily,” Chen still looked worried. “The original pipeline was already long, and the Japanese extended it to over twenty kilometers. However, the rainwater network is much more spacious, so searching inside shouldn’t be a big problem.” He suddenly chuckled. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want to enter the sewage network.”
Due to limited equipment and most people’s reluctance to search the pipeline, only Tai Wei, Wang Xianjiang, and Professor Chen ended up descending into the Weihong Canal.
From the canal bank, the rainwater pipe seemed barely large enough for a person to enter. However, once they swam to the pipe, they found it was more than sufficient. Tai Wei went in first, then pulled Wang and Chen in after him. Wang, being older and weighed down by equipment, struggled to climb into the pipe. He immediately collapsed in the polluted water, panting heavily.
Once his breathing steadied somewhat, Tai Wei helped him up. They formed a line with Tai Wei in front, Chen in the middle, and Wang bringing up the rear, moving deeper into the pipe.
The pipe was semicircular with a diameter of about 2 meters. The three men could walk abreast without much difficulty. Last night’s heavy rain had left about 15 centimeters of water in the pipe. Their chemical-resistant boots squelched through the slippery sludge at the bottom. After about ten meters, visibility dropped sharply. Tai Wei switched on the headlamp on his respirator mask and trudged forward, his steps uneven.
The three walked silently for several minutes before Chen suddenly asked, “What exactly are you looking for?”
Wang hesitated. Indeed, after two heavy rainstorms, the chances of finding relevant evidence in the pipe were minuscule. However, the police had nowhere else to search for more clues.
“First, we’ll check if there are any other bodies in the rainwater pipes,” Wang exhaled heavily. “If not, we’ll try to determine where those three bodies were washed out from.”
Chen shuddered, stopped, and let Wang walk ahead of him.
“You two better take the lead.”
Initially, Tai Wei swept his powerful flashlight around, searching for any potentially valuable clues. However, as far as they could see, there was only endless standing water and damp, dark green pipe walls. The nearly identical scenery quickly caused visual fatigue, and he found himself walking mechanically forward. Wang wasn’t faring much better, almost dragging his feet as he stumbled along. Only Chen remained highly alert, seemingly anticipating a gruesome corpse to suddenly appear before them.
After walking for an indeterminate time, the beam of the powerful flashlight suddenly revealed a space ahead. Tai Wei snapped back to attention and slowed his pace. Wang, walking with his head down, bumped into Tai Wei’s back and grunted in displeasure. Chen, startled, stumbled back two steps.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” Chen peered over Wang’s shoulder. “Did you find something?”
“Something’s not right up ahead,” Tai Wei directed his flashlight towards the void. “Looks like the path ends.”
Chen looked forward and relaxed. “It’s fine, we’ve reached a pipeline junction. There are steps ahead, watch your footing.”
Tai Wei lowered his flashlight beam and indeed saw the edge of the pipe a few meters ahead. He carefully approached and found two rows of granite steps sloping downward.
The steps were also wet and slippery from years of water flow. Tai Wei turned sideways and slowly helped Wang and Chen down the steps one by one.
They now found themselves in a concrete space about 5 meters high, 3 meters wide, and of unknown length. The ceiling was arched, with a pipe opening on each side of the vault, the same diameter as the pipe they had walked through. Tai Wei shone his flashlight into the distance and saw similar pipe openings at regular intervals along the vault walls.
“Where are we?”
“A pipeline junction.”
“And those pipe openings?”
“We’re in the main pipeline leading to the Weihong Canal,” Chen pointed ahead. “The openings on both sides are network outlets. Rainwater gathers in the main pipeline before being discharged into various canals.”
He walked under one of the pipe openings, watching the murky water continuously flowing from the concrete pipe mouth.
“The Japanese weren’t great, but they were solid at infrastructure. They built this place as if it were the capital of their colony,” Professor Chen pointed in a direction. “They even constructed several large rainwater storage pools to handle so-called once-in-a-century floods. Though, being on a plain, we’re unlikely to face such floods…”
Professor Chen continued muttering to himself. Wang Xianjiang and Tai Wei leaned in to look, their minds far from any thoughts of floods.
The pipe openings on both sides of the arch were large enough for bodies to pass through. It seemed the three female corpses had been washed into the node from here, then floated along the main pipe to the Weihong Canal outlet, finally getting trapped by the grate at the pipe opening.
They might have come from the same pipe, or perhaps from different ones.
Wang Xianjiang and Tai Wei exchanged glances. Even through their respirator masks, they could sense each other’s grim expressions.
Tai Wei asked, “How many pipes are there on both sides of the main pipe?”
Professor Chen answered lazily, “Over a hundred, I suppose.”
Wang Xianjiang cursed under his breath.
Undeterred, Tai Wei pressed on, “Where do those pipes lead?”
Professor Chen spread his arms in an exaggerated gesture, “All over the city.”
Tai Wei fell silent for a moment, then walked down the steps into one of the pipes, peering into its dark depths.
“Master, should we…”
“I wouldn’t bother if I were you,” Professor Chen tugged at the long tube of his respirator. “We’re running low on air. This isn’t a job for two or three people.”
Tai Wei backed up two steps, hands on his hips, then suddenly kicked the pipe wall.
“Damn it!”
Wang Xianjiang spoke in a low voice, “Let’s head back and think of another way.”
Professor Chen, as if granted a reprieve, turned and headed for the granite steps. Tai Wei stood motionless, glancing again at the pipe openings before kicking up a splash of water.
In the murky water, something shiny flew up, hit the arch, and fell back in.
Tai Wei’s interest was piqued. He quickly walked over, bent down, and searched the standing water in the pipe. After about ten seconds, he straightened up, holding a school badge between his fingers.
Fourth Middle School.
The stainless steel elevator cab was mirror-like. Ma Dongchen watched the doors slowly close, seeing his face split in two by the narrowing gap. As the elevator descended, the sudden weightlessness made his stomach churn. His alcohol-numbed brain barely managed to issue a command—complete tonight’s final act with dignity.
A heavy arm wrapped around his neck, followed by a mouth reeking of alcohol close to his ear.
“Ma, you’re just too polite,” an equally heavy head rested on his shoulder. “It wasn’t such a big deal, yet you made such a grand gesture…”
“It’s only right,” Ma Dongchen lowered his head, embracing the other’s thick waist. “It’s been a while since we brothers got together anyway.”
The elevator doors opened, and the two stumbled out of the hotel lobby, arm in arm. An Audi 80 was already waiting at the entrance. The driver jumped out and swiftly moved to support them. Ma Dongchen shook off the driver, enunciating each word, “Make sure Principal Dong gets home safely, understood?” He then nodded towards the trunk.
The driver understood immediately, nodding repeatedly, “Certainly, Mr. Ma. Don’t worry.”
Principal Dong sat in the Audi’s back seat, then leaned out to grab Ma Dongchen’s hand, “Ma, old friend, thank you. Next time, let me arrange it, okay?”
“I’ll do it,” Ma Dongchen said sincerely. “We must get together again soon.”
He waved, signaling the driver to leave. The black Audi 80 sped away with Principal Dong mumbling, “You’re too kind.”
Ma Dongchen barely managed to stand, watching the Audi’s taillights disappear in the distance.
At that moment, another car, a Mercedes S600, silently pulled up beside him.
The act was complete. Ma Dongchen opened the door, collapsed into the back seat, and tapped the driver’s seat, “Home.”
The dust had settled. This hurdle was cleared. Ma Dongchen relaxed completely, slumping into the comfortable leather seat, not wanting to move an inch. At midnight, the roads were nearly empty, and the Mercedes sped along. After about ten minutes, Ma Dongchen suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, then lowered the window.
Cool air rushed into the car. Ma Dongchen closed his eyes, letting the wind hit his numb cheeks as he took deep, satisfying breaths. The driver immediately slowed down, “Mr. Ma, shall I turn on the air conditioning? This wind isn’t good for you.”
“No need,” Ma Dongchen’s voice was dreamlike. “This is fine. It feels good.”
The refreshing sensation didn’t last long. As the cool wind hit his face, Ma Dongchen soon felt the alcohol rising, and his stomach began to churn again. He forced himself to sit up straight, heavily massaging his chest while looking out the window.
The Mercedes was crossing a bridge. Looking out, the moonlight turned the river below into a vast expanse of bright white.
“Litong Bridge?”
“That’s right,” the driver carefully watched Ma Dongchen’s expression in the rearview mirror. “Mr. Ma, do you need to throw up?”
“Stop the car.”
“Here?”
“Stop the car.”
The driver hesitated no longer and smoothly pulled over on the bridge. Ma Dongchen opened the door and got out, staggering towards the bridge railing.
Holding onto the railing, he looked down at the river that ran through the city from north to south. At midnight, the Litong River seemed even calmer, like a bright white ribbon, undulating slightly, silently stretching into the distance. Ma Dongchen even thought that if he were to jump from the bridge now, he might not sink into the water, but instead be buoyed up on the surface, drifting along carefree with the current.
Footsteps approached from behind. Then, the driver handed him an opened bottle of mineral water.
“Mr. Ma, you’ll feel better if you throw up.”
Ma Dongchen took the bottle, drank a few sips, wiped his mouth, and stumbled westward along the bridge.
The driver hurried after him, “Mr. Ma, where are you going?”
“Wait for me in the car,” Ma Dongchen waved his hand without looking back. “I want to walk alone.”
“Mr. Ma, let me accompany you.”
“Go back!”
The driver had no choice but to stop, helplessly watching as Ma Dongchen gradually walked out of the streetlight’s glow and into the gray shadows.
Ma Dongchen held onto the railing, panting heavily, but his steps grew faster as if his destination was something he had long yearned for. A few minutes later, he reached the bridge’s end and descended the granite steps.
Soon, he stepped onto damp, soft ground, facing a reed thicket about waist-high. The sound of flowing water, the chirping of unknown insects, and the rustling of wind through the reeds made the Litong River come alive, no longer silent.
Ma Dongchen stood motionless, listening to the sounds from all directions. After a long while, he moved forward, parting the reeds as he walked towards the riverbank. He only stopped when the mud beneath his feet began to sink dangerously.
Through a few swaying reeds, he gazed at the Litong River before him. The water had lost its bright white color, appearing grayish, like the back of an enormous python.
The giant snake, its head and tail invisible, emitted a faint purring sound and a slight fishy smell as it meandered forward, mercilessly swallowing anything that appeared near its mouth.
Ma Dongchen shuddered. He shifted his gaze to the bridge arch, where some streetlight spilled onto the river surface, resembling golden scales on the giant snake’s back.
He stared blankly, lips tightly pressed, as if waiting for something to float by, yet fearing its appearance. Suddenly, his throat constricted, and feelings of grievance and fear welled up in his heart.
Ma Dongchen let out a groan and covered his mouth. Then, his body began to sway from side to side.
The arched bridge before him rushed towards him at high speed.