The second test

"Kill him? Just like that?" Qingling was a little surprised. She hadn't expected the test to be so simple. This was even easier than playing games with Wu Dahai.

Gaoyang was surprised too. He also thought it was simple-suspiciously simple.

"Yes." White Rabbit looked at them both. "Easy, right? Cut off his head, or pierce his heart with something sharp. Pretty much the same as killing a human."

"Killing him is easy. What about the cleanup?" Qingling had her concerns.

"Don't worry. I'll handle it." Wearing white gloves, White Rabbit lightly tapped the walkie-talkie at her waist, signaling that she had backup and everything was under control.

Qingling stopped hesitating. She walked over to Niu Xuan, a small, sharp dagger appearing in her hand.

She crouched down, slit open Niu Xuan's shirt, and located his heart. She aimed the tip at his gently rising and falling chest. Just as she was about to stab it into his heart, Gaoyang called out, "Wait!"

Qingling stopped and gave Gaoyang a puzzled look.

"Hold on, Qingling," Gaoyang said.

White Rabbit also looked at Gaoyang. "What? Don't want to join our organization anymore?"

"No." Gaoyang asked tentatively, "I just don't understand why we have to kill him. He hasn't even transformed into a Beast." Besides, how could she be certain Niu Xuan was a Lost One? Gaoyang left that second question unasked. Presumably, she had some special ability.

"There's no why. You don't need a reason to kill a Beast." White Rabbit sounded perfectly casual. "If you insist on a reason, our organization needs Awakened who are decisive, firm in their convictions, and capable in combat. We don't need people who feel sympathy or pity for Beasts."

"He's just a Lost One." White Rabbit stepped forward and nudged Niu Xuan with her foot. "If you don't want to kill him, we can pick another one. Hmm, that girl named Wan Sisi-she likes you, doesn't she? I can check whether she's a Lost One later. If she is, just kill her instead."

Gaoyang was secretly alarmed. Her powers of observation were frighteningly sharp.

"Made up your mind?" White Rabbit pressed.

Gaoyang remained silent.

He was no bleeding-heart saint. If someone like Niu Xuan died, so be it. It had nothing to do with him. Besides, Niu Xuan wasn't even human, just an Infatuation Beast.

But a few things bothered him.

First was what White Rabbit had said-kill this Lost One.

She could easily have said, "Kill this Beast." Why specifically emphasize that he was a Lost One? That revealed at least one thing: her organization's attitude toward Lost Ones-Infatuation Beasts-had to differ from its attitude toward other Beasts.

By ordinary logic, all Beasts except Infatuation Beasts were dangerous, so the Awakened would surely seek to eliminate them. Conversely, if their attitude toward Infatuation Beasts was different, it most likely meant the opposite-not eliminating them.

White Rabbit called this a test, but to Gaoyang, it looked more like a choice.

Faced with an "innocent" Lost One, White Rabbit had kept steering them.

He's just a Lost One.

That statement diminished and belittled the value of a Lost One's existence.

Then White Rabbit had brought up killing Wan Sisi to "threaten" him. This was a common tactic of steering someone through comparison: on one side was the sweet, innocent Wan Sisi; on the other was Niu Xuan, a bully who had gone too far.

Which mattered more was obvious.

It was like a trick a married couple might use: first, the wife told her husband she wanted a bag that cost twenty thousand. A little later, she told him she wanted a dress that cost a few hundred. Comparing the two, the husband would say without hesitation, "Buy the dress."

White Rabbit's behavior was designed to make him and Qingling decide immediately: kill Niu Xuan.

If they killed Niu Xuan without hesitation, that would prove at least two things. First, they believed it was acceptable to kill Lost Ones. Second, they believed Lost Ones should be treated differently from one another.

Those two points contradicted each other.

Disregarding a Beast's life meant that, in that person's eyes, Beasts had no "right to live." Yet they still treated creatures without that right differently. It felt like... saying you couldn't kill your own cat, but you could kill someone else's whenever you pleased. That was an outrageous double standard.

"If you won't kill him, I'll take that as you giving up." White Rabbit glanced at her watch. "We don't have much time. You have to leave me some time for cleanup."

Take a chance, and you might hit the jackpot.

Gaoyang made up his mind. "I refuse."

"What?" White Rabbit thought she had misheard.

"We won't kill Lost Ones," Gaoyang said firmly.

Qingling glared at Gaoyang. Are you crazy?

Gaoyang blinked back. Trust me! It's a trap!

"Seriously?" White Rabbit couldn't help laughing. "Kid, take my advice: don't try to be clever. Those hot-blooded manga will rot your brain. Read less of them. You only get one chance. I'm just following procedure here. Miss this opportunity, and the organization's doors will never open to you again. Think it through."

"I have. We won't kill him," Gaoyang said.

"Okay." White Rabbit spread her hands and looked at Qingling. "That kid's out. What about you?"

Qingling considered it for a moment, then the dagger in her hand vanished. She decided to trust Gaoyang. Experience had taught her that this kid was lucky. At least he hadn't screwed her over yet.

White Rabbit sighed regretfully. "You two have pretty good potential, and your serial numbers rank quite high too. What a shame. Can I ask why you're unwilling to kill Lost Ones?"

Huh?

Seriously? We didn't pass? Had I really been overthinking it?

Gaoyang suddenly felt a little regretful, but he had come too far to back down gracefully. He racked his brains and started making things up. "Because... order."

"Order?"

"I believe this world has its own order. Indiscriminately slaughtering Lost Ones would disrupt it," Gaoyang said solemnly, without a blush or a racing heartbeat.

White Rabbit seemed to ponder that.

Apparently, it wasn't convincing enough. Gaoyang quickly put what he had learned to use and trotted out another line. "Infatuation, greed, wrath, delusion, life, death-all are emptiness. Life is short, one long dream."

The girl in the white rabbit mask seemed a little surprised. She hurried up to Gaoyang, rose slightly onto her toes, tilted her head, and stared into his eyes.

Through the white rabbit mask, Gaoyang could also see a pair of clear, lovely almond-shaped eyes.

"Sure enough, you have the same look in your eyes as our captain." White Rabbit's voice became much gentler.

"What look?" Gaoyang asked.

"Hmm." White Rabbit thought for a moment. "The kind that looks listless, like you haven't woken up properly, but is actually incredibly inscrutable."

Gaoyang thought, You could just call them dead-fish eyes.

"Are people with eyes like that always really impressive?" White Rabbit asked Qingling.

"No idea."

"You even said something almost identical to what our captain said." White Rabbit stepped forward and patted Gaoyang's shoulder. "All right. You passed."

"Oh."

Gaoyang's face remained expressionless, but if he'd had a tail, it would have been wagging furiously. My gamble paid off!

White Rabbit turned and nudged the still-unconscious Niu Xuan with her foot.

"Our captain set the rules. There are only three. Remember them."

"One: never initiate the killing of a human."

"Two: never initiate the killing of a Lost One."

"Three: absolutely no office romances."

"Anyone who breaks them will be permanently expelled from the organization."

"..." Gaoyang thought he had misheard. The first two rules sounded lofty enough, but what the hell was that last one? No wonder Wu Dahai was so thirsty. Though even if office romances were allowed, that guy probably still wouldn't find anyone interested.

"Have we joined the organization now?" Qingling asked.

"Not so fast. You're on probation for now. There's one final test before you become full members." White Rabbit reached into her trouser pocket and pulled out a small object. She tossed it lightly, and Qingling caught it and examined it. It was an old-fashioned brass key.

"Find the door this key opens, and go inside for a look around," White Rabbit said.

"That's it?"

"That's it," White Rabbit repeated calmly.

"Let me see." Gaoyang took the brass key from Qingling and immediately felt a sinister chill spread through his fingertips. He couldn't tell whether his enhanced perception had sharpened his sixth sense or it was simply his imagination. Gaoyang gripped the key. "But where do we look for the door?"

White Rabbit held up one finger. "One more hint: limit your search to Shanqing District."

"Any other hints?" Gaoyang could never have too much useful information.

"Let me think." White Rabbit rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Be careful. Don't die."