5."Kill to silence"

The pantry was terrifyingly quiet.

The air was completely frozen. Gao Yang could hear his own heartbeats accelerating frantically: It's over. He must have been discovered.

Gao Yang tilted his head to look at Qingling. Qingling had an expressionless face. Her brain was thinking at a high speed:

If Officer Huang is a monster, she has no chance of winning.

Killing a monster is certainly not difficult for her, but there are hundreds of "people" outside the pantry. Once she exposes her identity as an awakener, she will surely die.

"Escape?"

It's meaningless. Even if she escapes now, her identity has been exposed and she won't survive for a few days.

The previous companion of Qingling was stronger than her, but still died because of accidentally exposing the identity.

She has no choice but to bet on the last possibility.

"Officer Huang, why are you here?", Qingling asked.

Officer Huang walked slowly to the water dispenser, bent down to get a cup of cold water, and completely exposed his back in front of Qingling and Gao Yang.

After getting the water, he turned around and leaned against the table where the water dispenser was placed: "It's still the case of Li Weiwei. I want to start the investigation from the people around her, so I came to the funeral."

"Have you found anything?" Gao Yang tried hard to act like someone concerned about the progress of the case.

" "I've asked around and got some clues. But I can't tell you." Officer Huang took a sip of water and smiled: "Right, what were you talking about just now? It sounds quite interesting. What monster? What rules? " "

Gao Yang panicked in his heart. Sure enough, he couldn't get through it by bluffing.

" "Recently, there's a survival game that I'm playing. It's very popular." Gao Yang glanced at Qing Ling: "We were talking about the game."

" "Is that so?" Officer Huang nodded, looking thoughtful. "What's the name of this game?"

" "It's called... 'Monster Human Family Fun.' " "

" "The name sounds quite interesting," Officer Huang sighed enviously, "It's good to be young. Unlike us workers, we have no entertainment long ago."

Officer Huang finished drinking the water, placed the disposable cup on the water dispenser, and strolled out of the pantry leisurely.

In just one minute, Gao Yang broke out in a cold sweat and his back was all wet.

He asked Qing Ling, "What should we do now?"

Qing Ling frowned slightly: "There are two possibilities. First, he is the Anger Beast and has become suspicious of us, deliberately testing us. Second, he is also a monster."

" "The Foolish Beast? " "

" "The Foolish Beast is rather special and is also called 'The Lost One'. They think they are human and even deceive themselves. Even if an Awakened One appears in front of them, they won't harm the Awakened One. Usually, they will automatically ignore the key information and automatically correct the logic and memory in their brains. " "

" "If Officer Huang is the Foolish Beast, we are safe." Gao Yang came to the conclusion. "

" "Yes, but I won't bet on such a probability." Qing Ling walked to the door and looked at Officer Huang in the mourning hall through the crack of the door. "The Anger Beast is extremely eager for its prey. If it can have an Awakened One for itself, it will never share with its kind."

Gao Yang remembered the way Li Weiwei tried to kill him: "I've witnessed it..."

" "There are more than a hundred people in the mourning hall now. There must be more than one Anger Beast among them. This might be the reason why Officer Huang hasn't attacked us."

" "He wants to have it all to himself." Gao Yang gasped in horror.

" "The possibility is very high." Qing Ling looked at Gao Yang, her gaze icy: "We still have a chance. Let's silence him first."

At 10 p.m., in Shanqing District, the police station.

After the farewell ceremony for the deceased, Officer Huang drove directly back to the police station.

Qing Ling and Gao Yang took a taxi to follow. After getting off the taxi, they came to a coffee shop opposite the police station and found a window booth convenient for observation to sit down.

The two ordered some food and drinks, then took out their textbooks and homework, pretending to study together, but actually killing time.

Regarding coming with Qing Ling to kill Officer Huang, Gao Yang was reluctant at first. But on second thought, their fates were intertwined. If Qing Ling failed, he would die sooner or later.

Anyway, if one is going to die, it's better to die standing.

This way... at least it seems a bit more dignified.

" "I have quite a few questions I want to ask you." Gao Yang took a sip of orange juice. "

" "Speak." Qing Ling lowered her head and ate the mango pancake. The way she cut the mango pancake into eight pieces with a knife and fork was very much like dealing with an enemy. "

" "Apart from me, do you have any other companions?" "

" "Haven't I said it? I knew two before, and they're both dead." "

" "Then you, have always been alone?" Gao Yang couldn't believe it. "

" "Two." Qing Ling's gaze shifted: "And my younger sister." "

Gao Yang realized that she was referring to her second personality, Qing Ling.

" "You two sisters... have had a hard time, too." "

" "Worry about yourself first." Qing Ling put down the fork: "If the operation fails later, I'll run away and hide." "

" "What about me?" Gao Yang asked. "

" "I don't know." Qing Ling's eyes were icy: "I won't care about a burden." "

"He isn't a burden! He also has talent!"

On second thought, it's better not to humiliate oneself in front of the beauty.

The two waited until late at night. Finally, Officer Huang came out of the police station.

He walked to the police car by the roadside. Just as he took out the car key, he froze. He looked down and saw that the front tire was broken - it was damaged by the dagger remotely controlled by Qing Ling.

Officer Huang didn't show much annoyance. He took out his mobile phone, made a call cheerfully, and then crossed the road and bought a pack of cigarettes.

Qing Ling kept a distance of about fifty meters from Gao Yang and followed carefully.

Officer Huang was smoking and making a phone call. When passing by a street park, he turned in, seemingly wanting to take a shortcut.

" "The opportunity has come." Qing Ling quickened her pace. "

" "Could it be that he is setting a trap for us?" Gao Yang was very suspicious. "

Qing Ling's eyes sharpened. "Then let's see who is the prey in the end."

Late at night, the street park was densely wooded and there were no tourists. Officer Huang was walking alone on the night road, all by himself. But the more so, the more Gao Yang felt that this person was unfathomable and extremely dangerous.

Qing Ling and Gao Yang took masks and sunglasses from their backpacks and put them on. They followed Officer Huang to the hinterland of the park, seized the opportunity, and sneaked behind the neatly trimmed bushes.

Qing Ling stretched out her left and right hands, aiming at the surveillance camera on the street lamp above her head.

She concentrated intently, seemingly controlling something. Two seconds later, she gently clenched her fist, and a slight sound came from the surveillance camera. The "red dot" disappeared.

You go out and hold him up. Say something at random to distract him." Qing Ling whispered: "Leave the rest to me." "

Gao Yang was very nervous: "OK."

Gao Yang took a deep breath, walked out of the bushes, and quickly caught up. "Officer Huang."

Officer Huang stopped and turned back: "Who are you...?"

Gao Yang pulled off his mask: "Oh, it's me."

" "Gao Yang? Why are you here so late?" Officer Huang smiled. "

Gao Yang continued his act: "Regarding Li Weiwei's matter, I suddenly remembered some clues and wanted to tell you."

" "Really?" Officer Huang smiled and walked towards Gao Yang, his movements slightly eager: "Good, tell me..."

Suddenly, the smile on Officer Huang's face vanished.

He quickly turned around and drew the pistol from his waist.

"Bang —— "

Officer Huang fired three shots in an instant, but because the frequency was too fast, Gao Yang only heard one gunshot.

The moment the gun fired, three splattering sparks appeared in the air two meters away from Officer Huang. He knocked down the three daggers that were attacking him by surprise.

However, the daggers were just a feint.

Officer Huang was startled. A black shadow suddenly appeared right under his nose.

"Swish ——" A sharp white knife light flashed by.

Officer Huang quickly took out his pistol to defend, but the pistol was like plasticine and was instantly cut into two halves. At the same time, two of his fingers were also cut off like scallions.

Half a second later, Officer Huang's head was about to be separated from his body.

But this scene didn't happen.

The long, narrow and sharp Tang knife was pressed against Officer Huang's Adam's apple but didn't chop down. Soon, the skin at the man's Adam's apple cracked and oozed tiny amounts of blood, which was injured by the powerful knife energy.

Qingling withdrew the knife and stepped back two steps: "You are not the Anger Beast."

Officer Huang covered his bleeding fingers. The pain made his face pale, but he wasn't flustered or scared: "How did you know?"

"If you were the Anger Beast, you would have chosen to use your arms to resist my attack in the last second." Qingling gently ran her fingers across the blood-free blade, and the Tang knife folded and disappeared in her hand.

"They are very confident in their own bodies. This is an instinctive reaction. Humans are different. Humans will choose to use what they think is solid to resist my chopping."

" "Yes, I'm also an Awakened One." Officer Huang smiled: "Thank you for not killing me." "

2 a.m. Sanqing District, Emergency Building of the Third Hospital.

Officer Huang's fingers have been reattached and bandaged. Gao Yang and Qingling are waiting in the hall.

Officer Huang walked out of the hospital, wearing a smile: "Tomorrow I will write a report. You two were robbed by street hooligans. I came to help and was injured accidentally."

Officer Huang added: "Are you hungry? Come on, let's go and have something to eat."

The three of them went to a spicy hot pot late-night food stand near the hospital. An inconspicuous alley entrance was covered by a small blue tent. Under it was a trolley equipped with a spicy hot pot and a small liquefied gas cylinder. The dim light and the fragrant food made up a warm corner in this cold city.

The boss was an old man in his sixties, vigorous and energetic, with a strong voice when speaking.

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

"Work-related injury."

"You really have a tough job! So you can't drink alcohol today, right?"

"Yes. Everything else is the same as before."

"OK," said the old man. Then he looked at Gao Yang and Qingling again: "What would you two like to eat?"

Qingling looked at the menu expressionlessly and finished thinking quickly: "One string of mushrooms, one string of winter melon, one string of potatoes, one string of Chinese cabbage, one string of fish balls, one string of crab sticks, one string of fried gluten, one portion of tomatoes and one portion of sweet potato noodles. Extra spicy."

Gao Yang was shocked. "You're really not being polite!"

The three sat side by side beside the trolley, burying their heads and eating the fragrant spicy hot pot. Officer Huang had an expression of enjoyment: "Well, the feeling of escaping death is wonderful. I thought I would never get to eat this again."

Qingling didn't speak and concentrated on eating.

"Officer Huang, we'd better not talk about these matters in public."

Officer Huang raised his head and glanced at the old man who was boiling the meat: "It's okay. Grandpa Liu is a Lost One. He will automatically ignore the content he doesn't want to hear, right, Grandpa Liu?"

Grandpa Liu raised his head: "What's the matter?"

"I said today's pork lungs are very crispy. Have another serving."

"OK." Grandpa Liu laughed merrily.

Gao Yang finally felt relieved: "Were you deliberately testing me and Qingling today?"

Officer Huang's smile was a little helpless. "I knew long ago that you were an Awakened One. I just didn't expect your girlfriend to be one too."

"Not a girlfriend." Qingling finished eating the potato chips and started to eat the fish balls.

"Do you still remember the mental patient I killed that day?" Officer Huang asked.

"Remember." How could we forget? If it weren't for him, none of these things would have happened now.

"He was also an Awakened One." Officer Huang's eyes showed pity. "But he was completely exposed and there was no hope for him. Rather than letting him be tortured to death or eaten by the Greed Beasts, it was better to give him a quick end."

Gao Yang didn't speak.

"That guy's talent was [Olfaction], serial number 175. He could distinguish the smell of beasts, so he lived in fear all day long and eventually had a mental breakdown."

Officer Huang stared at the steaming spicy hot pot, devoutly waiting for the upcoming pork lungs. "He smelled at the first moment that you were human and told you to run. If I hadn't shot him then, I'm afraid you would have been implicated."

"... Thank you."

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

"You mentioned talents before," Gao Yang licked his lips, "Are the talents of every Awakened One different?"

"Of course," Officer Huang said, "My talent is [Sharpshooter], serial number 41. I'm proficient in firearms, hit the target every time, and have an extremely fast shooting speed."

"Then what is my talent?" Gao Yang asked deliberately.

"You've always kept it hidden. I don't have the talent of investigation. How would I know?" Officer Huang said amusingly.

"Your girlfriend's talent should be [Metal], serial number 20. She can control any metal element."

"Not a girlfriend." Qingling finished eating the fish balls and started to eat the mushrooms.

Officer Huang looked at Qingling enviously. "Besides, she should also have the talent [God of Knives], serial number 32. Judging from her knife skills and destructive power, it's definitely beyond what an ordinary person can achieve."

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

"Once a human awakens, they will immediately have one talent. They can acquire another one in the future, but I still haven't figured out the methods and patterns of such acquisition until now."

"How do you know these details about talents?" Gao Yang was very puzzled. "Could it be that Officer Huang also has a system? It shouldn't be so."

"I've lived longer than you all. I'm also a police officer and have more channels to access information." Officer Huang smiled. "In fact, I once saw the complete talent sequence table. Based on my current experiences, I think the information on that sequence table is true and reliable."

"How many talents are there in total?" Qingling asked

"There are a total of 199 serial numbers. Theoretically, the smaller the number, the stronger the talent." Officer Huang looked at Qingling enviously: "You are very powerful."

Gao Yang was very disappointed: "My serial number is 199. At the bottom. No wonder I have no sense of existence. And 'lucky', lucky your grandpa."

Qingling put down the chopsticks holding the cabbage. "Give me the sequence table."

"There is no physical entity." Officer Huang pointed at his head. "It's all remembered here."

"Then tell me too."

"Tell you all," Officer Huang gave a faint smile, "It's not impossible either."

"Do you have conditions?" Gao Yang guessed.

"Of course. There is no such thing as a free lunch in the world." Officer Huang smiled mysteriously.