Chapter 28: White Cat
“I don’t have God of Blade! And neither have I been hiding my power!” Picturing his neck getting sliced open, Gao Yang hurriedly spat out everything about his new Talent. “I acquired a Talent at the last moment, Replicate. It lets me copy others’ Talents, but I have to touch them for 1 second. I was going to replicate God of Blade, but I was just a little too far from you... You know what happened then.”
Qing Ling wasn’t entirely convinced. She turned to Officer Huang. “There’s a Talent like that?”
“Yes.” Officer Huang nodded. “I believe it’s serial number 18.”
He gave Gao Yang an envious look. “You learned quite a powerful Talent. Congratulations.”
Qing Ling stared at Gao Yang. After two seconds, she put away her Tang Dao.
“Bullshit all you want! You were just using your Talent as an excuse to take advantage of her!” Wu Dahai walked up to them and grumbled, his expression equal parts sullen and jealous.
Gao Yang felt the urge to introduce the man’s face to his fist. Wu Dahai fled quicker than anyone else in the fight, but the moment the threat was eliminated, he jumped in to share his unwanted opinions.
Officer Huang found a couple towels he used for his early morning run in his patrol car and threw Gao Yang and Qing Ling each a towel. “Wipe the blood first.”
He then turned to Wu Dahai. “Have we passed the test now?”
“What test?” Wu Dahai gaped at him.
“Stop playing dumb. That must have been a test for us.” Officer Huang grunted. That was too dangerous a test!
“What? I would have to be a psycho to test you that way!” Wu Dahai flailed his arms around vehemently. “I don’t know why Old Man Zhang transformed into a monster, and such a strange and disgusting one at that. I almost peed my pants!”
Gao Yang questioned how dependable the organization would be if this was how Wu Dahai acted.
Officer Huang pressed a hand to his forehead. He was having a bit of a breakdown as well. It was so very hard to be an adult.
Wu Dahai rubbed his nose. “You should go home already. The organization will send someone for you in a few days. You’ll know what the test entails then.”
Wu Dahai came to a sudden halt after taking a few steps. He turned around to stare over Gao Yang’s shoulders with lustful eyes. Emerging from n0v@lbin☆, this material harbors clandestine details.
Gao Yang turned to see Qing Ling undressing. Her uniform was drenched in so much blood that wiping it off wouldn’t do much.
Officer Huang immediately took off his jacket and threw it to Gao Yang, and Gao Yang turned to put it around Qing Ling’s shoulders.
Disappointed, Wu Dahai let out an awkward cough. “Go back home and wait for our contact! Keep that in mind!”
“Hm?”
“I’m talking about Qing Ling,” said Officer Huang. “I heard that she awakened when she was 10.”
“Yeah, her cousin told her.”
“Ten years old. She knew nothing at that point, yet she was forced to face such a dangerous world. She must have been through a lot. That’s why she’s so extreme at times. At least she still has her other self as a younger sister.”
Gao Yang tilted his head. Qing Ling looked a lot more at ease now that she was asleep. Her usually knitted brows were relaxed, under which were long eyelashes and a delicate mouth. He had only ever thought of her as beautiful, cold, and strong. Only now did he sense a vulnerable and soft side to her as a young girl.
Officer Huang said in reminiscence, “Compared to her, we are quite lucky. We were both old and mature enough when we awakened, and we’ve experienced love in this world.”
“But the love is fake,” Gao Yang said.
“No, the world is fake, but the love is real.”
Gao Yang fell into deep thought.
Officer Huang gave him an example. “If you fell for someone and later broke up, you may think that the relationship was fake, meaningless. However, your love for the person is real. It belongs to you and only you. No one can take that away from you. You can carry that love with you until the day you die.”
“...”
“But Qing Ling doesn’t have that. When she dies, she will be dying alone.” Officer Huang made a bemused sound. “Maybe that’s why she’s more obsessed with power than us. She fears a lonely death more than anyone. It would feel as if...she had never been alive.”
Officer Huang smiled with melancholy. “I love my wife, and I always will. Even if one day she transforms and kills me, or if I am forced to kill her, it doesn’t matter. The woman I love hasn’t changed or disappeared. She’s simply passed away. Death comes to everyone sooner or later, doesn’t it?”
Gao Yang didn’t grasp the man’s words completely, and he didn’t respond.
All awakeners who were able to survive in this world probably held their own belief. Qing Ling’s life centered around getting stronger, while Officer Huang’s life centered around love. How about me then? he asked himself.
He didn’t have an answer yet.
Not long after, Officer Huang parked at the entrance of a bustling night market. He got out of the car and said, “I’m going to get hot and sour noodles for my wife. It won’t take long. Would you and Qing Ling want some? Their potato noodles have a good bite. I’ve been a loyal customer for more than a decade.”
Gao Yang nodded. “Okay...I’ll have one.”
His sister should still be awake when he got home.
As if in response to his thoughts, his phone rang. Gao Yang looked down to check the caller ID. It was his sister, Gao Xinxin.
“Hello?” Gao Yang said when he picked up the call.
“Brother! Where are you? Come quickly...” His sister broke down and wailed.