The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 346: Good Friends

“I’m ready.” Gao Yang raised his hands. “Come on. I won’t fight it.”

He had tried his best. He couldn’t come up with a solution this time.

His sister and mother had been taken hostage, and his father and grandmother were threatened, so were his friends.

Losing Fresh Snow would mean losing everything for White Dew, and a mad woman with nothing to lose would surely take everything from Gao Yang as revenge.

Gao Yang had to die to stop all that from happening.

Fresh Snow had come up to Gao Yang and held onto his waist with both arms, standing on her toes and opening her mouth to bite his neck.

Gao Yang slowly closed his eyes. Granny, Dad, Mom, Sister, Wang Zikai, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, Fat Jun, War Tiger, Can, Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, Ronnie, Nine Frost, Vermilion Bird...

Sorry, I can’t finish all your names.

Goodbye, everyone.

I’m glad to have known you, glad to have been brought to this world.

A sting came from his neck, accompanied by the soft touch of Fresh Snow’s lips. It wasn’t a terrifying experience.

Two seconds later, Gao Yang lost all strength in his body and toppled backward like he had been electrocuted.

Fresh Snow followed him down, the mouth that had latched onto his neck starting sucking—not his blood, but the energy inside him.

Her throat shifted slightly, her arms tightening around Gao Yang.

Gao Yang wasn\'t in pain. All he felt was exhaustion and sleepiness, and soon, he couldn’t hear anything. He had lost all his senses, in fact.

...

It seemed like a dream.

There was a vast, boundless darkness, and he was falling.

How long had he been falling? And how much longer was he going to fall? His body seemed to get lighter and thinner, like a snowflake that had melted before it could touch the ground.

Thud, thud, thud.

He heard a series of dull sounds, like someone was knocking on a thick, heavy door.

Gao Yang came to and found himself lying on the floor. He felt so cold.

Thud, thud, thud.

The same sounds came from beneath him.

He slowly sat up to find himself sitting on a vast frozen lake, the end beyond his sight.

And under the frozen surface was a girl with silver hair and crimson eyes.

Her hair spread like white seaweeds. With fists clenched to the point that the knuckles went white, she knocked on the ice, bubbles coming out of her open mouth.

“Fresh Snow!” Gao Yang was both shocked and glad to see her.

“Wait, I’m coming to save you!”

Kneeling on ice, Gao Yang slammed the hard surface with his fists.

Thud.

Although the ice was thick and hard, it cracked under the impact.

With renewed hope, Gao Yang took a deep breath and raised both fists to make another swing.

Thud.

The crack widened and spread in all directions.

For the last time, Gao Yang put all his strength into the punch.

Thud.

The frozen surface split into a gap that wasn’t that big, but enough for Fresh Snow to pop her head out of the cold water, saved.

“Gao Yang!” she shouted happily. “You saved me!”

“Come on! Take my hand!” Gao Yang carefully lay on the ice and reached out to the girl.

“Yeah!”

Fresh Snow took his hand.

“I’ll pull you up...”

Suddenly, Gao Yang could no longer hear his voice. His head rang incessantly, and his body was unusually cold.

Gurgle.

He was just about to say something when icy water rushed into his mouth.

At that moment, he realized that he was the one submerged under the frozen lake, while Fresh Snow was up there, still holding onto his hand and struggling to pull him out.

However, Fresh Snow wasn’t strong enough, and Gao Yang’s hand continued to slip from her hold; he slowly sank underwater.

His memories came back to him in a rush.

Ah, I remember now. I’ve given in and become Fresh Snow’s food. I’m going to die.

This is nothing but the illusion my brain conjured at the last moment of my life.

So be it then. I’m tired.

Gao Yang gave up on fighting and slowly closed his eyes, allowing himself to sink into the deep, dark abyss.

Splash!

A sound came from the surface of the lake.

Fresh Snow had jumped into the water and was swimming toward Gao Yang.

Gao Yang opened his eyes, confused.

Wading through the heavy water, Fresh Snow caught Gao Yang’s hand again.

Splash!

Suddenly, the water was gone, and all around them was a pitch black void.

Fresh Snow and Gao Yang were pulled to the top and the bottom while their hands stayed linked, their bodies pulled into a straight line.

“What are you doing?” Gao Yang was surprised.

“Don’t let go, Gao Yang!” Fresh Snow shouted.

“Let me go! You can’t save me!” Gao Yang said hurriedly. “Eat me and live! Then my family and friends will...”

“No!” Fresh Snow cried out. “No, no, no, no!”

Gao Yang paused.

“I don’t want you to die. I don’t want it. I don’t...” Fresh Snow burst into tears.

Pain overwhelmed Gao Yang suddenly, shooting from all parts of his body.

“Ahhh—”

He screamed. He looked down to find that at some point, half of his body had sunk into a malicious marsh of headless bodies. Countless blackened, rusty-looking pale hands grabbed onto Gao Yang, the sharp nails digging into his flesh.

“Ah!”

Fresh Snow screamed in pain too.

Gao Yang looked up. Dangling upside-down in his eyes, Fresh Snow was in the grasp of vines with sharp thorns and red eyes. They tightened around Fresh Snow and continued to pull her up, uncaring if they were hurting her.

“Let go!” Gao Yang shouted. “Or we’ll both die!”

“I. Don’t. Wanna!”

Blood had covered her body, streaking down her arm to the back of her hand and finally Gao Yang’s hand.

Then blood dripped down on Gao Yang’s face, even flowing into the corners of his eyes and his mouth.

Gao Yang could no longer talk, his body ravaged and tormented by the countless pale hands. He had lost everything, including his sense of pain.

In the final moments, he saw Fresh Snow.

Her crimson eyes blazed brilliantly, and her pretty face became twisted with veins popping up, making her look like a little devil.

“Good friends...don’t betray...good friends...”

“Pinkies, then thumbs... The promise will last...a hundred years!”

“Ahhhh—”

Fresh Snow screamed in rage, shattering the evil vines wrapping around her and the pale hands tearing at Gao Yang.

They broke down into particles before vanishing into the void.

Crack.

The darkness broke like a mirror, letting in a ray of light through the crack.

Awash in light, Fresh Snow yanked Gao Yang toward her before gently embracing him.