Li Jiehao's eyes widened. "These are my... numbers?"
"That's right."
"Wow, just like the system..." Li Jiehao looked at his list of attributes, full of anticipation, "The maximum score is 10, right?"
No.
"Huh? Could it be 100 points...?" Li Jiehao froze.
"Theoretically, a perfect score could be 100, but the score for a normal human being without special training is below 10."
Li Jiehao looked at the numbers, then at Carlo: "So... my numbers..."
"You're terrible. Aside from your physique and Spirit Mediumship, everything else is just average, and even below average," Carlo said bluntly. "If this were a game, we'd probably consider using you as experience points to feed to other powerful characters."
"No!"
"Furthermore, his physical condition is too poor, indicating long-term weakness, likely caused by malnutrition."
Li Jiehao rolled up his sleeves, revealing his thin arms; the original owner clearly hadn't left him with a good foundation. "In the original owner's memories, he saved all his money to find various ways to acquire extraordinary power, and it seems he didn't eat properly..."
"As for Spirit Mediumship, they're a bit higher than the average person's. The average person's Spirit Mediumship is around 5," Carlo said.
Isaac also came over and looked at the form. " Spirit Mediumship 10... Is the number after the plus sign an extra one?"
"If the increase is normal, it won't be specifically marked. If it's a temporary boost from external forces, like improving one's appearance, it won't be shown on the table. If it's marked, it means that a permanent transformation has been achieved through external forces."
Li Jiehao was taken aback. "You mean that ceremony?"
Carlo nodded. "Most likely. Jacob Hamil performed a ritual to pray to Morzul. After the ritual, your soul took over this body, and part of the body was also modified, permanently increasing your Spirit Mediumship abilities by 2 points. It's a decent gain, at least it will be easier for you to learn things like Spirit Vision than for ordinary people."
Li Jiehao had mixed feelings. On the one hand, he had indeed gained some kind of extraordinary enhancement, although it was only 2 points; on the other hand, this enhancement came from a deity that sounded rather strange, and he felt that he might have to pay some price in the future.
"That rationality 8..."
"Rationality represents your level of mental stability; the higher the better. A score below 6 in a normal person is prone to various mental problems, and below 3 can basically be considered insane." Carlo paused. "It also reflects your judgment to some extent."
"After transmigrating, I haven't gone mad or become stupid; I'm relatively stable. But as for rational judgment... knowing that the original owner died in a ritual related to Morzul, I thought that as long as I didn't participate in that ritual, I could continue my research safely; the zombie I created was clearly strange, and I thought it was a stroke of luck, so I followed it; when I arrived at Sherwood's house, I saw that something was clearly wrong inside, and I thought that firing a gun would scare people away..."
"So, based on your stats, your mental stability is decent, but your judgment is lacking, making you suitable to be a brainless lackey."
Li Jiehao was so ashamed he couldn't lift his head. "I just wanted to turn things around..."
Carlo put the form away. "Where do you live now?"
"Lower District, over on Gray Pigeon Street."
"The lower district is too far from here, more than an hour's drive. Let's go somewhere else."
"The firm?" Isaac asked.
The second floor of the office is Carlo's territory, and he has made it clear that no one is allowed to go up there. On the first floor, apart from the living room and the guest room where Isaac lives, there is only a storage room for miscellaneous items. There is no room available for a second room. If you want to stay, you can probably only stay with Isaac.
"There's nowhere else to go. I'm not going to make my employees huddle together to sleep." Carlo waved his hand. "Let's find a hotel or something near the office."
Li Jiehao asked cautiously, "Staying in a hotel must cost a lot of money..."
"Accommodation will be reimbursed, but you'll have to take care of your own food. You can come to the Joint Investigation Bureau cafeteria with us; although it's been mostly potatoes lately, it's free. If you want something better, just pay for it yourself."
Li Jiehao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that his fellow villager was actually quite nice.
"Your banned books have been taken by the Joint Investigation Bureau. Now go back and take the rest you need." Carlo stood up. "We'll go with you."
Li Jiehao was taken aback. "No need to trouble yourself, I can go back and get it myself, I'll be back soon."
Carlo looked at him like he was an idiot. "Do you think you're safe right now? Going it alone is a prerequisite for getting yourself killed."
"Hiss..."
Isaac stood up, picked up his cane, and the three left the Joint Investigation Bureau. Before leaving, Li Jiehao looked back at the door one last time, rubbing his hands together. "Boss, can I still get that walker back?"
What do you think?
"Okay." Li Jiehao hung his head and followed him out the door.
The three of them took a railcar to Gray Pigeon Street. The buildings outside the window gradually changed into the densely packed row houses of the Lower Town. They were low and crowded, with mottled walls and clothes hanging from the windows. Some windows were broken and no one repaired them. They were just haphazardly boarded up.
The tram stopped at one station. After getting off, they walked along the street for a distance before Li Jiehao led the two into a small alley and into an apartment building.
The hallway was dimly lit, with only a little light coming in through a small window, and a foul smell from the public restroom wafted through the air.
Climbing up to the third floor, in front of a door in the corridor, there was a City Police Force officer standing there, the door sealed off.
A police officer from the City Police Force raised his hand to signal, "What are you looking at! This area is cordoned off."
Carlo pulled out his badge and flashed it. " Joint Investigation Bureau, bring some people back to pick up something."
The officer checked the identification, moved aside, and removed the seal. "As soon as possible."
The room wasn't large; it contained a single bed, a desk, a chair, and several bags of odds and ends piled in the corner. The window faced north, so the light was dim, and there was a musty smell.
There were still magic circles drawn on the ground and candles placed there. Scattered strips of cloth were piled up to one side, obviously the remnants of Li Jiehao's creation of the zombies last night had not been cleaned up before he went out with the zombies.
Isaac looked around. Although the apartment was simple, it was considered a middle-to-upper-class residence for low-income groups. At least it was a private room with its own entrance, so he didn't have to share a room with others, which was already a luxury.
"This room must cost a lot in rent, right?" Isaac's "a lot" was naturally in comparison to Li Jiehao's income.
Li Jiehao explained in a low voice, "He didn't live here at first, but after he got those books, he felt it was inconvenient to conduct research here and was afraid of being discovered, so he rented this single room. The rent takes up most of his income, and he can only make do with what he has for food."
Carlo walked to the desk. "The useful things should have all been taken. See if there's anything else you want to take, like clothes and daily necessities."
Li Jiehao opened the wardrobe, inside which hung two or three shirts and a ripped jacket. He rummaged through them and then pulled out a small wooden box from under the bed, containing several notebooks, a stack of letter paper, and some loose coins.