The Creatures that We Are

Void's turn arrived.

In addition to Contract, Void had comprehended the powerful and insidious second Talent, Detonation. He hadn’t told anyone the secret for he feared being sent to the front line, and he didn’t want others to be afraid of his touch and thus keep their distance. Now, though, he couldn’t afford to care if he wanted to live. He chose to use Detonation on Gao Yang.

It was a shame that he couldn’t change the target of his action now. While Gao Yang’s double was already dead, it remained the target of his attack.

Void rushed to the corpse, pressed both hands against it, then scrambled back. Boom! The double exploded, scattering gore and rotting flesh in a display so grotesque it made them flinch.

0618's turn proved even more futile. They drew their Black Gold gun and fired at the scattered remains on the ground.

Next came Dr. Jia's turn. Wearing a bathrobe and a pair of slippers, he ran up to Sir Jiang and threw a wild punch at his chin.

Sir Jiang's head barely moved.

"Oww, it hurts!" Dr. Jia shook his hand, retreating with nothing accomplished.

The parrot took its turn next. True to its master's example, it targeted Sir Jiang, wings beating as it dove toward his face. Its beak missed his right eye as he dodged, but scored his temple, drawing blood.

A parrot injuring a pride monster might indeed count as success; its celebration left both Sir Jiang and Dr. Jia feeling thoroughly humiliated.

It was Nico’s turn to take action now.

The old man sat cross-legged, motionless. He'd chosen to forfeit his action.

His face glowed with rapturous joy as he raised his arms toward the invisible sky. "God, you must be looking at me, right? Soon, very soon. We'll finish our mission and return to your world..."

I could kick the old fool dead right now, Gao Yang thought. He could have chosen "Attack Teammate," but his turn was too precious to waste.

Calm down and think.

As Gao Yang scanned his surroundings for information, something caught his eye. The relief of Clear Mirror's face on the towering gray stone pillar seemed... different. He couldn't pinpoint the change, and there was no time to dwell on it.

Hum. The soundproof barrier materialized once more, dividing the teams. Above them, numbers appeared, counting down from 180 seconds—their planning time.

Gao Yang had no reliable allies, but even unreliable help was better than none. He turned to Dr. Jia.

"You should pull your weight, Dr. Jia, or we'll all die here."

"I'd like that too, but what can I do?" Dr. Jia showed no shame. "I'm trash when it comes to combat power, worse than my pet bird... ah!"

He shouted as if struck by inspiration, then shook his head violently. "No, no. No no no..."

"Anything may help," Gao Yang pressed. "Worst comes to worst, we all die here. If you can do something, just do it. Don't tell me about it."

Gao Yang kept his own plans equally private. With a traitor among them, anything shared during the planning phase could reach the enemy team through Nico once combat resumed.

Gao Yang had considered using Nico to deceive their opponents, but the risk seemed too high, the outcome too unpredictable. Besides, Liao Liao might see through such a ploy.

He sat cross-legged, eyes closed, methodically plotting his strategy.

Across the barrier, Sir Jiang contemplated his next move. After Liao Liao's successful prediction in the first turn, she'd earned the team's trust. All eyes turned to her.

She considered for a moment. "I believe Gao Yang will shield himself with an Absolute Barrier this turn."

Sir Jiang nodded after brief consideration. "Very likely."

Qin You, Void, and 0618 agreed, guided more by battle instinct than logical analysis.

Liao Liao studied the energy bar above Sir Jiang. Two-thirds remained. "Your Spatial Blender is our best chance to kill Gao Yang. Its wide area effect and spatial damage can't be countered by physical defense alone. The problem is its energy cost. Use it twice, and you won't have enough for a third strike."

Sir Jiang remained silent. She'd assessed correctly. Even outside the domain's rules and energy limitations, in his weakened state without the Time-Space Rune Circuit, two consecutive Spatial Blenders would drain him completely.

Her gaze shifted to Qin You's energy bar, still three-quarters full. "Your attack dealt good damage, Qin You. Gao Yang can dodge it, true, but its low energy cost lets you use it repeatedly."

She turned to Void. "That was Detonation, wasn't it? Powerful, but unless we can immobilize him, Gao Yang won't let you get close enough to use it."

Void's expression darkened as he nodded.

"0618, without an offensive Talent, your shots will only inflict surface wounds if they hit at all."

"I know," 0618 admitted.

Liao Liao continued. "Without his double as a shield, Gao Yang dies if we hit him with everything this turn. He knows this. He'll use Absolute Barrier to waste our attacks, forcing us into a third turn where Sir Jiang can't use Spatial Blender. Then he'll strike first and eliminate one of us. We can't let that happen."

"Makes sense," Qin You said.

Void glanced at the countdown. "Clock's ticking. Thirty seconds left. What's the plan?"

Liao Liao issued rapid commands. "Sir Jiang, rest and recover energy. Void, support me with Medicine C. Qin You, use Mindreading on Gao Yang. 0618, identify his weak points for future attacks."

They nodded in unison.

While they execute their roles, she thought, I'll use Charge to empower my God of Firearms. Once 0618's Golden Ratio reveals Gao Yang's vulnerabilities, I'll end this.

Hum. The gray barrier dissolved. That fair, authoritative voice resonated through the space once more.

[Thinking Time ends.]

[The second turn begins.]

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