Chapter 10: The Third Note

This was Gaoyang's first time in a love hotel. To be honest, he didn't like it.

Red lighting, red carpets, red walls, red furniture, red bed drapes—it was like a cramped lair of a spider demon.

Qingling locked the door, drew the curtains, opened the metal box, and studied its contents for a moment before assembling the sniper rifle.

It was still early, and there was nothing to do.

Qingling sat on a strangely shaped love chair, while Gaoyang sat on the soft waterbed. Their eyes met, and the atmosphere became subtly awkward. In reality, Qingling was completely composed—it was only Gaoyang who didn't know where to put his hands.

Suddenly, Gaoyang's phone rang.

It was Wang Zikai.

"Bro! Impulse is the devil! Think carefully!! Once you take this step, there's no turning back! You'll be tainted! A man who doesn't respect himself is like rotten cabbage! I despise you! Ptooey!"

"Women are nothing but trouble. They'll only slow down your R-flash speed!"

"Come out right now! Playing ranked matches with me is the true path of righteousness!"

"I'm at the 601 eSports room! Huge screen, premium surround sound—it's an absolute experience! Get up here! If you're my bro, we'll grind ranks till dawn!"

Gaoyang hung up.

"Are you lonely?" Qingling asked.

"Huh?"

"Then why are you friends with an idiot?" Qingling looked genuinely confused.

"Well… it's a long story." Gaoyang gave an awkward laugh.

Qingling got up and walked into the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower."

The bathroom was a separate space enclosed by frosted glass. Although the glass was misted, one could still make out vague shapes.

Soon, Qingling removed her coat and dress, draping them over the glass door. Then, she casually hung up her white undergarments as well.

She really doesn't see me as an outsider, huh?

Gaoyang quickly lowered his head. However, the lower half of the glass was transparent. He could see Qingling's long, slender legs and her smooth ankles. Amid the sound of running water, hot water mixed with white foam from the body wash slid down the curves of her legs, streaming toward her ankles before dispersing on the floor.

Gaoyang pulled out his phone and started scrolling.

Qingling finished quickly. When she stepped out, she was wrapped in nothing but a sexy bath towel.

"You should take a shower too," she said.

"Do I have to?"

"In the eyes of outsiders, we came to a love hotel to spend the night. Every trace left behind must align with that narrative—we can't arouse suspicion from any beasts."

As Qingling spoke, she walked to the bedside table, opened a box of condoms, took one out, tore open the package, then wrapped the condom in a tissue and tucked it into her bag, as if planning to take it with her.

After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Is one enough? How many do you usually use?"

"…"

Gaoyang was at a loss for words. He wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore. "Just… one, I guess."

After ensuring the room bore all the expected "traces," the two lay down to rest for a while. Of course, Gaoyang couldn't sleep at all. He was busy thinking—serious thoughts.

---

At 5:30, the alarm went off. Qingling opened her eyes and got up immediately.

Gaoyang had been awake the whole time. He got up as well, unable to hold back his question. "I remember you saying that beasts don't have reproductive systems."

Qingling nodded. She walked to the minibar in the corner, opened it, took out two drinks, tossed one to Gaoyang, and opened the other for herself.

"I have a question," Gaoyang said, twisting the bottle in his hand. "Officer Huang… he's married, right?"

Qingling nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"With a one-in-ten-thousand ratio, that means his wife is most likely a beast, right?"

"Probably."

"Then… wouldn't they notice something the moment they, you know, do it?"

Qingling took another sip of her drink. "Beasts don't lack reproductive systems entirely. They lack real human reproductive systems. But they can imitate them—there are subtle differences."

"Imitate? Differences?" Gaoyang mused.

Qingling remained composed. "I awakened at a very young age. The first human I met was my cousin."

"Oh."

"He had been with many girls. One day, he slept with a human girl and realized the experience felt completely different from before."

"And then he awakened?" Gaoyang had mixed feelings. This pretty much proved that scumbags were doomed—if Qingling's cousin hadn't awakened, he wouldn't have died.

Qingling nodded. "My cousin told me that if someone has never been with a real human, they won't notice anything amiss, no matter how many times they've been with beasts. But just one experience with a real human, and they'll know the difference."

"So… you have experience with this?" Gaoyang swore he was asking purely from an academic perspective.

"No," Qingling shook her head. "But my cousin told me that it's easy to tell for men. A male beast's reproductive system is mimicked, meaning their body reacts instantly. But for human men, it happens gradually."

Gaoyang suddenly recalled that "test" from the other night, and his face turned red.

"As for female beasts," Qingling continued, "my cousin said it's something that can only be experienced, not explained." She suddenly looked at Gaoyang. "Want to try? That way, we'd both gain experience."

Gaoyang spat out his drink.

"What? Is that funny?" Qingling frowned.

"N-no! If the opportunity arises… we'll see." Gaoyang hurriedly changed the subject, glancing at his phone. "It's almost six."

Qingling pulled out the note from her pocket, her eyes flashing coldly.

"We're supposed to kill someone, right?" Gaoyang had already guessed. "Who's the target?"

Qingling handed him the note. "See for yourself."

6:00 AM. Observation Deck No. 2, Riverside Scenic Area. Kill the woman next to me. Aim for the head or heart.

Gaoyang stared at the note, deep in thought.

"The woman next to me" implied that Officer Huang would soon appear. The target must be his colleague, friend, or family member. If Huang wasn't killing her himself and was instead staying close to her, entering the range of security cameras, he was likely trying to create an airtight alibi. He wanted someone else to do the dirty work and clear himself of suspicion.

This was getting complicated.

Qingling pulled the curtains open, moved the love chair to the window, set up the sniper rifle, and peered through the scope.

The sight was surreal—a tall beauty, wrapped in a bath towel, sitting on a love chair, aiming a sniper rifle.

After a moment, she spoke. "Target spotted."

Gaoyang hurried over. "Let me see."

Through the scope, he looked toward Observation Deck No. 2 at the riverside.

The morning sun was soft and clean. A refined, literary-looking woman stood on the deck in a red dress and white shawl, gazing at the glimmering river.

Soon, Officer Huang arrived, dressed in workout gear with a towel over his shoulder. He stopped on the deck. The woman turned, handed him a bottle of water, and smiled gently.

Huang took the water, and she naturally used the towel to wipe his sweat—her gestures were affectionate and familiar.

After a brief conversation, Huang took back the towel and continued jogging, seemingly planning to run a few more laps. The woman watched him with fondness before turning back to admire the river.

"His wife?" Gaoyang asked.

Qingling nodded, her thoughts aligning with his. "She probably suspects he's awakened. At the very least, she has doubts about his identity. Huang has decided to eliminate her before she can be sure. He wants us to do it for him."

Click—

Qingling finished setting up the rifle. "I'll do it."

Gaoyang said nothing. His emotions were complicated.

He wasn't a saint, nor was he in a position to judge Huang's decision. But he imagined if it were his own grandmother, father, mother, or sister in the scope—could he pull the trigger?

His mind was a mess.

"The target hasn't moved," Qingling murmured, taking a deep breath. "Three, two, one…"

Thwip—

She fired.

Something was off. Even with the silencer, the gunshot sounded strange—muffled, too brief. It felt like a misfire.

Gaoyang noticed something was wrong. He looked up—and froze.

Qingling also frowned, surprised.

At the exact moment she pulled the trigger, a dark figure dropped from the sky, blocking the shot.

The bullet hit the figure instead.

Then, Gaoyang and Qingling saw who it was

The figure—was Wang Zikai.