The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 951: Baiting the Snake

Downstream of Yuan Yang River, west of Xijing District, the next noon.

The Yuan Yang River flowed from emerald-green mountain ranges, feeding into the Li River as one of its main tributaries. There had once been a famous tree named the Yuan Yang Tree, a tourist attraction before the Mist claimed it. While the Mist crept more slowly toward Li City, its advance never ceased.

A dam was built downstream of the Yuan Yang River. Winter saw the water level drop to a substantially lower level, floating with wilted branches and leaves. The picture painted was bleak.

Below the dam was a water reserve that had gone half-dried. Nearby sat a fallow farmland. A large car was parked on the road beside it.

The driver, War Tiger, rested a hand on the car window with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, basking in the sun with his eyes narrowed. His lazy look resembled a tiger taking a nap at noon. Perched atop the car, Chen Ying sat cross-legged, sweeping the area with Sensory.

Behind them, Raven Shark's dimensional storage stayed open, spanning the size of a soccer field. Dead Pig's muscular frame moved in and out, hauling heavy machinery.

“Gently lift it and gently lower it!”

“Hey, watch your step. Don’t trip on the cable!”

Dr. Jia directed from the sidelines, sweating more than Dead Pig despite not lifting a finger. His parrot circled overhead, mimicking everyone's commands in cacophonous echoes.

Thirty meters away on the wasteland, Mischievous Monkey's earth elements rose and twisted into walls for a warehouse. Qing Ling followed, reinforcing the structure with a webwork of rebars, adding doors and windows with precise movements.

Nainai grew to massive size, commanding Gale to set the roof in place. Meanwhile, Heavenly Dog's Spatial Dissection sliced through power cables before Hong Xiaoxiao's Telekinesis connected them to Dr. Jia's energy converter. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The pair then headed to the reservoir, tools in hand, to construct a waterway.

Under Gao Yang’s leadership, Lying Wood, Muzitu, and Adept Horse set up the utility lines for water and electricity. Gao Yang could use his Fire like a welder, making the process easier.

Half a day later, War Tiger, their self-appointed foreman, stretched into a yawn. "Little Yang Yang, the Heavenly Way won't undo all this later, will it?"

"A construction this size won't draw the Heavenly Way's attention." Gao Yang stripped off his work suit, heading for the car. "Besides, Dr. Jia has proven that the Heavenly Way's restrictions weaken near the edge of the Mist."

"Good." War Tiger's shameless grin widened. "I'd hate to see all my hard work go to waste."

"Right—you've worked hard at napping," Gao Yang shot back.

"Let's hear your plan, then." War Tiger's head popped out the window, tossing Gao Yang a bottle of water. "Building a lab out here seems risky. Remote or not, someone will find it."

"That's exactly what I want," Gao Yang said.

War Tiger chuckled, unsurprised. "Ah, so it's bait?"

Gao Yang twisted open the cap, taking a long drink. "Yes."

War Tiger had gotten into the habit of letting Gao Yang do the thinking. “Go on.”

Gao Yang watched the ongoing construction. "The Ocean River Union's in hiding, and so are we. This stalemate will only worsen our position."

"So you want to drag them into the open."

"Yes." Gao Yang's eyes narrowed. "If we appear in public now, will Qilin take the bait?"

War Tiger grinned. "Of course not. He's not stupid."

"Exactly. So we need to give Qilin a reason he can't ignore." Gao Yang gestured toward the laboratory taking shape. "Dr. Jia has found a way into the Mist—that's a game-changing breakthrough. True or false, Qilin and Surnamed Li have to respond."

"Makes sense." War Tiger nodded. "If I saw Dr. Jia poking around near the Mist, I'd definitely send someone to investigate."

Gao Yang took another drink. “While Qilin’s in hiding, he must have eyes on the ground. It’s only a matter of time before he discovers the laboratory. Clairvoyance belongs to one of their members. They will soon confirm that Dr. Jia is the real deal, and he’s conducting some strange research.”

“Once they figure out that Dr. Jia’s studying the Mist, Qilin will have to do something. Dr. Jia is a great variable who may turn the world upside down any second. Qilin won’t allow someone like that to run free for long.”

"The bait's solid, but..." War Tiger's expression darkened. "Can we really take Qilin in an open fight now?"

"I'm not certain," Gao Yang admitted. "He's lost an eye, the puppet life monster, Azure Dragon, and many members. But if Surnamed Li's Prophet and Qilin's Puppeteer have reached level 8..."

"Fuck." War Tiger's jaw tightened at the memory of his previous failure. "Puppeteer's either unstoppable or useless, depending on his puppets. Without strong ones, the Talent means nothing."

“I’ll go into more detail,” Gao Yang said. “Dr. Jia’s put on the Black Gold bracelet I gave him. As soon as he encounters any danger, it’ll create an Absolute Barrier for around three minutes. As bait, Dr. Jia will be absolutely safe for three minutes.”

“That’s enough for a lot to be done,” War Tiger said.

Gao Yang nodded. "We'll have Quiet Book create substitutes to guard Dr. Jia around the clock. The fake members need to be balanced—not too strong, not too weak."

War Tiger considered. "Qing Ling, Zhong He, and Fat Jun? They can fight and retreat, plus we get a healer."

"Add Chen Ying too."

"Won't Chen Ying's Sensory scare them off?" War Tiger frowned.

Gao Yang chuckled. “Given we’re the ones calling shots here, does it make sense for us to not send Chen Ying if we want to protect Dr. Jia? Anyone will be able to tell it’s a trap.”

“True.” War Tiger slapped his forehead. “Shit, my brain’s gotten rusty after quitting smoking.”