The Creatures that We Are

"Surnamed Li's dream has never been wrong." Colorless paused, her expression serious. "However, that doesn't mean it can't be. There's no point dwelling on it."

Old Seven sighed and remained silent.

Jing Ke, the man with messy black hair and a sunken face, wore an impassive look, arms crossed over his chest. He contemplated a more practical issue. "The blond young man is powerful. You should be careful."

Colorless implored them earnestly, her voice almost pleading, "Please don't be reckless tomorrow night. Don't rush to the front lines or think about honor and glory. No one in this damn world deserves your sacrifice. Your survival is more important than anything else."

"This civil war is ultimately a power struggle among a handful of influential leaders. You'll be safe once they determine a victor. You'll either be celebrating our victory or dropping your arms in surrender."

I'll surely die as an Elder if the Ocean River Union loses, of course.

Colorless kept that thought to herself.

A moment of silence fell. Then Musashi, with wine-colored curls and thick makeup, spoke up. She fixed Amon with a gentle yet pointed gaze. "Amon, would you stop being angry with Team Leader? She was thinking about our safety."

Amon brooded. She knew Colorless meant well, but she was still mad. She couldn't accept that Colorless had kept the truth from her, too. She had thought she was closer to Colorless, but it turned out she was just another teammate to their leader.

She turned to Canary. "You, especially. Don't get too excited, Little Canary."

Canary perched cross-legged on a chair, wearing a black jumpsuit emblazoned with the character for 'dog.' Her hair was tied in twin tails. With no red war paint on her face now, her pretty, fair youthful features were on full display.

She scratched her face irritatedly. "I know!"

"Veggie." Colorless turned to the stuttering girl who had just joined them.

"Don't worry, Captain. I... I, I, I will... I will keep an eye on Little Canary..." Veggie said earnestly.

"Keep an eye on whom? I'm not your dog!" Canary reached out and pinched Veggie's chubby cheek, disgruntled.

"Ow, let go. It hurts!" Veggie didn't stutter this time.

...

The night before New Year's Eve, tension hung in the air. In the underground base of the Ocean River Union in Nanji District, almost all members gathered in the main hall. They made preparations methodically, an oppressive seriousness permeating the atmosphere. It was the calm before the storm.

One Stone, the quartermaster, arrived with her subordinates, bringing a wealth of supplies from the armory and medicine storage. She began allocating them to each member.

There were basic items for all members and special items for particular awakeners.

All members received the following basic items:

A Black Gold handgun and two 15-shot magazines—all Black Gold bullets Jiang Hao had enchanted with paralysis, weakening, and poison debuffs. Upon entering the body, these bullets would seriously injure the enemy even if they missed vital organs, potentially killing them outright.

A Black Gold dagger, enchanted with the same debuffs.

A resurrection pill to be taken before the fight.

Two shots of Medicine C for first-aid.

A special adrenaline shot that could bring someone back from the brink of death or energy exhaustion.

An Illusion Breaking Spray that would offset illusions and grant some resistance to psychic attacks.

A sleep gas grenade, ineffective in open spaces but useful for cover or retreat if used strategically.

Special items were distributed based on individual abilities:

Melee fighters received cold weapons, while ranged shooters got buffing items. These were equipment the awakeners carried constantly, now enhanced with short-term enchantments for increased power.

Last but not least, precious ring injectors containing Equivalent Exchange medicine were given to Protectors and above. These could boost the user's comprehensive power by one or more times for less than 10 seconds, to be used only when necessary.

The members were split into three teams.

The command, led by Qilin and Surnamed Li, consisting of awakeners with support Talents or specific abilities.

The combatants, under Colorless's command, including both melee and ranged fighters.

The rear service, led by One Stone, mainly composed of awakeners with healing, support, and scouting abilities.

Soon, the dozens of Union members armed themselves and got into orderly files. Qilin and Surnamed Li inspected each of them before starting a rally.

From her wheelchair, Surnamed Li gazed at them, speaking up after a long, silent moment. Her voice was soft yet bleak, carrying the infectious warmth of a parental figure.

"Everyone, I am the oldest person here. I've been fortunate to survive this long in the dangerous Mist World, gaining more than enough from my time in this mortal realm.

"Yet, I'm unlucky to have witnessed the rise and fall of the Elusive Sect, endured many a Crimson Tide, and seen too many lives lost, ambitions cooled, and dreams shattered. My mentor, companions, and lover were all buried on the path to hope and truth.

"I founded the Hundred Rivers Union because I understood, better than most, how fragile and insignificant humans are in the Mist World. I believe we must work together.

"One firefly alone cannot survive until dawn when lost in the mountains. But a group of fireflies can light the path home.

"It pains me that our enemies now are not the dangerous doomsday, but our once companions. However, if we must step over those who have lost their way to sustain humanity, we have no choice.

"We've reached this point only by wading through rivers of blood and mountains of skeletons of those who came before us. We must not give up. We have no right to give up!

"I cannot guarantee you'll all survive the night, but I believe we will emerge victorious. I believe humanity will not go extinct.

"The legacy of our predecessors will become the torch our successors hold high!

"Humans are not mere individuals! Our souls are not alone!"

Surnamed Li's voice echoed in the empty hall. Silence followed. No applause, no cheers. Everyone looked solemn, their gazes determined.

Many of them had not started out with great ambition. They had simply followed the flow, going along for the ride. Tonight, however, facing the crossroads of fate and a critical juncture in history, they felt a shudder in the depths of their souls—like a calling.

No snowflakes in an avalanche were innocent. And no one could watch from the sidelines as the tide of fate crashed forward. As long as they lived, they were players on the world's stage. They would forge this era. At this moment, they felt that truth keenly.

After the moment of silence, Qilin's cane tapped the floor with a sharp click. Everyone turned to the man with a gentlemanly temperament yet a deep, coldly sharp gaze. He slowly raised his right fist, clenching it hard.

"For survival," he intoned.

"For survival!" some shouted in response.

"For survival," Qilin repeated.

"For survival!"

"For survival!"

"For survival..."

Soon, everyone joined the rally, the words echoing through the hall. Amid the overwhelming and stirring chorus of cries, Wandering Tune stepped behind Qilin and Surnamed Li. He created an enormous blue portal with level 5 Portal.

Qilin turned Surnamed Li's wheelchair around and stepped into the portal first. The two leaders' backlit figures quickly vanished into the shimmering blue.

Then the command, the combatants, and the rear service followed in three orderly files, entering the portal one by one.

A minute later, the portal winked out of existence.

The brightly lit hall stood empty. Only the echoes of their battle cry for survival seemed to linger in the air.

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