Gao Yang knew Qing Ling wasn't joking; she never did.

The current situation was somewhat within his expectations. When he decided to save Wang Zikai, it wasn't entirely out of kindness—he had other considerations that he hadn't fully figured out at the time.

After a whole day of thinking, he had sorted it out. Now it was time for his performance; he decided to employ the ultimate tactic from hot-blooded manga—talk-no-jutsu!

"Qing Ling, I know you've survived this long because of your extreme caution and decisiveness."

"Flattery won't work," Qing Ling said coldly.

"Let me ask you a question: What is your purpose for surviving?"

"Surviving does not require a purpose. "Do you want to die?" Qing Ling did not comprehend.

"Of course not, but everyone will die someday. Even if you live to be 100, you will die," Gao Yang said, laughing awkwardly. "But living isn't just about eating, drinking, and defecating; there must be something you want to do, right?"

Qing Ling stayed mute.

"Take your time thinking about it; there's no rush to answer," Gao Yang said. "Let me give you a reason why you can't kill Wang Zikai."

"Speak."

"Even though I've only awakened for a few days, I've come to realize that being an awakened one is extremely dangerous. Your long survival isn't solely because you're strong and cautious."

"It's also because I have a second personality," Qing Ling was well aware.

"Exactly. Once you become an awakened one, you'll instinctively repel, distance from, and guard against all beasts. Other than the lost ones, beasts can sense this. Over time, awakened ones will expose themselves. But you're different. You have a second personality. Although your second personality is also aloof and has androphobia, she can still get along well with all the beasts.

"Other awakened ones aren't so lucky. For example, me and Fatty Jun—no matter how good our acting is, we always have our guard up against beasts. Once we find other awakened ones, we instinctively want to band together. Banding together seems safer, but actually..."

Qing Ling stepped out of the shadows. "It's more dangerous."

"Yes, these beasts aren't stupid. Although according to Fat Jun's observations, they act like humans 24/7. They don't proactively test, lure, threaten, or attack unawakened humans. But that doesn't mean they aren't observing us.

"Li Weiwei is the best example. Before this, she was my childhood friend; we talked about everything. But as soon as I awakened, she immediately revealed her true nature and tried to kill me."

Qing Ling nodded. "If more than a few humans are closely connected, the beasts have reason to suspect whether these humans are awakened. After all, at a ratio of one in ten thousand, it's not normal."

Gao Yang sighed. "Yes, but if we don't band together, we can't get more information, understand more rules, or seek the truth. Even if we each survive to 100, we'll still be—" Gao Yang paused for a second, quoting Officer Huang's words dramatically, "orphans abandoned by the gods."

Qing Ling's eyes flickered, deep in thought.

"Back to my previous question," Gao Yang stepped forward, "Qing Ling, why do you live? Don't you want to figure out why this world has become like this? Don't you want to understand the truth behind it? Or, find a truly safe place, or even defeat these beasts? These are the things we must do."

Qing Ling remained silent.

Gao Yang felt hopeful, his voice growing more passionate. "Now here's the problem: As awakened ones, we can only become stronger and win by banding together. But once we band together, it increases the risk of exposure, leading to our elimination before we gain enough advantage."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Qing Ling asked.

"There's a way to significantly reduce our risk of exposure."

"The lost ones." Qing Ling understood.

"Yes, the lost ones are the best smoke screen," Gao Yang speculated. "Beasts act like humans every second, so a beast might recognize its kind but might not differentiate which type of beast it is. If we frequently have Wang Zikai with us, it won't arouse other beasts' suspicion."

"Besides, from my life trajectory, Wang Zikai is my good friend. You got involved with me because of Li Weiwei's death... If the three of us stay together, it makes sense. Conversely, if you kill Wang Zikai now, it would be too suspicious."

Qing Ling nodded. "Li Weiwei was your childhood friend and my good friend. If both of these beasts die and we two humans frequently contact each other, it would raise more suspicion."

Gao Yang smiled. "Maintaining close relationships with beasts is important; it's a form of cover. Officer Huang doesn't kill Grandpa Liu, probably for the same reason."

Qing Ling said, "Alright, you've convinced me."

Gao Yang breathed a sigh of relief. Whew, he had finally managed to get through this.

……

That night, Gao Yang returned home. Everything was as usual. His parents nagged him again about staying out late, but they didn't notice anything else.

After dealing with them, he locked his bedroom door, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes.

[Beep—]

[Entering System]

[You have gained 71 Luck Points]

—Wait, isn't it 1 Luck Point per hour?

—At most, it's been 50 hours since the last login, right?

[Your Luck Talent has leveled up to 2]

[From now on, the level of danger during your survival time will affect the gain of Luck Points]

[You experienced 20 minutes of extremely perilous survival time, which increased your Luck Points gain by 60 times]

—Is this referring to the time when "Aunt He" attacked? Indeed, fortune favors the bold!

—Allocate all points to Fortune.

[Once Luck Points are allocated, they cannot be changed. Are you sure?]

—Yes! Do it quickly!

[Congratulations! Fortune has exceeded 100 points. Attribute values have been randomly and permanently increased: Stamina +9, Endurance +10, Agility +10, Spirit +20, Charm +3]

[Stamina: 27 Endurance: 28]

[Strength: 17 Agility: 27]

[Spirit: 37 Charm: 19]

[Fortune: 101]

—Ah, this time it feels like a loss, didn't gain much.

—What’s the use of Spirit?

[Spirit increases the output and defense of mental talents. It also enhances perception, making it easier to detect danger and hostility]

—Got it.

—By the way, can the hidden panel be unlocked?

[Sorry, your Fortune is insufficient]

—How much is needed?

[You do not have the right to know at this time]

—Alright, I'll keep accumulating.

[Additional Information: With Luck at level 2, the Talent Temple has been unlocked. You now have one free enlightenment opportunity. Do you want to use it?]

—Wow! This is good. Looks like I can have more talents.

—Tell me, which is more important, talents or attributes?

[In the early stages, talents have higher priority. Attributes require a quantitative change to cause a qualitative change and need to be paired with talents to achieve the best effect]

—Alright, I’ll take your word for it. Use the enlightenment opportunity.

[Enlightenment in progress...]

[Enlightenment failed]

—Haha, as expected.

[Another enlightenment attempt requires 30 Luck Points]

—You should have said that earlier, I allocated all points! Forget it, I’ll try again tomorrow.

[Access ended, system hidden]

[Beep—]

……

The next morning, it rained lightly.

Gao Yang strolled through the rainy and congested streets, clutching an umbrella. He couldn't help but sigh as he observed the office workers waiting for traffic lights and crowding onto buses and subways; these monsters are truly committed; people used to refer to them as "corporate slaves," and it turns out they are.

Gao Yang went to school. During the morning self-study period, the homeroom teacher walked in. "Gao Yang, Qing Ling, the police are here. They want to see you in the office about Li Weiwei."

Even though Li Weiwei's death was only a few days ago, the homeroom teacher's face had already lost any sense of gravity and regret, becoming very indifferent, even a bit impatient.

Gao Yang and Qing Ling got up and left the classroom, heading to the office.

Officer Huang was smoking in the office, and no other teachers were present.

"Is everything handled from the last time?" Qing Ling asked.

"Don't worry, no traces left," Officer Huang flicked his cigarette ash. "I heard from Fatty Jun the reason for your failure."

"We can try again," Qing Ling said. "This time we'll definitely succeed."

Officer Huang didn't comment. He put his cigarette butt in the ashtray, slowly pressing it out. "I met my wife in high school. She was my first love, and we've been together for many years. I thought I knew her well... I mean, I thought I understood her as a 'human.'"

Officer Huang stood up, looked around again to ensure the office was completely safe, and then lowered his voice. "But recently, my wife started acting strange. I thought she might have discovered something and begun to suspect me. Although I never tested my wife, I always thought she was a lost one. But if she started suspecting me, then she couldn't possibly be a lost one.

"I've been in agony, struggling with fear and anxiety, and eventually, I developed the urge to kill her. Coincidentally, I met you, which led to our recent action."

Officer Huang raised his hands and rubbed his face vigorously, exhaling deeply. "Thank God it didn't succeed, or I would've lived a life worse than death."

"Has the plan changed?" Gao Yang asked.

"Yes, the plan has changed." Officer Huang stood up. "Last night, I found out I misunderstood my wife. She was acting strange because she was hiding something from me. She confessed to me last night. Honestly, I was very shocked to learn the truth."

"What is it?"

"My wife," Officer Huang looked at Gao Yang and Qing Ling with a deep gaze. "Is pregnant."