Lost in the Otherworld

——The Herald!

Huang's words, as if they were prophetic, now seemed eerily accurate.

Gao Yang had long imagined the possibility of one day clashing with his "family," but he never expected it to happen so soon—and certainly not with his most beloved sister.

A quick glance revealed less than ten pedestrians on the street. Assuming a third were beasts, that would be three, and already an impossible number to deal with.

Moreover, as Officer Huang had warned, the Herald uses its unique vocal cords to alert all beasts within a one-kilometer radius. This radius would also include the ones still “asleep” in the nearby buildings.

The conclusion was simple: unless he and Qing Ling could teleport instantly, they were doomed.

Gao Yang abandoned hope; he couldn't fathom a way out.

"You run. I can probably hold them off for a few seconds," he said to Qing Ling.

Qing Ling remained silent. She didn’t flee, nor did she attack.

His sister hadn’t transformed into a beast immediately. She approached Gao Yang with a cold expression, an air of indifference, and a heartless stride...

Wait! Could it be…

"You found a girlfriend without my approval!" his sister suddenly berated, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "What did you promise me? You said you wouldn't get a girlfriend without my consent!"

"And the two of you actually came to a place like this!"

"To think... you're involved in... the kink community too!" she fumed, stamping her foot in frustration.

Qing Ling pulled at her sleeve, covering the wound on her wrist, turning her face away.

"No, it's not what you think..."

Thank the heavens! Blessed be the gods!

Gao Yang nearly wept with relief—just a false alarm!

The more his sister raged, the more furious she became. She whipped out her phone. "I’ve already taken pictures and posted them on my social media! I'm going to expose you to the world! Let the school expel you! Let our parents disown you!"

Gao Yang swiftly snatched her phone and tossed it to Qing Ling. "Delete everything."

"On it," Qing Ling complied.

"What are you doing? Give it back! Don’t think you can destroy the evidence!" His sister lunged forward to reclaim her phone, but Gao Yang easily held her head at arm's length.

"What on earth are you thinking, kid?" Gao Yang rolled his eyes.

Qing Ling, exhausted, deleted the posts, wiped the photos from the gallery, and even cleared the backups. Finally, she tossed the phone back to Gao Yang's sister and waved tiredly. "You handle the rest. I just want to go home, take a shower, and sleep."

"No problem."

...

Ten minutes later, Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin were seated in a Laumai Café.

The morning sun filtered through the glass windows, casting a soft, golden glow over his sister, highlighting her hair, skin, and dress with a pure, ethereal radiance.

At this age, she was just shedding the last traces of childhood innocence and stepping into the delicate bloom of adolescence. The vitality and energy naturally emanating from her seemed to bring everything around her to life. Even Gao Yang, who had just survived a fierce battle, began to relax.

Gao Xinxin fancied herself mature, but to Gao Yang, her petulance was more reminiscent of a kitten's playful pouts. She bit into her straw, her legs swinging irritably.

"Gao Xinxin?"

His sister ignored him, turning her face away.

"Hey, sis?"

"Don’t think a kid’s meal is enough to placate me!"

"It’s really a misunderstanding. We’re just friends. We're just working hard, you know? High school exams are coming, and we stayed up all night studying."

"Who believes that nonsense! Who studies in a hotel for couples?!"

"Lots of people do it! It's called an unconventional approach!" Gao Yang fibbed.

"Really?" His sister eyed him suspiciously.

"Of course! We're just those quiet achievers, the kind that downplays their efforts and surprises everyone with high scores."

"Like those who claim they haven’t studied but secretly work the hardest, only to ace the exams?" his sister asked.

"Exactly! That’s us."

"Disgusting."

"Heh," Gao Yang chuckled softly. "By the way, how did you even know I was here?"

"My dress arrived yesterday. I put it on, hoping you'd come home and see it, but you never did. You didn’t even answer your phone. I ended up falling asleep waiting for you."

She pouted, her cheeks puffing out in annoyance. "When I woke up, I was so angry. I called Wang Zikai, and he told me you were at a hotel with some girl from school, so I came straight over!"

"Sis, that's not what ‘catching someone in the act’ means," Gao Yang said with a wry smile.

"Stop grinning! Do you even understand how excited I was to show you my dress? Do you know how that feels?" Her voice rose as tears welled in her eyes, her small face filled with hurt.