The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 84: Second Opinion

Qing Ling’s eyes sharpened. She lifted her chin, indicating Gao Yang to continue.

“The Talent list from serial number 11 to 199,” Gao Yang paused before sharing his finding, “Officer Huang didn’t get it from the Twelve Zodiac Signs.”

“How do you know?”

“Before joining the Twelve Zodiac Signs with us, Officer Huang had only ever been in contact with Wu Dahai. He told us that all the information he got, he got from Wu Dahai, but when I visited Wu Dahai earlier, it turned out he didn’t remember much of the list. He couldn’t have told Officer Huang everything on the list.”

“That doesn’t mean much,” said Qing Ling. “Maybe the organization has a physical list, and Wu Dahai gave a copy to Officer Huang.”

“I considered that too, but with that suspicion in mind, I asked White Rabbit about it. She told me that the Talent list is a secret. Although all three organizations have the same list, it isn’t accessible to outsiders. Wu Dahai may look like the flippant type, but he actually sticks to rules most of the time. He wouldn’t have told Officer Huang about the Talents before he officially joined the organization.”

Gao Yang felt a heavy weight in his heart. He didn’t want to suspect Officer Huang at all, but at the moment, he was the most likely suspect.

“Do you mean...” Qing Ling frowned. “That he may have gotten the list from the Qilin Guild or Hundred Rivers Union?”

“That...doesn’t seem to be the case either.” Gao Yang took out a sheet of A4 paper that was filled with text. “This is the list I got from White Rabbit. Take a careful look.”

Qing Ling took it and went slowly down the list. After a moment, she said with certainty, “There are differences.”

“That’s right! I memorized the list Officer Huang gave us before. I believe you’ve done the same.”

Gao Yang took the Talent list back and, with a single thought, conjured fire at the tip of his fingers, and it spread and devoured the entire sheet. The soft warm light cast flickering shadows on his face. “I thought the list Officer Huang gave us was the official one. Now that I’ve compared the two, however, there are differences. Not significant, but the one White Rabbit gave me is clearly the official one.”

Qing Ling gave it some thought.

“That means two things.” Gao Yang told her his conclusion. “First, Officer Huang didn’t get the Talent list from the Twelve Zodiac Signs or the other two organizations, and he did lie to us. Second, his version of the list probably comes from a different organization, which isn’t as well known as the three major ones, but they are as good as they are secretive. They manage to create their own list of Talents through their own investigation with little mistakes.”

Qing Ling nodded and followed Gao Yang’s train of thoughts. “The organization would be the one behind the red-haired man who ambushed you, and Officer Huang is a spy the organization sent.”

“That’s my hypothesis.” Gao Yang paused. “However...”

“What?”

Gao Yang put his hands into a steeple, his thumbs rubbing together. “If I were Officer Huang, I would’ve been more careful with the Talent list. It could expose him so easily. If he truly were a spy, he would be a terrible one.”

“So do you suspect him or not?”

“I don’t know.” Gao Yang smiled bitterly. “That’s why I came to you for second opinions.”

For a moment, neither of them talked. In the quiet stillness of the dorm room, Gao Yang could hear the soft sound of the AC exchanging air, and he smelled the fragrance of food.

Ding!

It was the microwave. The seafood sandwich had finished heating.

Qing Ling stood up to get the sandwich onto a plate before sitting back down on her bed. Without saying a word, she grabbed the sandwich and started eating.

Gao Yang waited patiently. After Qing Ling finished the sandwich in a few minutes, she put the plate away and said coolly, “Officer Huang is acting suspicious.”

“You think so too?”

“Three days ago, when we finished training at midnight, he drove me home and headed the opposite way after I got out of the car.” Qing Ling gave Gao Yang a look. “If he was heading home or the station, he wouldn’t have to make a U-turn.”

Gao Yang’s expression turned thoughtful. “That late at night, where could he be going if he wasn’t returning home or going to the station?”

“Meeting up with his handler, perhaps.”

Gao Yang’s heart sank. The next day at midnight, Gao Yang and the three other members got ambushed by the red-haired man. It would fit the timeline if Officer Huang was heading to meet up with his handler.

“What do we do?” Gao Yang asked. “Do we report to the organization, or...do we confirm it for ourselves first?”

“You’ve made the decision already.” Qing Ling wasn’t so dense that she wouldn’t notice.

Gao Yang smiled apologetically. “I want to confirm it first just to be safe, but I need your help. For one, you are in the perfect position to keep an eye on him since you’ve been training together. And secondly, you are stronger than I am. If I’m doing this alone, I’m worried that I may not be able to deal with whatever is going to happen.”

Qing Ling agreed without hesitation. “Keep your phone on. Wait for my message.”

...

Two days later. Upstream of the Li River, four o’clock in the morning.

A patrol car of white and blue parked by the scenic road winding along the river. The door opened, and Officer Huang got out of the car.

With a half-burned cigarette in his mouth, he had a bag of braised dishes in his left hand and two bottles of high proof liquor in his right hand. He strode across the scenic area and stopped at the river levee.

The riverside saw strong winds at night. Officer Huang stared down at the mudflat with narrowed eyes and quickly found a patch of light in the dark.

He walked down the levee and headed toward the light, leaving footprints of different depths on the wet sandy ground.

It was a gas light. Sitting beside it was a frail-looking old man. He was dressed in a dark brown windbreaker and a black flat cap with fleece lining. Sitting on a foldable stool, he was so preoccupied with the fishing rod in his hand that he didn’t seem aware of the man approaching him.

“Sir Jiang!” Officer Huang was tired and drained from War Tiger’s hellish training, but he mustered what little energy he had to greet the old man.

“Hello, Young Huang.” Sir Jiang looked up, his face visibly brightening when he saw Officer Huang. He quickly picked up the other foldable stool by his feet. “Here, have a seat.”

“Alright.” Officer Huang set up the stool and sat down next to the old man. “I brought you braised food. Liquor too. Let’s have a drink.”

“Oh dear, you only have to show up on your own. No need for this.” Sir Jiang’s eyes curved as he smiled. “I’m fishing. I don’t have time for late night snacks.”

“You can always go back to fishing after eating.”

“Fine, fine. You’re persistent.” Sir Jiang acted reluctant, but there was no hesitation to his movement as he put away the fishing rod and reeled in the line. A closer look would reveal that the fishing hook wasn’t a hook at all, and there was no lure.

Officer Huang opened the box of food and separated a pair of disposable chopsticks. Then he prepared a bottle of liquor and two plastic cups. He poured one for each of them, and the two men started drinking with a nice pairing of food, having a friendly chat at the same time.

“There’s something I’d like to know, Sir Jiang.”

“You brat...” Sir Jiang had been savoring the liquor with a smile, but the smile slid off his face suddenly, and he put the cup down. “I was wondering why you had been visiting me so frequently. I knew you must be up to something. You just can’t stop seeking the information I have...”

Officer Huang smiled apologetically. “Please put yourself in my shoes, Sir Jiang. I’m just feeling anxious as a father. Seeing my wife’s belly getting bigger and bigger every day, I couldn’t help but worry...”

Sir Jiang didn’t empathize with him. “It’s just a child, and they will be born. Whether what awaits them is a life of abundance or difficulty, it’s up to them to find their own path. What are you so worried about?”

“You’re right, but she...”

“Our two guests,” Sir Jiang raised his cup and called out to the reed bushes shrouded in darkness not far from them, cutting Officer Huang off. “There are quite a lot of mosquitoes there. You’ll only be torturing yourselves if you stay there. Why don’t you join us and have a drink?”

Officer Huang tensed up. He was followed?!