Chapter 39: Visiting the Murder House at Night

In the middle of the night, outside Gujia Village, in a small forest.

After vomiting, Wang Zikai fainted. Fat Jun tried to treat him but had no success. Fat Jun's healing talent was only at level 2, which mainly accelerated the healing of external injuries for a short period of time.

For the kind of "poisoning" Wang Zikai was experiencing, Fat Jun was powerless.

After this ordeal, no one dared to stay in Gojia Village, but they couldn't leave either. They pretended to have left and hid in the small forest. Everyone was exhausted, both physically and mentally, with no idea how much longer they would be stuck in this strange place or what would happen next.

Officer Huang suggested splitting into pairs to take turns resting and conserve energy. No one objected.

Gao Yang was paired with Qing Ling, while Officer Huang was with Fat Jun. They would take turns every two hours.

Throughout the afternoon, the sounds of traditional opera, drums, suona horns, and firecrackers echoed continuously from the direction of Gojia Village, creating an eerie atmosphere typical of a secluded mountain village until evening when it finally quieted down.

Not long after nightfall, Wang Zikai stirred. He seemed to not have slept enough, muttering and tossing around before falling back asleep. His state seemed more like he was drunk rather than poisoned.

This was expected by Gao Yang. No matter what Wang Zikai had eaten, he was a beast, and it wouldn't be that easy for him to die.

Gao Yang closed his eyes and opened his system interface to check his luck points, which had accumulated to 25. Since two in the afternoon the previous day, after his encounter in the ancestral hall of Gojia Village, he had earned 8 luck points. Since entering the "second" Gojia Village at noon, his gains had been doubled, bringing the total to 16, with a total of 24 luck points. The extra 1 luck point came from his time in a coma, which lasted less than half an hour after he fell into a "well."

"What are you thinking about?" Qing Ling's voice broke the silence.

Gao Yang opened his eyes and disconnected from the system.

"Nothing," he said, then reached over to pinch Qing Ling's cheek.

"Addicted to pinching?" Qing Ling sounded displeased.

"Don't misunderstand. It's been over 12 hours, I can replicate talents again," Gao Yang said sincerely. "It turns out that Officer Huang's gunmaster ability is not as useful as your swordmaster."

"Ah..." Before Gao Yang could finish, he suddenly pushed against the ground, feeling blood rush to his head and his breath become heavy.

"What's wrong?" Qing Ling asked.

"Nothing…." A few seconds later, Gao Yang waved his hand, his face flushed. "It just suddenly felt… so good."

Qing Ling was slightly stunned. "Your talent leveled up."

[Congratulations! Talent Copied: Upgrade]

[Level 2 Replication: Can copy all talents below sequence number 22.]

[Copy Method: Touch target's body for 0.9 seconds.]

[Copy Limit: 1? Storage Time: 3 hours.]

[Usage Time: 10 seconds, Cooldown: 1 hour.]

[Level 2 Permanent Attribute Bonus: +100 Mental Power, -20 Charm.]

[Stamina: 27, Endurance: 28.]

[Strength: 17, Agility: 27.]

[Mental: 137, Charm: 47.]

[Luck: 132.]

[Note: Does not stack with Level 1 permanent attributes.]

Gao Yang nodded. "Yeah, my replication talent has reached level 2."

Qing Ling thought for a moment. "It seems right. The upgrade from level 1 to level 2 must simply be based on usage frequency. My swordmaster and metal talents both leveled up after using them a few times."

Gao Yang still lingered on the feeling. "So that feeling I just had… you've experienced it two, no, three times?"

"Yes."

"No wonder you're so eager to level up!" Gao Yang genuinely understood Qing Ling now. Honestly, leveling up in those one or two seconds was like being in heaven.

Qing Ling understood the meaning behind Gao Yang's words and a glint of disdain flashed in her eyes.

"Did your talent level up, Gao Yang? That's great, our chances of winning just got a little better," Officer Huang had woken up. He immediately searched for a cigarette but found only a crumpled cigarette pack in his chest pocket.

"Don't emphasize the 'little better' part," Gao Yang said with self-deprecating humor.

Officer Huang tossed the empty pack aside, stood up, and stretched his body. Then, with his usual routine, he checked his gun, making sure the bullets were in place before returning it to his waist.

Fat Jun groggily woke up. A cold wind blew, causing his corpulent body to shiver. He instinctively moved closer to Gao Yang and Qing Ling.

Officer Huang glanced at Wang Zikai, who was still asleep with even breathing. "Looks like he's fine."

"He should be fine now," Gao Yang said.

"He really is the most incredible…," Officer Huang started, but stopped himself, smiling instead.

"Better not stay here overnight," Qing Ling suggested.

Officer Huang looked around, then nodded. "Indeed, it's uncomfortable to rest here. My waist is sore."

"..."

"I'm just joking," Officer Huang looked toward the dark forest. There was a faint light in the direction of the village. "Once they're all asleep, we'll head back into the village."

"Ah? We're going back?" Fat Jun seemed reluctant.

"It's unsafe here," Gao Yang said. "It's pitch dark, with no cover. We could be ambushed, which would put us at a disadvantage."

Qing Ling glanced at Fat Jun. "You would definitely be the first to die."

Under the moonlight, Fat Jun's face turned dark blue, and his mouth twitched. He awkwardly scrambled to his feet. "Let's go back! We should hurry back to the village!"

...

Late at night, everyone in Gojia Village had gone to sleep, except for those guarding the spirit hall on the mountain. Wang Zikai had also sobered up. Under Officer Huang's lead, the five of them proceeded in the dark, avoiding lights, and walked through the vegetable garden and pond to the edge of the village.

Once they entered the village, they turned left and approached a rammed earth house on the west side. It was about 100 square meters, rectangular in shape, with a cement yard. A chicken coop had been roughly built with fences and wood, and police tape was tied around it, marking the crime scene. Officer Huang tore the tape and led the way inside.

"Ah..." Fat Jun gasped before quickly covering his mouth. Under the moonlight, he saw dark blood stains all over the cement ground.

"Officer Huang, do you mean...?" Fat Jun didn't finish his sentence.

"Yes," Officer Huang nodded. "We'll rest here tonight."

"B-but... people died here! A family of five... dismembered!" Fat Jun exclaimed in panic.

No one responded. They passed through the yard and arrived at the main house's door, which had a sealed warning posted on it. Above the door, there were many dried corn cobs and red peppers hanging. Piles of firewood were stacked nearby.

Officer Huang tore open the seal and gently pushed the door.

"Creek, creek, creak..." The door slowly opened, and everyone involuntarily held their breath.