The Creatures that We Are

Qilin's preparation for tonight far exceeded both allies' knowledge and enemies' predictions. The substitute, Azure Dragon, and Blood Amber were mere preludes. His true ace was a puppetized life monster.

Though Qilin dismissed Gao Yang's intel about holy water from dead life monsters helping awakeners merge with Rune Circuits to reach level 8, it had sparked another idea.

Theoretically, if Dr. Jia could extract holy water from a life monster's corpse, Qilin could establish a connection through that water and control it with Puppeteer.

A life monster's body was still a body. Any corpse with an intact core could become a puppet.

Yet bridging the species barrier came at a terrible cost: Qilin's right eye.

For an Eidos user, the eyes were as vital as the heart. Damage to them brought unimaginable consequences.

The same Qilin who had refused Vermilion Bird's urging to wear contact lenses out of fear had now willingly carved out his own eye, in a manner of speaking.

For his ideal, no sacrifice was too great.

The life monster would obey his will for three minutes—his current limit.

First, he didn’t think it would be necessary. Then the life monster, a one-use card, could be kept for later. Perhaps it would be of greater use then.

Second, such a costly move should devastate the enemy's core strength to justify its price. Yet tonight, his greatest adversaries were absent.

Luck or misfortune? He couldn't tell.

Still, victory would be his if he could turn tonight's combatants into puppets. Wang Zikai and War Tiger alone would strike terror into any opposition.

The mummified life monster rose above Li River. The night wind died. The air grew dense as an invisible energy field manifested.

Slanted eyes flickered green through the cracks of the bandages.

The wrappings began to move, not randomly but with purpose, floating like underwater flora. As they parted, they revealed a pale, slim female form radiating sacred presence. The bandages reformed, taking the shape of a massive bird's skeletal framework.

Brilliant white light pulsed from the female body, flooding into the bandages, giving them mass. They transformed into massive, ivory bones.

Within seconds, a colossal skeletal life monster loomed over Li River.

But the transformation wasn't complete.

The life monster's body, nestled in the skeleton's chest cavity, began to expand. With a violent burst, the corpse erupted into rapidly regenerating white flesh and blood, filling the bone framework.

At that moment, all present understood why these beings were called life monsters. Only they possessed such wild, insidious, almost violent vitality and regenerative power.

In a twisted way, a true life monster had been reborn.

The creature mirrored Zhuang Mei's second form, but larger, more corrupted—a result of having carried an existence infinitely similar to the Malediction.

"Stop Qilin!" Zhang Wei finally broke his stunned silence.

Wang Zikai started as if waking from a dream.

Something about the resurrected life monster tugged at his memory, like encountering a hometown face after years abroad, voice and features achingly familiar yet impossible to name.

Wang Zikai shook his head violently, trying to clear it. Ignoring the poisonous mist, he launched toward Qilin, firing three bone stings from his fist.

They pierced Qilin's chest, but something felt wrong.

"Wake up! It's an illusion!" Zhang Wei's urgent cry cut through the haze.

Wang Zikai’s eyes widened. He realized that he was still standing in the same place. Qilin had spoken much to Zhang Wei, not because of a sudden urge to express himself or to prove himself better than others. It served two purposes: gathering energy for the life monster's reanimation while weaving an illusion based on their surroundings, targeted at Wang Zikai.

The illusion had slipped past his Confidence-granted immunity, and he hadn't even noticed.

Thank heaven for Zhang Wei's constant immunity and timely warning.

Boom! As Wang Zikai's mind cleared, Qilin was already striking, his Black Gold cane charged with energy and aimed at Wang Zikai's heart.

Wang Zikai barely managed to raise his arms in defense before the impact launched him backward.

Like a stone skipping across water, he and Zhang Wei bounced across the river, finally crashing onto the opposite shore. Wang Zikai rolled up, shaking his numbed arms. He was unhurt, but...something was wrong.

"Ah!"

The binder at his waist had loosened. Zhang Wei lay face-down eight meters away, blood seeping from his mouth, multiple bones clearly broken.

Wang Zikai rushed to him, slapping his face. No response.

"Hey, don't die!" These past days, Wang Zikai had grown attached to his personal cheerleader. Good flatterers were hard to find nowadays.

A quick check confirmed Zhang Wei was still breathing.

"Sea Medicine, Sea Medicine![1]" Wang Zikai fumbled a metal case from his pocket, extracting a Medicine C syringe and plunging it into Zhang Wei's chest.

"Hmph..."

Zhang Wei groaned, color returning to his pale face, but remained unconscious.

Wang Zikai exhaled in relief. As long as he was alive.

Gao Yang's warning echoed in his mind: never confront Qilin without Zhang Wei. His gaze lifted to the towering life monster that dominated the sky.

I may not be able to go after the owner, but I can go after the dog!

Drawing a deep breath, Wang Zikai coiled and sprang upward, shooting into the night like a human missile.

1. This isn’t a typo. In the raw, Wang Zikai mistakes C for xi, west, in Mandarin. ☜

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