Chapter 8: The First Note

"Alright, you two, help me handle something. As a condition, I'll first tell you all the serial numbers beyond the 50th."

Officer Huang, using his left hand, picked up a perfectly cooked, tender spinach leaf with his chopsticks. "Not only that, but I'll also answer one question for you for free—any question you want to ask that I happen to know the answer to."

"What's the job?" Qingling asked.

"You have to agree first," Officer Huang replied with a smile. "This task is absolutely simple—I guarantee there's no life-threatening risk."

Qingling said nothing.

Gao Yang also remained silent; in truth, he had no right to negotiate conditions with Officer Huang, so he decided to follow a "keep a low profile" approach.

"You already know that the human-to-beast ratio is one in ten thousand, so you should understand just how dire your situation is." Officer Huang sighed deeply. "We are all orphans of this world, long abandoned by the gods."

Qingling fell silent, hesitating.

Gao Yang said nothing either.

Officer Huang continued in an instructive tone, "I believe that to survive in this foggy world, besides having a powerful talent, you need to master as many rules as possible."

His eyes were calm, yet his tone was resolute: "I guarantee that the value of the information I provide is worth a fortune; this deal is absolutely worthwhile."

"Deal," Gao Yang blurted out. His reasoning was simple: since the other party had gone so far, he might as well agree now and change his mind later if it didn't work out.

Qingling glared at Gao Yang but said nothing in protest.

"Smart kid," Officer Huang said with satisfaction as he pulled a notepad and pen from his uniform pocket. He scribbled three notes with a rustle, "Don't blame me for being stingy, but I still can't fully trust you. Having been reborn into this kind of hell, I must fight with every bit of strength I have left."

The officer folded the notes and handed them to Qingling.

As Qingling reached out to take them, Officer Huang quickly snatched the notes back, "Remember: Tomorrow during evening self-study, open the first note. Complete one task, then open the second; complete two tasks, then look at the third. You must follow these instructions."

Qingling took the notes and stuffed them into the front pocket of her school uniform. "Once everything's done, I want to ask two questions."

"Okay, once it's done, I'll contact you." Officer Huang stood up, pulled out his phone, and said, "Old Liu, settle the bill."

——

Late that night, when Gao Yang returned home, his mindset had undergone a dramatic transformation.

After learning that the human-to-beast ratio was one in ten thousand, he could no longer face the once warm and happy five-person family he had known.

Based on the experience of his host at the age of four, Gao Yang was almost certain: his grandfather must be a "beast"—though he wasn't sure what type.

His grandmother sharing a room with his grandfather was almost certainly a beast as well.

As for his father, mother, and younger sister…

Gao Yang didn't want to think too much about it. Deep down, he desperately wished his family were all human—even if the probability was as low as winning the lottery. Yet he couldn't completely erase that glimmer of hope; after all, they had been with him day in and day out for twelve years.

If on his 18th birthday night Gao Yang hadn't been hit by that "lunatic," if he had continued living in ignorance, grown up, married, had children, and lived out his days in peace, perhaps that would have been happiness.

Living in a web of lies isn't so tragic—as long as one never wakes up.

But there are no "ifs." Gao Yang had awakened, and his once peaceful life was gone.

Now, every person was a living hell!

From this point on, he could only proceed cautiously, as if treading on thin ice—any misstep could plunge him into an abyss.

At three in the morning, his family had already gone to sleep. Naturally, in the morning he would receive a scolding from his parents, but at least tonight he wouldn't have to face them. He had time to adjust his mindset and find the best state of mind to confront his family.

Exhausted in both body and mind, Gao Yang climbed into the bathtub, yearning only to soak in a hot bath. As he looked up, he saw a hexagram star emitting a faint glow. This time he didn't touch it; instead, he closed his eyes and tried to control it with his inner voice: Enter System.

[Beep——]

[Entering System]

[You have just gained 27 Lucky Points; your total is now 30 Lucky Points. Would you like to use them?]

——Use them.

[Opening Attribute Panel for you]

[Stamina: 12 Endurance: 12]

[Strength: 11 Agility: 11]

[Spirit: 10 Charisma: 10]

[Luck: 0]

Gao Yang immediately noticed that some of his base attributes had increased, albeit very slightly.

——Will attribute values automatically increase?

[Attribute values will fluctuate slightly based on your physical functions and condition.]

[Today you had a fulfilling day; you're a little stronger than you were yesterday.]

——So if I do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, plus a 10KM run every day for three years, until all my hair falls out, will I become the strongest on Earth?

[Theoretically, your body will become stronger, but you might also suffer muscle strains, knee wear, and other injuries.]

——Then how do I get stronger?

[Use your Lucky Points to permanently enhance your attribute values.]

[Also, different talents provide permanent bonuses to different attributes.]

——Is Qingling's Blade God talent that powerful?

[Talent: Blade God. Serial Number: 32. Rune Type: Damage.]

[Maxed Blade God: Mastery of bladed weapons; bladed weapon damage increased threefold, with a physical defense break rate of 91.4%.]

[Maxed Blade God permanent attribute bonuses: Stamina +400, Strength +800, Agility +1000, Charisma +400.]

——What about Gun God talent?

[Talent: Gun God. Serial Number: 41. Rune Type: Damage.]

[Maxed Gun God: Mastery of firearms; 97.3% accuracy, firing rate of 12 shots per second.]

[Maxed Gun God permanent attribute bonuses: Stamina +300, Strength +700, Agility +800, Charisma +300.]

——Damn.

[A type of plant?]

——Lousy system!

[Not even mysticism can save you, nor can spending money change your fate.]

[Today you also discovered a new talent—Metal. Would you like to learn more details?]

——Don't show it to me; my heart can't take it.

[Would you like to allocate your attribute points now?]

——I only have 30 Lucky Points. What's there to allocate? I'll just put them all into Luck! I want to see just how lucky I can get.

[Once allocated, Lucky Points cannot be changed. Are you sure?]

——Sure, hurry it up!

[Congratulations! Your Luck has surpassed 30; all your attribute values have received a permanent bonus of 6 points.]

[Stamina: 18 Endurance: 18]

[Strength: 17 Agility: 17]

[Spirit: 17 Charisma: 16]

[Luck: 30]

——Six points? Can't you be any stingier?

——Wait, no—6 points for each of the 6 attributes, for a total of 36 points. This deal isn't bad at all.

[Additionally, you have unlocked a hidden interface. Would you like to unlock it?]

——Unlock it! Hurry!

[Sorry, not enough Luck.]

——What the hell are you saying!

[Access terminated; system hidden.]

[Beep——]

...

Early the next morning, Gao Yang got up, and sure enough, his mother scolded him relentlessly: With the college entrance exam approaching, how could he be out at night for the past two days, not replying to messages or answering calls, becoming such a worry?

Gao Yang lied, saying it was Wang Zikai's birthday and that he had gone to karaoke with him, singing until midnight.

His mother, upon hearing this, became even angrier: "Wang Zikai? Didn't he get expelled? Don't spend all your time with that kid—don't let him corrupt you."

At the breakfast table, his father chewed on some fried dough sticks and offered a different view: "Little Kai? His father is rich. If our son befriends him, that friend could be useful."

"Don't listen to your dad's nonsense—one who is near vermilion gets stained by it!" his mother glared at his father.

"Honey, times have changed."

"What do you mean?"

"In today's society, ability is secondary; what matters most is your network. Friends like little Kai from that circle will definitely be useful for our son in the future."

His father argued earnestly.

"What kind of twisted values are those?" his mother retorted angrily.

"Honey, I mean nothing else—just that our son should have more friends and more options. I believe Yangyang has his own judgment and won't really be led astray."

Feeling a bit aggrieved, his father gave Gao Yang a sidelong glance: "Right, son?"

"Dad, Mom, I'm full."

Gao Yang's emotions were mixed; he didn't know how to face his "family." He mumbled a few bites, then slung his backpack and went off to school.

Even though he knew deep down that his family might very well be beasts, for a fleeting moment Gao Yang wavered: My parents raised me, cared for me day in and day out—how could they be beasts? Yet, wasn't Li Weiwei once my childhood sweetheart? Such a wonderful girl, and yet in an instant she turned into a demon.

What exactly are these beasts?

What do they truly want?

How did this parallel world come to be?

Gao Yang had no answers—just as he didn't know why he'd crossed over at age six or why he ended up with this cursed system.

...

Gao Yang went to school and had an ordinary day.

Throughout the day, he didn't speak a word to Qingling—not even a fleeting glance. After the evening self-study session, Gao Yang headed to a small alley near the school, one without any surveillance cameras.

Soon enough, Qingling appeared; she pulled two thin black sweatshirts, along with two baseball caps and masks, out of a large backpack. "Change into these."

"W-what?"

"Otherwise, do you want me to set up a changing room for you?" Qingling said as she began to remove her school uniform. She changed very quickly—as if shedding snake skin—in just two or three swift moves, revealing a fair neck and a seductive collarbone. Gao Yang quickly turned away and awkwardly began to change his clothes.

Three minutes later, both of them had changed into black sweatshirts, pulled up their hoodies, and donned their baseball caps and masks.

Before departing, Qingling took out the first note from her pocket and opened it.