Agony!
Nothing but agony—and a terror as deep as an abyss. I'm going to die. I'm going to die right now. What does death feel like? It can't possibly be like transmigration. After this, there will be no trace of me left in any world. Not even this thought, this fear, will linger.
No!
I don't want to die!
Gao Yang forced open one eye, squinting through the tentacles squeezing his skull. Something was floating in front of him.
It came into focus: a translucent hexagram, glowing with a faint golden light. It spun gently in the air, as if waiting for someone to touch it.
Gao Yang had no idea what it was, but his instincts screamed that this was his only chance—his last, desperate struggle before death.
He summoned every ounce of strength left in him and lifted his left hand, inching it toward the hexagram in the air.
So close… just a little closer…
Then his arm went limp, dropping to his side.
"So this is what humans taste like…" Li Weiwei's voice was breathless with ecstasy. "Human blood. Human fear… It's divine! Exquisite!"
Gao Yang's head felt like a raw egg in her grasp, ready to crack at any moment.
But she didn't want to break him too quickly. She held back, teetering on the edge of crushing his skull. She wanted to savor every last drop of his terror, his despair—every second of his dying throes.
These emotions were priceless.
She might never get another chance like this again.
Finally, the moment of climax was upon her. Her body trembled uncontrollably with excitement. "Gao Yang… you've always been such a good boy. I like you… I love you…"
"I want you!"
"Give yourself to me—all of you!"
For a split second, the tentacles' grip slackened—a precursor to the final, fatal squeeze.
Gao Yang seized that fleeting opportunity. He snapped his hand upward, hooking his middle finger around the floating hexagram.
Beep—System ActivatedLoading User Data…Loading CompleteName: Gao Yang. Age: 18.Gender: Male. Race: Human.Status: Awakened.Innate Talent: Luck. Serial Number: 199. Rune Type: Divine Miracle.
—Are you a system? Some kind of cheat code? Never mind—activate my talent!
Gao Yang couldn't speak, but the system heard his thoughts loud and clear.
Luck is a passive talent. Cannot be actively activated.
—Then what good are you?! I'm dying here! Save me! Someone, please save me!
Access Terminated. System Hidden.Beep—
The system vanished.
It had all happened in the blink of an eye. The hexagram was gone, and Gao Yang was still utterly helpless. A wave of bitter resignation washed over him. No hope left.
He closed his eyes, waiting for death to claim him.
Wait a minute. Why am I still alive? Why is the pain fading? Why are the tentacles around my head loosening their grip?
Splash— The tentacles went limp, slithering back into Li Weiwei's arms.
Gao Yang crumpled to the ground, gasping for air. He clutched his throat, coughing violently. "Cough… cough! Cough!"
Through watery eyes, he looked up at Li Weiwei. Her arms had already returned to their normal, slender form. Her eyes were wide with confusion, tears streaming down her face. "Wh-why…?"
Gao Yang's gaze drifted downward. Her chest was soaked in blood.
Li Weiwei stared at him, unwilling to accept defeat. She reached out a trembling hand, as if she could still claim him. "You… are mine…"
Sizzle— A long, narrow Tang saber pierced her heart from behind. Her body arched backward like a fish skewered on a harpoon.
"Move." A cold voice came from behind Li Weiwei.
Gao Yang scrambled to his feet, his body shaking like a leaf. He finally saw who it was: Qing Ling. She stood behind Li Weiwei, both hands wrapped around the saber's hilt, maintaining a low, crouched stance.
"Qing Ling? What… what are you doing here?"
"Move!" she repeated, her tone sharper than the blade in her hand.
"O-okay…" Gao Yang stumbled back a step.
"Stay behind me."
Gao Yang obeyed without hesitation.
Qing Ling pulled the saber out in one swift motion. A fountain of blood erupted from Li Weiwei's chest, painting the street crimson.
Gao Yang clamped a hand over his mouth, fighting the urge to vomit. Then he noticed something impossible: the silver blade of the Tang saber was spotless. Not a single drop of blood stained it.
Qing Ling wiped the blade with her thumb, then placed her index finger on the tip. She slid her finger down the length of the saber, and the nearly 150cm-long weapon shrank rapidly, vanishing as if it had been folded into another dimension.
Gao Yang gaped.
Was this magic? A trick? Some kind of superpower?
Qing Ling didn't spare him a glance. "Don't ask any questions. Go home. Now. I've destroyed all nearby surveillance footage. Nothing that happened here concerns you."
"But—"
"You know nothing. Say it." Her eyes cut through him like a knife.
"I… I know nothing."
"Say it again."
"I know nothing."
"Again."
"I know nothing."
"Good." With that, Qing Ling leaped onto the 2-meter-high wall and vanished into the night.
It was late when Gao Yang fled the scene, sprinting all the way home.
His parents were already asleep. Only his little sister was still curled up on the couch, scrolling through her phone. She looked up and saw him, and her eyes went wide.
"Whoa! What happened to your face?!"
"Oh, this…" Gao Yang had been in such a hurry to get home that he'd completely forgotten about his injuries.
"Ah! I get it!" His sister's face lit up with realization. "You're cosplaying a zombie! That's epic!"
"Y-yeah… exactly!" Gao Yang played along, grateful for the excuse. "Pretty realistic makeup, huh?"
"Totally! Looks like the real deal!" She grinned mischievously.
Gao Yang had no idea if she was telling the truth or just messing with him.
Either way, he didn't have the energy to deal with it. Everything that had happened tonight was too sudden, too absurd. His mind was a mess. And if his parents woke up and saw him like this, things would get even more complicated.
He rummaged through the living room cabinet for the first-aid kit, then bolted to his bedroom.
He shut the door behind him, leaning against it to catch his breath. He grabbed a bottle of disinfectant and a cotton swab, dabbing at the cuts on his face before sticking on band-aids. Then he cleaned and wrapped the wounds on his arm, gritting his teeth against the pain, sweat dripping down his forehead.
When he was done, he collapsed onto his bed, utterly exhausted.
Fear and shock had replaced any trace of grief. None of this felt real.
Li Weiwei… his childhood friend. They'd grown up together, been through everything side by side for over a decade. They'd trusted each other with their lives. And then, just like that, she'd turned into a man-eating monster?
Gao Yang wanted to believe that she'd been killed, that the monster had simply taken her form—like the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood, wearing Grandma's skin.
But could he really believe that?
Because the monster that had tried to kill him had spoken with Li Weiwei's voice, smiled with her lips. It had felt like her—like a hidden, terrifying side of her that had finally come to light.
Too many questions, not enough answers.
His wounds throbbed. Had he been infected? Would he wake up tomorrow morning a monster too?
Anxious thoughts swirled in his head—until the hexagram reappeared, floating silently in the air before him.
Gao Yang sat up abruptly, reaching out to touch it.
Beep—Accessing SystemCongratulations! You have successfully survived for 3 hours.
—Congratulations? I almost died a minute ago!
You have earned 3 Luck Points.
—Earned? How?
Innate Talent: Luck. Serial Number: 199. Rune Type: Divine Miracle.Effect: For every 60 minutes the host survives, 1 Luck Point is awarded.
—I see. What do Luck Points do?
You may use Luck Points to permanently increase any stat on your Attribute Panel.
—Open Attribute Panel.
Stamina: 10 Endurance: 10Strength: 10 Agility: 10Spirit: 10 Charm: 10Luck: 0
Gao Yang studied the panel. He'd played enough games to recognize the basics: Stamina was HP, Endurance was defense, Strength was attack power, Agility was speed, Spirit was mana, and Charm was crowd control. As for Luck… it probably affected evasion or item drop rates.
Three Luck Points. Barely enough to make a difference. His eyes lingered on the most glaring number.
Luck: 0
—Luck? But my talent is Luck! What's the difference?
Luck is an innate talent. Luck is an attribute value.
—That's just a bunch of meaningless jargon.—This Luck talent seems pretty useless. Can I switch it for something else?
No.
—Fine. Open the Talent List. Let me see what I'm missing out on.
In an instant, a dense list of talents appeared before him.
Gao Yang's eyes immediately found the top entry: Serial Number 199: Luck. But every other talent—from Serial Number 198 down to 1—had its name and description hidden, blacked out completely.
—Why can't I see any of the others?
The system cannot display information that has not yet been unlocked.
—This system is garbage! It's nothing like the ones in web novels!
Knock knock knock.
Someone was tapping on his window.
Access Terminated. System Hidden.Beep—
Gao Yang jolted upright as the system vanished.
A dark figure pried open the window and slipped inside with effortless grace.
It was Qing Ling. She was wearing her usual track shorts and a tank top, her long, toned legs glowing like ivory under the moonlight.
She kicked off her sneakers, her movements quick and fluid. With one hand, she unfastened her ponytail, letting her long black hair cascade down her back, brushing against her full chest.
"You—" Gao Yang started to speak.
Qing Ling leaped onto the bed, planting her bare feet firmly on his chest, pinning him to the mattress. Her face was inches from his. "I ask the questions. You answer."
"O-okay…"
"Men or women?"
"W-women."
"Good." Qing Ling crossed her arms, grabbing the hem of her tank top. She pulled it over her head in one smooth motion, tossing it aside. "Then come on."