The second note

Licheng was cut in half by the Li River, and its two halves were known to the locals as "Hedong" and "Hexi."

Hedong was the old town, home to pedestrian shopping streets, prestigious schools, stadiums, museums, large malls, and the financial center; Hexi was the newer development, focused on tourist attractions. It had grown rapidly in recent years, and its housing prices were catching up with Hedong's.

Licheng was divided into nine districts. Gaoyang and Qingling lived in Hedong's fifth district-Shanqing District.

Qingyang Bridge was Licheng's first modern bridge, primarily connecting Shanqing District in Hedong to Feiyang District in Hexi.

The bridge was decades old. Compared to the bridges built later, it was like an old man on his last legs, dilapidated and long neglected, with little traffic. After midnight, however, heavy trucks began crossing in greater numbers. Taking this bridge let them bypass a toll station, making it the preferred route for long-haul freight.

Late that night, Gaoyang and Qingling arrived beneath the eastern end of the bridge. Trucks rolled over the potholed bridge deck above them, sending down deafening rumbles every so often.

Gaoyang genuinely worried that the bridge might collapse.

Qingling sat cross-legged on the riverbank, concentrating on her search.

The first note read:

-At the eastern end of Qingyang Bridge, use your [Metal] ability to find something.

Soon, Qingling opened her eyes. "Found it. That should be the thing."

Gaoyang wanted to ask what it was and where it was, but that would make him look like an idiot, so he simply stayed beside her without saying anything.

Qingling walked down the riverbank and stretched out both hands toward the water below. Before long, she frowned.

"What's wrong?" Gaoyang asked.

"It's a little too far away. Come over and hold me."

"How?"

"Have you seen Titanic? Like on the poster."

"Got it!"

Gaoyang hurried over and wrapped his arms around Qingling's slender waist from behind. A breeze blew off the river, carrying the fragrance of her hair-the scent of flowers swaying in the wind.

The girl in his arms leaned forward, bringing her hands another meter or so closer to the river. With no time to think about anything else, Gaoyang tightened his grip around her.

Ripples began appearing on the surface, growing increasingly violent.

Splash-

A rectangular iron case broke through the water and hovered in midair.

Gritting her teeth, Qingling pulled both hands back hard, sending the heavy, elongated case flying toward them.

Gaoyang braced himself and pulled with all his strength, as if in a tug-of-war. When the weight on Qingling suddenly vanished, he couldn't stop his momentum and fell backward with her in his arms.

Qingling didn't hurry to climb off him. She lay flat on his chest, breathing heavily.

Gaoyang was in no hurry either. What could he say? Having a beautiful girl lying on top of him felt pretty good.

"Isn't the Metal Talent supposed to be really powerful? Why does it seem so..." His survival instinct made him choose his words carefully. "Unremarkable when you use it?"

"I only awakened it recently. Its level is too low."

Qingling rolled off him and stood up. "Right now, I can sense metal up to twenty meters away and control it within ten meters. My weight limit is ten kilograms. That thing exceeded it."

Gaoyang made a mental note: no matter how powerful a Talent was, level still mattered. A powerful Talent at a low level might be worse than a weak Talent at a high level.

Qingling walked over to the iron case, took out her dagger, cut through the thick waterproof tape covering it, and carefully opened it.

Gaoyang leaned over to look and was startled.

Inside the case was a black sniper rifle, disassembled, its parts fitted neatly into the inner lining. In the moonlight, the cold metal components with their baked-on black finish gave off a dangerous, seductive sheen.

The system's voice sounded in his head right on cue.

[Observe unfamiliar item? Cost: 1 Fortune point]

-Observe.

[M82A1 semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle, 12.7 mm ammunition, magazine capacity: 10 rounds, effective range: 1,800 meters, weight: 14 kg]

Gaoyang's heart sank. Looks like we're going to kill someone.

Even Officer Huang couldn't have obtained a sniper rifle like this on short notice. He must have been preparing for a long time, keeping it hidden here while waiting for an opportunity.

Qingling studied the sniper rifle in silence for a moment.

She took a backpack out of the iron case, slipped it over the case, and glanced at Gaoyang. "Carry it."

Gaoyang hurried over, lifted the heavy black backpack, and slung it over his shoulders.

Qingling opened the second note and remained silent for a long time.

"What's wrong?" Gaoyang asked.

"Where's the hotel?" Qingling asked.

With the load on his back, they had no choice but to walk. It took them an hour to reach the Pink Hotel. It was a love hotel, its pink neon lights flickering across their faces. Suggestive little cards littered the ground.

"Are you sure?" Gaoyang swallowed. "This is the place?"

"See for yourself." Qingling handed him the second note:

-Go to the Pink Hotel. Take a south-facing room on the fifth floor. Do not open the third note until six.

Gaoyang followed Qingling into the hotel.

Behind the front desk sat a fat man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, wearing a T-shirt with JoJo's face on it. His hair was far too thin, and his face shone with grease. He was engrossed in a mobile game. "Anyone need a scope? Hey, hey, revive me! So close! He's almost dead..."

Gaoyang looked around. Weird. Aren't love hotels supposed to have pretty young women at the front desk?

"Ahem." Gaoyang cleared his throat twice. "We'd like a room."

The fat man looked up at him. "Just you?"

"Two of us."

The fat man put down his phone. His gaze landed on Qingling behind Gaoyang, and his eyes went wide. "Damn! Bro... you're in for a treat tonight!"

Gaoyang felt terribly awkward. "Do you have any south-facing rooms on the fifth floor?"

A hint of envy crept into the fat man's sleazy grin. "Let me check... Ah, lucky you. There's one left-Mirror Flowers and Moon on Water!"

"What?" Gaoyang didn't follow.

"That's the room's name." The fat man chuckled. "Automatic waterbed, sex chair, couples' bathtub, mirrored ceiling-the ultimate experience..."

"Fine, we'll take it." Gaoyang's face burned as he took out his phone to scan the payment code.

"Sure. Let me see your ID."

Gaoyang froze. He'd forgotten to bring it.

He looked back at Qingling, who shook her head.

"Nothing I can do, bro." The fat man looked helpless. "If you're really stuck, how about I recommend somewhere outdoors? Guaranteed thrills..."

Expressionless, Qingling turned and walked out.

Thinking she was angry, Gaoyang hurried after her.

The moment he stepped outside, he saw that Qingling had grabbed someone.

Gaoyang started. "...Wang Zikai?"

Wang Zikai had just left an internet café after a string of losses and was heading to his car. He'd barely taken two steps before someone grabbed him. When he turned around, he found his classmate Qingling.

Then Gaoyang came over too.

Wang Zikai stared. "Gaoyang? What... what are you two doing here?"

"Did you bring your ID?" Qingling got straight to the point. "Let me borrow it."

Wang Zikai looked at Qingling and Gaoyang, then at the love hotel behind them. "You're getting... a room?"

Gaoyang nodded.

Wang Zikai fell apart on the spot, taking an exaggerated step backward. "Holy shit! Holy shit..."

For all his dirty jokes, he'd actually been single his whole life. But he'd never doubted that his good buddy Gaoyang was in the same boat. Although he was always trying to "set him up" with Li Weiwei, he'd never believed Gaoyang would actually get a girlfriend.

And now, not only had Gaoyang stopped being single, he apparently planned to stop being a virgin tonight!

Wang Zikai couldn't take it.

"Gaoyang! Your childhood sweetheart Li Weiwei's only been dead a few days! It hasn't even been a week... Is this okay? Is this appropriate? You animal!"

Qingling lost patience and started searching Wang Zikai herself. "Give me your ID."

"No, wait..." Seeing Qingling take such initiative made it even harder for Wang Zikai to accept. "Qingling, aren't you a lesbian? How did you end up with a guy?"

"What's so great about Gaoyang? Give me a chance! I've got money, I'm handsome, I'm romantic... How am I any worse than him?"

"You don't have a brain." Qingling found his ID in his pocket and pulled Gaoyang back into the hotel. They checked in at the front desk without trouble and entered the elevator together.

Wang Zikai stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded the entire time. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Why the hell?! I can live without a girlfriend, but that bastard Gaoyang absolutely cannot get one before me!

He charged straight up to the front desk. "Hey! Which room did they take?!"

"Sorry, that's our guests' private information..."

Wang Zikai grabbed the fat man by his hair and slammed his head onto the desk with a bang. "Say one more fucking word, and I'll make your private parts disappear! Understand?"

"501! 501!"

"Get me a room. 601!"

"Yes, yes... right away!"