“This guy’s strength and mental state are enough for him to be a supervillain in Gotham. You want me to deal with him?”
Gao Yi stopped in his tracks upon seeing the new mission, turning around in disbelief.
Triggering a mission didn’t mean he had to accept it. He had already missed quite a few during this past week, and there were no penalties.
Last weekend, Gao Yi suddenly discovered his golden finger had arrived. He immediately felt the world would sing for him, so he equipped the 【Debtor】 Tag, planning to make money first.
The first mission told him that too many debts don’t weigh you down, asking him to aim for a debt amount of 1 million.
Gao Yi calculated that if he couldn't earn money, surely he could borrow it. Already owing a massive 400,000, he ran around everywhere and successfully accumulated 800,000 in debt by the first night.
However, as soon as midnight passed, the mission to owe money disappeared directly, and the new mission required Gao Yi to clear his debts to zero.
After confirming the Tag System’s malicious humor and the fact that he still couldn't get money, Gao Yi still turned his attention to his main profession, beginning to wear the 【Reporter】 Tag.
After that, he finally completed two missions and also upgraded the Tag to Level 3.
In fact, there were no restrictions or cooldowns on changing Tags, but the daily missions were determined by the Tag worn at midnight.
Just like now, Gao Yi pondered for a moment, took off the 【Reporter】 Tag, and put on the 【Heartbroken Person】 Tag.
【Tag: Heartbroken Person Lv1 (Normal)】
【Experience: 20/100】
【Tag Ability: ① Ex: Gain stronger empathy, able to comfort those in extreme emotional states.】
He first took a stride, knelt beside the Aunt who had been knocked away, and did a preliminary check of her condition.
The good news was that this kind-hearted Aunt was still alive; the bad news was that her body was largely immobile, very likely with fractured ribs and an arm.
Gao Yi, lacking professional medical background, could only offer a few words of comfort, then lowered himself and slowly walked towards the man at the rear of the carriage.
The passengers who had run to another carriage still maintained the modern human instinct. Once they felt temporarily safe, they took out their phones and started taking photos and videos.
Seeing Gao Yi walk towards the man in the black hoodie, several people started cheering him on, making it seem like he was going to fight.
“Kill him, kill him!”
“Go, big brother without a coat in the middle of winter!”
“My people, who understands? Today I finally took the subway to experience life, and just happened to encounter someone fighting…”
What kind of people are these…
Gao Yi, who had already reached the middle of the carriage, curled his lips and turned to make a shushing gesture.
Then, he pointed to the Aunt lying there and quietly told everyone to call the Police, barely managing to control the situation.
This suddenly appearing Tag System, while full of malicious humor and inhumane, has so far only issued missions that Gao Yi could, or at least theoretically could, complete.
Whether it was owing a million or investigating evidence of criminal organizations, none had exceeded his ability limit.
Now that a special mission had been issued, it presumably meant the Tag System believed Gao Yi had a chance to subdue this man.
Of course, what made Gao Yi determined to deal with that black-hoodied supervillain was certainly not cheap righteousness and courage.
For an investigative reporter like him, who often worked undercover, righteousness was like underwear: hidden beneath clothes, silently upheld in his own way.
Generally, those who flaunted it, wearing it on their heads for all to see, were the least reliable.
To put it bluntly, the key thing that attracted Gao Yi was the mission reward.
【Carryable Tags +1, Rare Trait *1, Normal Item Draw Chance *3】
Aside from the 【Trait】 whose use was still unknown, this normal item draw, while nothing good had appeared yet, was better than nothing.
The most appealing part was the Carryable Tags +1.
This was a truly qualitative leap in terms of bonuses.
Having two Tags not only allowed the effects of different Tags to complement each other, but also meant two Tag missions every morning.
With two missions, there was room for choice, no need to foolishly follow the mission blindly.
This was enough to instantly transform Gao Yi from a passive party to an active one, becoming his own master.
Recalling it, this Tag System appeared precisely during Gao Yi’s worst period.
Friends running off with pooled money led to him being deep in debt, he broke up with his girlfriend of four years, and the news story he had painstakingly gathered information for over several months was stolen by his boss.
Even Gao Yi, who was extremely adept at self-regulation and maintaining a stable mindset, felt a hint of despair.
It was at this moment that a legendary encounter, like something out of a novel, occurred.
This Tag System brought him immeasurable opportunities and a future.
If, in this situation, he still chose to play it safe and retreat, giving up missions because they were risky, then Gao Yi would truly deserve to live a relatively failed life.
“Hey, at worst I’ll get beaten up. It can’t be worse than when I went undercover in that mental hospital for abusing patients, and those two orderlies beat me.”
Giving himself a strange pep talk, Gao Yi took another deep breath, quickened his pace, and stopped about two meters in front of the man in the black hoodie.
As the distance closed, Gao Yi could observe the other party more closely, and some previously unnoticed details became apparent.
The man’s body was visibly unhealthy. His wrists, exposed from his sleeves, were almost skin and bones, his eye sockets were sunken, his lips were pale, and his cheeks were sickly thin.
But the severity of his physical state was still nothing compared to the severity of his mental state.
The man was currently clutching his head with both hands, mumbling in a strong Southern accent, trembling.
Gao Yi tried his best to listen but could only catch fragmented words.
“No, the Holy Grail is too terrifying,” “The game still has a few minutes left,” and “Someone save me.”
Gao Yi instantly realized that, contrary to the powerful combat ability the other party displayed, this man was not simply insane, but also entangled in extreme fear.
This was a good entry point.
“Brother, brother, what’s wrong?”
Learning from the Aunt’s lesson, Gao Yi didn’t directly make physical contact, only calling out softly from about a meter in front and to his side.
The subway was still moving at high speed, making it difficult to maintain balance without support.
But Gao Yi still tried his best to lower himself, half-crouching to communicate with the other party, ensuring his height didn’t exceed the seated man’s too much.
This was a method to lower others’ guard, a simple communication and negotiation technique.
The man in the black hoodie looked up, his bloodshot eyes clearly filled with murderous intent, staring directly at Gao Yi.
“I mean no harm, I just want to help. If you don’t need me now, I’ll leave immediately,” Gao Yi said, spreading his hands to show he was unarmed, then continued:
“But at least tell me what you’ve gone through, okay? I can explain what happened to others for you, otherwise, various Police and security guards will come to bother you later.”
“What do you know?! Who cares about your damn security guards!”
The man roared, his voice hoarse.
Very impolite, very arrogant, but at least he opened his mouth and spoke. This was the basis for communication.
At the same time, the Tag System’s prompt also proved this point opportunely.
“【Heartbroken Person】 Tag, Experience +5”
Seeing this, Gao Yi struck while the iron was hot, sitting directly opposite the man, slapping his thigh in agreement:
“Although I don’t know what you’ve gone through, I can truly relate to how you’re feeling right now. You know, my life has been particularly miserable lately…”
Whether it was the effect of the 【Heartbroken Person】 Tag or Gao Yi’s well-honed communication skills that worked, the man in the black hoodie actually calmed down a bit and began to listen to Gao Yi’s narration.
“【Heartbroken Person】 Tag, Experience +10”
Very good, very good. The initiative in the conversation is already in my hands. Next, I’ll subtly ask what this “game” is.
But just then, the crowd watching from the adjacent carriage caused a commotion. The human wall was forced open, creating a gap, and two men in subway security uniforms walked out.
They looked towards this carriage, and without thinking twice, they ran towards Gao Yi and the man, shouting:
“The Police and Investigation Bureau will be here soon! Put down your weapons and surrender on the ground!”
........................................