The Creatures that We Are

All twelve members of the two operations teams hurried to the auditorium.

On their way, Gao Yang found a chance to pat Lithe Snake on the shoulder and replicate Gecko. Although among the others, the highest-ranking and highest-level Talent was actually Nine Frost’s Weak Point, and Gao Yang could replicate it now that his Replicate was level 3, it was difficult to excuse touching any part of Nine Frost’s body.

Moreover, if a fight broke out in the auditorium, Gecko would be more useful inside the dim building.

Most importantly, Gecko granted him the passive ability to regrow his limbs, which wasn’t limited by Replicate’s use duration, but the much longer storage duration.

Should he lose an arm or an leg in the coming fight, at least he would be able to regenerate the lost limb.

Gao Yang couldn’t help but miss his time with the Twelve Zodiac Signs. With the OP healing combo of Lovely Lamb and Dead Pig, the members could fight to their best abilities without worrying about injury.

Based on all his previous fights, Gao Yang had roughly summarized the two tactics that suited him.

First, when the gap between him and his opponent was too big, and the situation was especially dire, he must make a bold, reckless gamble like he had done when he fought Mad Red—act like a high-roller, if one would.

Second, when it was relatively safe and when his side even had the upper-hand, he must not get complacent and underestimate the enemy, but should instead cautiously hold onto his advantages, like the time he and his team caught the serial killer—being a piker.

Yep. Gao Yang decided to make that the doctrine he lived by, one that would become his epitaph after his death.

They crossed the shaded path and soon met the sight of the auditorium. It was the type of architecture common in the past, a one-story building with gray concrete walls and nine-pane windows.

Suddenly, Gao Yang felt his right palm warmed up, and the warmth gradually spread to the rest of his body before converging in his heart and then, following his breathing, was pushed to his limbs.

It was Old Joe’s Condition coming into effect, Gao Yang realized.

He dissected the way the buff worked. It didn’t transform his muscles and bones directly. The change was more basic and gentle, giving him the feeling of having had a good night’s sleep and getting mentally and physically rejuvenated, his body light and agile.

It would help Gao Yang better control his mental state and the energy circulating inside his body.

It seemed that Condition was quite a useful Talent. Unfortunately, it took a long time to come into effect and thus had to be used as a preparatory step.

However, most battles happened suddenly with no time for prior preparations.

As he dwelled in his thoughts, they had already reached the entrance to the auditorium. The old, yellow wooden door had a broken lock on it.

Gao Yang entered with his flashlight on. Looking down at the bottom of the door, there was a trail of dust that suggested the door had been moved. Their target must have barged in from the front door.

“Someone’s gotten in…”

Nine Frost had come to the same conclusion. Before he could finish, though, a piercing yet meandering cry with an undercurrent of sorrow rang from inside of the auditorium.

The familiar sound made Gao Yang jump.

“Stop it! It’s a summoner!”

It was obvious that Nine Frost had also encountered summoners before. Without needing to be told, he kicked the door open with a loud bang and rushed in.

Gao Yang followed right after him with a burst of blazing flame in his right palm, lighting up the dark auditorium like a torch.

The call had already halted.

Gao Yang and Nine Frost stopped to look at the stage on the far side of the auditorium. That was where the voice had come from.

The rest of their teams stood behind the two captains, wordlessly raising their weapons in preparation for the coming fight.

Gao Yang and Nine Frost lifted a hand at the same time, telling their teams to not do anything reckless.

Creak.

The sound came from the stage. Gao Yang got a good look at the figure sitting on the chair. The chair was old and unstable, and it creaked as the figure moved.

The figure stood up and walked to the small podium at the center of the stage.

Crackle…pzzt…

As soon as the figure made a sound, a sharp electronic feedback followed. “Hi, hello. Ha, it’s been so many years, yet this is still working.”

Gao Yang’s breath hitched. He recognized the voice.

He deactivated his fire, robbing the auditorium of the illumination, but under the moonlight streaming from the window, they could actually see the figure on the stage more clearly after their eyes adjusted to the dark.

It was Niu Xuan.

“Niu Xuan?” Gray Bear was a little surprised, but then he sighed like it was only expected.

“You knew each other?” Nine Frost asked coolly, his eyes fixed on the boy on stage.

“He was the one that fainted in the Eleventh High School,” Gao Yang explained.

Nine Frost caught on immediately. He was what renewed the Qilin Guild’s interest in the school.

After some hesitation, Nine Frost decided to ask the three questions as was tradition.

“Who are you?”

“...”

“Where are you going?”

“...”

“Do you choose forgiveness, or death?”

Niu Xuan continued to test the microphone like he hadn’t heard anything.

Then after a burst of noise, his projected voice stabilized.

“Haha.” Niu Xuan chuckled, his voice echoing in the auditorium through the microphone. “I’m feeling nostalgic. Twenty years ago, I was standing here after getting into the Eleventh High School with top marks, and I gave a speech to the thousand and more teachers and students here. That was probably my fifteen minutes of glory.”

Gao Yang had a bad feeling about this. Niu Xuan had been entirely overtaken by the memories of Li Zhuanghu.

Or so he thought.

Niu Xuan then turned to Gao Yang. “Do you remember what happened back at Wan Sisi’s funeral?”

Ah, he retains his memory as Niu Xuan as well.

“What do you mean?” Gao Yang asked on purpose.

Niu Xuan gave him a faint, composed smile, completely unlike the Niu Xuan that Gao Yang knew. “I taunted you with Wan Sisi’s death, and you got mad. I was terrified then.”

Gao Yang didn’t say anything.

“I didn’t understand why. There was no reason for me to be scared of you, but I was, and the fear ran bone-deep.”

After a pause, his eyes glowed with a faint loneliness for a fleeting moment. “Only now do I realize that it wasn’t my person side that was scared, but my monster side, and that I wasn’t scared of a regular human, but an awakener.”

“If not for you, Gao Yang, I may never wake up. Instead, I’ll stay a delusion monster—or wanderers, as you people call us—and lead an ignorant life until the moment of my death, never questioning the belief that I’m human.”

Niu Xuan smiled, chilling and self-destructive.

“You’re no wanderer, but a summoner.” Gao Yang tried not to rile up Niu Xuan further so that they could get more useful information out of him.

Why did he turn from a wanderer to a summoner?

Or were wanderers the basic form, and they went on to evolve into all the other types of monsters?

Unfortunately, Niu Xuan didn’t answer.

Like War Tiger had said, it was like pulling teeth to get any information out of a summoner.

“Thank you, Gao Yang.” Niu Xuan suddenly opened his arms and howled, “I’m abandoning my personhood!”

His voice echoed in the empty auditorium.

Then he lowered his arms and head, looking down the stage at Gao Yang. “As a thank-you gift, I prepared something for you. Please don’t turn it down.“

Gao Yang’s heart sank, feeling a wave of killing intent from all around him.

[Warning, you are in…]

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

The windows on both sides of the auditorium shattered at the same time, and in rushed a swarm of countless monsters.

Houseau3's Thoughts

The high-piker part is tricky since the original is a pun, which doesn't really work in English. I did my best to make something out of it. I'm happy with preserving the gambling metaphor at least.

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