The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 230: Moving Truck

Thanks to Gao Yang, Wang Zikai enjoyed a free meal to his heart’s content and returned home in a good mood.

Once they were back home, Gao Yang reprimanded Wang Zikai for running his mouth and asked him everything he had talked about during Gao Yang’s absence. Gao Yang only relaxed once he made sure that Wang Zikai hadn’t revealed anything important.

Early the next morning, Gao Yang went to school.

The college entrance exams were only one week away, and the tension in the air was thicker than ever.

Everyone was doing test papers with their heads lowered. Even during breaks, almost no one left their seats and walked around.

Even those who got bad grades and had effectively given up on their studies couldn’t muster the interest to have fun; instead, they lay on their desks listening to music with their earphones or stared outside blankly, looking depressed. Perhaps they were feeling lost about their future.

Originally, Gao Yang should’ve been one of them, spending all his time doing tests in order to get into a good college.

But now, he found himself an outsider.

His gaze wandered to Qing Ling’s empty seat. He was envious of her.

In her world, nothing mattered other than getting stronger. She had a clear goal, and she moved toward it without hesitation or distracting thoughts.

Gao Yang, on the other hand, had too many worries. He had to play his role on the mundane side of his life, and he had to be wary of the dangers his awakener identity would bring.

The Twelve Zodiac Signs, the Hundred Rivers Union, the Spectres that Fresh Snow was part of, the Godbearer Cult that was behind Ghost Horse...

His different identities and allegiances stretched him thin, and he had too many things to be worried about, none of which were resolved. It had been a long time since Gao Yang last had a good night's sleep.

During the second session of evening self-study, Gao Yang received a call from Chen Ying.

Gao Yang called her back when he could, and she told him that the truck had been found in the Dongyu District, that he should head there as soon as possible.

Gao Yang was surprised. He hadn’t expected the Hundred Rivers Union to be this efficient. He now saw the organization in a different light.

Gao Yang immediately called Wang Zikai, and pretending to be feeling ill, he got a sick leave from his homeroom teacher and left school early.

Wang Zikai drove to school to pick Gao Yang up as soon as he could, behaving as the dependable and considerate friend. The two of them headed to the Dongyu District at once.

Before Gao Yang awakened, he had rarely come to the Dongyu District.

It was located in a remote area with low population density, and the urban infrastructure had been weathered by years. To a Li City resident, it was no different from the countryside.

After entering the world of awakeners, though, Gao Yang had a newfound respect and wariness for the district.

It wasn’t under the jurisdiction of any of the three major organizations, and being the no man’s land it was, law of the jungle ruled, and dangers abounded.

Put simply, if someone died in the district, it was unlikely that any of the organizations would come to collect the body.

The location Chen Ying told Gao Yang was downstream of the Li River.

Before eleven at night, Wang Zikai drove to the riverside road and parked on the side, walking down the levee.

Clear moonlight lit the shoal below, where a tractor was surrounded by about ten people. When Gao Yang and Wang Zikai walked up to them, they first saw Chen Ying and her teammates around her.

Among them was, naturally, Zhang Wei. He beamed warmly as soon as he saw Gao Yang.

“Brother Dark Horse! Here you are!”

“Watch it. He’s Captain Seven Shadow of the Qilin Guild now,” Chen Ying corrected him with a serious expression.

“What?!” Zhang Wei jumped and shouted, “You, you, you’re the Seven Shadow who got two Rune Circuits for the Qilin Guild?”

Gao Yang nodded. This guy was quite well-informed.

“That’s insane! As expected of a star player! You’re a star no matter where you go!”

He excitedly took out a marker from his pocket and turned his back to Gao Yang. “Let’s not waste time. I have to get your signature today, Brother Seven Shadow!”

Gao Yang wasn’t sure how to deal with the situation other than waiting for Chen Ying to stop the man.

Instead of stopping him, however, Chen Ying said with a smile, “It’ll take a while for the truck to be pulled out. There’s no rush.”

Gao Yang suppressed a groan. This isn’t how you acted when Zhang Wei was pestering War Tiger! Chen Ying, you damn woman. Are you messing with me?

Resigned, Gao Yang took the marker and signed the words ‘Seven Shadow’ on Zhang Wei’s back.

“Write something else, please.”

“What else? I came, I saw, I conquered?”

“Haha, you’ve got jokes! Let me think. Hm, it’s my birthday the day after tomorrow. Why don’t you write me a happy birthday?” Zhang Wei sounded excited, like he was already thinking about presenting this shirt to his colleague when they celebrated his birthday to make them jealous.

And should I buy you a cake and sing you a song?

Grumbling inwardly, Gao Yang wrote down ‘happy birthday’ on his back and the date of his birthday.

“Thank you!” Zhang Wei immediately handed his phone to the colleague next to him and had a photo taken of his back.

Gao Yang sighed. He didn’t expect that one day, he would become somebody people boasted about meeting.

After Zhang Wei left, Zhen Ying explained, “The truck you’re looking for was driven into the river. Our diver has gone underwater to check. If the vehicle is upright, it can be dragged out directly after we attach a hook.”

“How did you find it?” Gao Yang asked.

Chen Ying smiled politely. “We have many members, and thus many means at our disposal. And a lot of our members are people with quite the influence in the mundane world.”

“Wouldn’t it be problematic for you to involve so many people?”

“The truck was stolen, and isn’t it only right for investigation to be done on a crime? It’ll be fine. We do this all the time.”

Chen Ying’s gaze was focused.

As they talked, someone in a diving suit popped out of the water with a splash before emerging ashore.

He took off the headgear as he walked and called out toward the riverbank, “It’s hooked. Get it out.”

The tractor started and drove toward the levee. Soon, the large metal hook and chains attached to the tail of the vehicle underwater were pulled taut.

Half a minute later, the tractor drove over the levee, and the metal chains shook slightly as the surface of the water rippled.

Splash.

First emerging was the top of a blue cargo container, followed by the hood of the truck, the head and part of the body, and finally the four wheels.

It took no time for the box truck to be pulled onto the shoal. River water continued to gush out from the interior.

“Is this the right one?” Chen Ying asked.

Gao Yang had already memorized the photo, and he recognized it at first glance. “It is.”

Chen Ying turned to Zhang Wei. “The work here is done. Have everyone go back. Be careful on the way.”

“What about you, Sister Chen?” Zhang Wei was worried. This wasn’t the territory of the Hundred Rivers Union, and they wouldn’t want Chen Ying to run into some ruffians when she was alone.

“Don’t worry.” Chen Ying glanced at Gao Yang and smiled. “After the work is done, these two gentlemen will accompany me home.”

‘Gentlemen’, a more polite way of saying ‘bodyguards’.

One surely learned til the day they died.

Gao Yang smiled and said graciously, “As we should.”

Two minutes later, the others left along with the tractor, leaving only Chen Ying, Gao Yang, Wang Zikai, and the small box truck that had been submerged in the river for many days on the shoal.

The box truck had been almost completely drained of water.

Chen Ying walked up to it and opened the door to the driver seat. “I’ll use my Talent right now. However, I have to remind you. I can at most read information within the past seven days, and the longer it has been, the less information I can gather, and the less accurate the reading will be.”

“Just do your best.” Gao Yang didn’t have high expectations to start with.

“It’ll take me a couple minutes. Please stay quiet as I work.”

“Of course.”

With that, Chen Ying got into the car, sitting down while ignoring the cold, drenched seat and shutting the door after her. She put her hands on the driving wheel and took a deep breath, slowly closing her eyes.

Psychometry activated.

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