The Creatures that We Are

They settled into their seats.

"Before we begin," Nine Frost spoke evenly, "I'll give an overall assessment of the operation."

He continued, "The Qingyang Bridge battle proved more dangerous than anticipated. Qilin exceeded our expectations in both power and cunning. Without the Spectres' intervention, we'd have faced catastrophic losses. Even so, we lost three companions."

He paused before adding, "Looking at results alone, we dealt the Ocean River Union a significant blow and forced Qilin to reveal his hidden cards. Mission accomplished, by that measure."

Everyone sat in silent agreement.

"Meanwhile, Captain survived an ambush by Clear Mirror and Nico, rescued Dr. Jia and his parrot, and recruited a new ally."

At Nine Frost's mention, the parrot froze mid-movement.

Liao Liao shifted uncomfortably, managing a weak smile. "Hello, we've all met before, so I'll skip introductions."

The others responded with looks ranging from friendly to indifferent.

“Moreover, Captain killed Sir Jiang and Qin You, avenging our companions and going above and beyond the mission.”

Liao Liao wasn’t sure how to feel when she had been one of the people Gao Yang killed.

War Tiger stared at the ceiling, unlit cigarette in hand. "How embarrassing. Little Yang Yang accomplished all that alone, while we ate dirt despite our numbers."

"More people often means a more complicated battlefield," Gao Yang said.

“You’re right, Captain.” Nine Frost’s heart was heavy when he thought back to what the Nine Scions had been through.

Chen Ying offered, “While I may not be in the place to say this, you’ve all done your best. And we were prepared to sacrifice ourselves before setting out.”

“Done your best! Done your best! Done your best!” The parrot, perching on the sofa, flapped its wings.

Dr. Jia swatted at it. “Just shut up, you damn bird!”

The parrot quickly flew away, croaking while flying, “Stupid doctor! Stupid doctor! Stupid doctor!”

War Tiger straightened his back and twirled the cigarette between his fingers. “Nine Frost’s made a good closing comment. I’ll go over the aftermath. The bodies left in Dr. Jia’s laboratory were burned, so Sir Jiang and the others wouldn’t be turned into puppets. But those who died at the Qingyang Bridge, friends and foes alike, were mostly intact enough to be reused…”

“There’s good news, though. The life monster puppet’s gone. As for Azure Dragon…”

"Unusable," Dr. Jia interjected confidently.

War Tiger's eyebrow lifted. "You're certain?"

“Qilin asked me to extract holy water from the dead life monster. For the request, he gave me some of his vital energy and told me the detailed mechanism of Puppeteer. The calculations are complex, so I’ll get to the conclusion.”

“Basically, a corpse puppet comes with limited use time and particular conditions. The dead life monster could be manipulated for no more than three minutes. Azure Dragon would allow for longer use time, but according to what you described, it must’ve been exhausted given the circumstances.”

War Tiger laughed. “It’s the right thing to do to grab…escort Old Jia here!”

The others let out sighs of relief. Their fear of Puppeteer lessened a little. While the Talent was powerful, it was based on the prerequisite of having powerful puppets.

“That’s good news, but there’s also bad news,” Gao Yang chimed in. “After what Qilin’s achieved, he must have gotten a step closer to reaching level 8 with Puppeteer.”

The others exchanged a glance, their mood turning gloomy once more.

"What's next, Little Yang Yang?" War Tiger cut to the chase, knowing Gao Yang would have a plan.

"We'll move on two fronts," Gao Yang replied without hesitation. "Dr. Jia needs to establish a laboratory quickly for weapons, equipment, and medicine development. Adept Horse urgently needs cybernetic calves."

War Tiger turned to Dr. Jia. "Can you manage that in three days, Old Jia?"

"Only in fantasy." Dr. Jia patted his Black Gold briefcase. "My crucial data and research survived, but all equipment and materials burned. Starting from scratch won't be simple."

"You're the genius here, Old Jia," War Tiger said with casual flattery. "Have faith in yourself."

Dr. Jia wasn't swayed. "Save it. I'm a genius, not God."

"A week then? That's my limit."

"You might as well kill me now."

"Tsk." War Tiger stroked his chin. "But you need to contribute something. If you can't deliver, don't blame me for taking measures."

Dr. Jia heard it as the threat it was and said more meekly, “Well, it’s not impossible to quickly rebuild a lab.”

"See?" War Tiger slapped his thighs, grinning. "I knew bringing Old Jia was right!"

Dr. Jia ignored him. "Years ago in Ni Nation, I built a lab. The equipment's dated but should suffice for now with some upgrades."

"Ten days," Gao Yang said firmly. "No more."

Dr. Jia fidgeted uncomfortably. "I can't guarantee anything. We'll only know the problems once we're there. I'll try my best to—"

"Complete it in ten days, and I'll provide vital energy from both the Divine Scion and a Spectre as goodwill."

"No problem!" Dr. Jia's eyes gleamed. "Deal!"

“Deal.” Gao Yang turned to Nine Frost. “Escort Dr. Jia to the S Base after finishing work and tell Nainai to get him to the Ni Nation for the rebuilding. The sooner the better.”

“Okay.” Nine Frost nodded.

“No, I’ll do it,” Qing Ling said. “I’ll go to the Ni Nation with Dr. Jia, too.”

Gao Yang knew why Qing Ling must go, and he was probably the only one who knew.

“Alright. You’ll be the leader of the operation.”

Qing Ling shot him a withering glare. Of course I’ll be, or are you gonna put Nainai in charge?

"Second." Gao Yang addressed Liao Liao. "Form an investigation team to monitor the Ocean River Union. Track them as best you can, but prioritize safety."

Liao Liao smiled wryly. Don't worry. I'm a master lurker.

After a moment, she nodded. "I want three people: Heavenly Dog, Little Hong, and Sister Ying."

Gao Yang turned to Heavenly Dog and Chen Ying, who were present in the meeting.

"Kay." Heavenly Dog shrugged indifferently.

"Fine by me." Chen Ying nodded.

Nine Frost spoke for the absent Hong Xiaoxiao. "She can handle it."

"Chen Ying," Gao Yang continued, "Take Liao Liao and Heavenly Dog to S Base for tonight. Begin operations tomorrow."

"Understood." Chen Ying nodded.

"Dismissed," Gao Yang concluded.

Over the next twenty minutes, they filtered out, leaving only Gao Yang, War Tiger, Nine Frost, and Fresh Snow upstairs in her room.

Qing Ling departed last, but not before Gao Yang walked with her to the mansion's rooftop. They stood together in the falling snow.

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