The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 602: What Do You Take Me For

“Yeah.” Lithe Snake looked tense. “You’re acting strangely, which means you must be up to no good.”

“I’m still your captain,” Gao Yang said for Six Rime’s benefit.

“You’re also the Divine Scion with six Talents, born between a life monster and a human, a bas...” Lithe Snake paused. “...A mix.”

Lithe Snake, I prefer it when you’re completely disrespectful.

“I’ll get to the point. I want to level up Psychic Armor to level 5 today,” Gao Yang said. “It doesn’t make sense to look for monsters on the street, and those under the level of pride monsters will pose little threat to me now; they will be little help in increasing my level.”

“So you want me to do it?” Lithe Snake frowned.

“Yes, I’ve considered everyone. You’re the only one who can pose a threat to me and really try to kill me.” Gao Yang smiled. “Perhaps it’ll help me level up if you attempt to assassinate me.”

“I’m not doing it.” Lithe Snake stood up coldly and went up to the window.

“Why?”

“What do you take me for, Captain?” Lithe Snake snapped before jumping out of the window without turning around.

Gao Yang sighed. So it was too difficult to try to kill a companion even for someone as aloof as Lithe Snake. Did he really have to look for elite monsters on the street?

[Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 4000...]

Whoosh. A Black Gold knife flew in through the window. Gao Yang was caught so off guard that he didn’t even have the time to activate Teleportation.

Thanks to the system’s warning and his high Agility, though, he managed to roll to the side instinctively, and the blade brushed past his cheek before burying into the sofa.

Lithe Snake, you little...

Gao Yang didn’t even have the time to roast Lithe Snake when he caught from the corner of an eye that there was a severed hand on the throwing knife buried into the sofa.

After the fight with the little abomination in the Ancient Ni Nation temple, Lithe Snake had leveled up Self-Detonate to level 6, and even one severed hand could do as much damage as several hand grenades.

Boom!

The explosion rendered furniture and walls in the living room into flying pieces, the powerful shockwaves and the scorching flames shattered the windows on the first floor.

Gao Yang teleported out of the window as quickly as he could, only managing to take Can with him.

Can had been playing a mobile game while slouching on a sofa. She heard a bang. Then when she realized it, she was already out in the front yard of the villa, in a bridal carry with a hand each propping her armpit and the inside of her knees.

“Cap-captain?!”

Can was shocked and glad to be carried by Gao Yang, her face flushed. “This, this, this...”

Gao Yang didn’t say anything, his expression tight.

He quickly lowered Can and turned around to enter the blown-up villa. He only sighed in relief when he saw a lotus of frost the size of a phone booth amid the ruins of the living room. The giant petals slowly opened up to reveal Six Rime and Hong Xiaoxiao, who were unscathed.

It seemed that Six Rime had remained on high alert and managed to save Hong Xiaoxiao in time.

“What, what happened...?” Hong Xiaoxiao was so stunned that her voice cracked.

“Don’t worry. Lithe Snake was helping me train,” Gao Yang explained. “You’ve made a save of the living room, haven’t you, Hong Xiaoxiao?”

“I did, I did.” Hong Xiaoxiao quickly nodded.

“Load it then.”

Hong Xiaoxiao said with some difficulty, “I...I only have two Mobius strips and two hairpins, and they are valuable. I’ll have to apply for more from the Guild if I run out...”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make the report.”

I don’t feel sorry for the Guild for losing Black Gold items, but I can’t explain to my best friend if I leave his home destroyed like this.

“Oh, right. Then please move out for a sec.” Hong Xiaoxiao went up to the fireplace in the living room and found the Mobius strip she had placed inside. She used Time Reset.

When Gao Yang and Six Rime went to the front yard of the villa, Lithe Snake’s severed stump was already regenerating white bones, followed by new tissues. As expected of level 6 Gecko, his regenerative power was impressive.

Gao Yang glanced at Lithe Snake and said in approval, “That works well. Let’s continue.”

“Doesn’t work like that.” Lithe Snake scoffed. “I tried this with Gray Bear before, and it’s not effective. Gray Bear couldn’t hold any murderous intent against me, and I could only do it for a brief moment. Once my killing intent fades, continuing fighting would only be a waste of energy. It wouldn’t help level up Talents at all.”

Gao Yang agreed. Indeed, the system’s warning no longer applied.

Lithe Snake said, “I’ll attack you three times throughout the day. Every time, I’ll try to kill you. You must not have Hong Xiaoxiao’s hairpin on you. You have to leave yourself with no contingency.”

“Okay.” Gao Yang was pleased. Lithe Snake was always dependable.

“Remember, you only have three chances.”

“Got it.”

“If you die for real, don’t hold a grudge against me.” Lithe Snake easily leaped onto the rooftop of the building.

“Ha, haha.” Can laughed self-deprecatingly. “Um, I’ll be sunbathing in the front yard today. I don’t want to be a deadweight to you, Captain.”

“Yeah, stay outside with Hong Xiaoxiao.”

Throughout the day, Gao Yang stayed in the living room with Six Rime. Gao Yang was ready to activate Psychic Armor at any time, and he used the Talent as soon as the cooldown ended. At noon, in the afternoon, and at night, he faced a sneak attack from Lithe Snake.

Since Gao Yang was prepared, he easily dealt with the three attempts, and his Talent didn’t level up.

He was disappointed, but not surprised.

Just when he was going to give up, though, Lithe Snake suddenly made an unexpected attack. Fooled by Lithe Snake’s earlier declaration, Gao Yang only got away narrowly and almost lost his left arm to Lithe Snake. He bled enough to form a pool on the floor.

At that moment, Gao Yang felt a numbness in his scalp. His Psychic Armor finally leveled up.

Minimizing his sense of pain, Gao Yang smiled in satisfaction. “You were really trying to kill me, weren’t you, Lithe Snake?”

Lithe Snake’s gaze remained murderous, and he coolly sheathed his bloodied shortsword. “If I manage to kill the Divine Scion, it’ll be a lifetime achievement to boast to Gray Bear about.”

If you die so easily, you don’t have the right to be my boss.

With Six Rime here, Lithe Snake didn’t voice his real thoughts.

“You bled so much, Captain! Are you alright?!” Can rushed into the living room, taking out a shot of Medicine C to inject his hand. Meanwhile, Hong Xiaoxiao had run inside, too, reaching out to put a marked Black Gold hairpin into Gao Yang’s pocket.

Gao Yang thought with feelings, These two may not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but they are loyal.

“My Psychic Armor reached level 5.” Gao Yang allowed Can to patch him up. He turned to Six Rime. “I’ll go down the abyss tomorrow night at eight.”

Six Rime nodded.

Gao Yang continued, “I have a lot to take care of. I want to go to my college tomorrow afternoon to apply for suspension. It’ll be inconvenient to take a whole entourage with me. Why don’t you and Can come with me? Can has Invisibility, and I have Teleportation. We’ll be able to quickly get away even if we run into powerful enemies.”

Six Rime thought for a moment before blinking. “Okay.”