Chapter 74.3: The Threshold

After acing his final exams, Tan Yunlong bought him a pager. Ever since, he’d kept it clipped to his belt, even buying a new pair of jeans and a leather belt from town just to match it.

Runsheng asked, “Did your dad page you in the face or something?”

“Heh, you're just jealous,” Tan Wenbin smirked, jutting his hips forward and crab-walking down the dam path.

The move drew chuckles from both Yin Meng behind him and Liu Yumei, who was sipping tea on the dam.

Tan Wenbin jogged to Aunt Zhang’s convenience store to return a call. Moments later, he came running back and shouted toward Li Zhuiyuan, who was still in the field setting off firecrackers with Ah Li:

“Xiaoyuan-ge, my dad said the precinct’s sending someone to pick you and Great-Grandpa Li up. They’ve got a strange corpse and want you to take a look.”

“Okay,” Li Zhuiyuan nodded and left the field with Ah Li. They washed their hands at the well on the dam.

“Want me to fetch Great-Grandpa Li?” Tan Wenbin offered.

Liu Jinxia had hired Li Sanjiang for a job—he hadn’t returned yet.

“No need,” said Li Zhuiyuan. “We can handle it.”

“Alright.” Tan Wenbin agreed—whether Great-Grandpa came or not made little difference.

Runsheng asked, “Xiaoyuan, should we go too?”

“If we need you guys, I’ll call.”

“Got it.” Runsheng headed down the dam, tore open a pack of firecrackers, and pulled out the fuses.

Soon, a police tricycle came rumbling in. Tan Wenbin waved and called out “Uncle Liu!” as he helped Li Zhuiyuan onto the vehicle.

After they left, Yin Meng lit a joss stick, then sparked off a two-stage firecracker.

“Bang... pop!”

Once the smoke cleared, Yin Meng turned to Runsheng.

“Tell me, why is it so peaceful around here?”

Runsheng pointed toward the house with the big-bearded man. “Xiaoyuan says something big is lying over there. Still alive.”

“When will it die?”

“No idea. Doesn’t really matter. One more semester and Xiaoyuan’s off to college. Just hang in there.”

…

Meanwhile, on the tricycle, Tan Wenbin kept rubbing his fingers. After a big scare, the long calm had started to feel stifling.

At the station, Tan Yunlong came out personally to greet them.

Tan Wenbin pulled out two cigarettes—one for Uncle Liu, the tricycle driver, and the other for Tan Yunlong.

“Here, Captain Tan, have a smoke.”

Tan Yunlong took it. “Back to smoking again?”

“Nah,” Tan Wenbin grinned, slipping the pack into his pocket. “It’s almost New Year. Great-Grandpa gave it to me.”

“Xiaoyuan, with me.”

“Sure thing, Uncle Tan.”

Tan Yunlong led Li Zhuiyuan toward the forensics room. Tan Wenbin followed without hesitation.

“Captain Tan, this is...” The young female forensic officer, Little Wang, was visibly surprised to see two boys walk in.

She remembered discussing corpse retrieval once with an elderly expert who had offered many insights. Wasn’t he the one they were supposed to call this time?

“Start, Forensic Wang,” said Tan Yunlong without further explanation.

She led them to a gurney, hand gripping the sheet. But still she hesitated.

“Captain Tan, are you sure? I’m worried they’ll be frightened.”

Tan Wenbin shrugged. “Come on, it’s just Giant Corpse Syndrome. Nothing major.”

Even though the corpse was covered, its bloated feet were visible, proof it had been waterlogged for some time.

“It’s more than that.” Forensic Wang lifted the sheet, revealing a bloated body with a gaping hole in the chest, like someone had scooped out a chunk of pork jelly.

She expected the boys to recoil—but instead, they leaned in from either side, fascinated.

“Whoa, this is wild, Yuanzi-ge.”

“Mm.”

“What’s this round scoop in the middle? Could it be that?”

“No.”

“Then that?”

“Also no.”

Forensic Wang stood there, completely lost.

Tan Yunlong shot his son a glare. “Use human words.”

Tan Wenbin huffed. “That’s what happens when you don’t read.”

Tan Yunlong: “…”

Seeing his father genuinely annoyed, Tan Wenbin quickly added, “Dad, it’s a technical term I learned from Great-Grandpa.”

He’d read Strange Records of the Jianghu and had first thought of “child-parent Dead Sinkers” and “parasitic Dead Sinkers”—but Li Zhuiyuan had ruled both out.

Li Zhuiyuan pointed to a green thread in the hollowed chest.

Forensic Wang said, “Waterweed?”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. “Not waterweed. Animal hair.”

Tan Yunlong asked, “Wang, you didn’t run any tests?”

“I...” She looked embarrassed. “It was my oversight. I didn’t notice.”

“Uncle Tan, where was the body found?”

“Tongxing River. We’ve already sent people upstream to look into recent disappearances of middle-aged men.”

“Is upstream closer to us or downstream?” asked Li Zhuiyuan.

“What do you mean?” Tan Yunlong looked confused.

Tan Wenbin interjected, “Xiaoyuan, I know that river. It flows past us first, then toward the next town.”

“Uncle Tan,” said Li Zhuiyuan, “then search downstream. Not upstream.”

“You think the body drifted against the current?”

“Mm. A boat might’ve carried it upstream. It’s possible.”

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