“Your grades are pretty good,” said Wang Zikai. “You won’t have a problem getting into a college.”
Gao Yang waited for him to continue.
“Are you gonna stay here or go to a college outside Li City?”
Gao Yang sighed in relief. So this was what he was worried about.
Thinking back, Wang Zikai had fallen asleep when White Rabbit was explaining the worldview in the barbecue place, and Wang Zikai didn’t seem to know the Mist World as it was—a collection of isolated islands.
“I haven’t made a decision yet,” Gao Yang said on purpose.
“But it’s a decision that’ll define your life!” Wang Zikai got worked up. “How can you not know yet?”
“It’s nothing compared to saving the world.”
“That’s for sure!” Wang Zikai grinned. “We’re the 94 Duo.”
“Still,” Gao Yang paused, “I don’t have to choose between my study and our pursuit of world salvation.”
Wang Zikai was suddenly nervous, and his eyes widened. “So you’ve decided?”
Gao Yang responded with a question rather than a direct answer. “Do you think I should stay here or go out of the city?”
“How should I know? I’m not going to college.” Wang Zikai pretended to not care, but his nervous gaze revealed his true feelings.
“Well, I want to know what you think,” Gao Yang teased.
That got Wang Zikai going. “I say you should stay! Li City is now a top ten city in the nation! You should stay here to help develop our hometown, bro.”
Hmm, where have I heard that from?
Gao Yang almost laughed. “Be honest with me. Did Gao Xinxin put you up to this?”
“Of course not!” Wang Zikai said, looking obviously shifty. “It’s my honest opinion.”
“Oh?” Gao Yang didn’t press. He pretended to think about it. “Alright, then I’ll pick a school in Li City.”
Wang Zikai shot to his feet. “For real?”
“Yeah.”
Of course it’s real. Where else can I go for college? I don’t have a death wish.
“Hahaha, that’s good!” Wang Zikai wiped his hands and took out his phone. “I’m taking a leak.”
He shut the bathroom door and flushed the toilet on purpose. Still, Gao Yang could hear him talking on his phone.
“It’s done... Who do you think I am... Best buddy... Your brother listens to me...”
Gao Yang shook his head and sighed, while his lips were curved into a smile.
In the afternoon, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai took a nap.
Came evening, they had another high-calorie meal and played a mobile game together, joined online by Can.
Given their level of skills, it was no surprise that they ended up on the receiving end of her trash talk.
“Who the hell is the girl? Where did you know her from? She sure has a dirty mouth.” Wang Zikai was a little irritated.
“We met online,” Gao Yang said.
“Not exactly. I’m gonna be his senior in college!” Can said from the other side of the line. “He’s coming to my school when he graduates.”
“Oh! Really?” Wang Zikai perked up. “How’s your school?”
“It’s great. Lots of good-looking boys and girls!”
“Let me ask you this. If I have my old man donate a lab building or a library, will your school let me enroll?”
“I think so? Why don’t you try?”
“Focus on the game!” Gao Yang begged. He was getting a headache again.
...
A little before ten o’clock in the evening, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai started their second attempt.
This time, Wang Zikai played an office worker waiting for the last bus at a bus station, while Gao Yang stayed on the rooftop, hidden behind a pile of tarpaulin-covered items. Both hands holding a handgun with silencer attached, he waited for Ghost Horse to show up.
Again, Wang Zikai couldn’t help but start a conversation with Gao Yang several times, but he hushed Wang Zikai seriously.
Time crawled along second by second.
Late at night, the neon light of the city was as strikingly lively as ever, but the hubbub of traffic had subsided substantially.
Gao Yang checked his phone for time. It was 11:20.
Songstress would close shop soon. He wondered if Ghost Horse would appear in the alley tonight.
[Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 3000 times.]
The system’s voice interrupted his thoughts suddenly. Before surprise even registered in Gao Yang’s brain, his body reacted by leaping to the side.
Half a second later, a figure teleported to where he had been and cut the tarpaulin with sharp blades, which had meant to slice Gao Yang’s throat open.
Pew, pew, pew.
Gao Yang reacted quickly. Immediately following a roll, he made three shots at the shadow with his silenced gun.
After a second, the shadow disappeared again, and the bullets ended up hitting the old sofa under the tarpaulin, making pieces of foam and dirt scatter.
Gao Yang looked around with high alert.
He saw a man dressed in a stealth suit a few meters away from him, his face covered by a black mask that left only his eyes visible. Even so, Gao Yang recognized him at first glance.
Ghost Horse!
“Come to the rooftop, Wang Zikai!” Gao Yang said into his earpiece, but heard no response.
Only then did he realize to his surprise that while Ghost Horse hadn’t hit his neck earlier, he had cut the earpiece wire to the radio.
He clenched his teeth. He wouldn’t be able to escape. He put his full focus on Ghost Horse.
He knew that a misstep could get him killed.
Taking two steps back slowly, he made sure there was more than 7 meters between him and Ghost Horse.
“It’s been a while, Gao Yang,” Ghost Horse said in monotone. “Should I call you Dark Horse, or Seven Shadow?”
Gao Yang’s heart sank. He’s well informed. The Godbearer Cult has gotten its claws deep into the three major organizations.
“When did you notice, Ghost Horse?” Gao Yang tried to buy time for Wang Zikai to notice that something was wrong.
“You make a terrible spy.” Ghost Horse’s arms were relaxed. The two karambits in his hands glinted a cold blue under the moonlight.
“Aren’t you dead?” Gao Yang’s palm sweated around the handgun.
Ghost Horse didn’t answer the question directly. He said in a voice tinged with exhaustion and resentment, “Why must you get involved in others’ business, Gao Yang? You did it before, and now you’re doing it again. Can’t you leave well enough alone?”
“No, I can’t.” Gao Yang shook his head.
Ghost Horse didn’t seem in a hurry to attack. He looked up at the night sky. “The moon is beautiful. Before, I would’ve gone off work and visited Songstress' shop to listen to jazz music and enjoy a cup of coffee.”
Gao Yang paused, thinking quietly.
“But because of your nosiness, all that was in the past,” Ghost Horse said ruefully.
“It wasn’t me that took it away from you,” Gao Yang said in a steely voice. “It was your choice. Your betrayal against the Twelve Zodiac Signs.”
“No! The Twelve Zodiac Signs betrayed me!” Ghost Horse raised his voice suddenly with suppressed rage. “You know nothing, Gao Yang.”
“Maybe so.” Gao Yang’s eyes blazed with anger as well. “What I know is that you got Wan Sisi killed, and I’m going to avenge her.”
“Avenge her? A wanderer?” Ghost Horse sounded like he couldn’t believe his ears.
“She was my friend,” Gao Yang said, enunciating every word.
Ghost Horse was quiet for a couple seconds before he howled with laughter, his head lifted. “Hahahaha! The Twelve Zodiac Signs are indeed a group of psychos!”
Gao Yang stopped talking and tapped into the energy in his body.
Ghost Horse stopped laughing. He looked back down at Gao Yang, his gaze murderous.
Then he vanished.
Gao Yang startled, but he managed to catch a figure three meters away from his left from the corner of his eye.
Pew, pew.
The two shots hit the floor.
Gao Yang didn’t turn around. His instinct and experience told him that Ghost Horse must have teleported behind him.
With an Agility of 500, his speed allowed him to drop down, dodging a slash aimed at his neck. At the same time, his right hand, wearing the tactical glove, was already tucked under his left arm, shooting fire toward the back.
He made sure to splay his fingers so that his fire would cover a wider area, but having anticipated it, Ghost Horse easily avoided the attack.
Gao Yang didn’t turn around to confirm where Ghost Horse was. He couldn’t afford to.
It took only a second for Ghost Horse to teleport.
During the precious one second, he had to predict Ghost Horse’s next move so that he could react beforehand, or he would surely die.
While he was still crouching, he suddenly noticed another shadow under his feet.
“Your grades are pretty good,” said Wang Zikai. “You won’t have a problem getting into a college.”
Gao Yang waited for him to continue.
“Are you gonna stay here or go to a college outside Li City?”
Gao Yang sighed in relief. So this was what he was worried about.
Thinking back, Wang Zikai had fallen asleep when White Rabbit was explaining the worldview in the barbecue place, and Wang Zikai didn’t seem to know the Mist World as it was—a collection of isolated islands.
“I haven’t made a decision yet,” Gao Yang said on purpose.
“But it’s a decision that’ll define your life!” Wang Zikai got worked up. “How can you not know yet?”
“It’s nothing compared to saving the world.”
“That’s for sure!” Wang Zikai grinned. “We’re the 94 Duo.”
“Still,” Gao Yang paused, “I don’t have to choose between my study and our pursuit of world salvation.”
Wang Zikai was suddenly nervous, and his eyes widened. “So you’ve decided?”
Gao Yang responded with a question rather than a direct answer. “Do you think I should stay here or go out of the city?”
“How should I know? I’m not going to college.” Wang Zikai pretended to not care, but his nervous gaze revealed his true feelings.
“Well, I want to know what you think,” Gao Yang teased.
That got Wang Zikai going. “I say you should stay! Li City is now a top ten city in the nation! You should stay here to help develop our hometown, bro.”
Hmm, where have I heard that from?
Gao Yang almost laughed. “Be honest with me. Did Gao Xinxin put you up to this?”
“Of course not!” Wang Zikai said, looking obviously shifty. “It’s my honest opinion.”
“Oh?” Gao Yang didn’t press. He pretended to think about it. “Alright, then I’ll pick a school in Li City.”
Wang Zikai shot to his feet. “For real?”
“Yeah.”
Of course it’s real. Where else can I go for college? I don’t have a death wish.
“Hahaha, that’s good!” Wang Zikai wiped his hands and took out his phone. “I’m taking a leak.”
He shut the bathroom door and flushed the toilet on purpose. Still, Gao Yang could hear him talking on his phone.
“It’s done... Who do you think I am... Best buddy... Your brother listens to me...”
Gao Yang shook his head and sighed, while his lips were curved into a smile.
In the afternoon, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai took a nap.
Came evening, they had another high-calorie meal and played a mobile game together, joined online by Can.
Given their level of skills, it was no surprise that they ended up on the receiving end of her trash talk.
“Who the hell is the girl? Where did you know her from? She sure has a dirty mouth.” Wang Zikai was a little irritated.
“We met online,” Gao Yang said.
“Not exactly. I’m gonna be his senior in college!” Can said from the other side of the line. “He’s coming to my school when he graduates.”
“Oh! Really?” Wang Zikai perked up. “How’s your school?”
“It’s great. Lots of good-looking boys and girls!”
“Let me ask you this. If I have my old man donate a lab building or a library, will your school let me enroll?”
“I think so? Why don’t you try?”
“Focus on the game!” Gao Yang begged. He was getting a headache again.
...
A little before ten o’clock in the evening, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai started their second attempt.
This time, Wang Zikai played an office worker waiting for the last bus at a bus station, while Gao Yang stayed on the rooftop, hidden behind a pile of tarpaulin-covered items. Both hands holding a handgun with silencer attached, he waited for Ghost Horse to show up.
Again, Wang Zikai couldn’t help but start a conversation with Gao Yang several times, but he hushed Wang Zikai seriously.
Time crawled along second by second.
Late at night, the neon light of the city was as strikingly lively as ever, but the hubbub of traffic had subsided substantially.
Gao Yang checked his phone for time. It was 11:20.
Songstress would close shop soon. He wondered if Ghost Horse would appear in the alley tonight.
[Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 3000 times.]
The system’s voice interrupted his thoughts suddenly. Before surprise even registered in Gao Yang’s brain, his body reacted by leaping to the side.
Half a second later, a figure teleported to where he had been and cut the tarpaulin with sharp blades, which had meant to slice Gao Yang’s throat open.
Pew, pew, pew.
Gao Yang reacted quickly. Immediately following a roll, he made three shots at the shadow with his silenced gun.
After a second, the shadow disappeared again, and the bullets ended up hitting the old sofa under the tarpaulin, making pieces of foam and dirt scatter.
Gao Yang looked around with high alert.
He saw a man dressed in a stealth suit a few meters away from him, his face covered by a black mask that left only his eyes visible. Even so, Gao Yang recognized him at first glance.
Ghost Horse!
“Come to the rooftop, Wang Zikai!” Gao Yang said into his earpiece, but heard no response.
Only then did he realize to his surprise that while Ghost Horse hadn’t hit his neck earlier, he had cut the earpiece wire to the radio.
He clenched his teeth. He wouldn’t be able to escape. He put his full focus on Ghost Horse.
He knew that a misstep could get him killed.
Taking two steps back slowly, he made sure there was more than 7 meters between him and Ghost Horse.
“It’s been a while, Gao Yang,” Ghost Horse said in monotone. “Should I call you Dark Horse, or Seven Shadow?”
Gao Yang’s heart sank. He’s well informed. The Godbearer Cult has gotten its claws deep into the three major organizations.
“When did you notice, Ghost Horse?” Gao Yang tried to buy time for Wang Zikai to notice that something was wrong.
“You make a terrible spy.” Ghost Horse’s arms were relaxed. The two karambits in his hands glinted a cold blue under the moonlight.
“Aren’t you dead?” Gao Yang’s palm sweated around the handgun.
Ghost Horse didn’t answer the question directly. He said in a voice tinged with exhaustion and resentment, “Why must you get involved in others’ business, Gao Yang? You did it before, and now you’re doing it again. Can’t you leave well enough alone?”
“No, I can’t.” Gao Yang shook his head.
Ghost Horse didn’t seem in a hurry to attack. He looked up at the night sky. “The moon is beautiful. Before, I would’ve gone off work and visited Songstress' shop to listen to jazz music and enjoy a cup of coffee.”
Gao Yang paused, thinking quietly.
“But because of your nosiness, all that was in the past,” Ghost Horse said ruefully.
“It wasn’t me that took it away from you,” Gao Yang said in a steely voice. “It was your choice. Your betrayal against the Twelve Zodiac Signs.”
“No! The Twelve Zodiac Signs betrayed me!” Ghost Horse raised his voice suddenly with suppressed rage. “You know nothing, Gao Yang.”
“Maybe so.” Gao Yang’s eyes blazed with anger as well. “What I know is that you got Wan Sisi killed, and I’m going to avenge her.”
“Avenge her? A wanderer?” Ghost Horse sounded like he couldn’t believe his ears.
“She was my friend,” Gao Yang said, enunciating every word.
Ghost Horse was quiet for a couple seconds before he howled with laughter, his head lifted. “Hahahaha! The Twelve Zodiac Signs are indeed a group of psychos!”
Gao Yang stopped talking and tapped into the energy in his body.
Ghost Horse stopped laughing. He looked back down at Gao Yang, his gaze murderous.
Then he vanished.
Gao Yang startled, but he managed to catch a figure three meters away from his left from the corner of his eye.
Pew, pew.
The two shots hit the floor.
Gao Yang didn’t turn around. His instinct and experience told him that Ghost Horse must have teleported behind him.
With an Agility of 500, his speed allowed him to drop down, dodging a slash aimed at his neck. At the same time, his right hand, wearing the tactical glove, was already tucked under his left arm, shooting fire toward the back.
He made sure to splay his fingers so that his fire would cover a wider area, but having anticipated it, Ghost Horse easily avoided the attack.
Gao Yang didn’t turn around to confirm where Ghost Horse was. He couldn’t afford to.
It took only a second for Ghost Horse to teleport.
During the precious one second, he had to predict Ghost Horse’s next move so that he could react beforehand, or he would surely die.
While he was still crouching, he suddenly noticed another shadow under his feet.
