A new Talent

The Tang Dao buried in Uncle Zhang's "brain" continued pressing downward under an invisible force, but the power of level 2 [Metal] was simply too limited.

Qingling unleashed all her strength, yet the Tang Dao could still only sink inch by inch.

Two tentacles swiftly coiled around the Tang Dao, yanked it free, and flung it away. Blood gushed violently from Uncle Zhang's brain in a gruesome torrent. Even so, the enormous gash began to close, though noticeably more slowly than his tentacles healed.

He was badly wounded, but... he was still alive!

The severed tentacles crawled across the ground, then shot back into the main body. Fresh tentacles surged out of his body once again.

Qingling had taken a hard fall. Her face was pale and smeared with blood. She staggered to her feet, still trying to retrieve the blade nearby. Four tentacles shot out and coiled around her wrists and ankles.

Qingling struggled to break free, but to no avail. The tentacles dragged her toward the main body...

"Die!"

With a shout, Gaoyang charged at Uncle Zhang, golf club raised.

He knew that, as a useless loser, the only thing he could do now was run-as far as possible. That was what any self-respecting loser should do. Yet for some reason, when he saw Qingling get caught, his legs refused to obey him, and his brain stopped thinking. By the time he came to his senses, he was already charging forward like an idiot.

Before Gaoyang could reach Uncle Zhang, a tentacle slid across the ground and wrapped around his calf.

The tentacle yanked hard. Gaoyang fell with a grunt and was dragged toward Uncle Zhang's main body. Soon, he would end up in Uncle Zhang's stomach, just like Qingling.

"Hold on!" Officer Huang charged forward too, grabbing Gaoyang with one hand and hugging a nearby lamppost with the other. Thanks to his Gun God Talent, Officer Huang had astonishing arm strength. His grip clamped firmly around Gaoyang's wrist, and for the moment, he actually held his own against Uncle Zhang's tentacle.

Gaoyang couldn't feel happy about it.

For one thing, his body was like the rope in a tug-of-war, and he felt as though he might snap at any moment. For another, more and more tentacles were repairing themselves and joining the fight. If this dragged on, they had no chance of winning.

Worst of all, Qingling was being dragged inexorably toward Uncle Zhang.

Stay calm. Stay calm.

The worse things get, the more I need to stay calm.

Gaoyang took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

[Entering system]

[You have gained 30 Fortune points]

-Thirty Fortune points?!

[You have just experienced six minutes of extreme danger. Your gain multiplier increased to 300×]

-Unlock a new Talent! Hurry!

[Unlocking a new Talent costs 30 Fortune points. Confirm?]

-Confirm!

[Unlocking...]

[Unlocking...]

[Unlocking...]

[Unlock successful]

[Talent: Copy. Serial number: 18. Rune type: Knowledge]

[Level 1 Copy: Can copy any Talent with a serial number above 30]

[Copy method: Touch the other person's body for 1 second]

[Copy capacity: 1 Talent. Storage duration: 1 hour]

[Use duration: 3 seconds. Copy cooldown: 12 hours]

[Level 1 Copy permanent stat bonuses: Willpower +30, Charisma -10]

-Yes! Finally!

[Congratulations! You have successfully unlocked your first new Talent. Unlocking another will cost 60 Fortune points]

[Session ended. System hidden]

[Beep-]

Gaoyang opened his eyes. Just over a meter away, Qingling lay on her side against the ground, being dragged inch by inch toward Uncle Zhang. She dug both hands into the ground, trying to resist the tentacles' pull, but it was no use.

Gaoyang assessed the situation and made a swift decision. "Officer Huang! Let go of me!"

"Are you crazy?"

"Let go! I have a plan! Trust me!"

Every second counted. Officer Huang could no longer afford to hesitate, so he released Gaoyang.

The tentacle pulled hard at once, dragging Gaoyang toward Uncle Zhang even faster than Qingling. As he slid past her, Gaoyang thrust out his right hand. He had intended to touch her head, but their bodies were parallel, and he fell just two centimeters short.

Gaoyang strained to straighten his arm and spread his fingers, but could only watch as his hand slid past her forehead, the tip of her nose, her mouth, and her chin, never quite reaching her.

Was it over?!

Gaoyang's heart sank.

No! His eyes lit up as he spotted a chance!

Half a second later, the tip of Gaoyang's right middle finger lightly caught against the swell of Qingling's breast.

Still struggling desperately, Qingling noticed Gaoyang's strange action too. She wasn't angry; only faint confusion showed in her eyes. What was he trying to do? A last desperate struggle? Or a farewell before death?

[Only eligible Talent detected: Level 3 Blade God. Copy?]

-Copy!

In an instant, Gaoyang felt a surge of energy enter his body through the tip of his middle finger. It was incredibly mysterious, almost alive, and still carried its owner's vivid imprint and presence.

Gaoyang roared, "Give me the blade!"

Qingling didn't understand what Gaoyang wanted to do, but instinctively made the best possible response. She stopped clawing at the ground and focused on controlling her weapon.

The Tang Dao nearby rose into the air and flew toward Gaoyang.

Gaoyang quickly caught the long blade. The instant he gripped its hilt, a sense of familiarity swept through him, as though he had wielded this weapon ten thousand times.

Memories, movements, experience, intuition... countless pieces of information merged into an indescribable energy. Like a sacred living being or a mysterious heroic spirit, it gently enveloped his entire body, guiding him, directing him, giving him strength.

With a deft twist of his right wrist, Gaoyang easily sliced through the tentacle wrapped around his calf.

Now he was less than two meters from Uncle Zhang's main body-the most dangerous position, but also the most advantageous. His eyes had already found the best opening and the ideal angle for his strike.

He turned sideways, half crouched, and lowered his blade.

Legs, waist, right arm, all aligned-draw!

"Shhk-" The Tang Dao swept diagonally upward, slicing through that disgusting mass of flesh.

He wasn't finished. His blade swiftly reversed for another slash. The severed mass, two-thirds of the whole, was still hanging in midair when it split in half again.

Everything happened in an instant.

Blood sprayed out immediately. The wail came half a second after the slash, but it was extremely brief, dissolving into the rain of blood before it could fully form.

Three seconds were up.

The Blade God Talent vanished.

At the same time, the tentacles binding Qingling loosened.

Qingling froze for a fraction of a second, then sprang up, dashed forward, and snatched the Tang Dao from Gaoyang's hand. She hacked at the corpse over a dozen times, quite literally chopping him into pieces, and only stopped once she was certain he couldn't come back to life.

Under the moonlight, Qingling's black hair was stained with scarlet blood, dripping wetly over her cool, pale face and spotless school uniform.

The girl tilted her head back slightly, her chest heaving. Scattered limbs and entrails lay at her feet. In that moment, she looked like an angel of slaughter fallen into hell.

A few seconds later, she slowly turned her head. Her gaze on Gaoyang was cold and sharp.

"Whoosh-" In the blink of an eye, the Tang Dao, untouched by a single drop of blood, rested against Gaoyang's neck.

Qingling's voice simmered with anger. "You'd better explain what just happened."

"I'm sorry!" Gaoyang raised both hands and hastily apologized. "I shouldn't have touched you..."

"Who cares about that?" Qingling turned the blade in her hand. "Talk! Why do you have the Blade God Talent? Why have you been hiding your strength all this time?"