The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 102: Old Wang

“It’s not an illusion,” said Gao Yang. “There’s someone on the other side of the door.”

“Could be a monster.” Qing Ling eyed the door coldly with her Tang Dao in hand.

White Rabbit deferred to War Tiger. “Your call, Uncle Tiger.”

“Help! Open the door and save me!”

The voice grew increasingly emotional. A middle-aged man was calling out for help desperately.

War Tiger drew his shortsword and walked up to the car door. “Fall back.”

The four of them took a few steps back. With his shortsword in one hand, War Tiger unlocked the door.

A man stumbled inside and scrambled to move away from the door, his face covered in blood. “Close the door! Shut it!”

A slaughterer was right after him. It moved so quickly that it dashed into the car like an arrow.

War Tiger dodged it with a sidestep, and the moment the slaughterer rushed past him, he made a heavy downward swing, decapitating the slaughterer.

Momentum drove the slaughterer’s tall, burly body, and it hurtled further into the car for a few meters. Then the headless bleeding body stood up and tried to fight back. Qing Ling stabbed through its heart with her Tang Dao, pinning it to the wall.

All that happened in a few seconds.

The slaughterer wasn’t alone. There were at least a dozen monsters in the last car, and they were charging forward in unison.

Officer Huang opened fire. This time, he aimed for the knees instead of the heads, and the two monsters at the front stumbled, getting stuck in the narrow car door and obstructing the way for their fellow monsters.

“Fire!”

Gao Yang didn’t miss the chance. He raised both hands and shot two torrents of powerful flames at the other car like a flamethrower for castle defense.

The other car turned into a sea of fire in an instant, and piercing cries filled the space, accompanied by the strange smell of flesh getting charred in the heated air.

The fire didn’t stop until close to a minute later. And the cries died down. Gao Yang deactivated his Talent.

He had almost exhausted his energy. Hit with a fainting spell, he heaved as sweat streaked down his face.

“You’ve gotten stronger!” Officer Huang covered his nose and mouth to block out the smell of charred meat. “You made quick work of half a car of monsters.”

“No really. It’s mainly because the train allows me to concentrate my firepower...” Before Gao Yang could finish his sentence, he collapsed to the ground and curled into himself, his muscles spasming violently. “Hah—”

“Gao Yang!” White Rabbit rushed up to him. “What’s wrong?”

Gao Yang stopped screaming, but he still couldn’t speak, and his limbs wouldn’t stop trembling.

“Emergency injection!”

White Rabbit supported Gao Yang with one hand and took the syringe Officer Huang handed her with the other. Pulling off the cap with her teeth, she was going to administer a shot to Gao Yang’s heart.

“Stop...”

Gao Yang grabbed her hand last second. “I, I’m alright.”

White Rabbit sighed in relief. “What happened? You scared me.”

“That's...I think I leveled up.”

Gao Yang’s face was flushed, and he added with embarrassment, “It felt so good.”

The worry on White Rabbit’s face instantly turned into disgust. She pushed Gao Yang away. “Gross.”

“Seconded,” Qing Ling said from the side with her arms crossed. She had figured out what was going on and hadn’t even moved a step.

“I didn’t ask for it. Don’t you go through the same thing when your Talents level up?”

Gao Yang would’ve pouted if he were a kid. Earlier, his Fire reached level 3, and in that instant, there seemed to be a current running through every cell in his body, and the overwhelming pleasure was so intense that it felt like a little death.

“True. It does feel good. Just like...” Officer Huang swallowed the rest of his words.

“You don’t have to say it!” White Rabbit’s face was red. “Do all men think with their lower heads? Outside of Captain, of course.”

“Rabbit,” War Tiger said teasingly. “Dragon poops too, and he farts. He may also have hemorrhoids.”

“Ahhhh!” White Rabbit covered her ears. “I’m not listening, I’m not!”

“Um, thank you all.”

That finally reminded them that there was a stranger in their mix.

The one they had just saved was a middle-aged man with a big, well-trained build. Hair shaved, he had a rectangular face, and his small eyes and round nose gave off the impression of an honest, down-to-earth man. Dressed in a black and white sportswear, he looked like a fitness trainer.

While he was covered in blood, he didn’t seem injured.

War Tiger flipped his hand and pressed his sharp shortsword to the man’s chin. “Human or monster?”

“Human, human!” the man hurriedly explained. “I’m an awakener, just like you!”

War Tiger had guessed as much, but that didn’t mean he trusted the man. “The car was filled with monsters. How did you survive?”

“I’ll show you.”

The man gingerly pushed the blade away and raised both hands before slowly turning around.

The back of his clothes were all torn and tattered. His pants, especially, were missing a big part in the left hip, revealing a pair of plain briefs and a bottock.

He had what would be described as a bubble butt, evidence of the time he spent on continuous weight training.

White Rabbit awkwardly looked away, while Qing Ling remained unfazed.

The man turned back around, and his exhausted face broke into a grateful smile. “I’m the vice-leader of the second team of the Hundred Rivers Union, Wang Fei. You may call me Old Wang.”

“Old Wang?” War Tiger said with a suppressed laugh. He waved a hand for Old Wang to continue.

“I only survived with my Talent: Iron Skin. If you didn’t open the door, however, I wouldn’t last much longer.”

He extended his right hand, and in two seconds, his forearm turned into the texture of greenish gray metal.

“I can turn parts of my body into metal to protect myself.”

Iron Skin, serial number 69, Guard-type. The Talent allowed one to turn their skin into metal for a significant boost in defense.

Gao Yang went through the information he knew in his head. Then he offered the man a handshake. “Nice to meet you, Old Wang.”

“Oh, right. Hello, nice to meet you.” Old Wang hurriedly took his hand, flattered.

—Replicate.

Gao Yang secretly replicated Iron Skin. The Talent would increase his chance of survival by a significant margin.

War Tiger saw right through Gao Yang’s little trick, but instead of exposing him, he gave him an approving look.

War Tiger then put away his sword and explained, “We’re from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, Old Wang. We were requested to rescue you by your organization.”

“Really? That’s great!” Old Wang was surprised and delighted. “I thought the cavalry wouldn’t come until a day later.”

“A day?” White Rabbit frowned. “Hasn’t it been three days?”

“Three days?”

Old Wang was confused. He vehemently shook his head. “No, no, no! That’s not possible. We’ve been here for less than an hour!”

The car fell silent.

Gao Yang used Lie Detection on him.

—The target did not lie.

Getting an answer from Gao Yang’s gaze, War Tiger stroked his chin bemusedly for a moment before turning to Old Wang.

“Tell me everything that happened after you boarded the train. Don’t leave out any details.”