The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 391: Surprise

Wang Zikai remembered his childhood. Back then, his parents hadn’t gone into business and climbed up the social stairs. They had been employees of a chemical plant, and the three of them lived in a small dorm room.

Every evening, when Wang Zikai went home from school, he would see his father watching TV on the sofa and his mother busying about in the kitchen. In the air was the familiar smell of cooking. The days were mundane, but warm.

At the time, Wang Zikai had wanted to study well and become a scientist, starting his own family and raising his children while taking care of his parents.

At the time, Wang Zikai still had a home.

Wang Zikai was lost in his thoughts when a doctor rushed over. He just finished a surgery and heard that a patient had woken up from vegetative state after three months, so he rushed over to check on the patient.

Wang Zikai quickly stopped him. “Wait.”

The doctor paused. “What’s wrong?”

“Give them a few minutes. It’s not a good time.”

The doctor didn’t immediately catch on, but then he heard the faint sounds of Gao Yang and his family crying. He nodded in understanding. “Of course, I’ll come back later.”

...

Inside the ward, Gao Yang and his family had had a good cry in each other’s arms, releasing the pent-up pain they had been bottling up over the past few months.

Not long after, the physician in charge examined Gao Yang to make sure that he was alright. Still, he had to stay at the hospital for observation a little longer and do physical therapy.

Late at night, his parents and sister had gone home, and the whole in-patient ward was in the dark with the lights turned off. Gao Yang went back to bed.

The room was quiet. The clear moonlight shone through the gap between the curtains and drew a long, narrow silver trail on the ceiling like a wound in the darkness.

Gao Yang stared up at it and thought back to everything that had happened during the last night of the Crimson Tide. It felt surreal, like a fever dream.

He remembered feeling dead tired after getting resurrected and killing Lilia, but he fought to stay conscious until the day came. He hadn’t expected to sleep for three months.

That must be the price of his resurrection.

[Access granted.]

[You have acquired 124 Luck points.]

—Wait, it’s been three months. I should’ve accumulated at least two thousand points even without anything happening.

[The vegetative state is closer to death than the normal living state.]

—Don’t be so strict. Can’t you give me some leeway?

—Others’ systems give them all sorts of benefits, but you’re always so stingy with me.

[I am simply the objective presentation of Talent: Lucky and your quantified abilities, not an actual cheat code.]

—Look at you, you know what a cheat code is.

—Forget it, show me my Status Screen.

[Constitution: 466 Endurance: 473]

[Strength: 1003 Agility: 1560]

[Willpower: 1302 Charisma: 371]

[Luck: 813]

—Wait, this doesn’t seem right. Aren’t my stats a little lower?

[Every time you use Willful Power, 3% to 5% of your stats will be consumed.]

—****!

—Calm down, calm down.

—Life is a play. We’re here because of fate. If I get angry for something this trivial and get sick, no one’s gonna pay...

[Access ends.]

Gao Yang took a few deep breaths before his emotions settled down.

Clack.

Suddenly, the door slowly opened.

Gao Yang was immediately alerted. Looking over, there was no one outside.

“Who is it?” Gao Yang called out, readying himself to fight.

It was then something small appeared outside the door and slowly floated to Gao Yang, stopping a meter away from him.

It was a party popper.

It popped, shooting colorful paper strands and golden particles at him.

“Surprise!”

Can, who was holding the party popper, showed up by Gao Yang’s side with a beam. Judging by her red, swollen eyes, she must have been crying.

Learning of the news that their captain had woken up made her cry tears of joy, but she wanted to visit him with a happy smile rather than bring down the mood.

Having guessed who it was, Gao Yang smiled faintly. “The others are here, too, right?”

“Yeah!” Can nodded vehemently, staring at Gao Yang’s face. She needed confirmation that their captain had indeed woken up, and this wasn’t a dream.

Gray Bear and Nine Frost walked in with a basket of fruit each.

“You’ve been asleep for a long time, Captain.” Gray Bear placed his basket on the nightstand. “But I’ve always had faith that you would wake up!”

“I bet on that too.” Nine Frost narrowed his eyes, his lips curved up. “Thanks to you, we each won 10 jinwu.”

“Tee-hee, we’ve won big!” Can laughed.

Flap.

The curtains lifted. Lithe Snake jumped through the window on the side with a bouquet of white carnations in his hands. Without a word, he put the flowers in the empty vase before the window.

“It seems that Lithe Snake is the loser.” Gao Yang put two and two together.

With the flowers settled in the vase, Lithe Snake turned to Gao Yang with a lopsided smile. “I thought about killing you in secret. It’s 30 jinwu after all, two months worth of salary.”

“Is that how little my life is worth?” Gao Yang said self-decrepatingly.

“Of course not,” Gray Bear rested his hands on his hip and said in a booming voice. “You’re now the 6th ranking awakener on the list. You’re worth at least 3000 jinwu, let alone 30.”

Gao Yang paused. He didn’t have to ask to figure out who the top five awakeners were: Qilin, Dragon, Surnamed Li, Azure Dragon, and War Tiger.

“Keep it down,” Lithe Snake said. “This is a hospital, not your own place.”

“Good point.” Gray Bear glanced at Lithe Snake. “Stand watch outside. We’re having a good chat with Captain.”

“Why me?” Lithe Snake frowned, vexed. In terms of status on the team, even if he ranked lower than Gray Bear and Nine Frost, shouldn’t Can take the bottom place? He shouldn’t be allocated guard duty.

“You talk the least and ain’t gonna say anything even if you stay here.”

Lithe Snake didn’t have a comeback for that. With a scoff, he sauntered out of the room with a hand in his pocket, closing the door behind him.

“You’re finally awake, Captain. We’ve been waiting for you every day.” Can sat down beside Gao Yang. The room was dim without the light on. Can’s eyes, blinking occasionally, glinted softly.

“I’ve been asleep for too long.” Gao Yang sighed softly and turned to Gray Bear. “Anything happened during the past three months?”

“Many, but nothing big.” Gray Bear fished out a cigarette and was just about to light it before he paused and put his lighter back. The cigarette remained dangling in his mouth.

“I’m not sure where to start.” He grabbed a chair and sat down. “What do you want to know, Captain? I’ll answer.”

Gao Yang thought about it and got right to the question he was most concerned with.

In a lowered voice, he asked, “That night, how many were lost?”