Ghoul Nightingales

Tang Qi took Sally through the bustling campus. Although he had a decent appearance and seemed very approachable, he was accompanied by Unlucky Sally after all. To avoid catching her bad luck, Tang Qi received only a handful of invitations along the way.

They were just a few promotional brochures, and not particularly enthusiastic ones.

This made Sally even more embarrassed, but fortunately, they soon left Thorn High School.

When they boarded the bus, Sally visibly let out a sigh of relief.

But she quickly became tense again, looking around in every direction, afraid that something unlucky would happen and prove that she really was plagued by misfortune.

She had already had enough of having no friends. Some people might enjoy solitude, but she was not that kind of girl.

Most importantly, she had finally met a sincere friend.

That was right. Sally could feel it with absolute clarity: she might have made a genuine friend.

As a girl who had been haunted by so-called bad luck since childhood, she had lived a difficult life. She had experienced plenty of malice, whether from her surroundings or from other people.

Besides shaping her current personality, those experiences had also given her sharp instincts.

At least when it came to judging whether someone was sincere, she was certain. Without that ability, her unusual luck might have gotten her ruined long ago by those lawless delinquent students who did not know right from wrong.

That was precisely why she cherished Tang Qi, her new friend, so much.

The girl's nervousness caught Tang Qi's attention and eased some of the urgency in his heart.

He knew the world was undergoing tremendous changes. He knew a powerful enemy was waiting for him. He even knew that the sheltered environment he currently inhabited was actually a trap laid by some superpowerful organization.

The situation was nowhere near as rosy as it appeared for a rich second-generation teenager with vast wealth, someone who could comfortably enjoy life for the rest of his days.

But at least it was not so bad that Tang Qi had to keep himself tense every moment of every day.

Sitting by the window, Tang Qi watched the streets roll past and the buildings on both sides, similar to those on Previous Life Earth yet different in countless details. He let out a soft breath, then suddenly began chatting with Sally.

Of course, Tang Qi did most of the asking, while Sally did most of the answering.

There was an unspoken rule that existed in most schools: quiet, introverted girls were generally top students.

Sally was not merely a top student; she was the kind with broad knowledge.

Whether it was standard subjects or all sorts of weird and wonderful things, Sally had answers for them.

Tang Qi could ask targeted questions and receive precise, detailed answers, rapidly expanding his understanding of this New World without having to sift through mountains of information.

Time passed quickly amid their pleasant conversation, and the journey remained peaceful.

After getting off the bus, they arrived at a grand, ancient library filled with a scholarly atmosphere.

Messer Library!

Built almost at the same time as Messer City, it had an immensely long history. Its collection was among the finest in Mihuang State; perhaps only several libraries in Mihuang City, the state capital, could compare.

Before closing time, Tang Qi successfully borrowed several books that looked rather heavy.

Sally glanced at them. The books Tang Qi had borrowed clearly had nothing to do with their coursework, such as A Study of the Deeds of the Twelve Saints, Centennial Oddities of the Federation: Absurdity and Truth, One Hundred Guesses About the Mysterious Meteor, A Detailed Study of Federal Bureau of Investigation Cold Cases... The only one that might have been remotely relevant was probably Monster Files.

Though she found it somewhat strange, Sally showed no intention of asking.

A smart girl would never deliberately cross someone else's boundaries.

What made the perceptive girl especially happy was that nothing unexpected happened before they parted ways at the central stop in Bronx District. None of the more serious unlucky incidents she had imagined occurred.

The girl was excited, but also confused.

As she waved goodbye to Tang Qi, she could not help muttering to herself.

Tang Qi had never expected that, because his power was growing every day, his physical attributes would surge as well. His now exceptionally sharp hearing caught every bit of Sally's muttering before she left.

"Today was so strange. Why didn't Tang Qi trip? Why wasn't he hit in the head by a basketball flying out of nowhere? He didn't lose any money, and he didn't even bump into anyone while walking... This is just too strange."

"Could it be that the bad luck on me has disappeared? Am I no longer Unlucky Sally?"

"That's wonderful. Today might have been the most peaceful day of my life."

"No, I can't relax too much. Today might have been an accident. Tomorrow will probably bring all those familiar mishaps again."

"I hope Tang Qi can stay strong. He should be able to, right? He's so impressive. That night, he even saved a beauty like a hero."

"Oh my, that beauty seems to have been me. I'm so nervous."

Tang Qi watched Sally head home with an amused expression, marveling inwardly that the girl could say so much in such a short time. It seemed people accustomed to talking to themselves gained a point or two in speech speed.

But upon hearing the last part, Tang Qi's mouth twitched slightly.

With a bitter smile, Tang Qi shook his head and carried the books toward his current home.

There was no need to take a long detour to the main school gate, which was most likely locked anyway. Tang Qi headed straight for the side gate.

He had to pass through the chaotic Bronx District, but the advantage was that it was much closer.

However, less than a minute later, when Tang Qi turned down a street and was only two blocks from his Brick House, his footsteps suddenly stopped.

"Scrape!"

He stopped moving, then slightly turned his head toward a dark alley beside him.

A series of strange sounds came from within.

They were the sounds people made when doing the things lovers did: suppressed moans, pleasure that seemed impossible to endure, and faint pain. Given the surroundings, anyone could easily imagine what was happening inside.

It was nothing more than the inevitable scene after an impatient client encountered a nightingale.

As a teenage boy still in high school, Tang Qi should have turned and run.

Yet at that moment, a strange expression appeared on his face. He packed the books one by one into the cloth bag provided by the library, carried it in one hand, and then walked into the alley step by step.

"Huff."

"Tap tap~"

Although there had already been plenty of noise in the alley, the late-night breeze in Bronx, carrying a faint sewer stench, still carried the sound of Tang Qi's footsteps to the ears of the three people passionately entangled together.

More precisely, there were two people.

With the help of the exceedingly dim streetlamp overhead, Tang Qi saw the horrifying scene in the alley.

There was alluring excitement, but it was quite different from what most people would imagine.

Of the three entwined figures, one was a middle-aged man. He had a careworn face, a clean but cheap suit, and a bald head. He looked like an office worker, perfectly fitting the image of someone who had ventured here to relieve stress. The other two wore exaggeratedly revealing dresses, one with black stockings and the other with white stockings, their makeup excessively heavy. They also perfectly fit the image of "nightingales."

But at that moment, the way they were entwined was unusual.

At the very least, it should not have been two nightingales wrapping their hands and legs around the Middle-aged Man while continuously gnawing at his flesh with snow-white teeth. Half his neck had been bitten through, his head drooped down, and one lovely head was intently sucking the spurting blood.

The other nightingale was sprawled over the man's abdomen, eating with relish while using both hands to pull out greasy intestines and stuff them into her mouth.

Had Tang Qi not interrupted them, the two nightingales would probably have been in excellent spirits. After all, not everyone got to enjoy a midnight feast with a good sister.

Of course, the instant Tang Qi's figure was reflected in their pairs of gleaming green eyes—

Their moods became even better.

"Hee hee hee... Look what we found. A tender little rabbit."

"A surprise. A surprise we haven't felt in a long time."

The two young ladies, whose meal had been interrupted, happily tossed aside the pitiful Middle-aged Man. They rose gracefully, completely unconcerned about the nearly exposed spring scenery.

But Tang Qi had no interest in admiring it at the moment.

Tang Qi carefully set the cloth bag in a clean corner, then slowly walked toward the two beauties grinning beneath the streetlamp. With his enhanced vision, he could clearly see fresh red strands of flesh caught between their teeth and thick blood dripping down.

As he walked, he recalled Centennial Oddities of the Federation: Absurdity and Truth, the book he had browsed through and borrowed from the library.

Many of its chapters discussed urban oddities.

"I've already seen the Bronx Dog-Faced Man."

"Now, turn to Chapter Two and explain to me just what a... Ghoul Nightingale is."

Bang~ Bang!

Almost the instant Tang Qi spoke those words, the two beautiful figures simultaneously shattered the paving stones beneath their feet. Amid rolling shockwaves, they pounced like two vicious ghosts toward the high school boy who looked so tender and delicious.