Qing Ling scanned the room and quickly made her choice. "This one."
"Samurai Shodown! Nice!" Wu Dahai eagerly sat down in front of the arcade cabinet.
The stool was low, leaving Qing Ling's long legs with nowhere to rest. She simply took off her shoes, tucked her legs up, and rested her heels on the edge of the stool, propping her chin on her knees. If not for her icy expression, the pose might have looked lazy and even a little cute.
"Played before?" Wu Dahai asked.
"No." Qing Ling gripped the joystick, unfamiliar with the four buttons on the left. After inserting a coin, she didn't even know how to select a character.
Wu Dahai was surprisingly patient with her. "This controls the direction. You can pick a character… yeah, just press A when you see one you like."
Qing Ling didn't care and selected the first one.
"Haohmaru! Solid pick!" Wu Dahai grinned. "Then I'll go with Ukyo!"
Character selection complete. The fight began.
Wu Dahai's Ukyo dashed in with a quick slash, chaining light attacks into a combo that knocked Haohmaru to the ground. Before Haohmaru could even stand, Ukyo was already in his face.
"Reverse Hell Slash!"
"Secret Technique: Light Snow!"
A flurry of dazzling combos later, Haohmaru's health bar emptied, and he collapsed with a cry. From start to finish, Qing Ling hadn't landed a single move.
Though Wu Dahai had flawlessly defeated Qing Ling, he didn't feel particularly accomplished.
Best two out of three.
The second round began. Wu Dahai didn't rush to attack this time, instead patiently explaining. "A is a light slash. Try pressing it?"
Qing Ling pressed it. Haohmaru swung his sword swiftly, nicking Ukyo.
"B is a medium slash. Press it."
Qing Ling complied. Haohmaru swung at medium speed, forcing Ukyo back a couple of steps.
"AB together is a heavy slash. Try it."
Qing Ling pressed both. Haohmaru delivered a slow, powerful slash, knocking Ukyo flat.
"C is a light kick. D is a heavy kick. CD together is a heavy kick. Same deal."
As a complete beginner, Qing Ling picked it up quickly, repeating the actions smoothly.
"Alright! Let's go." Wu Dahai started controlling his character.
Ten seconds later, Qing Ling's Haohmaru was thoroughly defeated. But this time, there was progress—at least Haohmaru had fought back, dealing minor damage to Ukyo.
"Two out of three. You lose." Wu Dahai stood up.
"Again," Qing Ling said.
"Next month."
"Again." Qing Ling repeated, her eyes burning with competitive fire.
Wu Dahai hesitated. "Fine, one more round."
"Wow, breaking the rules just like that?" Officer Huang couldn't decide whether to be amused or offended. "No matter how much I begged, you never bent the rules for me."
"Duh. You're an old man. What's in it for me if I make exceptions for you?" Wu Dahai retorted shamelessly before turning to Qing Ling. "I'll give you another shot, but I get to touch your hand."
Qing Ling looked puzzled. "Why?"
Wu Dahai grinned. "Honestly? I've never touched a girl's hand before. I mean a human girl—beasts don't count."
"Is there a difference?" Qing Ling asked.
"Of course! The thought of it being a beast kills the mood! The women in the organization are all so stingy—none of them let me touch them. Seriously, it's not like they'd lose a limb!"
Gao Yang had never seen someone so unabashedly perverted. He didn't even know where to begin mocking him.
Qing Ling thought for a moment, then bargained. "One more round. If I lose, you can touch my hand."
"Deal!" Wu Dahai was surprised she agreed so readily—he was certain he'd win!
"Let's begin."
Wu Dahai sat back down, inserted a coin, and the two selected their characters again—Haohmaru and Ukyo.
Feeling a little guilty about bullying a newcomer, Wu Dahai started coaching her again. "Let me teach you Ukyo's combos—"
"No need. This is enough," Qing Ling cut him off.
"Fine. Don't expect me to go easy." This time, Wu Dahai held nothing back, attacking even more aggressively than before.
Qing Ling didn't just stand there either—she defended.
In fighting games, defense is an art. Standing guard won't block low kicks, and crouching won't stop jump slashes. You have to switch stances based on the opponent's moves.
This round, Qing Ling did nothing but defend.
Though her stance shifts were fluid, pure defense still wore down her health. Worse, if the opponent got too close, they could break her guard with a grapple.
Qing Ling defended the entire round—and lost.
She wasn't fazed.
The second round, she started trying to attack.
She didn't use any special moves or combos—she didn't know any. She just stood still. When Wu Dahai attacked head-on, she blocked. If he got close, she used A for a quick light slash to push him back. If he jumped, she countered with B, a medium slash.
Timed right, these two moves could counter almost any close-range or jump-in attack. Even if they didn't fully stop him, they'd at least trade damage.
But Wu Dahai was an experienced player. All he needed was one opening to break her guard, chain a combo, and wipe out most of her health.
Unsurprisingly, Qing Ling lost again.
"You lose!" Wu Dahai stood up excitedly, staring at Qing Ling. "Now, the hand!"
Qing Ling stood and extended her hand.
Wu Dahai was shocked—he hadn't expected her to be so straightforward!
His hand hovered halfway before suddenly retracting.
A greedy, sleazy grin spread across his face. "Actually, scratch that. I won't touch your hand. I'll give you another chance to challenge me—but this time, I get to touch your chest. First the touch, then the match!"
Qing Ling's face remained blank, as if considering.
"Forget it. Let's try again next time."
Gao Yang couldn't take it anymore. If this were his little sister being harassed like this, he'd have thrown a punch already. But Qing Ling's business wasn't his to interfere with—he could only try to dissuade her.
"Yeah, losing's just part of the game," Officer Huang chimed in. "After years on the force, I've seen plenty of troubled girls. But Qing Ling, your situation… it's not worth it. Really, it's not."
Qing Ling's competitive spirit had been ignited. She ignored them, turning to Wu Dahai. "Fine."