The Creatures that We Are

They rushed out of the flower bed, heading toward the auditorium through the shaded path. On the way, they ran into a few lone rune corpses, but they were swiftly dealt with by Gray Bear and Lithe Snake and their perfect teamwork.

Two minutes later, they made it to the back of the auditorium, returning to the construction site.

The first song just ended.

The whole process lasted only five minutes, yet it felt to them like they had gone through a long, intensely terrifying nightmare.

“Alright. We’re safe for now.” Standing by the door, Gray Bear looked outside to make sure that no rune corpse had followed them here. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief.

He then strode up to Lithe Snake and punched him in the shoulder. “I knew you wouldn’t die so easily!”

Lithe Snake responded with a cool look, “I’d been waiting for the broadcast. I thought you failed.”

“Hmph! You underestimated us.”

“We don’t have much time.”

Gao Yang wasn’t feeling optimistic. He took out a few bottles of water from the supply bag and threw them to the others. “We’ll take a 10-minute break. Get some drinks and a few bites, and check each other for injury.”

“Yellow Butterfly,” Nine Frost said. “Make an inventory of the weapons. We’ll allocate them between all of us.”

“Got it.”

They each got on their own task. Soon, Old Joe realized that the highschool boy they had left tied up in the room was gone. He must have broken the ropes and run away. They didn’t have the time to worry about a wanderer though.

“Can, Yellow Butterfly, come here,” Black Sparrow said and walked into a room. The three of them were going to check each other for injury.

“Okay.” Yellow Butterfly followed her in.

Can paused before rushing after them with her head lowered.

Noticing her reaction, Gao Yang’s chest tightened. He hoped he was overthinking things.

A minute later, Yellow Butterfly left the room first. Then she started to sort out the weapons and the items in the supply bag efficiently.

The men finished checking each other for wounds as well, and they started resting, getting hydrated and filling their stomachs.

“Captain, we only have one loaded gun now. There are 6 bullets.”

Yellow Butterfly handed it to Nine Frost. “There are 5 bottles of Medicine C, 2 bottles of Celestial Water, 2 sleep gas grenades, and 3 awakener adrenaline shots. Although we have ten Talent-amplifying accessories with us, they won’t be of any help.”

“What cold weapons do we have?” Nine Frost took the gun and asked.

“Brass knuckle, shortsword, composite bow, and nunchucks.” Yellow Butterfly’s eyes flashed with sorrow when she got to the last item. Nunchucks were always Dark Li’s weapon of choice.

“Give the brass knuckles to Black Sparrow. The composite bow is Xiuyi’s.” Nine Frost turned to the others. “Who wants the nunchucks?”

No one said anything. None of them were particularly good with nunchucks, and for those who hadn’t been trained, a shovel, a golf club, or even a spade would be a better weapon.

“Give it to me,” said Yellow Butterfly.

Nine Frost nodded and continued, “There’s another shortsword. Anyone?”

“Give it to, me,” said Ronnie.

Nine Frost nodded and looked at the handgun. “There are six bullets left. Who’s the best shot here?”

“Probably me.” Gray Bear smiled wryly. As a police officer, he had been properly trained in firearms. “But I don’t need it. I’ve become more confident in my own fists.”

Nine Frost nodded. It was the same for him.

None of the others were trained in firearms. After a moment of consideration, Nine Frost said, “Keep this, Yellow Butterfly. When there’s any danger, protect yourself and Can.”

“Understood.”

Yellow Butterfly took the gun and tucked it under her waistband.

“Captain.” Black Sparrow emerged from the room then, her expression tense. She first looked at Nine Frost before turning to Gao Yang, hesitant to continue.

Gao Yang’s heart sank. He thought back to the time Can got tackled back in the teaching building.

“Go on,” said Nine Frost.

“Can…” Black Sparrow avoided Gao Yang’s eyes. “There’s a wound on her foot.”

The air froze.

Gao Yang suppressed a shudder. So it came.

“No!” Gray Bear lost his calm. “Are you sure? Are you sure she was bit by a rune corpse?”

Black Sparrow shook her head. “I’m not sure, and Can said that she couldn’t remember. Still, I think we have to be prepared.”

Nine Frost turned to Gao Yang. “She’s one of yours. I’ll leave you to decide her fate.”

“No, no. It can’t be a bite mark…” Xiran kept shaking his head in denial.

Lithe Snake shot Gao Yang a cold look. “If you don’t want to do it, I will.”

“What are you talking about, Lithe Snake?!” Xiran raised his voice into a yell. “Can’s our companion! We can’t just give up on her! We can’t treat her like that!”

“Ronnie, Uncle Bear! Say something!” Xiran cried his throat hoarse. “Say something!”

“Xiran,” Gao Yang cut him off. “Stop.”

“But…”

“I said stop,” Gao Yang ordered.

Eyes red and jaw set, Xiran turned to move to a wall, dropping to the ground while holding his head with both hands.

“Lend me a knife, Lithe Snake.”

Lithe Snake drew a sharp dagger and handed it to Gao Yang. “This is the sharpest one. It’ll minimize her suffering.”

Gao Yang took it and turned to Nine Frost. “The transformation is quick. If she was bitten, she would turn in less than five minutes. Give me some time.”

In other words, Gao Yang wouldn’t just kill her without proof. He would keep watch on Can for five minutes, and if she started to turn, he would take care of her with his own hands.

Nine Frost quietly nodded, giving Black Sparrow a pointed look.

Understanding his unspoken order, Black Sparrow put on the brass knuckles and quietly waited outside the room in case something unexpected happened.

Holding the dagger behind his back, Gao Yang walked into the room.

There was no electricity at the construction site, and the room was dark. The only source of light was the flashlight laid flat on the table, illuminating a slanted circle on the rough concrete wall.

Can sat on the ground with her arms around her legs, her upper body within the circle. Her face looked pale under the light, and her forehead was covered in sweat.

“Captain!”

Her face lit up when she saw Gao Yang come in, but only for a fleeting moment.

She lowered her head and said in a trembling voice, “Are you…here to kill me?”

Gao Yang squatted down by her side and tightened his right hand around the dagger, keeping it hidden behind him. With his left hand, he brushed Can’s damp hair to the side. “No, I’m here to keep you company.”

“Captain.” Can was hyper by nature, but she was unusually meek now. “I, I wasn’t lying. I don’t know where I got the wound. I really don’t know.”

“Don’t be scared. Let me have a look.”

Can nodded and extended her left leg. Lifting her loose jeans, he saw that her pale, delicate calf had a three centimeter gash on it. It wasn’t deep, but it was bleeding.

Gao Yang couldn’t tell if it was a bite mark, a scratch, or other wounds.

“It’s okay,” Gao Yang let go and assured her. “I don’t think it’s a bite mark.”

“I don’t think so either…” Can’s pale face gained a little color back. “A bite mark would have hurt a lot, right? I would have known. But I didn’t feel anything, truly. It must not be a bite mark…”

Can continued to rattle off, her eyes wide like a deer facing a hunter’s gun barrel, fearful, timid, anxious.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.” Gao Yang smiled gently, yet he hadn’t loosened his grip on the dagger.

He stared at Can’s eyes with his full attention. He wouldn’t hesitate if she showed any signs of turning.

“Captain.”

Suddenly, Can burst into tears. “I’m so scared. I don’t want to die. I really don’t… Would, would you not kill me?”

Ring—

His head rang again.

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