One Twist After Another

Roylena looked at Qin Siyang, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"[Pleasure-Seeker]."

"Hm?"

"I said, my Sequence is [Pleasure-Seeker]."

After saying that, Roylena gave him a despairing smile.

Watching her seem to lose all her spirit, Qin Siyang understood why Roylena had chosen to hide her identity as a Sequence Ability User.

The most famous skill of the [Pleasure-Seeker] was its Sequence Level one skill, [Ultimate Pleasure].

When used, it could grant a designated target supreme pleasure for a certain period, giving the target an intense desire to engage in pleasure with the user.

[Ultimate Pleasure] worked not only on humans, but also on Gods. When a [Pleasure-Seeker] used [Ultimate Pleasure], Gods would gather around them.

A [Pleasure-Seeker] Sequence Ability User had only two possible fates.

A plaything for the powerful elite inside the Safe Zone, or bait for hunting Gods outside it.

Either choice meant endless suffering.

That was why people who awakened as [Pleasure-Seekers] usually had no choice but to hide their identities and live out their lives as ordinary people.

Once discovered, they would face the beginning of eternal damnation.

That was also why Roylena had concealed her Sequence.

Qin Siyang remained expressionless, but felt a little sympathy for her.

Yet he kept that sympathy within reasonable bounds and let it grow no further.

Sympathy would affect his judgment. He had to be absolutely cold-blooded to be absolutely certain.

Even after Roylena revealed her Sequence, Qin Siyang did not let the matter rest.

Looking at the despairing Roylena, he said, "There's no one on the road right now. So please use [Ultimate Pleasure] on me."

"What are you trying to do?!"

"I have to confirm that you really are a [Pleasure-Seeker]."

Qin Siyang believed he might need Roylena's help again in the future.

That meant he had to get hold of her deepest secret.

There was no way Qin Siyang would believe her just because she claimed to be a [Pleasure-Seeker] and shed a couple of tears.

"Do you have to drive me into a corner? I've already told you! What more do you want from me?!"

Roylena pleaded with Qin Siyang through her tears.

But Qin Siyang remained emotionless. "Use [Ultimate Pleasure], or I'll leave with the gun."

Hearing not the slightest fluctuation in Qin Siyang's voice, Roylena knew her tearful pleas had done nothing.

"Fine. You win."

Roylena wiped away her tears and straightened her disheveled blond hair.

"I'm not a [Pleasure-Seeker]. How did you figure it out? Was my crying not convincing enough?"

"Don't ask so many questions. You're in no position to. Tell me your Sequence."

Qin Siyang had not spotted any signs that Roylena was acting. His heart really had softened for a moment.

But after being fooled once by Liu Dazhi, he had become more cautious. He had to make absolutely sure nothing could go wrong.

He had not expected Roylena to still be playing games.

This beautiful, blond-haired, blue-eyed policewoman really did hide her depths.

Roylena looked utterly helpless. "[Titan]. My Sequence is [Titan]."

As she spoke, she held out her hand. He did not know what she did, but her palm kept swelling, instantly growing as large as the sofa in Qin Siyang's home.

Then her hand returned to normal, as though it had deflated.

"The [Titan] Sequence lets you enlarge part of your body or your whole body, and increases the strength of the enlarged parts. They usually serve as tanks in a Hunting Squad, fighting Gods head-on."

"But the [Titan] Sequence has an extremely high death rate, because the human body ultimately can't match a God's strength. I didn't want to live in constant fear outside the Safe Zone, so I hid my Sequence identity and joined the Police Bureau."

"What I just used was [Localized Enlargement], the [Titan] Sequence's Level one skill. Only the [Titan] Sequence can do that, so I'm not lying."

Roylena smiled at Qin Siyang. "Can you give me back my gun now?"

Qin Siyang recalled the traits of various Sequence Ability Users.

Although he could not remember every type of Sequence Ability User's skills, the [Titan] Sequence did seem to be the only one that could enlarge the body.

No, there was another!

At that thought, Qin Siyang stopped being in a hurry to leave and fell silent once more.

Roylena frowned. "What is it now? Why won't you give me my gun?"

"I'm waiting."

"For what?"

"Ten minutes. Then you can use [Localized Enlargement], the [Titan] Sequence's Level one skill, again."

A flicker of shock crossed Roylena's eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I need to confirm whether you're really a [Titan], or whether you just happened to imitate [Localized Enlargement] once as a-"

"[Deceiver]."

"If I remember correctly, the [Deceiver] Sequence can imitate skills they've seen, but only their outward appearance. Nothing else."

"And they can't imitate the same skill twice in a row."

Roylena's smile, which had begun to relax, vanished at once.

"You're really hard to deal with."

"So?"

Roylena slumped against a nearby tree. "You're right. My Sequence is [Deceiver]."

To prove she was not lying this time, a multicolored mask suddenly appeared on her face.

That was an ability of the [Shaman] Sequence.

Qin Siyang nodded.

Roylena really was a [Deceiver]. He had finally drawn the truth out of her. But the process had been far too convoluted, and she had nearly fooled him several times.

Roylena added, "Since you know my secret now, I hope you'll keep yourself safe too, so you don't end up selling me out. You asked about faking a Sequence, but all I can tell you is that faking a Sequence Ability isn't a permanent solution. Someone will always have leverage over you, and you'll live in fear every day."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"In the long run, you'd better find some way to counter whoever helps you fake your Sequence. Otherwise, they'll have you under their thumb forever."

"Thank you. Your Chinese is very good, and you even put plenty of emotion into it. You almost fooled me. That's impressive too."

"It's how I make a living. Of course I had to learn it properly. You're impressive yourself. More impressive than any of the colleagues or criminals I've dealt with. Every lie I tell gets ruthlessly exposed in front of you. The last time that happened was when I first met Inspector Olof."

Qin Siyang had gotten the answer he wanted and had no intention of staying in the woods to waste more time with this policewoman whose mouth was full of lies.

"I'll leave first. I'll put your pistol on the path through the woods. Three minutes after I leave, follow the route I took, and you'll find it."

"Fine, I get it. Just disappear already. I really don't want to look at you a second longer, you scheming, deceitful devil."

Qin Siyang shrugged. "At least I never lied to you from start to finish, did I, kind and honest Roylena?"

Roylena snorted and did not answer.

In high spirits, Qin Siyang turned to leave, retrieving the lunch box he had hidden in the bushes on his way out.

"You may be smart, but you'd better be careful," Roylena warned him from behind. "Whatever you do, don't fall into Olof's hands. Otherwise, you'll drag me down with you!"

"Olof? I'll remember that. Thanks."