The break room was eerily quiet.
The air felt thick and heavy; Gao Yang could hear his heartbeat racing wildly—it's over, they've definitely noticed.
Gao Yang tilted his head to look at Qing Ling, whose face was emotionless. Her mind was racing:
If Officer Huang is a Wrath Beast, she stands no chance.
Killing a Wrath Beast wouldn’t be difficult for her, but with hundreds of “people” outside the break room, revealing herself as an Awakened would mean certain death.
Escape?
Pointless. Even if she fled now, her identity has been exposed—she wouldn’t survive for long.
Her previous companion was stronger than her, yet still perished after accidentally revealing their identity.
She had no choice but to bet on the last possibility.
"Officer Huang, what brings you here?" Qing Ling asked after three seconds.
Officer Huang slowly walked to the water dispenser, bending down to fill a cup of cold water, fully exposing his back to Qing Ling and Gao Yang.
After filling his cup, he turned around, leaning against the table where the dispenser stood. “It’s still the Li Weiwei case. I wanted to start investigating those close to her, so I came to attend the memorial service.”
"Did you find anything?" Gao Yang tried his best to feign concern about the progress of the case.
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“I asked around, found some clues, but I can’t share them with you.” Officer Huang took a sip of water and smiled, “By the way, what were you two just talking about? It sounded interesting—something about beasts and rules?”
Gao Yang’s heart sank heavily; there was no way to bluff through this.
If that’s the case, desperate times call for desperate measures.
“Just a survival game we’ve been playing, it’s really popular right now.” Gao Yang glanced at Qing Ling, “We were discussing the game.”
“Is that so?” Officer Huang nodded thoughtfully, “What’s the game called?”
“It’s called… ‘Monsters and Humans: Family Reunion.’”
“Sounds intriguing,” Officer Huang sighed enviously, “Ah, youth. Unlike us working folk, who haven’t had leisure time in ages.”
Officer Huang finished his water, placed the disposable cup on the dispenser, and leisurely walked out of the break room.
In just one minute, Gao Yang had broken out in a cold sweat, his back completely drenched.
He asked Qing Ling, “What do we do now?”
Qing Ling frowned slightly, “Two possibilities. One, he’s a Wrath Beast and is already suspicious of us, deliberately testing us. Two, he’s a Delusion Beast.”
“Delusion Beast?”
“Delusion Beasts are special, also known as ‘The Lost.’ They believe themselves to be human, deceiving even themselves. Even if an Awakened appears before them, they won’t harm them. They usually ignore key information and automatically correct their brain’s logic and memory.”
“If Officer Huang is a Delusion Beast, we’re safe,” Gao Yang concluded.
“True, but I won’t bet on those odds.” Qing Ling walked to the door, peering through the crack at Officer Huang in the hall, “A Wrath Beast has an intense desire for its prey. If it could devour an Awakened alone, it would never share with its kind.”
Gao Yang recalled Li Weiwei’s expression when she tried to kill him, “I’ve seen it firsthand…”
“There are over a hundred people in the hall; there must be more than one Wrath Beast. This is probably why Officer Huang didn’t attack us.”
“He wants the kill to himself,” Gao Yang gasped.
“Very likely,” Qing Ling’s gaze turned icy as she looked at Gao Yang, “We still have a chance—eliminate the threat first.”
…
10 PM, Shanqing District, Police Station.
After the memorial service, Officer Huang drove straight back to the station.
Qing Ling and Gao Yang followed by taxi. After getting out, they entered a café across from the station, choosing a window seat with a clear view.