Silencing

The break room was eerily quiet. The air seemed to freeze, and Gao Yang could hear his heartbeat rapidly accelerating: It's over, we've definitely been discovered.

Gao Yang tilted his head toward Qingling. Qingling's face was expressionless. Her brain was racing: If Officer Huang is a Cheng Beast, we have no chance.

Killing a Cheng Beast wouldn't be difficult for her, but there were still over a hundred "people" outside the break room. If she revealed her awakened identity, she would undoubtedly die.

Should we run?

It would be pointless. Even if they ran now, her identity had already been exposed, and she wouldn't survive for more than a few days.

Her last companion was even stronger, but he still died because of an accidental identity reveal.

She had no other choice but to gamble on the last possibility.

"Officer Huang, what are you doing here?" Qingling spoke after three seconds.

Officer Huang slowly walked to the water dispenser, bent down to fill a cup with cold water, fully exposing his back to Qingling and Gao Yang.

After filling the cup, he turned around and leaned against the edge of the table where the dispenser was placed. "Still investigating Li Weiwei's case. I want to start by talking to people close to her, so I came to the funeral."

"Have you found anything?" Gao Yang tried to play the concerned role, pretending to care about the case.

"I asked around, and I have a few clues. But I can't tell you guys," Officer Huang said, taking a sip of water and smiling. "By the way, what were you talking about earlier? It sounded interesting—something about beasts? Something about rules?"

Gao Yang's heart sank. As expected, it couldn't be covered up.

Since it's like this, there's no choice but to go all in.

"It's a survival game we've been playing recently, it's quite popular," Gao Yang glanced at Qingling. "We were talking about the game."

"Oh? Really?" Officer Huang nodded, seeming to think for a moment. "What's the name of this game?"

"Um… 'Monster-Human Family Fun'," Gao Yang quickly replied.

"It sounds interesting just from the name," Officer Huang sighed enviously. "Young people are lucky. Unlike us working folks, we don't have any entertainment anymore."

After finishing his water, Officer Huang placed the disposable cup back on the water dispenser and leisurely walked out of the break room.

In just a minute, Gao Yang was drenched in cold sweat, his back completely soaked.

He asked Qingling, "What should we do now?"

Qingling furrowed her brows slightly. "There are two possibilities. One, he's a Cheng Beast, and he already suspects us, so he's testing us. Two, he's a Chi Beast."

"Chi Beast?"

"A Chi Beast is a special case, also known as a 'lost soul.' It thinks it's human and deceives itself. Even if an awakened person appears in front of them, they won't harm the awakened. They tend to ignore key information and automatically correct their brain's logic and memory."

"If Officer Huang is a Chi Beast, then we're safe."

"Right, but I'm not going to gamble on that probability." Qingling walked to the door and peered through the crack at Officer Huang in the mourning hall. "A Cheng Beast craves its prey intensely and will consume an awakened one alone, never sharing with others."

Gao Yang recalled the way Li Weiwei had tried to kill him: "I've seen it..."

"Right now, there are over a hundred people in the mourning hall. There's probably more than one Cheng Beast inside. That might be why Officer Huang hasn't attacked us."

"He wants to keep the prey to himself."

"That's highly likely." Qingling turned to Gao Yang, her eyes cold. "We still have a chance. We need to silence him first."

---

10 PM, Mountain Green District, Police Station.

After the funeral, Officer Huang drove straight back to the police station.

Qingling and Gao Yang followed in a taxi, got out, and then headed to a café across the street from the police station. They found a seat by the window, convenient for observation.

They ordered some food and drinks, then took out their textbooks to pretend they were studying, while in reality, they were just passing time.

When Qingling first suggested killing Officer Huang, Gao Yang had refused. But upon further thought, he realized that if Qingling failed, he would die sooner or later too.

If they were both going to die, better to stand and die with some dignity.

"I have a lot of questions for you," Gao Yang took a sip of his orange juice.

"Go ahead," Qingling replied, her eyes on the mango pancake she was slicing into eight pieces, her movements almost resembling a battle with an enemy.

"Besides me, do you have other companions?"

"I told you before. I knew two people. They're both dead."

"Then, you've been alone all this time?" Gao Yang found that hard to believe.

"Two," Qingling's eyes shifted. "I have my sister."

Gao Yang realized she was referring to her second personality, Qingling.

"You two sisters… must have had it tough."

"Better worry about yourself," Qingling set down her fork. "If the plan fails later, I'll run and hide."

"What about me?" Gao Yang asked.

"I don't know," Qingling's gaze was icy. "I won't care for a burden."

Gao Yang was hurt by the comment. He wasn't a burden! He had his own talents!

But then again, he decided not to humiliate himself further in front of her.

The two of them waited until late at night when Officer Huang finally emerged from the police station.

He walked to his police car, and as he reached for the keys, he froze. Looking down, he noticed the front tire was flat—damaged by Qingling's remote-controlled knife.

Officer Huang didn't show much irritation. He pulled out his phone, chatting casually as he crossed the street and bought a pack of cigarettes.

Qingling and Gao Yang kept a distance of about fifty meters, carefully following him.

While smoking and talking on the phone, Officer Huang turned into a small park in the middle of the street, seemingly taking a shortcut.

"This is our chance," Qingling quickened her pace.

"Could he be setting a trap for us?" Gao Yang was very suspicious.

Qingling's eyes sharpened. "Then let's see who the real prey is."

---

Late at Night, In the Park

The park was dense with trees, and there were no visitors at this hour. Officer Huang walked alone along the dark path. The more isolated he appeared, the more dangerous Gao Yang felt—he seemed deeply inscrutable, a threat.

Qingling and Gao Yang took out their masks and sunglasses, blending in as they followed him deeper into the park, hiding behind neatly trimmed bushes when they found the right opportunity.

Qingling extended both hands toward the surveillance camera above them.

She focused intently, as if controlling something. Two seconds later, she clenched her fist. There was a faint sound from the camera, and the "red dot" vanished.

"You go out and call out to him. Say anything to distract him," Qingling whispered. "Leave the rest to me."

Gao Yang felt extremely nervous. "Alright."

Taking a deep breath, he stepped out from the bushes and hurried to catch up. "Officer Huang!"

Officer Huang stopped and turned around. "You are...?"

Gao Yang pulled down his mask. "Oh, it's me."

"Gao Yang? What are you doing here this late?" Officer Huang smiled.

Gao Yang continued his performance. "I suddenly remembered a clue about Li Weiwei's case and wanted to tell you."

"Really?" Officer Huang smiled as he approached Gao Yang, his movements slightly eager. "Go ahead and tell me..."

Suddenly, Officer Huang's smile vanished.

In an instant, he spun around and drew the gun from his waist.