9:00 AM. Dean's Office.
"Sit."
Officer Huang sat in the Dean's swivel chair, leaning back slightly with his legs crossed. His hands were clasped over his stomach. His posture was relaxed, yet he exuded a commanding presence without needing to raise his voice, as if he were sitting in his own interrogation room.
Gao Yang sat obediently across from him, remaining silent.
Officer Huang smiled. "Don't be nervous. There's no one else here. I'm just going to ask a few casual questions."
"Okay..." Gao Yang cursed inwardly: It's precisely because there's no one else here that I'm nervous!
"Is your face injured?"
"Oh, bug bites." Gao Yang touched his face, pretending to be casual.
"Alright, let's begin." Officer Huang took out a notebook. "Student Gao Yang, what was your relationship with the deceased, Li Weiwei?"
"We knew each other since kindergarten. We've always had a good relationship. You could say we were childhood sweethearts," Gao Yang answered.
Officer Huang took notes as he asked, "Were you with Li Weiwei all afternoon yesterday?"
"Yes. We went to Dawan Mall to watch a movie, had dinner, and hung out until late. We didn't go home until late at night."
"What time did you separate from Li Weiwei?"
"I think it was getting close to 11:00 PM." Gao Yang knew he couldn't be too specific about the time, or it would look suspicious.
"It was that late, and you didn't walk her home?"
"I walked her part of the way. For the last stretch, she said she didn't need me to see her off, so I didn't."
Gao Yang knew that the surveillance cameras on that last stretch of road had been destroyed by Qing Ling. He deliberately asked, "Officer Huang, you can check the surveillance. The cameras can prove it."
Officer Huang pondered for a moment, his eyes shifting slightly. "To be honest, the cameras on the road where you separated just happened to be broken."
"How could that be?" Gao Yang feigned shock.
"The possibility of a premeditated crime is high." Officer Huang quietly scrutinized Gao Yang's face, trying to find any cracks in his expression.
"It might be someone she knew, but that's just a preliminary guess. We don't have many leads at the moment. After all, there's no murder weapon and no witnesses."
"Are there really no clues at all?" Gao Yang asked.
Officer Huang uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. "Did Li Weiwei have any conflicts with classmates? Or anyone she offended?"
Gao Yang shook his head. "She was a very nice person. The whole class liked her. I can't think of any enemies she might have."
"What about people who were jealous of her? Or anything else?"
Gao Yang thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No impression of anything like that."
Officer Huang nodded, his gaze never leaving Gao Yang's face. "You liked Li Weiwei, didn't you?"
Gao Yang paused. "I guess... I did."
"For the investigation, I looked at Li Weiwei's WeChat history. You confessed to her, and she accepted..."
"Yes. Yesterday was our first date. I never thought it would be our last..." Gao Yang lowered his head, his mood low and sorrowful. This part wasn't an act.
Officer Huang stopped asking questions. He stood up. "Alright, that's all for today." He stepped forward and patted Gao Yang on the shoulder, his tone carrying a hidden weight. "My condolences."
The interrogation ended. Gao Yang let out a sigh of relief. It was a close call.
He left the office and walked toward his classroom.
"Gao Yang!" Someone called him.
Before Gao Yang could turn around, a powerful arm suddenly shot out, putting him in a tight headlock.
Gao Yang could barely breathe. "Cough... cough cough..."
"Hahahaha! Weakling!"
A boy with dyed blonde hair and a lip piercing released his arm. It was Wang Zikai.
Wang Zikai was Gao Yang's high school classmate—or rather, he was until a week ago. After cracking open the head of a boy from the next class for the Nth time, he had finally been expelled.
The reason for the fight: The guy looked at him.
Wang Zikai's family was rich; he drove a sports car to school every day. Coupled with his good looks, he was the quintessential "Mr. Perfect"—Rich, Tall, and Handsome. Yet, he played his winning hand terribly. In school, he was a bully everyone feared.
For some unknown reason, this bully had been particularly warm to Gao Yang since their first year. Wang Zikai had emphasized more than once: Gao Yang was his best, and only, friend.
This made Gao Yang feel flattered but also baffled. Yielding to his despotic power, Gao Yang tremblingly became Wang Zikai's friend, only to discover that aside from liking to fight and having occasional brain farts, Wang Zikai was actually a decent guy.
Wang Zikai was in a good mood today, presumably here to finalize his expulsion paperwork.
"What's wrong with you? You look like you stepped in shit," Wang Zikai asked.
"Li Weiwei died," Gao Yang said.
"Huh?!" Wang Zikai was startled. "How?"
"Robbery. She was murdered..."
"Holy crap! That's rotten luck." Wang Zikai clicked his tongue. "And to think I helped you confess to her just a few days ago. Hey, did she say yes? She definitely rejected you, right? Hahaha, how could a girl like her like someone like you!"
Gao Yang rolled his eyes. This idiot always misses the point.
"Bro, my condolences." Wang Zikai patted Gao Yang's shoulder indifferently. "Look on the bright side. At least now you don't have to worry about someone else stealing her."
"..." Gao Yang fought the urge to curse him out.
"After school, I'll drive you. Let's duo queue! Turn grief into motivation. We definitely have to hit Silver rank this season!" Wang Zikai said.
"No. I have to go to Li Weiwei's viewing ceremony tonight," Gao Yang said.
"No way," Wang Zikai jumped back with exaggerated shock. "Don't tell me you want to pull a 'Ghost" romance scene..."
"Get lost!"
Gao Yang was speechless; he wanted to kick him. But that was Wang Zikai—you could never expect a single sentence of normal human speech from his mouth.
"See ya!" Wang Zikai slapped his own butt, waved, and ran off.
7:00 PM. Shanqing District. Funeral Home.
Gao Yang, along with their homeroom teacher and a dozen classmates, attended Li Weiwei's viewing ceremony.
On one hand, Gao Yang had feelings for Li Weiwei. Even though she had turned into a monster last night, he wanted to see her off one last time. On the other hand, he was curious why Li Weiwei hadn't been cremated immediately after death. It didn't fit his understanding of this world's customs.
The mourning hall was dim and solemn. Li Weiwei's portrait sat on the altar; the girl in the photo had a bright, sunny smile. Her body lay in a transparent glass coffin with refrigeration, surrounded by lush white flowers.
Li Weiwei's parents, dressed in black suits and formal wear, stood by the coffin, bowing constantly to those who came to pay their respects.
The wife couldn't stop crying. The husband supported her, his face full of sorrow.
The homeroom teacher led the students to offer incense to Li Weiwei, then shook hands with the parents. After circling the glass coffin once, the farewell ceremony was considered over.
Gao Yang followed in the line. As he approached the ice coffin, he looked closely at Li Weiwei's body. She was wearing black burial clothes and had makeup on. She looked as if she were merely asleep, no different from when she was alive.
But the thought that this very girl had tried to crush his skull last night sent a deep terror rising from the soles of his feet, making his hair stand on end.
While the homeroom teacher went to talk to Li Weiwei's parents, Gao Yang felt his mouth go dry. Avoiding the crowd, he went to the break room on the side of the hall to get some water.
He pushed the door open. Qing Ling was there.
Gao Yang didn't dare look at her. He went to pour water alone, but Qing Ling approached him proactively. "Did the police ask you anything?"
"Nothing much."
"Tell me everything." It was a command.
Gao Yang looked around to confirm the break room was empty. He laid his cards on the table. "Why aren't you keeping up the act?"
Qing Ling paused slightly. "Act?"
"During the day. Didn't you act really well back then?" Gao Yang was a bit angry.
Qing Ling's gaze flickered. "You met her?"
"What do you mean?"
"My other personality?"
Gao Yang was startled, then realized. "You mean... you have dual personalities?"
"Yes."
Gao Yang didn't speak.
Qing Ling gently closed the door to the break room. "To survive in this world, it's impossible without deceiving yourself. Over time, I developed a secondary personality. She is my sister, named Qing Ling. Most of the time, it's me. Sometimes she gets disobedient and runs out on her own. Li Weiwei's death was a big shock to my sister."
Gao Yang looked at her warily. "I don't know which of your words are true and which are false anymore."
"Doesn't matter."
"Give me a reason to trust you."
"A reason?" Qing Ling raised an eyebrow. The fingers of her right hand, holding a disposable cup, twitched slightly. A blade, thin as a cicada's wing, suddenly flew from her chest pocket and pressed against Gao Yang's neck.
"Killing you would be easier for me than it was for Li Weiwei. Is that reason enough?"
"Enough..."
Where there is life, there is hope.
Gao Yang briefly recounted his conversation with Officer Huang.
Qing Ling listened and fell into deep thought. "You're fairly quick-witted. You didn't give anything away."
"He's just a cop," Gao Yang said deliberately. "What could I give away?"
Qing Ling smiled coldly. "It seems you still don't quite understand your situation. Do you know how many Beasts are in this city?"
"How many?"
"The ratio is one in ten thousand."
"One Beast in every 10,000 people? That is pretty high," Gao Yang said.
"No. There is one human in every 10,000 Beasts."
"What?!" Gao Yang almost shouted. "Are... are you joking?"
"No."
"That's impossible!" Gao Yang couldn't believe it. His scalp went numb; it was too absurd.
"That is the fact. Do you understand your situation now?"
"..." Gao Yang's hands were trembling.
"The fact that our school has two humans—you and me—is already a low-probability event." Qing Ling took a step forward, her gaze icy. "As for your family, your friends, your neighbors... 99.99% of the people you will meet in your lifetime are, barring any accidents, all Beasts. Beasts of all kinds."
Gao Yang stood rooted to the spot. Fear wrapped around him like a cold, venomous snake.
Grandma, Dad, Mom, his sister. Teachers, classmates, friends... Everyone could be a Beast. And Gao Yang had lived with them day and night for twelve years since he transmigrated!
Gao Yang's stomach churned. He just wanted to vomit.
"To tell you the truth, you are the third human I have ever met. The first two were stronger than me, but they are both dead."
Gao Yang still held onto a sliver of hope. "Impossible. If everyone around me is a Beast... I would have died long ago."
"That's because you never detected their existence before. Beasts do not harm unawakened humans. They only kill the Awakened. People like us."
"Why?"
"I don't know either." Qing Ling shook her head. "They seem to have their own set of rules. The information I possess is also very limited..."
"What are you two chatting about?"
Gao Yang and Qing Ling jumped in shock.
The break room door was pushed open. Officer Huang stood outside, his face beaming with a smile.
"This 'Beast' you're talking about... what is it?"