Bang—
Officer Huang fired three shots in an instant, but the cadence was so fast that Gao Yang only heard a single gunshot.
At the moment of the shot, three sparks burst from midair two meters in front of Officer Huang—he had intercepted the three daggers that were aimed to ambush him.
But the daggers were just a feint.
Officer Huang's expression changed. A black shadow suddenly dove toward him from the left, already within arm's reach.
Shing— A flash of sharp, white blade light.
Officer Huang reacted in the nick of time, raising his pistol to block. But the gun was sliced in two like it was made of clay. Two of his fingers were severed like scallions.
Half a second later, his head was about to be separated from his body.
But it didn't happen.
The long, narrow Tang sword pressed against his Adam's apple without cutting. Blood oozed from a fine cut on his neck, inflicted by the sheer pressure of the blade.
Qing Ling withdrew her sword and took two steps back. "You're not a Wrathbeast."
Officer Huang clutched his bleeding fingers, his face pale from pain, but he showed no panic or fear. "How can you tell?"
"If you were a Wrathbeast, you'd have used your arms to block my attack in the final second," Qing Ling replied, lightly brushing the clean blade before folding the Tang sword away.
"They trust their physical strength. That's a reflex. But humans are different. They'll use what they think is strong to block a strike."
"You're right. I'm an Awakened too," Officer Huang smiled. "Thanks for not killing me."
…
2:00 a.m. — Sanqing District, Third Hospital Emergency Department
Officer Huang's fingers had been reattached and bandaged. Gao Yang and Qing Ling waited in the lobby.
Officer Huang walked out of the hospital with a smile. "Tomorrow, I'll write up a report saying the two of you were mugged by street thugs and I was injured while helping you."
Gao Yang and Qing Ling exchanged glances but said nothing.
"Hungry? Let's get something to eat."
…
The three of them went to a late-night spicy hotpot stall near the hospital. A small blue tent sat at the alley entrance, sheltering a food cart with a bubbling spicy broth and a small propane tank beneath. Dim lighting, fragrant food—this was a warm corner in a cold city.
The owner was a sprightly old man in his sixties, full of energy and a strong voice.
"Officer Huang! Whoa, what happened to your hand?"
"Work accident."
"Your job really is tough. Guess that means no drinking tonight?"
"Yeah. The rest, same as always."
"Got it." The old man got to work, then turned to Gao Yang and Qing Ling. "What can I get for you two?"
Qing Ling looked at the menu with a blank expression, quickly making her decision:
"One skewer each of mushroom, winter melon, potato, cabbage, fish ball, crab stick, tofu puff. One order of tomato and sweet potato noodles. Spicy."
Gao Yang was shocked. She wasn't holding back at all.
Well, then, when in Rome...
"I'll have the same."
The three of them sat side by side by the cart, quietly eating the steaming hot food. Officer Huang looked blissful. "Mmm. Feels good to survive a brush with death. Thought I'd never get to eat this again."
Qing Ling didn't respond, focused on chewing her potato.
Gao Yang spoke cautiously, "Officer Huang, maybe we shouldn't talk about this stuff in public."
Officer Huang glanced at the old man tending the cart. "It's fine. Old Liu here is a Lost One. Anything he doesn't want to hear, he'll automatically ignore. Right, Old Liu?"
The old man looked up. "Eh?"
"I said today's pork lung is extra crispy. One more order."
"Coming right up." The old man chuckled.
Gao Yang finally relaxed. "So, you were testing Qing Ling and me earlier?"
Officer Huang smiled wryly. "I already knew you were an Awakened. Just didn't expect your girlfriend was one too."
"She's not my girlfriend." Qing Ling finished her potato and moved on to fish balls.
"Remember the guy I killed—the mental patient?" Officer Huang asked.
"Of course." How could he forget? Without that, none of this nightmare would've begun.
"He was an Awakened too," Officer Huang said with some sadness. "But he was fully exposed and beyond saving. Better to grant him a swift death than let him be eaten or tortured by a Wrathbeast."
Gao Yang was silent.
"His talent was [Scent], sequence number 175. He could distinguish the smell of beasts, which left him in constant fear. Eventually, his mind broke."
Officer Huang stared into the bubbling broth like it was holy. "He smelled you were human right away, which is why he told you to run. If I hadn't shot him then, you might not have made it."
"…Thanks," Gao Yang said, voice tight.
"No need. We're all on the same boat now."
"You mentioned Talents," Gao Yang said, licking his lips. "Are they all different for each Awakened?"
"Of course," Officer Huang replied. "My talent is [Gun God], sequence number 41—mastery of all firearms, perfect aim, lightning-fast shots."
"What's my talent?" Gao Yang asked playfully.
"You've been hiding it too well. I don't have a detection talent, so how should I know?" Officer Huang laughed.
"Oh."
"Your girlfriend's talent is probably [Metal], sequence number 20—control over any metallic element."
"She's not my girlfriend." Qing Ling finished her fish balls and moved on to mushrooms.
Officer Huang looked at her in awe. "Besides that, I think she has the [Blade God] talent too, sequence number 32. That swordsmanship and destructive power aren't something ordinary people can pull off."
"There can be multiple talents?" Gao Yang asked.
"When someone awakens, they gain one talent immediately. But it's possible to gain others later—though how or why, I still don't know."
"How do you know all this?" Gao Yang asked, puzzled. Does he have a system too? No way...
"I've lived longer than you, and I'm a cop—I have access to more info." Officer Huang smiled. "Actually, I once saw the full Talent Sequence List. Based on my experience, I believe it's real."
"How many talents are there?" Qing Ling asked as she finished her fish balls and started on cabbage.
"There are 199 sequence numbers. In theory, the lower the number, the stronger the talent," Officer Huang said, looking at Qing Ling with admiration. "You're powerful."
Gao Yang felt his heart sink: I'm sequence number 199. Dead last. No wonder I feel useless. So much for being "lucky"—lucky my ass.
Qing Ling set down her chopsticks. "Give me the sequence list."
"There's no physical copy," Officer Huang tapped his head. "It's all up here."
"Then tell me."
"You want to know?" Officer Huang smiled faintly. "Not impossible."
"You have conditions?" Gao Yang guessed.
"Of course. Nothing's free in this world," Officer Huang said meaningfully. "Except maybe this hotpot."