The Creatures that We Are

For the next thirty minutes, Gao Yang chatted with Xia Li a little more, keeping the conversation centered around her hobby. Then they exchanged numbers and agreed to go to an escape room or a murder mystery game together next time.

Of course, Gao Yang promised to go with her in the summer after his college entrance exams, giving himself time to back out of it.

When the morning came, Xia Li drove back home, while Gao Yang headed to school—since they weren’t heading in the same direction, they parted ways swiftly.

Gao Yang was going to get a taxi, but none could be found in the area. Since it was still early, and there was a bus station nearby, he ended up catching the first bus in the morning.

It hadn’t been long since dawn broke, and the road was almost empty, allowing the bus to speed along.

Sitting in the very back, Gao Yang looked out the window at the quickly passing street view, quietly steeped in his own thoughts.

It didn’t take long for the bus to reach the Daxu District and rush past the Millennium Tower. The familiar sight made Gao Yang feel a pang of melancholy about his changed circumstances despite the scenery staying the same.

He did miss his companions back at the Twelve Zodiac Signs, but he had met new people after joining the Qilin Guild, and they had built a strong bond after going through near-death experiences together.

What should he do if he had to choose between the two in the future?

Gao Yang wasn’t the kind to be blindly loyal to anyone. Be it Dragon or Qilin, if their dreams—or ambition might be the better word for it—turned out to be at odds with his, he wasn’t going to keep following them.

And the companions he had met in the two organizations would each have their own circumstances and pursuit. Whether they could keep going down the same path and fight shoulder to shoulder depended on many factors outside the faction they belonged to.

Very few people can walk alongside you your whole life.

Gao Yang was suddenly reminded of the saying he heard before, and it rang true to him.

The scenery outside continued to whip past the bus windows, and at some point, the bus reached Songstress’ flower shop.

Gao Yang was jerked back to reality.

Songstress opened shop early this morning. Dressed in an elegant and bright dress and a gardening apron, she was watering the flowers outside the shop with a sprinkling can.

Gao Yang looked at her, and a sudden thought compelled him to turn around, his gaze landing on the alleyway across from the flower shop.

A man disappeared into it.

Gao Yang jumped, but when he was going to look for the figure again, the bus had already driven away.

Had he seen it wrong? No.

Could it be Ghost Horse?

Very likely.

If so, this would at least be his second time showing up here.

Ghost Horse and Songstress’s relationship must run deeper than what was known. They could be a secret couple who had been very much in love.

After Ghost Horse was exposed and swiftly dealt with by Dragon, he was resurrected, and the only one he couldn’t let go of was Songstress. He missed her, but he didn’t dare go to her. Thus, he watched her from afar to quell his yearning.

Of course, there was another possibility: Songstress had been turned and become Ghost Horse’s informant. Ghost Horse could very well be talking to her through Telepathy, which allowed him to communicate through brainwaves, only with a range limit.

In that case, there would be another reason for Ghost Horse to show up here—if Songstress heard only his voice, she might not believe it to be Ghost Horse’s since she had seen him dead. That was why he had to let her get a look at him and come to believe that he was still alive. Only then would Songstress be willing to talk to him through Telepathy.

Of course, those were merely speculations.

Gao Yang’s head was a mess. Had War Tiger really taken the matter seriously? How far had the investigation gotten?

According to what Gao Yang knew, Mad Red, Yellow Butterfly, and Officer Liu were all members of the Godbearer Cult. Then it stood to reason that Ghost Horse, who had worked with Mad Red as a spy, was a member of the cult as well.

Some time in the past, the Godbearer Cult had planted spies in the three major organizations and had them stay put. There was no knowing what their goal was, but it was mostly likely the Rune Circuits.

When more Rune Circuits were found, the spies began to make their moves at the risk of exposing themselves.

Gao Yang was suddenly hit with a strong urge. He wanted to stake out near the flower shop. He believed sooner or later, he would catch Ghost Horse. While Wan Sisi had been killed by Mad Red, Ghost Horse had indirectly caused her death.

Gao Yang might be willing to forgive and forget with the man dead, but now that Ghost Horse had been resurrected, Gao Yang couldn’t just leave him be.

Rationally speaking, Gao Yang had to uncover the Godbearer Cult, and on a more personal note, he wanted to avenge Wan Sisi.

Ghost Horse was someone he had to go after no matter what.

But could he defeat Ghost Horse now? How strong was level 3 Teleportation, exactly?

Or should he take the fifth team with him?

If he wanted to send his whole team on the mission, he would have to report to the Guild first, which might end up alerting his enemy since there might still be spies from the Godbearer Cult in the Guild.

As an Elder-candidate, though, he could take action without reporting to his superior under special circumstances.

Still, the fifth team and their Talents wouldn’t be that useful against Ghost Horse, while the risk would be great. Gao Yang didn’t want to see more companions getting killed, especially not for his personal vendetta.

Gao Yang couldn’t make up his mind.

…

Gao Yang arrived at school.

After the morning self-study, he went to the campus shop for breakfast. When he went to his class, he was surprised to find Qing Ling there, breaking her streak of absence.

Qing Ling merely glanced at Gao Yang and didn’t say anything.

Playing along, Gao Yang didn’t greet her when he walked past her seat. He sat down at his table.

To the class, the two of them had broken up.

After the second class was the mandatory aerobics session. Once that was done, Gao Yang returned to his classroom and found a note in the drawer of his desk.

In Qing Ling’s handwriting, it said, ‘Noon, rooftop.’

Gao Yang gazed at her back, surprised.

She was dressed in white uniform with her hair tied into a high ponytail, her back straight.

If they were going to meet up, shouldn’t they go to their secret meeting place in the lab building? They could run into other classmates on the rooftop, and it was summer; the rooftop would be scorching hot at noon.

Whatever the case, Gao Yang quickly finished lunch at the cafeteria came noon and headed to the rooftop of the teaching building.

Sun blazed the concrete floor ruthlessly. Even the air twisted and curdled under the high heat.

Qing Ling had obviously been there for a while. Even though she was standing in the shade provided by the water tank, and the rooftop was quite windy, her pale neck was covered in beads of sweat.

“Is something wrong?” Gao Yang walked up to her.

She didn’t answer.

After a pause, Gao Yang realized, “Little Qing Ling?”

She nodded.

And that explained things. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go to the lab building, but that she couldn’t climb up and into the lab as a regular person.

“It’s been a while.” Gao Yang smiled.

“Put away your stupid grin.” Qing Ling gave him an irritated look, but her softened tone betrayed her feelings. “I’m here to talk about something important.”

“Go on.”

“I heard that you almost died at the Eleventh High School.”

“Honestly, things did get quite dangerous,” Gao Yang admitted. “But don’t worry. I’m still alive, ain’t I?”

Qing Ling nodded. “Sister has been worried since she heard about it.”

Gao Yang wasn’t sure what to say.

“That led to her getting distracted, which affected her training. She even got scolded by Teacher War Tiger. Since last night, she has been fuming and wouldn’t talk to me. She’s stubborn.”

Gao Yang opened his mouth and closed it.

Qing Ling handed Gao Yang a black button. “So I made the decision to give you this.”

Gao Yang took it and examined it. “What’s this?”

“A SOS alarm recently developed by the organization. It’s single-use.” Qing Ling pointed at her collars. The first button had been replaced with a deep green one. It wasn’t noticeable unless one was looking closely.

“Put it on your clothes or sleeves. It’s up to you. Crush it when you run into dangers.”

“Then?” Gao Yang was curious.

“Then the organization will locate you and send those nearby to help you.”

Gao Yang smiled and gave it back to her. “I appreciate the thought, but…”

“Keep it!” Qing Ling insisted. Without waiting for Gao Yang’s response, she grabbed the button and then Gao Yang’s hand to pin it to his sleeve.

“Qing Ling, I’m now a member of the Qilin Guild…”

“I know. But this is nothing but a simple button until you crush it. It won’t track you or expose you.”

She took a step back and looked up at Gao Yang. “Keep it on. It’s up to you if you wanna use it.”

Gao Yang stared at the button on his sleeve, a myriad of feelings warring in his head.

“Gao Yang, there aren’t many things that my sister values.”

Wind tousled her long hair. Her gaze on him was serious and caring. “Don’t you dare die.”

Gao Yang’s chest tightened, and he felt a prickle in his nose.

“Okay.” he nodded. “You and your sister too.”

Houseau3's Thoughts

Been a while since we met her alter ego.

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