The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 93: Dragon

They spent a long time in silence.

When the morning sun enveloped the world in warmth, White Rabbit woke the little girl in her arms up.

“Come on, up.” White Rabbit ruffled Lovely Lamb’s hair. “Let’s go find Uncle Dead Pig. You can’t keep the damage stored in your body for too long.”

“Hm...” Lovely Lamb frowned and reflexively held onto White Rabbit’s clothes with her chubby hands, unwilling to wake up.

Gao Yang stood up and took Lovely Lamb into his arms. “Let’s go.”

The three of them left the Yushan Elementary School and went into a black Benz.

White Rabbit drove while Gao Yang took the passenger seat. And Lovely Lamb was allowed to sleep a little longer in the back with the seatbelt on.

Gao Yang asked after some hesitation, “Did you wiretap everyone’s phone?”

“Everyone outside of Captain and Teacher War Tiger,” White Rabbit admitted without pause. “Please keep it a secret.”

“I know.” Gao Yang frowned slightly. “You suspect there’s a spy too?”

“Of course. I’m not an idiot.” White Rabbit threw Gao Yang a glance. “It seems that I’m not the only one.”

“Yeah.” Gao Yang thought back to Mad Red. “The man that attacked me called himself Mad Red. Do you know the name? He had an older sister, I believe, and she was the reason he went after our Rune Circuit. His sister died, and he sought revenge on me for that. That’s all I know.”

After a bemused moment, White Rabbit shook her head and said, “I wouldn’t claim to know every awakener in Li City, but I know those who are worth knowing. I’ve never heard of a Mad Red, neither have my sources.”

Gao Yang stopped talking, feeling a dull pain in his chest when he thought about Wan Sisi’s passing.

“My condolences for what happened to your friend.” White Rabbit tightened her grip on the driving wheel, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. “I promise you that we will do something about it. The Twelve Zodiac Signs do not take a beating lying down.”

After a pause, she continued, “Ghost Horse checked if Wan Sisi was a human or a monster. Do you want to know?”

Gao Yang shook his head. “No.”

“Why?”

“She was Wan Sisi.” Gao Yang turned to look out of the window. “And she was my friend.”

A moment of silence followed. Then White Rabbit’s phone rang. She picked up the call with one hand. “Hello...yeah, I understand.”

White Rabbit hung up and slammed the accelerator, the inertia throwing Gao Yang into the seat. The scenery whipped past the windows at high speed.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, turning to White Rabbit.

“We’re going back to -6F. Emergency meeting.” White Rabbit’s eyes flickered. “Captain will be there.”

“Dragon?” Gao Yang was a little surprised. Finally, he was going to meet the man in person.

“Yeah, he’s waking up.” White Rabbit’s mood visibly brightened. She blinked and her lips curled into a smile. “Do you drive, Gao Yang?”

“Not really.”

“Shame. I always feel like painting my toenails when I’m happy.”

...

-6F, the Millenium Tower. One hour later.

When Gao Yang and White Rabbit arrived at the lobby in the underground basement, the other members were already there, standing in twos and threes.

Wu Dahai was standing by Heavenly Dog’s side. After a few days of resting, he had become much more energetic. His empty right sleeve was tucked into the belt around his waist, and he was holding a tablet with his one arm, sliding across the screen with a thumb to show Heavenly Dog the designs of a robotic prosthetic.

“See, ain’t it awesome?” Wu Dahai said proudly. “The Qilin Guild is already working on it as an urgent order. I’ll get to put it on next month!”

“Cool,” Heavenly Dog complimented. “How’s the arm’s motor skills?”

“Pretty good! The neuro link compatibility is 84.5%. It’s as good as it can get. I paid 600 jinwu for it.” Wu Dahai clenched his jaw. “Damn those heartless businessmen!”

White Rabbit had said that Gao Yang should keep Mad Red’s second ambush a secret for the moment, so he walked up to the two like nothing had happened to him. “Congrats, Wu Dahai, for the cyborg arm.”

“Uh-huh.” Wu Dahai radiated excitement and a newfound energy. “Don’t envy me! I’ve been reborn like a phoenix! Whatever doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger!”

“Hear, hear!” War Tiger suddenly walked up from behind Wu Dahai and Heavenly Dog, putting his arms around their shoulders. “That’s the spirit! The Twelve Zodiac Signs never bow down!”

“Damn right! We never bow down!” Wu Dahai was further bolstered by the compliments from a senior member.

Gao Yang turned away with a laugh.

White Rabbit, Lovely Lamb, and Dead Pig were together. Dead Pig sat cross-legged on the floor, while Lovely Lamb, having woken up, put both her hands on Dead Pig’s thick arm, transferring the damage stored in her.

Cuts and burns quickly showed up on Dead Pig’s body, and his lungs started tearing as well. He was bleeding everywhere, but he healed quickly as usual.

Dead Pig said with a smile, “Who’s the one that got hurt this time?”

“Gao Yang,” White Rabbit said with a matching smile. “I was training with him, but I might have gotten a little overboard.”

“You were way overboard!” Dead Pig threw Gao Yang a sympathetic glance. “Why would you use bombs...the damage to the lungs is quite serious. He could’ve died.”

“I know I’ve done wrong, Uncle Dead Pig. Please don’t scold me.” White Rabbit made a face and tried to gloss over the matter. “I’ll be more careful next time.”

...

Ding!

A quiet mechanical sound came from behind them.

Everyone turned to look at the Dragon Door that had never opened for anyone. The pattern of a dragon lit up above the door, its brilliance eye-catching.

Three seconds later, the door opened slowly.

“Captain’s up!” White Rabbit was the first to say.

“Come on, let’s all get in.” War Tiger waved a hand, and they all entered the Dragon Room.

Gao Yang had asked White Rabbit a good number of questions about Dragon on their way to the base, such as why he was so mysterious, and so many members of the organization had never even seen him before, as well as how it was possible for Dragon to be close to Gao Yang’s age—as the founder of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, he would’ve been in his seventies even if he started the organization at thirteen.

White Rabbit responded with a cryptic line, “You’ll see.”

And Gao Yang did see once he walked into the Dragon Room.

It was smaller than he had expected; less than fifty square meters, to be precise. The walls were all made of a white, metallic material, and the room was quiet and dim, the air somehow colder than the air outside with an archaic and mysterious energy to it.

Embedded vertically into the wall on the farside of the room was a black metal coffin, the bottom of which was attached to intertwining wires like the roots of an ancient tree. Light flowed along the wires in both directions, like nutrients were being supplied to the metal coffin.

“Is this...a hibernation chamber?” Gao Yang made a guess.

“Yes.” War Tiger walked up to the small control panel before the coffin. After making a few clicks, he stepped back.

Click.

A few seconds later, the hibernation chamber made a short dull sound.

The lid opened to the side, and out came a thick white fog, filling the room in an instant. There was a faint smell of chemicals. Gao Yang would describe it as the decaying leaves found in forests in autumn.

Soon, the white smoke dissipated, revealing a nude man inside the hibernation chamber.

Gao Yang would’ve mistaken the person as a woman if not for the flat chest he noticed at first glance.

He had long black hair. His body was so thin that it could almost be described as delicate. And the lines of his face were gentle, his facial features delicate with long, long eyelashes, the very definition of androgynous.

White Rabbit had picked up a long blanket at some point and immediately went up to the chamber to cover the man’s body. Then she pulled back with deference and waited quietly.

A few seconds later, the man’s eyelashes fluttered, and he opened his eyes. He had heterochromia. His right eye was ocean blue, while his left eye was amber.

“You’re awake, Captain.” White Rabbit tried her best to keep her composure, but her tone was colored by her happiness.

“Yes, I’m awake.” Dragon smiled. His voice was unexpectedly low and rich. “How long has it been?”

“Three years, four months, twenty-one days, seven hours...” White Rabbit checked her phone. “Three minutes and fifty seconds.”

Dragon wrapped the blanket around his frail-looking body and stepped out of the hibernation chamber barefooted. He was still smiling, a mixture of graceful and relaxed.

“Here you all are.” Dragon scanned the old members before turning to the new members who hadn’t been here three years ago, naming each of them in order, “Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, Wu Dahai, Heavenly Dog, and Lovely Lamb.”

Gao Yang hid his surprise.

Wu Dahai spoke up to ask the question for all of them, “How do you know us, Captain? Didn’t you just wake up?”

“Simply put,” War Tiger said. “Dragon was only hibernating physically, while his mind remained awake. White Rabbit briefs him once every month. He can decide when he’s going to wake up and when he’s going to go back to hibernation.”

“That’s insane! If he keeps hibernating while his mind stays awake...” Wu Dahai gaped. “Wouldn’t he be immortal?”

“There is a difference.” Dragon slowly walked up to Wu Dahai and glanced at his empty sleeve. “I’ve heard about the ambush. I’m sorry for what you’ve been through.”

“Oh, it’s fine!” Wu Dahai was flattered by the attention. “It’s nothing compared to the sacrifices those before me have made.”

Dragon nodded slightly and turned to White Rabbit. “Allow me to have a change of clothes. I will see you in the meeting room five minutes later.”

“Understood.”

...

After five minutes, they gathered at the Mouse Room—the meeting room—not a second later.

The interior was designed in a European style with a luxurious crystal chandelier and a long antique dining table. The walls were decorated with classy, dark-colored patterns and a good number of paintings. The mural on the ceiling was a replica of the Last Breakfast[1].

Gao Yang knew a thing or two about the artwork. It depicted the story of a religious leader and his twelve disciples, as well as the spy among them.

The irony of it wasn’t lost on Gao Yang.

The members each took a seat and placed their masks on the table.

Dragon was the last to sit down. He had changed into a white crew neck t-shirt and a pair of black corduroy pants, his long hair tied into a ponytail. His face was so pale that he looked a little sickly, and he painted the picture of a bed-ridden young man with a delicate, frail physique.

“I heard everything from White Rabbit, and I am sure you are up to date as well.” Dragon hadn’t wasted any time. Perhaps every second was precious to him.

“Although the Twelve Zodiac Signs have our fair share of enemies, there had not been any that dared taunt and attack us so openly over the past ten years.”

“I woke up to resolve the matter,” Dragon said calmly.

White Rabbit brought him a cup of hot coffee. “Your black coffee, Captain.”

“Ah, thank you.” Dragon took the cup and savored the smell before having a sip. “It is regrettable for me to say that there is a traitor among us.”

Dragon put down the cup of coffee. His voice was still calm, but what he said made the air lower a few degrees in temperature, “I am afraid that tonight, the traitor will not walk out of here alive.”

Silence stretched and lingered.

Dragon started slowly sipping his coffee again, as if he had just said something trivial like, ‘Let us enjoy our drinks.’

Gao Yang felt like his heart was in a tight grip. It was the first time that he felt such an indescribable pressure even though he wasn’t the center of the event, and was merely an innocent victim who wouldn’t be in danger.

“However, I hope that the traitor will turn themself in.” Dragon sounded composed and genuine. “Then everyone will vote for the traitor’s fate rather than leaving me to execute them one-sidedly.”

Dragon stopped talking and waited.

The meeting room was plunged into a deathly silence. No one said another word. Perhaps, Gao Yang thought, they’re all shocked and confused like I am.

Who would have thought that the traitor was going to be caught less than ten minutes after Dragon’s awakening?

Time crawled second by second. The half a minute passed slowly like half a century.

Suddenly, someone broke the stillness and stood up.

Gao Yang looked up in disbelief. It was Qing Ling.

1. The author has changed the Last Supper to the Last Breakfast, presumably to avoid making direct references to a real-life religion. ?

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