"How about this? You two help me with something. As a condition, I'll tell you all the Talent Serial Numbers after #50 first." Officer Huang picked up a piece of perfectly blanched spinach with his chopsticks. "Not only that, I can answer one question for free—any question you want to know, provided I happen to know the answer."
"What something?" Qing Ling asked.
"You have to agree first." Officer Huang smiled. "It's absolutely not difficult. I guarantee there's no danger to your lives."
Qing Ling remained silent.
Gao Yang also stayed silent. In fact, he wasn't qualified to negotiate with Officer Huang at all, so he decided to just stick to the "strong, silent type" routine.
"You already know the one-in-ten-thousand ratio, so you should be clear on how bad your situation is." Officer Huang sighed deeply. "We are all orphans of the world, long abandoned by God."
Qing Ling was silent, hesitating.
Gao Yang didn't make a sound either.
Officer Huang continued to persuade them patiently. "I believe that to survive in this misty world, besides having powerful Talents, you also need to master as many rules as possible."
His gaze was leisurely, but his tone was certain. "I guarantee my information is worth its weight in gold. This deal is absolutely worth it."
"Deal." Gao Yang blurted out. His thinking was simple: Since the guy has said this much, agree first. If it doesn't work out, I can always back out later.
Qing Ling glared at Gao Yang but didn't voice any objection.
"Smart man." Officer Huang was very satisfied. He took a notepad and pen from his uniform pocket and scribbled down three notes with a scratch-scratch-scratch sound. "Don't blame your uncle for being stingy. After all, I can't fully trust you yet. Being reincarnated into this hell, we can only try our best to survive."
The officer folded the notes and handed them to Qing Ling.
Qing Ling reached out to take them, but the officer quickly pulled them back. "Remember, open the first note tomorrow after evening study hall. Complete one task, then open the second note. Complete two tasks, then look at the third. You must comply."
Qing Ling took the notes and stuffed them into the front pocket of her uniform. "After it's done, I want to ask two questions."
"Fine. When it's done, I'll contact you." Officer Huang stood up and took out his phone. "Old Liu, check please."
It was midnight when Gao Yang returned home. His mentality had undergone a massive shift.
Knowing the one-in-ten-thousand human-to-beast ratio, he could no longer look at this once warm and happy family of five the same way.
From the host's experience at age four, Gao Yang was almost certain: Grandpa was definitely a "Beast," though it was unclear which kind.
Grandma slept in the same room as Grandpa; she was likely a Beast too without a doubt.
As for Dad, Mom, and his sister...
Gao Yang didn't want to think about it. Deep down, how he wished his family members were all humans. Even if the probability was as small as winning the lottery, he couldn't wipe away that sliver of wishful thinking. After all, they were family members he had lived with day and night for twelve years.
If he hadn't been hit by that "mental patient" on the night of his 18th birthday, if he had lived on in ignorance, grown up, married, had children, and died of old age, perhaps that would have been a kind of happiness.
Living in falsehoods and lies isn't pathetic, provided one never wakes up.
But there are no "ifs." Gao Yang had Awakened, and his peaceful life was gone.
Now, hell is other people.
From now on, every step must be calculated; he was walking on thin ice. One wrong move meant falling into the abyss.
It was 3:00 AM. His family was already asleep. Gao Yang would surely get an earful from his parents tomorrow morning, but at least for tonight, he didn't have to face them. He still had time to adjust his mindset and find the most appropriate state to face his family.
Exhausted in body and mind, Gao Yang lay in the bathtub, wanting nothing more than a comfortable hot bath. Looking up, the hexagram before his eyes emitted a faint glow. This time, he didn't touch it with his hand. He tried closing his eyes and controlling it with his inner voice: Enter System.
[BEEP—]
[Entering System.]
[You have gained 27 new Lucky Points. Total Lucky Points: 30. Use now?]
—Use.
[Opening Attribute Panel.]
[Constitution: 12 | Endurance: 12]
[Strength: 11 | Agility: 11]
[Spirit: 10 | Charisma: 10]
[Luck: 0]
Gao Yang immediately noticed that some basic attributes had increased, albeit very slightly.
—Do stats increase automatically?
[Attribute values will fluctuate based on your body's function and condition.]
[You had a fulfilling day today. You are slightly stronger than yesterday's self.]
—So if I do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10km run every day for three years until I go bald, will I become the strongest man on Earth?
[Theoretically, your body will become stronger, but you may also face injuries like muscle strain and knee wear.]
—Then how do I get stronger?
[Use Lucky Points to permanently increase Attribute Values.]
[Additionally, different Talents provide permanent bonuses to different Attribute Values.]
—Is Qing Ling's [Blade God] Talent powerful?
[Talent: Blade God. Serial Number: 32. Rune Type: Damage.]
[Max Level Blade God: Blade Mastery. Blade Damage increased by 300%. Physical Defense Penetration Rate 91.4%.]
[Max Level Blade God Permanent Stat Bonus: Constitution +400, Strength +800, Agility +1000, Charisma +400.]
—What about the [Gun God] Talent?
[Talent: Gun God. Serial Number: 41. Rune Type: Damage.]
[Max Level Gun God: Firearm Mastery. 97.3% Accuracy. Firing Speed 12 rounds/second.]
[Max Level Gun God Permanent Stat Bonus: Constitution +300, Strength +700, Agility +800, Charisma +300.]
—Cao.
[A type of plant?]
—Trash System!
[Metaphysics cannot save the unlucky; money cannot change fate.]
[You also discovered the Talent — Metal today. Do you need details?]
—Don't show me. My heart can't take it.
[Do you want to allocate points?]
—Only 30 Lucky Points? What's there to allocate? Dump it all into Luck! I want to see just how lucky I can get.
[Once Lucky Points are allocated, it cannot be undone. Confirm?]
—Confirm. Hurry up!
[Congratulations! Your Luck has surpassed 30. All Attribute Values receive a permanent bonus of 6 points.]
[Constitution: 18 | Endurance: 18]
[Strength: 17 | Agility: 17]
[Spirit: 17 | Charisma: 16]
[Luck: 30]
—6 points? Could you be any stingier?
—Wait, no. 6 points for all 6 attributes. That's 36 points total. Not a bad deal.
[Additionally, you have triggered a Hidden Panel. Unlock?]
—Unlock! Hurry!
[Sorry, Luck is insufficient.]
—Then why did you even bring it up!
[Session Ended. System Concealed.]
[BEEP—]
Early the next morning, Gao Yang got up and, predictably, got an earful from his mother. The college entrance exam is coming up, yet you haven't been home for the past two nights. You don't reply to texts or answer calls. You're becoming more and more worrisome.
Gao Yang lied that it was Wang Zikai's birthday, and he dragged him out to karaoke until midnight.
Hearing this, his mother got even angrier. "Wang Zikai? Wasn't he expelled? Don't hang out with that kid all day; don't let him lead you astray."
At the breakfast table, his father happily bit into a fried dough stick and offered a different opinion. "Xiao Kai? His old man is loaded. Son, this is a friend worth keeping."
"Don't listen to your dad's nonsense. Near vermilion, one gets stained red; near ink, one gets stained black!" His mother glared at his father.
"Wife, times have changed."
"Changed how?"
"In today's society, ability is secondary. It's mainly about connections and resources. A friend of Xiao Kai's social class will definitely be useful to our son in the future." His father argued logically.
"What kind of twisted values are those?" His mother was angry.
"Wife, I don't mean anything else. Just let our son have one more friend, one more path. I believe Yangyang has his own judgment and won't actually learn bad things from him." His father felt a bit wronged and winked at Gao Yang. "Right, son?"
"Dad, Mom, I'm full."
Gao Yang had mixed feelings. He really didn't know how to face his "family." He hurriedly took two bites, grabbed his schoolbag, and left for school.
Knowing full well that his family members were extremely likely to be Beasts, for a moment, Gao Yang still wavered. Mom and Dad raised me, lived with me day and night, cared for me meticulously. They loved me so much—how could they be Beasts?
But wasn't Li Weiwei my childhood sweetheart too? Such a wonderful girl, yet she turned into a demon in a second.
What kind of creature exactly is a Beast?
What do they want?
What is going on with this parallel world?
Gao Yang had no answers. Just as he had no answer for why he transmigrated at age six, or why he got this crappy System.
Gao Yang arrived at school and spent an ordinary day.
All day long, Gao Yang didn't speak to Qing Ling, nor did they even exchange a glance. After evening study hall, Gao Yang went to a small alley near the school that had no cameras.
Soon, Qing Ling appeared. She took two thin black hoodies, two baseball caps, and masks out of her large schoolbag. "Put these on."
"Here?"
"Where else? Do you want me to build you a changing room?" As Qing Ling spoke, she started taking off her uniform. She stripped incredibly fast, like a snake shedding its skin. In two or three moves, her top was off, revealing her fair neck and sexy collarbones. Gao Yang hurriedly turned his back, awkwardly taking off his own clothes.
Three minutes later, both were dressed in black hoodies, hoods up, wearing baseball caps and masks.
Before setting off, Qing Ling took the first note from her pocket and opened it.