The Creatures That We Are-Chapter 77: Lie Detection
This chapt๐r is updated by ๐ฏ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ท๐ธ๐ฟ๐๐ต.๐๐ธ๐ถ
Chapter 77: Lie Detection
The next two days were uneventful.
Sunday morning, Gao Yang accessed his system first thing when he woke up.
He was surprised to find that he had accumulated 441 Luck points.
Three days of points accumulation and the increased rate he got from his fight with his sister in the nightmare and his fight with War Tiger in the Millenium Towerโwell, it was more of a one-sided slaughter than a fightโhe had acquired more Luck points than expected without him realizing.
Gao Yang felt rich.
After some deliberation, he decided to acquire another Talent. It never hurt to have more cards up his sleeves, and getting a Talent itself would grant him permanent bonuses to his stats. No matter how he thought about it, he should prioritize getting another Talent than putting all his points straight into his stats.
[It takes 120 Luck points to comprehend a new Talent. Do you confirm?]
โYes.
[Comprehending...]
[Comprehension fails. You have used 120 Luck points.]
โKeep going.
[Comprehending...]
[Comprehending...]
[Comprehension fails. You have used 120 Luck points. To comprehend again...]
โKeep going.
[Comprehending...]
[Comprehension succeeds. You have used 120 Luck points.]
[Talent: Lie Detection. Serial Number: 181. Rune Type: Wisdom.]
[Level 1 Lie Detection: Allow one to determine if the target is lying once every 48 hours.]
[Stats Bonuses of Level 1 Lie Detection: Willpower + 10, Charisma + 10.]
[Stats updated.]
[Constitution: 47 Endurance: 48]
[Strength: 17 Agility: 39]
[Willpower: 209 Charisma: 67 ]
[Luck: 132]
Gao Yangโs heart burned. He had used a total of 360 points, yet the Talent he got was so much closer to the bottom of the list than the top. Still, the first two Talents he comprehended were ranked quite high. He should be content with that. Greed was the shortcut to oneโs downfall.
And the Talent would help him make deals with Liu Qingying. Being able to use it only once every 48 hours was too little though. He had to use it a few more times to push it to level 2 first. Then level 3...
โYou there, System?
[Yes.]
โDo I have to kill monsters to get Lie Detection to level 3 too? I would love to detect monstersโ lies with the Talent, but they had to be willing to talk to me first.
[Wisdom-type Talents do not require monsters killing to reach level 3. The requirement is to use the Talent for 30 times.]
โSo I can get Replicate to level 3 in the same way?
[Yes.]
โAlright, thatโs good. Not as bad as it could be.
Gao Yang hid the system and let out a long breath.
He had grasped a few rules about the system. For the information Gao Yang had discovered in the real world, the system would give him a clear explanation. It was like a dungeon-crawler. When he opened the door, he would be allowed a clear view of everything in the room. If he hadnโt found the door, however, he would get no information.
Alright, one step at a time. From today onward, I need to gain experience in my Talents. And better not comprehend new Talents for the time being. I need to increase my stats.
Bam!
Gao Xinxin kicked his door open. โYou should already be up yesterday, sleepy... Whoa! Youโre awake, Brother?โ
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Gao Yang smiled faintly at her. โWhy? Shouldnโt I be awake?โ
โYouโre usually still sleeping in... Youโve changed, my brother!โ Gao Xinxin was still surprised. โYou havenโt been possessed by a different soul, have you?โ
Gao Yang almost jumped. His sister might as well be a fortune teller!
โIโve got a question for you, my dearest sister.โ Gao Yang got off the bed and took his time to put on his jacket.
โGo ahead.โ
โDo you like me, your older brother?โ
โWhat?โ His sister was caught off guard for a moment. Then her face became flushed. โWhatโs wrong with you this early in the morning? Of course I donโt like you! Not in a million years!โ
Gao Yang stared at her and activated Lie Detection.
โLie.
He smiled. โNothing. Iโm just asking.โ
โYouโre not making sense! Get your ass downstairs for breakfast!โ Gao Xinxin slammed the door shut.
It was the first time in a long time that his mother made breakfast at home. His grandmother was still staying with his uncle in the countryside, and his father hadnโt been discharged from the hospital. The three of them had breakfast together and chatted about anything and everything. Things had been hectic at home since his father got into a car accident. It had been a while since they had such a peaceful time in the morning.
For a distracted moment, Gao Yang thought that it wouldnโt be a bad thing if he hadnโt awakened, and such ordinary days were all his life was.
...
After breakfast, Gao Yang headed straight to Wang Zikaiโs place.
He stood at the gate to the villaโs front yard and rang the bell. When he got no response, he gave up on waiting and vaulted the wall.
The door was left open by a crack.
Alerted, Gao Yang gently opened it and walked in. He was relieved to find Wang Zikai sound asleep amid the mess of snacks, bottled drinks, and takeouts in the living room. He still had a PS5 controller in his hands. On the television was the pause screen of the remastered version of Final Fantasy VII. He must have pulled an all-nighter playing the game.
Gao Yang cleaned up the living room table a little and put a blanket on Wang Zikai before sitting down on another couch.
Wang Zikai rolled and only opened his eyes after sleeping a little more.
He immediately sat up. โGao Yang!โ
Then he guiltily hid the controller behind his butt. โHaha, Iโve been training. I only played the game a little since I was tired...โ
โItโs fine. Play games when you feel like it. Not even the savior of the world can work all day without rest.โ Gao Yang smothered a smile. He wasnโt a teacher surprising a student to check on their progress. Wang Zikai had no reason to be this nervous.
โHaha, youโre right!โ
โAbout my favor, how did it go?โ Gao Yang didnโt beat around the bush.
He had called Wang Zikai two days ago and explained the situation his family was in, hoping that Wang Zikai would be willing to invest in his fatherโs food processing factory to help them overcome this challenge.
Wang Zikai agreed without a moment of hesitation and said that his father would be back in the country for the next couple of days, and that he would talk to his father about it.
Today was the third day since then. Gao Yang thought he wouldโve gotten an answer.
Wang Zikai paused for a moment. โWhat favor?โ
Gao Yangโs heart sank, and he frowned. โAbout my dad. You havenโt forgotten about it, have you?โ
โHahaha, Iโm just teasing you!โ Wang Zikai burst out laughing. โOf course I hadnโt forgotten about something my best bro asked of me! I told my dad the moment I met him!โ
โAnd?โ
โWell.โ Wang Zikai scratched his face with his finger. โHe wouldnโt give me the money.โ
โHave you talked to him the way I told you to?โ
โNo...โ Wang Zikai got angry just thinking about it. โI was gonna talk to him. Actually talk. But then he scolded me for dyeing my hair and said that I looked like a thug! So I dyed my hair. So what? Thatโs a stereotype he got! Thatโs discrimination! Then we started fighting, and I forgot to ask him again...โ
Gao Yang sighed. Although he was suppressing the urge to facepalm, it wasnโt that surprising to him. Wang Zikai hadnโt had a normal conversation with his parents since he was ten.
โBut donโt worry!โ Wang Zikai pounded on his chest. โItโs just money. I dealt with it myself!โ
โReally?โ
โOf course. Who do you think I am?โ Wang Zikai proudly presented him with a bank card. โHereโs two million. Take it!โ
โWhere did you get the money?โ Gao Yang was a little worried that he might have done something of a clandestine nature.
โI sold my sports car,โ said Wang Zikai.
โYou sold it?!โ Gao Yang felt a pang in his heart. Wang Zikai bought the car for a little more than four million, but he sold it at half the price.
โYeah!โ Wang Zikai didnโt sound bothered. โItโs fine. I have Wu Dahaiโs McLaren!โ
โHeโs only lending it to you. Youโll have to give it back sooner or later.โ
โWell, about that.โ Wang Zikai seemed pleased with himself. โWu Dahai said that the car would be mine if I help him get together with Qing Ling! Thatโs a piece of cake to me, the matchmaking master! Didnโt I get you and Li Weiwei together with a simple text?โ
Should I thank you for that?!
Gao Yang felt like punching Wang Zikai every time he thought about it. If not for the practical joke Wang Zikai pulled, he wouldnโt have gone on a date with Li Weiwei, and Li Weiwei wouldnโt have transformed into a monster and attacked him. Then she wouldnโt have died at the hand of Qing Ling, and she would still be the childhood friend he knew and trusted... f(r)eenovelkiss
...Or he would still awaken and expose himself to another monster instead of Li Weiwei. Qing Ling might not show up to save him in that case.
In a sense, perhaps he had Wang Zikai to thank for avoiding death.
Gao Yang pushed aside the thoughts and took the bank card from Wang Zikai. โThanks. There are procedures to follow. You should sign a contract with my dad later.โ
โI donโt know how to do that!โ Wang Zikai found the formalities troublesome.
โLeave that to me. You only have to sign.โ
โThen sure!โ
Gao Yang got to his feet. โCome on, letโs go to the Walled City of Ten Dragons. Iโll buy you barbecue!โ