The Boy of Destiny

Gaoyang stared wide-eyed at Wang Zikai, who sat cross-legged on the floor in the corner, looking back at him.

An eerie silence hung in the air. Nobody moved.

"You..." At last, Gaoyang broke the silence. "When did you wake up?"

"Just now." Wang Zikai grinned, his eyes brimming with excitement as he looked at Gaoyang.

"How long ago was 'just now'?" Pang Jun instinctively took a step back.

"A few minutes ago?"

Gaoyang had a terrible feeling. "You saw everything?!"

"Yeah!" The topic instantly fired Wang Zikai up, and he sprang to his feet. "Holy shit! When I woke up, you guys were fighting. That was fucking awesome... I thought I was dreaming..."

Wang Zikai waved his hands, acting it out. "Then it smacked Qingling, and whoosh, she went flying! Glass shattered everywhere. Holy crap! Seriously, holy crap! That was when I knew I wasn't dreaming. I was scared shitless! I immediately lay down and played dead..."

Gaoyang pressed a hand to his forehead. His brain hurt.

"Hey, what the hell was that lady, anyway? She was pretty badass. She clearly turned into a lizard person, so how come she turned human again after dying?"

"And who exactly are you three? The Y-Men? Do you have superpowers? You're so fucking awesome you're practically in orbit..."

"Wang Zikai," Gaoyang interrupted.

"What?"

"Stop talking. Let me have a moment." Gaoyang was falling apart.

Pang Jun took a step back. "Boss, boss's lady, we can't keep him around anymore... Let's do it."

"I'm not his lady." Qingling lay motionless on the waterbed. "I'm exhausted. Do whatever you want with this idiot."

"Idiot?" Wang Zikai pointed at his own nose. "You mean me?"

"No!" Gaoyang shouted, pointing at Aunt He's body pinned to the wall. "We meant this lizard monster."

"Holy shit! It really is a lizard monster!" Wang Zikai grew even more excited.

Gaoyang took a deep breath and made up his mind. "Wang Zikai, what I'm about to say is extremely important. Listen carefully!"

"Okay!" Wang Zikai gave him his full attention.

Five minutes passed.

With an earnest expression, Wang Zikai struggled to take it all in. "You're saying my body was modified when I was little, so I'm really special, and now these lizard monsters want to kill me..."

"Exactly! We're all new humans. Our bodies have all been modified to some degree so we can fight the lizard people. But you're the most special. You're a one-in-ten-thousand warrior, the boy of destiny. In the end, only you can fight the lizard people's boss!"

"That's a lot to take in. Let me sort it out..." Wang Zikai braced one hand against the wall and sank into thought.

Gaoyang stepped forward and spoke with feeling. "Wang Zikai, Qingling and I have actually been protecting you in secret all along. I've been avoiding you lately because my identity was exposed, and I didn't want to drag you into it... You just saw for yourself. That lizard person almost killed us all..."

"Really?" Wang Zikai turned around.

"Absolutely!"

"Bro! I knew it... You wouldn't abandon me!" Wang Zikai's eyes reddened as he gripped Gaoyang's hand tightly. "Honestly, the first time I spotted you in the crowd on the first day of school, I immediately liked you!"

"I've never liked anyone, even as a kid. I don't even like my own parents! But I liked you. Who would've thought... Who would've thought you were hiding so much!"

"That's the bond of destiny." Gaoyang smiled. "Looks like we were meant to fight side by side!"

"Fuck yeah! Of course we were!" Wang Zikai grew even more excited. "We'll take those lizard people down together! Take them down! Save the world!"

Gaoyang breathed a sigh of relief. Being stupid can actually save your life.

Beside him, Pang Jun was dumbstruck. What kind of god-tier move was that?!

Qingling still lay on the bed and offered no objection-or rather, she had no strength left to object.

Pang Jun hurriedly forced a stiff smile. "Bro, keep a low profile for now! We humans are still at a disadvantage. There are lizard people everywhere around us, so we have to hide our identities and quietly build up our strength. As long as we stay alive, we'll have a chance!"

"Got it." Wang Zikai thumped his chest. "Don't worry. Once I level up, I'll have your backs!"

Ten minutes later, Officer Huang arrived after receiving their call.

He pushed aside the obstacles and entered the room.

"Something unexpected happened. The mission failed." Qingling sat on the bed while Pang Jun treated her injured arm.

"I can tell from the scene." Officer Huang took out a cigarette and glanced at Aunt He, still pinned to the wall. "Pretty brutal. Let me guess... She looked like a lizard?"

"Yeah. What kind of beast was it?" Gaoyang asked.

"Another Wrath Beast. As far as I know, there are three kinds of Wrath Beasts: Slayers, Devourers, and Horn Callers." Officer Huang crouched down and quietly examined Aunt He's corpse.

"The one you encountered was probably a Slayer. They're powerful fighters. But this one had deteriorated badly. If you'd run into one in peak condition, I'd be collecting your bodies right now."

Everyone in the room sucked in a breath.

"But the most terrifying Wrath Beasts are actually Horn Callers. If you run into one, you're certain to die."

"Are Horn Callers that strong?" Qingling asked.

"No, but they use their special vocal cords to immediately alert every beast within a one-kilometer radius."

"..."

Gaoyang said nothing. At least there had been a silver lining.

It seemed spending all his luck points on Fortune had helped after all. When it came to mystical things like that, better to believe than not.

"Hello, Officer Huang." Pang Jun stepped forward with an eager smile and offered his hand. "I'm your new companion."

"I figured." Officer Huang reached out and shook his hand, then turned to Wang Zikai, who looked utterly out of the loop yet brimming with confidence.

"And this lively young fellow is..."

Suddenly, Officer Huang's brow furrowed, and cold killing intent surfaced in his eyes.

"Officer Huang!" Gaoyang hurried forward, blocking Wang Zikai. "He's one of us, too."

Officer Huang looked into Gaoyang's eyes and fell silent for a moment, already having guessed the gist of it. Lost Ones didn't necessarily have to be killed. They were far too humanlike, after all. As long as one exercised restraint and didn't "provoke" them, "peaceful coexistence" was theoretically possible.

But overall, humans knew far too little about beasts. This was still far too softhearted. Then again, Officer Huang had no right to lecture the young man. After all, he still hadn't killed "Old Man Liu" himself.

He nodded and lowered his voice. "You're sure he's safe?"

"He's safe."

"All right." Officer Huang lit his cigarette and took a deep drag. "You three, get yourselves cleaned up and leave immediately. Go to school as usual."

Officer Huang turned to Pang Jun. "You own this hotel, right?"

"Yes."

Officer Huang nodded, surveying the devastated room. "I can handle this as a robbery. But there are too many signs of a fight to cover up quickly. The risk of exposure is too high."

"Is there another way?" Pang Jun asked.

"Mind making the news? 'Gas explosion at love hotel leaves one dead, one injured.'"

The dead person would naturally be Aunt He, and the injured one would presumably be Pang Jun. If they were going to put on an act, they had to go all the way. Since Pang Jun could heal himself, getting hurt for the cover story would cost him little.

"But... this is everything I own! Do we really have to blow it up?" Pang Jun was heartbroken. "I don't have insurance! I won't get any compensation, and I might even face a fine..."

"Is it worth more than your life?" Officer Huang countered.

"Officer Huang's right. Nothing matters more than staying alive," Gaoyang added.

Pang Jun sighed mournfully and swore. "Burn it, then! One building in exchange for a few companions. Worth it!"

Ten minutes later, Gaoyang and Qingling walked out of the hotel.

It was early morning, and the whole city was just waking beneath the dawn light.

There were few pedestrians on the street, a handful of breakfast carts, and seven or eight young people who had just finished an all-nighter at an internet café. A street-sprinkler truck trundled lazily past them.

Wang Zikai followed excitedly behind the two of them, practically buzzing. "Shit, everyone looks like a lizard person now!"

"Keep your voice down!" Gaoyang reminded him. "Go home first and stay put. Qingling and I are going to school. Drive over to the school gates tonight to pick us up. I've got a mission for you."

"Got it." Wang Zikai ran across the road and climbed into his sports car.

Before driving away, he made sure to wave at Gaoyang, bursting with confidence. "Kill them all! Save the world!"

"A Lost One not going berserk after that kind of provocation makes no sense," Qingling said coldly.

"I thought you'd decided to let him go." Gaoyang sighed.

"Not a chance." Qingling's gaze was icy. "If he dies tonight, we'll look too suspicious. We'll find a suitable opportunity later and..."

Before Qingling could finish, her expression darkened.

"What is it?"

As soon as Gaoyang asked, he realized Qingling was looking behind him.

Gaoyang turned around, his face paling in shock.

"Gao Xinxin?!"

Gaoyang's younger sister stood a few meters away. She wore her newly bought Lolita dress and a blond wig, looking as pretty as a doll. She stared at Gaoyang without expression.

Normally, Gaoyang would have complimented his sister on how pretty she looked, but now he was so nervous he almost stammered. "Hey, sis, what are you doing here? Um, my classmate and I had something to do..."

"Stop pretending. I already found out." Gao Xinxin's voice was calm.

Gaoyang's heart sank.

Qingling stepped forward, subtly flexing her fingers, ready to strike.

Gaoyang still clung to a sliver of hope. "Sis, what are you talking about? I don't understand..."

"It's too late." A cold smile appeared on his sister's face, utterly at odds with her age. "I've already told everyone."

Overwhelming despair and terror seized Gaoyang by the throat.

-A Horn Caller!