Chapter 95 - 90: Monster in the Mirror

Chapter 95: Chapter 90: Monster in the Mirror

"..."

「A few minutes later.」

The masked man left, fully satisfied.

He turned and walked toward the deepest part of the cavern to check on his most outstanding experimental subject from all these years.

"ROAR!!!"

As the masked man appeared in the depths of the cavern, a deafening roar suddenly erupted, shaking the entire place.

It was a gigantic rat that was roaring.

This terrifying giant rat was eighteen meters long, four meters wide, and five meters high.

Its entire body was covered in coarse, thick, blackish-gray fur.

Its head was enormous.

Its fangs protruded from its pointed snout.

It had eight scarlet eyes on its face, and as they scanned the surroundings, they radiated a terrifyingly malevolent aura.

Its four limbs were as thick as pillars, its sharp, curved claws digging deep into the rock floor. Its entire being emanated the cold, violent aura of a subterranean beast.

At this moment, countless rats of all sizes were crawling all over the giant rat.

Any rat that crawled to the edge of its mouth would be swallowed whole, becoming nutrients for its evolution.

The masked man watched the giant rat from a distance, a hint of madness in his eyes.

’Good boy, eat up. When you evolve into an Advanced Creature, I’ll lead you out from underground, and we will devour all of Hai City University to spread the might of our Rat God Cult!’

...

「The next day.」

5:45 PM.

Gu Qing left his dorm and headed to the women’s dormitory to meet Xia Shuran.

They had already made plans the day before yesterday to go to Haidilao for dinner at 6:00 PM tonight.

5:55 PM.

Gu Qing arrived downstairs from Xia Shuran’s dormitory building.

He took out his phone to let her know.

[Gu Qing: I’m downstairs from your dorm.]

[Xia Shuran: Senior, I’m so sorry, please wait a few more minutes. I’m still getting ready. I’ll be right down as soon as I’m done.]

[Gu Qing: No rush, take your time. I’ll just play on my phone for a bit.]

After sending the message, Gu Qing found a random spot to stand and opened the "Night Talk" app he had downloaded last night, browsing its forums with great interest.

After returning to school from the Night Court yesterday, he had been lying in his dorm bed scrolling through this forum until three or four in the morning before finally sleeping.

It was his first time browsing a forum packed with Extraordinary Beings, and he was so full of curiosity and interest in all the Extraordinary discussion threads that he couldn’t stop scrolling once he started.

He was especially amused by the thread debating the "all-time strongest vs. the modern strongest," where the comment section was filled with rabid fans, haters, and trolls.

After scrolling for a bit, Gu Qing clicked into that "Guan Gong vs. Qin Qiong" bait post again to see the new comments.

Seeing someone call him handsome, he replied:

[Gotta say, he is handsome. This Gu Qing guy has the potential to become the most handsome man in the Night Court.]

When he saw someone look down on him for being an Extraordinary Contactor, he replied:

[Fortunes change. Never look down on someone just because they’re young and poor. Who knows, maybe he’ll suddenly awaken a Superpower and put you in your place.]

Just as Gu Qing was engrossed in this bait post, going through the comments one by one and actively replying, a clear, sweet voice called out from in front of him:

"Senior, I’m sorry to keep you waiting downstairs for so long."

"It’s fine, I only waited a few minutes."

Gu Qing said as he put away his phone and looked up at Xia Shuran, who had just come down from her dorm.

One look, and he was completely stunned.

His junior, who usually dressed casually and simply and never wore makeup, was now wearing a sky-blue dress with her hair in a half-up princess style. She had exquisite, beautiful makeup on and was wearing a lovely necklace and bracelet.

At a glance, she truly looked like a princess who had just stepped out of an ancient castle.

Xia Shuran clutched the hem of her dress with both hands and shyly hurried over to Gu Qing. She stopped in front of him, her gaze filled with anticipation, and asked softly:

"Senior, does my outfit today impress you?"

Ever since seeing Gu Qing go out for a buffet with a cutely dressed girl last night, she had planned to dress up nicely herself today.

She wanted to see if she could better capture Gu Qing’s attention.

And make Gu Qing notice her a little more.

And now, seeing her so dressed up for the first time, Gu Qing was indeed captivated.

Facing her expectant gaze, Gu Qing nodded and replied:

"It’s beautiful."

"What about compared to my usual no-makeup look?"

"Both are beautiful. One is more pure and simple, the other more exquisite and elegant. They each have their own charm."

"So, which style do you prefer, Senior?"

Xia Shuran pressed on, unrelenting.

She wanted to always show Gu Qing the version of herself that he thought was most beautiful.

’Which style do I prefer?’

The question left Gu Qing stumped.

’To be honest, I still think my junior looks better with her fresh, makeup-free face. Or rather, that’s more in line with my aesthetic. But she went to all the trouble of putting on such beautiful makeup for our date today. I can’t just bluntly crush her expectations by saying she looks better without it. Then again, I can’t bring myself to lie through my teeth and say she looks better with makeup. What if she actually believes me and starts wearing makeup every day? Wouldn’t that be just leading her astray? Forget it. I’ll just praise her makeup for now so she won’t be disappointed. After the date’s over, I’ll find the right moment to tell her honestly that she’s even prettier without it.’

With that thought, Gu Qing told his junior a little white lie:

"If I have to say, I think your look with makeup seems even more charming. At the very least, you’ve completely dazzled me right now."

"Really?"

"Really."

"That’s great! It means the two-plus hours I spent on my makeup weren’t wasted."

Xia Shuran’s eyes curved into crescents, her face alight with glee. She could barely contain the joy bubbling up inside her.