Chapter 27: New Talent
The Tang sword, which had been driven into Old Zhang's "brain," was now controlled by an invisible force, continuing to push downward. However, the power of level 2 [Metal] was still quite limited.
Qing Ling exerted all her strength, but the sword only managed to move downward inch by inch.
Two tentacles quickly wrapped around the Tang sword and yanked it out with force, throwing it aside. Blood sprayed wildly from Old Zhang's brain, a horrific scene. Despite this, the large gash that had been cut into the brain started to heal, though the healing process was noticeably slower compared to the regeneration of the tentacles.
He was severely injured, but... he was still alive!
The severed tentacles crawled across the ground, then swiftly returned to the main body. New tentacles began to grow from within.
Qing Ling had fallen hard. Her face was pale, covered in blood, and she staggered to her feet, trying to pick up the sword nearby. But four tentacles shot out rapidly, coiling around her arms and legs.
Qing Ling struggled desperately, but to no avail. The tentacles dragged her toward the main body...
"Die!"
With a loud shout, Gao Yang, holding a golf club, charged toward Old Zhang.
He knew that, as a useless person, the only thing he could do now was run as far away as possible—that was the survival instinct of someone like him. But for some reason, when he saw Qing Ling being captured, his legs didn't obey him, and his mind stopped thinking. Before he knew it, he had charged forward like a fool.
Before Gao Yang could even get close to Old Zhang, one of the tentacles slid along the ground and wrapped around his calf.
The tentacle yanked with force, and Gao Yang was thrown to the ground, dragged toward Old Zhang's main body. He was about to meet the same fate as Qing Ling and become Old Zhang's next meal.
"Hold on!"
Officer Huang also charged forward, grabbing Gao Yang with one hand and holding onto a nearby streetlight pole with the other. Thanks to his Gun God talent, Officer Huang's arm strength was immense, and for a moment, he held Gao Yang's wrist in a standoff with the tentacle's strength.
However, Gao Yang wasn't happy.
First, his body felt like it was a rope in a tug-of-war, as if it might snap at any moment. On top of that, more and more tentacles were regenerating and joining the battle. If this dragged on, they had no chance of winning.
But most crucially, Qing Ling was being inexorably pulled toward Old Zhang.
Stay calm. Stay calm.
In times like these, staying calm was the key.
Gao Yang took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
[Entering System]
[You have gained 30 lucky points]
— 30 lucky points?!
[You've just endured 6 minutes of extreme danger, with the gain multiplier increased to 300x]
— Learn new talent! Quickly!
[Learning new talent requires 30 lucky points. Confirm?]
— Confirm!
[Learning in progress...]
[Learning in progress...]
[Learning in progress...]
[Learning successful]
[Talent: Copy. Serial number: 18. Rune type: Knowledge]
[Level 1 Copy: Can copy any talent with serial number above 30]
[Copy method: Touch the opponent's body for 1 second]
[Copy amount: 1 type. Storage time: 1 hour]
[Use time: 3 seconds. Copy interval: 12 hours]
[Level 1 Copy permanent attribute bonus: Mental +30, Charisma -10]
— This is awesome! It's finally here!
[Congratulations! You've successfully gained a new talent for the first time. For future learning, 60 lucky points will be required.]
[Access end, system hidden]
[Beep—]
Gao Yang opened his eyes. Qing Ling was now about a meter away, lying against the ground, slowly being dragged toward Old Zhang. She was desperately gripping the ground with both hands, trying to stop the tentacle's pull, but it was in vain.
Gao Yang assessed the situation quickly and made a judgment, "Officer Huang! Let go of me!"
"You've gone crazy!"
"Let go! I have a plan! Trust me!"
Time was critical. Officer Huang didn't hesitate and released Gao Yang.
The tentacle instantly applied more force, and Gao Yang was quickly dragged toward Old Zhang, faster than Qing Ling. As he brushed past her, Gao Yang stretched out his right hand. Originally, he intended to touch her head, but their bodies were parallel, just a couple of centimeters apart.
Gao Yang strained his arm, splayed his fingers, but could only helplessly watch as his hand slid past her forehead, nose, lips, and chin, unable to touch her.
Is it over?
Gao Yang's heart sank.
No! His eyes lit up with hope!
Half a second later, the tip of Gao Yang's middle finger brushed against Qing Ling's protruding chest.
Qing Ling, still struggling, sensed Gao Yang's strange action. She wasn't angry, just a slight hint of confusion in her eyes: What is he trying to do? A last struggle? Or a farewell before death?
[Exploring the only copyable talent: Level 3 Sword God. Would you like to copy it?]
— Copy!
In an instant, Gao Yang felt a surge of energy through the tip of his middle finger. It was a mysterious energy, as if it had a life of its own, carrying the distinct aura and imprint of its original owner.
Gao Yang yelled, "Hand me the sword!"
Qing Ling didn't know what Gao Yang was trying to do, but her instincts kicked in, and she responded by releasing her grip on the ground and focusing on her weapon.
A short distance away, the Tang sword floated up and flew toward Gao Yang.
Gao Yang quickly caught the sword. The moment his hand gripped the hilt, a familiar sensation rushed through him, as if he had used this weapon a thousand times before.
Memories, movements, experiences, intuition... Countless pieces of information merged into an indescribable force, as though a divine life form or a mystical heroic spirit gently enveloped and guided him, granting him power.
With a swift flick of his right wrist, Gao Yang effortlessly severed the tentacle that was gripping his calf.
At that moment, he was less than two meters from Old Zhang's main body—dangerous, but also the best position. His eyes quickly identified the best breakthrough point and the ideal angle to strike.
He turned sideways, crouched slightly, and prepared to strike with the sword.
Legs, waist, and right arm aligned—draw!
"Swish—" The Tang sword slashed upward from below, cutting through the disgusting mass of flesh at an angle.
But it wasn't over. The sword quickly snapped back, and with another strike, the remaining two-thirds of the fleshy lump was cut in half, floating in the air.
All of this happened in an instant.
Blood sprayed immediately, and the scream of Old Zhang followed half a second later, but it was brief and dissipated in the bloodstorm.
Three seconds later.
The Sword God talent faded.
At the same time, the tentacles that had been holding Qing Ling loosened.
Qing Ling was momentarily stunned, but quickly sprang up, sprinting toward Gao Yang. She grabbed the Tang sword from his hand and began hacking at Old Zhang's corpse, cutting it into pieces until she was sure it could never regenerate.
Under the moonlight, Qing Ling's black hair was stained with crimson blood, dripping wet on her pale face and white school uniform.
She tilted her head slightly, her chest heaving violently, with scattered limbs and organs beneath her feet. In that moment, she looked like a fallen angel of slaughter.
A few seconds later, she slowly turned around, her eyes cold and sharp as she looked at Gao Yang.
With a flash, the bloodless Tang sword was pressed against Gao Yang's throat.
Qing Ling's voice was filled with anger: "You'd better explain what just happened."
"I'm sorry!" Gao Yang raised both hands and hurriedly apologized, "I shouldn't have touched you..."
"Who cares about that?" Qing Ling spun the sword, "Tell me! Why do you have the Sword God talent? Why have you been hiding your power?"