Be a werewolf

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Story Night came quietly, and the city streets became calm, just like usual. If the streets stayed busy at night, it would be strange and something to worry about. It was 10:30 PM in West Town. A group of students, who had just finished their party, helped each other walk down the street. Their presence made the quiet street feel different. "Who started the drinking? If I don’t get home on time, my mom will take my pocket money," Summer complained while helping Li Ning. The party, which should have ended at 9:00 PM, went on until now. "I... he... bro, you smell... so good..." Li Ning, leaning on Summer’s shoulder, mumbled drunkenly. They had drunk too much. If the owner hadn’t kicked them out, they might have stayed longer. "This guy drank the most—seven bottles," Summer said. "He did it on purpose." Li Ning drank to forget "her," the one who hurt him. "The monsters of the night... I don’t really believe in them, because we’ve never seen them," Cao Bo said, looking back with a serious face. He thought they might have all been tricked. In Longguo, people knew that you could stay outside at night, but after midnight, everyone had to be inside. "There are monsters in the night." This phrase, which might sound like a joke, was a real warning in Longguo. "After midnight... I heard Zhang Yan went missing because she went out. She... she wouldn’t really be dead, right? I heard no one found her since..." Liu Xiao joined the conversation and shared her thoughts. In West Town, a few people disappeared each month. Some were found, but others were confirmed dead. Those who went out late at night never came back. Even those who stayed out hid in secret places, scared of what might be out there. Since elementary school, schools had taught this belief. They even held special talks about it every semester. Around midnight, everyone locked their doors tightly, locked their curtains, and used special glass on their windows. The streets were empty. All the shops were closed. There were no car sounds. Once in a while, a few people hurried by, like they wanted to leave the night behind and not stop at all. But in Longguo, there was an organization that dealt with the monsters of the night. The members trained hard, but even then, many were hurt or even died. "Cao Bo, you don’t believe me? Let’s stay out tonight. We’ll see what kind of monster took Zhang Yan," Yang You, also drunk, said, slurring his words as Cao Bo helped him. "Tch, what do you think? I’m not staying out with you. You’re not the girl I like," Cao Bo said with a silly smile, probably thinking about someone he liked. "Ha~ hahaha," everyone laughed together. The night suddenly felt more alive. Rao Tian quietly walked behind them. His face looked blank, and his eyes seemed distant. It was the biggest full moon of the year tonight, and Rao Tian was thinking about it. He was thinking about the full moon’s connection with werewolves, and what werewolves really meant. Like everyone else, he hadn’t drunk any alcohol. He was an ordinary person—1.75 meters tall, average build, average looks, and average grades. He would blend into a crowd. If there was anything special about him... well, his hair was thick. Even someone as ordinary as him could be caught up in strange events that would change his life. Good times always come to an end. ... Since Rao Tian lived farthest away, he was still lost in thought. The night felt quiet around him. "Hey, turn on your phone. Hu Jia lives near you. Take him home. I’m going," Liu Xiao, the short-haired girl who often hung out with the boys, said, patting Rao Tian. She and Rao Tian often spent time together, lost in thought. "Huh? Oh, okay." "Check your phone later. There’s a surprise," Liu Xiao added. Rao Tian snapped back to reality and helped Hu Jia, who had drunk a lot, walk home. Hu Jia was a good student, but tonight he had drunk too much. "Hmm, Rao Tian, why do I feel like you’re missing something?" Hu Jia looked up, puzzled. Rao Tian paused for a moment, then realized his jacket was missing. "I remember now. Yang You took your jacket when he went to the bathroom. He never brought it back," he said. Hu Jia closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, trying to remember. "Yang You, that little brat. Forget it. I’ll get it tomorrow," he said. Rao Tian felt a bit annoyed with Yang You. He checked his phone again. The time was 10:47 PM. Rao Tian checked his pants pocket and found his keys were missing too. His keys had been in his jacket pocket, which Liu Xiao had placed there earlier. It seemed like bad luck had struck at the worst moment, like after winning something rare in a game. He felt anxious. It was his habit of daydreaming that caused the problem. "You still have an hour. You can crawl back if you need to." "If you’re worried, you can take my electric bike. It only takes about eight minutes to get there," Hu Jia said. "Just return it tomorrow. I only care about giegie," Hu Jia added with a grin. For some reason, Rao Tian didn’t want to stay at anyone else’s house. His parents were away, and he wanted to enjoy being alone at home. An hour was enough time for him to go back and forth a few times. Rao Tian thanked Hu Jia, took the bike keys, and rode off. Hu Jia watched as Rao Tian disappeared into the distance, then turned and went home. Neither of them noticed someone lurking behind a nearby phone booth, watching them. Soon, the mysterious figure disappeared into the darkness. —————— This was Rao Tian’s first time riding an electric bike. The full moon hung high in the sky, casting light on the empty streets and dark buildings. The night was quiet. Rao Tian rode the electric bike, feeling the cool wind. He felt better. Normally, he would be in bed by now. But because of the gacha game, he stayed alert. When he reached the restaurant, he parked the bike and rushed to the bathroom. He was relieved to find that Yang You had only left the jacket in the bathroom. If the restaurant had closed, he wouldn’t have been able to get inside. Rao Tian took the jacket from the hook and pulled out his keys. He checked the time again: it was 10:53 PM. Still early. Then, he heard footsteps outside the door. Rao Tian didn’t realize what was happening at first. Suddenly, with a loud "bang," the bathroom door slammed shut. Rao Tian rushed out of the stall, but the door wouldn’t move, no matter how hard he tried. Something was wrong. Was someone playing a trick on him? "Let me out!" Rao Tian remembered that the bathroom should have a window. Before he could do anything, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. It felt like he had stayed up too late and had to wake up early. No matter how hard he tried to keep his eyes open, they kept closing. His body told him to sleep. "Someone... outside... hypnosis gas..." Rao Tian collapsed to the ground. The world became quiet again.