Lost in the Otherworld

After all, the two of them were essentially one.

Gao Yang exchanged a glance with Officer Huang, deciding not to intervene just yet, curious to see how the situation would unfold.

Wu Dahai’s anger dissipated, replaced by doubt. He quickly calculated in his mind—he had already taken a beating, so what was a few more? If he succeeded, it’d be worth it. To die beneath a woman’s skirt was a romantic end indeed!

He looked at Qing Ling. “Beauty, you mean what you said?”

Qing Ling nodded.

“Let’s get started!” Wu Dahai hastily wiped the blood from his nose and sat down beside the arcade machine once again.

This time, Qing Ling was much more proficient. Sitting down, inserting the coins, and selecting her character all in one fluid motion.

Once again, it was Haohmaru versus Ukyo Tachibana.

Wu Dahai’s Ukyo opened with an aggressive assault, while Qing Ling stuck to her four basic moves: standing guard, crouching guard, light slash with A, medium slash with B.

This time, there were no mistakes. Her reaction speed was measured in milliseconds.

Wu Dahai gave it his all, but it was as if he were facing a machine devoid of emotion. No matter what move he made, she instantly countered with the optimal response.

Block. Deflect. Or trade blows, exchanging hits evenly.

Wu Dahai couldn’t gain any advantage. His health was consistently lower than Qing Ling’s.

In the end, time ran out. No one died, but Qing Ling had more health left, and she won.

Wu Dahai had figured out Qing Ling’s strategy.

In the second round, he didn’t initiate the attack, opting to counter instead. But Qing Ling remained as steady as a mountain, motionless. Since Wu Dahai had already lost the first round, even if this one ended in a draw, he would still lose.

Wu Dahai grew anxious. Half the time had passed, and he finally made a move, falling right into Qing Ling’s rhythm. The match ended soon after, with no deaths once again, and Qing Ling having slightly more health.

Two out of three, Qing Ling won.

Gao Yang had expected Wu Dahai to be furious—after all, he’d lost both the game and his chance. Yet Wu Dahai only stood there, stunned for two seconds, before straightening his broom-like hair with a dramatic sweep of his hands. “You won.”

Qing Ling, satisfied, stood up. “This game is quite interesting.”

“Does the deal about touching still stand?” Wu Dahai asked.

“You didn’t win,” Qing Ling replied calmly.

“Alright, fair enough. I accept my loss.”

Wu Dahai, to his credit, took it in stride. He turned to Gao Yang. “So, the final round... is it your turn now?”

Gao Yang looked at Officer Huang, who could only spread his hands helplessly. Gao Yang then glanced at Qing Ling, but she simply said, “I’m going out to calm down Qing Ling,” and left the arcade.

With a wry smile, Gao Yang thought to himself: Looks like I’m the main character after all, saving the best for last.

He scanned the remaining arcade games: *The King of Fighters ’97*, *Cadillacs and Dinosaurs*, *The Electric Man 2*, *The Knights of Valour*, *The Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, *Metal Slug*, *Hook*, and *Snow Bros*.

Though he had played them all as a kid, he wasn’t particularly good at any of them. After some thought, he pointed to a slot machine in the corner. “Can we play this?”

Wu Dahai was momentarily stunned, staring at him in disbelief. “You’re sure?”

“Positive,” Gao Yang nodded.

Since he couldn’t win with skill, he might as well rely on luck.

“Oh no,” Officer Huang seemed to recall some unpleasant memory, rubbing his forehead.

Wu Dahai smiled faintly, patting Gao Yang’s shoulder with mock pity. “Brother, you’ve chosen the hard road.”