3: Chapter 3 The Witches

The handwriting paused for a moment.

Then, a portrait slowly emerged in the center of the page...

It wasn't a photograph, nor was it a sketch, but a lifelike oil painting.

Shaun recognized the figure in the painting instantly; it was the old red-headed bastard who had been lying under the tree ten minutes ago.

In the painting, Frank Gallagher was wearing that filthy gray hoodie, his face wearing that signature smile that seemed to both fawn over you and scheme against you at the same time.

One of his eyes was slightly squinted, while the other stared straight out of the painting...

Below the portrait, the handwriting continued to appear.

【Character Profile】

Name: Frank Gallagher

Source: shameless

Status: Alive

Current Location: New Orleans, under a certain tree (just driven away by you)

Danger Level: Harmless (except to your wallet)

Affinity: 5 / 100 (Your partner gave him twenty bucks, so he happened to remember you, but don't count on him paying it back)

【Character Introduction】

Frank Gallagher, the infamous scoundrel of Chicago's South Side, a professional deadbeat, an amateur philosopher, and a reincarnated cat with nine lives.

He has done every rotten thing you can think of, and can even conceive of all the rotten things you can't imagine. But he has a special talent... he never dies.

No matter how much he drinks, no matter how many people he offends, no matter how absurd the desperate situation he falls into, Frank Gallagher always finds a way to crawl out, and take advantage of the situation while he's at it.

This talent is not luck, nor is it a coincidence, but an innate, almost supernatural ability.

【Special Note】

Detected that the host has made contact with 【Frank Gallagher】, and the interaction result is positive (donated 20 dollars).

Frank Gallagher's "never die" talent has been converted into a learnable skill.

【Congratulations to the host for learning the skill: Bullshit】

Shaun was stunned.

Wait.

What?

Isn't it "never die"?

How did it become Bullshit?

Before he could react, the handwriting on the page continued to appear...

【Bullshit Skill (Beginner)】

Source: Frank Gallagher's survival philosophy

Type: Passive skill

Effect: When the host engages in improvisation, thinking on their feet, or babbling, persuasiveness increases by 30%. There is a certain probability of making the listener briefly ignore logical loopholes.

Note: Frank has survived to this day not by his fists, but by his mouth. Learn from him.

Great!

Shaun roughly understood now.

The skills learned from this "golden book" are acquired from characters in American TV shows.

Frank Gallagher is indeed very good at Bullshit, but he doesn't seem to need this thing right now!

As a police officer, now entering a witch's manor, what he needed was a skill to take down a witch with one shot, a telekinetic shield, or an 《Encyclopedia of Witch Weaknesses》!

Not some Bullshit...

Shaun glanced out the car window; the main house was already within reach.

Otis stopped the car and turned off the engine: "We're here, get out."

Shaun pushed the car door open. The moment his feet hit the ground, while his brain was still processing that "Bullshit skill", he saw a blonde woman approaching.

In her early twenties, tall, wearing a tight dress, she walked gracefully on the gravel driveway in high heels.

"Officers, you arrived quite quickly." Her voice carried a lazy Southern accent, but Shaun knew it was fake.

Madison Montgomery was from Los Angeles and hadn't been in New Orleans for long.

That's right!

He recognized her at a glance; the person walking towards him was the mean witch, Madison Montgomery.

Otis took out his notebook: "Ma'am, we received a report of a fight and gunshots here."

"A fight? Gunshots?" Madison covered her mouth dramatically, "Oh my god, the neighbors must have misunderstood. We are rehearsing a play, 《The Crucible》, about the Salem Witch Trials. Someone was practicing screaming, maybe it sounded like... you know."

As she said this, her eyes were fixed on Shaun.

Shaun was looking at her too.

Up close, Madison was even more... sharp than he remembered.

The mean blonde starlet in the show was just an annoying character on screen.

But standing in front of him now was a real person, a supernatural creature who could pin him against the wall with just a glance.

"Officer?" Madison tilted her head, "What are you thinking about?"

Shaun's brain was racing.

【Bullshit skill】.

How to use it?

What does he need to say now?

"I was thinking..."

As the words left his mouth, he suddenly felt a strange state. It was as if his brain was turning a beat faster than usual, and his tongue had suddenly become more agile.

"I was thinking, your choice of play is quite interesting. 《The Crucible》, the Salem Witch Trials. Putting on this play in New Orleans is quite fitting."

Madison raised an eyebrow: "Fitting?"

"Yeah, isn't New Orleans known as the most magical city in America? Voodoo, haunted houses, vampire tours, occult stuff is everywhere."

"Putting on a play about the witch trials, tourists must love it."

Madison paused for a moment, then laughed: "Officer, you really know your stuff."

"As a cop, you have to know a little bit about everything." Shaun said with a straight face, "By the way, when you were rehearsing, you didn't actually make any noise, did you? Like, anyone getting hurt or something?"

"No, no," Madison waved her hand, "Just rehearsal, everything is normal."

"That's good." Shaun nodded and turned to Otis, "Otis, I think maybe we should just..."

"I want to go in and check."

Shaun's words were stuck in his throat.

He glared at Otis.

Otis was completely oblivious and continued to say earnestly: "Since a report was made, we have to go in and confirm everyone's safety. That's the rule, right, Miss?"

Madison's smile froze for a moment.

Shaun cursed in his heart.

But he also noticed that in the split second Madison froze, something flashed in her eyes... not nervousness, but evaluation.

She was evaluating the two of them.

Evaluating what would happen if she didn't let them in.

"Otis," Shaun said, "How about this, you wait here for me, I'll go in and take a quick look and come right out. It's just a formality anyway."

Otis frowned: "No, the rules..."

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible." Shaun patted his shoulder, "With your 100-kilogram build, it wouldn't be good if you went in and broke their floor. I'll just go in, take a turn, confirm no one is hurt, and come right out."

Otis hesitated for a moment, then actually nodded: "Alright, make it quick."

Shaun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't know why Otis was so easily persuaded.

But when he was speaking just now, he did indeed feel that state of "brain turning faster than usual".

Could it be that the 【Bullshit skill】 was at work?

The look in Madison's eyes as she watched him had a bit more interest: "Officer, please."

She turned to lead the way, her high heels clicking crisply on the stone slabs.