The river water filled my throat.
In the next moment, the floating layer in my clothes activated.
My back floated up, and I had a special miniature diving regulator in my mouth, drifting along with the river current.
After drifting for about an hour, I bumped into a kayak.
I looked up, and Annie was sitting there, paddling.
"You finally showed up!" Annie panted. "Hurry up and get in here. Trying to kill me, are you?"
I quickly climbed into the kayak.
And so, Annie and I, one paddling on the left and the other on the right, paddled our friendship boat out of F City.
It wasn't until much later that we learned that on the night we were grunting and paddling, F City was in turmoil.
After regaining his composure, Walker led a group of people searching for me frantically.
I was the only one with Annie when she died, and Walker wanted to know if Annie had left any words for him, if she was resentful toward him.
At the riverside, Walker encountered Asa, who was also desperately searching for me.
Over the past few years, Walker had seen Asa at various events, large and small.
But he had never seen Asa like this.
Asa sat by the river, seeming both eerily calm and completely insane.
Salvage boats cruised the river, and someone approached Asa, standing before him nervously. "Mr. Stout..."
Asa spoke, his voice hoarse and barely recognizable. "Did you find the body, then?" Asa spoke, his voice hoarse and barely recognizable. "Did you find the body, then?"
"No, we haven't found anything..."
Asa stood up and kicked the person into the river. "Then keep fucking looking!"
Walker called out to him. "Asa."
Asa didn't even lift his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard.
Walker took a deep breath. "Asa, I understand how you're feeling right now.
But we're too close to the river mouth. It's been seven hours, and the body might not be found..."
Asa raised his eyes and looked at Walker, his eyes bloodshot.
Walker's bodyguards were frightened and quickly protected him. For a moment, they thought Asa might be crazy, that this thug from the underworld might even dare to kick Walker.
Asa didn't kick Walker.
He just stared at Walker and said, word by word, "Walker, what do you mean you understand how I feel?
Your wife is dead, but my wife isn't."
Each word cut deep, and Walker's face turned stark white.
"She jumped into the river on your turf," Asa said. "If I can't find her, I'll hold you accountable too."
The bodyguards around Walker changed their expressions.
Unlike Walker, who comes from a political family and cares about reputation and propriety,
Asa is different. He's a complete mad dog.
When he says he'll settle accounts with the Lin family, he means it.
Walker pinched the bridge of his nose and called over his assistant.
"Our fleet, go down and join the search."
That night, the riverbank was brightly lit.
Boats from the Lin and Stout families cruised back and forth in the river.
But there was no sign of life or death.
Walker returned first, saying that the Petty family was still waiting for an explanation from him.
Asa remained seated by the riverbank, dazed.
He muttered, "You must not be dead, right?"
