"Pregnant?!"
Gao Yang and Qing Ling spoke in unison, their voices laced with pure shock.
Beasts could get pregnant?
Don't they lack actual human reproductive organs?
Gao Yang felt a headache coming on. There were far too many questions and not enough answers. Being a "Level 1 Noob" in this world, he truly wondered how many days he had left to live.
Without missing a beat, Qing Ling asked, "Are you sure she's not lying to you?"
"Positive," Officer Huang said firmly. "I can't think of a single reason why she would lie to me about this."
"Are you sure the kid is yours?"
"Uh..." The question hit Officer Huang right in the soul. After a moment of heavy silence, he replied, "I'm fairly certain there isn't a green hat on my head."
Qing Ling fell silent.
Gao Yang hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Officer Huang, can I ask you a personal question?"
Officer Huang's smile turned awkward. "I know what you're going to ask. Even though my wife is a Beast, our relationship is very good. We fell in love long before I awakened. To this day, we still... intimate, about once a week."
Gao Yang nodded, signaling him to continue.
"My wife is shy. She always insists on turning the lights off and likes to have a bit of red wine..." Officer Huang cut himself off. "Ahem, you two are still young; I won't go into details. The point is, since I've never been with a real human woman, I never felt anything was wrong."
Officer Huang sighed. "My wife always wanted a child. Naturally, I never used protection. I honestly thought Beasts were incapable of conceiving."
"And now? What's the plan?" Gao Yang pressed.
Officer Huang brought a cigarette to his lips, then paused and held it in his hand instead. "To be honest, when I first heard the news, my first reaction wasn't shock. It was joy."
"Joy?" Qing Ling frowned.
"Yes. The pure happiness of becoming a father. I found it hard to believe myself." Officer Huang lit the cigarette as if making a final decision and took a deep drag. "I've decided to keep the baby. If the child can be born successfully, that is."
"Are you insane?" Qing Ling looked baffled. "She is a Beast!"
"I know..." Officer Huang gave a bitter laugh. "But she's also my wife. And she's carrying my child."
Gao Yang said nothing. Internally, he supported Officer Huang's choice. He had a gut feeling that the birth of this "child" might reveal even more secrets about this world. Of course, it would likely drag Officer Huang into even greater danger, but it was a risk worth taking.
"Whatever. Just don't drag me down with you," Qing Ling said, dropping her objection.
"Don't worry, I won't." Officer Huang expressed his gratitude. He turned and leaned against the desk. "Alright, next topic. Since the mission failed, I can't give you the Sequence List yet. However, I'll honor the promised reward. You can ask me two questions. Think carefully before you speak."
"How do you level up Talents?" Qing Ling blurted out instantly.
"What makes you think Talents have levels?" Officer Huang's eyes flickered.
"Is that true?" Gao Yang was equally curious. After all, he was the only one with a System.
"I wasn't sure at first," Qing Ling said, looking down at her palm. "But my [Blade God] has experienced two 'upgrades.' It's different from the feeling of getting stronger through daily training. It's a sudden moment where a surge of energy floods the body, as if every nerve and vessel is being cleared. It feels like a rebirth. I've felt that twice with [Blade God]."
"But not with [Metal]?" Officer Huang asked.
"[Metal] only happened once. When I first learned it, I could only control metal under 1 kilogram. After the upgrade, it jumped to 10 kilograms. Logically, it should be able to level up again." Qing Ling clenched her fist. "I just don't know where the problem lies."
"To realize that much on your own... you're sharp." Officer Huang took off his cap and thought for a moment. "Actually, every Talent can be leveled up. Rumor has it the max level is Level 8. Your [Blade God] is only Level 3; there's a long road ahead. My [Gun God] is also only Level 3."
"Then how do we level up?" A light flickered in Qing Ling's eyes.
"I'm sorry, I can't answer that."
"Why not?"
"It's a regulation."
"Whose regulation?"
Officer Huang just smiled and didn't answer.
"My turn." Gao Yang raised his hand like a student eager to ask a question.
"Go ahead."
"How can I meet them?"
Officer Huang paused, then laughed. "Kid, you're quick."
"I try." Gao Yang thought to himself: My stats are trash, so if my brain isn't sharp, I'm basically just a walking corpse. "Officer Huang, you have a boss, don't you? This 'regulation' came from an organization, right?"
Officer Huang nodded and sighed. "In reality, I'm not an official member. I'm just an outside contractor. Usually, they contact me, order me around, and treat me like a tool. I'm not qualified to speak with them directly, but because I'm an excellent tool, I occasionally manage to squeeze some useful intel out of my handler."
Officer Huang's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. "But he forbade me from spreading it. If they find out, it won't end well for me."
"Why don't you join them officially?" Gao Yang asked. "With your profession, wouldn't you have a major advantage?"
Officer Huang laughed sheepishly. "Because I'm too weak."
"You... too weak?" Gao Yang felt a phantom pain in his ego.
"I failed the organization's assessment. I'm still on probation, and 'permanent status' feels a world away." Officer Huang looked out the window. "That organization is quite mysterious. They operate with extreme discretion. To survive, even Awakened stronger than us have to be incredibly careful."
"Understood."
"However," Officer Huang turned around, "with you two joining me, I think it's worth trying for an interview again. That is, if you both want to join."
"I do!" Gao Yang agreed immediately. He looked at Qing Ling.
Qing Ling asked coldly, "If I join, will I find out how to level up my Talent?"
Does this woman think about anything other than getting stronger?
"Naturally."
"When is the interview?" Qing Ling asked.
"Don't rush. In a few days. Wait for my signal." Officer Huang glanced at his phone. "I've gotta go. I need to take my wife for her ultrasound."
Gao Yang deadpanned, "Aren't you supposed to be working? Is it okay to skip out?"
"The joy of slacking off is beyond your imagination..." One second, Officer Huang was smiling; the next, his face went ice-cold. With lightning speed, he drew his pistol and aimed it at the door. "Who's there?!"
Qing Ling was closest to the door. She spun around, her Tang Dao appearing in her hand as she thrust it through the closed office door in a blur.
Shhhink!
Qing Ling pulled the blade back and shook her head. "No one outside."
Gao Yang was stunned. Are you serious? You just stabbed through the door without a second thought! What if a Beast actually was there? Or worse, what if it was a human?
She really was a "shoot first, ask questions later" type of person.
Officer Huang slowly holstered his gun. "Perhaps I'm just paranoid. My nerves have been on edge lately." He put his cap back on. "Alright, let's move out."
The rest of the day was uneventful for Gao Yang.
From time to time, he opened the System in his mind to check his Lucky Points. There were no bonus multipliers, which meant his environment was safe and his identity as an Awakened hadn't been compromised.
So, he continued to idle.
After evening study hall, Gao Yang walked home alone.
The late-night street was eerily quiet. The rain had stopped, but the road was still wet. Puddles reflected the neon lights like shimmering portals to another world.
Splash. Gao Yang stepped into a puddle and stopped.
Something... felt wrong.
A chill ran down his spine. Someone is stalking me.