Xu Lei - Search for the Buried Bomber

We had discovered the film canister on the body of a corpse encased in ice, so were those frozen corpses the missing members of the flight team? They survived the crash and grabbed the film, but then why had they frozen to death in the icehouse? Had they discovered something that made them, instead of leaving, go to the lowest level of the dam and pile warheads all around the radar device? And then there’d been an accident and they’d gotten stuck there? The arrangement of the radar and the warheads really did look like Wang Sichuan had said, like a lure and a trap, but why do all this? Was it because of something they’d seen in the abyss? Or rather, had they believed that, because of the Shinzan, something was actually being drawn back from the abyss?

The next part was simple: After the members of the flight team had been dead and frozen for twenty or so years, the first prospecting team discovered this void. We didn’t know what happened to the first team. Supposing their ruin had been the work of an enemy agent, this person must have come from Japan, known everything that was down here, and that the Chinese had discovered this place. This person then infiltrated the first team, killed some of its members, and sabotaged the mission.

Based on the marks we’d found, the spy was searching for something, most likely the film canister. The spy was unaware that the canister had actually been frozen beneath the ice, so, when we arrived a month later, “he” still hadn’t found it. To buy himself some time, he’d dropped us down to the icehouse, hoping we’d freeze to death. What he didn’t realize was that someone from the first team had survived long enough to use the automatic transmitter, causing Old Tang and the rest to discover a structural plan of the base and thereby locate the icehouse. Later this person tried to bury me alive and locked us in the electrical canal.

“If this really is the case,” said Wang Sichuan, “then whatever the spy’s really after, he’s pretty damn clever. He’s had us in the palm of his hand this whole time. But since the person missing from the first prospecting team is a woman, why did you think your attacker was a man?”

I bit my lower lip in thought. “There are two possibilities,” I said. “The first is that I was mistaken. The second is that the woman from the first team was actually a man in disguise. The Japanese aren’t that big, so it isn’t impossible. Actually there’s one more. He could have been mixed in with our team when we came in.” I remembered the two notes I’d been given.

“How about you?” I asked Wang Sichuan. “Who do you think it is?”

He shook his head. All of the engineering corpsmen were new faces. Honestly, it could be anyone. “If I had to guess,” he said, “then it would either be Chen Luohu or Pei Qing. Those two are the most suspicious. But I’d say it’s Pei Qing.”

Wang Sichuan was biased in this respect, but by now I had some doubts about Pei Qing as well. Still, I didn’t want to say them aloud.

For a moment we were silent. Then Ma Zaihai asked, “So what do we do now? The enemy is unknown and we’re still out in the open.”

“I’ve never done counterespionage work before,” I said, “but since we three were all trapped together, it’s obvious that each of us is innocent. If we keep circling around the issue like this—with the enemy hidden and attacking us at every step—we’re dead meat. Since we already know he’s after the film, we’d better grab it first and get out of here. Once we’re back on the surface, we can let our superiors decide the next step.” This suggestion was not only in our own best interest, but in the best interest of the military and even the nation as well. We agreed at once.

“But if it really is as we suspect,” said Wang Sichuan, “then with so few people left in the warehouse, that son of a bitch has probably already got the film.”

“That’s possible,” I said, “but we have to get back and see.” Besides, it was certain that Old Tang and the others were also trying to find their way back there. We had a duty to leave them a message regarding our whereabouts and what we’d learned about the spy. Otherwise they’d probably keep looking for us, sending out teams in all directions. Any deaths that resulted would fall on our shoulders. It made the most sense for one of us to stay behind and wait for Old Tang while the other two grabbed the film and headed for the surface. Who would stay and who would go was a delicate question. For the time being, I decided not to raise it.

The warehouse was our first stop. We had to get there before the spy. For two full hours we passed through the core region of the dam—the workers’ dormitory, cafeteria, and armory, as well as countless control rooms, small-scale workrooms, and bathrooms—winding our way around innumerable corners until, at last, we came upon a staircase. It was an emergency stairwell, extremely narrow and cramped, probably used for evacuation when the caissons weren’t working. After walking up twenty levels, we could hear the sound of wind. We walked another ten and pushed open a thin iron door. We were back atop the dam.

A strong wind rushed into my nose and mouth. The solitary searchlight was still there, the nothingness beyond quiet and profound. After all we’d experienced, it felt strange to see it again. On the other side, the river had already dropped to its lowest point. Everything that had been submerged beneath the floodwater was revealed. We saw a pile of corpse bags the size of a small hill, the giant Shinzan broken between them. The trail it had cut as it crashed down was distinctly visible. Many structures had emerged and a number of lights could be seen shining in the dark. In powering up the searchlight, Ma Zaihai had probably switched these on as well. The river had not dried up completely. Although the water level was extremely low, I could still hear the sound of the current. The dam’s sluice gates were shut, and water retention had begun. Soon it would rise once more.

Ma Zaihai pointed toward a section of the darkness. “The filtration gate is over there. That’s where I left our raft. I tied it real tight, so it should still be there.”

“If we can take that raft to the surface, then consider your wish of becoming a deputy squad leader granted,” I said. And what if the raft is gone? I said to myself. Then we’ll just wade right out of here, even if it means courting death.

There wasn’t much time to think about it. We discussed for a moment how best to reach the warehouse. We decided we should find a ladder and climb down the outer wall. Just as we were about to set out, Ma Zaihai suddenly hissed, “Look over there!”

He hurried over to the river side of the dam. “What is it?” I asked.

“Someone’s there!”

I looked where he was pointing. A flashlight beam was moving swiftly through the darkness. Someone was hurrying across the plank-and-wire walkway.

“Who is it?” asked Wang Sichuan.

Ma Zaihai looked out anxiously. “I don’t know, but he’s heading for the raft.”

“Shit!” We all knew this was bad. One flashlight. One person all on his own. Was it the spy? Had he gotten what he wanted and was he now preparing to make a stealthy exit? There was no time to assess the situation. We had to catch him, regardless of whether he was a friend or an enemy. Before I could say anything, Ma Zaihai and Wang Sichuan had already rushed off and begun climbing down a riverside ladder.

This side of the dam had neither a strong wind nor a bottomless abyss. We flew down the rungs. At the bottom of the dam, the walkway extended in all directions. We couldn’t see where he’d gone. Just as we were hesitating, sharp-eyed Wang Sichuan saw a flashlight beam up ahead, about fifteen hundred feet away.