The Creatures that We Are

Gao Yang and Ronnie went up to the bookshelf and looked at the leather journal in Can’s hand.

“Is this a diary?” asked Gao Yang.

“Yeah.” Can then asked, “Can I have Xiran’s diary?”

Gao Yang couldn’t give her an answer. Wouldn’t it be a breach of privacy?

“This isn’t Xiran’s diary,” said Ronnie.

Gao Yang was surprised. “You sure?”

Ronnie nodded and took the diary from him, flipping through a couple pages. “This isn’t Xiran’s handwriting.”

Then he paused and flipped another two pages, saying with certainty, “This is Captain’s.”

“Captain?” Can turned to Gao Yang in befuddlement. “Why would your diary be at Xiran’s place, Captain?”

Gao Yang looked back at her with matching confusion. How should he know…wait, he didn’t keep a diary to start with.

“Not, Captain Seven Shadow,” Ronnie explained. “Former, Captain.”

“Oh.” That answered the question, but then it made Can even more confused. “Why would former Captain’s diary be here?”

“What are you talking about?” Gray Bear and Lithe Snake walked into the room.

Ronnie handed the diary to Gray Bear. After browsing a few pages, Gray Bear said with surprise, “Isn’t this Captain Three Air’s diary?”

Lithe Snake then took it and had a look. “It is his handwriting.”

“Wait…” Ronnie narrowed his eyes in remembrance. “Xiran once told me that about a week before Captain Three Air’s death, he visited Xiran late at night.”

“Was there something he needed Xiran to do?” Gray Bear asked.

Ronnie shook his head. “Xiran said that Captain Three Air left after a brief chat with him.”

Gao Yang said, “Do you mean your former captain hid the diary in Xiran’s place on purpose?”

Ronnie nodded.

“Why didn’t Xiran notice?” Lithe Snake questioned.

“He might have noticed, but didn’t tell us about it.” Ronnie lowered his eyes. “Xiran had been secretly investigating Captain Three Air’s death.”

There was a moment of silence.

Gao Yang hadn’t wanted to get nosy, but given what had been revealed, he thought it better to just ask, “I’ve been wondering. How did your former captain die?”

Everyone in this room had been through hell together. Gray Bear didn’t think there was a point in hiding the truth. He said through clenched teeth, “He was assassinated.”

Gao Yang frowned. Assassinated?

“Was the culprit found?”

“No, there had been no clue.” Gray Bear clenched his fists. “If we knew who it was, we would’ve avenged him!”

It didn’t seem like simple murder.

After a moment of silence, Gao Yang walked up to the window and looked outside before closing it, drawing the curtains closed as well.

In a lowered voice, he said, “Tell me everything you know about the assassination, Gray Bear.”

“Okay.”

Gray Bear sat down on the bed and rubbed at his temple, going through his memory.

“This spring, Captain Three Air suddenly went missing. Neither the police nor the Guild could find him. It wasn’t until a week later that his body was found in a ditch in the Li Mountain.”

Gray Bear took a deep breath. “His body was charred. The Guild had to do a DNA test to confirm that it was Captain Three Air.”

“The Guild put together an investigation team, and the conclusion is that he had been assassinated. Captain Three Air had a habit of running in the Li Mountain late at night, and he got ambushed in the part of the path where there was no surveillance camera.”

Can’s shoulders drooped, her voice depressed. “But Captain Three Air was strong. His Talent was Gale, and he had been trained in kickboxing since he was little. He wouldn’t be killed easily.”

Gale, an Element-type Talent that allowed one to control wind.

Its serial number was 27, right after Gao Yang’s Fire.

“Whoever killed Captain must be a powerful, awakener,” said Ronnie.

“The investigation team also concluded that the MO didn’t fit with a monster or a Spectre, and it must have been an awakener’s doing.”

Lithe Snake coolly added, “I heard that Captain Three Air wasn’t burned to death, and his body was only burned to destroy evidence.”

“Yes, the cause of death was something else,” said Gray Bear.

“What is it then?” Gao Yang asked.

Gray Bear shook his head. “Elder Vermilion Bird personally examined the body. She must have an answer, but we aren’t allowed to know.”

Gao Yang fell silent.

“Actually, there is something else that has been bothering me,” Can said weakly, her big eyes shifting.

Gray Bear looked at her knowingly and gave her a wry smile. “I knew it. Even though I told you to leave it, you kids have all been investigating the death of Captain Three Air, haven’t you?”

Can scratched her head. “You knew I wasn’t smart enough to find out much, but remember? Someone else from the Guild died at around the same time.”

Lithe Snake’s cold gaze darkened. “Elite Blue Dolphin from the third team.”

“Yeah, Blue Dolphin was quite close with Captain Three Air, and they used to fish together.”

“How did he die?” Gao Yang asked.

“It was said that he died at home of cardiac arrest, that it was a sudden cardiac death.” Lithe Snake crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “The real cause of death was something only Elder Vermilion Bird knows, but it must be an assassination as well.”

A thought suddenly came to Gao Yang. “What was Blue Dolphin’s Talent?”

“Mindreading,” Lithe Snake answered.

Gao Yang was reminded of what Black Tortoise had told him, and a shudder ran down his spine. The pieces began to come together in his head.

He made his deduction.

This spring, the former captain of the fifth team, Three Air, noticed some unusual signs and came to suspect that there was a spy within the Guild. He narrowed it down to the mid-ranking managers, namely the Elites and their superiors.

However, Three Air didn’t have concrete evidence.

Therefore, Three Air sought out a close friend he could trust, Blue Dolphin, who was an Elite of the third team with Talent: Mindreading, serial number 49, Psyche-type.

The Talent wasn’t a magic bullet. It only allowed one to read the thoughts of the target when they were close enough, and only the thoughts currently on the target’s mind would be read.

That meant Mindreading couldn’t detect what the target wasn’t thinking.

Spies were professionally trained. They could control their thoughts to some degree and even fool themselves into believing their lies. To really confirm the truth, Three Air and Blue Dolphin had two options.

First, lock up the middle-ranking members of the Guild by force and repeatedly ask about the matter. Then they would get an answer with Mindreading.

Second, patiently investigate the suspects and gradually narrow down the scope of investigation until a few prime suspects were identified. Then they had to deftly guide the target to think about the matter to have an accurate reading.

Clearly, Three Air didn’t have enough evidence, and he didn’t have the authority and power to execute the first option. Even if he was to recklessly report to his superior, the plan would be too extreme to be approved.

That was why he sought to carry out the second option with Blue Dolphin’s help.

The two of them must have been cautious, and they were likely to have found something. However, they underestimated the spy and ended up alerting them.

Three Air might have realized he was in danger and made preparations accordingly, or perhaps he was simply being thorough. Before his death, he visited Xiran to hide his diary, most likely to leave behind clues.

And indeed, the spy made a move and assassinated Three Air and Blue Dolphin.

Gao Yang now knew that Yellow Butterfly was one such spy in the Qilin Guild. While she might not have the ability or opportunity to assassinate Three Air and Blue Dolphin, among the Godbearer Cult, which she was part of, there must be someone powerful enough to do it.

Three Air and Blue Dolphin had been silenced.

The incident alerted the Elders, and through a series of coincidences, Black Tortoise recruited Gao Yang, who had Lie Detection.

And ‘luckily’, Gao Yang rooted out the spy for the Guild and acquired two Rune Circuits.

It all made sense.

But this might not be the end of it. Was there really only one spy, Yellow Butterfly, in the Guild?

She joined the Guild five years ago and hadn’t been found until now. Perhaps others had infiltrated the Guild over the past five years.

Wait, Gao Yang realized with a start, I am kind of a spy from the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

His temples throbbed. Things were more complicated than he could manage. He was regretting joining the Qilin Guild.

No, I shouldn’t think about it like this.

Even if he hadn’t joined the Qilin Guild, he would have faced other forms of dangers. The Mist World itself was fraught with uncertainties. Entering the Guild, he had not only gotten to know a few dependable companions, but also gotten his hand on the Miracle Rune Circuit, albeit briefly. He would say he had been sufficiently rewarded for the risk he took.

To be safe, though, he should avoid jumping to conclusions. The matter required further investigation.

“Captain, captain?”

Can waved a hand at Gao Yang. “Did you figure something out?”

Gao Yang broke out of his reverie and nodded. “Some, but nothing concrete.”

He took the diary from Lithe Snake.

“I’ll be keeping this for now. When the time is right, I’ll hand it to Elder Black Tortoise… No, I listen to Guildmaster Qilin now. I may hand it to Guildmaster directly.”

The others nodded.

“What we talk about tonight must not leave the room. It’s for your own safety.”

Gao Yang’s tone was severe. He purposefully emphasized the gravity of the matter. “No one knows if there’s another Yellow Butterfly in the Guild, and if we would meet the same fate as Three Air.”

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