Chapter 14: The Horned Beast

Officer Huang's mouth must have been blessed.

Gao Yang had thought that one day he might have to face his "family" in combat, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon, especially not with his beloved younger sister.

Roughly estimating the situation, there are fewer than ten pedestrians on the street. If one-third of them are the beasts, that's about three, which is already an impossible number to handle.

Moreover, Officer Huang had said that the Hornblower uses a special vocal cord to notify all beasts within a one-kilometer radius. A one-kilometer radius means that in addition to those on the street, the beasts still "sleeping" in the buildings would likely wake up as well.

The conclusion: Unless he and Qingling can teleport instantly, they are doomed.

Gao Yang gave up. He couldn't think of a way to escape.

"If you run, I might be able to hold them off for a few seconds," Gao Yang said to Qingling.

Qingling didn't speak. She neither fled nor took the initiative to attack.

His sister didn't transform into a beast immediately. She walked toward Gao Yang with a look, an attitude, and a step that made it seem like she was someone else...

Wait! Could it be...

"You didn't even ask for my permission before getting a girlfriend!" His sister pointed at Gao Yang and scolded, "What did you say back then? You must get my approval before finding a sister-in-law!"

"You two even went to this kind of hotel!"

"You—you even... hang out in the 'letter' community!" His sister was so angry she stomped her feet.

Qingling tugged at her sleeve to cover the wound on her wrist and turned her face away.

"No, it's not what you think..." Gao Yang said, feeling a wave of relief.

Thank goodness! Buddha be praised!

It seemed like a false alarm!

The more his sister scolded, the angrier she got. She pulled out her phone: "I've taken pictures and posted them on my moments! I'm going to tell everyone your shameful secret! Let the school expel you! Let our parents kick you out and sever ties with you..."

Gao Yang seized the phone unexpectedly, threw it to Qingling, "Delete it."

"OK." Qingling complied.

"What are you doing? Give me back my phone! Don't try to destroy the evidence!" His sister rushed over to snatch the phone back, but Gao Yang pressed her head down.

"At such a young age, what's going on in that head of yours..." Gao Yang rolled his eyes.

Qingling deleted the photos from both the moments and the album, as well as the backups, before handing the phone back to Gao Yang's sister. She waved her hand wearily, "Handle it here yourself." She just wanted to go home, take a bath, and sleep soundly.

"No problem."

...

Ten minutes later, Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin were sitting in a fast-food restaurant.

The morning sun poured through the glass window, casting a soft, clean glow on his sister's hair, skin, and dress.

At this age, girls just left behind their childish innocence and began to bloom into youthful freshness. The vitality and energy they unconsciously radiate infect everything around them. After just surviving a tough battle, Gao Yang slowly relaxed.

Gao Xinxin considered herself mature, but in Gao Yang's eyes, she had an air of a spoiled kitten. She pouted, biting the straw of her drink and swinging her legs irritably.

"Gao Xinxin?"

His sister ignored him and turned her face away.

"Little sister?"

"Don't think that a kids' meal will make me calm down!"

"It was really a misunderstanding. Me and her, we only have a pure friendship. Didn't you see, I stayed up all night doing practice exams for the college entrance exam?"

"Who would go to a love hotel to do practice exams?!" His sister snapped.

"Lots of people do it online! It's a surprise tactic!" Gao Yang improvised.

"Really?" His sister was half-convinced.

"Of course! We're the type of academic geniuses who pretend we didn't study but actually work harder than anyone else and then get high scores by accident," Gao Yang said.

"I despise you."

"Heh," Gao Yang smiled, "By the way, how did you know I was here?"

"My skirt arrived yesterday, so I put it on, hoping you'd come home to see it, but you never came back, and you didn't answer your phone. By the time I fell asleep, I was really mad when I woke up."

His sister pouted angrily, "I called Wang Zikai, and he said you were in a hotel with a classmate, so I rushed over to catch you in the act!"

"Little sister, 'catching you in the act' isn't how you use that term," Gao Yang chuckled.

"Stop that smirk!" His sister raised her voice, her little face looking pitiful, with tears in her eyes, "Do you know how I felt, waiting eagerly for you to see my skirt?"

Gao Yang suddenly felt a pang of guilt, "It's not too late to see it now. It looks really nice!"

"It's not nice! It's all wrinkled!" His sister burst into tears, "And my face is all swollen! It was the thinnest at night, the best match for this skirt!"

Gao Yang's heart warmed as he reached out to pinch his sister's face, "You look good all the time."

"Do I look better than the classmate you were in the hotel with?"

"Better."

"So if both I and she fall into the water, who will you save first?"

Gao Yang was stunned for a moment. This was an interesting question... But knowing Qingling, she'd probably say: "Save your sister first. I'll swim for a while."

"Of course I'd save you!" Gao Yang replied.

"Good! You said it! Pinky swear!" His sister extended her pinky finger.

"Pinky swear!"

...

At 8:00 AM, in Shanqu District, at the Fifteenth High School.

When Gao Yang arrived at the school gate, the morning self-study session had already ended. He was thinking of how to make up an excuse for being late when he saw a familiar red sports car parked by the roadside.

He suddenly had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Wang Zikai appeared at the gate, arguing fiercely with the gym teacher about being late.

"I'm not dropping out anymore! I want to go to school!" Wang Zikai shouted.

"Student, you've already dropped out! Stop messing around," the gym teacher said awkwardly. But since Wang Zikai was a rich second generation, he didn't dare speak too harshly.

"Teacher, I've seen the light! I want to study!"

"Being repentant is a good thing... but first, you need to complete the re-enrollment procedure."

"No! I love studying! Learning is the true way! I don't want to waste another second!" Wang Zikai wanted to say more, but when he saw Gao Yang walking toward him, his face lit up and he ran over, "Bro!"

"I told you to stay home," Gao Yang frowned.

Wang Zikai was too excited, "I couldn't stay! Just thinking about being a new type of human makes me explode with excitement…"

"Keep it down." Gao Yang felt embarrassed. Qingling was right, this idiot should be killed before he causes any real trouble.

"Hey, don't you all have powers? Why don't I have one? I'm supposed to be the destined one, right?" Wang Zikai blinked eagerly, his expression full of hope.

"Your powers have just awakened... everything has to go through a process," Gao Yang lied.

"Got it!"

"By the way, you're supposed to give me a task tonight, right? The earlier you give it to me, the sooner I can finish it."

"This task... can only be done at night."

"Okay!" Wang Zikai slapped Gao Yang on the shoulder. "Let's go! We'll head to school together."

...

The entire day went by, and Gao Yang was almost driven crazy by Wang Zikai. He felt like he had adopted a husky. In the end, Gao Yang had no choice but to teach Wang Zikai a "training method" to keep him quiet and still.

Sure enough, Wang Zikai sat at his desk, doing nothing but "training."

During the second self-study session that evening, Gao Yang went to the bathroom. When he came out, Qingling was waiting for him, "Come with me to the rooftop."

The rooftop?

This place didn't feel right.

Gao Yang followed Qingling to the rooftop. Qingling glanced back, and the iron door slammed shut behind them. She looked around to make sure no one else was there.

"How's your sister?" Qingling asked.

"No problem, it's handled."

"Keep watching. Some beasts are very smart and can disguise themselves," Qingling said.

"Okay," Gao Yang sighed inwardly. If he could, he really wished his sister wasn't a beast. If she had to be one, he hoped she was just a lost one.

A gust of wind blew, and Qingling's long hair swirled around her, disrupting the clarity in her eyes. "I know you're close with Wang Zikai, but he's a beast."

Gao Yang didn't reply.

Sure enough, it was time for the inevitable.

The dark clouds in the sky covered the moon. Qingling stood in the shadows. Gao Yang couldn't see her expression but heard her firm voice, "After self-study tonight, take him to a secluded place. I'll kill him."

Gao Yang stayed silent for a moment, then raised his head. "What if I don't agree?"

Without hesitation, Qingling responded, "I'll kill you too."