My childhood friend is in her mature, sophisticated form again today. - Chapter 22

It wasn’t a home visit. It was an email sent to the firm’s public email address. A-Zuo checks his emails every morning; most are spam, occasionally there are inquiries, but rarely any legitimate requests. But this one was different.

“Boss, come take a look.” A-Zuo turned the screen towards Lin Jiqiu.

The email was unsigned and contained only a few lines of text:

“I need help. My colleague has gone missing at sea. It wasn’t an accident. Please come. The address is attached. You can set the time.”

Lin Jiqiu frowned after reading it. “In the sea?”

“The attachment is a location in a small coastal town, about 300 kilometers from here.” A-Zuo zoomed in on the map. “There’s a marine research institute there.”

Can the sender be found?

“The email address was registered temporarily, the kind you use and discard. But the metadata of the attached document contains author information—a person named ‘Sun Yuan’. I searched it up, and this name matches the list of researchers at that oceanographic institute.”

Lin Jiqiu leaned back on the sofa, staring at the screen. In the sea. Disappeared. Not an accident.

Does Cheng Ran know?

“I just forwarded the email to him.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Ran came downstairs. He was wearing a dark hoodie, holding a tablet in his hand, and sat down on the sofa.

“I read that email.” He placed the tablet on the coffee table, which contained information about the marine research institute: “Sun Yuan, 32 years old, PhD in marine biology, has worked at the institute for four years. His research focuses on deep-sea ecosystems.”

Who is the colleague he’s talking about?

“It’s not explicitly stated. But recently, one person from the institute went missing—Fang Lin, female, 30 years old, marine geologist. She didn’t return after a deep-sea diving operation two weeks ago. The institute says it was due to equipment malfunction, the search and rescue was unsuccessful, and it has been determined to be an accident.”

You don’t believe me?

“I’ve reviewed the equipment malfunction report.” Cheng Ran pulled up a document. “There are some discrepancies in the data. The remaining pressure in the oxygen tank doesn’t match the dive duration. If it really was an equipment malfunction, the data shouldn’t be like that.”

Lin Jiqiu looked at him. “You’ve already investigated?”

“Within ten minutes of receiving the email.”

Ah-You poked his head out from the kitchen. “What are you talking about? A new case?”

“Okay.” Lin Jiqiu stood up. “Azuo, tell Sun Yuan that we’ll arrive this afternoon.”

“I’ll go prepare the car.” A-Zuo closed his laptop.

Lin Jiqiu went upstairs to change. She chose a dark-colored casual outfit for ease of movement. She rummaged through the closet for a waterproof backpack and put her usual tools inside—a thin wire, a flashlight, a folding knife, and the USB drive Cheng Ran had given her. Then she took the “Yin” off its wrist strap, held it in her hand, and felt its temperature.

“I’m going on a long trip today,” she said softly.

The sphere vibrated slightly, as if in response.

Lin Jiqiu fastened it back onto the wristband and went downstairs.

Ah Zuo had already started the car, and Ah You was standing at the door, holding a bag. “Boss, some food for the road. Sandwiches and water.”

“Aren’t you going?”

“Ah Zuo said he can go. I’ll stay here and watch the house.” Ah You handed her the bag. “Cats need to be fed too.”

Lin Jiqiu took the bag, patted him on the shoulder, and got into the car.

Cheng Ran was already sitting in the back seat, holding his tablet in his arms, still looking at documents.

A-Zuo started the car and drove off the street.

Three hundred kilometers, a four-hour drive. Lin Jiqiu leaned back in the passenger seat, watching the scenery rushing past the window. The city was gradually being replaced by the suburbs, the suburbs by farmland, and the farmland by hills. The sky was very blue, and the clouds were very low, as if you could reach out and touch them.

“Cheng Ran”.

“Um.”

What are your thoughts on this case?

Cheng Ran put down the tablet. “The research institute said that Fang Lin’s disappearance was due to equipment malfunction. But the area where the equipment malfunctioned has a very complex seabed topography, with some underground caves. As far as I know, that area is not within the scope of regular research.”

“You mean, she went somewhere she shouldn’t have gone?”

“Maybe. Or maybe she saw something she shouldn’t have seen.”

Lin Jiqiu tapped lightly on the car door armrest. “Why is Sun Yuan looking for us? Shouldn’t he be contacting the police?”

“The police have already intervened. The conclusion is that it was an accident, and no case has been filed.” Cheng Ran paused for a moment. “Sun Yuan may not trust the police. Or, he may know something that the police don’t.”

Lin Jiqiu was silent for a few seconds. “We’ll talk about it when we get there.”

The car drove for more than three hours on the highway, then exited and turned onto a road along the coastline. The view outside the car window changed to the sea—deep blue, stretching as far as the eye could see, with the horizon merging seamlessly with the sky in the distance.

Lin Jiqiu rolled down the car window, and the sea breeze blew in, carrying a salty and fishy smell.

“We’re almost there,” A-Zuo said.

The town is small, with a main street running east to west, lined with low-rise buildings. The research institute is located at the eastern end of the town, near the sea; it’s a white, three-story building with glass curtain walls reflecting sunlight.

A-Zuo parked the car in the parking lot in front of the research institute. Lin Jiqiu got out of the car and stretched his stiff neck. Cheng Ran got out of the back seat, still holding the tablet.

“Sun Yuan arranged to meet us at the research institute,” Cheng Ran said. “He said he would wait for us at the entrance.”

A young man in a white lab coat walked out of the research institute. He was tall and thin, wore black-rimmed glasses, and had rather long hair that looked unkempt. He walked to the parking lot, looked at the license plate, and then walked towards Lin Jiqiu.

“You are… Lin Jiqiu?”

“yes.”

“I’m Sun Yuan.” He extended his hand, shook hands with Lin Jiqiu, and then with Cheng Ran. “Thank you for coming. You must have had a long journey.”

“Let’s go inside and talk,” Lin Jiqiu said.

Sun Yuan led them into the research institute. The first floor consisted of a lobby and several offices. The corridor was quiet, and occasionally someone would pass by, glance at them, and ask no further questions.

Sun Yuan’s office was on the third floor. It wasn’t large, and the bookshelves were crammed with documents and professional books, with several stacks of materials piled on the desk. He pulled out two chairs and gestured for them to sit down.

“How much do you know about Fang Lin’s situation?” Sun Yuan asked bluntly.

“Missing, equipment malfunction, search and rescue efforts were unsuccessful. The police concluded it was an accident,” Cheng Ran said.

Sun Yuan adjusted his glasses. “That wasn’t an accident.”

How can you be so sure?

“Because I was supposed to go down that day.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

Sun Yuan took a deep breath. “The diving mission was originally planned to be between Fang Lin and me. But my equipment malfunctioned the day before, so another colleague took over at the last minute. Fang Lin went into the water alone.”

“Who did you replace?” Lin Jiqiu asked.

“No one else was replaced. It was just her.” Sun Yuan lowered his head. “Normally, deep-sea diving requires at least two people. That day, the plan was almost canceled because of my equipment malfunction. But Fang Lin said she could do it alone; she’s very experienced.”

“Did the research institute agree to let her go down alone?”

“The director agreed. He said the mission couldn’t be delayed.” Sun Yuan’s voice lowered. “She never came back.”

Cheng Ran opened the tablet. “The search and rescue report says she went missing at a depth of about forty meters underwater. Communications were lost, and the location signal was lost. The search and rescue team searched for two days but did not find her body.”

“The seabed topography in that area is very complex.” Sun Yuan stood up, walked to the map on the wall, and pointed to a location. “Here, there is the entrance to an underground cave. Fang Lin studied that cave before, and she said there might be new hydrothermal vents inside.”

“She went there?”

“I went once. That time it was with her. We went down into the cave, to a depth of about sixty meters. There were indeed hydrothermal vents there, as well as some creatures that had not been recorded before. She came back very excited and said she wanted to go down again to collect more samples.”

“She went alone the second time?”

“Yes. My equipment malfunctioned that day, so I couldn’t go with her.” Sun Yuan pressed his hand against the wall, as if trying to support himself. “But I spoke to her on the phone before she went into the water. She said she would be careful and wouldn’t go deep into the cave. She would only take samples from the outside.”

Do you have the communication records?

“Yes.” Sun Yuan returned to the table and took out a printed copy from the drawer. “This is the institute’s call log. The last communication was fifteen minutes after she went into the water. She said she saw something and was going to go check it out. Then the call ended.”

“What is that?”

“She didn’t say.”

Lin Jiqiu and Cheng Ran exchanged a glance.

“Sun Yuan, what do you want us to do?” Lin Jiqiu asked.

Sun Yuan looked at them. “I want to know what she saw. If she’s still alive…”

“You think she’s still alive?”

“I don’t know,” Sun Yuan’s voice was a little hoarse, “but if the body hasn’t been found, there’s still hope.”

Lin Jiqiu was silent for a few seconds. “I’ll take this commission.”

Sun Yuan’s shoulders relaxed slightly.

“But we need more information,” Lin Jiqiu said. “Equipment, diving routes, communication logs, search and rescue reports. Everything you can get.”

“I will organize it and give it to you.”

“There’s one more thing,” Cheng Ran began. “You just said your equipment ‘had a problem.’ What problem?”

Sun Yuan was taken aback. “The oxygen regulating valve was faulty. The maintenance personnel said it was worn out and replaced it with a new one.”

“Aging? How long has that equipment been used?”

“Less than two years.”

Cheng Ran made a few notes on the tablet and didn’t ask any further questions.

Lin Jiqiu stood up. “Let’s find a place to stay first. We’ll start the investigation tomorrow.”

“There’s a hotel nearby, I’ll book it for you,” Sun Yuan said.

“No need. We’ll find it ourselves.”

Lin Jiqiu walked to the door and stopped. “Sun Yuan.”

“Um?”

“Do Fang Lin’s family know about this?”

Sun Yuan lowered his head. “Her parents live in another city. When the research institute notified them, they said it was an accident.”

“You disagree?”

I disagree.

Lin Jiqiu looked at him, nodded, and walked out of the office.

Cheng Ran followed behind.

Ah Zuo was waiting in the car. Seeing them come out, he started the car.

“How is it?” A-Zuo asked.

“Stay here. Starting tomorrow.” Lin Jiqiu fastened his seatbelt.

A-Zuo drove to the only hotel in town. It was a two-story building with white walls, blue window frames, and a few pots of unidentified flowers planted at the entrance. The landlady was a woman in her fifties with a heavy accent. She gave them two rooms—one for Lin Jiqiu and one for Cheng Ran and A-Zuo.

Lin Jiqiu entered the room, threw his backpack on the bed, and walked to the window. Outside the window was the sea, a deep blue that stretched to the horizon. Several white seabirds circled above the sea, and a distant lighthouse gleamed in the sunlight.

The ball on my wrist vibrated.

“Can you see the sea from your side?” she asked in a low voice.

“Yes,” Cheng Ran’s voice came through the earpiece. “My room faces north, so I can’t see it. But I can smell it.”

“Smell what?”

“ocean.”

Lin Jiqiu’s lips curved slightly. “You can still smell the sea?”

“Salty. Fishy. And a bit of diesel—there are fishing boats over there at the harbor.”

“Would your senses be overloaded at the beach?”

“Yes. The sea has too much information. Wind, waves, temperature, salinity, schools of fish, ships…” Cheng Ran paused for a moment, “but your voice doesn’t.”

Lin Jiqiu remained silent.

“Your room faces south?” Cheng Ran asked.

“Yes. You can see the sea.”

“I’ll come to your place to watch the sunrise tomorrow morning.”

Lin Jiqiu tapped her fingers lightly on the windowsill. “Okay.”

She drew the curtains, turned around, and lay down on the bed.

The ceiling was white, with a simple ceiling light. A painting hung on the wall—it depicted the sea, much like the sea outside the window.

She closed her eyes.

Sun Yuan’s words echoed in her mind. Fang Lin. Underwater cave. Communication lost. Equipment malfunction.

And that “thing”.

What did she see underwater that made her disregard safety and venture alone into the cave?

Lin Jiqiu opened her eyes, took out her phone from her pocket, and sent a message to Cheng Ran.

Could you please check if there are any special records of the underwater caves in that area? Geological, biological, or even folklore-related.

The reply came very quickly.

[It’s already under investigation.]

She posted another message.

What do you think she will see?

Cheng Ran replied after a few seconds.

I don’t know. But the fact that she chose to go and see shows that she felt it was worthwhile.

Lin Jiqiu stared at the line of text on the screen and remained silent for a long time.

worth.

Sometimes, people make choices not because of safety, but because they are worthwhile.

She put her phone next to her pillow and turned over.

The sound of the waves outside the window came in waves, like some kind of ancient breath.

The ball on my wrist vibrated gently, its rhythm almost matching the frequency of the ocean waves.

Lin Jiqiu closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep on this unfamiliar coastline.