The Labyrinth of the Beasts City

The Thirdly Note

Gao Yang's first visit to a love hotel was an experience he didn't particularly enjoy.

The overwhelming abundance of red — red lights, red carpet, red walls, red furniture, and red bed curtains — felt like the lair of a spider demon.

Qing Ling locked the door and drew the curtains before opening the iron box. After a brief study, she efficiently assembled the sniper rifle.

It's early. There's nothing to do.

With time to spare, an awkward atmosphere settled between them — Qing Ling seemed quite at ease, whereas Gao Yang was unsure where to place his hands.

Suddenly, Gao Yang's phone rang. It was Wang Zikai.

"Brother! Don't be impulsive! Think it through! Once you take this step, there's no going back! You'll be tainted! A man who doesn't respect himself is like rotten cabbage! I despise you! Pah!"

"Women are nothing but trouble. They'll only slow down your gaming skills!"

"Come out now! Let's play ranked games together! That's the true path of light!"

"I'm in room 601, the eSports room! Big screen, advanced surround sound, super immersive! Hurry up! If you're a real brother, let's rank up till dawn!"

Gao Yang hung up the phone.

"Do you feel lonely?" Qing Ling asked.

"Huh?"

"Why else would you be friends with an i***t?" Qing Ling looked genuinely puzzled.

"It's... complicated," Gao Yang replied awkwardly.

Qing Ling stood up and headed to the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower."

The bathroom was a semi-enclosed space with frosted glass walls. Qing Ling casually hung her coat and skirt on the glass door, and soon, her white underwear followed suit.

You really don't treat me like an outsider.

Gao Yang quickly looked down, but the glass below was clear. He could see Qing Ling's slender legs and smooth ankles. The sound of the water, along with the white foam of the shower gel, flowed along her calves to her ankles before dispersing on the floor.

Gao Yang distracted himself with his phone.

Qing Ling soon finished her shower and stepped out, wrapped only in a seductive towel. "You should take a shower too."

"Do I have to?"

"To outsiders, we came here to a love hotel. We need to maintain the appearance of our actions, so we don't raise any suspicion from the beasts."

As she spoke, Qing Ling walked to the bedside table, opened a box of condoms, took one out, tore the packaging, wrapped it in tissue, and put it in her backpack, as if planning to take it with her.

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

"..."

At 5:30 PM, the alarm rang, and Qing Ling opened her eyes and got out of bed.

Gao Yang, who hadn’t slept at all, followed suit, eager to ask her a question. "I remember you said before that beasts don't have a reproductive system."

Qing Ling nodded. She walked over to a small fridge in the corner of the room, opened it, and took out two drinks. She tossed one to Gao Yang and opened the other for herself.

"I have a question," Gao Yang said, twirling the drink in his hand. "Officer Huang is married, right?"

Qing Ling nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"According to the one-in-ten-thousand ratio, his wife is likely a beast, right?"

"Most likely."

"Then wouldn't there be a problem as soon as they... you know?"

Qing Ling took another sip. "Beasts don’t lack a reproductive system; they just don’t have a true human reproductive system. But they can imitate it, with subtle differences."

"Imitate? Differences?" Gao Yang pondered.

Qing Ling calmly explained, "I awakened at a very young age. The first human I met was my cousin."

"Oh."

"He had been with many girls until one day, he slept with a human girl. He realized it felt different from before."

"Then he awakened?" Gao Yang's feelings were mixed. This meant that playboys are doomed, as if Qing Ling's cousin hadn't awakened, he might not have died.

Qing Ling nodded. "He told me that if you've never been with a human, you wouldn't notice anything wrong no matter how many times you're with a beast. But just once with a human, and you'd realize the difference."

"So... do you have experience in this area?" Gao Yang swore he was asking out of serious academic curiosity.

"No," Qing Ling shook her head. "My cousin said it's easy to tell with males. Male beasts instantly respond while mimicking human reproductive systems, but human males respond gradually."

Gao Yang thought back to their 'test' that night and couldn't help blushing.

"As for female beasts," Qing Ling continued, "he said it's something you understand but can't explain." Suddenly, she looked at Gao Yang. "We could try it out. That way, we'd both have the experience."

Gao Yang spat out his drink in surprise.

"Is it funny?" Qing Ling frowned.

"No, no, it's just... maybe some other time," Gao Yang quickly changed the subject, glancing at his phone. "It's almost 6 PM."

Qing Ling pulled out a note from her pocket, her eyes gleaming with a fierce determination.

"Is it time to kill someone?" Gao Yang guessed, "Who is it?"

Handing the note to Gao Yang, Qing Ling said, "See for yourself."

The note read: ——6:00 PM, at the No. 2 scenic overlook along the riverside, eliminate the woman beside me, aim for the head or heart.

Gao Yang read the note, deep in thought:

"The woman beside me" clearly indicated that Officer Huang would also be there, and the target must be someone close to him—a colleague, a friend, or a family member. Officer Huang's intention to not kill her himself, but to be with her within the camera's range, was likely to create the perfect alibi, framing someone else for the murder to clear his own suspicion.

"This is no simple matter," he thought.

Qing Ling opened the curtains and pushed the oddly shaped chair to the window, setting up the sniper rifle and tilting her head to peer through the scope. The image of the tall beauty wrapped in a towel, sitting on the chair and using a sniper rifle, was crazily surreal.

Soon, Qing Ling spoke up, "The target is in sight."

Gao Yang hurried over, "Let me see."

Through the scope, Gao Yang looked towards the No. 2 scenic overlook by the riverside.

Bathed in the gentle, clean morning sunlight, a woman with an artistic and intellectual aura stood there. She wore a long red dress and a white shawl, gazing at the sparkling river.

Before long, Officer Huang appeared. Dressed in sportswear and running shoes with a towel draped over his shoulder, he stopped at the overlook. The woman turned, handing him a bottle of mineral water with a tender smile.

After a brief conversation, Officer Huang took the towel and continued his run, seemingly planning to do a few more laps. The woman watched him leave with a longing gaze, then turned back to enjoy the river view.

"His wife?" Gao Yang asked.

Qing Ling nodded in agreement, "She might have suspected his identity as an awakened being, or at least had doubts about it. Officer Huang has decided to eliminate her as a precaution, using us to do it."

With a "click," Qing Ling readied the rifle, "I'll do it."

Gao Yang remained silent, his feelings complex.

He was no saint and had no right to judge Officer Huang's decision. Yet, he couldn't help but empathize—if the person under his rifle's scope were his grandmother, father, mother, or sister, could he pull the trigger?

His emotions were a whirlwind of conflict and confusion.

"The target hasn't moved," Qing Ling inhaled deeply, "Three, two, one..."

"Whoosh—" Qing Ling fired the shot. Despite the silencer, the gunshot sounded off, muffled and abrupt, as if the gun had misfired. Gao Yang immediately sensed something was amiss and looked up, shocked.

Qing Ling was also frowning, taken by surprise.

It turned out that at the moment she pulled the trigger, a shadow fell from the sky, blocking the muzzle, and the bullet hit the figure. Quickly, Gao Yang and Qing Ling saw clearly who it was.

This figure was Wang Zi Kai.