The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 150: Black Tortoise

Ronnie also stopped making the disorienting scream, allowing Gao Yang to pour all his energy into burning their enemy with a single-minded focus.

Crackle.

All that could be heard was the sound of blazing flames. The one minute crawled by like years as Gao Yang emptied himself to the last drop of energy.

He panted, drenched entirely in sweat. A strong vertigo hit him and made him feel like up and down had reversed.

The steel pipe pierced into the wall was heated to the point that it glowed red, and the pinned monstrous body was burned into a charred mummy, its color somewhere between deep green and deep brown. The sickly sweet fragrance of burned protein mixed with the pungent smell of chemicals. The combination was vomit-inducing.

Can, with the most honest reaction of them all, was the first to drop to her knees and throw up.

Gao Yang, on the other hand, had learned from all his previous experiences and held his breath in time, avoiding the same fate.

He did his best to keep himself upright and accessed his system. He only allowed himself to relax when he made sure that the bonus to Luck points acquisition had stopped.

He turned away from Officer Liu’s pitiful and sad-looking body.

Only until the disgusting smell subsided did he take a deep breath and tiredly issue orders. “Notify the Guild, Lithe Snake. Have them send someone to clean up the mess.”

“Gray Bear, keep watch outside the market and make sure no one comes close.”

“Ronnie, Xiran, find the security office of the market and destroy...no, take all the surveillance footage to report to Elder Black Tortoise.”

They nodded and each got on their assigned tasks.

“Whew, that feels terrible. I’ve thrown up all my late night snacks...”

Can was still on the ground. Having finally stopped vomiting, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and belatedly looked up. “Hm? Why are they all gone?”

She then pointed at her nose and asked impassionedly, “What about me, Captain? What should I do?”

“Just rest. And check your ankle.” Gao Yang plopped himself down on a plastic chair. He was drained.

Can fake-sobbed to express how touched she was, batting her eyelashes at Gao Yang with an admiring look. “You were so cool, Captain! Cooler than our previous captain!”

“Is that so?”

Gao Yang smiled wryly. Although the night was far from uneventful, he believed he had somewhat established his authority as team captain through their first mission together.

“Where did your previous captain go?” Gao Yang asked. “Promoted?”

“No, just no longer with us.” Can smiled, but her eyes were sad.

“Dead?” Gao Yang was surprised.

“Yeah.” Can put on a serious look. “You should be careful, Captain. Being team captain at the Qilin Guild is dangerous. The death rate is as high as...”

“Alright, stop.” Gao Yang smiled bitterly. Let’s not dwell on such a morbid topic.

...

Half an hour later, the Guild sent a specialized team to take care of the aftermath.

Gao Yang and his team returned to the Black Tortoise branch in the Walled City of Ten Dragons for healing and recuperating. They also answered questions and gave reports.

Soon, the morning came. They parted ways and each went back to their mundane lives.

During the morning classes, Gao Yang was so tired that he slept through lunch. Then during the evening self-study, he received an encoded message on the work phone the Guild assigned him.

—Come early morning, Old Fisherman Wharf.

There was only the time and location, no name.

The message deleted automatically in less than three seconds.

After the evening self-study, Gao Yang went back home and sneaked out to the meeting place on time.

The Old Fisherman Wharf was located upstream of the Li River. It was no longer in use, and the place was desolate and silent in the early morning, the night wind pleasantly cool.

Gao Yang waited for ten minutes until a small yacht showed up without light on. It slowly sailed toward Gao Yang and finally docked by the pier.

It was a white, two-tiered vessel, the style dating it to quite a long time ago.

After some hesitation, Gao Yang stepped onto the yacht and headed to the bow.

“Here.”

A voice came from the inside, one that belonged to a middle-aged man. It was thick and velvety, the kind of voice a radio host would have.

It also sounded familiar to Gao Yang. He seemed to have heard the voice before.

Following it, he entered the interior of the yacht. Past a narrow hallway, there was a room on the left, the door slightly ajar with a line of warm orange light seeping out.

Gao Yang knew that it was where the voice had come from, but just to be safe, he accessed the system first to make sure his Luck points hadn’t spiked before giving a polite greeting.

“Elder Black Tortoise?”

“Yes,” responded the voice. “Come in.”

As expected, he was summoned by his superior.

Gao Yang slowly walked toward the door and opened it to a small room. It was made into a bar with wall benches. Through the large porthole, one could see the lively late night view of the districts on the other side of the river.

A middle-aged man dressed in a classy gray shirt sat on the dark red sofa, holding a glass of red wine. The ceiling light was dim enough to create a romantic atmosphere. Gao Yang felt like he had come to the wrong place. This was more of a setting for lovers.

The man looked slightly to the side with a graceful, reserved smile. “Here you are, Seven Shadow.”

Gao Yang met his eyes and didn’t hide his surprise. “You!”

“Yes, it’s me.” The man had expected to be recognized. “Have a seat.”

His name was Yan Feng, a well-known character actor. Aged forty-two, he was a dignified man with a sophisticated and graceful presence, perfect for playing the male lead of period pieces set in ancient China or the Republican Era[1].

Gao Yang’s mother was an avid fan of Yan Feng and never missed any shows he starred in.

Before, Gao Yang would’ve lost his calm before a celebrity and asked for signatures. Now, however, he was someone who had to keep his composure so that he wouldn’t be taken lightly.

Gao Yang sat down on the sofa across from Yan Feng. “Should I call you Mr. Yan, or Elder Black Tortoise?”

“We aren’t at the base, so just call me Mr. Yan.” Yan Feng quietly considered Gao Yang. It was obvious what he was doing, but it didn’t feel intrusive.

Gao Yang observed the man as well. He looked similar to how he looked on TV, but slimmer and with deeper, sharper eyes. His lips were thinner as well.

Yan Feng glanced at his name brand watch and got right to the point. “I have a full schedule tonight. We have another twenty minutes.”

“Noted.” Gao Yang nodded.

“I’m glad to have you with us.”

“It is an honor to join the Qilin Guild,” Gao Yang responded in kind.

“To be honest, your performance exceeded my expectations. In only two days, you found a mission on your own and finished it perfectly.”

“I wouldn’t call it perfect,” Gao Yang said honestly. “I was going to catch the wanderer alive.”

“It’s good enough. The matter is of great importance to the Guild. It defies common knowledge that monsters are killing their own as monsters, against the rules of the Heavenly Way. Whatever faction is supporting them, it must be quite the formidable kind.”

“Yes, it seems to be a cult of sorts. The freerider mentioned the Heavenly Godbearer. I’m tentatively calling it the Godbearer Cult in my report.”

Yan Feng nodded. “The fifth operations team has made a contribution. I’ll note that down.”

“Thank you, Elder,” Gao Yang said politely.

Yan Feng leaned toward him slightly, tapping on the rim of the wine bottle with his bony finger and eyeing Gao Yang with interest.

“Aren’t you curious about the reason the Qilin Guild recruited you?”

Of course I am curious!

But letting it show will put me at a disadvantage. I have to play it cool.

Gao Yang said calmly, “You’ll tell me if you can tell me. Asking the question won’t change anything.”

“Ha, I’m liking you more and more. The Guild has picked the right recruit.”

Yan Feng leaned back into the sofa and said in a soothing voice, “There’s no need to hide it. The reason is twofold. First, you’re a rare case with three Talents, two of them ranked among the top 30. That alone sets you apart in the world of awakeners.”

“You’re too kind.”

While responding with pleasantries, Gao Yang corrected in his mind, I actually have four Talents.

Still, the Qilin Guild sure had a robust intelligence network. Although his Talents weren’t exactly a secret, Gao Yang still felt like someone had uncovered his diary and read it.

Yan Feng smiled faintly. “The second reason has something to do with your Talents as well. Lie Detection, to be more specific.”

Gao Yang had an ominous feeling.

Seriously? Again? Please don’t let it be the case!

Yan Feng chuckled and nodded as soon as he noticed Gao Yang’s gaze. “It seems you’ve guessed it.”

Gao Yang felt his stomach twist. Fuck.

1. The period where the Republic of China ruled over China until it relocated to Taiwan. ?