The Creatures that We Are

Xiao Xin shouted suddenly, the pores of his entire body enlarged by ten times. It looked as if Xiao Xin had exploded into a puff of yellow mist—and he very well might have. There was no way for Lithe Snake and Can to tell.

It happened so suddenly that the two of them lost sight of everything. Worried that the yellow mist was poisonous, they held their breath. Still, they inhaled a little of it, and it burned their nostrils.

Can quickly went invisible. Lithe Snake, even quicker to react, grabbed her and jumped onto the wall of the alleyway, climbing onto the rooftop.

While invisible, the two looked down from the edge of the building. The yellow mist had filled the entire alley and was spreading to the food stand. The diners either collapsed or entered a brief trance. And one slaughterer transformed into a strong lizardman, rushing out of the stand.

“Gale!”

Can splayed her hands downward, dispersing the yellow mist with level 4 Gale. The table and hot pot at the mouth of the alley had been toppled, and Crimson Bee and Xiao Xin were nowhere to be seen.

Feet sticking to the wall, Lithe Snake ran down from the top of the building, leaping silently and landing toward the slaughterer, piercing his Black Gold shortsword through the slaughterer’s head.

It didn’t even get a scream out before it shuddered like it’d been electrocuted, collapsing to the ground.

Can jumped down from the top of the building too, making a safe landing with Gale.

“So that’s how Thick Mist works.” Lithe Snake knew about Xiao Xin’s Talent, but they weren’t part of the same team, and they weren’t close. Thus, he had never seen the man use his Talent.

Lithe Snake raised his left hand. Good thing I have a contingency.

He had cut off his pinky at some point, and the stump was bleeding.

“Ah, how did you get hurt?” Can said with concern.

Lithe Snake shot her a glare. “Can’t you tell that I did this on purpose?”

…

Men’s toilet at a bar, ten minutes later

“Huff…huff…”

Crimson Bee hid in the innermost stall, drenched by sweat and gasping for breaths. From the outside came the bombastic music and wild yells.

Once Xiao Xin released the yellow mist, Crimson Bee had jerked back and toppled the table, making a run for it without turning around. He dashed as quickly as he could like he was doing a hundred-meter sprint, rushing past a few street blocks and arriving at the crowded bar street. With the crowd as his cover, he dove into a bar, making it across the dance pool where neon light flickered and the air was thick with hedonistic abandon. Then he hid in the men’s toilet.

They won’t find me here, will they?

Crimson Bee calmed his breath and reached into his pocket for his phone, about to report to Elder Vermilion Bird, but then he frowned, feeling something cold and sticky.

He took it out and realized that it was a bloodied finger.

“****!” Crimson Bee cursed.

Why was there a finger in my pocket?! Ah! It’s Lithe Snake’s Gecko! He can track me through his finger! The despicable man!

Crimson Bee cast away the finger and shot to his feet.

Bam! The door of the stall was kicked open. He couldn’t see anyone outside, but in the blink of an eye, a translucent air blade pressed into his throat, and his limbs were locked in place by air blades too, preventing him from running away. ɌÅꞐỒＢЕS

Two seconds later, Lithe Snake and Can showed up.

Can had a hand on Lithe Snake’s shoulder, and she pinched her nose, face twisted with disgust. “It smells terrible here, Brother Lithe Snake… I can’t take it…”

Swoosh! Two throwing knives stabbed into Crimson Bee’s thighs, and blood gushed out of the wounds.

“Ugh…”

Crimson Bee’s legs buckled, falling onto the lid of the toilet. It was all he could do not to scream in pain.

“Go. I’ll take this.” Lithe Snake sneered.

“Okay!”

Can didn’t even wait to turn invisible.

Lithe Snake walked into the stall and shut the door, pressing his shortsword into Crimson Bee’s chin. “Your phone.”

Crimson Bee paled, covered in cold sweat. He tamped down his pain to take his phone out of his pocket.

“Unlock it,” Lithe Snake ordered.

Crimson Bee didn’t dare to disobey. He quickly unlocked his phone with his finger.

Lithe Snake stared at him coldly. “Open the Guild’s group chat. I want to see all the messages.”

“Okay…”

Crimson Bee did as he said and opened the group chat, handing his phone to Lithe Snake. Lithe Snake browsed the messages without taking the phone. There wasn’t much intel to be gleaned until he saw the latest announcement the Guild made.

Lithe Snake scoffed derisively. “No one can rival the Qilin Guild in doing a smear campaign.”

Crimson Bee’s heart sank. Shit, Lithe Snake’s pissed. I’m dead.

He had long heard about the man’s coldblooded way. He didn’t even have the will to beg for mercy. Squeezing his eyes shut, he only wished for the man to give him a quick death.

Two seconds later, the cold blade pressed against his neck was gone.

Crimson Bee opened his eyes to find that Lithe Snake had put away his weapon. He said in disbelief, “You…aren’t going to kill me?”

“I’m sparing you this time,” said Lithe Snake.

Crimson Bee wanted to know why, but he didn’t dare to ask lest Lithe Snake changed his mind.

Lithe Snake came up to him and quickly pulled out the two throwing knives buried in his thighs.

“Hmph…”

Crimson Bee bit down his shout despite the pain, not wanting to get in more trouble.

Lithe Snake wiped the blood off his throwing knives on Crimson Bee’s clothes. In an icy voice, he said, “Captain’s order. I’m not to kill any members of Team Vermilion Bird.”

Crimson Bee gaped.

“You got lucky.” Lithe Snake backed out of the stall and shut the door.

Crimson Bee didn’t dare to move until he made sure that Lithe Snake was truly gone. Only then did he let out the breath he had been holding.

It seemed Seven Shadow and Vermilion Bird were truly close.

When I joined the Guild, I picked Team White Tiger because I was afraid of death, but Brother Crimson Scorpion insisted on me joining Team Vermilion Bird with him because he was thinking with his smaller head. Now, both White Tiger and Big Brother are gone, yet I’ve been saved by Vermilion Bird many times. What an irony.

Crimson Bee held his phone up to call Elder Vermilion Bird.

The call went through after a few seconds.

“Hello?”

“Elder Vermilion Bird!” Crimson Bee said through clenched teeth. “I was attacked. My thighs were cut, and I can’t move…”

“Where are you? I’ll be right there.”

Crimson Bee told her the address.

“Seven Shadow?” Vermilion Bird guessed right.

“Yes, it’s his people. Lithe Snake and Can.”

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