The Creatures that We Are

North Harvest, January 6th, early morning.

Under the light snow, the streets were silent and lonely with few pedestrians. Only a few 24-7 storefronts were still open, serving as the few spots of light in the dark forest of buildings.

Looking through the windows into the bright interior of the Golden Arch, a girl was seated with the hood of the oversized black down jacket covering her hair and forehead. Her chin and mouth were covered by the warm voluminous woolen scarf around her neck. Only her nose and eyes were visible.

She turned slightly to look out of the window at the street with clear eyes, seemingly zoning out.

Not long after, a tall young man came over with a basket of food. In addition to a brown winter hat and face mask, he was wearing only a light layer of black and white striped sweater and jeans. It was as if he was living in a different season.

He sat down across from the girl and pulled off the mask. It was Wang Zikai.

“Here.”

Gao Xinxin slowly loosened her scarf and gingerly folded it, laying it on her lap.

She stopped in surprise when she glanced at the food. “How do you know that I like Happy Meal?”

Gao Xinxin wasn’t in a rush to dig in. Instead, she picked up the little toy that came with the meal. It was a yellow duck holding onto its head with both wings like it had a terrible headache. It looked pitiful in a funny way, and adorable, of course.

Gao Xinxin’s laugh turned into a sigh before it could escape her mouth.

The last time her brother bought her Happy Meal was back in April. It felt like a lifetime ago.

While drinking cola, Wang Zikai took out an old model cellphone that could only receive text messages from his pocket. There was no update.

On the afternoon of January 1st, Wang Zikai punched Raven Shark and carried Gao Xinxin to an abandoned basement for hiding. He rested in the morning and went out to get food secretly during the night.

He had thought that they would have to keep going like this for a long time, but surprisingly, Nine Frost texted Wang Zikai two days later and told him it was confirmed that Qilin had left North Harvest, and Nine Scions would have someone escort them back to Li City in two days.

Wang Zikai let out a sigh of relief that he had completed his mission.

Today, Wang Zikai brought Gao Xinxin outside to get some fresh air and to have food. In her words, she was going to grow mushrooms from her body if she stayed in the basement for longer.

“Stop playing. Have the food when it’s still hot.” Wang Zikai opened a box of snacks and grinned with all teeth. “Oh, star tater tots. Eat. Xinxin is eating xingxing[1], hahahah…”

Gao Xinxin rolled her eyes at him. “You think you’re funny?”

Wang Zikai’s smile stiffened. He rubbed at his nose with an index finger. “I don’t have a good sense of humor. After all, a handsome guy doesn’t make a good comedian.”

Gao Xinxin was too tired to roast him. She asked in a whisper, “Be honest with me. Did something bad happen on my brother’s side?”

Wang Zikai knew the tragedy that had befallen the Nine Scions. Only three members of Team Chen Ying had survived, and Lithe Snake and Gray Bear had been killed in action.

Wang Zikai was a little saddened by that, but not much.

He was most worried about Gao Yang.

Rather than answering the question, he urged Gao Xinxin, “Hurry up and eat. Then we’ll go back.”

“No.” Gao Xinxin fumed. “We’re out of danger now, right? I don’t want to sleep in the basement anymore.”

“Right.” Wang Zikai scratched his head. “Qilin’s left, but there may be other people looking for us in North Harvest. If I get into a fight, I may not be able to keep you safe.” ʀ₳ΝȯβЕŚ

Gao Xinxin fell silent.

“Nothing can happen to you, you hear me?” Wang Zikai said seriously. “Otherwise, Gao Yang really won’t be able to keep living.”

Gao Xinxin blinked, feeling a pang in her heart where it was most tender, which translated into a prickle in her nose.

“Yeah.” Gao XInxin pocketed the toy and picked up the mouthwatering burger to take a large bite.

Chewing a few times, she suddenly had a thought and jerked her head up. “You too, Brother Kai. Nothing must happen to you. You’re my brother’s most important friend. If something bad happens to you, I’m worried that he won’t be able to move on…”

Wang Zikai suddenly grabbed Gao Xinxin’s wrist.

“Whoa!” Gao Xinxin started. “What are you…”

Wang Zikai stared at her with bright eyes and a serious expression. “What did you just say? Say that again.”

“Huh?” Gao Xinxin was befuddled.

“Say that again.” Wang Zikai pulled a long face.

“I’m worried that he won’t…”

“The earlier part.”

“Nothing must happen to you.”

“No! The middle part.”

“You’re my brother’s most important friend.”

Wang Zikai’s serious expression melted immediately. The corners of his mouth twitched as he tried his best to stop breaking into a joyous smile. “Really?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Gao Xinxin shot him a withering look.

Wang Zikai lifted one foot onto the stool and held his knee with both hands with barely contained excitement, leaning toward Gao Xinxin. “But I feel like Fresh Snow’s important to your brother, too.”

“It’s different. How should I put it? My brother treats Fresh Snow like family. Don’t get jealous for nothing.”

“Huh?” Wang Zikai pointed at his own nose and protested with feelings, “Why, why would I be jealous? You’re the one getting jealous! You never stop bad-mouthing your sister-in-law.”

“Bullshit!” Gao Xinxin glared at Wang Zikai. “I don’t have a sister-in-law. Qing Ling is a comrade of my brother’s. They were just acting. I now know the truth!”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you want to believe.”

“Anyway, don’t go around charging into danger just because you have some power,” Gao Xinxin said, back to their original topic. “You must be careful.”

“Don’t worry.” Wang Zikai pounded on his chest. “I’m God, and God doesn’t die. My only weakness is…”

“What?” Gao Xinxin was curious.

“Is…nothing! I don’t have one hahaha!” Wang Zikai popped a piece of fried chicken into his mouth.

My only weakness is you and your brother.

Even God may not be able to always keep you safe.

…

At one in the morning, having filled their stomachs, Wang Zikai and Gao Xinxin walked out of the Golden Arch to the dark street covered in white snow, content. Soon, they turned into a small alleyway. Wang Zikai bent down and patted his back. “Hop on!”

He would then jump between walls and rooftops with Gao Xinxin on his back, dodging the surveillance cameras and returning to their hideout.

Gao Xinxin was reluctant, but she still took two steps back before jogging up to Wang Zikai to jump onto his back.

The moment she made the jump, however, Wang Zikai turned around suddenly.

“Ah…”

She ended up hurtling into Wang Zikai’s arms.

“You wanna die…”

Wang Zikai quickly pulled her close and covered her mouth, rushing to a shadowed corner behind a wall.

Gao Xinxin caught on then. She shut her mouth and allowed Wang Zikai to hold her. Their breaths mingled.

She mouthed at him: What’s wrong?

Wang Zikai gingerly laid her down and looked up. Movement up there.

They silently waited. And as expected, a figure jumped down from the second floor after a while, holding a bag of food in his right hand and a medical kit in his left hand, facing away from the hiding spot where Wang Zikai and Gao Xinxin were.

He was about to walk away when he felt a stare at his back. He whirled around, but Wang Zikai had already rushed into his space and seized his neck.

“Hmph…hm…” The figure tried but failed to make a sound.

In Wang Zikai’s merciless grip, his neck bone was as fragile as a foam stick.

“It’s you?” Wang Zikai recognized the suspicious young man immediately. He loosened his grip by a little. “Raven something?”

“Shark…” Raven Shark said with difficulty.

Gao Xinxin recognized Raven Shark, too. It was the wandering young man she had helped some time ago. Now that she knew he was a member of the Qilin Guild, she maintained her distance and eyed him warily. “You’ve been following us?”

“No…I haven’t…” Raven Shark’s face was flushed red. He couldn’t breathe.

Wang Zikai let go of his neck. He didn’t think this guy posed a threat to him and Gao XInxin. “Speak! What are you doing sneaking around here?”

Raven Shark collected his breath and opened his mouth to explain, but he didn’t know where to start. Too many things had happened. His head was a mess, and he had never been good at organizing his thoughts into words to begin with. Then he remembered the trick Elder Vermilion Bird had taught him: to identify the gist of what he wanted to express and say the keywords.

“Save her…save her.”

“Who?” Wang Zikai asked.

Raven Shark’s eyes brimmed with tears and were immediately red. This time, he didn’t habitually stare at Wang Zikai’s chest, but looked up to meet his eyes. “Elder Vermilion Bird.”

1. Xingxing means stars. ☜

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