Bang—
Officer Huang fired three shots in an instant, but the rapid succession made it sound like a single gunshot.
The moment the shots rang out, three sparks erupted in the air two meters away—he had intercepted the daggers aimed at him.
But the daggers were just a feint.
Huang's eyes widened as a shadowy figure lunged at him from the left, closing the distance in a blink.
Swish— A razor-sharp arc of white light flashed.
Huang barely raised his gun in time. The pistol split like putty, sliced clean through—along with two of his fingers, severed like scallions.
Half a second later, his head would have followed.
But it didn't.
A slender, lethal tangdao pressed against his throat, stopping just shy of cutting deeper. A thin line of blood welled where the blade's sheer force had nicked his skin.
Qing Ling withdrew the sword and stepped back. "You're not a Rage Beast."
Huang clutched his bleeding fingers, his face pale with pain but devoid of panic. "How could you tell?"
"If you were a Rage Beast, your last instinct would've been to block with your arms." Qing Ling traced the bloodless blade with her fingertip before folding it away. "They're overconfident in their bodies—it's instinct. Humans? They trust objects more."
"Right. I'm awakened too." Huang smiled weakly. "Thanks for sparing me."
2:00 AM. Shanqing District, Third Hospital ER.
Huang's fingers had been reattached and bandaged. Gao Yang and Qing Ling waited in the lobby.
When Huang emerged, he was still smiling. "Tomorrow, I'll file a report: you two were mugged, I intervened, got injured. Simple."
Gao Yang and Qing Ling exchanged glances but said nothing.
Huang stretched. "Hungry? Let's grab a bite."
They ended up at a late-night mala tang stall near the hospital—a blue tarp strung over a dented food cart, its bubbling broth filling the chilly alley with warmth.
The owner, a spry old man in his sixties, greeted them cheerfully. "Officer Huang! What happened to your hand?!"
"Occupational hazard."
"Rough job, eh? No booze tonight, then."
"Afraid not. The usual for me."
The old man nodded, then turned to Gao Yang and Qing Ling. "What'll you two have?"
Qing Ling scanned the menu with robotic efficiency. "One shiitake, one winter melon, one potato, one cabbage, one fish ball, one crab stick, one fried gluten, one tomato, one sweet potato noodle. Spicy."
Gao Yang blinked. No hesitation, huh?
Well, in for a penny…
"Same for me."
They sat shoulder-to-shoulder at the cart, slurping steaming bowls of mala tang. Huang sighed contentedly. "Nothing like cheating death to make food taste better."
Qing Ling ignored him, focused on chewing a potato slice.
Gao Yang hesitated. "Should we really be talking about this in public?"
Huang glanced at the old man stirring the pot. "Relax. Old Liu's a Lost One. He'll tune out anything he doesn't wanna hear. Right, Liu?"
The old man looked up. "Huh?"
"I said the pork lung's extra crispy tonight. Another serving."
"Comin' right up!" Liu grinned.
Gao Yang exhaled. "So today… you were testing us?"
Huang's smile turned wry. "I knew you were awakened. Didn't expect your girlfriend to be too."
"Not his girlfriend." Qing Ling moved from potatoes to fish balls.
"Remember that mental patient I shot?" Huang asked.
"How could I forget?" That was the start of this nightmare.
"He was awakened too." Huang's eyes darkened. "But he'd blown his cover. No saving him. Better a quick death than being toyed with by Rage Beasts."
Gao Yang stayed silent.
"His talent was Smell, Sequence 175. He could scent beasts. Lived in constant terror until it broke him." Huang watched the pork lungs bob in the broth. "He smelled you were human—that's why he warned you. If I hadn't shot him, you'd have been next."
"...Thanks." Gao Yang's throat tightened.
"Don't mention it. We're all in this together."
"You mentioned talents earlier," Gao Yang ventured. "Every awakened has a different one?"
"Yep." Huang tapped his temple. "Mine's Gunslinger, Sequence 41. Perfect aim, instant reflexes."
"Then what's my talent?" Gao Yang prodded.
"You tell me. I don't have detection skills." Huang chuckled.
"Right."
"Your girlfriend's talent is Metal, Sequence 20. Controls any metallic element."
"Not his girlfriend." Qing Ling started on the shiitake.
Huang eyed her with awe. "And Blademaster, Sequence 32. No normal human swings a sword like that."
"People can have multiple talents?"
"Awakening grants one immediately. More can manifest later—no one knows how."
"How do you know all this?" Gao Yang frowned. Does he have a system too?
"I've been at this longer. Plus, police intel helps." Huang shrugged. "Once saw a full talent sequence list. Based on my experience, it's legit."
"How many exist?" Qing Ling moved to cabbage.
"199 sequences. Lower numbers mean stronger talents." Huang whistled. "You're top-tier."
Gao Yang's heart sank. Sequence 199. Dead last. No wonder it's useless. "Lucky"? More like cursed.
Qing Ling set down her chopsticks. "Give me the list."
"Not written down." Huang tapped his head. "All up here."
"Then recite it."
Huang smirked. "I could."
"There's a catch?" Gao Yang guessed.
"Nothing's free." Huang's grin widened. "Except this mala tang."