—A Caller!
Officer Huang's mouth must have been blessed (cursed).
It wasn't that Gao Yang hadn't thought about the day he might have to turn against his own "family," but he didn't expect it to come so soon, and with the sister he doted on the most.
Roughly estimating, there were fewer than ten pedestrians on the street. Assuming one-third were Wrath Beasts, that was three enemies. This was already impossible to deal with.
Moreover, Officer Huang had said that Callers used their special vocal cords to notify all Beasts within a one-kilometer radius. A one-kilometer radius meant that besides the street, the Beasts "sleeping" in the buildings would likely wake up too.
The conclusion was: Unless he and Qing Ling could teleport instantly, they were dead.
Gao Yang gave up. He couldn't think of any possibility of escape.
"You run. I should be able to stall for a few seconds," Gao Yang said to Qing Ling.
Qing Ling didn't speak. She didn't run, but she didn't attack either.
His sister didn't transform immediately. She walked toward Gao Yang. That expression, that demeanor, that strut of disowning her relatives...
Wait! Could it be...
"You actually got a girlfriend without my permission!" His sister pointed at Gao Yang and scolded him vehemently. "What did you say back then! Getting a sister-in-law requires my approval!"
"And you two actually came to this kind of hotel!"
"You, you guys are actually... into BDSM!" His sister stomped her foot in anger.
Qing Ling pulled down her sleeves to cover the wounds on her wrists and turned her face away.
"No, it's not what you think..."
Thank God! Bless the Bodhisattva!
Gao Yang wanted to cry. It seemed it was a false alarm!
His sister got angrier as she spoke, taking out her phone. "I've already taken photos and posted them on my Moments! I'm going to tell everyone about your scandal! Let the school expel you! Let Mom and Dad kick you out of the house and disown you..."
Caught off guard, Gao Yang snatched his sister's phone and threw it to Qing Ling. "Delete them."
"OK." Qing Ling complied.
"What are you doing? Give me back my phone! Don't think about destroying evidence!" His sister tried to snatch it back but was held down by Gao Yang's hand on her head.
"You're so young, what kind of stuff is in your head..." Gao Yang rolled his eyes.
Qing Ling deleted the Moments post, the photos in the album, and cleared the 'Recently Deleted' folder in one go before tossing the phone back to Gao Yang's sister. She waved her hand exhaustedly. "Handle this yourself." Right now, she just wanted to go home, take a shower, and sleep soundly.
"No problem."
Ten minutes later, Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin sat in McDonald's.
The warm morning sun refracted through the glass window onto his sister, plating her hair, skin, and dress with a clean, beautiful, hazy halo.
Girls at this age were just shedding their childishness and entering the awkwardness of adolescence. The vitality and vigor they unconsciously radiated could infect everything around them. Gao Yang, who had just experienced a fierce battle, gradually relaxed.
Gao Xinxin prided herself on being mature, but in Gao Yang's eyes, her arrogant manner revealed the naive charm of a kitten. She pouted, chewed on her drink straw, and swung her legs unhappily.
"Gao Xinxin?"
His sister ignored him and turned her face away.
"Sis?"
"Don't think a Happy Meal will make me forgive you!"
"It really was a misunderstanding. She and I have a pure friendship. Isn't the Gaokao coming up? We stayed up all night doing practice papers."
"Only a ghost would believe that! Who goes to a love hotel to do practice papers!"
"Many people online do it! It's called 'taking the unexpected path'!" Gao Yang bullshitted.
"Really?" His sister was skeptical.
"Of course. We act like slackers but are actually studyholics, get it?"
"The kind who say they didn't study but secretly work harder than anyone, then accidentally get high scores?" his sister asked.
"Yes! Exactly that kind."
"I despise that."
"Hehe," Gao Yang smiled. "By the way, how did you know I was here?"
"My new dress arrived yesterday. I put it on and wanted to show you as soon as you got home. But you never came home, didn't answer your phone, and I waited until I fell asleep."
His sister puffed up her cheeks. "When I woke up, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I called Wang Zikai, and he said you were getting a room with a girl from class and told me to come catch you cheating!"
"Sis, 'catching cheating' isn't used like that." Gao Yang didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Don't give me that cheeky smile!" His sister raised her voice, her small face looking aggrieved, her eyes rimmed with red. "I waited full of joy for you to come home and see my dress. Do you understand how that feels?"
Gao Yang suddenly felt a pang of heartache. "It's not too late to see it now. The dress is really pretty!"
"It's not pretty! The dress is wrinkled!" His sister cried. "And my face is swollen. My face is thinnest at night; that's when it matches this dress best!"
Gao Yang felt warm inside. He reached out and pinched his sister's cheek. "Sis looks good anytime."
"Better looking than the female classmate you opened a room with?"
"Better looking."
"Then if she and I both fell into the water, who would you save first?"
Gao Yang paused. What a question... But knowing Qing Ling's personality, she would probably say: 'Save your sister first, I want to swim a bit longer.'
"Save you, of course!" Gao Yang said.
"Good! You said it yourself! Pinky swear!" His sister extended her little finger.
"Pinky swear!"
8:00 AM. Shanqing District. No. 15 High School.
When Gao Yang arrived at the school gate with his schoolbag, the morning study session had already ended. Just as he was thinking of an excuse for being late, he saw a familiar red sports car parked by the roadside.
Gao Yang suddenly had an ominous feeling.
Sure enough, Wang Zikai appeared at the school gate, arguing fiercely with the PE teacher who was checking for tardiness.
"I'm not dropping out! I want to come to school!" Wang Zikai shouted loudly.
"Student, you've already been expelled! Stop making trouble." The PE teacher was in a difficult spot, but since the other party was a rich second generation, he didn't dare use too harsh a tone.
"Teacher, I've realized the truth! I want to study!"
"It's good to realize your mistakes... but you have to go through the re-enrollment procedures first."
"No! I love learning! Learning is the Righteous Path of Light! I don't want to waste even a second." Wang Zikai was about to say something else when he saw Gao Yang walking towards him. He immediately beamed and ran over. "Brother!"
"Didn't I tell you to stay at home?" Gao Yang frowned.
Wang Zikai was agitated. "I can't sit still! Just thinking about being a New Human, I'm fucking exploding with excitement..."
"Keep your voice down." Gao Yang sweatdropped. Qing Ling was right; this idiot should be killed, or something will happen sooner or later.
"Hey, don't you guys all have that superpower? Why don't I have it? It shouldn't be like this; aren't I the Destined Youth?" Wang Zikai blinked his eyes, looking expectant. If he had a tail, he'd probably be wagging it.
"The power inside you has just awakened... All things must have a process." Gao Yang made something up.
"Makes sense!"
"By the way, didn't you have a mission for me tonight? Give it to me earlier so I can finish it earlier." Wang Zikai's thinking jumped all over the place.
"This mission... can only be done at night."
"Alright, alright." Wang Zikai draped his arm around Gao Yang's shoulder. "Let's go! Let's go to school together."
Throughout the day, Gao Yang was driven crazy by Wang Zikai. He felt like he was raising a husky. In the end, Gao Yang had to teach Wang Zikai a set of "Cultivation Mental Methods" to make him shut up obediently and stop moving around.
Sure enough, Wang Zikai sat motionless in his seat, "cultivating."
During the second evening study session, Gao Yang went to the bathroom. As soon as he came out, he was blocked by Qing Ling. "Come to the rooftop with me."
The rooftop?
This doesn't feel like a good place.
Gao Yang followed Qing Ling to the rooftop. With a glance back from Qing Ling, the iron door slammed shut with a bang. She looked around to confirm there was no one else.
"How is it with your sister?" Qing Ling asked.
"Fine. Handled it."
"Keep observing. Some Beasts are smart and can disguise themselves," Qing Ling said.
"Okay." Gao Yang sighed inwardly. If possible, I really hope my sister isn't a Beast. If she must be one, I hope she's a Lost.
A gust of wind blew past, lifting Qing Ling's long hair and messing with her gaze. "I know you have a good relationship with Wang Zikai, but he is a Beast."
Gao Yang didn't speak.
Sure enough, what must come will come.
Dark clouds drifted across the sky, obscuring the moonlight. Qing Ling stood in the darkness. Gao Yang couldn't see her expression clearly, only hearing her voice, which allowed no negotiation. "After evening study hall, take him to a deserted place. I will kill him."
Gao Yang was silent for a moment, then looked up. "What if I don't agree?"
Qing Ling didn't hesitate. "I will kill you too."