Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 38: Chapter 12: A Terrifying Night (2)

This was one of those times when saying more would only lead to mistakes. The less said, the better. Soon, a baton-like object was passed into his hand. Zhang Shutong gripped the expandable baton and held his breath, waiting.

He listened to the footsteps, now just a stone’s throw away, and braced himself for the worst. The steps drew nearer until they were almost directly overhead, like a wolf standing over a molehill, leaving the moles cowering in their burrow below.

Then, the fierce wolf peered into the den:

As a flashlight beam cut through the darkness, his nerves stretched taut. A few seconds passed, maybe ten, maybe more. His heart hammered in his chest, and he lost all track of time until the light abruptly moved away.

A heavily accented mumble drifted down to them:

"That’s weird. I could’ve sworn I heard someone. Guess those kids aren’t around?"

...

A long, pent-up breath escaped his chest.

Of course, it wasn’t as if everyone burst into chatter at once. The group waited patiently for the person to get farther away, until the flashlight beam had all but vanished. Then, the silence was broken by a crisp laugh from behind him.

It was Ruoping.

"Shutong, look at you! You were so scared you were all hunched over. And holding an expandable baton, too..."

Du Kang chimed in from beside him.

"Damn, dude. The cop didn’t scare me, but you sure did. For a second there, I thought you were going to assault an officer."

Zhang Shutong ignored them and let out a sigh of relief. He switched on his flashlight and aimed it behind him. Everyone’s faces were flushed with post-adrenaline excitement, as if they were still hungry for more. Zhang Shutong wasn’t sure what to say, but one thing did make him pause—

Lu Qinglian was right behind him.

’When did she get over here?’

’Shouldn’t it have been Qingyi? I remember they were the last two to go in.’

Only then did he recall that the hand that had passed him the baton felt cold.

She still wore her usual, detached expression. Zhang Shutong had expected her to frown and ask what was happening, but she was just the same as always, showing no hint of emotion.

Only when the flashlight beam accidentally swept across her face did she instinctively narrow her eyes and turn away, just like a cat.

’Oh well. As long as everyone’s okay.’

It had been a false alarm, but that was undoubtedly the best possible outcome.

At this thought, he collapsed the baton, put it away, and started to laugh.

"So what if I’m a coward?"

"Tch. Even I, a girl, wasn’t that scared. And look at Qinglian! I was right behind her, and her breathing didn’t even hitch."

"Yeah, yeah, you’re the brave one. From now on, we’ll all listen to you..."

Just as he was about to urge everyone to leave, Qingyi spoke up thoughtfully.

"Shutong wasn’t wrong, actually. We didn’t know it was the police. It could have been someone else. I think being cautious was the right call."

Zhang Shutong thought, ’Finally, someone’s sticking up for me. And in a way, my hunch was right.’

"You mean that man Du Kang was talking about?" Ruoping asked.

"Mhm. It’s unusual, isn’t it?" Meng Qingyi turned to Du Kang. "Did you get a clear look? Any distinguishing features?"

"Uh, I wasn’t really paying attention. He was wearing a baseball cap, and I think he had a snakeskin bag slung over one shoulder. His other hand... seemed to be holding some kind of rod? That’s all I can remember."

"And that’s exactly what’s so strange."

"Stop being so mysterious and just spit it out. What’s wrong with him being here to fish, too?" Ruoping prompted. Everyone knew Qingyi was a huge mystery fan.

"What do you think, Shutong?" To everyone’s surprise, Qingyi tossed the question to him. "What does it all mean?"

"It means he came from somewhere nearby," Zhang Shutong said after a moment’s thought. "And he wasn’t here to fish."

"Why?"

"If Du Kang wasn’t mistaken and that guy really was carrying a snakeskin bag, it points to two things. First, whatever was in it must be heavy—a normal bag would have torn. So it couldn’t have been fishing gear."

"Maybe that’s the only kind of bag he had, so he was just making do," Ruoping said, unconvinced. "My grandma likes to use old fertilizer sacks for her grocery shopping."

"Your grandma is frugal out of habit," Qingyi countered. "But someone who can afford a full set of fishing gear isn’t going to be skimping on a proper bag."

"So what’s the second thing?" Ruoping asked, turning to look at him.

"Second, we’re a long way from the city. Since he was shouldering something that heavy, he couldn’t have walked here from downtown. But Du Kang saw him on foot, which means he has a base nearby—maybe a car, maybe something else."

"Then what on earth was he here for?"

"That’s the part I don’t know. But think about it: normal people don’t wear hats in the middle of the night. That’s why I said Shutong was right to be careful."

"Fine, you two have convinced me." Ruoping was quick to concede. But as soon as she did, she gave Du Kang a smack. "Look at you," she said disdainfully. "You were the first one to see him. How come none of this occurred to you?"

Du Kang winced. "Hey, come on! Weren’t you on my side a minute ago...?"

"Hmph."

"Alright, that’s enough. Let’s get going. We can talk about it in the group chat when we get back."

Zhang Shutong urged them on, sweeping the area with his flashlight.

"Yeah, let’s go back. It’s already 7:40," Ruoping agreed with a nod. "If we hadn’t waited for you, Shutong, I’d be home binging my drama by now. I’m too late to catch it live..."

Perfectly normal for a girl to be into her TV shows.

"Me too. I’ve got to hit the books when I get home," Qingyi said, getting ready to pack up his fishing rod.

It’s not like he did anything besides read anyway.

"Right, right! I need to get back and check on my frog."

At this, the group fell silent.

"Wh-what’s wrong?" Du Kang asked, warily reaching into his pocket.

Even Zhang Shutong felt a barrage of snarky comments welling up inside him.

Luckily, Ruoping beat him to the punch.

"What’s wrong?" she asked, mimicking their earlier deductive tone. "First: you really dug up that frog and brought it with you? And second: Du Kang, my dear classmate, would you mind not reaching into your pocket?"