The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 246: Reinforcements

He didn’t know the way Phantom worked. If he recklessly approached Ghost Horse, he would most likely get tied down by the shadows and end up killed too.

Did he run?

That wouldn’t work either.

Xiran had already pulled the dagger out of his mouth—corpses couldn’t be killed again.

He extended both hands toward Gao Yang and opened his mouth, prepared to activate Mute once more.

In the dark steel forest that was the abandoned chemical plant, the ten puppeteered bodies eyed Gao Yang like a prey as hunters hidden between trees.

Crackle.

Crystal-clear ice converged under Gao Yang’s feet, making quiet yet piercing crackling sounds.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

Gao Yang felt currents running wild around him, a sign that air was going to be compressed into translucent air blades, cutting Gao Yang up like a blender.

Above Gao Yang were ravenous crows. They hovered in a dense pack, cutting off one possible escape route.

And on top of a behemoth tower, an archer nocked an arrow, waiting for an opening to shoot through Gao Yang’s head or chest.

His logic told him that he was doomed to die.

“Yiyayiya, yiyayaya, yayaya—”

Then a strange voice rang through the chemical plant.

Two seconds later, the shadow restricting Ghost Horse retracted into the ground, and a black two-dimensional surface fled from Ghost Horse’s shadow, diving into the darkness.

The frost under Gao Yang’s feet stopped spreading as well, and the crows above him scattered like they had woken up from a charm.

Xiran’s Mute failed to activate.

It was all because of the strange scream. It disturbed and disrupted the mind, making one blank out and unable to focus.

Gao Yang was no exception, but relief was rising from the bottom of his heart.

It was Ronnie’s Disorientation!

That meant the fifth team was here!

As expected, Can was the first to show up, and she was standing less than ten meters from him.

Holding onto her with both hands, Ronnie raised his voice and ‘sang’.

Naturally, Can couldn’t endure the disruption of Disorientation, and her Invisibility lost effect.

Covering her ears, she shouted, “Enough, enough already. Stop...”

Ronnie stopped screaming.

The fifth team had fought together frequently, and with great teamwork, Can went invisible with Ronnie the moment he closed his mouth, vanishing into thin air.

Then a figure kicked between walls to make it to the beam of the building, jumping high and falling toward Xiran. With a swift swing, Xiran’s head, which had been sewn to his body with surgical thread, fell off.

Lithe Snake pulled back his blade, his eyes glinting with complicated emotions. He didn’t expect to decapitate his companion for a second time.

With a one-second delay, Xiran’s now headless body dropped to the ground.

That told Gao Yang that the key to stopping the corpses was the web-shaped brand. Once it was destroyed or separated from the main body, the corpses would stop moving.

However, he didn’t get to share his hypothesis before dangers struck again from all directions, two seconds after Disorientation deactivated.

Crows came from above, ice spread toward his feet, and air blades formed around him.

Thankfully, Ghost Horse had recovered from Disorientation as well, and he teleported Gao Yang away from danger.

This time, however, Xiuyi had predicted where Ghost Horse and Gao Yang would teleport to, and two arrows were about to strike true.

Gao Yang startled and was about to spring to action when a giant gray bear descended from above, landing before Gao Yang and Ghost Horse.

The two arrows ended up hitting the giant bear’s dense and hardy pelt, leaving only surface wounds.

The bear yanked the arrows out and growled. The whole chemical plant seemed to tremble.

“Gray Bear!”

Gao Yang was surprised and pleased.

Everyone was here.

Gray Bear didn’t turn around. His back looked resolute and dependable.

In his bear form, his voice was rougher and thicker. “I told you not to shoulder everything on your own, Captain. We’re a team, and we can trust each other.”

“Yes, I should’ve listened to you.” Gao Yang was moved yet also ashamed. “But how did you find me?”

“Tee-hee.” Can laughed mischievously without showing herself. “We put a tracker in your phone case, Captain.”

“You!” Gao Yang affected an angry tone. “You’ve been monitoring me?”

Can snickered. “It was Lithe Snake’s idea. Blame him, Captain!”

“This isn’t the time for chit-chat. Let’s move.”

Nine Frost had come as well. Standing on a pipe high above ground, he looked up at Xiuyi, who had taken an even higher vantage point. “Xiuyi was one of mine. I’ll take care of him.”

“Okay.” Gao Yang then advised, “Find the web brand on his body. It should be on his head or his chest. That’s how they are controlled.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll deal with body number 4,” Ghost Horse said.

“I’ll take the ice-user,” Gray Bear said.

“Then I’ll deal with Three Air.” Gao Yang sighed. He didn’t expect his meeting with their former captain to go this way.

“I’ll cover you and look for other enemies,” said Lithe Snake.

“Can,” Gao Yang said to the air. “Stay hidden with Ronnie. When it seems like things are getting bad, activate Disorientation to stop the enemies from attacking.”

Can had heard the order, but she stayed quiet to avoid exposing her location.

Swish, swish.

Two arrows came. Gray Bear swatted them away with his thick arm. Then, on all-fours, he charged at the hood of a small working room, on which stood a long-haired woman.

Her backlit figure was petite. The fog around her revealed that she was the one with Talent: Frost. There was a faint web-shaped mark on her pale collarbone.

Gray Bear was big and looked dull, but he was actually faster and more agile than he seemed.

He scaled up onto the hood in no time and lunged at body number 7.

She dodged back as the bear’s arm swung down with tremendous force.

Clang!

The fragile hood collapsed, and Gray Bear and number 4 fell down into the working area below.

...

While Gray Bear rushed out, Nine Frost had been jumping between and through the complicated maze of pipes. Soon, he made it to the spiral staircase of a large tower facility, rushing toward the young man at the top, Xiuyi.

Holding a recurve bow, Xiuyi shot arrows at Nine Frost. Nine Frost dodged swiftly and pressed his back to the tower, unable to advance.

Xiuyi nocked three arrows at once, aiming at the bottom of the spiral staircase, making sure that Nine Frost wouldn’t take another step forward.

...

Gao Yang first burned most of the crows with Fire so that they no longer posed a threat. Then he bolted toward the figure on the reactor.

The body was charred. It looked to be a man based on his physique.

It must be Three Air, former captain of the fifth team.

Strange green light burst out of his eyes. He splayed his right hand at Gao Yang—if it could still be considered a hand.

Gao Yang felt the air around him grew erratic as it compressed quickly. Two seconds later, Three Air balled his five brown half-melted fingers into a fist.

Gao Yang ducked down to dodge the air blade sweeping above his head. It had meant to decapitate Gao Yang.

Following the motion, Gao Yang made a roll forward and curled his legs to make a powerful jump, landing on the reactor and facing down Three Air.

He swung his dagger at Three Air’s chest, where he could faintly make out a web-shaped brand. It embodied the contract that enabled Puppeteer.

Unfortunately, Gao Yang’s dagger was stopped short before it could pierce Three Air’s heart.

Gao Yang saw a rippling translucent current at the tip of his dagger.

It was a gale shield!

Three Air had conjured it to block his attack.

Then a powerful gust of wind hurled Gao Yang off his feet.