The Creatures that We Are

“I **** **** *****!” White Rabbit snarled.

It all began the day before.

White Rabbit received an encoded message from War Tiger, instructing her to escort Lovely Lamb out of Dragon's hideout to a hotel in downtown West Nation, where they would rendezvous with Nainai from the Nine Scions.

Nainai disguised White Rabbit and Lovely Lamb, providing them with wanderer imprints. At midnight, the trio left for a hideout in the underground sewage system in Li City.

White Rabbit recognized the place. It had once been the Twelve Zodiac Signs' base, abandoned for years. She hadn't expected it to become one of the Nine Scions' strongholds.

When White Rabbit opened the secret door masquerading as a wall, she was stunned. Her feelings could only be expressed through curses.

There... are so many people!

The last time White Rabbit had seen this many awakeners was during the Crimson Tide in the Walled City of Ten Dragons.

Now, with all members of the Nine Scions and the Twelve Zodiac Signs gathered in one place, the large living room seemed cramped and chaotic.

Gao Yang and War Tiger, the leaders of the two organizations, occupied the largest sofa at the heart of the living room, deep in discussion. War Tiger, as unserious as ever despite his age, drank from a canned beer with his legs crossed on the tea table. Meanwhile, Gao Yang sat properly, his back slightly arched. Though young, he exuded a maturity beyond his years.

Nine Frost and Zhong He, two tall, thin, and handsome men, sat on a side sofa, joining the conversation. At a gaming table nearby, Gao Xinxin, Wang Zikai, Raven Shark, Wang Weiyan, and Quiet Book were engrossed in a roleplaying campaign. Quiet Book held Wang Weiyan in her arms, their newfound closeness evident.

Gao Xinxin and Wang Zikai argued heatedly, their faces flushed, likely due to in-game conflict. Sandwiched between them, Raven Shark looked pitiful, weak, and helpless, remaining silent.

As usual, Gregor, the GM, gestured dramatically and pontificated passionately, a thick manual in hand.

Vermilion Bird sat in a wheelchair, gazing silently at the gamers with blank eyes. Behind her, Ke Yo tenderly brushed her hair.

Around a small round table, Zhang Wei, Yellow Lotus, Muzitu, Thick Earth, and Lying Wood played Texas Hold'em. Despite his brutish appearance, Thick Earth shuffled the cards swiftly with practiced ease, like a professional dealer.

In a corner, Heavenly Dog sat alone in a beanbag, eyes closed, white headphones on. His long dark lashes fluttered occasionally as he remained immersed in his music.

Mischievous Monkey, clad in black training clothes, performed tai chi with intense focus, as if an invisible wall separated him from the chaos around him.

At the dining table, Qing Ling, Chen Ying, Hong Xiaoxiao, Adept Horse, and Dead Pig hunched over bowls of instant noodles. They chatted as they ate, laughter punctuating their conversation intermittently. Qing Ling was the exception, never speaking while eating. She devoted herself fully to her meal, making no extraneous movements.

White Rabbit’s resounding string of curses had interrupted everyone in the room, and silence overtook the space. All eyes turned to the door, focusing on Nainai, White Rabbit, and Lovely Lamb.

"Muhahaha!" Nainai let out a peal of strange, pretentious laughter. She dramatically threw off her cape, revealing a sailor uniform. Arms crossed before her chest, she announced, "Subjects of the Fallen Angel, your empress has returned!"

If White Rabbit's curses had made the atmosphere awkward, Nainai's opening line replaced it with secondhand embarrassment.

After a moment of stunned silence, Gao Yang stood up from the sofa, offering the trio a faint smile. "It seems we don't need to confirm your identities."

"Uncle Dead Pig!" Lovely Lamb's eyes reddened. She pouted and ran to Dead Pig, throwing her arms around him, overwhelmed by days of bottled-up feelings of abandonment and longing.

"Our Cute Little Lamb has suffered." Dead Pig chuckled, gently lifting her onto his shoulders.

"Sob... I... I missed you so much. Brother Heavenly Dog, too..." Lovely Lamb rubbed her eyes, sniffling.

"Come. Let's go see Brother Heavenly Dog." Dead Pig walked towards the young man.

"Hahahaha..." Surrounded by so many people, Nainai felt her chuuni spirit surge. She was about to give in to the urge when Qing Ling shot her a glare from the dining room. ṛÂΝôᛒÊs̈

Nainai's laughter died abruptly.

Qing Ling scowled and beckoned her over. Nainai jogged up to her, panic evident in her steps.

"Sit," Qing Ling said coldly.

Nainai meekly sat beside her, head lowered, not daring to look up.

"Hungry?" Qing Ling asked.

"No..." Nainai felt a chill from Qing Ling's familiar death glare. "...would never be the response! This Empress has come all the way here and thus has an empty stomach!"

"I'll make you noodles." Qing Ling stood and headed to the kitchen, not forgetting to warn, "Stay there quietly. Don't make a scene."

"Hmph... if you offer to make noodles so sincerely, this Empress will show you the kindness of having a bite..." Nainai grumbled quietly, ensuring Qing Ling couldn't hear.

As Nainai fell silent, the room's atmosphere returned to normal.

White Rabbit wove through the crowd, joining Gao Yang, War Tiger, Nine Frost, and Zhong He without hesitation. She shoved War Tiger aside, squeezing onto the sofa. She gave Gao Yang a meaningful look.

"It's been a few days, Gao Yang. You've gone up in the world, it seems."

Gao Yang smiled in response. "Yeah, it's been a few days."

He casually tossed something to her. White Rabbit caught it, examining the object. It was a Rune Circuit with a flag pattern.

"The Support Rune Circuit?"

"Rabbit," Gao Yang said, "Get your Intangibility to level 4 ASAP."

"Ha." White Rabbit pocketed the Rune Circuit. "It seems you have a plan."

"First step, share the Rune Circuits and try to get everyone to level up what Talents they can in the coming week," War Tiger grinned.

"Then?" White Rabbit asked.

"Then we challenge the Ocean River Union to a fight," War Tiger said nonchalantly.

White Rabbit's eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

White Rabbit frowned. "Are we not waiting for Captain?"

"Dragon won't wake up anytime soon, and time isn't on our side," War Tiger said, smacking his lips. "Puppeteer and Prophet will reach level 8 at any moment. It's better we make a move than wait for our doom."

"Wait. What do you mean Puppeteer? And the way to get to level 8 is discovered?" White Rabbit was flabbergasted.

Zhong He teased, "You're falling behind, White Rabbit. You're several versions behind."

"I'll fill you in later," Nine Frost assured her.

"Alright." White Rabbit dropped it for now.

"Let's continue," Gao Yang said, returning to their original topic. "There are two unaffiliated members we must win over. First is Gregor. His Pestilence has reached level 4, but he stated he wasn't going to join us."

Nine Frost glanced at Gao Yang. "Gregor said that last time, but he still joined."

"Haha, everything has its bane," War Tiger chuckled, having heard the story. He clapped Gao Yang on the shoulder. "Like brother like sister. Gao Xinxin's a good one."

Gao Yang made an objective assessment. "I'll try to have Gregor protect our noncombatants, but don't expect him to join the frontline. He's a variable we shouldn't include in our strategy, or we risk accidents."

"Alright. We'll do that," War Tiger agreed.

Gao Yang continued, "There's another unaffiliated member we have to recruit: Dr. Jia."

White Rabbit's face darkened. "If we can't, we kill him." Her resentment towards the man for Songstress' death and the Millennium Tower's collapse was palpable.

War Tiger nodded. "That's the worst-case scenario."

Nine Frost explained to White Rabbit, "I'll give you the short version. We're moving on two fronts this time. The main operation will be attacking the Ocean River Union without going all out. We'll try our best to uncover all their hidden trump cards while keeping the option to retreat open. If things seem dangerous, we pull back."

"The hidden operation will be finding Dr. Jia and either taking him or killing him. Ideally, we make him work for us, which will greatly boost our odds."

White Rabbit considered this. "I'm good with that."

"There's something else to decide," Gao Yang said, looking at each of them in turn. "Are Cute Little Lamb and Yanyan joining the battle?"

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