The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 68: Official Members

“Old Man Liu?!” Officer Huang was the first to call out to him.

Mischievous Monkey was the old man selling malatang near the station, Old Man Liu—or someone who looked just like him.

“You know me?” the man asked in surprise.

“You...” Officer Huang stumbled on his words in astonishment. “Aren’t you...a wanderer?”

The old man chuckled in realization. “That’s my older brother.”

“Older brother?” Officer Huang frowned. “You’re Old Man Liu’s...twin brother?”

Mischievous Monkey nodded with a smile. “You may call me Old Second Liu.”

Gao Yang observed the old man. True to his words, while the man looked similar to Old Man Liu, he seemed younger, more spirited and in better physical condition, and his gaze was bright and clear rather than muddled with age like his twin brother’s. He also held himself with a serene and zen air that belonged to the reclusive masters, unlike the worldly man his brother was.

“Old Second Liu?“ Officer Huang was both shocked and befuddled. “Your twin brother is a monster, yet you’re human... How is that possible?”

Officer Huang took the question right out of Gao Yang’s mouth.

“I joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs for that exact question.” Old Second Liu’s lips were still curved into a slight smile. “I may be old, but I’m actually new in the organization in terms of tenure.”

Ah. Gao Yang thought to himself. The longer he spent in this world, the more he felt like he was still in the tutorial phase; there were still so many unsolved mysteries. Please visit fr𝐞𝐞w𝒏.𝒸𝑜𝔪 website to read fastest update

“Old Second Liu.” Officer Huang walked up to him and gripped his hand. “To be honest, seeing you today is a highlight for me.”

“How so?”

Officer Huang smiled bitterly. “Among all the awakeners I’ve encountered, you are the only one who has lived so long.”

Old Second Liu belly-laughed.

“A senior is a treasure to the family.” White Rabbit walked up to them with a smile. “Old Second Liu is the only elderly member the organization has ever recruited. Everyone treats him like a source of good fortune.”

“I hope you’ll get to become an old man like me,” Old Second Liu said as he put his mask back on.

Then every pair of eyes in the room shifted to the last member to introduce themselves.

“You sure?” Officer Huang turned to him. “Like the case with Kong Rong giving his pear to his younger siblings, I should be the one to take a step back since I’m the oldest.”

“It’s fine. I’ll wait to get a code name.”

Gao Yang insisted for two reasons. First, neither ox nor snake caught his fancy, and he didn’t have a reason to fight for the spots. Second, being careful was the key to survival. It was never wrong to keep a low profile.

“Alright.” Officer Huang didn’t drag things out. “I’ll pick ox. I’ve even gotten a name in mind already. I’ll be Yellow Ox.[1]”

“Have you decided for real?” White Rabbit asked. “You won’t have a chance to change your name.”

“Yeah,” Officer Huang said proudly. “I’ll be the old yellow ox that serves the people! It’s a perfect fit for my job!”

“Green Snake[2],” Qing Ling said without hesitation as well.

“Whoa, that’s quick!” White Rabbit said approvingly before giving Wu Dahai a derisive look. “See how decisive they are? You, on the other hand, spent three days thinking of a name. And Electric Mouse is what you settled on? You’ve got bad taste!”

Wu Dahai swept his hands through his hair. “You’re too young to understand my charm, White Rabbit. I don’t blame you.”

“Thanks for the daily dose of vomit-inducing lines.” White Rabbit put on a show of retching.

Heavenly Dog came up to Gao Yang to hand him a mask of No-Face from Spirited Away.

Gao Yang put it on. It made him feel quite cool.

“Alright, we’re done!” said White Rabbit.

Officer Huang interjected, “Wait, aren’t we going to take an oath or something?”

“Nope! That’s too edgy. We don’t do things like that.” White Rabbit snapped her fingers. “That reminds me though. Group photo time, peeps! Otherwise we won’t even have a picture of ourselves at our funerals.”

White Rabbit had everyone put on their masks and stand in a line. She set up a SLR camera on a tripod and picked up the remote shutter control. For their absent Captain and Vice-Captain, they were added into the picture via White Rabbit and Wu Dahai holding up their masks.

White Rabbit raised her voice and declared, “I hereby announce that the Twelve Zodiac Signs are complete again!”

“Three, two, one!”

“Cheese!”

Click—

1. Huang, his surname, means yellow. ?

2. Qing, her surname, means green. ?

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