The Creatures that We Are

It was Waking Insects’ second form. Whatever it was, not even Waking Insects had a name for it. The gray gas fountain couldn’t talk or act. It couldn’t even think. It had entered hibernation.

On the way here, Waking Insects had taken turns moving the three awakeners and the two bodies, going back and forth to safely escort them back to the home base of the Nine Scions in only one and a half minutes. The ordeal exhausted his energy completely, and it would take days of sleep for him to recover.

Yesterday, after agreeing on a plan with Ke Yo in the dream, Gao Yang visited his “in-laws”, the Spectres. He asked Waking Insects to be his insurance in case something went wrong.

Spring vehemently rejected the shameless request, White Dew remained neutral, while Fresh Snow threw a fit and said that she would personally help Gao Yang if Waking Insects wouldn’t.

Spring was a doting parent to Fresh Snow, and resigned, he gave in.

However, Spring insisted that Waking Insects must not make a move unless absolutely necessary. For one, he didn’t want Waking Insects to risk himself. For another, once Waking Insects made an appearance, it would effectively make the Spectres an official enemy of the Qilin Guild. As the patriarch, Spring had to consider the safety of the family.

Gao Yang agreed, and they came to an arrangement: Waking Insects would maintain a safe distance from Gao Yang and only make a move when Gao Yang was in danger. If nothing went wrong, Waking Insects wouldn’t do anything, and he would remain unknown.

It would be easy to Waking Insects.

However, things did go wrong. Ke Yo betrayed them, and Gao Yang and his companions were intercepted by Yan Liang and Qilin. Hiding in the dark, Waking Insects judged it necessary for him to make a move.

Waking Insects couldn’t save all five of them at the same time, though. He decided to wait for the group of five to split up and flee. Then he would save those moving more slowly before coming back to grab those with greater mobility, maximizing the chance of survival for everyone.

To Waking Insects’ surprise, however, Qilin had injected himself with Medicine S and used Statues at double the power.

While Waking Insects had been hiding inside a house, he was still within the range of Qilin’s gaze, and the psychic rays of Eidos ignored obstacles. The walls did nothing to shield Waking Insects.

While he was hidden, he still got hit by the skill along with Gao Yang’s group.

Waking Insects had low mental resistance, and unlike Gao Yang and his companions, he had turned into a complete statue with no mobility at all.

Then in the next eight seconds, Yan Liang went after Gao Yang and his companions, quickly killing Lithe Snake and Qing Ling.

Gao Yang broke down and unleashed his Waves of Serenity, interrupting Qilin’s psychic dominance and Yan Liang’s spatial distortion.

Recovering his ability to move, Waking Insects rescued Gao Yang, Wang Zikai, and Hong Xiaoxiao at double the speed of sound without hesitation, dropping them two kilometers away. Then he went back for the dead Lithe Snake and Qing Ling.

Repeating the motion, he took the five back to the Li River Community in Shanqing District in 90 seconds.

…

“Hong Xiaoxiao, save Lithe Snake!” Gao Yang had pulled himself out of his mental breakdown and activated Psychic Armor.

“Yes sir!”

Hong Xiaoxiao threw herself to Lithe Snake’s side, kneeling as she shouted at the Black Gold hairpin in Lithe Snake’s pocket, “Time Reset!”

Countless strands of sacred white light emerged from her ten fingers, moving gently to Lithe Snake to wrap around him like jellyfish tentacles.

Soon, Lithe Snake was turned into a glowing white cocoon. The entire room was cast in a hazy white light.

After less than thirty seconds, Lithe Snake, wholly intact, was left lying on the floor, his chest rising and falling gently, unconscious but alive.

While Hong Xiaoxiao was saving Lithe Snake, Gao Yang knelt before Qing Ling’s body. He reached out to her but stopped midair, helpless. He wanted to do something, but there was nothing he could do. ℟ã𐌽Ö𐌱Εs̈

The truth was that Qing Ling had died, and there was no changing that.

A thought entered Gao Yang’s head.

I shouldn’t have given the other hairpin to Ke Yo. I should’ve given it to Qing Ling! Why did I do that?

Because she was strong and dependable. Because she always completed her mission and never let me down.

But she was still flesh and blood. She was a girl who fought to be stronger and refused to give up. She was a survivor.

Gao Yang was suddenly brought back to a moment they had shared in the past. Late at night, in a dim car, Gao Yang and Qing Ling were sitting in the back while Officer Huang drove.

Having finished a difficult fight, Qing Ling fell deep asleep with a jacket on her. When the car made a turn, her head dropped onto Gao Yang’s shoulder. Her long black hair fell into his embrace.

It was Gao Yang’s first time seeing her asleep. Her brows were relaxed, her eyelashes long, her lips delicate, and her breathing serene.

She was still beautiful, but not cold and fierce like she usually was. There was a vulnerability and softness to her.

“She’s had it hard.”

“Ten years old. She knew nothing at that point, yet she was forced to face such a dangerous world. She must have been through a lot. That’s why she’s so extreme at times. At least she still has her other self as a younger sister.”

“Compared to her, we are quite lucky. We were both old and mature enough when we awakened, and we’ve experienced love in this world.”

“But the love is fake.”

“No, the world is fake, but the love is real.”

…

Look what you’ve done, Gao Yang! Look at your stupid plan that stemmed from hubris! Qilin and Yan Liang didn’t kill Qing Ling. You did!

No, no…things can’t end like this for Qing Ling.

I reject it.

I reject it.

I REJECT IT.

With Psychic Armor, Gao Yang calmly looked up. “Where’s Fresh Snow?”

“Upstairs,” Nine Frost responded in a low voice. Losing a teammate colored his eyes with sadness.

Gao Yang picked Qing Ling’s body up and rushed upstairs.

Bam! Gao Yang knocked the door open with his shoulder.

Fresh Snow was curled up asleep on the bed, dressed in light-colored pajamas.

She had been waiting for Gao Yang to return and fell asleep. For some reason, she had been needing more and more sleep lately.

Her sister said that it was a good thing. The fact that her human form needed more sleep meant that she was growing, and sooner or later, she would become just as tall and pretty as her sister.

The commotion woke Fresh Snow. She sat up and beamed. “Gao Yang! You…”

Her smile stiffened when she noticed Qing Ling in Gao Yang’s arms and smelled death from her. “She…died?”

Gao Yang went up to Fresh Snow and placed Qing Ling’s body on the bed, speaking in a composed voice, “Fresh Snow, save her, save her.”

While there was no trace of sorrow on his face, his eyes were heated and broken, hiding the pain and madness of a near breakdown.

Fresh Snow didn’t understand such complicated feelings, but Gao Yang’s gaze reminded her of those old kettles.

When she was little, she observed everything at home out of boredom. And she went through a phase when she was obsessed with the kettle.

At first, she pitied it. It endured the fire without a sound, like a dummy.

But its endurance had its limit.

The kettle would suddenly scream in pain, making piercing shrieks as the water inside boiled and erupted out of the lid.

At that moment, Gao Yang reminded Fresh Snow of the screaming kettle with boiling water.

Houseau3's Thoughts

That's an apt analogy.

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