The Creatures That We Are-Chapter 1252: Counter

Underground sixth floor, the next day, late night.

After the strategic meeting, Gao Yang returned to his dorm room. Sleep eluded him. He sat on the couch and turned on the recording with his parents’ last words.

He turned it off when he heard someone approach. The door opened. Vermilion Bird walked in and said unceremoniously, “Gao Yang, we’ll have to modify the plan.”

“Go on.”

“Quiet Book, Tang Xiaocong, Sun Hu, Xiao Xin, and One Stone decided not to join the fight. Not because they get timid, but because they want to concentrate our power.”

Gao Yang caught on.

It would soon be a year since Gao Yang had used Life Bank on Vermilion Bird. That meant he would soon be able to get Talents from her.

Vermilion Bird sat down next to him. “They are worried about dragging us down. It’s better to give their Talents to their companions. That’ll make our odds better if we are going to fight Dragon.”

Gao Yang nodded.

“Quiet Book acquired Three Heads Six Arms. She could merge with two other people. You’ll replicate Cheating from Liao Liao to exploit a loophole. And I’ll help transfer three people’s worth of Talents to you. That leaves two of them. I’ll take one of their Talents. Wang Zikai will take the energy of the last.”

“It may not work,” Gao Yang said.

“There’s no harm in trying. It’s worth it.”

Gao Yang didn’t disagree.

“Make your pick first.” Vermilion Bird handed Gao Yang a list of Talents.

Quiet Book: Substitute, Plant, Three Heads Six Arms.

Tang Xiaocong: NPC, Empty Man, Simplify.

Sun Hu: Actor, Golden Ratio, Magic Tricks.

One Stone: Slow, Blood Fighter, Psychiatrist, Pharmacist, Seed of Resentment, Tracking, Condition, Seduction.

Xiao Xin: Thick Mist, Mud Man.

“Quiet Book, Tang Xiaocong, and Sun Hu.” Gao Yang made his picks.

“Okay. Then I’ll have One Stone’s Talents. Xiao Xin will be left to Wang Zikai.”

Gao Yang checked the timeline in his head. “One Stone got Talents transferred to her before. It’ll be more than ten days until she’s supposedly allowed to trade once more. Will there be a risk?”

Vermilion Bird smiled. “A little. But I’m the owner of Equivalent Exchange. I am allowed some privileges. We’ll minimize the risk. If something goes wrong, we have Hong Xiaoxiao reset us.”

“Okay.”

“That’s it,” Vermilion Bird said.

Gao Yang nodded.

Vermilion Bird rose to her feet. She stopped to turn around when she was at the door. “Gao Yang, if Dragon is our enemy, do we stand a chance?”

“Do you want an answer from your Captain, or a friend?” Gao Yang asked.

“A friend.”

“I don’t know.”

Vermilion Bird smiled wryly. “That tells me nothing, but it’s not a bad answer.”

She gently closed the door. “Have a good rest. Good night.”

...

Green Mountain, March 31st, late night.

Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Vermilion Bird, Wang Zikai, and White Dew stood on the observatory on the mountain top. Bracing against the night wind, they looked over at the Li City below.

Wang Zikai stepped on the marble railing and leaned in, putting a hand over his forehead as he gazed at the Green Lotus Park. He could adjust his vision at will like binoculars. Although he had become much weaker after killing Pride, he was still several times stronger than the old Wang Zikai—the same couldn’t be said about his intelligence, though.

“That bastard hasn’t come yet. Is he already chickening out?” Wang Zikai was in a good mood. He had already decided how he was going to beat up Dragon.

“Wang Zikai, you remind me of a classic character.” Vermilion Bird commented with forced lightness. “You just need a staff and a tiger pattern skirt[1].”

“Huh?” Wang ZIkai didn’t understand.

Vermilion Bird chortled. “Nothing.”

White Dew held herself with elegance, her silver hair flying under the moon. “Didn’t expect Dragon to be my farewell performance.”

“Ahem, woman, no offense,” Wang Zikai flipped his hair, “But stay put later. I’m gonna single-handedly take him down.”

“Dragon may not be an enemy,” Qing Ling said.

“You’ve changed, Qing Ling!” Wang Zikai said disappointedly. “You used to be reckless.”

“You’ve changed, too,” Qing Ling shot back. “You’re even more stupid than you were.”

“You—”

“Qing Ling’s right,” Gao Yang interjected. “Stay calm, Wang Zikai. We consider the worst-case scenario, but that’s it. We react according to Dragon’s stance.”

“I get it, I get it.” Wang Zikai came to his own understanding with gamer logic. “We counter rather than initiate.”

Both led to a fight.

Nainai, Chen Ying, and Zhang Wei came over on a wind. They slowly landed.

“We’ve searched through the Shanqing District and didn’t see Dragon, Captain,” Chen Ying said.

Zhang Wei was getting agitated. “It’s going to be the first soon, but Dragon’s still nowhere to be seen. He’s not up to some ghostly trick, is he?”

He turned to White Dew. “Not talking about you.‘

White Dew pretended like he had never said anything. She would consider it a personal failure if she even spared him a glance.

“Ha, the bell of fate is about to ring. Mortals, wait for this Empress’s grand performance!” Nainai was still hovering in the sky. She now stayed afloat outside of when she was sleeping.

Zhang Wei didn’t pay Nainai any attention. “What do we do, Brother Yang?”

“We wait patiently.”

They waited. Soon, Gregor, Dr. Jia, Adept Horse, Lovely Lamb, Raven Shark, and Old Seven reached the observatory, all ready for what was to come.

The last to show up were Heavenly Dog, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Liao Liao, the invisible recon trio.

“Captain.” Liao Liao jumped off. “There’s something wrong with the Green Lotus Lake. I’ve lost contact with my insects.”

“I’ll check!” Chen Ying activated Clairvoyance, her face darkening. “You’re right. It seems that...”

It took her a moment to come up with the right words: “That time has stopped there.”

...

The time and space around the Green Lotus Lake were strangely still. All of the insects Liao Liao sent became suspended in the air like pinned specimens. Grey moonlight shone on the Green Lotus Lake—ironically, there were no lotuses on the empty surface of the water. And even the moon didn’t cast a reflection in it.

Ring.

It was midnight. April first had arrived.

The frozen time and space shuddered like a droplet of water from a higher dimension had rippled it. Dragon appeared then, wearing a loose pristine white robe with white hair running down like snow. His heterochromatic eyes were deep and vibrant. He stood on the lake like it were land.

Two seconds later, he raised his head and leveled a slightly exhausted gaze on the Green Mountain in the distance.

At that moment, Dragon and Gao Yang met eyes despite being so far away.

“There you are.”

Gao Yang heard Dragon’s voice.

He suddenly realized how meaningless his caution was. No matter where he hid, Dragon would find him immediately. They were the head and the tail.

“Here I am.”

Gao Yang responded with a thought.

Dragon didn’t say anything else.

Amid the night wind, Gao Yang ordered calmly, “Let’s go.”

“Hmph!” Still hovering, Nainai had been waiting for this moment. Her hair and skirt fluttered as she raised her hands. “Empress’s Wind!”

They rose into the air and gathered to her.

Following the girl’s dramatic but ultimately meaningless declaration, they flew to the Green Lotus Lake.

—Thirteen awakeners, one Divine Scion, one death monster, one Spectre, and a parrot.

1. A reference to Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. ☜