Who the hell was talking in his head?
Xiao Yang's mouth hung slightly open. He felt a little dizzy.
And then—
A translucent panel suddenly materialized in front of his eyes.
---
Host: Xiao Yang
System: Biological Ability Replicator
Abilities: None
Replication Points: 1
(Note: Touch any living being to copy their ultimate talent, elite technique, or unmatched ability. Usage requires host exploration. Generates 1 replication point every 10 days. Can be accumulated.)
System Space: Empty
(Note: A 10-cubic-meter storage space. Can store non-living items within size limit, requires physical contact.)
---
A… a system?
Xiao Yang swallowed hard.
Two big words floated through his mind: What. The. Hell.
Then came pure ecstasy—he started trembling from excitement.
Who doesn't know about systems these days?
But once the joy faded, a hint of confusion crept in.
Even if he'd never used a system before, he'd at least read about them.
Still… this one looked kind of… budget.
Let's talk about this system space first—
Basically, a classic storage function.
But 10 cubic meters? That's like 5 meters long, 2 wide, and 1 high.
What's he supposed to store in there? Lunch boxes?
Couldn't they at least pretend to be generous?
And this so-called copy ability—
Touch any creature and you can copy their ultimate talent, elite skill, or unmatched power?
Sounds cool.
But what the hell does "ultimate talent" or "elite skill" even mean?
And the kicker: "requires host exploration."
Explore my ass.
How's he supposed to "explore" anything when he might be dead in the next second?!
Oh right… he might die.
Reality snapped back in.
Xiao Yang's eyes darted to those "bombs" again, cold sweat breaking out all over.
There was still hope. He had to save himself.
No way was he dying again just after transmigrating.
He blinked, and the system panel vanished from sight.
Self-rescue—how?
He was tied up.
Everyone around him was tied up.
The two thugs might look like they raided a cosplay shop for weapons—
But they had bombs.
The kind you couldn't risk messing with. One wrong move and everyone goes boom.
Just then, the thug by the window opened it and tossed out a spherical object.
Less than three seconds later—
BOOM!
The explosion thundered like a war drum, tearing the night apart.
The very air trembled with fear and dread.
Hearts seized. Souls froze.
Xiao Yang gasped.
He'd guessed right—real bomb.
A voice barked from the window:
"Listen up out there! Try anything, and I'll blow these bombs sky-high!"
"Everyone in here, watch closely! If I die, my hand slips—this button pops up, and we all go to hell. Wanna test it? Be my guest!"
"I'm warning you! Don't even think about a rescue! The second I see anyone come up to the third floor, I swear I'll set everything off!"
"And one more thing—"
Xiao Yang stared at the thug shouting through the window, face pale.
Nailed it again. Definitely a dead-man switch.
No way out of this…
Or was there?
He narrowed his eyes.
There had to be a way.
Signal jammers.
If you jammed the remote signal, the bombs couldn't be detonated remotely.
Well, half-disabled.
They wouldn't respond to the remote, but could still be set off manually.
But… where was he supposed to get a jammer?
From under a hostage's chair?
He could hear sirens outside. Police, negotiators—definitely already on scene.
Even if they had jammers, could they get them in?
And even if they did—too many variables.
Never underestimate a criminal.
Xiao Yang had once heard:
Most criminals have above-average intelligence.
Makes sense.
Ever try forging bills, hacking cards, crafting fake antiques?
Takes serious smarts.
Look at the bombs—
Fireworks, toy cars, heating wires—stuff regular people have seen, even used.
But could your average Joe rig it into a working bomb?
Hell no.
If these thugs were smart enough to make bombs, you think they wouldn't expect jammers?
Xiao Yang felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Something's off.
Let's say, hypothetically, they did expect the cops to try a signal jammer—
And they still used only remote detonation?
Were they really that dumb?
No…
There had to be something else.
His eyes widened, darting between the two visible thugs.
Nothing but remote controls in their hands.
No backup detonators.
They were more than ten meters from the actual bombs.
If anything went wrong, they wouldn't reach them in time.
Not even close.
No one's faster than a bullet.
And with terrorists involved, special forces would be deployed.
Snipers, too—likely already in position outside.
But no one's taken the shot.
They knew the remotes were dangerous.
Still, they'd be figuring out countermeasures right now.
Wait…
Why the hell am I even thinking like this?
Xiao Yang blinked in shock.
Then realized—
These weren't his own thoughts.
They came from the previous Xiao Yang—the police academy graduate, the wannabe cop.
Doesn't matter.
He'd sort that out later.
Right now—survive first.
Which meant…
The police would act soon.
And he still hadn't found the backup detonation method.
If these two thugs weren't idiots, there had to be another way to set it off.
Remote fails? Manual's too far.
No visible wires.
No anti-jammer tech nearby.
So what else?
Xiao Yang's brain spun like a dying engine.
Until suddenly—
His expression froze.
A vein popped on his forehead.
A wave of dread surged up from his gut.
His neck turned stiffly like rusted gears.
His gaze crept toward the hostages.
And then… he saw it.
That was it.
That's what's been wrong this whole time.
It wasn't just two thugs.
There was at least one more hidden among the hostages.
Someone ready to set off the bombs manually if things went south.
Xiao Yang's lips twitched.
"…Damn. You guys play real dirty."
Adrenaline surged through his veins.
He had to act—had to find that guy before the cops made a move.
Because he really, really didn't want to die again.