The Creatures that We Are

Stunned, Gray Bear stared at the young man who was significantly shorter than he was. No, forget young man. This was a boy who was still wet behind the ears.

“You?” Gray Bear’s mouth twitched. “Protector?”

“Yes,” said Gao Yang.

“Ahaha, hahahaha…”

Gray Bear slapped his thighs as he guffawed, shaking with the sheer force of his laughter like a flower shaking in a storm. His voice rumbled and reverberated throughout the lobby.

After a while, he took a breather and stared down at Gao Yang, arms akimbo. “You? A Protector?”

“Correct.”

“Hahahahahaha!” Gray Bear burst into laughter again.

The two receptionists couldn’t bear to watch the farce play out any longer. Thankfully, the one in white qipao got a call then. With a sudden change of expression, she jogged up to Gray Bear and said, “A call for you, Mr. Gray Bear.”

“Haha, hahaha…for me? Who is it?” Gray Bear took the phone, still laughing so hard that he had trouble breathing.

The receptionist said, “Elder Black Tortoise.”

The laughter died in an instant. Gray Bear reflexively wiped his hands on his jeans and took the call with deference. “Elder Black Tortoise. Yes, he’s arrived. Yes…Of course, of course. You don’t have to worry.”

He ended the call and returned the phone to the receptionist.

Then he turned to Gao Yang and sniffled awkwardly, scratching his head because he didn’t know where to put his hands.

After a few seconds, he offered Gao Yang a hand with an obsequious smile, “Nice to meet you, Captain Seven Shadow. I’m the vice-captain of the fifth operations team, Gray Bear.”

“Nice to meet you.” Gao Yang nodded and purposefully didn’t take his hand.

His situation was different now. As a Protector, he had to act like a mid-ranking leader.

“Sir Black Tortoise told me to show you around. However, a case came up, and I have to go at once…”

Gray Bear was conflicted. When Gao Yang didn’t say anything, he quickly explained, “My day job is a police officer. Haha.”

“A murder?” Gao Yang was curious.

“Yes, serial murder! The culprit is disgustingly bold!” Gray Bear was a little worked up.

Gao Yang suggested, “Aren’t you short on hands? Take me with you.”

“I won’t trouble Captain Seven Shadow with something this trivial…”

“You need a driver, don’t you?” Gao Yang curled his lips.

“No, no!” Gray Bear quickly put on a servile smile. “I’ll drive. Please.”

Gray Bear led Gao Yang out of the Walled City of Ten Dragons and climbed into a private car. He fished out a uniform for police hands[1] and handed it to Gao Yang. “Captain Seven Shadow, due to your age, I’m afraid I’d have to trouble you to play a police hand for me. When we enter the crime scene, please refrain from speaking up unnecessarily. After all, it was the monsters’ territory outside the Walled City of Ten Dragons.”

“I understand.” Gao Yang climbed into the car and quickly changed into the uniform, putting on the cap.

Gray Bear focused on driving and stopped talking.

With his uniform buttoned-up and straightened, Gao Yang accessed the system. He could now do it without closing his eyes.

[Access granted.]

—Status screen.

[Constitution: 121 Endurance: 122 ]

[Strength: 217 Agility: 259 ]

[Willpower: 309 Charisma: 97 ]

[Luck: 132 ]

[You have a total of 86 Luck points.]

—Hmm, it’s been three and a half days since I last allocated my Luck points, and I haven’t encountered any danger during this time. The number makes sense.

—Split my points between Constitution and Endurance.

[Constitution: 164 Endurance: 165 ]

[Strength: 217 Agility: 259 ]

[Willpower: 309 Charisma: 97 ]

[Luck: 132 ]

—We’re good.

[Access ends.]

In an instant, Gao Yang felt his body heating up. A concentration of warmth bloomed in his chest before spreading to the rest of his body in tandem with his heart beat, injecting every muscle and every bone with newfound energy and vitality.

And perhaps due to his physical training, the benefits the points allocation brought seemed more significant and lasting. His body was able to better accept and consolidate the increased stats.

“Heh, I didn’t expect you to be interested in my case, Captain Seven Shadow,” Gray Bear said after a while just to break the silence.

Gao Yang didn’t immediately respond.

He hadn’t tagged along on a whim. On one hand, spending time with Gray Bear alone would give him a chance to ask him about the Qilin Guild. On the other hand, murder investigation might end up getting him in danger—a more moderate one—and he would be able to accumulate Luck points quicker.

At the moment, Gao Yang planned to spend his points on Constitution and Endurance rather than Luck and Talent comprehension until the two stats reached at a decent level.

Since Gao Yang didn’t say anything, Gray Bear opted to explain the case. “The murder is quite troublesome though. The serial killer’s MO is extremely cruel, and this is their sixth victim.”

Gao Yang nodded.

He knew that given his age, he would be subject to doubt for taking on the role of Protector and Team Captain in the Qilin Guild. It would be akin to a transfer student becoming the class president as soon as they entered the school. It was only natural for the classmates to be doubtful.

That left Gao Yang with one option: he had to play it cool and show it to everyone that he was not to be trifled with. From now on, he would be the mysterious and aloof type.

“Tsk, the victims are all monsters anyway,” grumbled Gray Bear.

It was obvious that Gray Bear was more interested in matters about awakeners. He asked tentatively, “Captain Seven Shadow, I heard that your previous organization forbids unjustified killing of wanderers?”

“Yes.”

“But why?” Gray Bear didn’t understand. “If someone newly awakened has an offensive Talent, how are they going to reach level 3 if not through killing monsters?”

“What do you think?” Gao Yang asked.

“Well.” Gray Bear did give it some thoughts. “They can kill monsters in Rune Caves or kill other types of monsters, but the cost is way too high. It doesn’t make sense.”

“There are a lot of rules that don’t make sense in the Twelve Zodiac Signs.” Gao Yang purposefully expressed grievances for his former organization.

“Haha, that’s right. The Qilin Guild is the best.”

“Of course,” Gao Yang said with an impassive expression.

“Captain.” Gray Bear glanced at him through the rearview mirror, curious. “May I ask about your age?”

“Does it matter?”

“Of course not.” Gray Bear smiled apologetically. “This mouth of mine just won’t stop after it gets started.”

“Tell me more about the case.” Gao Yang decided to start with the serial murder. It would be too obvious if he asked the man about the Qilin Guild immediately.

“Oh, okay. There’s no connection between the victims. It looks completely random. Judging by the murder scenes, though, the culprit seems to be a fanatic of some evil cult.”

Gao Yang nodded.

“Anyway, it’s quite creepy. You’ll see soon.” Gray Bear made a full rotation with the driving wheel and turned into an old district.

After a few minutes, the car stopped at a messy alleyway that had seen better days.

The worn street sign at the alley said, ‘White Apricot Alley’. Inside were pink signboards for bathhouses, massage parlors, beauty salons, and health services[2].

Gao Yang glanced at Gray Bear.

With a knowing smile, Gray Bear said, “Yeah, it’s that kind of place. The latest victim seems to be a regular visitor.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a young officer emerging from the alley. His stature was small, but well-built. His skin was tanned, his hair shaved, and his eyes bright and intelligent. “Here you are, Uncle Xiong!”

He offered Gray Bear a cigarette.

“I’ve quit.” Gray Bear waved a hand at him. “They spotted a shadow in my lungs in my last health check. You should smoke less too, Young Liu.”

“Haha, I’m still young.” Officer Liu grinned. “I’ll quit after two years.”

He then turned to Gao Yang. “Who is this, Uncle Xiong?”

“Private eye.” Gray Bear had already come up with a cover story. “The investigation has seen no results, and the higher-ups are getting impatient. I brought him in for help. Perhaps he’ll lead us to a breakthrough.”

“Got it.” Officer Liu quickly handed Gao Yang a cigarette. “Well met, Sir. May I ask for your surname?”

“I don’t smoke. Thank you.” Gao Yang pressed a fist to his mouth and coughed, lowering the pitch of his voice. “No need for the honorific. I’m Jin Tiannan. You may call me Mr. Jin.[3]”

“Of course, Mr. Jin.” Officer Liu turned around to take the lead. “This way. Please follow me.”

1. In China, in addition to the regular police force, there are also auxiliary police, fu jing, and police hands, xie jing. The auxiliary police are basically contracted officers, while the police hands aren’t actually police officers, but helpers hired temporarily to fulfill certain needs. ☜

2. These are the kinds of establishments that often serve as a front for sex workers. ☜

3. A play on the young detective Kindaichi from The Kindaichi Case Files. In the Chinese rendition of the name, Kindaichi is pronounced Jintianyi. ☜

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