The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 972: Madness

Evanescent Omnireplication allowed Gao Yang to replicate any of the 199 Talents and even abilities that belonged to someone other than awakeners. The storage time was two hours, and he could only use the ability once. The cooldown was three days.

Evanescent Omnireplication existed parallel to the three Talents Gao Yang could replicate, which meant that Gao Yang could have four Talents at one time, only their uses would be different.

Level 7 Fire granted more bonuses with greater heat and finer control. The new ability was Burning Heaven. While the name had a nice ring to it, it wasn’t that useful a skill. It allowed him to unleash tremendously powerful flames at the price of burning his life, effectively a self-destructive move.

Similar to Six Rime’s Lotus Burial, it was a skill he wouldn’t use unless absolutely necessary.

Level 7 Double granted slightly greater bonuses with doubles that lasted longer, had greater power, and better utility. Moreover, he now had access to True Double. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

For 30% of his energy, he could create an independent copy of himself that would last three days unless destroyed. The double could think and fight with Talents, though at reduced strength. Upon completing its mission and merging back, Gao Yang would gain all its experiences, good or bad. However, the ability came with steep costs—his strength would decrease by thirty percent while the double existed, and if it was destroyed, he'd need ten days to recover without gaining any of its experiences.

Moreover, the true double could not create another true double, and while it existed, Gao Yang couldn’t use Double.

Level 7 Psychic Armor granted greater bonuses and allowed for better control of his emotions. Its defense against psychic damage was also improved. The newly granted ability was Madness.

As the name would suggest, the ability would turn the Talent user into a true madman. Gao Yang wasn’t sure what use that would have, and he didn’t plan on using it just yet.

Half an hour later, the car reached the Nanji District.

“Park here,” Gao Yang said, creating a true double beside him.

“I’ll go the rest of the way myself,” his true double said.

“Okay,” Chen Ying responded, eyes still closed. “There’s no threat around here, but be careful.”

“You too.” The double stepped out into the empty street. At the corner, he glanced back once before vanishing into the shadows.

...

Cattle Farm Station

Deep beneath the city's surface, the subway station lay abandoned. Years ago, a collapse had left it dark and powerless, its walls crumbling into piles of rubble. Weeds pushed through cracks in the concrete, thriving in the damp darkness.

Against this desolation, a bonfire cast dancing shadows across the station's far wall. Ten figures sat around the flames in a rough circle. Some had claimed rubble as makeshift seats, others sat cross-legged on the ground, while a few paced restlessly.

There were Wandering Tune, Harvest Song, Bumblebee, Canary, Lin Fu, Old Seven, Small Luo, Veggie, Rewind, and Crimson Bee—all wore salvaged uniforms from their previous hideout at the Eleventh Highschool, loose blue and white shirts and pants that had seen better days. Only Bumblebee's school uniform strained against his frame, too small for comfort.

“It’s been three days.” Crimson Bee spoke with a mix of impatience and frustration, chewing on a cookie while sitting on the ground.

“Kind of you to remind me the hundred and eightieth time, or I wouldn’t have realized that it was the third day!” Old Seven retorted sarcastically by Crimson Bee’s side, tossing and catching an empty bottle of cola in boredom.

“How long are they gonna leave us here high and dry?” Crimson Bee looked at the others in turns. “Why don’t we run? War Tiger’s not here.”

“Do you have such a strong death wish, buddy?”

Wandering Tune adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, his blue hair catching the firelight as he mechanically chewed a cold corn. As second-in-command during the Dr. Jia assassination mission, he would have been their leader now that Colorless was gone. But rank meant little when one was surrendering.

Crimson Bee was just running his mouth. He wouldn’t dare to leave.

War Tiger's absences were on the frequent side, but always came with the same "friendly" smile and reminder: “If there’s anyone missing when I return, I’ll kill all of you.”

The threat worked perfectly. They watched each other like hawks, even taking toilet breaks in groups of three, terrified someone might make a break for it.

“Well, let’s just go with the flow,” Lin Fu said easily. He sat perched on a stone, yellow talisman sheets in his left hand while his ink brush made messy strokes. Each completed talisman took flight like a paper butterfly, diving into the wooden case on his back.

Small Luo manipulated her toys to amuse herself. The robot, car, excavator, train, plane, toy soldier, hopter, and clockwork frog leaped around her, putting on a lively show.

She sighed, and the toys halted, too, looking dejected. “Sister Colorless gave her life so that we may live. We cannot let that go to waste.”

“But, but...” Rewind thought back to Colorless’ sacrifice, eyes brimming with tears. “Did Sister Colorless really have to die? Why couldn’t we have talked it out from the beginning?”

Canary tightened her arms around her legs, burying her face in her knees. She had been wild and irritable, always shouting for kills, but that was because she had Colorless and Amon. The two older women had been taking good care of her since her awakening.

Then Amon died, and Colorless followed soon after. Canary felt like an abandoned dog.

Her precarious control over her emotions crumbled. Tipping her head up, she wailed and howled.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry...” Veggie rushed over, wrapping Canary in her arms and stroking her head like a distressed puppy.

Canary cried even harder, shoving her head into Veggie’s arms.

Ignoring the wailing girl, Wandering Tune smiled at Rewind. “You’re being naive, Rewind. If Colorless had taken us to the Nine Scions at the start of the Civil War, it would have worked for sure. But after everything? We couldn't surrender without paying any price.”

“Yeah.” Crimson Bee scoffed. “Were I Gao Yang, I wouldn’t be able to accept it. You’ve killed so many of my companions, and now you took your people to me, saying only that you’ve followed the wrong leader? How am I going to accept you and do right by my dead companions? So yeah, I’ll take you in, but you have to pay with your life.”

“That’s right.” Wandering Tune chuckled with resignation. “Or Gao Yang wouldn’t be able to reconcile with it. Moreover, Team Leader Colorless was strong. She would need a managerial role after joining. That would hurt Gao Yang’s subordinates and even pose a threat to Gao Yang.”

Old Seven nodded. “When you put it like that, it makes sense.”

“Not really.” Gao Yang sat by the bonfire, munching on snack instant noodles.