The Creatures That We Are

Thud.

Inside the dark storage room, the blonde girl got pushed against the wall.

She looked up and got a clear look at the one who grabbed her—a middle-aged man with brown hair and round blue eyes, his waist thick and his back strong. His squarish face was covered in curled facial hair, and he had rosacea over his large nose. He gave the woman a threatening look.

The blonde woman stopped screaming, staring at the man coldly. Before she could say anything, the man cut in.

“Dammit, Anna! Didn’t I tell you to get out of here, as far away as possible?” The man leaned in and tried his best to lower his voice, but he couldn’t tamp down his rage. “Why did you come back?!”

“I...”

“Don’t tell me you went to the casino again!” The man looked irritated with his hands on his hip. “Fuck, I would’ve killed you then if not for our history!”

“I’m sorry. I...”

“Shut up, bitch!” The man glared at her, his eyes growing cold. “I don’t care about your excuses. You shouldn’t show up here! I told them that I killed you. If they learn that I lied to them, dear lord, I will die too!”

He took out a silenced handgun from the holster under his armpit.

“God, what...what are you doing?!” The woman widened her mouth, seemingly in disbelief that the man would point a gun at her.

“I’m sorry, Anna. Don’t blame me. You asked for this...”

“Wait!” Fear vanished from the woman’s face, replaced by mockery. “The one you’re going to kill is Anna. What does that have to do with me?”

The man started, realizing the blonde woman had been replaced by a girl he didn’t know. She had a soft, youthful face, and under the dim light, her blonde hair slowly turned a grayish purple.

Was this the face-changing technique, or magic?

The man was terrified, but he didn’t black out. It seemed that he was a more stable wanderer, having modified his own thinking and perception automatically.

Scared, he was going to fire his gun, but pain shot through his wrist, forcing him to drop the weapon.

One hand gripping the man’s wrist while the other hand catching the gun, Gao Yang shoved the gun into the man’s mouth, preventing him from screaming in pain. The man panicked, making muffled noises.

“I’ll do the asking, and you do the talking,” Gao Yang said in West Nation language. “It’s up to you if you live, get it?”

Face pale and covered in sweat, the man blinked hard, daring not to even move.

Gao Yang let go of his wrist and pulled the gun with silencer out of the man’s mouth, turning to unlock the storage room.

Seizing the chance, the man tackled Gao Yang, grabbing for the gun. Gao Yang quickly shot out a hand and pressed the gun to the man’s chin.

With his back to the man, Gao Yang opened the door while saying coldly, “I’m not a saint. I won’t give you another chance.”

“Have...have mercy...” Seeing Gao Yang’s ruthless side, the man dropped to his knees and raised his hands. He no longer had the courage to resist.

Clack.

The door opened. Chen Ying walked in and gingerly closed the door.

With a look of surprise, she turned to Nainai. “Good work. You even fooled me.”

“Good acting, Nainai,” Gao Yang praised.

“Ha, you dare have this Empress play such a lowly role. How humiliating. Get on your knees in gratitude at once...”

“If you don’t shut up now,” said Gao Yang, “I’ll have you share a bed with Green Snake tonight.”

Nainai shut her mouth immediately.

Gao Yang looked down at the owner of the bar. He was on his knees, trembling, already wetting his pants.

Tsk, aren’t you too much of a coward?

It’s a good thing though. Save me the trouble of getting violent.

“I’ll ask the question, and you will talk.”

“Yes, yes, yes...” the man blabbered.

“Your name.”

“Richard.”

“What’s your relationship with Anna?”

“Friends...” Looking up and seeing Gao Yang’s sharp gaze, Richard quickly added, “And she works for me. She...she’s my informant...”

“Did you have Anna plant the bug in Dick’s place?” Gao Yang got right to the point.

“...I did.”

“Who do you serve?”

“No, I can’t tell you...please...” Richard put his hands together and begged quietly. “They...they will kill me.”

“And I’ll kill you now if you don’t talk.” Gao Yang tightened his hand around the grip of the gun, his index finger slightly curling around the trigger.

“Don’t! Don’t kill me! I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything...” Richard continued to beg. “I don’t know his real name. He...he called himself a philanthropist... Two years ago, I became indebted to loan sharks because of gambling. He paid the debts for me, but it came with a condition...”

Gao Yang glanced at Chen Ying.

Reading his thoughts, Chen Ying went up to Richard and tore his shirt open. As expected, there was a dollar sign at the center of his chest, which looked like a black tattoo.

“Go on,” Gao Yang said coolly.

“In exchange, I have to get him a prey every week. He gave me specific demands, for young girls, strong men, and sometimes old people, even children... Fuck, children were the biggest hassles. No children would visit my bar...”

“Anyway, I would find a way to knock the prey out and drop them here. Before the day broke, someone would drive here and take the pray away through the back door... Something like this must be done discreetly without leaving any trace.”

It seemed that Richard had supplied the wanderers Hyena had brutally slaughtered in the basement under the beverage factory.

“What else?” Gao Yang asked.

“And, and...” Richard rattled off, “Much information could be learned at a bar. I have another five informants like Anna. The philanthropist told me that I must report to him as soon as possible if I heard someone looking into him. And he told me to spread false information to lure in those who wanted to track him down.”

“What false information?” Chen Ying asked.

“It’s...about an organization named the Godbearer Cult,” Richard said honestly.

Gao Yang and Chen Ying exchanged a look.

“What more do you know about the philanthropist?” Gao Yang demanded.

Richard shook his head dejectedly. “Nothing. I’ve only met him twice. He was wearing a mask every time...”

“I’ll give you ten seconds.” Gao Yang pressed the gun to his temple. “Think.”

“Wait, please wait...” Richard shuddered with his face twisted and eyes widened in fear. He tried his best to recall his meetings with the philanthropist.

“Ah!” Richard called out before quickly lowering his voice, realizing that he’d been too loud. He looked up at Gao Yang with a servile smile.

“Dress shoes. The philanthropist wore handmade dress shoes. I knew the place. It was a workshop of tailors and shoemakers with a long history. Their clients are all rich people. I believe there won’t be too many visiting the shop for custom-made clothes and footwears. You...you can head there for clues.”

—Activate Lie Detection.

The target didn’t lie, and he was neutral.

Gao Yang glanced at Chen Ying. She took out a pen and a small notepad from her pocket. “Write down the address.”

“Yes, yes!” Richard stayed on his knees and quickly jotted down the address.

Chen Ying checked it before putting the pen and notepad away.

“What else can you remember?” Gao Yang asked.

“That’s all. I swear! I’m not hiding anything else...” Richard looked at him with pathetic earnestness.

Gao Yang nodded, his eyes turning cold. “Any last word?”

“No, don’t kill me... I told you everything...” Richard despaired and started begging again. “Please, have mercy...”

“Do you know how many you’ve killed?” asked Gao Yang.

“No, I didn’t kill them. I didn’t know where they would be sent to!” Richard argued. “The philanthropist is the killer! I...I didn’t have a choice! I was forced to do it!”

“Those you’ve victimized didn’t have a choice, either.” Gao Yang raised the silenced gun. “There’s a saying in my home country, ‘Karma always catches up to people.’ This is your karma.”

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