The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 70: Despair

The man in black quickly pulled out the short sword and turned around to rush at Qing Ling.

Officer Huang’s eyes lost focus, and the fear on his face morphed into confusion. His body gave out and he dropped to his knees.

The few seconds it took for Officer Huang to get killed, Gao Yang stood rooted to the spot, feeling his breath catch in his throat while shock and despair strangled him like a physical thing.

Think! Think! Think!

What should I do? Access the system and comprehend a Talent...no, we don’t have time. I may not succeed in the comprehension, and even if I do, the Talent I get may not be useful in a fight. When every second can mean another death, I must do something now!

Fight with Fire? No, the man’s too quick. I’ll be doomed if I get into melee range!

Is Officer Huang dead? Can he still be saved? If I leave the fight to others and replicate Lovely Lamb’s Injury Transfer to help Officer Huang... But now, Replicate is only level 2, and the replicated Talent will only last ten seconds. That’s not enough to take on Officer Huang’s injury. Besides, for how long can I keep it stored, and to whom should I transfer the injury?

How about Qing Ling’s God of Blades? That’s an even more impossible option. She’s fighting the man in close range. I’m as good as dead if I get too close. Besides, I don’t have a sword and won’t be able to do much with God of Blades.

All that thinking took only three seconds. The quick reasoning he went through was more instinct and experience than conscious strategizing.

Gao Yang’s gaze shifted to White Rabbit. The man’s kick had hurt her quite badly, and she was still crouching on the floor, holding onto her abdomen with a pale face.

Shing! Clank—clink!

Swinging her Tang Dao while manipulating two rotating daggers at the same time, Qing Ling attacked the man in black from both sides, laser-focused since she couldn’t afford to get distracted for even a moment.

The man’s left arm had been crippled by Officer Huang’s gunshots, and it dangled without strength. All the while, he held his short sword with his right hand and moved with the agility and unpredictability of a ghost, parrying every one of Qing Ling’s aggressive attacks.

He moved backward as he exchanged blows with Qing Ling. While Level 3 God of Blades was a threat, it was far from enough to beat him. The one he was wary of was Wu Dahai. Wu Dahai had activated Lightning not far from them, and he was surrounded by crackling currents that flew about like bugs. He was waiting for the right moment to attack.

No human could move faster than lightning. The man in black was keeping an eye on Wu Dahai’s hands to predict when lightning would strike from above so that he could move out of the way. A true master never dodged a bullet as it came; they observed the way their opponent made a shot.

Wu Dahai knew his limit. Level 3 Lightning might be powerful, but he couldn’t control high-voltage lighting freely yet, and his accuracy was lacking. Even when he manipulated his lighting with both hands, there would be a latency of one second.

The man in black was constantly moving, making it hard for Wu Dahai to target him. And Wu Dahai might end up hitting Qing Ling instead. Although he was all charged up, he didn’t dare make the attack. At most, he was only able to support Qing Ling in her all-out offense by making the man wary.

They got into a strange standstill.

Suddenly, the man in black caught movement, his gaze sharpening.

Gao Yang had snuck to White Rabbit’s side to help her up. His heart sank when he looked down at her.

Her abdomen was covered in red. The man had kicked into her flesh. Her organs were unlikely to have survived the abuse.

“You okay?”

“Leave me...take Lovely Lamb!” White Rabbit said with blood streaking down from the corners of her mouth, her voice pained. She could no longer walk on her own.

Gao Yang saw the resignation in her eyes. There was no winning this fight!

Clenching his teeth, he put her on his back.

White Rabbit was confused. “What...are you...”

Gao Yang closed his eyes.

[Detected one replicable Talent: Level 4 Jump. Do you wish to replicate it?]

—Replicate!

[Talent: Jump. Serial Number: 60. Rune Type: Buff.]

[Stats Bonuses (temporary) of Level 4 Jump: Constitution + 180, Endurance + 150, Agility + 400, Charisma + 40.]

Gao Yang opened his eyes, feeling power rush through him, imbuing every muscle in his lower limbs. And countless experiences and techniques regarding jump and how it could be incorporated into fights surfaced his mind.

“Jump!”

With White Rabbit on his back, Gao Yang leapt with both legs and landed beside Lovely Lamb, traveling ten meters in the blink of an eye. The girl was sitting prone on the floor, sobbing in fear.

“Save her!” Gao Yang pulled Lovely Lamb into his arms.

Lovely Lamb blinked with her big teary eyes and immediately reached over Gao Yang’s shoulder to touch White Rabbit’s face, her voice cracking as she sobbed out, “In-Injury Transfer...”

[Warning! Luck acquisition rate increases to 3500 times.]

The system’s voice rang in his head, making Gao Yang’s hair stand on end. He didn’t even have the time to look up as a shadow flicked across the floor, and a grim reaper descended upon him from above.

—Jump!

Gao Yang jumped as hard as he could. In that split second, he heard the sound of blade cutting through air. It brushed past the back of his head.

The next second, Gao Yang reached Officer Huang with White Rabbit on his back and Lovely Lamb in his arms.

He quickly dropped them and shouted, “Save them both!”

“Okay...” Lovely Lamb sobbed, reaching out to grab both White Rabbit and Officer Huang by hand.

Meanwhile, the man in black’s sneak attack against Gao Yang failed. He was just a little too slow, and the short sword in his hand missed the target. Gao Yang managed to flee at the last moment.

Crackle! Violet lightning came out of nowhere and struck the man in black from above, each strand as thick as a man’s thigh.

Having predicted the attack, the man jumped to the side as soon as he missed Gao Yang. Wu Dahai wasn’t a fool either. He knew the man would’ve moved out of the way, and he scattered the lightning apart.

Luckily, one strike managed to catch the man in black on the heel, the 1000-volt lightning ensnaring the man.

He staggered, his right calf losing its sensation, and a numbness spread through all his muscles as the current shot through his body.

Qing Ling didn’t miss the hard-earned chance. She rushed to the man at lightning speed with her weapon.

A second later, the man in black regained control over himself, but his calf was still numb.

It was too late for him to dodge Qing Ling’s thrust. He shook his left shoulder to swing his crippled forearm toward her blade.

Qing Ling’s Tang Dao ended up hitting his left forearm before penetrating into his left shoulder. She had aimed for his heart, but he managed to knock her attack awry.

He didn’t even make a muffled sound, as if he didn’t feel any pain.

Before Qing Ling could pull her blade out, he turned to the left and pushed, the blade tearing a big gash into his shoulder, forcing Qing Ling to shift forward along with her weapon. At the same time, the blood splattering from the gash in the man’s shoulder hit Qing Ling in the face, obscuring her vision in crimson red.

Qing Ling was caught completely off guard. It was all part of the man’s plan.

He utilized his crippled arm and even the blood he shed. He might not be the strongest fighter, but he was for certain the most terrifying and composed killer!

It was already too late when Qing Ling caught onto his plan.

She felt a chill in her chest, and it spread to the rest of her body.

She looked down. The short sword in the man’s right hand had penetrated her chest without mercy, and her blood flowed along the blade.

The man’s right calf recovered.

Splash! He quickly pulled out the short sword and kicked Qing Ling away as he stood up, sending her flying a few meters in the air before she landed and stopped moving.

The man smirked.

The slaughter had just begun!