As the top deep-sea rescue diver in the country, I received an urgent call for help. The missing person was a ten-year-old, last seen in Gale Creek Bay. Ten years ago, my sister, Sophia, accidentally fell into the same waters. My then-girlfriend, Olivia, who was the diving team captain, promised me herself, "With me there, I'll definitely bring Sophia back safely." But what she brought back was only Sophia's bloated body. Later, I learned that during the dive, she had actually caught Sophia's hand but, wanting to give the credit to her partner, Marcus, she deliberately unclipped the safety line attached to Sophia. After surfacing, Olivia cried, claiming she had done her best. Marcus, too, became a "rescue hero" through fabricated stories. From that day on, I dropped out of college and trained to get my rescue diver license. Over ten years, I'd done more than two hundred underwater rescues. One hundred ninety-three lives made it back to shore, alive, because of me. I'd simulated the underwater conditions thousands of times, hoping that one day, no one else would suffer Sophia's fate. But today, the command center sent a photo of the missing child to my phone. I stared at the screen for a long time. The child’s mother stood on the shore, her face contorted in tears as she cried into the camera. I recognized her. I flipped my phone face down on the table. “I can’t do this rescue. I’m not going down.”
“Ethan, are you kidding me?” David, the dispatcher at the command center, chuckled, as if he genuinely didn’t understand what I was saying. “Last year, during the floods, you dove alone into forty meters of murky water and pulled that kid out of the shipwreck, didn’t you?” “You’re the record holder for live underwater rescues. No offense, but if you say you can’t go down, then no one in this country can!” He paused, a hint of playfulness still in his voice. “You’re telling me you can’t handle this level of a rescue?” “I’m not kidding.” “Ethan…” “I’m serious. I can’t take this mission. Find someone else, don’t waste time with me.” After that, I hung up. But before I could even zip up my gear bag, the door burst open. Hayes practically stumbled in, his forehead slick with sweat. “Ethan,” he braced himself against the doorframe, his chest heaving, “You… you can’t leave yet.” “Hayes, there’s nothing to discuss.” “Just hear me out first.” He closed the door, leaning his back against it as if afraid I’d walk right out. “You know Gale Creek Bay’s conditions. Our regular teams have been searching for two hours. Three teams have rotated through, and they haven’t found a trace.” He paused, lowering his voice. “The boy who’s missing, his dad is Marcus, the owner of the biggest commercial diving equipment company in the country. His mom, Olivia, she used to be a diving team captain, too.” “Without their funding for the rescue team all these years, where would we get all this top-notch equipment…” “Then use the equipment to search.” I cut him off. “Since the underwater search equipment is so advanced, it’s not like I absolutely have to go down.” I picked up my bag, ready to leave, but Hayes rushed forward and grabbed my arm, holding it tight. “All the equipment has been used! Sonar can’t reach all the blind spots, we still need divers to search by hand!” “Ethan, if we weren’t utterly desperate, I wouldn’t be begging you.” I didn’t respond. Hayes paced frantically, stomping his foot. “Ethan, are you worried about safety?” “Gale Creek Bay is dangerous, I admit, but I guarantee you, the shore support is top-tier.” “Dry suits, spare oxygen tanks, underwater comms – whatever you need, I’ll get you. I’ll stake my life on your safety!” “Hayes, it’s not a safety issue.” “Then what is it?” “Personal reasons.” “Personal…” His voice rose a notch. “Ethan, there’s a ten-year-old kid down there, and you’re telling me ‘personal reasons’?” By then, the news of my refusal to dive had spread. Rescue team members gathered in small groups around the doorway. “Ethan, you’re the benchmark for our rescue team! If you don’t take it, who else would dare?” “What kind of legend? Stop praising him. I think he’s just a coward, scared to die.” Curses erupted, one after another. I showed no expression, glancing down at my watch. “Hayes, you’ve wasted another five minutes.” “I don’t want this mission. You can find someone else. Time is running out. I suggest you start the rescue immediately.” Ignoring their attempts to stop me, I turned to leave without a word. A voice from the back of the crowd rang out. “Ethan, your sister… she died in Gale Creek Bay, didn’t she? How can you be so heartless, just leaving someone to die?!”
I froze, my heart clutched by an invisible hand. The phone screen was still lit, showing the ten-year-old boy smiling, his front teeth visible. The exact same age as Sophia had been… I closed my eyes. If Olivia hadn't unclipped her safety line back then, would everything have been different? Suddenly, the commotion in the crowd pulled me back to reality. A man in an expensive designer suit strode forward. He didn’t even look at me. He just opened his wallet and started throwing stacks of cash at me. “What’s the problem with going down?” “You just want money, right? Come on! Name your price!” “Is this the guy you found for me?” Marcus turned his head, glancing at Hayes, his voice full of disdain. He then looked me up and down, a mocking sneer on his face. “So you’re the top underwater rescue diver now?” “Well, I’ll be damned. This is quite a sight.” “So-called rescue heroes, just holding another family’s child’s life hostage for a payout.” He moved closer, pulling out his phone again. “Still not enough? Name a number! I can transfer it right away. A hundred thousand? Half a million? Whatever it takes to save my son, any amount is fine.” Everyone in the hallway gasped, marveling at his generosity. I didn’t move. I just stared, lost in thought, at the medal pinned to his chest. Ten years. The honor gained from my sister’s death, still displayed on him. Following my gaze, he glanced at the design—two hands cradling a life—and chuckled contemptuously. “What? Envious?” “I’m not like a diver of your caliber. This medal, I earned it with my life.” “Ten years ago, right here in Gale Creek Bay! Visibility underwater was almost zero, and my wife and I dove in without a second thought to start the rescue.” He placed himself on a moral high ground. “Unlike some people, who, just because they have some skill, exploit people’s desperation.” I glared at him, only a few words escaping my throat. “Did you save her?” Marcus’s expression stiffened for a second, but he quickly assumed a defensive posture. “In those conditions, no one could guarantee a hundred percent success…” I let out a soft, bitter laugh. “So, you didn’t save her, did you?” “I am indeed different from you. Without absolute certainty, I won’t just dive in. And I certainly won’t easily drag crying family members on shore from hope to despair!” I forced him to meet my gaze, but it was clear he’d long forgotten that I was the man standing on that shore, waiting for Sophia to be brought up that day. He grew enraged, grabbing my collar. “Don’t care if I saved her or not, at least I wasn’t a coward! You don’t even dare to go in the water, what right do you have to judge me here?” The murmuring around us grew louder. “Mr. Marcus is right. At least he put his life on the line ten years ago. Ethan talks a big game, but when it matters, he’s just a greedy coward.” Accusatory stares felt like needles piercing my back. Everyone thought I was avaricious, selfish, and cold-blooded. I ignored them, until a woman stumbled in. Her hair was disheveled, her makeup streaked by tears. Ten years had passed, and even now, in her disarray, time hadn't left many marks on her face. The woman who had vehemently promised to bring Sophia back safely, yet personally pushed her into the abyss, stood before me.
I unconsciously clenched my fists. She didn't even truly look at me, instead grabbing Marcus's arm, signaling him to step back, then turned to face me. “Please.” “Hayes said you’re the rescue team’s last hope. I don’t know you, but I choose to trust you!” “My child is still underwater. He’s only ten. He’s terrified of the dark, and he needs to hear my voice every night to fall asleep.” Tears dripped from her chin. “If you just go down, I’ll do whatever you ask. Anything, any price.” I took a deep breath, the emotions suppressed for ten years churning in my chest. Perhaps this price was greater than they could imagine. Would they still insist then? Finally, I spoke, my voice low. “I can agree to come to the site with you.” Olivia was overjoyed, grabbing my hand and exclaiming. “Oh, thank God, that’s wonderful! Your name is Ethan, right?” She paused, a little hesitant. “No matter what your name is, my husband and I will be so grateful.” I cut her off. “Don’t misunderstand. I agreed to go to the site, not to go in the water.” Ten years. I stood on the riverbank of Gale Creek Bay once more. The ground was covered with equipment: multi-dimensional sonar, high-power underwater lights, three top-of-the-line rescue boats on standby. A dozen experts huddled around a folding table, pointing at hydrographic charts. “This is Mr. Marcus’s child! We have to save him, no matter the cost!” I stood outside the crowd, looking at the scene, and suddenly felt a lump in my throat. Ten years ago, Sophia fell into the same waters. But on the shore, there was only one inflatable boat, a few ordinary safety ropes, and Olivia’s empty promise. Today, because it was Marcus’s son lying at the bottom, the entire command center could mobilize so much equipment within two hours. What about Sophia’s life then? What was it worth? At most, it was just a stepping stone for them to gain fame and fortune. Even if they only retrieved a bloated body, they could still wear the halo of "rescue heroes," attract investors, start businesses, and rake in cash in the business world. At that moment, the rescue personnel on site gathered around, their faces grim. “Based on underwater air pressure and the child’s equipment capacity, the rescue window is only twenty minutes. The child is running low on oxygen. If we don’t go down now, he’ll be gone for good!” “Ethan, since you’re already here, why don’t you go down now?” Countless mouths opened and closed before me, but I shook my head. “You have the most advanced sonar in the country here, a top-tier medical team, and all these experts.” “Besides, didn’t the child’s parents also participate in the Gale Creek Bay rescue ten years ago? If anyone should go down, it certainly isn’t me.” Olivia seemed to not have expected me to suddenly bring up the past. She looked up at me, tears streaming down her face, her lips trembling. “Yes, we went down back then, but we were injured after that rescue and moved behind the scenes. Technically, we can’t even enter the core area now!” Perhaps with a guilty conscience, she suddenly collapsed to her knees. Her knees hit the ground with a dull thud. “Mr. Ethan, please, I beg you. I admit we weren’t skilled enough. We don’t deserve the title of rescue heroes, but our child is innocent!” “I’m begging you, if you’ll just go down, I’ll do anything!” She frantically banged her head against the ground, her forehead instantly red and swollen. “Please go down! Save my son!” Her gut-wrenching cries instantly ignited the anger of the surrounding crowd. “Ethan! Are you even human?! How can you treat a grieving mother like this?” “Ethan, you’re too selfish!” “She’s kneeling to you, and you’re still playing hard to get!” Several emotional team members rushed forward, grabbing my arms, desperately trying to push me into the water. “You’re going down today!” Malice washed over me from all sides, like a crushing tide. I spoke, my voice hoarse. “You all want me to go down so badly?” “But even if I do go down, even if I reach your child…” “How do you know I won’t also let go?”
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