Chapter 11: Unexpected Situation

Wang Zikai had a rope tied around his waist and was dangling from the window of Room 601. His chest was hit by a bullet with a solid thud.

Qingling reacted quickly, immediately controlling a dagger to cut the rope, then swiftly caught Wang Zikai, pulling him back into the room. She turned and shouted to Gao Yang, "Stop standing there! Help!"

...

One minute earlier.

Wang Zikai, after losing three consecutive ranked matches, felt that something was off.

Gao Yang was infamous for being terrible with women! He'd been unable to win over Li Weiwei, his childhood friend, after knowing her for years. Now, in the blink of an eye, he'd gotten together with the campus beauty Qingling, and they were heading straight to a hotel! This just didn't make sense!

There was definitely something fishy between them!

Could they be secretly studying at the hotel?

But no, Qingling was an athlete, and her academic performance didn't matter much since she could get a direct pass into college. Gao Yang did well academically, but he was super laid-back about everything; he didn't seem like someone who'd secretly be working hard.

Wang Zikai lay flat on the floor, listening intently from below. It was way too quiet down there, not like they were "getting busy." Besides, they wouldn't be at it all night. Gao Yang could easily return his call once they were done.

So, the truth was clear!

— Gao Yang had definitely found a new ranking partner. He probably thought my skills were terrible and wanted to ditch me! He must be in the middle of a passionate ranked session with Qingling right now!

Unforgivable!

Wang Zikai couldn't let it go. He knew if he confronted Gao Yang directly, the guy wouldn't admit it. So, he hatched a plan. He found a piece of rope, tied himself up, and decided to climb out the window of the sixth floor to catch them in the act!

He slowly slid down, nearing the fifth-floor window when suddenly, the curtains of Room 501 pulled back, and something that looked like the muzzle of a gun extended.

What the hell was that?

Before Wang Zikai could think, his foot slipped on the air conditioner unit, and he fell. He then felt a sharp pain in his chest, and everything went black.

...

Wang Zikai lay unconscious on the carpet, blood pouring from his chest.

"He's losing a lot of blood! We need to apply pressure!" Qingling said.

Gao Yang rushed into the bathroom, grabbed a thick towel, and pressed it against his chest. The towel quickly became soaked with blood.

Normally, a close-range sniper shot like that would have torn through someone's chest, but Wang Zikai only felt like he had been hit by a regular bullet.

He was a beast, no doubt about it.

"What do we do?" Gao Yang asked.

"I don't know." Qingling hadn't expected this idiot to come out, and now their plan was completely messed up.

"We need to save him," Gao Yang decided quickly.

"If you want to die, don't drag me into it," Qingling protested.

"Otherwise, what? Leave the body here? We have a hotel check-in record; we can't get away from this. It's only a matter of time before it's exposed," Gao Yang adjusted his breathing, calming down. "He... most likely is just a 'lost beast.'"

A "lost beast," someone who thought they were human but could die without ever knowing they were a beast.

Qingling's gaze flickered, and for a moment, she seemed to hesitate. But soon, her eyes hardened, and a dagger appeared in her hand. "No, we can't take that risk. If he's not a lost beast, we're both dead!"

Her cousin had died because he had shown mercy to a lost beast years ago.

Gao Yang knew he couldn't convince her, and he wasn't sure he could convince himself either. Showing mercy to the enemy was cruelty to oneself.

After three seconds of silence, he gritted his teeth and looked away. "Let's do it."

"Knock knock knock—" A loud knock came at the door.

Gao Yang jumped, quickly grabbing a quilt off the waterbed and covering the unconscious Wang Zikai.

Qingling stood up, walked quickly to the door, and cracked it open a little. "Who is it?"

A fat man from the front desk stood outside, looking excited and speaking in a hushed tone. "Sister, let me in!"

"What for?" Qingling asked warily.

The fat man glanced around, leaned in, and whispered mysteriously, "I know everything that's happening in the room. I'm also an awakened one… let's talk."

Qingling paused for three seconds, weighing the pros and cons. Between killing the fat man and letting him in, she chose the latter.

...

The fat man placed his hands on Wang Zikai's chest.

Before this, Qingling had removed the bullet from his chest. The fat man's hands were covered in a green energy, with particles steadily flowing into Wang Zikai's chest. The blood stopped flowing, and the wound that the bullet caused began to heal at a visible rate.

Five minutes later, the rescue ended.

The fat man groaned and collapsed onto the carpet, drenched in sweat, as if he had just taken a shower. He gasped for air, feeling like he had just lost half his life. "I'm lucky this guy's a beast. If he were human, I wouldn't have been able to save him."

During the rescue, the fat man introduced himself.

His name was Han Yingjun, but everyone called him Fat Jun. He had become an awakened one four years ago with the healing talent, serial number: 45.

Fat Jun's parents had died when he was young, and he had grown up with his aunt. After his aunt passed, he didn't achieve much after high school. He inherited his aunt's inn and transformed it into a kinky hotel.

Qingling squatted down, confirmed Wang Zikai's heartbeat, and instructed Gao Yang, "You clean up the scene. I have something to ask this fat man."

"Heh, no need to be so polite, just call me Fat Jun," he said with a grin.

Qingling stared at him. "How did you know what happened in the room?"

Fat Jun froze for a moment, quickly forcing a smile. "Heh, actually… I installed cameras and listening devices in the room…"

Before he could finish, a唐刀(Chinese knife) was swiftly placed against his thick triple chin.

Fat Jun cried out, "Sister, please spare me! Let me explain first!"

"You've got ten seconds."

"First, I didn't install cameras in the bathroom! I have boundaries, okay?" Fat Jun wiped the sweat off his fat face. "And the cameras, I didn't put them up to satisfy my own desires. I'm above such petty things…"

"Get to the point."

"You guys don't find it interesting?" Fat Jun asked, nervously pushing the knife away just a little. "What are these beasts like when they're not pretending to be human?"

"Swipe." The 唐刀 disappeared from Qingling's hand. "You've been observing the beasts?"

"Yes, ever since awakening, it really blew my mind. I was shocked to my core!" Fat Jun glanced at Wang Zikai on the floor. "After accepting reality, I kept wondering… do these beasts really play human all day long?"

"I can accept lost beasts—they're just stupid and deceived into thinking they're human. But what about the other beasts? Do they play pretend too? Why do they do this?" Fat Jun turned to Gao Yang. "Aren't you curious?"

"I've only been awakened for three days. I haven't thought that far yet." Gao Yang answered while wiping the floor.

"I installed cameras because, on one hand, I wanted to see what these beasts are like in private…" Fat Jun said, a look of disappointment crossing his face. "But I never expected… they actually keep pretending. They do all the same human stuff."

Gao Yang and Qingling fell silent, deep in thought.

"On the other hand, I wanted to find other humans." Fat Jun sighed. "The guy who awakened me died, and I've been alone ever since. Now, finally, I've found you guys! I'm so excited, so happy…"

Fat Jun spread his arms, trying to embrace Qingling.

Faced with Qingling's cold stare, he turned and hugged Gao Yang instead. "I'm so happy, sob sob sob, I thought I'd die alone…"

Fat Jun became emotional, tears streaming down his face. "Bro, my heart hurts... every day I wake up, I have to pretend. Three years, then another three... when will it end?"

Gao Yang, awkwardly patting his fleshy shoulder, muttered, "Alright, alright, it's okay."

"Knock knock knock—" Another knock came at the door.

Everyone immediately fell silent.

Gao Yang and Qingling exchanged glances, both confused. Fat Jun shook his head as well.

Qingling and Gao Yang silently drew their knives.

Gao Yang nodded and quickly stood up, walking to the door. He shouted, "Who is it?"

"Housekeeping," came the voice of an aunt from outside.

"Housekeeping?"

"Didn't Room 501 check out?"

"No, you must be mistaken," Gao Yang replied.

"Let me check."

Fat Jun approached the door. He patted Gao Yang's shoulder and whispered, "It's okay. It's Aunt He, the cleaner I hired. She's a bit forgetful."

"Oh, sorry... I meant Room 401, my mistake, hehe." Outside the door, Aunt He's apologetic voice came.

"It's fine," Gao Yang replied.

But just as he finished speaking, a chill ran down his spine.

He suddenly spun around and lunged at Fat Jun. "Move!"