The Creatures that We Are

Ni Nation, late night.

Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Can, and Ke Yo disembarked from the plane at ten at night in disguise, taking a taxi to the triangular tower tourist site. As soon as the four of them sneaked into the desert, they met Raven Shark, who had been waiting for a long time.

Raven Shark’s Talent made him strong in water but mediocre on land, so Gao Yang gave him a different mission. Almost all isolated islands in the Mist World were connected by official waterways. Gao Yang had Raven Shark come to Ni Nation a few days ahead and keep watch near the triangular towers.

The silver moon hung high in the sky. The five of them stood in the cold gray desert.

Raven Shark wore a loose flax robe with headwear like the locals. He said as he stared at Gao Yang’s chest, “You’re here again, Captain.”

“Yeah.” Gao Yang smiled faintly. “The last time I came to Ni Nation, it was the last time.”

“Why are you speaking nonsense too, Captain?” Can asked. The desert was cold at night, and Can had the chance to put on the Christmas gift Gao Yang gave her, the red coat.

“To lighten the mood.” Gao Yang glanced at Raven Shark. “Good job, Raven Shark. You should head back. We’ll take care of the rest.”

Raven Shark didn’t go. He hesitated to say something.

“I…” Raven Shark stared at Gao Yang’s chest. “I want to see Elder Vermilion Bird.”

Gao Yang nodded. “Go back and seek out Nine Frost. He’ll take you to her.”

Raven Shark nodded and ran away.

The four of them felt conflicted when they saw Raven Shark urgently vanishing from their sight. Ke Yo, particularly, had wanted to go to the secret base to take care of Vermilion Bird after learning what happened, but Gao Yang didn’t give her the go-ahead, and she hadn’t had the chance to see Vermilion Bird.

“Let’s go.”

Gao Yang turned around and headed toward the heart of the desert.

This time, they didn’t ride on camels. The four of them walked across the desert and left shallow and deep indents on the yellow sand.

It was Ke Yo and Can’s first time coming to the desert. Although they were on a mission, they couldn’t help but take photos of the grandiose view of the ancient, abandoned triangular towers under the moonlight with their phones.

Qing Ling and Gao Yang walked in the front. Qing Ling asked in a low voice, “Tell me the detailed plan.”

“We ambush them,” Gao Yang said.

“In the underground ruin?”

Gao Yang nodded.

“Who will be there?”

“Azure Dragon, Yan Liang, or Qilin, as well as their subordinates.” Gao Yang spoke calmly. “I don’t know exactly who will come, but they won’t all come together. Some of them have to stay to guard their base.”

Qing Ling frowned slightly. Even so, the four of them would be facing one or even two operation teams of the Ocean River Union, which would be a great hurdle. Gao Yang had said that they were staging an ambush, though, so he must have a plan.

“How did you know they would send someone, though?” Qing Ling asked.

“Through Liu Qingying, I told the Union something: holy water is required to reach level 8 with a Talent. In this Mist World, the only remaining life monster corpse that can be extracted for holy water is the mummy in the underground ruin.”

Qing Ling eyed him. “The intel is false?”

“Not necessarily.” Gao Yang’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “You saw it, didn’t you? My dad jumped from level 3 to level 8 with my mom’s help, which means that holy water can quickly push a Talent to level 8. Only the method is extreme and may not be the correct one.”

“Are you certain that they’ll bite the bait?”

“They will,” Gao Yang said with confidence.

Qing Ling nodded and didn’t ask anything else.

A breeze swept through the serene desert. Gao Yang turned around to see Can taking pictures of Ke Yo. She thought the photo would be more dynamic if Ke Yo’s clothes and hair were flying, so she generated some wind.

Turning her profile to the camera, Ke Yo awkwardly brushed away the hair falling on her face. Can took a snap at that moment.

“Perfect! Look, the picture says a thousand words!” Can gave her a thumbs-up and handed the phone to Ke Yo. “It’s my turn, haha.”

“Alright.” Ke Yo took the phone and was just about to snap a photo when she noticed Gao Yang and Qing Ling looking. She was embarrassed.

“Go ahead,” Gao Yang said serenely. “There’s still time.”

“Thank you, Captain!” With permission, Can relaxed further. She made several funny poses with the triangular towers shrouded in the night as the background.

Then her eyes shifted, and she cackled. “Captain, can I have a picture with you and Sister Qing? We’ve come all the way here. Might as well have something to remember the trip by.”

She didn’t dare to just invite Captain. That would be too obvious.

“I don’t mind.” Gao Yang glanced at Qing Ling.

Qing Ling didn’t mind, either. She nodded.

The two of them walked up to Can. Ke Yo knelt down and raised the phone, even giving instructions. “Captain, stand in the center. Can, move a little closer to Captain… Yeah, tilt your head so that you don’t cover the triangular towers… Okay, just like that. Don’t move. Three, two, one…cheese!”

Click.

After taking photos, the four continued their journey across the desert.

Ke Yo shared the photo to their phones. Gao Yang checked it. He was standing in the center with Qing Ling on his left and Can on his right. He looked calm like he was taking an ID photo, while Qing Ling had an impassive expression on her face with one hand lowered and the other hand resting on the hilt of her blades by her waist. She looked like she was asking, Done yet? I’m in a hurry.

Can was the only one who resembled a tourist. Leaning slightly to the side, her head seemed to rest on Gao Yang’s shoulder with her left leg slightly lifted. She looked a little reserved with her lips pursed in a smile.

Gao Yang noticed that the red coat seemed to fit Can better now.

He asked casually, “Have you grown taller, Can?”

“Huh? Really…?” Can smiled. “I haven’t measured my height for a while, so I don’t know.”

“Maybe it’s because your hair gets longer,” Ke Yo said.

Gao Yang glanced at her and said with nostalgia. “You had a bob cut when I met you. Now your hair is reaching your shoulders.”

Can blushed. She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Ahaha, my hair grows fast.”

She had wanted to get a bob cut before so that her hair would be easier to fix, but Hong Xiaoxiao advised against that, saying that longer hair would go better with a long coat.

You were right, Little Hong. Captain thought I got taller. That would translate into calling me pretty, right?

Can was delighted, and she radiated joy all the way.

They walked another ten minutes. Then Gao Yang, leading the way, came to a stop. “Here we are.”

The four of them stood on a small dune. Below them was a shallow basin. Closer inspection would reveal it to be a circle with a clear border, as if a special forcefield was quietly maintaining the edge of the basin.

“Is this…the altar?” Can asked.

“Yeah, this is how it looks without being activated by a life monster,” Gao Yang explained. “It’s your turn, Can.”

“Okay.” Can took a deep breath and raised her hands, activating level 5 Gale.

A small tornado came into existence suddenly in the heart of the basin. Like a drill, it dug through the desert and sent yellow sand flying everywhere, obscuring the sky.

Bracing against the sand storm, the four of them approached the small tornado. Soon, the sand below their feet began to flow and sink.

“Hold your breath and take each other’s hands!” Gao Yang extended his hands.

The four of them immediately formed a circle with their hands linked.

Whoosh.

A few seconds later, they sank into the quicksand.

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