Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Twin Talents.
This was not the first time Qin Lan had heard the term.
When investigating the cause of his own Talent’s mutation, he had spent a long time searching the Anomaly Hunter Bureau’s internal network and found a considerable amount of information.
A Talent’s second awakening was an extraordinarily rare event.
Qin Lan was not the only person whose Talent had awakened a second time. Other cases existed, though their triggering conditions were unknown and their outcomes varied.
Most second awakenings merely granted a minor enhancement to the Talent’s original effects.
A qualitative transformation like Qin Lan’s had never been recorded.
Another special phenomenon with a similarly low probability was [Twin Talents].
Those with Twin Talents generally possessed two independent abilities that complemented one another. They could also study two different types of Curse Codex simultaneously.
From the perspective of curses, it could be understood this way: every person with Twin Talents was born with twice the foundational curse power of an ordinary person.
As a result, almost every owner of Twin Talents achieved at least some success, even if their Talents were only B-rank or C-rank.
A simple search had shown Qin Lan several 3-Star Anomaly Hunters famous for their Twin Talents.
One was an Anomaly Hunter nicknamed “Thunder Ember.”
His Talents were elemental–one lightning, one fire. When the two elements overlapped, their destructive power became terrifying. More than twenty 3-Star anomalies had died by his hand.
That combat record placed him among the absolute elite of 3-Star Anomaly Hunters.
Had his Talent ranks been slightly higher, he might have entered the 4-Star ranks and become an expert like Lu Xingshan, guarding an entire Safe Zone.
And now…
A living owner of Twin Talents stood before Qin Lan.
“[What Sorrow in Death?]” Qin Lan’s gaze became grave. “What does it do?”
Tang Qingqing hesitated briefly before answering truthfully.
“[What Joy in Life?] allows me to share my life with a target.”
“[What Sorrow in Death?] allows me to draw… something from a target’s death.”
Her last words were hesitant.
“Draw something?”
Qin Lan looked toward the old woman. Her threads of death were indeed continuously transporting something.
Tang Qingqing’s voice trembled faintly.
“Yes…”
“After a target bound to me dies, they become a guardian spirit.”
That genuinely shocked Qin Lan.
“A guardian spirit? Something like a summoned creature?”
Only then did he understand why Tang Qingqing had found the words so difficult to say.
She could not accept losing her only family. She was using [What Joy in Life?] to extend her grandmother’s life while using [What Sorrow in Death?] to keep her from truly leaving.
If her grandmother met with an accident, she could remain beside Tang Qingqing in the form of a guardian spirit.
“Yes. I know it violates the natural order, but… I truly can’t accept it…”
Tang Qingqing had remained calm ever since she met Qin Lan.
Now, however, she could no longer control her emotions. Her voice shook uncontrollably.
“When I was little, my parents discarded me here like garbage. I can’t even clearly remember their faces…”
“If Grandma hadn’t raised me, I would have died in some corner of the slums long ago.”
“Every beautiful memory I have includes her.”
“I can’t imagine a world after she’s gone…”
Qin Lan said nothing. He could understand her state of mind.
Everyone had irrational attachments they could not release.
“If her illness can be cured, I still recommend that you don’t bind her with [What Sorrow in Death?],” Qin Lan said with a sigh, offering a tactful warning.
“The essence of a Talent is the manipulation of curse power. A so-called guardian spirit is merely a special type of curse.”
Tang Qingqing looked startled.
She had never heard such a theory and could not judge whether it was true.
“I know you’re still hiding part of your Talent’s true effects from me.”
Qin Lan spoke calmly, and Tang Qingqing’s gaze shifted away.
“But that’s fine. Trust takes time to build.”
“Since you’ve chosen to trust me, why don’t we make a deal?”
Qin Lan became serious.
“I can find a way to cure your family, but you’ll have to pay a price in return–don’t misunderstand me! I don’t mean anything involving your body!”
When Tang Qingqing appeared ready to misunderstand him again, Qin Lan hurriedly clarified.
He wiped away cold sweat and continued.
“I need you to become an Anomaly Hunter–an Anomaly Hunter who answers exclusively to me.”
…
“You didn’t lay a hand on her, did you?”
After Qin Lan left the room, Fatty Wu, who had been waiting outside, hurried over and inspected him suspiciously.
“I’m warning you, don’t take advantage of someone vulnerable. Even if she’s legally an adult, she’s still a high school student. Don’t do something so unconscionable…”
Qin Lan glared at him in exasperation.
“Do I look like that kind of person?”
“Besides, does a man who hides in his office watching adult videos really have the right to lecture me?”
Fatty Wu stiffened his neck and raised his chin.
“So what?”
“Everything I watch comes from Europe, America, Japan, or Korea. It’s an alternative form of patriotism. Understand?”
Qin Lan was stunned.
Could a person truly be this shameless?
Considering that Fatty Wu’s lower limit was unfathomable, Qin Lan had no intention of arguing any further.
“I can’t be bothered with you…”
“I need to return to the Anomaly Hunter Bureau. I’ll come back for the joint examination in a few days.”
“Remember to send me the information.”
Qin Lan waved and turned to leave. Then something occurred to him, and he looked back at Fatty Wu.
“By the way, is that new security guard at the gate one of your relatives?”
Fatty Wu paused. “No.”
“I think he’s the father-in-law of someone in the student affairs office.”
Qin Lan nodded and smiled warmly.
“Good. That’s all I needed to know.”
Fatty Wu watched him leave.
He was still trying to remember exactly whose father-in-law the old guard was when a familiar figure came running toward him, panting heavily.
“Old… Old Wu!”
“This is bad! Really bad!”
The newcomer was Li Shan, the Dean of Students.
Li Shan was badly out of breath and clearly frantic. He began shouting at Fatty Wu from a distance.
“Sun’s father-in-law is in trouble!”
“At the school gate!”
Fatty Wu was startled, then abruptly realized what had happened.
“Oh, damn… No wonder that kid asked!”
“How bad is it? Did someone die?”
Even Fatty Wu grew anxious.
Li Shan gasped for breath.
“N-no one died…”
“But do you remember Qin, that student from last year’s class?”
“He’s at the school gate claiming to be the Armor Hero Flame Dragon! He insists Old Man Wu is a mutant beast, and he’s tied the guard to a utility pole and has been whipping him for ages!”
Fatty Wu fell silent.
An Armor Hero?
The Flame Dragon?
A mutant beast?
“Forget it.” He sighed wearily.
“The fact that Qin bothered inventing a reason before beating the man already shows us plenty of respect.”
“Even if he attacked directly, there wouldn’t be much we could do… Pretend you didn’t see anything.”
Li Shan stared in alarm.
“We’re just going to ignore it?”
“So many people are watching. Won’t it look terrible?”
Fatty Wu glared at him.
“What do you expect us to do? You want to be mistaken for a mutant beast too? Why don’t you ask Qin to hang you up beside him?”
“I’ve told you to stop stuffing the school with unqualified relatives. They don’t follow the rules and only cause trouble…”
“Enough. I’m busy. Handle it however you like.”
Fatty Wu cursed irritably and turned away.
Then he stopped.
“By the way, next time, remember to hang a sign outside my office. It should say–[Please Knock Before Entering].”