Horn Caller

-A Horn Caller!

Officer Huang's mouth must have been blessed with prophetic powers.

Gaoyang had considered the possibility that he might one day have to turn his blade against his own "family," but he hadn't expected it to come so soon-or for his opponent to be the little sister he doted on most.

By a rough estimate, there were fewer than ten pedestrians on the street. Assuming a third of them were Wrath Beasts, that made three. That was already more than they could handle.

And Officer Huang had said that Horn Callers used special vocal cords to alert every beast within a one-kilometer radius. A one-kilometer radius meant that, besides those on the street, the beasts still "sleeping" inside the buildings would probably wake up too.

The conclusion was simple: unless he and Qingling could teleport away instantly, they were dead.

Gaoyang gave up. He couldn't think of any way to escape.

"Run. I should be able to hold them off for a few seconds," Gaoyang told Qingling.

Qingling said nothing. She didn't run, but she didn't attack either.

His sister didn't transform into a beast right away. She walked toward Gaoyang, wearing that expression, carrying herself that way, striding forward as though she would disown her entire family...

Wait! Could it be...?

"You got a girlfriend without asking me!" His sister pointed at Gaoyang and launched into a tirade. "What did you promise me? You have to get my approval before finding me a sister-in-law!"

"And you two actually came to a hotel like this!"

"You-you're even... into BDSM!" His sister stamped her feet in fury.

Qingling tugged down her sleeve to cover the wound on her wrist and turned her face away.

"No, it's not what you think..."

Thank heavens! Bless the Buddha!

Gaoyang could have cried. It looked like this had all been a false alarm!

The more his sister talked, the angrier she got. She pulled out her phone. "I already took photos and posted them on Moments! I'm telling everyone about your dirty little secret! I'll get you expelled! I'll make Mom and Dad kick you out and disown you..."

Catching her off guard, Gaoyang snatched her phone and tossed it to Qingling. "Delete them."

"Okay." Qingling did as he asked.

"What are you doing? Give me back my phone! Don't even think about destroying the evidence!" His sister tried to grab it, but Gaoyang held her back with a hand on her head.

"You're so young. What on earth have you been filling your head with...?" Gaoyang rolled his eyes.

Qingling deleted the Moments post, the photos in the album, and the backups in the trash in one go before tossing the phone back to Gaoyang's sister. Utterly exhausted, she waved a hand. "Handle the rest yourself." All she wanted now was to go home, take a shower, and get some deep sleep.

"No problem."

Ten minutes later, Gaoyang and Gao Xinxin were sitting in Lao McDonald's.

The warm morning sunlight streamed through the plate-glass window onto his sister, bathing her hair, skin, and dress in a pure, lovely haze.

Girls her age had only just shed their childish innocence and entered the awkward freshness of adolescence. The energy and vitality they radiated without realizing it touched everything around them, and even Gaoyang, fresh from a vicious battle, gradually relaxed.

Gao Xinxin considered herself mature, but to Gaoyang, her prickly attitude had all the endearing petulance of a kitten. She pouted, chewed her straw, and swung her legs irritably.

"Gao Xinxin?"

His sister ignored him and turned away.

"Little sis?"

"Don't think one kids' meal will make me forgive you!"

"It really was a misunderstanding. She and I are just friends, nothing more. The college entrance exams are coming up, right? We stayed up all night doing practice papers."

"Like hell! Who goes to a love hotel to do practice papers?"

"Loads of people online do it. It's called catching everyone off guard!" Gaoyang made it up as he went.

"Really?" His sister was skeptical.

"Of course. We're both closet study freaks, get it?"

"The kind who say they haven't studied, then secretly work harder than everyone else and 'accidentally' get high scores?" his sister asked.

"Exactly! That kind."

"Disgusting."

"Heh." Gaoyang chuckled. "Anyway, how did you know I was here?"

"My new dress arrived yesterday, so I put it on and wanted to show you when you got home. But you never came back, and you wouldn't answer your phone. I waited until I fell asleep."

His sister puffed out her cheeks. "When I woke up, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I called Wang Zikai, and he said you'd booked a room with a girl from your class. He told me to hurry over and catch you cheating!"

"Little sis, that's not how you use 'catch you cheating.'" Gaoyang didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Don't you grin at me!" His sister raised her voice, her little face full of hurt and her eyes reddening. "I was so excited waiting for you to come home and see my dress. Do you have any idea how that felt?"

Gaoyang's heart suddenly ached for her. "It's not too late to look now. The dress is really pretty!"

"No, it isn't! It's all wrinkled!" His sister burst into tears. "And my face is puffy! My face looks slimmest at night. That's when it goes best with this dress!"

Warmth filled Gaoyang's heart. He reached out and pinched his sister's cheek. "My little sister looks pretty any time of day."

"Prettier than the girl you got a room with?"

"Prettier."

"Then if she and I both fell into the water, who would you save first?"

Gaoyang froze. What a question... Though knowing Qingling, she would probably say, Save your sister first. I want to swim a little longer.

"You, of course!" Gaoyang said.

"Good! You said it yourself! Pinky promise!" His sister held out her little finger.

"Pinky promise!"

Eight in the morning, City No. 15 Middle School, Shanqing District.

By the time Gaoyang arrived at the school gates with his backpack, morning study hall had already ended. He was trying to think of an excuse for being late when he spotted a familiar red sports car parked by the road.

Gaoyang suddenly had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Wang Zikai was at the school gates, arguing heatedly with the PE teacher checking for late arrivals.

"I'm not dropping out anymore! I'm coming back to school!" Wang Zikai shouted.

"You've already withdrawn! Stop making a scene." The PE teacher looked deeply troubled, but since the boy came from a wealthy family, he didn't dare sound too harsh.

"Sir, I've seen the light! I want to study!"

"It's good that you've come to your senses... but you still need to complete the reenrollment paperwork first."

"No! I love studying! Studying is the light of righteousness! I don't want to waste another second." Wang Zikai was about to say more when he spotted Gaoyang approaching. He immediately beamed and ran over. "Bro!"

"Didn't I tell you to stay home?" Gaoyang frowned.

Wang Zikai was beside himself with excitement. "I couldn't sit still! Just thinking about being a new human gets me so fucking pumped I could explode..."

"Keep your voice down." Gaoyang broke into a cold sweat. Qingling was right. We should kill this idiot, or sooner or later he'll cause trouble.

"Hey, don't you guys all have superpowers? Why don't I have one? That doesn't make sense. Aren't I the chosen one?" Wang Zikai blinked at him expectantly. If he'd had a tail, it would probably have been wagging.

"The power inside you has only just awakened... everything takes time." Gaoyang spun another lie.

"Makes sense!"

"Oh, right, weren't you going to give me a mission tonight? Give it to me sooner so I can finish it sooner." Wang Zikai's thoughts jumped all over the place.

"This mission... can only be done at night."

"Okay, okay." Wang Zikai slung an arm around Gaoyang's shoulders. "Come on! Let's go to school together."

Over the course of the day, Wang Zikai nearly drove Gaoyang insane. He felt like he'd adopted a husky. In the end, Gaoyang had to teach Wang Zikai a set of "cultivation principles" to make him keep quiet and stop fidgeting.

Sure enough, Wang Zikai sat motionless in his seat and began cultivating.

During the second evening study period, Gaoyang went to the bathroom. The moment he came out, Qingling blocked his path. "Come to the rooftop with me."

The rooftop?

That doesn't sound like a great place to be.

Gaoyang followed Qingling up to the rooftop. She glanced back, and the iron door slammed shut with a bang. She scanned their surroundings, making sure no one else was there.

"How did things go with your sister?" Qingling asked.

"It's fine. I handled it."

"Keep watching her. Some beasts are smart. They know how to pretend," Qingling said.

"Okay." Gaoyang sighed inwardly. If only my sister weren't a beast. If she has to be one, I hope she's a Lost One.

A gust of wind lifted Qingling's long hair, scattering it across her eyes. "I know you're close to Wang Zikai, but he's a beast."

Gaoyang said nothing.

Sure enough, the inevitable had come.

Dark clouds drifted across the sky, blocking out the moonlight. Qingling stood in the darkness, her expression hidden from Gaoyang. All he heard was her uncompromising voice. "After evening study hall, take him somewhere deserted. I'll kill him."

Gaoyang was silent for a moment before raising his head. "What if I refuse?"

Qingling didn't hesitate. "I'll kill you too."