Chapter 114

Jiang Liu was awakened by the vibration of her phone.

She groggily opened her eyes, only then realizing she had unknowingly fallen asleep.

Having not slept the previous night, she had a bit of a headache now. The phone was still buzzing incessantly. She raised a hand to rub her temples, picked it up, and saw that the usually quiet group chat had three or four new messages in a row, all from Jiang He.

“Xiao Liang is gone!!!!!”

Seemingly aware that no one was paying attention to their phone, Jiang He had sent a barrage of messages. The string of exclamation marks at the end nearly took over the screen, a clear representation of his inner panic.

Although the child wasn’t very likable, he was, after all, their main protection target. Before the situation was clear, they couldn’t afford to be careless.

Jiang Liu immediately sat up, ignoring her fatigue, and quickly typed a line of text. “Where are you?”

As she got up, she glanced towards the kitchen. Xu Meng and Zhao Ziming were still busy cooking, and the aroma of home-cooked food was gradually spreading through the living room. She hesitated for a moment, temporarily decided against calling them, and quietly left after getting a precise reply from Jiang He.

The house was built halfway up a mountain. A large area in front was fenced off for recreation, complete with a small warehouse and a garden. It was clear that it had been built with care. But once outside the main gate, the small path became more difficult to walk, pitted and rough.

When Jiang Liu arrived, Jiang He was squatting among the flowers, wiping his sweat, his eyes still glued to the chat screen on his phone.

“What’s the situation?”

Her sudden voice startled him. He relaxed only after seeing it was Jiang Liu and immediately began to explain.

“He was already gone by the time I chased after him.” Jiang He spread his hands. The back of his short-sleeved shirt was soaked with sweat, suggesting he had been searching outside for some time.

After all, it was their own yard. No matter how much Xiao Liang ran around, he wouldn’t get lost. At first, Jiang He didn’t think much of it, just figuring the boy might be hiding in some nook or cranny.

A child isn’t tall to begin with. If he ran off and found a place to hide, it would be quite difficult to find him.

With this in mind, he had slowly searched around but still couldn’t find him. That’s when he felt something was wrong. Not daring to act on his own, he quickly messaged Jiang Liu.

Hearing this, Jiang Liu’s expression grew solemn. Recalling the child’s demeanor as he ran out, she suddenly had an idea. She frowned and glanced around. “There’s no water around here, is there?”

Jiang He wasn’t stupid. Recalling what Zhao Ziming had mentioned, he instantly understood Jiang Liu’s meaning and quickly replied, “Not in the yard, but I’m not sure about outside.”

Jiang Liu casually sent a message to Xu Meng, telling her to wait in the house, her feet already moving towards the main gate.

Qiao Pan’er was pushed into the water and drowned before she left, so the water source must be nearby. Xiao Liang might be there.

After walking halfway along the path, Jiang Liu clearly felt a cool, moist air. She pursed her lips. “We should be close.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a small lake appeared in their sight.

It was more accurate to describe it as a puddle than a lake.

The body of water wasn’t very wide. Jiang Liu mentally calculated the distance; with a running start, she could probably jump across it with just a brief stop in the middle.

A small figure was lying on the ground by the water’s edge. With him as a point of comparison, the lake seemed a bit larger.

“He’s here, as expected,” Jiang He exclaimed joyfully. Before Jiang Liu could say anything, he had already run over. The closer he got and the clearer he saw the situation, the uglier his expression became. “Sis, does it look like he drowned?”

Jiang Liu clicked her tongue and followed closely behind him.

It was unclear how Xiao Liang had gotten here. The clothes he had just changed into yesterday were dirty again, caked with a mixture of lake water and mud. His whole body was ice-cold, and he did indeed look like he was dead.

But Jiang Liu noticed that although his cheeks were pale, he was clearly still breathing. His chest was rising and falling steadily, as if he were just asleep.

“He didn’t drown. He jumped in himself.”

After a simple check, Jiang Liu came to a conclusion.

For a child his size, if he couldn’t swim, he would have sunk to the bottom in moments. There would have been no time to climb out. Even if he had managed to get ashore by a stroke of luck, he would have choked without someone to perform first aid.

Although Xiao Liang’s clothes were wet, his breathing was even and smooth. He was just frowning, and his face didn’t look too good.

Jiang Liu looked down and turned him over, only then discovering that there were red marks on his wrists, ankles, and even his chest and back, as if he had been bound and whipped.

The red marks covered Xiao Liang’s entire body, a shocking sight. If an outsider saw this, they might think it was child abuse.

Jiang He felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn’t help but look into the lake. The water was exceptionally clear, and he could vaguely see the aquatic plants at the bottom.

He opened his mouth to say something, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw something flash by. Before he could react, he heard a splash, and water splattered all over his head and face.

He looked closely and saw that Jiang Liu had taken off her outer jacket and jumped in without warning.

On a sweltering summer day, being able to play in the water was a rare treat.

The cool water enveloped Jiang Liu, and she let out a comfortable sigh. Then, without hesitation, she held her breath and submerged herself, trying to see clearly what was at the bottom.

This seemed to be a naturally formed small lake, with a water level of about one person’s height. What surprised Jiang Liu was that it was running water.

The current at the bottom of the lake was constantly flowing, leading into even smaller crevices, its destination unknown. She inadvertently noticed that there were signs of disturbance here. The bottom had been piled high with mud. She dug around a bit and unexpectedly found a string of copper coins.

The coins were covered in rust and tied together with a bright red string. The quantity and style were very particular. It didn’t look like they had been lost, but rather like they were used to suppress something.

It seemed this was the place where Qiao Pan’er had drowned.

She closed her eyes, holding the copper coins, then surfaced and tossed them to Jiang He. She dove back down, intending to look for more clues. Unexpectedly, before she could even turn around, it felt as if something cold and slippery wrapped around her ankle, the strange sensation sending a shiver through her.

Jiang Liu looked down, but there was nothing on her ankle.

Was it my imagination?

The thought flashed through her mind. She composed herself and was about to continue exploring when, at the exact moment she turned her head, the unfamiliar sensation crawled up her ankle again.

This time, it was even more audacious, slithering up her pant leg and circling her calf. The feeling, completely different from the cool lake water, sent a jolt through Jiang Liu. She instinctively reached out to pull it off, but her hand grasped at nothing.

The thing seemed to be intelligent, dodging her movements. It then patted her ankle, the force neither light nor heavy, feeling very similar to when that person comforted her.

“Xiao Si?”

A look of disbelief appeared in her eyes. She muttered the name and, disregarding everything, turned back, wanting to see her clearly.

Yang Caisi dodged again, but slowly lifted her by the waist, guiding her gently upwards.

“You want me to go up?” Jiang Liu immediately understood her intention and stopped trying to look. She followed the force and surfaced. Just as she was about to say something, the sensation circled her ankle once more and vanished without a trace.

She’s avoiding me? Why?

Discovering Yang Caisi’s action, countless thoughts flashed through Jiang Liu’s mind in an instant, and she didn’t even hear Jiang He’s voice.

On the shore, Jiang He stared at Jiang Liu, his heart pounding. “Sis?”

Why did she look like she was in a daze? Could there really be a monster in the water?

Jiang Liu came back to her senses, only then realizing she had been spacing out in the water. She gave an apologetic smile, nimbly climbed ashore, and took her outer jacket from his hands to put on.

“Let’s go back and eat first,” she said, shaking the water from her hair and signaling for Jiang He to pick up Xiao Liang.

***

The red marks looked horrifying, but they were actually less severe than the injuries he had sustained yesterday. The thing in the water probably hadn’t used lethal force.

On the other hand, Jiang Liu had been absent-minded ever since she came out of the water.

She was now certain that Xiao Si was hiding from her.

Jiang Liu leaned against the wall, drying her semi-dry hair, lost in thought.

According to the rumors Jiang He had mentioned, seeing the girl in the crevice for the second time would get you pulled into her world. Xiao Si was clearly trying to prevent that from happening.

But why? Zhao Ziming had gone in and come out again without being harmed. Why was Xiao Si unwilling to meet her?

Unless—

She wouldn’t be able to come out again if she went in.

This instance seemed calm on the surface, but whether it was the Qiao couple or the matter of Qiao Pan’er, a certain stance was subtly revealed… valuing boys over girls.

So, girls who went in would become those monsters that survived in the crevices, but boys were unaffected.

The person Lin Jiao chose to deliver the message was Zhao Ziming, so he went in and came out unharmed.

Thinking of this, Jiang Liu’s hair-drying movements gradually slowed, and a hypothesis suddenly popped into her mind.

Lin Jiao, Xiao Si, and Tang Ruo had all become Girls in the Crevice. So what about Tang Rui?

As another player taken away by Lin Jiao, he should also be in this instance. So what identity did he exist as?

Another point worth noting was Zhao Ziming’s attitude.

His first words upon returning were, ‘If we want to clear this, we’re going to have to use our brains.’

If he were a normal person, the first thing he should have conveyed was the idea of giving up, but Zhao Ziming wasn’t.

When she decided to observe for two days, he was clearly much more relaxed than before. Although he hid his physical tension and the nervousness deep in his eyes very well, Jiang Liu could still keenly sense the difference.

What Zhao Ziming, or rather Lin Jiao, wanted to convey to her was definitely not to give up, but she couldn’t speak freely due to Qiao Ke’s presence.

Jiang Liu slowly closed her eyes, as if she could still feel that unique warmth and consideration from Xiao Si.

She absently turned the ring, but ultimately suppressed the urge to make contact. After taking a deep breath, she left the bathroom.

The dining table was already full. Jiang Liu glanced around and raised an eyebrow. “Where’s Xiao Liang?”

“He woke up, ate something, and went back for a nap.”

Jiang Liu hummed in acknowledgment and sat down to eat, but her thoughts had already drifted to the second floor.

Recalling the strange events of the past two days—

She had a rough idea of where Tang Rui was.