Chapter 14: The Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing
1147 Words
At 2 PM, Rao Tian arrived at Sister Wang’s ice powder shop.
"Sister Wang, I’m back. Are you okay? Those people shouldn’t have taken an ordinary person on such a dangerous mission."
Sister Wang put the hamster food down and turned to him.
She had heard about Rao Tian being involved in the Heart-Eating Demon werewolf incident. She didn’t sleep well last night.
Sister Wang liked to raise hamsters. She liked all kinds of hamsters, like sand rats and golden bears.
She enjoyed raising them and would give or sell the baby hamsters to customers.
Today, Sister Wang wasn’t wearing sunglasses.
"I’m back," Rao Tian said, sitting beside the hamster cage. He watched the little hamsters run around in the wood shavings.
After a while, he turned and asked her a question.
"Sister Wang, I want to ask you something. Do you think werewolves are bad?"
Sister Wang paused for a moment. Then she spoke.
"In nature, there is no good or bad. Only humans have that idea.
"I don’t know much about werewolves. But I believe they are like us and hamsters. They live on Earth just like we do.
"Hamsters live their way. Werewolves live theirs.
"If werewolves harm us, we will try to stop them. If we push them, they might strike back.
"This world is just a cycle of cause and effect. Anyone can be good, and anyone can be bad."
"Is that so?" Rao Tian asked.
"Don’t feel bad for the werewolf. It really gave you trouble yesterday," Sister Wang sighed.
"No, I just wanted to ask. What if the werewolf is actually a good wolf?
"According to legends, werewolves are humans who turn into wolves. What if under the wolf skin is a good person, a sheep in wolf’s clothing?
"Wouldn’t it be cruel to hunt him down like this? After all, no one can choose whether they become a werewolf."
"Haha, after spending a day with the organization, Rao Tian has turned into a philosopher. You’re not the werewolf. How can you know if it’s good or bad?
"Our organization and humanity can’t afford the worst outcome. No one knows what a werewolf is really like—
"Actually, I see your point. I’ll talk to Lu Shan and see if he can try to communicate with the werewolf," Sister Wang said.
"Mm."
"Don’t look so down, Rao Tian. What flavor of ice powder do you want? I’ll treat you."
"Lemon flavor."
Rao Tian wasn’t a saint. He had some emotional issues.
His strong empathy made him sensitive to others’ emotions.
Even the smallest sign of dislike or irritation from others would make him feel bad.
When he felt upset, he often craved things he didn’t usually enjoy, like lemon.
Maybe it was because so much had happened recently. So many powerful people were targeting him. It was almost too much.
He had considered exposing himself to the organization, but as Sister Wang said, he couldn’t handle the worst-case scenario.
It was like the witches burned at the stake in the Middle Ages.
He had started to question his own existence.
After finishing his ice powder, he picked out all the lemon slices and ate them.
"Sigh, Rao Tian, you don’t look happy today. Why don’t you take a few days off to rest?"
After finishing the ice powder, Rao Tian stood up and prepared to leave.
Just then, Hu Jia walked in. He immediately took both of Rao Tian’s hands.
"Rao Tian, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. You didn’t reply to my messages, didn’t answer my calls, and didn’t open the door. You should give me back my electric scooter."
Hu Jia noticed a hint of sadness in Rao Tian’s eyes. He let go of his hands, realizing it wasn’t the right time.
"Is it the electric scooter with the plate number Chuan W1103L?" Sister Wang asked.
"Yeah, why?" Hu Jia asked, a bad feeling creeping up on him.
"Well, that scooter got damaged. You’ll need to go to the government finance office tomorrow for compensation," Sister Wang said.
"Thanks, Sister Wang. I’ll leave now. Rao Tian, I’m not feeling well. Let’s talk next time."
"I..." Hu Jia understood Rao Tian’s mood and knew what it meant.
Rao Tian didn’t look back as he walked out.
It was a sunny afternoon. People in the county town were enjoying their day, shopping, and having fun.
Rao Tian walked down the street, watching people pass by. They were carefree, ordinary people.
He no longer felt he belonged in their world. If he turned into a werewolf right there, they would probably run in fear.
Back home, Rao Tian felt a weight lift off him. His mental defenses collapsed, and he couldn’t hold them up anymore.
He jumped onto his bed and lay down, pressing his face into his hands. Silent tears fell.
It felt like everything around him blurred. There was only him and the bed.
Maybe it was the shock from the Lu siblings, or maybe it was the mental pressure from letting go. Perhaps it was also his disgust with being a werewolf.
After all, he wasn’t a hero. He didn’t have ultimate power, a cold heart, or the ability to control everything.
He was just an ordinary person, trapped in the body of a werewolf.
When Rao Tian lifted his head again, his arms were covered in thick wolf fur. He had involuntarily turned into his werewolf form.
His apartment was on the 31st floor in the city center. Since yesterday, he had closed the windows every time.
He got out of bed and went to the bathroom, wanting to see what a crying werewolf looked like.
In the mirror, he saw a werewolf with big ears and messy fur. His eyes, once cold, were now filled with tears. Even his wolf nose had runny mucus. He looked nothing like the fierce werewolf he had imagined.
Who would have thought that the mighty werewolf could look so pathetic? It was almost laughable.
Despite still crying, part of him couldn’t help but laugh.
He wiped his tears and calmed down. Crying had made him feel a little better.
There was no need to worry too much. He just needed to focus on being himself.
If things got too bad, he would give it all up and run to the mountains to live alone.
No one suspected him yet, so there was no need for such pressure.
After calming himself, Rao Tian turned back into his human form.
He looked at the white mask on the coffee table.
This must be the mask they mentioned as a reward.
Rao Tian picked up the mask and studied it.
What did the mask look like to others? What limitations did it have? He would need someone else to test it.
So, he decided to take the mask and visit Li Ning’s house.
- Writer
