The Creatures that We Are

Chen Ying soon detected traps surrounding the large energy battery. "Let's head back. Don't get close," she whispered.

"Okay," White Rabbit replied, her voice tinged with fatigue. Her Intangibility was nearing its limit.

Holding Chen Ying tight, she swiftly retraced their path, emerging from the ground back into the car. Once in the backseat, White Rabbit released Chen Ying and slumped down. "I’m beat. Using Intangibility alone is one thing, but taking someone along? Whole different ballgame."

Chen Ying, equally drained and drenched in sweat, let out a bitter laugh. "Sorry for putting you through all that for nothing."

"It's par for the course," White Rabbit waved dismissively. "If we succeeded on the first try, that'd be suspicious."

"I'll keep driving and searching. Process of elimination will get us there, even if it takes time." Chen Ying retrieved the Feiyang District map from the glove compartment, marking the bar street with an X.

"I'll drive. You focus on Sensory," White Rabbit sat up. "Sisters working together never tire.[1]."

Chen Ying paused. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I'm not doing it for you," White Rabbit chuckled. Her real motivation was to accomplish more, earning praise from the Captain when he awoke from hibernation—one of her greatest anticipations.

"Let's have a break. Ten minutes," White Rabbit kicked off her shoes and produced several nail polish bottles. "Pick a color for me."

Chen Ying examined them. "The red, I think."

"Red it is," White Rabbit opened the bottle.

Chen Ying, unfamiliar with this ritual, found herself engrossed in watching White Rabbit's focused movement. It was oddly enjoyable to watch.

Noticing Chen Ying's rapt attention, White Rabbit smiled mischievously. "Want to try?"

"I'm good. I never do things like this," Chen Ying hastily waved her hands. "Too much trouble."

"Isn't making trouble what life's about?" White Rabbit stated like it was the universal truth. "As they say, 'As long as one lives, they won't stop making trouble.'"

Chen Ying blinked, at a loss for words.

"Come on. New experiences change your mood and open your mind. It'll help with the mission," White Rabbit continued, her logic questionable but persuasive.

"Well... okay," Chen Ying said, surprised by her own excitement.

She recalled her rebellious classmates from her student days—hair dyed, ears pierced, nails painted, some even tattooed. She'd always kept her distance. Even when she was old enough to do these things herself, she never acted on the impulse. She'd never understood why until now. All she'd needed was a little push.

A push was often all it took for life-changing moments to unfold. When that moment arrived, one felt an undeniable certainty—miss it, and the opportunity might never come again.

"What color do you like?" White Rabbit asked.

Chen Ying shook her head. "Not sure. Choose for me, will you?"

"Purple," White Rabbit decided without hesitation.

"Why?"

White Rabbit cackled. "Purple's for closeted deviants. Suits you perfectly."

"Nonsense! I'm not a deviant!"

…

White Rabbit and Chen Ying scoured the city all night for Dr. Jia, crossing off three more locations. Each site yielded nothing but traps, consisting of large energy batteries and alarm sensors.

By dawn, both had reached their limits from the prolonged use of their Talents. They needed to stop.

After refueling, White Rabbit parked in an open lot. They planned to catch a few hours of sleep in the car to recover before resuming their search.

First, they swung by a 24/7 Golden Arch. Famished, Chen Ying barely thought of her diet as she devoured an aromatic hamburger. White Rabbit attacked her drumsticks with equal fervor, image be damned.

Full stomachs and surging blood sugar left them drowsy. They decided to stay a little longer in the fast-food joint before retreating to the car.

White Rabbit scrolled through her phone while Chen Ying gazed out the window. The day was breaking, the slumbering street awakening under clear morning light. Pedestrians multiplied, traffic increased. The world was coming alive.

A young woman in office wear and a cute little girl entered then. They ordered food and sat down near Chen Ying. She could tell from their conversation that they were mother and daughter.

The mother urged the daughter to hurry. She would take the girl to school before going to her company.

The girl seemed unhappy and didn’t eat anything. It turned out that her mother had to work overtime tomorrow, a Saturday. They were supposed to go to the park together to have fun.

"How about I use my leave early for a trip to Di City Amusement Park next month? We'll ask Dad to join us," the mother coaxed.

"Will Dad come?" The girl looked up, hopeful. "Aren't you divorced?"

"Even so, he's your dad. Mom and Dad may not love each other anymore, but we'll always love you. That won't change." The woman promised.

"Yeah!" The girl beamed, digging into her burger. The mother smiled, eyes brimming with love as she wiped sauce from her daughter's mouth.

Chen Ying blanched, her brows furrowing with undisguised sorrow and pain. Her chest heaved, body trembling. She felt like she was sitting on needles.

White Rabbit leaned in to take one of Chen Ying’s hands. Meeting Chen Ying’s eyes, she said gently, “Don’t fight it. If you do, things will only get more painful.”

Chen Ying panted, clutching White Rabbit’s hand like a lifeline.

"No matter how much pain you're in, Chen Ying, you must accept it," White Rabbit said softly. "Accept it. Embrace it unconditionally. Don't try to suppress or stop it."

Chen Ying tried to follow the advice. Her breathing steadied. Hot tears welled in her reddened eyes, but her face regained some color, and her shaking subsided.

She wept silently for a while, weathering the storm of emotions.

Finally, Chen Ying choked out, "Thank you."

"It works well, doesn't it?" White Rabbit released Chen Ying's hand, smiling proudly. "Captain taught me that."

"Do you have... inner demons too?" Chen Ying asked, struggling to find the right words.

"Yeah, bad things happened when I was young. Left me with trauma. When it hit, the pain was so intense I wished for death."

White Rabbit sipped her cola. "I'm not scared now."

"Once we stop tormenting ourselves, nothing can hurt us forever," she continued, tilting her head with a smile. "It's just that we humans insist on torturing ourselves, as if it's the only way to feel alive. But when we can't hold on, we should accept it and surrender. Let it defeat us. There's no shame in that, right?"

Chen Ying looked bemused.

"I got all that from Captain. I'm just summarizing the lessons," White Rabbit stood, stretching. "Now... shall we?"

"Let's go," Chen Ying rose, but suddenly scowled, quickly grabbing White Rabbit's hand.

1. The original saying is that men and women won’t get tired if they are working together. ☜

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