Chapter 69
Chapter 69
The moment the notification appeared, Qin Lan eagerly checked how his Talent had changed.
In fact, anyone whose Curse Core broke through to Tier 3 had a chance of triggering an evolution in their Talent.
The same was true at Tier 4 and even Tier 5.
The odds, however, depended almost entirely on luck.
Qin Lan happened to be rather lucky.
——————–
[You’re Dead! But Not Quite…]
[Effect 1 (Evolved): You have an eminently punchable face. You may spend 10% of your maximum curse energy to forcibly attract one anomaly and make it attack you.]
[Effect 2 (Evolved): When killed by an anomaly inside an instance, permanently and randomly increase 1-2 stats, then resurrect and roll back to any save point within the previous three minutes.]
[Effect 3 (New): After being killed by an anomaly, you may choose one of its abilities to copy. Maximum of three abilities (1/3).]
——————–
Jackpot!
This was the biggest jackpot imaginable!
Qin Lan could barely believe his eyes.
“My God… Am I really the chosen one?”
First, Effect 1 had changed. Instead of passively attracting anomalies as before, it had become an active ability that could be used by consuming energy!
The stat increase from Effect 2 had also changed from one stat per death to one or two stats per death.
In other words, with enough luck, Qin Lan’s rate of growth had increased dramatically once again!
Even the resurrection rollback had changed. Instead of returning him to a fixed moment, it now allowed him to choose any point within the time limit.
This control over the exact moment of his resurrection gave Qin Lan far more room to maneuver.
Most important of all was the newly added Effect 3.
He could choose an ability to copy?
Qin Lan nearly drooled. If he had not retained a shred of reason, he would already have been cackling like an idiot.
Baton Secret Art: Three Strikes, Three Guards had come from a mere 2-Star anomaly. Yet it had remained with Qin Lan until now and become one of his most important trump cards.
Its powerful and reliable control could catch enemies of the same level completely off guard.
It could occasionally work wonders against even stronger opponents.
Qin Lan had spent all this time hoping to obtain another ability, but never found the opportunity.
The chance of copying one had simply been too low. Even after Matchstick Bro and Glass Slipper killed him repeatedly, he had never triggered a copy notification.
And now…
He could choose what to copy?
Even with a limit, the effect was astonishing.
“Doesn’t that mean I can take any anomaly ability I want?”
Qin Lan swallowed, then suddenly felt a wave of regret. “Damn it! Why couldn’t I have gotten this effect sooner?”
“I already traded that corpse for Bureau points!”
The corpse he regretted losing was, of course, Aladdin’s Magic Dong.
His ability, “Quick, Grow Big!”, had made Qin Lan envious for a long time.
After all, what man would not want to become bigger and harder?
For combat, obviously. A larger body and tougher physique would be extremely useful in a fight.
Classical mythology contained plenty of similar abilities. Techniques such as Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation made their users larger and far stronger.
Qin Lan slapped his thigh in frustration. “When Magic Dong grew, the force of his charge at least doubled, and his body became much tougher too. If I knew that move…”
Regret was useless. Qin Lan could only search for suitable abilities in the future.
After calming down, he carefully examined the newly added ability slots.
[1. Baton Secret Art: Three Strikes, Three Guards (2-Star)]
[2. Empty Slot]
[3. Empty Slot]
Just as the Talent description stated, he had two ability slots left.
Even after filling all three, he could discard an old ability and replace it with a stronger one.
This was an enormous improvement in every sense.
Qin Lan was ready to head into the Fallen Zone, catch any 3-Star anomaly he found, and carry out one magnificent act of forced copying.
“I’ll spend some energy healing these injuries, then head deeper into the Fallen Zone… If I’m lucky enough, maybe I can get some absurdly powerful ability from a 4-Star anomaly…”
Qin Lan licked his lips, already lost in fantasy.
Knock, knock.
A sudden knock at the door snapped him back to reality. He quickly wiped the idiotic grin from his face.
“Who is it?”
Qin Lan was puzzled. Who would come knocking at his door?
The few people he knew well–Fatty Wu, Lu Xingshan, and Luo Yue–all had his contact information and would not normally visit without warning.
The surrounding residents could also see the Anomaly Hunter Bureau’s marker outside his door. Few would dare come over to curry favor.
Confused, Qin Lan opened the door.
The instant it opened, the visitor dropped to his knees with a thud and began slamming his forehead against the ground.
“Mr. Qin, please save my daughter!”
The man kowtowing before him was past middle age. His clothes were plain, gray streaked his hair, and his hands were covered in scars and calluses from years of physical labor.
Without the slightest hesitation, he repeatedly struck his forehead against the ground while pleading in a low, grief-stricken voice.
Qin Lan jumped at the sight.
“What the hell?”
“What’s going on? You show up and immediately start kowtowing?”
He reacted quickly, catching the man before he could crack his head open on Qin Lan’s doorstep.
The house had only just been rebuilt. A death at the front door would be terribly inauspicious.
Only then did Qin Lan get a clear look at the man’s face, and he froze. “Huh? Uncle Han?”
Qin Lan really did remember him.
Back when Qin Lan lived in this neighborhood, he rarely interacted with the other residents. He had, however, spoken several times with this man, Han Yifan.
Qin Lan had still been young then. Whenever the wiring in his home failed and he did not know how to repair it, Uncle Han from next door would help.
On several occasions, Qin Lan had fallen ill and curled up beneath his blankets with no one to care for him. Han Yifan noticed something was wrong and brought him food and medicine.
Medicine was scarce in the slums. Not every family could afford it.
Han Yifan had a young daughter of his own, yet he had still shared some of those precious medicines with Qin Lan. His kindness was beyond question.
“Uncle Han, didn’t you move into the city? What happened?” Qin Lan asked hurriedly.
As Qin Lan remembered it, Han Yifan’s family had saved enough to leave the slums while Qin Lan was still in middle school. He had not seen them since.
Han Yifan lifted his head.
His forehead was swollen and red. His weathered, prematurely aged face trembled, and he began to sob quietly.
“She… She’s going to die…”
Qin Lan’s heart lurched as the vague image of a little girl flashed through his mind.
When Han Yifan’s family still lived next door, Qin Lan had sometimes played with the girl. He had never expected their reunion to bring such terrible news.
“What happened? Take your time and tell me, Uncle Han…”
“Is she sick? If you need money, don’t worry. I have plenty now. I can help–”
Qin Lan was growing anxious, but Han Yifan’s next words cut him off.
“They… They want to take my daughter’s heart…”
“They’re animals!”
Qin Lan went still.
Han Yifan’s eyes were bloodshot. “My daughter… A few days ago… She was hit by a car on her way home from school. But I… I didn’t even get to see her… They took her straight to the hospital…”
“They… They said there was no hope for her… They wanted me…”
“They wanted me to sign an informed-consent form for the voluntary donation of her heart…”
“I only wanted to see her again, but… those doctors… They wouldn’t even let me into the operating room…”
Han Yifan could not continue. His choked sobs were filled with despair and helpless rage.
“I heard you… became an Anomaly Hunter… I didn’t know who else could help… I could only come beg you…”
Qin Lan gently patted Han Yifan’s back.
The forty-year-old man was sobbing uncontrollably, as fragile as a child.
“Uncle Han,” Qin Lan said softly, “where is the hospital? I’ll take you there now.”
“No one is taking your daughter’s heart. You have my word.”
“Not even the head of this Safe Zone can change that.”