Chapter 3: Fractures in Memory

After returning to the city, Chen Hao still felt as if he hadn’t fully awakened. Sitting at his desk in the radio station, his eyes were distant, and his fingers tapped absently on the keyboard. Everything he had seen and heard the previous night clung to him like a ghostly shadow, pressing heavily on his heart. That reservoir, the indistinct footprints, the figure under the water—none of it offered clear answers. Instead, it felt like an unsolved riddle, one that had entangled him completely.

Chen Hao stood up from his chair and walked to the window, gazing out through the glass at the overcast sky. His mind remained restless. The voice from that phone call echoed over and over in his head: "I'm dead. I'm in the water... They won't let me leave..." The cold, lifeless tone stabbed deep into his thoughts like a thorn. It seemed to hint at something—a detail he had overlooked, a fear he couldn’t quite comprehend.

"Chen Hao, hurry! Someone’s here to see you!" Suddenly, Xiao Liu’s voice called out from outside the studio door. Snapping back to reality, Chen Hao turned toward the entrance and saw Xiao Liu standing there, holding a slip of paper.

"Who's looking for me?" Chen Hao asked, slightly puzzled.

"I’m not sure. Probably something to do with that weird call you got the other day." Xiao Liu handed him the note.

Chen Hao unfolded it. Just a few words were written: “Reservoir manager. Call me.” No signature. Not even a punctuation mark. Chen Hao raised an eyebrow—this person seemed to know something.

He picked up the phone and dialed the mysterious number. On the other end, a low male voice answered, "Is this Chen Hao?"

"Yes," Chen Hao replied, heart beating faster. "Are you the reservoir manager?"

"That's right," the man said curtly. "There's something I need to tell you—something better said in person. Are you free now?"

"I am. Send me the address."

After hanging up, Chen Hao grabbed his coat and left the station in a hurry. The reservoir manager clearly knew things he hadn’t yet uncovered—and those were the clues he desperately needed. On the drive over, visions from the previous night flashed repeatedly in his mind: the shadowy figure, the silhouette vanishing beneath the surface… all of it pressing toward a truth he had yet to grasp.

He arrived at a remote spot on the outskirts of the city—the reservoir manager’s home. It was far from the urban sprawl, surrounded by barren land and low shrubs. As he approached the door, he saw a middle-aged man waiting for him outside. The man wore a plain blue work uniform. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes held a deep, steady gaze.

"You must be Chen Hao?" the man said, his voice low.

"Yes, I am," Chen Hao nodded. "You’re the reservoir manager?"

"Correct. My name is Wang Qiang." He extended a hand, shaking Chen Hao’s firmly. "Let’s go inside."

Wang Qiang led him into a simple, dimly lit house. The only light came from an old desk lamp, casting a faint glow. The room held sparse furniture, and a yellowed reservoir map and a few faded photos hung on the wall. It was clear that this place rarely saw visitors. It felt a world apart from the bustling, modern city outside.

"Have a seat," Wang Qiang gestured for Chen Hao to sit across from him. "I know you’re looking into the drowning incident from five years ago. What you may not know is—it was never solved. The police found no leads. Everyone just assumed it was an unfortunate accident."

"But you think otherwise?" Chen Hao asked.

Wang Qiang was silent for a moment, then sighed. "No. It was definitely not just an accident," he said in a low voice, his eyes drifting toward the distant reservoir through the window. "Have you ever heard the term 'water ghost'?"

Chen Hao furrowed his brow. Something stirred in his chest. "Water ghost? Are you saying—"

"You’ll think it’s absurd," Wang Qiang cut him off. "But if you knew this reservoir’s history, it would make more sense."

Chen Hao waited silently, letting him continue.

"This reservoir has been around for nearly thirty years. It was a complex project, built under very unique geological conditions. It's incredibly deep, with blind spots that can’t even be scanned properly. There are even rumors—of bodies at the bottom, lost items, strange... things." Wang Qiang paused. "Five years ago, the boy drowned here. He came just to have fun. No one expected what happened. The surface was calm. No one even saw him go under. The police searched for three full days and still couldn’t find his body."

Chen Hao's heart skipped a beat. "His body... wasn’t found at all?"

"Some things," Wang Qiang said, his voice even lower now, "aren’t meant to be found."

He leaned forward slightly. "I was on duty at the reservoir that day. I heard something—something strange. It was like… a deep breathing sound, coming from beneath the water. You know how some sounds just don’t feel natural? Like it came from some kind of... presence. I never told anyone before. But every time I think of that day, I get this uneasy feeling."

Chen Hao’s brows knitted tighter. "Do you think it’s connected to the mysterious phone call I got? The voice said, ‘They won’t let me leave’—who are they?"

Wang Qiang’s expression turned grim. "If you ask me what a water ghost is, I’ll tell you: it’s not something we’re meant to understand. That boy’s disappearance wasn’t just a drowning. I think… I think he died because of something down there. Something in the reservoir. Maybe… he didn’t drown at all."

"You’re suggesting there’s something down there—something—that controls what happens on the surface?" Chen Hao asked.

Wang Qiang was quiet for a long time. Finally, he said, "Maybe. You can investigate further if you want. But my advice? Don’t dig too deep."

There was a heavy warning in his voice.

A chill crawled up Chen Hao’s spine. He realized this wasn’t just a missing person case anymore. The secret buried beneath that reservoir was far darker, and far more terrifying, than he had imagined.

He stood and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Wang. I’ll contact you again once I learn more."

Leaving Wang Qiang’s house, Chen Hao felt a storm of unease swirling in his chest.

The reservoir. The water ghost. The boy who disappeared five years ago…

A spine-chilling truth was waiting to be uncovered.

But the real danger—was only just beginning…