"See you later!" Wang Zikai patted his backside and ran off, waving as he went.
…
7 PM, Shanquing District. Funeral Parlor.
Gao Yang, along with more than a dozen classmates, attended Li Weiwei’s funeral service with their homeroom teacher.
On one hand, Gao Yang felt a deep attachment to Li Weiwei. Despite her transformation into a monster the previous night, he wanted to bid her a final farewell. On the other hand, he was curious as to why her body hadn’t been immediately cremated, which contradicted his understanding of this world.
The memorial hall was dim and solemn, with Li Weiwei’s portrait placed on the altar. In the photo, the girl’s smile was radiant. Her body lay in a transparent glass coffin equipped with a refrigeration function, surrounded by lush white flowers.
Li Weiwei’s parents, dressed in black suits and dresses, stood by the coffin, bowing repeatedly to those who came to pay their respects. The wife wept uncontrollably while the husband supported her, his face etched with sorrow.
The homeroom teacher, along with several students, offered incense to Li Weiwei, then went to shake hands with her parents before circling the glass coffin, thus completing the farewell ritual.
Following in line, Gao Yang approached the coffin. He took a closer look at Li Weiwei’s body; she was dressed in a black burial robe, her face made up, looking as if she were merely asleep, no different from when she was alive. But as he recalled how this very girl had nearly crushed his skull the previous day, a profound terror surged from his feet, causing his hair to stand on end.
The homeroom teacher stepped forward to speak with Li Weiwei’s parents. Feeling parched, Gao Yang avoided the crowd and went to the refreshment room on the side of the memorial hall to get some water.
As he opened the door, he saw Qing Ling there.
Gao Yang dared not look at Qing Ling and went to pour himself some water. However, Qing Ling approached him first. "Did the police ask you anything?"
"Not much."
"Tell me everything," Qing Ling commanded.
Gao Yang glanced around, confirming that the refreshment room was empty, and then said, "Why don’t you keep up the act?"
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Qing Ling was slightly taken aback, "What act?"
"All that during the day, weren’t you acting quite well!" Gao Yang said, a bit annoyed.
A glimmer flashed in Qing Ling’s eyes, "Did you meet her?"
"What do you mean?"
"My other personality?"
Gao Yang was shocked, then quickly understood, "Are you saying... you have... a split personality?"
"Yes."
Gao Yang fell silent.
Qing Ling gently closed the refreshment room door, "To survive in this world, deceiving oneself is inevitable. Over time, I developed a secondary personality. She is my sister, named Qing Ling. Most of the time, it’s me, but sometimes she disobeys and emerges on her own. Li Weiwei’s death was a significant shock to Qing Ling."
Gao Yang's eyes showed wariness, "I can no longer tell when you’re speaking the truth or lying."
"It doesn’t matter."
"Give me a reason to believe you."
"A reason?" Qing Ling arched her eyebrow, and with a slight movement of her right hand holding the disposable cup, a razor-thin blade suddenly flew from her chest pocket, pressing against Gao Yang’s throat.
"If I wanted to kill you, it would be far easier than Li Weiwei trying to kill you. Is that reason enough?"
"...Enough."
Where there's life, there's hope.
Gao Yang briefly recounted his conversation with Officer Huang.
After listening, Qing Ling fell into deep thought.
"You were smart enough not to reveal anything."
"Just a policeman," Gao Yang said deliberately, "What could I reveal?"
Qing Ling sneered coldly, "It seems you don’t quite understand your situation yet. 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's quite high," Gao Yang said.
"No, it’s one human among 10,000 beasts."
"What?!" Gao Yang almost shouted, "Are you... joking?"
"No."
"That’s impossible!" Gao Yang was in disbelief, his scalp tingling; it was too absurd.
"This is the reality. Now, do you understand your situation?"
Gao Yang’s hands were trembling.
"In our school, having two humans like you and me is already a rare occurrence." Qing Ling took a step closer, her gaze icy. "As for your family, your friends, your neighbors, 99.99% of the people you’ve encountered in your life are, without exception, all beasts—of various kinds."
Gao Yang stood rooted to the spot, terror coiling around him like a cold, venomous serpent.
Grandma, Dad, Mom, Sister, teachers, classmates, friends... everyone could be a beast. And since Gao Yang had crossed over, he had lived among them for twelve years!
Gao Yang’s stomach churned, and he felt an urge to vomit.
"To be honest, you’re only the third human I’ve encountered. The first two were stronger than me, but they’re both dead now."
Gao Yang clung to a shred of hope, "That’s impossible. If everyone around me were beasts... I’d already be dead."
"Because until now, you hadn’t awakened to their existence. Beasts won’t harm an unawakened human. They only kill the awakened ones—people like us."
"Why?"
"I don’t know." Qing Ling shook her head, "They seem to follow their own set of rules. My knowledge is limited…"
"What are you two talking about?"
Gao Yang and Qing Ling were startled.
The refreshment room door was pushed open, and Officer Huang stood at the entrance with a beaming smile.
"What were you saying about beasts?"