Lost in the Otherworld

Late at night, two cars drove towards a cultural pedestrian street in Feiyang District. Bai Tu mentioned that there was a barbecue restaurant there, renowned for its exceptional grilled meat, and they also served a spicy rabbit head dish that was an absolute delicacy.

"Aren't you a rabbit?" Gao Yang asked, astonished.

"That's exactly why I should eat rabbit," Bai Tu responded with righteous conviction.

"Alright then..." Gao Yang, surprisingly, found some logic in her words.

In the car, Gao Yang made a quick call to his mother, explaining why he hadn’t been home for nearly 48 hours and why his phone had been off. As expected, he used Wang Zikai as a shield once again.

His mother, in a good mood, didn’t press for details, likely because Gao Yang's father had regained consciousness and was in better health than anticipated. She merely urged him to return home soon.

After hanging up, Gao Yang noticed the two girls beside him were watching him, and he couldn't help but feel awkward.

"Aren't you going to call your families?" he asked.

"What's the point?" Bai Tu scoffed, her tone filled with disdain. "They're all just beasts anyway."

Gao Yang turned to Qing Ling. "And you?"

"I don’t have any family left," she replied.

Sensing a long story, Gao Yang tactfully refrained from asking further.

Half an hour later, the police car came to a stop at the street corner, and Officer Huang pulled out the keys. "We’re here."

The group got out and entered the cultural pedestrian street, where the architecture was designed in an ancient style—wooden pavilions and red lanterns evoking a world of martial arts.

The street was bustling with a sea of people, vibrant lights, and the buzz of nightlife.

They pushed through the crowd and soon arrived at the middle of the street. Between a milk tea shop and a convenience store, there was a narrow, pitch-black alleyway, just about a meter wide, stretching endlessly.

Bai Tu led the way, and the others followed closely.

She navigated the winding alley with ease, even passing through a couple of residential houses along the way. Five minutes later, they reached a hidden world.

It was a circular plaza, about the size of a football field, with a withered ancient tree at its center. The barren branches were adorned with colorful twinkling lights, seemingly brought back to life in their own way.

Surrounding the plaza were old buildings, each four or five stories tall. Neon signs flickered on every wall, blending elements of both the past and the future—a cyberpunk dreamscape of nostalgia and modernity intertwined.

"Is this your base?" Gao Yang couldn't help but ask as he scanned the area.

"This place is called Shilong Village," Bai Tu explained as she walked ahead. "It's one of the shared spots for awakened ones. Gathering in groups like this elsewhere would easily raise suspicion, but here, there’s no need to worry."

"Only stable types of lost ones and awakened ones are allowed here," Wu Dahai added nonchalantly, hands in his pockets. "Here, we can chat, trade, or even hit on girls without concern."

"Why?" Gao Yang asked again.

"You're quite the curious one, aren't you?" Bai Tu shot him an annoyed glance. "Simply put, a very powerful awakened one has done some work here. Beasts other than the lost ones can't find or enter this place."

"Who?" Qing Ling inquired.

"The owner of this territory," Bai Tu said, raising a finger. "Just a friendly reminder—he's not part of our group. So don’t cause any trouble here, or you'll be responsible for the consequences."

Gao Yang fell silent, quickly processing the information he had gathered:

1. The awakened ones in this city had already formed a small society. While this force was sufficient for self-preservation, it wasn't yet strong enough to challenge and overthrow the beasts' reign. Gao Yang wasn’t surprised by this. Given the one-in-ten-thousand ratio, there were at least 400 humans in the city. If half of them had already awakened, their numbers were significant.

2. The awakened ones were not only organized under the "Zodiac."

3. Judging by Bai Tu’s tone, the different organizations appeared to coexist without interfering with each other, possibly in a cooperative or balanced relationship. This point remained uncertain.