How Am I Still Alive?

[Gained a small amount of boxing experience, a small amount of gun skill experience, a minuscule amount of taboo knowledge, a small amount of driving experience, a minuscule amount of criminal investigation experience.....]

The first to complete investment accounting is Xia Qin, who pulled an all-nighter last night.

[Gained 9 points of boxing experience, boxing fighting (Secret Keeper style) LV2, 15/100]

[Gained 14 points of gun skill experience, gun skill level up! Current gun skill level (Pistol) lv2, 1/100]

Besides the increase in gun skill by one level, other improvements are negligible, and this means....

"Didn't unsheath the sword? So, the cult follower has not been found yet?"

Cleaning up the memory fragments in his mind, Lu Ping'an felt more familiar with a pistol, despite being a law-abiding citizen who has never even turned on the safety.

The use of the "Investment" ability is a precondition; the other party can't have hostility or express clear rejection, preferably being a "credit target".

Simultaneously, their power also can't surpass yours by much.

Among the Secret Keepers that Lu Ping'an has been in contact with, direct investment in the third-tier member failed. The strongest in the second-tier seems to be Xia Qin.

This is the reason why Lu Ping'an still uses the precious investment quota on her, even though her abilities do not seem to combine well with his, and even though in these days, he has not used supernatural abilities at all.

"The improvement of combat power is always worthwhile. From another point of view, hasn't she demonstrated her strength by not having to use a spell in so many days? Even if it's just to build good relationships and eliminate suspicions, this investment quota is worth it."

Unlike Xia Qin, who has not shared spell dividends, the Lei siblings have been very generous.

[As a result of the dividend from the revenue of the person you've invested in, Lei Huoren, a small amount of running experience, a small amount of breathing technique skill, and a small amount of innate spatial perception have been obtained ...]

[Chasing Light Running Skill has gained 39 points of experience from dividends. Quick Flash Breathing Method has gained 22 points of experience from dividends. Combat skill has gained 1 point of experience from dividends.]

Compared to Xia Qin, who only gave a total of just over 20 points, Brother Lei has been too diligent, handing over more than sixty points directly.

[Gained a small amount of insight into the black-iron level spell 'Shrink Land'. Current progress 65/100.]

At the same time, he also gave Lu Ping'an what he wanted the most, a share of the supernatural spell.

[Chasing Light Running Skill LV UP! Current LV2, 13/100]

[Quick Flash Breathing Method LV up! Current LV2, 3/100.]

The basic skills of both runners have been upgraded, which means that they are one step closer to using the 'Shrink Land' spell and becoming real professionals.

The only regret is that another essential condition "Spatial Perception LV1" has only a small amount of experience improvement, still a bit away from being coded out by the system.

Then, his sister gave Lu Ping'an a surprise.

[Acquired a small amount of insight into the Black-iron level spell 'Spider Walk'. Current progress 11/100.]

The running skills and breathing techniques gained, added together, total about thirty points and are yet unable to change qualitatively. But this new black-iron spell is a surprise.

Lu Ping'an learned before that the "Career Ability" of each "profession" is not singular. The first-tier runner has more than just "Shrink Land", but the chances of awakening other spells are lower.

"...if the requirements are so high, naturally the chance of awakening is lower."

Lu Ping 'an touched the screen in the void, and more messages were reflected back.

[Usage requirement: Quick Flash Breathing Method lv7, Spatial Perception lv4, Reflex (Black Iron Lower Level), Spider Walk knowledge 100/100.]

This requirement, for a 0-tier runner, is a bit too excessive.

Physique (Mortal), Reflex (Mortal), Spirit (Mortal) in Lu Ping 'an's status bar are basic attributes, without any idea about how to increase. They haven't been included in the dividends either.

All that was mentioned during his appointment were marginal attributes increase (Runner profession modification: slight increase to Physique, moderate increase to Reflex, slight decrease to Spirit), nothing reflected on the panel, still three "mortal" attributes.

"Does it require reflexes at the supernatural level? And such high spatial perception and breathing techniques, the base attributes of that cat are somewhat scary."

The requirements are so high, but the effectiveness is rather subtle.

[Black-iron level spell Spider Walk: In the blink of an eye, four limbs touch the wall as if it's flat ground. Chasers: No road to run on? Pursuit is not such an inconvenience!]

When Lu Ping'an focused on it, a memory surfaced in his mind, that cat excitedly stepping on the ceiling, jumping back and forth between the walls and the roof ridge.

Put bluntly, it's a budget version of Spider-Man, able to treat walls and ceilings as flat ground during the period of suspended breathing.

If there was a choice, Lu Ping'an… no, most ordinary runners, would undoubtedly choose the more practical Shrink Land.

However, if it's that cat, a "Catwoman" whose base strength and reaction speed are both double that of an ordinary person, Shrink Land doesn't provide much assistance to her mobility.

Instead, if she stealthily flips in from the wall, uses the cat's silent step, walks upside down along the ceiling, and stretches out her paw towards your head…

"No wonder people say that even with the same rank and the same profession, the combat strength can be vastly different. The randomness is quite a trap, but... only children make choices, I, as an adult, want it all!"

The awakening of supernatural abilities is never easy. Not only does it require persistent training and professional skills for support, but it also needs a flash of insight and finally the consumption of accumulated "pollution".

Hard training, inspiration, and accumulation are indispensable.

If you awaken an unsuitable career ability, you're really screwed.

The chances of a second awakening are far lower than the first, and the consumption greatly increases.

Generally, a first-tier professional only has two or three career abilities. If you get a useful one, that's enough.

But for Lu Ping'an who has the Life Bank, he only needs to fulfill basic usage conditions which is enough for him.

For him, "want it all" has been a route he set from the beginning.

After arranging the benefits, Lu Ping'an relaxed and exhaled. Perhaps because of lower basic levels, his runner career skills improved quickly.

However, what "Dividends" brings is not just a positive improvement.

"…Are cat biscuits really that tasty? I kind of want to try."

The dividends come from the "harvest of life", there's hard training and combat, and naturally, daily life.

Maybe the impact of cat biscuits on the little girl was too intense. She shared a lot of reviews on the delicious taste of cat biscuits. The delicious feeling made Lu Ping'an almost drool.

Luckily, the rush came and went quickly. After repeatedly chanting "I am a person, not a cat", Lu Ping'an suppressed this impulse and focused on enjoying leek dumplings.

"This seems… a bit like invading personal privacy…rrr… but it can be used as a means of collecting information."

But it also woke him up. If he uses "Investment" without restraint, he might be distorted by the shared things.

"For now, it's just Brother Lei's siblings and Sister Xia."

Having two hard-working professional runners working for his dividends, reaching double LV4 within half a month should be no problem.

'Shrink Land' as the best runner career ability at hand, if obtained before the exam, his survival rate will effectively increase.

Once the issue of survival is resolved, the next thing, naturally, is combat.

"Big cat said to rely on the gardener, but it feels a bit far-fetched. Isn't that famously a support role?"

----

----

One day later, Lu Ping'an happened to pass a pet shop.

Back home, looking at the box of cat biscuits, he was a bit hesitant. Just looking at the packaging, the overflowing saliva and the taste made him impulsive.

He looked left and right, no one around.

"I'll just try it, just try it..."

Then, he sprayed it out!

"Oh spit, it's fishy and dry, completely different from my memory!"

Did he buy the wrong one? He checked it over and over again, same packaging, same brand.

Now, he finally realized that a cat's taste buds and a human's taste buds are different. What others think is delicious, he may feel like eating X...

"Don't tell me, there's really a beastification system's Fly Man, I have to be careful about who I invest in from now on..."

While confirming the hidden cost of his ability, Lu Ping'an looked at the cat biscuits on the table worryingly, he didn't have a cat to feed.

"That's right, isn't there a big cat at my house, why not..."

"Scram!"

The roar came from the other side, it seems the big cat is really not a cat.

So, he generously gave it to a junior girl.

"Huh? How do you know that my... our little white cat likes this brand of cat food, thank you, senior!"

"Well, well, I hope your... your cat enjoys it."