The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 612: Chase the Dawn

“You’re just on time,” Gao Yang said. “Xinxin?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve hidden her in a place where she would be absolutely safe!” Wang Zikai jumped off the motorcycle and hung his helmet on the handle. “You’re a prophet. Gao Xinxin did get targeted.”

Gao Yang smiled slightly in lieu of an explanation.

When Gao Yang and Hong Xiaoxiao got ambushed by Luqi, he had been worried about the man going after him in another way; for example, he could use his greatest weakness—Gao Xinxin.

That was why Gao Yang had asked Wang Zikai to guard Gao Xinxin closely after that. If anyone tried to hurt her, he was to save her and hide her.

Gao Yang believed Wang Zikai was no lesser than Azure Dragon or War Tiger, and there would be nothing to worry about unless someone of Dragon or Qilin’s caliber made a move.

Later, Gao Yang judged that he couldn’t wait any longer given the situation and got ready to turn against Qilin. Wang Zikai’s mission was thus adjusted accordingly: once he received the code from Gao Yang, he must take Gao Xinxin and hide her through any means necessary. Then he would meet up with Gao Yang as soon as he could.

Gao Yang wasn’t naive enough to believe that Qilin would be above going after his sister.

As Qilin had said, he would give his life to achieve his goal. And if even his life didn’t matter, what else would?

“Gray Bear.” Gao Yang glanced at him.

Gray Bear immediately reached out to the others. “Here, hand me your phones.”

He took everyone’s phone quickly before throwing them into the car he had driven. Then he lifted Wang Zikai’s motorcycle and the shared electric moped Hong Xiaoxiao had ridden here, casting them by the car.

“Watch out...” Hong Xiaoxiao almost said, “You’ll have to pay for it if you break it,” but she stopped herself.

She noticed the calm look on everyone’s face. They were used to this.

At that moment, she realized keenly that she was walking away from the mundane world and into the cruel reality of the world of awakeners.

Gao Yang went up to the car, bemused.

“Um, Captain.” Can spoke up after a moment of hesitation. “Shouldn’t we have a name? Now that we’ve gone independent, we should think about making ourselves known!”

“Hmph, we already have a name!” Wang Zikai put his hands on his hip and declared proudly, “The 94 Duo!”

“No, that sounds terrible!” Gray Bear was the first to reject it.

“This Empress cannot take it, either!” Nainai echoed the sentiment. She would’ve thought twice about joining if she knew how bad the name of the organization was.

“What name would you like then?” Wang Zikai asked.

“Well, well...” All sorts of bombastic words rushed into Nainai’s mind, but she struggled to pick one. Something compelled her to turn to Qing Ling then, but Qing Ling stared back impassively; she didn’t care about the name at all.

“There are nine of us now. We’re no longer a duo.” Nine Frost spoke up in opposition too.

“Yeah, at least we should be called...the 94, right?” Hong Xiaoxiao chimed in weakly.

“I do have an idea.” Lithe Snake narrowed his eyes.

Gray Bear snorted. “You? You didn’t even graduate from middle school. What name can you possibly come up with?”

“I’m curious!” Can smiled at Lithe Snake expectantly. “Tell us.”

“The jiu-si,” Lithe Snake said.

Can gaped. “Huh?”

“What’s the difference?” Nine Frost frowned.

“Alright, stop embarrassing yourself.” Gray Bear didn’t seem surprised.

“This Empress is against it! I’m against it!” Nainai stated her stance again.

“Not jiu-si as in 94 the number, but the words.” Lithe Snake repeated himself with emphasis. “Jiu. Si.”

“Oh, oh!” Can’s eyes lit up. “There are nine of us, that’s jiu, and Captain’s the Divine Scion, that’s si. We’re the Nine Scions! Whoa, that sounds epic!”

Nine Frost thought for a moment before nodding. “I’m good with it.”

“Hahaha! You talked for so long, but still settled on 94!” Wang Zikai automatically ignored the conversation and insisted on believing that they were still called the 94. In that, he really was the epitome of wanderers.

“Alright, I’ll take that.” Gray Bear thought it was a much better name, too.

“The Nine Scions,” Hong Xiaoxiao repeated, breaking into a smile. “It’s pretty good. It’s my little brother’s style.”

They turned to Gao Yang at the same time.

Gao Yang still had his back to them. After a moment, he spoke up calmly.

“Lithe Snake’s come up with a good name, but I would interpret it differently.”

He turned to look at his companions in turn, taking in each of their faces. “Yellow Ox once said that we are all orphans of the world.” He shook his head. “But no, he was wrong.”

He lifted his right hand slightly. “We aren’t orphans of the world, but children of God. We fight for our destiny.”

Whoosh. The car started burning, the light of the flames reaching the sky. Blinding red made Gao Yang a backlit silhouette. They all looked at Gao Yang as the firelight exposed Gao Yang, shadows dancing on their faces.

Nainai was stunned.

At that moment, she suddenly remembered a line from the novel she had been reading. It fit the situation oddly—no, it was as if the line was written for this moment!

Like a divine revelation, the inspiration sprang into her mind, and all her cells screamed in excitement. She felt like a blooming flower nearing its death on a bluff, catching the light shining down from heaven at the everlasting moment when life could be clutched right before death.

It was her time. She had never had it, and she never would have it again.

Her lips parted, and the words fell out of her.

“We must walk the path we must walk, and we must guard the way we must guard. The ugly war is only starting.”

“Burn the last of our life, and we’ll have our crown.”

“Shed the last of our blood, and we’ll be crowned.”

She took a deep breath and declared in a loud voice.

“Born in the dark, the Nine Scions will chase the dawn!”