Chapter 28: White Cat

"I don't have the Blade God talent! And I didn't hide my abilities!" Gao Yang's neck was turning red, and he could no longer care about anything else. He blurted it all out, "Just now, in a life-or-death moment, I suddenly awakened a new talent—Replication. It lets me temporarily replicate another person's talent, but I need to have physical contact for at least one second. I wanted to replicate your Blade God talent, but I was just a little too far away… You know what happened after that."

Qing Ling was skeptical. She looked at Officer Huang. "Is there such a talent?"

"There is." Officer Huang nodded. "If I remember correctly, its serial number should be 18."

He looked at Gao Yang with envy. "You've awakened a really powerful talent. Congratulations."

Qing Ling stared at Gao Yang for a few seconds before retracting her blade.

"You're just making stuff up! I bet you're trying to take advantage of him!" Wu Dazhi walked over with an upset look, but with a hint of jealousy.

As soon as Gao Yang saw Wu Dazhi, he became furious. During the fight, Wu Dazhi was the first to run away. Now that they were safe, he was the first to come out and speak sarcastically.

Officer Huang took a towel from the back of the police car, tossing one to Gao Yang and one to Qing Ling. "Wipe off the blood first."

Then he looked at Wu Dazhi. "Did we pass the test now?"

"Test?" Wu Dazhi looked confused.

"Stop pretending. That was definitely your test!" Officer Huang's voice turned stern. This kind of test was too dangerous!

"Impossible! I'm not crazy enough to organize a test like that." Wu Dazhi started flailing his hands. "I really don't know why Zhang Grandpa suddenly beastified like that, in such a disgusting manner. I nearly pissed myself too!"

Gao Yang now doubted the reliability of this organization.

Officer Huang rubbed his temples. He was on the verge of a breakdown—adult life was too complicated.

Wu Dazhi rubbed his nose. "You guys go back quickly. In a few days, someone from the organization will come to find you. Then you'll know the test details."

Wu Dazhi was about to leave but stopped again, his gaze drifting past Gao Yang and fixating on something behind him.

Gao Yang turned around and saw Qing Ling about to take off her clothes. Her school uniform was soaked in so much blood it was impossible to clean.

Officer Huang immediately took off his jacket and tossed it to Gao Yang.

Gao Yang turned around in time to drape the jacket over Qing Ling.

Wu Dazhi was immediately disappointed. He awkwardly coughed. "Well, you guys head home and wait for the notice! Don't forget!"

After Wu Dazhi left, Gao Yang looked at the messy pile of remains and blood in the distance and asked Officer Huang, "What do we do about this?"

Officer Huang sighed. "I have a barrel of gasoline in the trunk. Just burn it."

...

Five minutes later, the three of them stood silently in front of the fire. Qing Ling, wrapped in Officer Huang's jacket, had her long legs bathed in the fiery glow, which made them appear golden.

She threw her blood-stained school uniform into the flames, and Gao Yang also removed his upper uniform and tossed it into the fire.

Once they confirmed that all traces had been reduced to ashes, they turned and walked toward the police car.

Suddenly, Gao Yang felt something staring at him. He looked up.

Sure enough, a large white cat was perched on a nearby utility pole, silently watching him. In the moonlight, its fur gleamed white as snow, and its eyes were like emeralds. It appeared very noble and elegant, with a hint of arrogance in its expression.

Gao Yang's heart skipped a beat: this was the white cat that Fat Jun had described! Could Zhang Grandpa's sudden beastification have something to do with it?!

"What are you looking at?" Officer Huang asked, standing by the car door.

Gao Yang snapped back to reality. The white cat had vanished, and the utility pole was empty.

Could it be that he was just exhausted and imagined it?

Gao Yang quickly checked the system, confirming that his lucky point reward hadn't doubled. Well, at least they had escaped danger.

"...Nothing." Gao Yang rubbed his temple and turned to walk toward the police car.

...

Officer Huang drove steadily, the car moving at a calm and even pace while soft music played on the radio. He held the steering wheel with one hand, using the other to talk on the phone with his wife.

"There's someone causing a scene at a bar, they're drunk and fighting. I just handled it… Yeah, I'll be home soon… Honey, you don't have to wait up, just go to sleep… Can't sleep? Hungry? Alright, I'll get some takeout… Don't worry, what do you want to eat? I'll bring it back."

After hanging up, Officer Huang happily hummed along with the radio.

Gao Yang and Qing Ling were sitting in the backseat. Qing Ling had exhausted too much energy from the battle and soon fell asleep, leaning against the window. After a while, the car made a sharp turn, and her head tilted, resting on Gao Yang's shoulder, her long hair spreading across his chest, emitting a faint fragrance.

"You don't need to thank me." Officer Huang grinned at the rearview mirror, glancing at Gao Yang.

Gao Yang couldn't help but laugh. "We're not what you think we are."

"Are you sure?" Officer Huang's tone suddenly turned like that of an elder. "She's pretty pitiful."

"Who?"

"Qing Ling," Officer Huang said. "I heard she awakened when she was 10."

"Mm, her cousin told her about it."

"10 years old, not understanding anything, yet she had to face such a terrifying world. She must have suffered a lot, which is why she acts so extreme. Luckily, she has a younger sister personality."

Gao Yang tilted his head slightly. Qing Ling, in her sleep, looked far more relaxed than usual. Her brows were no longer furrowed, her long lashes and small lips making her appear fragile and soft in this moment. Previously, he had only seen her as beautiful, cold, and strong. But now, he could sense this vulnerable side to her.

Officer Huang sighed in relief. "Compared to her, we're lucky. When we awakened, our minds were mostly intact, and we had the chance to experience love in this world."

"That love is fake," Gao Yang added.

"No, the world may be fake, but love is real."

Gao Yang fell into thought.

Officer Huang gave an analogy. "It's like falling in love with someone, only to break up later. You can say that relationship was fake, or that it didn't matter, but the feelings you had for that person were real. They belong to you, and no one can take that away. You carry those emotions with you until you die."

"..."

"But Qing Ling didn't have that. When she dies, she'll be completely alone." Officer Huang paused for a moment. "Maybe that's why she's more obsessed with getting stronger than anyone else. She's afraid of dying alone, like… never having lived at all."

Officer Huang smiled sadly. "I love my wife, and I'll always love her. Even if one day she beastifies and kills me, or I have to kill her, it doesn't matter. In my heart, she hasn't disappeared or changed. She just died. Everyone dies, don't they?"

Gao Yang didn't know how to respond. He didn't fully understand, but he nodded.

To survive in this world, it seemed that awakened individuals all had their own philosophies. Qing Ling's philosophy was to grow stronger, Officer Huang's was love, but what about his own philosophy?

Gao Yang didn't have an answer yet.

Soon, Officer Huang parked in front of a bustling night market. He got out of the car. "I'm going to get my wife a bowl of sour and spicy noodles. It'll be quick. Do you and Qing Ling want some too? This place uses sweet potato noodles that are really chewy. I've been eating here for over ten years."

Gao Yang nodded. "Sure… Add another bowl for me."

It was getting late, and his sister was probably still awake.

His phone rang, and Gao Yang glanced down at the caller ID: Gao Xinxin.

Just as he said "speak of the devil," Gao Yang answered the call. "Hello?"

"Bro! Where are you? Come back right now…"

His sister burst into tears.