Chapter 1143: Prepare for Death

Gao Xin’s smile stiffened and morphed into one of melancholy. He lowered his head with a sigh. “My brother told me.”

Gao Yang activated Psychic Armor discreetly, a shudder running through him.

As if sensing his nephew's reaction, Gao Xin avoided Gao Yang's gaze as he continued, “Before his death, he visited me with Sister-in-Law. Sister-in-Law shook my hands as soon as she saw me. I found it strange and out of character for her, but I still shook her hand. I blacked out then.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly. “I only realized afterward that Lin Yue was checking my identity through physical contact, figuring out if I was human or a wanderer.”

“When I came to, Lin Yue was gone. Only my little brother remained. He said I'd fainted from anemia. I was too dazed then to question it.”

“My brother stayed for dinner. We drank and talked for hours—something we'd rarely done since his marriage.”

“I asked him to stay the night, but he declined. Before leaving, he gave me a voice recorder and made me promise him something.”

“He said that if one day I heard a strange voice in my head and noticed a change in my body, I shouldn't tell anyone or seek medical help. Instead, I should play the recorder while alone.”

“I didn't understand then. He stressed that I'd know what he meant when it happened. The recorder would explain everything.”

“Gao Shou made me swear—swear on what I held most precious—that I wouldn't play it until then. I'd never seen him with such a grave look on his face. I trusted he had his reasons, so I promised.”

Gao Xin’s eyes reddened. He finally turned to Gao Yang. “A few days later, Yang Yang, your parents passed... Only when I received the bad news did I realize that your dad was preparing for his death. I suspected they hadn't died in an accident as reported. But I'd made Gao Shou a promise. I kept the recorder untouched and carried on with my life.”

Gao Yang remained silent.

Gao Xin continued, “Two months ago, I awakened and gained Magic. I couldn't wait another moment before playing the recorder. I spent the whole night listening. I thought I was losing my mind...”

“It took me quite some time to wrap my head around all the ridiculous revelations, and I began to pay attention to the wanderers around me. I became, as you'd say, an unaffiliated awakener.”

“If you knew everything, Uncle, why didn’t you seek me out?” Gao Yang's voice remained steady.

“That was my first impulse.” Gao Xin lowered his head with a smile of embarrassment. “But I’m too weak. You saw how useless Magic is. I would only be a burden dragging you down. I kept listening to the recording your dad left me and agonized over it. In the end, I decided to maintain my cover until I could actually help you.”

“When you brought Little Kai and Qing Ling to visit on your birthday, I nearly told you everything.”

“But you left not long after. Then I heard the horn...”

Gao Xin trailed off, expression dark.

After another moment of silence, he said, “When the horn sounded, it unnerved me so much that I called you immediately. You didn’t pick up. I tried Xinxin next. Same thing. I rushed to the city to find you, but your house was empty.”

He sighed. “A week later, I comprehended Judge. I thought I couldn’t wait any longer. I should seek you out immediately. For that, I did some research. I realized that some people had been sending out signals to the unaffiliated awakeners online. I could be overthinking it, but I left an encoded message. I didn’t receive any response.”

“Those accounts belong to me, Uncle Xin,” Chen Ying said. “I’ve been looking for unaffiliated awakeners through different means, but I haven’t been checking the accounts since the death monsters awakened. I didn’t have the time.”

“Ah.” Gao Xin turned back to Gao Yang. “Yesterday, Xinxin visited me in the morning, saying she was going to celebrate my birthday and asking me to call you. I called, and you picked up. You all know what happened after that.”

Gao Yang stayed silent, his eyes glinting.

“Uncle Xin,” Nine Frost said, “How did you figure out that Gao—that Envy isn’t what she seems?”

Gao Xin sighed in melancholy. “Xinxin never remembered my birthday. Her dad always had to remind her to send a message. But now she not only remembered it but took leave from school to celebrate? It might have made sense if she'd come with Yang Yang, but she came alone and asked me to call him. It felt wrong.”

“And I have Judge. How do you describe it? That it comes with a discreet domain? Anyway, I could sense Gao Xinxin’s authority—a strong one. No wanderer has that. Knowing she isn’t human, I could only think of the worst case...”

He lowered his head and pinched between his thumb and forefinger. His voice trembled slightly as he said, “Then Wang Zikai showed up. His authority almost made me lose my balance. I was stunned. Thankfully, Gao Xinxin and Wang Zikai were arguing outside, or they would’ve noticed my reaction...”

He looked up at Gao Yang and said achingly, “I was trying to warn you not to come, Yang Yang. I wanted to tell you I'd awakened and would handle the monster myself.”

Even if he failed, he would just die on his own, without dragging anyone down with him.

He didn’t voice that part.

“But we went to you,” Vermilion Bird said.

“Yes, you came.” Gao Xin smiled bitterly. “I couldn’t let you get killed when you came to save me.”

He turned to Nine Frost. “The moment Wang Zikai arrived, your Telepathy got cut off. I didn’t know if he had noticed you, but I had to assume the worst.”

Everyone fell silent. After experiencing Wang Zikai's authority firsthand, none could doubt the possibility.

“Uncle Xin.” War Tiger had an unlit cigarette in his hand. He gave the man a look of respect. “I thought you were a little reckless, but now it seems that you’ve made the most optimal decision.”

Gao Xin’s lips curled into more of a grimace than a smile. “I wasn’t thinking, but following my instinct.”

“War Tiger’s right. You might have saved all of us,” Vermilion Bird said gratefully. Then she asked, “Can you play the recording for us, Uncle Xin?”