Twelve Zodiac

Gaoyang walked over to Niu Xuan. "Need something?"

"Come play dice! You got the guts?"

Niu Xuan sat on the sofa beside the coffee table, putting on airs and determined to win back some dignity. As soon as he spoke, someone beside him pressed the service call button at the corner of the table.

Before long, the private room's door opened, and a young waitress stepped inside. "How may I help you?"

The waitress wore a black-and-red attendant's uniform. It would have looked a little tacky on most people, but on her, it had an expensive, tailored elegance, as though she really were a personal attendant at some aristocratic estate: professional, graceful, and humble.

She wore a cute little white rabbit mask, which stood in stark contrast to her professional demeanor and added a touch of mystery.

Seeing their puzzled looks, the waitress politely explained, "Today is the birthday of Mr. Qin, our establishment's premier VIP guest. He was born in the Year of the Rabbit, so all our staff have to..."

"Enough, enough!" Niu Xuan was thoroughly impatient. What the hell did someone else's birthday have to do with him? "Bring us that special space-whatever cocktail of yours."

"The Space Trance cocktail. How many dozen would you like?"

"Start with five dozen."

"Well... Space Trance is rather strong." The waitress glanced around. "For your group, sir, I think two dozen would be enough..."

"What the hell do you mean? Think I can't afford it?" Niu Xuan was already seething, and he seized the chance to lash out at a waitress.

"No, I'm sorry." The waitress gave a slight bow. "Five dozen Space Trance cocktails. I'll get them ready right away. Please wait a moment."

Although Niu Xuan was shouting at the waitress, his behavior was pretty boorish. Wan Sisi and the other girls felt awkward, but could only pretend they hadn't heard and pick songs to sing.

Soon, the waitress returned with a small trolley and placed five dozen cocktails on the coffee table. The glasses were small and slender, looking rather like vials of biochemical agents. They sat neatly fitted into honeycomb trays made of white metal, shimmering under the dazzling lights. They really did have a bit of a cyberpunk sci-fi feel.

Niu Xuan picked up the dice with swagger. "Guess high or low. Loser drinks. Don't chicken out if you're a man!"

You've put it that way. How am I supposed to refuse? Gaoyang thought.

Niu Xuan was dead set on drinking Gaoyang under the table today, getting him so wasted that he made a drunken spectacle of himself in front of all their classmates. A goody-two-shoes like Gaoyang probably didn't usually drink; three glasses would be his limit at most. Niu Xuan was different. He was a battle-hardened veteran. Ten or so glasses would be no problem.

Besides, betting on high or low took no skill. It was pure luck!

Bang! Niu Xuan shook the dice cup with furious flair, then slammed it onto the table. "High or low?"

"You first," Gaoyang said.

"High!" Niu Xuan lifted the cup. Three ones.

Niu Xuan froze for two seconds, then picked up a glass, tipped his head back, and drained it.

Rattle, rattle, rattle-bang! Niu Xuan glared fiercely at Gaoyang. "Again! High or low!"

"You first." Gaoyang politely gestured for him to choose.

"You go first!" Niu Xuan had wised up this time.

"Then I'll take high."

Niu Xuan lifted the cup. Three sixes.

Niu Xuan was dumbfounded. A coincidence. It had to be a coincidence! After finishing his second glass, he thought for a moment, then pushed the dice cup toward Gaoyang. "You shake."

"Okay." Gaoyang shook it a few times and set it down. "High or low?"

"High," Niu Xuan said.

Gaoyang was about to lift the cup when Niu Xuan suddenly pressed down on his hand. "Wait! Low!"

"All right."

"Wait..."

"High or low?" Gaoyang asked.

"High! Final answer." Niu Xuan made up his mind.

Gaoyang lifted the cup: three ones.

Niu Xuan was stunned. What the hell was going on? Was this guy cheating?

Niu Xuan immediately switched to another dice cup and carefully inspected it before using it. Still uneasy, he checked beneath the coffee table as well. After confirming there were no hidden mechanisms, he began shaking the dice.

This time, he shook for a full minute, until his hand ached, before setting it down.

"You pick first!"

"High..."

"I pick high!" Niu Xuan immediately cut him off.

"Then I'll take low."

Niu Xuan lifted the cup. Three ones.

Niu Xuan lost it. The two male classmates watching beside him exclaimed, "Holy crap! Gaoyang, what kind of luck is that? That's insane!"

Humiliated and furious, Niu Xuan gradually lost his reason. He picked up a glass, tipped his head back and finished it, then smashed it hard onto the floor. Glass shards scattered everywhere. "Again!"

The girls were singing when a sudden sharp crash sent glass shards flying toward them, frightening them badly. One fragment struck Wan Sisi's calf, leaving a bloody cut.

The girl with glasses was named Luo Xiaodan, and she was Wan Sisi's close friend. She quickly crouched down to check Wan Sisi's wound and flew into a rage. Normally, she wouldn't dare offend a rich young master like Niu Xuan, but this time, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Let it go. I'm fine..." Wan Sisi tried to hold Luo Xiaodan back.

Luo Xiaodan shook off Wan Sisi's hand and marched over to Niu Xuan. "Niu Xuan! Gaoyang! If you want to drink, go somewhere else! It's Wan Sisi's birthday today, not your party. Stop making trouble here!"

"Okay." Gaoyang took the opportunity to end the game. Just as he was about to get up, Niu Xuan grabbed him and held him down. "You're not leaving! Again!"

Luo Xiaodan trembled with anger beside them. "Niu Xuan, can't you act normal for once..."

"Shut up, you damn bitch! I'm drinking here today! What are you gonna do about it?!" The alcohol had gone to Niu Xuan's head, and his true colors came out completely.

"You... you..."

Gaoyang stood up, his expression cold. "I'm done playing. Find someone else."

"Just fucking try quitting!" Niu Xuan suddenly stood and kicked over the coffee table. It crashed to the floor, leaving a mess everywhere. Everyone in the room froze. Only the backing track kept playing, and the atmosphere was on a knife's edge.

Luo Xiaodan had never been treated so viciously before. She burst into tears on the spot, covered her face, and ran out. Several girls had been wanting to escape for a while and hurried after her.

Wan Sisi glanced at Gaoyang, hesitated as if wanting to say something, then followed them out.

The boys hadn't expected things to get this out of hand either. They offered only a few halfhearted words to calm him down-they knew Niu Xuan. Once he got worked up, no one could talk him down.

Sure enough, Niu Xuan wouldn't listen. The boys exchanged looks, then slipped out together, using the restroom as an excuse.

In an instant, only three people remained in the room.

Gaoyang and Niu Xuan faced off amid the spilled liquor and broken glass. Qingling sat back on the sofa in the corner, her legs crossed and arms folded, watching the show.

Niu Xuan gritted his teeth. "Gaoyang! You've really grown some balls! Playing the hero for the girls and making me the villain!"

"I didn't mean anything by it. I just don't want to play anymore." Gaoyang's face remained cold, and his patience was wearing thin. Even if it came to a fight, he wasn't afraid. His stats had all improved by now. They were nowhere near enough to take on a Beast, but more than enough to handle a "human."

"You didn't mean anything? Seems to me you mean plenty!" Niu Xuan stepped forward and grabbed Gaoyang by the collar, spraying spit onto his face. "Gaoyang, Li Weiwei's dead, so I get why you'd want someone new. But aren't you already with Qingling? What the hell are you doing at Wan Sisi's birthday party?"

"She invited me."

"Couldn't you say no?" Niu Xuan grew even angrier. "I bet you're trying to get with Wan Sisi too! You've got one hell of an appetite! Think you can handle it?"

"Nothing compared to yours," Gaoyang shot back.

"You're asking for it!" Niu Xuan wasted no more words. He shoved Gaoyang hard and launched a kick at him. He expected that kick to send Gaoyang all the way into the corner.

Instead, Gaoyang deftly sidestepped and swept his leg lightly. Niu Xuan felt his feet slip, and he dropped straight into the splits in front of Gaoyang.

"Ah..." Niu Xuan cried out in pain. He had badly strained his ligaments.

Gaoyang held out a hand. "You're too kind, Young Master Xuan. It's not even New Year's yet, and you're already bowing to me. Let me help you up."

"Help your fucking mother..." Niu Xuan unleashed a stream of obscenities. Fighting through the pain, he clutched his crotch and shakily stood. Before he had even steadied himself, he grabbed a microphone and hurled it at Gaoyang.

At some point, the waitress in the little white rabbit mask had entered the room. She casually raised a hand and caught the microphone in midair, her tone polite. "Please calm down, sir. Whatever the issue, you can sit down and talk it over..."

"Get lost! This is none of your business!" Niu Xuan roared.

"I'm sorry, sir, but your behavior violates our establishment's rules. If you insist on hurting this gentleman, I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Who the hell are you?!" Niu Xuan waved his fists and limped toward the waitress. "Get the hell away..."

Bang-

It happened so fast that Gaoyang saw nothing clearly. Niu Xuan was already flying across the room. He slammed into the wall, bounced onto the sofa, then rolled onto the floor covered in liquor and glass shards, passing out on the spot.

Gaoyang immediately went on guard, and Qingling sprang up from the sofa.

The waitress turned her head slightly toward the wary Gaoyang and Qingling. The little white rabbit on her face was clearly just a mask, yet it seemed alive, smiling at them. "Hello. White Rabbit, Twelve Zodiac."

"Twelve Zodiac?"

"You've met Electric Rat, haven't you?" The girl named White Rabbit took a step forward. "The idiot with an extraordinary love of arcade games and human women's breasts."

"Wu Dahai! You're with the organization?" Gaoyang was overjoyed. He had finally met someone from the organization. So it was called the "Twelve Zodiac."

"Yes." White Rabbit glanced at Qingling. "You're holding a weapon, aren't you?"

Qingling didn't answer, tacitly confirming it.

"Test two."

White Rabbit looked down at Niu Xuan by her feet. "Kill this Lost One."