The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 320: Answer Sheet

“Pride monsters are born with a cause—to give our answers.”

Sir Zuo paused and slowly continued, “You differentiate us between lightbringers, shadowstalkers, and observers, don’t you? That’s according to our answers, haha.”

“In other words, we pride monsters aren’t hostile toward each other. We simply give out the answers we believe to be right, even if they stem from our prideful assumptions, misunderstanding, and one-sided belief...”

His voice thinned and weakened as he reached out a trembling hand, resting it on X’s shoulder. “I’ve given my answers, my boy. You have to walk the rest of the path on your own.”

“Is this really worth it, Sir Zuo?” X sounded lost, even fragile at this moment.

Like a child.

“I don’t know.” Sir Zuo’s wrinkled mouth was tugged by a smile. His hand, covered in earthworm-like veins, quietly dropped. “I’m just a pride monster after all.”

He fell into X’s arms, which wrapped tightly around him.

For a long, lingering moment, none of them said anything.

The world between heaven and earth was silent save for the gentle rustles of the wind and the quiet waves.

Two minutes later, X gingerly laid down Sir Zuo’s body.

He stood up and turned around, his eyes a little red. “You should go. I’ll bury Sir Zuo before heading to Li City to find you.”

“Alright, but there are questions I have to ask you now.” Vermilion Bird had gleaned some information from the conversation between X and Sir Zuo.

“Go on.” X seemed honest. “But I can’t promise that I’ll answer.”

“What’s your relationship with Sir Zuo?” White Rabbit interjected with a question first.

“He was the butler of my family.” X smiled awkwardly. “I awakened on my fourteenth birthday. I told my parents, intending for it to be a grand surprise...”

He paused. “I was forced to kill my mother that day. My father lived. He was a delusion monster and forgot everything when he woke up.”

“Sir Zuo helped me that day, or I wouldn’t have been able to defeat my mother, a slaughterer.”

X shrugged, indicating that he had said enough on that.

Gao Yang took a step forward and asked for confirmation, “Are pride monsters able to recognize all humans, be it awakeners or unawakened ones?”

“Yes, pride monsters know everything about what the humans are up to.” X’s lips curled up. “Sir Zuo always said that humans were the questions, and pride monsters the examinees.”

“According to my own interpretation, the Heavenly Way is the examiner, and under the rules of the Heavenly Way, pride monsters turn in the answers they believe to be right.”

“When they protect, kill, observe, toy with humans, they are each giving their answers, and their beliefs may change. Today, they may think that the right answer is to protect humans, and the next day, they may come to believe that humans should be killed.”

X had dropped a bombshell of a revelation, which warranted a confirmation whether he was telling the truth.

—Activate Lie Detection.

He didn’t lie.

Gao Yang thought for a moment. Before he could ask another question, Vermilion Bird spoke up, “What is Sir Zuo’s answer?”

“That’s between him and me.” X refused to tell her.

Vermilion Bird frowned, considering if she should press for an answer, but ultimately decided against it.

Chen Ying, who had been listening, posed a practical question, “How many pride monsters are there, and how many of them are shadowstalkers?”

In other words, how many enemies would the awakeners face?

X glanced at her and hesitated before saying, “There were 14 at first. Now that Sir Zuo’s gone as well, there are only 9.”

“So 4 had died before him. How?” Qing Ling asked.

“Last century, a war between the awakeners and the pride monsters broke out. Three shadowstalkers sought to kill all awakeners, and one lightbringer helped the awakeners defeat them, ending up losing their life in the process. Of course, the awakeners also suffered a great loss.” X shrugged. “That’s all I know. I’m not clear on the details.”

“And you think we’d believe that? You must be hiding something!” Wu Dahai raised his voice. “The Crimson Tide is coming, buddy. Stop keeping things from us.”

“Buddy.” X laughed flippantly. “Sir Zuo is an observer, not a lightbringer. You think he’ll tell me everything? Even the Poison Rune Circuit took me eight years of begging, and he still didn’t just give it to me.”

Wu Dahai fell silent.

X turned around and picked up Sir Zuo’s frail body. “If you have any more questions, ask later. I’m going.”

Vermilion Bird looked around and sighed. “Alright. We’re heading back to the villa first.”

She gave X a look. “I hope you’ll hold up your end of the deal.”

X didn’t turn around. Instead, he headed straight to the jet skis parked along the coast with Sir Zuo’s body in his arms.

Gao Yang was a little surprised. Huh, the jet skis have all returned to the beach. Did they get transported here by Sir Zuo’s subspace?

Pride Realm was indeed powerful, but the price the user had to pay was great as well.

In the last stage of his life, Sir Zuo exhausted the remaining years he had in him for a game of Werewolf.

...

At midnight, Vermilion Bird returned to the villa on the Shooting Star Island.

Gao Yang quickly headed back as well. Before returning to his family, he decided to check on Wang Zikai first. He was a little worried about how Fresh Snow was doing.

The F Island wasn’t big. Gao Yang made it around half of the island and reached the Fairytale Villa Wang Zikai was staying at—or what had once been the brightly-lit villa. Above the sea in the silver embrace of the moonlight, the building was nowhere to be seen.

Yes, it was completely gone, leaving only an island of flat land.

On the surrounding water, broken shards of wood, windows, and all kinds of furniture floated.

Gao Yang gradually slowed down, weaving through the floating wreckage toward the flattened island.

What happened?

Was there a tsunami?

No, if a natural disaster had hit, the whole Naldives should’ve been swallowed rather than F Island alone.

Moreover, Naldives was merely a small isolated island in the Mist World. Would the Heavenly Way really simulate a large-scale disaster like a tsunami?

All sorts of possibilities flashed through Gao Yang’s mind. Suddenly, he sensed the jet ski shaking slightly.

He looked down to find the water rippling violently, the currents hurried and chaotic. At the same time, Gao Yang felt a great wave of energy underwater.

The system’s warning sounded in his head.

—Luck acquisition rate increases to 5000 times!

Startled, Gao Yang quickly made a jump toward the flattened island with both legs, using the jet ski as the stepping stone.

Boom!

A great torrent of water shot out where he had been. The jet ski was gone.

After seven to eight seconds, the torrent subsided, the water poured down on the island.

Gao Yang raised his hands to shield his face, but it was futile. He was immediately drenched like a drowned chicken.

Suddenly, he caught a figure hovering above him, under the moon in the night sky.

More specifically, the figure was standing on a small stream of water that resembled a fountain.

It was a beautiful woman with silver hair and red eyes. She was dressed in a quaint long red dress that belonged in a palace, hugging her pronounced curves to accentuate her sensuous appeal without looking gaudy. She cut an elegant and classy figure.

Her silky long silver hair reached her waist with gentle curls, dancing slightly in the breeze.

Carefully, she held a sleeping white cat in her left arm.

Although she had just shot out from underwater, she was completely dry; so was the white cat, of course.

Gao Yang didn’t ask who she was.

He could tell at first glance that she was Fresh Snow’s sister.

He could even picture Fresh Snow being identical to the woman if she looked ten years older.

They were indeed twin sisters.