This was Skyler's first time in a love hotel, and frankly, he didn't like it.

  Scarlet lights, scarlet carpet, scarlet walls, scarlet furniture, scarlet bed drapes—it felt like a cramped spider-demon lair.

  Lynn locked the door, drew the curtains, opened the iron case, studied it for a moment, and quickly assembled the sniper rifle.

  It was still early; there was nothing else to do.

  Lynn sat on a bizarre pleasure chair while Skyler perched on the soft waterbed. Their eyes met in an odd silence—she was calm, but Skyler didn't know where to put his hands.

  Suddenly, Skyler's phone rang.

  It was Kevin Wang: "Bro! Impulse is the devil! Think carefully! Once you take this step, there's no turning back! You'll be sullied! A man who doesn't respect himself is rotten cabbage! I despise you! Pfah!"

  "Women are trouble—they only slow your reflexes!"

  "Get out here! Grinding ranked matches together is the righteous path!"

  "I'm in e-sports suite 601—big screen, surround sound, super immersive! Hurry up! If you're my bro, let's rank until dawn!"

  Skyler hung up.

  "Are you lonely?" Lynn asked.

  "Huh?"

  "Then why be friends with idiots?" she asked, puzzled.

  "Um… that's complicated," Skyler replied awkwardly.

  Lynn stood and walked into the bathroom. "I'll take a shower."

  The bathroom was a partially enclosed frosted-glass cubicle; although murky, you could still make out silhouettes.

  Soon she stripped off her coat and skirt, slinging them over the glass door, and then casually hung her white undergarments there too.

  He thought: She really doesn't treat me like an outsider!

  Skyler quickly averted his gaze, but the lower half-meter of glass was clear—he glimpsed Lynn's long, slender calves and smooth ankles. Amid the rush of water, white shower gel suds cascaded down her legs, tracing from calf to ankle before splashing onto the floor.

  Skyler took out his phone and scrolled absentmindedly.

  Lynn finished swiftly and stepped out of the cubicle wrapped only in a sultry towel.

  She said to Skyler, "You should shower too."

  "Do I have to?" Skyler asked.

  "To outsiders, we're just hotel guests. Every trace must fit the story—no Beast should get suspicious."

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  Lynn said this as she walked to the nightstand, opened a box of condoms, took one out, tore the wrapper, wrapped it in tissue, and put it in her bag.

  She paused and asked, "Is one enough? How many do you usually use?"

  "……"

  Skyler was speechless. "Just… one, I guess."

  After creating all the plausible "evidence" in the room, they rested with their eyes half-closed.

  Of course, Skyler couldn't sleep; he kept pondering serious questions.

  At 5:30 a.m., the alarm rang. Lynn opened her eyes and rolled out of bed.

  Skyler had never fallen asleep. He got up and asked eagerly, "I remember you said Beasts have no reproductive systems?"

  Lynn nodded, walked to the minibar in the corner, took out two drinks—handed one to Skyler, opened the other and sipped it.

  "I have a question," Skyler said, spinning the bottle in his hand. "Officer Huang is married, right?"

  Lynn nodded, waiting for him to continue.

  "At a one-in-ten-thousand ratio, his wife is probably a Beast, right?"

  "Likely so."

  "Then whenever they have sex… wouldn't that reveal her?"

  Lynn sipped her drink again. "Beasts aren't devoid of reproduction—they lack true human organs but can mimic them, with subtle differences."

  "Mimic? Differences?" Skyler mused.

  Lynn appeared composed. "I Awoke when I was little; the first human I met was my cousin."

  "Oh."

  "He slept with many girls until one day he slept with a human girl—and realized it felt different."

  "And then he Awoke?" Skyler said, conflicted.

  Lynn nodded. "My cousin told me: if you never sleep with a human, no matter how many Beasts you sleep with, you'll never notice. But just once with a human—and you'll know."

  "So you have experience in this?" Skyler asked, flushing.

  "No," Lynn shook her head. "My cousin said males are easier: male Beasts react instantly, human males take time."

  Skyler blushed, recalling that night's "test."

  "For female Beasts, my cousin said the difference is indescribable." Lynn suddenly looked at Skyler. "Shall we test it ourselves? Then we'd both have experience."

  Skyler spat out his drink.

  "What? Is that ridiculous?" Lynn frowned.

  "No, no—maybe another time…" Skyler hastily changed the subject. "It's almost six."

  Lynn pulled the note from her pocket, a cold glint in her eyes. "Are we going to kill someone?"

  "Who?" Skyler guessed.

  Lynn handed him the note. "Read it yourself."

  —At 6:00, Observation Platform No.2 on the Riverfront Promenade. Kill the woman beside me—aim for her head or heart.

  Skyler stared at the note, thinking: "The 'woman beside me' means Officer Huang will be there too… He wants perfect eyewitness proof…"

  Lynn drew back the curtains, moved the pleasure chair to the window, and set up the sniper rifle, tilting her head toward the scope.

  "Target in sight," Lynn whispered.

  Skyler leaned over to look at Observation Platform No.2 across the riverfront.

  In the soft morning light, a cultured, artistic-looking woman in a red dress and white shawl stood gazing at the sparkling river.

  Soon Officer Huang arrived in athletic wear and sneakers, towel draped over his shoulder, stopping at the platform.

  The woman turned and handed him a bottle of water, her movements gentle and natural.

  Huang took the water, then grabbed his towel for her to wipe his sweat. After a brief conversation, he resumed running.

  The woman watched him with affectionate eyes, then turned back to admire the view.

  "His wife?" Skyler whispered.

  Lynn nodded, sharing his view: "His wife may have suspected his Awakened status—at least she doubted him. Officer Huang decided to eliminate her, just in case, and wants to use our hands to do it."

  "Click—"

  Lynn braced the rifle. "I'll do it."

  Skyler said nothing, his emotions tangled.

  He wasn't some saint, nor in any position to judge Officer Huang's choice. Yet he put himself in that moment—could he pull the trigger if the target were his grandmother, father, mother, or sister?

  His feelings churned; his mind was in turmoil.

  "The target didn't move." Lynn took a deep breath. "Three, two, one…"

  "Thud—" Lynn fired. Even with the silencer, the shot sounded off—muffled and short, like a dud.

  Skyler sensed something was wrong. He looked up, stunned.

  Lynn's brow furrowed in unexpected shock.

  At the very moment she pulled the trigger, a dark figure dropped into view, shielding the muzzle. The bullet hit that figure. Soon Skyler and Lynn saw it clearly.

  That figure was Kevin Wang.