Chapter 115: Paycheck

Chapter 115: Paycheck

Little cousin?

Since when do I have an older cousin?

Gao Yang turned around and was entirely unsurprised to find the girl with a penchant for acting.

White Rabbit was dressed in a light green dress and a retro bucket hat. Hanging on her neck was a mirrorless camera. She looked like a hipster girl with a hobby in photography.

Smiling brightly, she said, “What a coincidence, Cousin. What are you doing here?”

“And what brought you here, Cousin?” Gao Yang composed himself and greeted her naturally, all the while thinking, The Academy owes you an award, White Rabbit.

“Ah, I was here to take photos.”

“And I was here to attend a classmate’s funeral.”

White Rabbit put on a look of surprise. “Oh, what happened?”

“Car accident.”

“What a terrible shame. My condolences.”

Their conversation drew the attention of Gao Yang’s classmates, and some of the boys looked envious. Gao Yang’s cousin’s so pretty and refined-looking, they thought. Why is he always surrounded by beautiful girls?

White Rabbit then turned to Qing Ling and singled her out from the group. “Here you are too, Little Ling!”

Qing Ling had planned to act like they were strangers, but with White Rabbit calling out to her, she had no choice but to join them with a steely look on her face.

The three of them moved away from the crowd.

“Sister Rabbit,” Gao Yang complained in a low voice. “Would you not ambush us like this in the future? It’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” White Rabbit gave Gao Yang a pointed look. “You were the one who did something dangerous. You were giving off too much killing intent. Niu Xuan could transform and lose control as a result.”

“Then I’d kill him,” Gao Yang said flippantly out of anger.

“Don’t forget about our rules, Dark Horse.” White Rabbit’s voice turned icy. “It’s also against the rule to threaten a wanderer into transforming before killing it.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Gao Yang said earnestly. “I was furious, but I hadn’t lost my mind.”

“Good.”

“What business do you have here?” Qing Ling asked.

“Official business, of course.” White Rabbit reached out and shook her hand before Gao Yang and Qing Ling. “I’ve got a magic trick for you. Look closely.”

“Voila!” Two finely crafted coins appeared between her fingers. “Here. You each get one.”

Gao Yang took one of the coins. It was grayish white with a smooth, cool, and hardy texture. On the tail side was the number 5, and on the head side was a minimalistic qilin.

“Jinwu?” Gao Yang guessed.

“Did you get off school?” asked Officer Huang.

“Yeah, just now.”

“I got my paycheck today. I’m going to the market.” Officer Huang chuckled. “Are you and Qing Ling going too?”

Gao Yang laughed quietly. “What a coincidence. That’s our plan too.”

“Stay there. I’ll pick you up.”

Twenty minutes later, a regular car stopped at the mouth of the alleyway. The window rolled down to reveal Officer Huang. The man waved at them. He wasn’t dressed in his uniform today.

“I thought you would pick us up in your patrol car,” Gao Yang went up to the car and said as he opened the door.

“That’d attract too much attention.” Officer Huang smiled. “It’s better to keep a low profile.”

“Yeah, I told you we should take my McLaren,” Wang Zikai whined from the passenger seat.

Officer Huang said exasperatedly, “That’s beyond attracting simple attention. You’re gonna make headlines tomorrow.”

“Wang Zikai?” Gao Yang wasn’t especially surprised. He could tell what Officer Huang was up to. A monster would make a good smokescreen for them, lowering their chance of getting exposed significantly.

“The one and only!” Wang Zikai said proudly. “You aren’t going on a shopping spree without me!”

“Haha, I’m here as well, Brother Yang!” Fat Jun was in the backseat. It had been a few days, and his face, while chubbier, looked a lot healthier too.

Gao Yang and Qing Ling got into the back with Gao Yang taking the middle seat, and Qing Ling the window seat.

“Sister-in-law!” Fat Jun greeted her enthusiastically.

Qing Ling turned away, not bothering to correct him anymore. Instead, she put on her earphones and a sleeping mask before taking a rest.

“The last time all five of us were together was the Gu Family’s Village,” Fat Jun said sentimentally. “It hasn’t been long, yet it feels like ages ago.”

“It’s mostly because we’ve changed.” Officer Huang put a cigarette to his lips with practiced ease while he drove. “We were blindly stumbling around in the world, but now we’ve become awakeners of a major organization. The world is suddenly bigger.”

“Ah, yeah, yeah! That’s what I meant!” Fat Jun chuckled. “I’m no longer terrified or anxious, and I feel like my feet are firmly on the ground. I can do everything with my full attention while feeling hopeful.”

“How’s the arm?” Gao Yang was still a little concerned.

“Don’t worry. It hasn’t lost control since then!” Fat Jun eagerly showed Gao Yang his floppy bicep.

With the company of music and pleasant chitchats, they made their way to their destination in no time. It was an abandoned amusement park. Beyond the front gates, the ground was covered in trash, the shops had closed down, and the walls were claimed by graffiti.

The five of them got out of the car and vaulted over the shorter wall on the side. Soon, they found a park map and identified the haunted house.

“The Naji District is so empty,” said Gao Yang. “The neighborhood around the Cattle Farm Station looks abandoned too.”

“The Naji District is on the fringe of the city, and it started out as a rural region with a small population.” Officer Huang took a drag of his cigarette and leisurely led the way. “Ten years ago, there was an attempt to develop the region, and many construction projects were started. But it didn’t work out. The district still seems like the middle of nowhere, only with a lot more abandoned construction projects.”

“And the middle of nowhere is the only place an organization like the Hundred Rivers Union can afford to settle down in.” Fat Jun sounded proud with an important group like the Twelve Zodiac Signs as his support.

“It’s not about affordability,” Officer Huang said with a chuckle. “There’s a reason the Hundred Rivers Union picked this place as their territory.”

“What is it?” Fat Jun asked curiously.