The Labyrinth of the Monsters

Gao Yang widened his eyes and stared at Wang Zikai, who was sitting cross-legged in the corner, looking at Gao Yang.

The air was eerily quiet, and everyone remained motionless.

"You..." Finally, Gao Yang broke the silence. "When did you wake up?"

"Just now," Wang Zikai grinned and looked at Gao Yang with excitement in his eyes.

"Just now? When exactly?" Chubby Jun instinctively took a step back and asked.

"A few minutes ago?"

Gao Yang had a bad feeling. "Did you see everything?"

"I saw it!" Wang Zikai became energetic as he spoke. "I woke up and saw you guys fighting. It was awesome... I thought I was dreaming..."

Wang Zikai waved his hands and gestured. "I saw Qing Ling being slapped by it, and she flew out with a 'whoosh,' shattering the glass. Damn! It was amazing! I realized I wasn't dreaming and got scared... I quickly lay on the ground pretending to be dead..."

Gao Yang rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Hey, what exactly is Auntie He? She's so powerful. She turned into a lizardman just now, but now she's back to human form after dying?"

"And also, who are you three? Are you the Y-Warriors? Do you have superpowers? You guys are incredible... like cows flying in the sky..."

"Wang Zikai," Gao Yang interrupted.

"What's wrong?"

"Stop talking and let me think." Gao Yang was feeling overwhelmed.

Chubby Jun took a step back. "Big brother, sister-in-law, we can't keep him anymore... Let's take action."

"I'm not sister-in-law." Qing Ling lay motionless on the water bed. "I'm tired now. You guys can handle this idiot however you want."

"Idiot?" Wang Zikai pointed at himself. "Are you talking about me?"

"No!" Gao Yang shouted, pointing at Auntie He, who was nailed to the wall. "We mean this lizard monster."

"Oh my god! It really is a lizard monster!" Wang Zikai became even more excited.

Gao Yang took a deep breath and made a decision. "Wang Zikai, what I'm about to say is very important. Listen carefully!"

"Okay!" Wang Zikai eagerly listened.

***

Five minutes passed.

Wang Zikai had a devout expression as he tried to digest the information. "You mean my body was modified when I was a child, so I'm very special. And now these lizard monsters want to kill me..."

"That's right! We are all new humans, and our bodies have been more or less modified to resist the lizardmen. But you are the most special one. You are the chosen warrior, the destined hero who can fight against the boss of the lizardmen!"

"The information is overwhelming. Let me sort it out..." Wang Zikai leaned against the wall with one hand and fell into deep thought.

Gao Yang took a step forward and said emotionally, "Wang Zikai, Qing Ling and I have been secretly protecting you all along. I distanced myself from you recently because my identity was exposed, and I didn't want to involve you... As you just saw, this lizardman almost killed all of us..."

"Is that true?" Wang Zikai turned around.

"It's absolutely true!"

"Good brother! I knew it... You wouldn't abandon me!" Wang Zikai's eyes turned red as he tightly held Gao Yang's hand. "To be honest, on the first day of school, when I saw you in the crowd, I felt a special connection with you!"

"I'm the kind of person who doesn't like anyone, not even my parents. But I found you likable, unexpectedly... I didn't expect you to hide so well!"

"That's the bond of destiny," Gao Yang smiled. "It seems that we are destined to fight side by side!"

"Damn right! No need to say it!" Wang Zikai became even more excited. "Let's defeat those lizardmen together! Let's save the world!"

Gao Yang breathed a sigh of relief. Despite being foolish, he could still survive.

Chubby Jun, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. What kind of divine operation was this?!

Qing Ling remained lying on the bed, not opposing it—or perhaps she didn't have the strength to oppose it.

Chubby Jun quickly forced a stiff smile. "Brother, let's keep a low profile! Humans are currently at a disadvantage. Lizardmen are everywhere, so we must hide our identities and develop secretly. As long as the green hills remain, there will be firewood to burn!"

"Understood." Wang Zikai patted his chest. "Don't worry, when I grow up, I'll protect you guys!"

***

Ten minutes later, Officer Huang, who received a phone call, arrived.

He pushed aside the obstacles and approached the room.

"There was an accident, mission failed." Qing Ling sat on the bed while Chubby Jun treated her injured arm.

"You can tell by looking at the scene." Officer Huang took out a cigarette and glanced at Auntie He, who was still nailed to the wall. "It's quite tragic. Let me guess... Does she look like a lizard?"

"Yes, what kind of beast is she?" Gao Yang asked.

"She's an Angry Beast, and as far as I know, Angry Beasts are divided into three types: Hunters, Devourers, and Hornblowers." Officer Huang squatted down and silently observed the dead Auntie He.

"The one you encountered should be a Hunter, very powerful. But this one has regressed a lot. If you had encountered one in its prime, I would have to handle your bodies now."

Everyone in the room gasped.

"But the most terrifying among the Angry Beasts is actually the Hornblower. If you encounter one, you're as good as dead."

"Are Hornblowers really strong?" Qing Ling asked."It's not strong, but it can use its special vocal cords to alert all beasts within a kilometer radius at the first moment."

"......"

Gao Yang remained silent, considering it a blessing in disguise.

It seemed that investing all his Lucky Points in luck did have some use. Mysticism was something you'd rather believe in than not.

"Officer Huang, nice to meet you." Chubby Jun stepped forward, extending his hand with a warm smile, "I'm your new companion."

"I can see that." Officer Huang reached out and shook his hand, then turned to look at Wang Zikai, who looked out of place yet brimming with confidence.

"This spirited young man is..."

Suddenly, Officer Huang's brows furrowed, a cold murderous intent flashing in his eyes.@@novelbin@@

"Officer Huang!" Gao Yang quickly stepped forward, shielding Wang Zikai, "He's also a companion."

Officer Huang looked into Gao Yang's eyes, silent for a moment, already guessing the situation. Lost Ones didn't necessarily have to be killed. After all, they were too similar to humans. As long as they were handled carefully and not "provoked", theoretically, they could "coexist peacefully".

But overall, humans knew too little about beasts, and such behavior was too saintly. However, Officer Huang had no right to lecture this young man, after all, he himself had never killed "Grandpa Liu".

He nodded, lowering his voice: "Is it safe?"

"Safe."

"Alright." Officer Huang lit a cigarette and took a deep puff, "You three clean up and leave immediately. Go to school as usual."

Officer Huang turned to Chubby Jun: "You're the owner of this hotel, right?"

"Yes."

Officer Huang nodded, surveying the gruesome scene, "I can help you handle this as a case of burglary. But there are too many signs of a fight, it's too risky to cover up in a short time."

"Is there any other way?" Chubby Jun asked.

"Do you mind making the news? 'One dead, one injured in a natural gas explosion at a couple's hotel.'"

The one who died would naturally be Auntie He, and the injured one should be Chubby Jun. If they were going to play a role, they might as well go all the way. After all, Chubby Jun could heal, so this self-harming plan didn't cost much.

"This... But this is all I have! Do I really have to blow it up?" Chubby Jun was heartbroken, "I didn't buy insurance! I won't get any compensation, and I might even face fines..."

"Is it more important than your life?" Officer Huang retorted.

"Officer Huang is right, nothing is more important than life and death." Gao Yang also advised.

Chubby Jun sighed, cursed, "Burn it, burn it! A building for  companions, it's worth it!"

***

Ten minutes later, Gao Yang and Qing Ling left the hotel.

In the early morning, the entire city was just waking up under the cover of the morning light.

The streets were sparsely populated, a few breakfast carts, seven or eight young people who had just finished an all-nighter at the internet cafe, and a lazy water truck drove past them.

Wang Zikai, excitedly following behind them, was as if he had been injected with chicken blood: "Damn, now everyone I see looks like a Lizardman!"

"Keep it down!" Gao Yang reminded him: "You go home first, stay put, Qing Ling and I will go to school first, you come to pick us up at the school gate tonight, I have a task for you."

"Understood." Wang Zikai ran across the street and got into his sports car.

Before the car drove away, he didn't forget to wave at Gao Yang, full of vigor: "Kill them! Save the world!"

"A Lost One not going berserk under such provocation is against common sense." Qing Ling said coldly.

"I thought you had let him go." Gao Yang sighed.

"Impossible." Qing Ling's gaze was icy, "If he dies tonight, we will be the prime suspects. We'll find a suitable opportunity later to..."

Before Qing Ling could finish her sentence, her face darkened.

"What's wrong?"

Just as Gao Yang finished asking, he noticed that Qing Ling was looking behind him.

To access the premium content, go to [ pawread dot com ].

Gao Yang turned around, his face paling.

"Gao Xinxin?!"

Gao Yang's sister was standing a few meters away, dressed in a newly bought Lolita dress, wearing a golden wig, looking as beautiful as a doll. She was staring at Gao Yang expressionlessly.

If it were a normal encounter, Gao Yang would definitely compliment his sister on her beauty, but at this moment, he was so nervous that he was almost stuttering, "Little sis, what are you doing here? I, uh, I'm dealing with something with my classmate..."

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

Gao Yang's heart sank.

Qing Ling stepped forward, her fingers twitching, ready to strike.

Gao Yang still held out hope, he continued to ask: "Sister, what are you talking about? I don't understand..."

"It's too late." A cold smile that didn't match her age appeared on his sister's face, "I've already told everyone."

A huge sense of despair and fear instantly choked Gao Yang.

— The Hornblower!