The Creatures That We Are-Chapter 1086: Very Well

The word “meeting” made everyone perk up. The young leader they knew was back. He had not lost himself or his spirit after his friend and family turned out to be death monsters; he was still leading everyone to chase the dawn, and the night was always deepest before dawn.

Gao Yang had gotten a briefing from Vermilion Bird. Dragon was still hibernating. Heavenly Dog and Xiao Xin were unconscious due to Equivalent Exchange. Baili Yi had been staying in the diary before Gao Yang woke up.

Gao Yang turned to Baili Yi. “Are you here to help us, Baili?”

Baili Yi nodded. “Yes, but the help I can offer is limited.”

“Why?” Gao Yang asked.

Baili Yi smiled. “It can’t be explained in a few words.”

“Then take your time.” Gao Yang had decided. “If you may, please lead this meeting. We all have many questions for you.”

“That’ll be my honor.” Baili Yi smiled. He didn’t start immediately. Glancing at his watch, he said, “There’s still time. May we continue this talk above ground? I’ve been staying in the diary all these years. I’ve missed being out in the open.”

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

“Of course.” Gao Yang nodded. “Dress warmly. The desert is cold at night.”

Ten minutes later, they emerged from the underground laboratory. A purple river of stars stretched across the night sky. Cold moonlight illuminated the slumbering dunes like a wrinkled blanket.

They found shelter behind a dune, arranged like college students in a tiered classroom. Most wore jackets or wrapped themselves in blankets. Many held drinks and snacks, looking at their phones or chatting among themselves.

Baili Yi stood at the front with a smile, completing the scene as the mild-tempered professor about to give a lecture.

“Everyone here?” Baili Yi asked.

“Everyone beside Dragon, Heavenly Dog, and Xiao Xin.” Chen Ying had counted.

Gao Yang sat among the awakeners. He wasn’t sure if Baili Yi meant it as a purposeful reminder, but it did remind him of someone.

Gao Yang stood up. “There’s someone else.”

“Who?” Chen Ying couldn’t remember anyone else. Was there a newly awakened human?

Instead of saying anything, Gao Yang conjured a true double, his figure blurring for a moment.

“Give me two minutes.” The double grabbed Gao Yang’s arm and used Space Migration, vanishing with him. The others were left confused in the sweeping wind.

...

Li City.

The flat with sophisticated interior design was cluttered with women’s clothes and everyday objects. Even so, the place wasn’t dirty, and the air was fresh. The resident had no basic human needs and bathed daily.

Fresh from a bath, White Dew wore silk pajamas printed with bear patterns, a blue shower cap resembling a mushroom on her head. A face sheet masked her features, with wet silver strands clinging to her fair neck.

She had recently rediscovered her passion for online novels. Her obsession came in cycles—she would devour stories intensely, then abandon them for long periods.

Ever since she began to live on her own, she tried to kill time with numerous new hobbies: keeping plants, doing crafts, learning instruments, playing mahjong, and even dancing in the community park with older women from the neighborhood... None of the hobbies stuck.

White Dew was usually graceful and composed, but things changed after she got into novels.

She read day and night, shifting between sitting, lying on the back, lying on the belly, and crouching. Now she lounged on the sofa, legs propped against its back, head drooping toward the armrest like a twisted Y.

She was so invested that she muttered to herself as she clicked on her phone.

“No...you’re not...”

“Really? This is how you’re gonna do it?”

“Right, very well! Good!”

“What shit is this? Please seek help if you’ve lost it, dear author.”

A sudden burst of air current scattered clothes around the flat. White Dew's shower cap flew off, her silky silver hair cascading down like seaweed to pool on the floor. Half the sheet mask lifted from her face, dangling at the corner of her mouth like peeling skin. She remained in her strange upside-down posture, one hand holding her phone, the other scratching her toes.

It took a second for her to register the presence of Gao Yang—no, two Gao Yangs!

Gao Yang and his double stared at White Dew simultaneously. For a moment, he wondered if he had teleported to the wrong flat.

Seconds of awkward silence stretched between them, neither side knowing how to break it.

Finally, Gao Yang and his double vanished. Then came a knock at the door.

White Dew rolled off the sofa and scrambled to her feet, rushing to the walk-in closet.

Five minutes later, the door to the flat opened.

White Dew was her usual self again, wearing a red royal gown and black laced gloves. Her silver hair ran down her shoulders. Her eyes and lips were both a crimson red.

Her cold gaze bored into Gao Yang with fierce grievances.

Compelled by his survival instinct, Gao Yang quickly explained, “I was going to teleport outside your door, but since it was such a long distance, the accuracy was a little off—”

“What are you talking about? You’ve been waiting outside, haven’t you?” White Dew asked in a soft yet threatening voice, her eyes narrowed.

Gao Yang said after a beat, “Yes.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Remember Baili Yi? I told you about him.”

White Dew said in surprise, “He showed up?”

Gao Yang nodded. “He should know a lot. We’re going to have a meeting. I think you should be there.”

“Let’s go.” White Dew walked out and shut the door, extending her hand.

Gao Yang took her hand and then his double’s hand. The three vanished in ripples of energy.

...

Gao Yang returned to the desert in Ni Nation. A puff of sand rose before settling. It took a moment for the others to make out Gao Yang, his double, and White Dew.

Gao Yang glanced at his double. “Keep watch.”

“Of course.” His double teleported to Chen Ying and patted her shoulder. Then he went to the top of the dune and sat down with his legs crossed, scanning the few kilometers radius with Sensory.

“Oh, isn’t this Lady White Dew?” Dr. Jia's eyes lit up with recognition. He rubbed his hands together and approached her with a smile. “What brought you here?”