Chapter 04: The Prisoner's Dilemma

"Come?" Gao Yang stammered, "Come for what?"

Qing Ling bent her legs and pressed herself onto Gao Yang, the moonlight highlighting her collarbones, which gleamed softly, almost mesmerizingly beautiful.

She sneered coldly. "What do you think? Don't pretend to be innocent."

Gao Yang was stunned.

Without wasting words, Qing Ling flicked her hair and moved closer to Gao Yang's face.

"Wait!" Gao Yang shouted. He wasn't a traditional person; he'd watched his fair share of adult films. But right now, this was moving way too fast—too fast for him to even process. It looked like a trap.

"What?" Qing Ling asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If I'm guilty, the law will punish me. Please don't torture me like this..." Gao Yang muttered.

"Got a strong guard up, huh," Qing Ling remarked.

Gao Yang thought, isn't that a normal reaction? Three hours ago, his most trusted childhood friend had nearly crushed his skull, and now, a stranger—an alluring woman—was suddenly throwing herself at him. He had every reason to suspect this was some kind of plot to kill him.

"Relax," Qing Ling said, her voice softening.

"..." Gao Yang didn't know how to respond.

"If you really can't stand me, just imagine someone else's face," Qing Ling said, placing her hand on his chest and slowly moving it downward.

"Maybe... let's start as friends first?" Gao Yang suggested nervously.

Suddenly, Qing Ling stopped.

Gao Yang was sweating bullets, not daring to breathe.

Qing Ling stood up, got dressed, and said, "That's enough."

Gao Yang was left completely baffled. He sat up on the bed, suddenly noticing a sharp little dagger hidden beneath his pillow.

Qing Ling lightly flicked her wrist, and the dagger flew back into her hand. She spun the small weapon between her long fingers before it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Did... did you just try to kill me?" Gao Yang asked, still in shock.

"That depends on you," Qing Ling replied.

"What do you mean? If I couldn't resist temptation and had evil thoughts toward you, you would kill me?" Gao Yang reasoned aloud, "So this is a test. If I pass, I earn your trust?"

"Wrong," Qing Ling said, turning her back on him as she tied her hair into a ponytail. "If you had no reaction, I would have killed you."

"Why?"

"Beasts don't have real reproductive systems."

Gao Yang suddenly understood. "So, you were confirming my identity all along!"

"Right. What you met tonight was a wrath beast."

"A wrath beast?"

"There are many types of beasts. A wrath beast is one of them. They're tricky, good at hiding, blending in," Qing Ling explained. "If you want to survive in this world, don't trust anyone."

"Then how do I trust that you're human?" Gao Yang retorted.

"Not bad, you're quick to learn," Qing Ling said expressionlessly. "Figuring out if a woman is a beast is a hassle. You'd have to really go for it."

"Uh…"

Qing Ling tossed a small bottle at him. "This is a special medicine. Use it, but make sure you dispose of the bottle afterward. Don't let anyone see it."

Gao Yang caught the small bottle and inspected it carefully. It looked like a regular bottle of blue liquid—nothing special.

He hid the bottle under the blanket. Right now, he had many more questions for Qing Ling.

What exactly were these beasts?

Why did they kill people?

What was his current situation?

What was Qing Ling's ability? She seemed much stronger than him.

How could he become stronger?

"Bang!"

The door suddenly burst open, and his sister rushed in.

Gao Yang jumped, standing up with only his bare chest exposed. "No! It's not what you think!"

"What?" His sister looked at him, confused.

Gao Yang turned around, and Qing Ling had vanished. Only the swaying curtains and the soft moonlight coming through the window remained.

This was too quick! She really came and went like the wind...

"So suspicious," his sister remarked, eyeing Gao Yang up and down, before suddenly grinning mischievously. "Bro, you weren't... doing that, were you?"

"I wasn't! I didn't! Don't make stuff up!" Gao Yang groaned in despair. "Also, can you knock next time?"

"Got it!" His sister smiled sweetly, moving closer and wrapping her arm around his. "Hey, bro, I want to discuss something with you."

"Go ahead."

She immediately pulled out her phone. "Look… this Loli dress, does it look good?"

"Yeah…" Gao Yang started to catch on. "What are you trying to do?"

"It's only 498! Super cheap! If I buy it now, I can save 198."

"Not buying saves 498."

"I have 11 months until my birthday!" His sister pouted. "Couldn't you just treat it as my birthday gift?"

"I have seventy more years to live, can't you just pretend I'm already dead?"

"You don't care about me! You don't love me! People like you don't deserve to be a brother!" His sister shouted. "I'm telling mom and dad you were out partying tonight and came back covered in blood!"

"Fine, fine!" Gao Yang immediately panicked. He grabbed his phone and transferred a few hundred yuan to his sister from next month's living allowance. At this point, calming her down was far more important than saving money.

"You're the best, bro! Mwah~ I love you the most!"

His sister happily ran out of the room, phone in hand.

Gao Yang breathed a sigh of relief as he watched his sister close the door with a grin.

...

The special medicine Qing Ling gave him worked wonders. By the time Gao Yang woke up the next morning, the wounds had nearly healed, leaving only faint red marks that looked like mosquito bites.

He had breakfast and went to school.

In the classroom, Li Weiwei's seat was empty.

Gao Yang's chest felt hollow, the dull ache of loss gnawing at him, as if a part of him had been ripped out.

He thought back on the twelve years he had spent with Li Weiwei—walking to and from school together, eating meals together, doing homework together, even setting off fireworks on New Year's Eve a few times. The first time he saw her smile, saw her cry, saw her angry... All those familiar, beautiful memories had been shattered by the "beast" from last night.

Gao Yang wished he were facing two separate beings—one, a beautiful and innocent human girl, and the other, a vicious, unknown monster. But the truth was, they were one and the same.

Gao Yang couldn't accept it.

Until the end of the morning study period, Li Weiwei's seat remained empty. Some of the girls in the class began whispering, likely already knowing something had happened to Li Weiwei.

Gao Yang hadn't slept much last night; he had so many questions to ask Qing Ling.

But unexpectedly, right after the morning study period, Qing Ling took the initiative to approach him. In front of everyone, she asked loudly, "Gao Yang, where is Li Weiwei?"

Gao Yang froze. What was going on? Was this some kind of performance?

"I don't know," Gao Yang answered.

"You don't know?! Didn't you spend the day with her yesterday?"

"Yeah, we each went home in the evening…"

"What's going on? She's not answering her phone, not replying on WeChat, and she's not in class either," Qing Ling said, frowning, clearly agitated. When she didn't get an answer, she turned sharply and left.

The first class was math, and the math teacher was also the homeroom teacher.

The teacher walked in, looking somber. He placed the textbook on the podium and adjusted his thick glasses.

"Students, before we begin, I have something important to tell you."

"Li Weiwei from our class... was murdered last night."

The class was in an uproar.

"What?!" Qing Ling jumped to her feet, her face a picture of shock.

Gao Yang froze, suddenly impressed: Life was a play, all about acting.

Qing Ling had been with Li Weiwei almost every day, and they were close friends. This reaction seemed completely normal. It reminded Gao Yang that, as her childhood friend, his own response was too strange.

Gao Yang quickly stood up, putting on a shocked and confused expression. "Impossible! I saw her yesterday afternoon!"

"She was attacked late at night on her way home. Early investigations suggest it was a robbery gone wrong; she was stabbed in the chest and died on the spot…" The teacher sighed. "That's all we know for now."

"Oh my god! How could this happen?"

"So tragic. I never thought this would happen to her."

"The murderer must be executed!"

"Waaah…"

The boys who liked Li Weiwei were furious, shouting loudly. Several of the girls who were close to Li Weiwei immediately teared up and sobbed quietly.

"Class, I'm just as heartbroken and furious as you are."

"The police are actively searching for the murderer. They will bring him to justice!"

"If anyone wants to say goodbye to Li Weiwei's body, you can come with me to the morgue tonight…"

"Now, let's gather ourselves and continue with the lesson."

The math teacher flipped open the textbook, but then remembered something. "Qing Ling, Gao Yang, come to my