The pond is on the west side of the playground, next to the dormitory building. There is a layer of moss floating on the water, and it is very turbid.
Now there is a problem, who will go down? Given the current situation, even those who can swim don’t dare to say that they can.
There may be dead bodies at the bottom of the water. People who go down there need to be not only good swimmers, but also have strong mental qualities and courage.
Chen Yang’s swimming ability was average. He half-knelt down, supported his legs with his hands and looked at the pond, hesitant.
"I'm going to go for a swim." said the hipster next to him.
Chen Yang looked at him like a naughty kid: "What the hell are you doing swimming? You still have a fever and your physical strength is very low. You can't come up after going down once."
Wen Qing curled his lips: "What should I do then?"
The six girls present all stood with their heads down. The four girls in the pigtail dormitory were all good swimmers. Yang Xue and Wu Lingling were also good swimmers, but they were not physically fit and were timid. They did not dare to sink to the bottom of the water to look for the body. They were scared to death.
Bai Tang, one of the boys, can't swim and is a complete landlubber, while Zeng Jin is playing dead and he will never admit that he can swim.
A firm voice rang out: "I'll go!"
The one who spoke was Qian Han. He scratched his head and smiled at his teammates who were looking over: "I am a good swimmer, but I have never been in a pond like this. I am a little scared. I will try my best."
The collar of his school uniform was grabbed, and Qian Han turned around blankly: "Brother?"
Qian Qin carried him behind him.
Chen Yang's gaze swept across the Qian brothers, then turned back and stayed on the eldest brother for two more seconds.
"Oh wow." Wen Qing whispered in Chen Yang's ear, "Old Jin is about to make his debut." He clapped his hands vigorously, "Welcome, welcome, warm welcome!"
Chen Yang saw Jin Xiaochang taking off his watch. He had a doll-like appearance with lazy features, but he gave off a sharp aura like an ancient sword unsheathed.
Wen Qing said in a voice that everyone could hear: "Ayang, don't be too quick to relax. Based on my understanding of Lao Jin, he will only go down to confirm whether there is a body under the water, and he will not do anything else."
Chen Yang has been with Chao Jian, who does not play by the rules, for a long time, so if he encounters something similar, he will not react much. That is to say, if it is confirmed that there is a corpse at the bottom of the pond, someone will have to go down.
Others also thought of this, and their faces looked very bad, with all kinds of thoughts in their mind.
"Boom!"
The moss floating in the pond swayed violently, and then calmed down a little bit.
Captain Jin Xiao had already sunk into the water.
Wen Qing made a disdainful sound towards the water: "It's so dirty, the water must be smelly. Fortunately, there is a water pipe under the teaching building, so Lao Jin can take a shower. It's a little cold, but he is invincible except that he gets sleepy easily."
Chen Yang looked straight at Wen Qing.
The hipster joked, "What are you doing? I'm embarrassed."
Chen Yang was still looking at him.
Wen Qing smiled even more happily, his eyes filled with the look that Chen Yang was familiar with.
This is also the climax moment of the histrionic personality on stage - showing off oneself.
"Tell me about it." Chen Yang knew that Wen Qing really liked him to cooperate with the performance, so he said helplessly, "There are so many places in the school, but you just mentioned the pond to me."
"What a misunderstanding." Wen Qing blinked, "I just happened to be here and mentioned it casually."
Chen Yang smiled: "Why do we come here to see the snow in winter?"
"Hmm." Wen Qing showed a hesitant expression when he saw Chen Yang staring at him. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I'll tell you, it's actually the magnetic field of the pond that has a problem." Then he seriously distanced himself from the matter, "This is what Old Jin told me. I know nothing!"
Chen Yang: Haha, I'd never trust you.
"Don't be angry." Wen Qing stuffed his hands into his sleeves and said while sniffing, "I'm not on Lao Jin's side. I'm on your side. Really, if you don't believe me, I can prove myself!"
Chen Yang raised his eyebrows. This guy's climax lasted for quite a long time and he still hasn't calmed down. He asked, "Then how are you going to prove it?"
Wen Qing whispered, "I guess Lao Jin knew you were going to join this mission, and he also knew I would be one of the members, so he came in with me..."
"Wait!" Chen Yang interrupted Wen Qing, "You mean..." His eyes flashed, "Go on."
Wen Qing approached Chen Yang with interest, narrowed his eyes and said, "You must have discovered some little secret."
Chen Yang didn't notice it, he just became suspicious. Ding Huichun said that if an illegal household wants to enter the task world, he must share his identity number with the tasker, and an illegal household can only be bound to one tasker.
For some reason, after listening to Wen Qing's guess, Chen Yang uncontrollably had the thought that Jin Xiaochang was the third illegal resident.
"How many missions have you collaborated with Captain Jin Xiao on?" Chen Yang asked Wen Qing calmly.
"I don't count the number of tasks." Wen Qing shrugged.
"..." Chen Yang recalled Wen Qing saying that he had done countless missions. He twitched his lips. It was true that people were different. He not only recorded the missions, but also wrote down his teammates at the beginning and the number of survivors at the end.
Chen Yang changed the question: "Are you two partners? Like Chao Jian and I."
"No." Wen Qing shook his head, "Nonono."
Chen Yang managed his emotions well and said, "Let's get back to the topic. Go on."
Wen Qing stood on tiptoe and whispered next to Chen Yang's ear, his voice caught in the strong wind: "Old Jin's target for the mission is you. He is evaluating your ability and will protect you if necessary."
Chen Yang was about to treat it as a joke when the scene of Xu Lulu asking him to solve a problem and Jin Xiaochang helping him out emerged in front of him. He was a little dazed: "Mr. Jin doesn't like me in every way, as if I have problems all over my body."
"This is something that anyone with eyes can see." Wen Qing said meaningfully, "But what I want to say is that people with eyes cannot see it. He is prejudiced against you, but he can't let anything happen to you, because..."
Chen Yang continued tentatively: "I am Chao Jian's destiny?"
Wen Qing was shocked: "Student Chen, you weren't shy at all when you said that!"
Chen Yang pretended not to hear it. He said strangely, "Don't you think it's a bit weird? Would a psychologist be so open-hearted these days that he would even take care of the patient's family members?"
Wen Qing smiled at him: "I'm not interested in this part, you can ask him yourself."
"Okay, I'll ask when the mission is almost over." Chen Yang pursed his lips. Chao Jian's uncertain words such as "maybe" and "perhaps" meant "definitely" to him. Wen Qing's intelligence was also not to be underestimated by Chen Yang. His guess was very likely the truth.
If this is the case, then Jin Xiao entered the mission world to take care of Chao Jian's family... That's me, Chen Yang raised his pursed lips.
As for the aspect of evaluating ability... Chen Yang remembered the thresholds revealed by Chao Jian and Ding Huichun. The former said that he was not ready and not suitable to listen to the thresholds, and the latter said that his ability was not enough at that time.
Could it be that Captain Jin Xiao came here to test his abilities and then tell Chao Jian when he returns
Chen Yang felt even more puzzled. A doctor could not do this, unless Jin Xiaochang and Ding Huichun had also been saved by Chao Jian and wanted to repay the favor.
At this moment, a voice echoed in Chen Yang's ears - Chen Zaozao, you only need to remember one thing, and you will know everything you want to know, wait for me to come back!
Chen Yang's heart trembled. He made a decision in two or three seconds. If Captain Jin Xiao took the initiative to reveal it at the end of this mission, it would mean Chao Jian's intention.
If Captain Jin Xiao doesn't reveal it, then he won't bother asking. Chao Jian will tell him. That is Chao Jian's promise.
Chen Yang's neck artery suddenly felt cold, and he lowered his eyes to glance.
"Come back to your senses." Wen Qing took back the coin that was on Chen Yang's neck. "Come, repeat after me. This is a mission world. I'm on a mission. There are only teammates here, no boyfriend."
Chen Yang: “…” He suddenly looked towards the pond, “Mr. Jin is coming up.”
Wen Qing realized it after a few seconds. He turned the coin, smiled silently, and said, it's not him who has regressed, it's this guy who has improved, and very rapidly. Wow, Li Mao must be so happy.
A piece of moss was pushed open with a loud splash, and Jin Xiaochang swam up from the bottom of the water, dripping with water all over.
Chen Yang looked over and saw that the man's black curly hair was all pulled up, revealing his entire deep and beautiful and amazing features. The feeling between his eyebrows stunned him.
It seems like Chao Jian...
Chen Yang calmed himself down, walked over and asked, "Mr. Jin, is there a body under the water?"
"Yes." Jin Xiaochang sat by the pond, his wet clothes sticking to his slender body, water drops dripping from the ends of his messy hair. He was a little annoyed, and the wrinkles between his eyebrows deepened. "Student, male, with stones tied to his body."
Chen Yang took a breath: "Is the water deep?"
"It's deep and the mud is very thick." Jin Xiaochang stood up and left. The smell on his body was very pungent and he urgently wanted to find a hose to rinse himself off.
"Old Jin, your school uniform!" Wen Qing grabbed Jin Xiaochang's school uniform and threw it over. The other party did not turn back to pick it up, but strode towards the playground.
"Aha, Old Jin is hard of hearing, so pitiful." Wen Qing picked up Jin Xiaochang's school uniform and chased after him.
Chen Yang squatted down and looked at the pond. He spoke in a moderately loud voice: "Did you all hear what Mr. Jin said?"
There was no sound in the team, and some people had not spoken since they arrived.
"That person has gone down, why not bring the body up?" Pigtails couldn't help but complain.
"That's right, aren't we on the same team?" Her short-haired roommate was also resentful, "Why is he like that?"
"What's the point of saying this now?" Yang Xue frowned.
Wu Lingling and Yang Xue spoke at the same time: "Why didn't you say anything when the person was still here?"
The girl with pigtails and the girl with short hair were a little embarrassed. Their other two roommates stood up to protect their children and joined them in fighting against Yang Xue and Wu Lingling.
The six girls created an anxious and panic-stricken atmosphere.
Bai Tang walked to Chen Yang's side, squatted beside the pond like him, and said weakly: "What should I do?"
Chen Yang's jawline was tense, it seemed he was going to take a risk...
Qian Han, who was standing a little further back, pulled at his brother’s school uniform sleeve and said, “Brother, let’s go.”
Qian Qin slowly turned his head to look at him.
"You're worried about me going down alone, so let's go together." Qian Han said, "I won't be afraid if you're with me."
Qian Qin said numbly: "Why bother with them?"
Qian Han uttered an "ah" in a daze, and muttered softly: "Brother, I told you about my first mission, have you forgotten? It was raining heavily that night, and Zhuzhu pushed Big Eyes Girl to the front to shield herself from the rain, causing Big Eyes Girl to have no good place on her body. Before she died, she told me the truth and asked me to avenge her. Ge Fei used Old Wu as an experiment, and dragged me and Old Wu to the open window. If I hadn't reacted quickly, I would have been cooked like Old Wu. So after I found the loophole in the rules, I cooked a fish named Zhuzhu for Ge Fei to eat..."
The memory ended here, Qian Han lowered his eyes and said: "The current tasker did not harm me. We have no grudges against each other and get along well. Besides, Mr. Chen is not very good at swimming. Otherwise, with his sense of responsibility and work style, he would have jumped into the water long ago. He treats me well, so I will just consider it as helping him."
Qian Qin somehow changed his mind again: "Okay, accumulate virtue."
Without waiting for Qian Han to react, Qian Qin pulled him to the pond.
Chen Yang was just about to go down when he suddenly heard two diving sounds beside him. The green water splashed on his face and he was stunned.
"It's Qian Qin and Qian Han." Bai Tang said.
Chen Yang wiped his face and continued squatting. Time passed by minute by minute, and there was no movement underwater. He thought in amazement that the two brothers were really good at holding their breath.
"Did something happen?" Yang Xue approached worriedly.
"I don't know..." Chen Yang didn't finish his words, he stood up, "No, they came up."
Qian Han was the first to reach the shore. He lay on the edge of the pond and reached down: "Brother! Hold on to me!"
Qian Qin didn't do that. He threw the body into the water and then stayed in the water, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Brother?" Qian Han shouted, "Brother!"
Qian Qin glanced at his brother who was trying desperately to reach him. His dark blue lips moved slightly and he held onto the still tender hand.
The body looked very fresh, neither bloated nor swollen, and his facial features were still those of a handsome teenager. He seemed to be asleep and could open his eyes or smile at any time.
This strange phenomenon terrified the traumatized girl.
“Ah!” Wu Lingling stepped back and screamed, “Ahhh!!!”
Pigtails and her three roommates also ran away from the pond in panic, staying away from the corpse.
Among the girls, only Yang Xue stayed. She was rational and courageous, and she had not witnessed the death of any friends, so her mentality was much better than the other five girls of the same sex.
"Mr. Qian, where are the stones on the body?" Yang Xue asked Qian Qin. Qian Han answered her and said, "We cut the rope."
"Luckily my brother has a utility knife in his pocket." Qian Han said with lingering fear as he picked the mud from under his fingernails.
Qian Qin was lying on the ground, wet, looking at the gray sky. He seemed to have put his soul in the howling wind.
"He committed suicide and tied stones to himself. He didn't want to float up and see this world again." Yang Xue turned her head to the side and did not look directly at the corpse.
Zeng Jin cautiously peeked at the corpse: "If I stay in the water I love forever, I won't have to take the college entrance examination, I won't have to see my teacher, and I won't have to face the disappointed eyes of my family and the unknown future."
Bai Tang said: "Too negative. Life is more than just lows and dark times."
"If I raise children, it should be two. I will give them a way out when they are confused and retreat." Bai Tang's eyes drooped slightly, "I will let them understand that it doesn't matter if they can't go on this road. We still have other roads to go. There is always one that you like and can go on. Take your time, don't be anxious, and don't be afraid."
"Parents and children are just passers-by in each other's lives, not the masters." Bai Tang closed his moist and red eyes.
"Indeed." Yang Xue said with emotion, "The hope that parents place on their children is the weight that crushes them. Everything should be done in moderation..." She saw Chen Yang fish out the student ID from the collar of the corpse's school uniform, and she couldn't help but gasp, "Chang Chao's death was caused by his father."
Chen Yang did not take the student ID from the neck of the corpse. He just held it in his hand and took a look. He looked very energetic in the one-inch photo, with his eyes full of cunning and ruffian spirit.
The head teacher was right. Chang Chao really didn't look like someone who would leave a suicide note.
"Some people appear cheerful on the outside and are cheerful on the inside, while some people appear cheerful on the outside but are very fragile on the inside. They are so fragile that when they tell others about their fragility, no one will believe it and will treat it as a joke," said Bai Tang.
"Yes." Yang Xue is not a cheerful person, but she agrees with Bai Tang's words.
"Extroverted lonely." Chen Yang stuffed his student ID back into the collar of the corpse. "Chang Chao's body has been found, so we..." His eyes stopped at one place and his expression changed drastically.
No, not suicide...
"It's not suicide!" Chen Yang said these four words while panting rapidly.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Wu Lingling and others in the distance didn't know what was going on, so they hesitated and moved closer.
Chen Yang ignored everyone and just stared at Bai Tang: "Did you pay attention to what I asked you to pay attention to at the beginning of the school year?"
Bai Tang was stunned for a moment before he remembered: "Yes, I noticed it." He looked serious and a little stupid, "Really, I noticed it."
Chen Yang pointed his finger at a place.
Bai Tang followed Chen Yang's instructions and saw that the corpse was wearing a pair of blue sneakers, a brand name. He felt that they looked familiar, and when he focused a little, he discovered something and was stunned.
It is not uncommon for students in a school to wear the same brand and color of sneakers, but... the places where the leather is chipped on the toes cannot be exactly the same.
It's the same pair of shoes! The blue sneakers that appeared on Lin Yang's feet are the same pair that the corpse is wearing!
When Bai Tang came back to his senses, Chen Yang had already taken off the blue sneakers on Chang Chao's feet. He took off his school uniform jacket to wrap the shoes and said, "You stay here, I'll go back to the classroom." After that, he ran away quickly.
Those who stayed behind were speechless. Chen Yang was the center of the team. Without him, the atmosphere became stagnant.
During lunch break, two or three students were sleeping in the classroom. Chen Yang carefully took his shoes out of his coat and stuffed them into Lin Yang's desk pocket, while searching his seat.
Chen Yang found no clues at Lin Yang's seat, so he hurried back to the pond and hid the body, and hid the others as well.
After a while, Lin Yang's hurriedly running figure appeared by the pond. His delicate face became flushed due to running, and the school uniform he was wearing neatly was a little messy.
"Chang Chao?" Lin Yang looked around, his eyes full of panic.
The wind was strong near the pond. The water surface and branches were distorted. The whole world became distorted. Lin Yang grabbed his hair and squatted down: "Don't blame me, really, don't blame me..."
"I finally became friends with Jiang Wei. He was willing to teach me how to study. Everything was going well. I even changed my motto to "Ride the wind and waves". You see how good the meaning is. But I was suddenly moved to the back and you replaced me as his deskmate." Lin Yang cried, "You don't study well, but I am different. I want to study well, and I need that position more than you do."
The wind was howling, and Lin Yang's suppressed sobs were filled with regret and fear: "I've apologized to you, I didn't mean it, I just accidentally saw you climbing out of the pond, sitting by the pond with your back to me, gasping for breath, and I picked up a stone and threw it at you, I really didn't think much about it at the time..."
"I don't want to go to jail. I still want to go to college. I've even chosen a college, a second-tier one. That's the goal I set for myself. I'm not like you. I have a lot of expectations and plans for the future... I can't be caught. I can only tie a rock to you and let you sink to the bottom... I'm sorry, sorry, sorry..."
Lin Yang's crying suddenly stopped, and his bloodshot face turned pale. He covered his stomach and convulsed for a moment: "Okay, blame me if you want, I don't care anymore... Ugh..."
Lin Yang vomited in pain, then he fell to the ground, twitching constantly, and soon became motionless.
Just as Chen Yang was about to go over, a terrifying scream suddenly erupted from behind him.
The corpse began to swell, swell, rot and stink.
Chen Yang's eyelids twitched. He looked at the pond again, but Lin Yang was no longer there... There were more snow particles in the wind, and the weather had changed.
It was about to snow. Chen Yang rubbed his face, plunged into the cold wind and rushed to the playground at high speed, shouting in the direction of the teaching building: "Mr. Chang Qing, your son is here!"
"He's here!" Chen Yang shouted at the top of his lungs.