Juen hurriedly pulled Wang Zikai off the table, and Officer Huang quickly covered his mouth.
The White Rabbit immediately stood up, put on a sweet smile, and bowed apologetically to everyone: "Sorry about that, he's a Whiteface (one of the Lost)." She pointed to her head, "He's a bit... off up here."
Among the patrons were a few Awakened Ones who seemed to understand and chuckled, signaling their understanding before returning to their meals and conversations. The lively atmosphere resumed.
The White Rabbit sat back down in the booth and looked at Wang Zikai with earnest eyes. "Brother, you may be the most gifted, but you can’t go around being this arrogant! You still need time to grow in secret, as the saying goes, 'open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden ones are not.' What if you get targeted and die young? Who will lead us to glory in the future?"
"You're right," Wang Zikai agreed, waving his hand dismissively. "I just got a bit too excited when I woke up and heard you all chatting. I'll be more careful next time, I promise."
"Remember—keep a low profile!" the White Rabbit stressed.
"Got it! Low profile!" Wang Zikai assured her.
"Alright then," the White Rabbit stood up. "Let’s wrap it up for today. Wu Dahai, take good care of everyone. I have to head back to HQ." She lowered her voice, "I've got something precious on me, and it’s making me uneasy."
"No problem. Be careful on the road," Wu Dahai replied.
"Should we go with you?" Gao Yang suggested, partly worried about her carrying such an important item alone, and partly because he wanted to check out the headquarters.
"Thanks for the concern," the White Rabbit saw through Gao Yang’s intent and smiled confidently. "But there’s no need."
Wu Dahai chuckled, "When it comes to running, no one beats the White Rabbit."
Everyone fell silent; her terrifying "jumping" ability was well known.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
The White Rabbit walked over to the “window” at the side of the booth, which was really just a large, drafty hole in the wall. The night breeze rushed in as she put on her baseball cap and mask, tucking her hair down against the wind. "See you around."
With a light leap, she vanished.
…
Wu Dahai and Gao Yang’s group lingered for another half an hour, discussing various topics related to the Awakened Ones. Wu Dahai was quite open with his knowledge, though it was all surface-level information. When the conversation touched on deeper or more specific issues, it became clear he had little understanding—either because his rank within the organization was too low, or because the Awakened Ones' exploration of the Beasts had reached its limits.
Late at night, the group of six left Ten Dragon Fort.
Officer Huang drove Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Juen home, while Wu Dahai asked Wang Zikai to drive him back. He then left the car to Wang Zikai, who was overjoyed, calling Wu Dahai "brother" over and over, nearly kissing him in excitement.
Seeing this, Gao Yang felt a wave of relief; he could finally relax a little.
In the early hours of the morning, the police car drove along the sparsely trafficked streets, soon approaching Qingyang Bridge.
Gao Yang and Qing Ling sat in the backseat. Qing Ling rested her head against the window, the night outside blending with the half-transparent glass. Her pale face and indifferent gaze, shrouded in shadows, created a striking mood. If a director were here, they would surely love her—she had the kind of face that carried a story.
But in reality...
"What are you thinking about?" Gao Yang asked.
"Leveling up."
It turned out, this woman had no story at all—her mind was filled only with leveling up.
"Gao Yang, what do you think of the Zodiac?" Officer Huang, who had been silent, suddenly asked.
"You mean... are they trustworthy?" Gao Yang searched for the right words.
"Trust is a luxury," Officer Huang said, his gaze sharp and seasoned. "Think of the Zodiac as a group of mercenaries. The question is—are they worth us risking our lives for?"
"Is there a better option?" Gao Yang countered.
"True." Officer Huang sighed. "Big fish eat little fish. We don’t have the luxury to bargain."
"From what I’ve seen so far..." Gao Yang paused to reflect. "The Zodiac doesn’t seem like a bad organization, but they’re not exactly a good one either."
"Exactly." Officer Huang agreed. "Take the White Rabbit, for example—she looks harmless, but she’s ruthless. To be honest, if it weren’t for Juen and Wang Zikai, we wouldn’t have survived the Hair Monster’s appearance in Gujia Village. But did you notice? She was dead set on waiting for that monster to show up before saving us."
"In her eyes, our lives weren’t as important as the Rune Circuit," Gao Yang concluded.
"Precisely," Officer Huang said, his eyes fixed ahead as the car crossed the middle of the bridge, with the vast Li River stretching on both sides. "The one truth the White Rabbit told us was that in this world, Awakened Ones can be more dangerous than the Beasts."