The Creatures That We Are-Chapter 1112: Slacker

Gurgle.

The giant black blood clot pulsed with an insidious swallowing sound. It contracted rapidly until it vanished, regurgitating the devoured space—now an empty vacuum. Air rushed in with a howl to fill the void.

Liu Tao stood as if he'd never moved, blood staining the corners of his mouth as he narrowed his eyes.

“Haha, the wild boar meat is a little chewy.”

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Adept Horse and Mischievous Monkey avoided getting swallowed, having escaped a few dozen meters away. Dead Pig, however, didn’t fare as well. He dropped to one knee, drenched in cold sweat. His one arm and half his calf had been swallowed. Blood gushed out and pooled on the ground.

He'd barely managed to swap places with a marked AC unit in that final instant. Without that split-second Displacement, there would have been nothing left of him. Even during the transport, locked in Displacement's energy, the black blood clots had reached him and swallowed his arm and calf in a terrifying display of power.

Adept Horse rushed to Dead Pig's side, activating Healing. Dead Pig's Self Recovery kicked in as well, stemming the blood flow and beginning to knit the wounds. Without Gecko, he couldn't regenerate the missing chunks of flesh. Thankfully, Adept Horse came prepared with Dr. Jia's upgraded Medicine C—enhanced with blood from Gao Yang, who possessed Gecko.

The three men looked at the death monster gravely, without a word.

Gluttony was too strong. And his power was so strange that they didn’t know where to even begin to tackle it.

“Haha, I wonder what horse meat tastes like.” Liu Tao raised his hand and aimed it at Adept Horse. Black teeth grew densely from the insides of the fingers.

A gray wind suddenly swarmed around Liu Tao.

He started, his form taking on the texture of black blood clots. The poisonous wind struck, melting the clots into an asphalt-like puddle within seconds.

Liu Tao reappeared nearby, a black gash across his thin, gray lips like a razor's slash.

“Haha, can’t eat something poisonous.” Liu Tao turned to Gregor. “Pestilence’s poison lives up to its reputation.”

“You flatter me.”

Having arrived just in time, Gregor hid his curses under a poker face.

Shit, you survived after eating my poison? What manner of monster are you?

Why aren’t you here yet, Gao Yang? I haven’t finished my novel. I can’t die here!

...

Liao Liao and Ke Yo stood on the white water tank at the back of the campus. They warily looked up at the moon that seemed within reach and the hazy figure the moonlight formed. The figure of a young woman lay leisurely in the sky as if she were lounging on a sofa at home. It was Sloth, Wang Shu.

Liao Liao and Ke Yo kept an eye on Wang Shu in case she deactivated the Domain of Night to launch an offense. Then they would have to take on her, however reluctant they might be.

Around ten seconds ago, Gregor had been with Liao Liao, but Liao Liao made the decisive call for him to help Team Mischievous Monkey. What happened proved her decision right. Even so, Liao Liao didn’t feel happy at all. Under her composed expression, she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Shit, shit, shit!

I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed!

Help, help, help!!!

Just a minute earlier, when War Tiger and Vermilion Bird had decided to face the death monsters, Liao Liao had cursed her plethora of Talents for the ten thousandth time. If only she'd been a little weaker, she could have retreated with the others.

Her self-wallowing was interrupted by War Tiger after two seconds. “Strategy, Liao Liao!”

“Huh?” She jumped. Why her? What made her qualified?

“I made the decision, you made the strategy! Gao Yang’s words!” War Tiger explained as concisely as he could.

Time was running out. She didn’t have the time to be humble. While her inner self continued its breakdown, her rational mind seized control, crafting a strategy in ten seconds.

“Uncle Tiger and Qing Ling, Wrath is yours!”

“Mischievous Monkey, Adept Horse, and Dead Pig, Gluttony!”

“Sister Xia, Nainai, and Hong Xiaoxiao, save Chen Ying and Nine Frost!”

“Gregor, Ke Yo, and I will keep Wang Shu busy and provide support where needed!”

Liao Liao had a clear plan. She allocated the responsibility efficiently. The smart ones had already figured out her reasoning.

They had walked into this fight with two primary targets: save their companions, and buy time until Gao Yang arrived.

Then their priority was to divide the battlefields. An all-out brawl would’ve led to chaos. The casualties would be great.

Mark and War Tiger, the “devoted” father and son, obviously wanted to fight each other. They would be the perfect match.

And they had seen what Mark could do. He was a physical fighter at least as powerful as Azure Dragon. War Tiger was the only one who could keep him in check. And just to be safe, Qing Ling should be there as well. Even if they couldn’t kill Mark, they had to stay alive.

Then there was Gluttony, Liu Tao.

He looked identical to Mischievous Monkey. He must be his twin brother.

The siblings would have much to talk about. Mischievous Monkey would be a good candidate to occupy the death monster. However, Liu Tao’s ability was a mystery to them. They could at best judge him to be a non-fighter type based on his leisurely stance.

Mischievous Monkey alone wouldn’t be Gluttony’s match, so Liao Liao assigned him help: Adept Horse, who could fight and heal with great mobility, and Dead Pig, who could tank and make up for possible missteps.

The three of them weren’t tasked to kill Liu Tao, but to keep him busy.

Vermilion Bird wasn’t much of a fighter herself. In the short term, Equivalent Exchange could only buff three people. Their most powerful combatants, War Tiger and Qing Ling, would naturally take up two quotas. The last she left to herself.

Nainai had good offense, and Gale could help them move quickly.

Hong Xiaoxiao could go invisible, and Gamer would be used to save Nine Frost and Chen Ying—since they were the frontline scouts the enemies would take down first, they bore the greatest risks among them. The two had been carrying Hong Xiaoxiao’s hairpins. She could bring them back even if they had met an untimely demise.

Hong Xiaoxiao’s Gamer was now level 4. She could reset them within four minutes of their death.

The three were the best candidates for a rescue team.

That left Liao Liao, Ke Yo, and Gregor to face Sloth, Wang Shu.

It appeared that Wang Shu had created a large domain, the range of which as far as the moon could shine. It was yet unknown what the domain did.

One thing was for certain: Nine Frost and Chen Ying had failed to notify everyone first thing because of the domain.

Thankfully, the domain must not be an offensive one, or Wang Shu would’ve attacked already. That meant Wang Shu was harmless at the moment.

The non-threat should naturally be Liao Liao’s responsibility!