"Bang—"

Officer Huang fired three shots in an instant, but because of the rapid succession, Gao Yang only heard a single gunshot.

As the gunshot rang out, three sparks appeared in the air two meters away from Officer Huang, as he managed to shoot down the three attacking daggers.

However, the daggers were just a feint.

Startled, Officer Huang saw a dark figure suddenly dive at him from the left side, almost within arm’s reach.

"Shing—" A sharp white blade flashed.

In that critical moment, Officer Huang raised his gun to block, but the firearm was sliced in half like it was made of clay, along with two of his fingers, which fell to the ground like chopped scallions.

Half a second later, his head was about to be severed.

But that didn’t happen.

Officer Huang did not receive the deadly slash from the long, sharp Tang sword, which stopped at his throat. Before long, a tiny line of blood on his neck indicated that the strong sword energy had injured him.

Qing Ling withdrew her blade and stepped back. "You’re not a Wrath Beast."

Officer Huang clutched his bleeding fingers, his face pale with pain, yet he remained calm. "How do you know?"

"If you were a Wrath Beast, you would’ve used your arms to block my attack in the last second." Qing Ling lightly ran her fingers along the bloodless blade before folding and sheathing it.

"They’re confident in their own bodies; it’s a natural reaction. Humans are different; they’ll use what they think is the sturdiest object to fend off my slash."

"You’re right, I’m also an Awakener," Officer Huang smiled. "Thanks for not killing me."

...

2 AM. Emergency Building, Third Hospital, Shanqing District.

Officer Huang’s fingers had been reattached and bandaged, while Gao Yang and Qing Ling waited in the lobby.

Officer Huang walked out of the hospital, smiling. "Tomorrow, I’ll write a report saying you two were robbed by street thugs, and I got injured helping you."

Gao Yang and Qing Ling exchanged glances without speaking.

Officer Huang continued, "Hungry? Let's get something to eat."

...

The three of them headed to a nearby spicy hot pot stall. An inconspicuous blue tent was set up at the entrance of a small alley, housing a cart with a spicy pot and a small propane tank. The dim lighting and fragrant food created a cozy corner in the cold city.

The owner, a spirited old man in his sixties, greeted them with a hearty voice.

"Officer Huang! Oh, what happened to your hand?"

"Work injury."

"You really have a tough job, don’t you? Guess no alcohol for you tonight."

"That’s right, just the usual, please."

"Got it." The old man busied himself and then turned to Gao Yang and Qing Ling. "What’ll you two have?"

Qing Ling, expressionless, glanced at the menu and quickly made up her mind. "One skewer each of mushrooms, winter melon, potato, cabbage, fish balls, crab sticks, oil gluten, and a portion each of tomatoes and sweet potato noodles. Spicy."

Gao Yang was surprised by her lack of reservation.

"Same for me."

The three sat side by side at the cart, eating the fragrant hot pot. Officer Huang looked content. "Mmm, the feeling of surviving is great. I thought I’d never get to eat this again."

Qing Ling said nothing, focusing on her potatoes.

Gao Yang spoke cautiously, "Officer Huang, we should avoid discussing this in public."

Officer Huang looked up at the old man grilling meat. "It's fine. Old Liu here is a Lost One. He’ll automatically ignore any information he doesn’t want to hear, right, Old Liu?"

Old Liu looked up, "What’s that?"

"I said today's pork lungs are crispy. I'll have another serving."

"Got it." Old Liu chuckled happily.

Gao Yang finally felt relieved. "Were you intentionally testing Qing Ling and me today?"

Officer Huang's smile was a bit helpless. "I knew you were an Awakener, but I didn’t expect your girlfriend to be one too."

"Not a girlfriend." Qing Ling finished her potato slices and started on the fish balls.

"Do you remember the mentally ill person I killed that day?" Officer Huang asked.

"Yes." How could he forget? If it weren't for that, he wouldn't be in this mess now.

"He was also an Awakener." Officer Huang’s eyes showed regret. "But he was completely exposed and had no hope. Instead of letting him be tortured or eaten by Wrath Beasts, I gave him a quick end."

Gao Yang remained silent.

"That guy's talent was [Smell], serial number 175. He could distinguish the scent of beasts, so he lived in constant fear and eventually had a mental breakdown."

Officer Huang stared at the steaming hot pot, waiting devoutly for the pork lungs to be ready. "He smelled that you were human right away and told you to run. If I hadn't shot him then, he might have implicated you."

"...Thank you." Gao Yang’s voice tightened.

"It’s what I should do. We’re all in the same boat."

"You mentioned talents earlier," Gao Yang licked his lips. "Does each Awakener have a unique talent?"

"Of course," Officer Huang said. "My talent is [Gun God], serial number 41. I’m proficient with firearms, always hit my target, and shoot very quickly."

"Then what’s my talent?" Gao Yang asked deliberately.

"You've always kept it hidden. Without a detection talent, how could I know?" Officer Huang laughed.

"Oh."

"[Metal], serial number 20, should be your girlfriend's talent. Every metal element is under her control."

"Not a girlfriend." Qing Ling finished her fish balls and started on the mushrooms.

Officer Huang looked at Qing Ling with envy. "Besides that, she probably also has the talent [Blade God], serial number 32. Her sword skills and destructive power are not something an ordinary person could achieve."

"Can one have multiple talents?" Gao Yang asked.

"Once a human awakens, they immediately gain a talent. They can later comprehend another one, but the methods and patterns for this are still unclear to me."

"How do you know so much about talents?" Gao Yang was puzzled. Could Officer Huang also have a system? It didn’t seem likely.

"I've lived longer than you, and as a policeman, I have more access to information." Officer Huang smiled. "In fact, I've seen a complete list of talents. Based on my experiences, I believe the information on that list is accurate."

"How many talents are there in total?" Qing Ling began eating the cabbage after finishing her fish balls.

"There are 199 serial numbers. Theoretically, the smaller the number, the stronger the talent." Officer Huang looked at Qing Ling enviously. "You’re very strong."

Gao Yang's heart sank: My serial number is 199, the lowest. No wonder I’m so insignificant. And they call it 'Luck'. Luck, my foot.

Qing Ling put down her chopsticks. "Give me the talent list."

"There’s no physical copy." Officer Huang pointed to his head. "It’s all up here."

"Then tell me."

"Telling you," Officer Huang smiled faintly, "is not impossible."

"You have conditions?" Gao Yang guessed.

"Of course. There’s no such thing as a free lunch." Officer Huang smiled meaningfully. "Except for this hotpot."