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Zhang Liheng listened intently, then interjected, "Could it be that the corpses Old Deng brought back were Sun Da'er's soldiers? Why didn't you report such important information when we were on shore?"

Old Gu said awkwardly, "This... these are all just rumors, not to be believed. What if they are just wild guesses and give the leaders the wrong directions? Wouldn't that affect the mission? Besides, I'm just a fishery administration supervisor. I just need to cooperate with you to retrieve the plane's black box and complete the mission. I'm worried about causing any unnecessary trouble or complications. That would be bad."

I said, “Old Gu, that’s not right of you. You know, many legends are very close to the truth. Zheng Jian, Xiao Zhang, and I are from out of town. What do we not know? You have to keep telling us. We’re all in the same boat now. If something happens to us, whether we go into the water or into a cave, you, as the reservoir’s manager, will be in big trouble.”

Old Gu quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, nothing else. It's just that I've been wandering around this reservoir for years and have heard too much. I can't remember it right now. How about this, as soon as I remember anything, I'll report it to everyone, okay?"

I snorted and said, "Don't just focus on reporting to that Zheng Jian!"

Old Gu turned around and lowered his voice, saying, "I heard that Zheng Jian, who is an officer, is a high-ranking officer in the Fujian Navy. His soldiers seem to have mentioned that Zheng Jian is the head of a secret naval department. Even Lu Tongchun has to take his orders this time. Xiao Huang, did you know him when you were in the Navy?"

I curled my lip: "He's so arrogant, how would I know such a person? But maybe that's just his personality, he doesn't like to talk. When I was in the army, I was a well-behaved kid, I didn't run around causing trouble. I don't know anything about the secret department you're talking about."

Date: 2008-03-10 11:46:00

There are some things that can't be said. An old comrade of mine secretly told me that last month, on a torpedo boat in the North Sea Fleet, two sailors killed six officers on board and defected overseas. The fleet commander was also dismissed. Since then, a new department has indeed appeared in the military, specializing in ideological work among sailors. I don't know the details, so naturally I don't dare to say anything about Zheng Jian's background.

Seeing that I didn't speak, Lao Gu thought for a moment and then said, "There are also legends about the sinkhole. The villagers nearby say that there is a bull demon inside. Every time it comes out to do evil, it either eats people or ruins the wheat."

I laughed: "The conditions inside this cave are not suitable for large animals to live in at all. The story of the man-eating monster is really just a hoax."

Old Gu nodded: "That's what I thought too. Some brave villagers even climbed deeper in to take a look and found that in the stone hall dozens of meters away from the cave entrance, the ceiling was teeming with thousands of black bats, the ground was covered with a thick layer of black droppings, and the stone walls were covered with insects that looked like crickets, as well as many centipedes that rolled around everywhere. Further in, it got colder, more than ten degrees lower than outside, and there were no traces of other animals."

I smiled and turned to look at Zhang Liheng. The young girl listened to our chatter and remained calm in the night. I guessed that despite being a woman, she might be a tough person who had seen a lot of storms.

Everyone works in different units, and apart from me, who's just a busybody, everyone seems a bit wary of each other. When I get back, I really need to ask Lao Deng what strange clues he's discovered. I think at least my old boss wouldn't lie to me.

Chapter 7 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 7 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

Date: 2008-03-10 12:37:00

I didn't sleep well last night. After chatting for a while, I got sleepy, so I reluctantly said goodbye to them and went back to sleep.

In the middle of the night, I was jolted awake and almost rolled off the bed. I was lying on the bed frame with my head spinning. Before I could come to my senses, I heard a metallic scraping sound. Something had scraped against the bottom of the boat, which jolted me back to the bed.

I had a bad feeling; something was wrong!

I jumped up, opened the door, and went out to see what was going on. It must have rained last night; the air was cool, and the boat was wet everywhere.

Standing at the bow, I realized something was wrong. Before I went to bed, the boat was clearly anchored and secured, so why did it feel like it was slowly moving? I strained to look ahead, and oh no!

The boat is drifting towards the rocky mountain. Below the rocky mountain, there is a dark, gaping hole with the lake water flowing into it. Our boat is also drifting in with the current. The hole is not as big as the boat. We will definitely crash into the rocks and get stuck on the side of the mountain!

The other three boats that were originally scattered around were now completely obscured by darkness, and I couldn't see them anywhere. I panicked. In this deep lake, without a boat, even the best swimmer would be in trouble, and it would be difficult to find someone to rescue us.

I shouted for everyone on the ship to get up quickly. I believed that with Zheng Jian's cautious nature, he would definitely leave guards on duty. But strangely, no one paid any attention to me even after I shouted several times.

I had no choice but to turn around and go back to the cabin to knock on the door.

Just as I was about to turn around, I heard a sound. It was strange; it shouldn't be a sound from here. It was a sound that only a theatrical stage would make: the sound of drums, gongs, chants, and erhu.

In the pitch-black, silent night, it drifted in faintly, its direction indistinct.

Date: 2008-03-10 16:16:00

I was filled with doubt and surprise. How could there be a theatrical troupe performing in the depths of a lake? It must be my imagination. But the hoarse, strained singing voices drifted slowly from afar across the vast, dark water, growing clearer and more piercing.

A hand pressed down hard on my shoulder, and I jerked violently, almost using a grappling move to retaliate. It turned out to be Lao Gu, who was putting a finger to his lips, signaling me not to make a sound.

Old Gu gestured with his chin, and I looked in that direction. I saw a dark mass floating on the water, just like our boat, heading straight for the rocky mountain.

On this dark mass, there was a tiny red light, flickering like a cigarette butt, and the sound of opera singing came from there. I strained my eyes but couldn't make out what it was, but it was definitely not the work of ghosts or monsters, nor was there really an opera troupe performing on stage, but that was an indisputable fact.

The dark mass began to drift more slowly, and our boat slowed down as well.

I asked Lao Gu in a low voice, "Where are they? Why isn't there even a sentry on this ship? If this were on the front lines, with troops being led like this, we would have all had our heads chopped off by the enemy's water ghosts long ago!"

Old Gu shook his head and said, "There was no one on the boat. In the middle of the night, I heard some noise. Upon closer listening, I realized that Zheng Jian had led his men off the boat. It seemed that the young girl from the Fisheries Department had gone with them. There was a few words of argument, but in the end, no one came to call us."

I was stunned, then immediately filled with shock and anger: "What's going on—are they isolating us like spies? Where did they go? Lao Gu, did you hear that?"

Old Gu said, "They must have gone up the rocky mountain. There must have been about ten people carrying something heavy."

Date: 2008-03-10 16:37:00

Zheng Jian led his men up Stone Mountain in the middle of the night! Did he leave Lao Gu and me stranded on this boat?

Impossible! The more I think about it, the more bizarre it seems. Why would he do that? He's an active-duty soldier, and I'm a retired veteran; we're practically on the same side, aren't we? Wait a minute, it's hard to say if he's actually active-duty. I didn't see him in uniform; he only introduced himself as being from the Fujian Navy.

I glanced at Lao Gu's face and felt a sudden unease. I began to doubt Lao Gu's authenticity. Lao Gu's appearance was unclear, and it was hard to say whether he was a friend or foe.

There's no one around me I can absolutely trust. If I had known, I should have held on and waited for my old comrade-in-arms, Ding Gen, to come. It would have been much better to have close friends looking out for each other than being all alone and helpless like I am now.

I asked Lao Gu, "Zheng Jian couldn't possibly have taken everyone with him when he disembarked, could he? Isn't he afraid we'll take the ship away and prevent him from coming back?"

Old Gu said with a wry smile, "He stayed behind to steer the ship. They're all locked in the engine room. I just checked, and the people inside said that Zheng Jian gave them orders to stay in the cabin and not leave unless he returns or another ship sends a radio message."

What the hell is this guy doing? I'm so angry I'm completely confused: "Wasn't the ship anchored? How is it drifting? And what's that thing hitting the bottom of the ship? What kind of lousy officer is Zheng Jian? How can he be so careless!"

Date: 2008-03-10 17:35:00

Old Gu said, "I asked them, but they didn't know what was going on either. Zheng Jian said he would be back by dawn, at most a few hours, so they locked them up."

I thought for a moment and said, "Alright, let's not worry about that for now. If this boat keeps drifting like this and actually hits a rock or gets stuck in that dark hole, we're all doomed. And that big dark thing looks menacing and has ill intentions. We need to deal with these problems first, and then we can have a good fight with Zheng Jian when he gets back! After all, he's an official, and he might just be following orders from his superiors."

The boat had indeed stopped. It seemed that the large hole had been filled with water, and the water flow had slowed down. I couldn't understand how the rain that fell at night could have such a big effect, so I had to turn my attention to the dark mass in the water next to the boat.

I glanced at my watch; it was past four in the morning. It was still quite dark everywhere. The faint, strained singing of the opera sounded like someone about to die.

Old Gu and I both focused our attention on the water's surface, staring at the tiny red dot amidst the dark mass, trying to guess what it was: "Look at that red dot, what could it be? Is it the eye of some animal?"

I said, "No way? There's no way there's such a big one-eyed monster. You're just making this up! I don't think it could be alive. Otherwise, how could it be floating at about the same speed as our boat? It looks more like some kind of small island. Look, there are some shadowy things growing on it, and quite a lot of grass."

Old Gu exclaimed in surprise, "Impossible! How could a small island drift away!"

I suddenly remembered something and quickly asked Lao Gu, "I remember this area, you mean we're almost at the border of Jiande City, which is southeast of Chun'an County. As we walked along, did you notice any changes in the lake water? For example, the color of the water, the speed of the current, the temperature of the water, or anything like that?"

Chapter 8 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 8 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

Date: 2008-03-11 21:11:00

Old Gu shook his head: "I always pay close attention to these hydrological data, but I really haven't found anything unusual along the way. Xiao Huang, you deal with water all the time, can't you tell what that thing is?"

I was a little frustrated. I had thought of one possibility, but Lao Gu said that there was nothing unusual in the hydrological data along the way, so I could only shake my head and say, "Sigh, I can't tell. You say it's a bunch of aquatic plants, but they're growing too low, almost parallel to the water surface. You say it's a submerged plant, but it just floats above the water with a smooth edge!"

Old Gu said nervously, "Could it really be a water monster? Look how dark the water is, there might be something even bigger down there, and it's not moving at all. What on earth is it doing there?"

I lowered my voice and asked Lao Gu, "Do you have a gun? If you do, take it out. I want to shoot it!"

Old Gu nodded: "I have a hunting rifle, which was issued to me by my work unit. It's used to catch those thieves who use electricity to fish."

Just as I was about to urge him to take it out, I heard a gunshot from the back of the rocky hill. It was a very muffled sound. Almost at the same time, countless bubbles rose from the dark mass next to our boat, accompanied by strange popping sounds, like a barefoot person stepping into a pond and squeezing out strands of mud from between their toes.

Old Gu and I quickly lay down on the side of the boat, nervously watching the direction of the gunshot, while also worrying about the dark, motionless mass. We were in a terrible state. But the gun only fired once, and then there was no more movement, and the surroundings returned to silence.

I suddenly realized that the flashing red light was gone, absolutely gone!

I got annoyed and told Lao Gu, "Hold your shotgun and wait for me here. I'm going down to check."

Old Gu grabbed me: "It's so dark, are you sure you can handle this? We absolutely can't have any accidents, we have to be careful."

I said impatiently, "Don't worry, just get me an underwater headlamp. I don't even need an air tank. I'll show you what a frogman is all about!"

Old Gu went back and fiddled around for a while, then pulled out a short-handled flashlight and handed it to me. I looked at it closely and it seemed strange, so I asked Old Gu suspiciously, "Where did this thing come from? What kind of light bulb is it?"

Old Gu chuckled and said, "They say it's a krypton light bulb, which can go at least seventy meters deep."

This is amazing! How did Lao Gu get this?

Date: 2008-03-11 22:15:00

Full of suspicion, I asked Lao Gu where he got this thing from. Lao Gu just smiled and refused to say.

I've really learned something new these past few days. I've finally learned what a mysterious person is. Everyone around me is so eccentric and annoying!

I got tired of asking and didn't bother to ask anymore. I slowly slid into the water along the side of the boat without making a splash. My good swimming skills are the result of grueling training. Once in the water, I gripped my diving knife, which I've been with day and night, and I felt a sense of calm. Even my wildly beating heart became more at peace.

Logically, the lake water should be a little cool after the rain, but I couldn't feel that the water was cool, which made me feel a little strange. As I vaguely approached the place, I decided to go underwater to take a look first. So I took a deep breath, gripped the flashlight in one hand and the knife in the other, and slowly approached the dark mass.

The lake water was quite murky where the light reached, with many suspended objects floating on it, completely different from the clear water I had imagined. Just as I was about to float up to get some air, I felt something touch my face; it was soft and squishy.

Cool, sticky, and soft—that's the feeling on my cheek after being touched. Even though I was completely submerged in water, that area still felt sticky, as if something had stuck to it. My reaction was to turn around, immediately dive down, and shine my flashlight back at the spot.

Oh no, this short-handled flashlight is really awkward to hold. I'm not used to it at all. As I turned around, it fell into the water. In the crooked beam of light, I saw a fat toad kick its legs in the water and rush up to the dark mass of things before disappearing.

I was confused. Toads aren't good swimmers, so how could there be one here? But one thing was certain: this dark mass was definitely inanimate. The toad jumped on it and didn't react at all.

Because I was so busy looking at something touching me, by the time I came to my senses and went to retrieve the fallen flashlight, it had already sunk so low that I couldn't see it anymore!

I'm so frustrated! This is such a bad start! It's pitch black everywhere, I can't see anything at all, what am I going to do? That damned toad, it ruined my plans!

I gritted my teeth and made up my mind to touch that dark, heavy object. I quickly submerged in the water, creating a current, and pressed my hand down on it. Instead of the hard rock I expected, I touched something soft and squishy, and immediately pulled my hand away.

What is that? Is it a corpse?

A chill ran down my spine. In the darkness, the disgusting image of a corpse immediately appeared. At the same time, someone gently patted the back of my head.

Oh my god? My heart sank, and I was so scared by the sudden attack in the dark that I almost froze. Without hesitation, I leaped up and swung my knife back!

The underwater frogmen in the army have received professional training, especially in the use of diving knives. They know how to stab, chop, slice, thrust, and parry underwater, and they have many practical techniques that are extremely ruthless. I am confident that my skills are also quite good, and now that we are facing a life-or-death situation, I have used them exceptionally well.

But to my utter surprise, such a powerful and imposing strike was actually caught by the opponent.

Date: 2008-03-11 23:21:00

The thing that slapped my head caught my knife, but it didn't feel like it was stuck inside. My knife could still move slowly inside it, but I couldn't exert any strength in the water. I could feel the blade was about to come out, but it was always just a little bit short.

In the darkness of the underwater world, I could vaguely make out the outline of this thing, which was completely unlike a human shape. Moreover, it was very black and could release some suspended particles, making the water extremely murky. I dared not open my eyes again, worried that there might be some toxins in the water. So I simply closed my eyes tightly, calmed myself down, gritted my teeth, and jumped in again, trying my best to pull the diving knife back!

This is terrible!

I pulled too hard and the knife slipped out of my hand. It slid and drifted in the water, almost stabbing back at me. The dark, blurry monster followed the knife's trajectory and lunged at me in the water, narrowly missing me and almost making physical contact.

Could it be that I really hit a corpse? It was originally floating in the water, but while I was dodging that toad, it created a current and drifted over.

It's been a long time since I've actually heard about this, but it all happened in a very short moment. The intense underwater movements combined with my nervousness made me realize something was wrong; my breath-holding time was about to end, and I had to surface for air.

At that moment, I felt very uneasy in the darkness of the water. Although my eyes were closed, I subconsciously sensed danger. I squinted and immediately realized that there was definitely more than one guy around me, more than five or six, gathered around me. They looked hostile and were all groping me as if they wanted to harm me.

This really scared me. I deeply regretted showing off my skills by going into the water alone to investigate. It would have been a huge loss if I had died.