The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 316: Third Round

“Last night was a peaceful night where no one died,” Chen Ying announced. “Sheriff, please decide the order of making statements.”

“My right.” Vermilion Bird rested her chin on her clasped hands, her eyes lowered rather than looking up at anyone.

White Tiger brushed back the hair before his forehead and sighed. “I’m sorry, Seven Shadow. Last night I took a gamble and didn’t guard you.”

“I thought the wolves would have guessed that, which meant they wouldn’t go after you.”

Gao Yang nodded. White Tiger had done the right thing.

He had openly urged White Tiger to protect him on purpose so that the wolves wouldn’t waste their chance on him.

There was little fight left in White Tiger’s eyes. He had to force himself to focus. “I’ve thought about it hard. There are three special roles left with only one wolf. It’s too late for the surviving wolf to kill the special roles. Thus, Vermilion Bird and I should be safe. Between Green Snake and Scarlet Fox, I can’t tell who is the good role and who the wolf.”

“But I believed White Rabbit was very likely the villager, so I took the chance and protected her. It seems that I’ve made the right bet. The wolf must have gone after White Rabbit, but they failed, and no one died during the night.”

“That’s it for me.”

Chen Ying announced, “Number 9, please speak.”

It was Qing Ling.

She stared at Scarlet Fox coldly. “You lied. I’m the hunter. Don’t think about pretending to be me. Eliminate Scarlet Fox today, everyone, and the good team will win.”

She scanned the table, her gaze stopping on Gao Yang. “Believe me.”

That was it for her.

Gao Yang’s heart burned with anxiety. He had a feeling that Qing Ling wasn’t lying, and he trusted her. Nevertheless, her statement wouldn’t do her any good. She wasn’t being emotional and provocative enough. It wouldn’t convince the others.

“Number 11, your turn.”

White Rabbit had lost her intensity. With everything seemingly settling down, she said tiredly, “Things are clear now. Gao Yang and I are villagers, Vermilion Bird is the witch, and White Tiger the guard. That means Green Snake and Scarlet Fox are each a hunter and a wolf.”

“If we manage to vote the wolf out, the good team wins. If we end up eliminating the hunter, the hunter can fire to take the wolf with them, and the good team will still win. However, we’ll lose one more good one. I hope that we’ll make the right pick.”

“That’s all.”

It was Gao Yang’s turn. Hands trembling, he tried his best to be impartial, be rational. “I more or less agree with White Rabbit. Now, it’s a pick between the two. Green Snake and Scarlet Fox must be a wolf and a hunter, and I believe Green Snake is the hunter. When she first spoke, she said, ‘You better not kill me.’ I believe only the hunter would be assured enough to say that. It seems to me that Scarlet Fox is the wolf playing by the ear. He claimed to be the hunter in order to frame Green Snake.”

“I suggest we vote Scarlet Fox out, and the game should end.”

“That’s it for me.”

I’m sorry, Scarlet Fox.

Logically speaking, both Qing Ling and Scarlet Fox could be the wolf, but instinctively, Gao Yang trusted Qing Ling. He could always tell from her eyes. They had an understanding between them.

Even if Qing Ling and Scarlet Fox were equally likely to be the wolf, Gao Yang would still choose to protect Qing Ling without hesitation.

Were Scarlet Fox the wolf, ostracizing him would end the game, and Qing Ling wouldn’t die in vain.

Were Scarlet Fox the hunter, he could still bring Qing Ling down before getting ostracized, and the good team would win. Of course, he would then be an unnecessary casualty.

Gao Yang knew he was being selfish, but he couldn’t not be.

Anyone could die, but not Qing Ling!

“Sheriff, please speak.”

It was Vermilion Bird’s turn.

She looked up with tears in her eyes. “Scarlet Fox, Green Snake, to me, both of you are suspicious, and I can’t tell who’s the wolf.”

After a five-second pause, she continued, “But personally, I want Scarlet Fox to live.”

Scarlet Fox looked at her with reddened eyes, but he couldn’t say anything.

“Green Snake,” Vermilion Bird added apologetically. “I’m sorry, I’m going to vote for you. If you’re the wolf, the game ends. If you’re the hunter, please take Scarlet Fox with you.”

White Tiger couldn’t speak, but he sighed and looked at Qing Ling with guilt in his eyes.

He’s going to vote for her too!

No!

No, no!

It’s not happening!

Gao Yang was silenced. He knew about the bond Vermilion Bird and Scarlet Fox shared, so there was no changing her mind.

He turned to White Rabbit instead. Don’t vote for Qing Ling! You must not! She’s not the wolf! I’m certain she isn’t!

“Three, two, one. Please vote.” Chen Ying didn’t give him more time. She started the vote.

The six of them raised their hands at the same time.

Three voted for Qing Ling: Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Scarlet Fox.

The other three voted for Scarlet Fox: Gao Yang, White Rabbit, and Qing Ling.

Gao Yang’s hand remained in the air. He forgot to drop it. All the blood in his body seemed to freeze at that moment, and his mind blanked at the realization.

Qing Ling’s out.

She’s gonna die.

Whoever won the game no longer had any bearing on Gao Yang. Even the world around him no longer mattered.

No, this isn’t real. This must be a dream!

Qing Ling can’t die. She’s so strong. She works so hard. She’s supposed to be the protagonist of an underdog manga. She should be the one surviving til the end. How can she die a dog’s death here?!

This is absurd!

It doesn’t make sense!

Like a robot, Chen Ying calmly announced, “Vermilion Bird, being the sheriff, has 1.5 votes, which means that with 3.5 votes against her, Green Snake is ostracized.”

Vermilion Bird and White Tiger turned to Chen Ying, waiting for her to announce the result.

Both of them wished for the game to end here.

That would tell them that they had made the right call. That Green Snake hadn’t died in vain. Although their hands would still be covered in the blood of their companions, at least they would feel less guilt.

“The game...”

Facing their heated, imploring eyes, Chen Ying, despite the bleakness that had overtaken her heart, couldn’t help but show pity, her mouth opening and closing hesitantly.

“...continues.”

“Green Snake is the hunter.”

Gao Yang’s hands dropped.

He was right. Qing Ling was the hunter. She didn’t have to die!

He knew that Vermilion Bird and White Tiger had chosen to save Scarlet Fox for the same reason that he chose Qing Ling, and that there was no right and wrong, only where their hearts leaned.

But at this moment, Gao Yang couldn’t stop himself from transferring his rage toward Sir Zuo to the two of them.

“Hunter, do you fire?” Chen Ying turned to Qing Ling.

“Fire.” Qing Ling stood up, speaking calmly. “Kill Scarlet Fox.”

Scarlet Fox’s eyes were red. His mask fell, revealing a face of pain and guilt, but the more empowering emotion was relief.

Instantly, a clump of gray fog emerged above the roundtable. None of them could move. They weren’t even allowed to blink.

Sir Zuo wanted them to witness Scarlet Fox’s execution.

A few seconds later, the fog morphed into a hunter’s rifle.

Bang!

No, the gun fired, but it was silent. The sound was merely their imagination.

The bullet of gray fog hit Scarlet Fox in the chest before dispersing.

“Please return to your cells, the two eliminated.”

“Elder Vermilion Bird, I’m sorry for betraying your trust.”

Scarlet Fox’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I wanted to tell you who the wolves are, but Sir Zuo stopped me. He warned me that everyone would be killed if I did that.”

Unable to move or say anything, Vermilion Bird looked back at him with pale lips and bloodshot eyes.

“I...”

Scarlet Fox was going to say something, but he was silenced.

After a pause, he gave Vermilion Bird a deep bow, his expression one of pure yearning. Thank you for caring for me all these years.

He turned to enter his cell. As soon as the door closed, he fell, and the gray fog emerged to claim him.

After that, Qing Ling was allowed to move.

Without even glancing at Vermilion Bird and White Tiger, who had sentenced her to death, she lowered her head and pulled off the Twin Bracelet on her wrist, pushing it toward Gao Yang on the stone table.

The bracelet reached him.

She looked up to hold Gao Yang’s gaze for a moment. Then she turned to leave without a word.

No!

Don’t go, Qing Ling!

Fuck!

Move, move now! You useless piece of shit!

Blood streaked down from the corner of Gao Yang’s mouth, the capillaries in his eyes bursting.

He struggled, risking his life to resist the power restraining him. He was going to chase after her, after the girl who was getting farther and farther from him. No one was taking her away!

“Ah—”

Gao Yang screamed, collapsing to the ground with his hands clutching at his heart.

Sensing his resistance, Sir Zuo had subjected him to punishment.

Again, the strange power seized Gao Yang’s heart, ready to crush it.

“Don’t...go...”

Gao Yang reached out toward Qing Ling, trying to make it to her even if he had to crawl the whole way. However, it felt as if Mount Tai itself was keeping him down, preventing him from moving even an inch.

“Ahh!”

A few seconds later, Gao Yang gave in, screaming and yelling with his body curled together. The pain in his heart almost made him lose consciousness.

“Stop it, idiot. Live.”

Qing Ling didn’t turn around. In Gao Yang’s blurry vision, he could only see her determined and unwavering figure taking big strides into her cell.

Bam!

The door shut.

Just when Qing Ling was going to collapse, the gray fog emerged to erase her, quicker than ever before.

Sir Zuo did that on purpose as punishment for Gao Yang’s disrespectful resistance.

Whoever he wanted to keep would only disappear faster.

Gao Yang lay prone on the ground. The intangible grasp around his heart was gone.

Sir Zuo didn’t kill him. For the pride monster, the show was finally reaching its climax. It would be a shame to kill Gao Yang now.

Gao Yang didn’t know how long he had stayed on the ground. When he picked himself up, his eyes were dead, a mix of coldness and numbness.

He returned to his seat without a word.

“The game continues,” Sir Zuo said, his tone pleased.

The table waited for the moderator to announce the end of the game, but then they noticed that Chen Ying didn’t look right.

Tears streamed down her face. She was silently sobbing.

At that moment, she wished for her to have died during the first round.

“The game...” Her voice was trembling.

“...continues.”

Their hearts fell into a deep pit.

There was another wolf!

Among Gao Yang, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and White Rabbit, there was another wolf!

Hell is other people.

“The night has fallen. Please close your eyes.” This time, Sir Zuo took over as the moderator.

Gao Yang returned to his cell, plopping down onto the bed. Like a dead man walking, he didn’t move at all.

He kept telling himself that this was just a dream, nothing but a dream.

That there was no awakener or monster, that he was still an average highschooler who had just taken the entrance exam and was going to college, that he had a loving family, and a bright future of dreams and hard work awaited him.

That he would graduate, get a job, get married, have children, retire, and finally pass away on a warm winter afternoon.

That this was all a nightmare; when he woke up, the absurdity would be gone.

But why, why did his heart hurt so much in a dream?

Gao Yang looked down to find Qing Ling’s Twin Bracelet in his tight grasp. It was hard and cold, devoid of her warmth.

‘Do you like men or women?’

‘I don’t care about you.’

‘A soul will only slow down my blade.’

‘Worry about yourself.’

‘Don’t die.’

“The day has arrived,” announced Chen Ying.

Gao Yang jerked up.

Strange, why hadn’t he woken up from the dream if the day had come?

Click.

The metal door opened. Gao Yang dragged himself to the seat like a walking dead.

Other than him, the only ones left at the table were White Rabbit and Vermilion Bird.

White Tiger’s cell was empty save for the gray fog. The man was gone.

Yet Gao Yang felt nothing.

“White Tiger, number 6, died last night. No last word.” Chen Ying became numb again. She no longer cared about how the game ended.

“Sheriff, please decide the order for giving statements.”

Vermilion Bird glared at White Rabbit with hate and said through clenched teeth, “My right.”

“Gao Yang!” White Rabbit shouted as soon as the permission was given. “Vote for Vermilion Bird!”

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