"Ah!” The girl with a tapered chin jumped. “Are, are you out of your mind?!”
“What are you doing, bro?” The man with a shaved head started too, staggering a few steps back. “Drop the knife. Do you want to go to jail?!”
“Shut up!” The man with a middle part suddenly grew fierce, and he shouted at Gao Yang, “If you take another step, I’ll slit her throat!”
Huai Wei stopped struggling when the swiss army knife pressed under her chin and left a shallow cut on her neck. She went so still that she was barely breathing, let alone move.
“Don’t!” Gao Yang hurriedly dropped the bag of snacks and raised both hands, showing the man that he wasn’t armed and meant no harm.
“Turn around!” The man growled. “Now!”
“Alright, alright. As long as you don’t hurt her.” Gao Yang slowly turned away from them.
Without pause, three thick flexible tentacles shot out and wrapped around Gao Yang’s waist, armpits, and neck. The more Gao Yang struggled, the tighter the tentacles strangled him, keeping him in place.
“Ahhhh help!”
“Monster...”
Gao Yang heard the man and women scream.
“Haha, haha! It must be my lucky day! Two awakeners. Two...”
Gao Yang was lifted off the ground and slowly turned around. He was thus allowed the sight of the man’s two arms having each morphed into three thick tentacles, restraining him and Huai Wei and lifting them into the air.
A devourer!
And the two women and one man with him were all wanderers. They had fainted after screaming, and when they woke up, they would forget everything about what happened, their memory automatically modified.
“Mine, all mine...” The devourer’s face twisted unnaturally under the dim, grayish moonlight, its eyes glinting with a cold desire.
Slick tiny tentacles grew out of the three large tentacles, reaching toward Gao Yang’s head and were about to burrow into his orifices.
“How, how did you know?” Gao Yang asked begrudgingly, hands dropped to his sides like he had given up on struggling.
“Haha, it’s her wound. Her wound on her side smelled like awakeners.”
Ah.
So it had checked the wound that had just healed under the guise of harassing her.
It seemed that Medicine C retained the energy of Dead Pig’s Talent, and it left a strong enough trace in the short term that a devourer could smell it in short distance.
He filed that away in his head for future reference. He had to be more careful going forward.
Alright, I should stop playing.
Gao Yang grabbed the tentacle around his neck. “Fire!”
Whoosh! Flames climbed along the tentacle to reach the devourer’s main body. It screamed as the fire devoured it, and its hold on Gao Yang loosened.
Gao Yang used Teleport as soon as his feet hit the ground.
He appeared right before the devourer, his right hand tightening around its neck. With a crack, he broke its cervical spine.
With a shudder, the devourer dropped to its knees and collapsed.
The tentacles of the monster’s other arm retracted quickly and morphed back into human form. Although traces of its monster form could still be observed on the skin of its fingers, it wasn’t obvious.
Kneeling on the ground, Huai Wei held onto her neck and got into a coughing fit.
“You okay?”
“I’m, I’m alright...” Huai Wei looked up in terror. “Ah! You, you killed a man!”
“That’s not a man, but a monster. Just like your...” Gao Yang swallowed the word ‘pops’ and looked around, letting out a sigh. “This isn’t a safe place for conversation. Let’s move.”
Just when Gao Yang turned around, he felt something loosen around his arm, and a weight dropped down from his shirt.
Gao Yang felt around and found the arm pocket empty.
The devourer’s tentacles had applied great pressure when strangling him. Although Gao Yang could easily take it with his enhanced physical abilities, the same couldn’t be said about his clothes and the arm pocket.
Gao Yang turned around. Indeed, the Time-Space Rune Circuit had fallen off.
“What is this...”
Huai Wei was just about to stand up when she spotted the circular metal tablet on the skerry. She reached out to pick it up, examining it under the moonlight.
It was cool and smooth to the touch, the craftsmanship sophisticated. The finely-etched indentations glowed, and at the center of the tablet was an abstracted pattern of an hourglass.
Suddenly, she was hit with a strange sense of familiarity and resonation. The unexplainable warmth climbed up her fingers and spread to other parts of her body, converging in her chest.
Then the energy rushed into her head.
“Hmph.”
Huai Wei felt her consciousness waver. She closed her eyes and toppled backward.
Gao Yang teleported to her and caught the Rune Circuit before it could hit the ground; at the same time, he caught Huai Wei with his other arm around her waist, preventing her from hitting the rocky ground.
“Huai Wei? You okay?”
Gao Yang called out to her, but she had fainted.
...
Green Lotus Park, Shangqing District, Li City. Eleven at night inside the RV.
The rain had relented somewhat, but it continued to drizzle. The lotuses in the lake covered the water in a patch of vibrant green and elegant blooms, painting a picture of serenity and quietness.
By the lake, the RV was lit up with warm orange light. Laughter could be heard every once in a while.
Alcoholic, Qilin, and Surnamed Li sat around a small wooden table inside the crowded RV. On the table were two bowls of liquor and a saucer filled with peanuts.
Half of the peanuts were eaten, and the two bowls were almost empty.
With a bottle in her hand, Alcoholic thought back to her past. “I’m not exaggerating. Back then, I was a well-known beauty among awakeners. My suitors could line up from the south gate of this park to the north gate.”
“There were less than 200 awakeners. How could they possibly form such a long line?” Surnamed Li lost her usual reserved nature and acted like a contrarian child before Alcoholic.
“What do you know, young woman? Monsters count too! As beautiful as I was back then, even dogs wagged their tails at me, and monsters were naturally no exception!”
Her old eyes glinted with satisfaction. “My husband beat up everyone at the awakeners sparring tournament in order to pursue me. It was a grand confession.”
“Then we got married and started the Elusive Sect...” Her eyes suddenly dimmed, and a long sigh escaped her lips. “Better not get into it. Nothing good happened afterwards.”
Qilin picked up his porcelain bowl and said in an admiring tone, “You and your husband founded the organization to explore the Mist World all those years ago. Your courage and foresight were impressive. Allow me to salute you as a latecomer.”
He downed the last of the liquor.
Alcoholic paused. This brat was taunting her.
You mean I’m a sorry shadow of my once ambitious self, don’t you?
“Ha.”
Alcoholic started talking Qilin up too. “We were nothing in comparison to you. Don’t we look like three-year-olds in your eyes? Twenty years ago, when you discovered the Rune Circuits, you ignited the hope for all awakeners. Why would you need an old hag like me when you are so powerful?”
Surnamed Li paused. Alcoholic had always hated being seen as old, yet she was using her age to mock herself now.
“Alcoholic.” Surnamed Li’s voice softened. “This time, all awakeners are at stake—no, all of humanity is.”
Alcoholic stared at the almost empty bottle and sighed heavily. “I’ve suffered so much because I’ve lived too long. Thankfully I have alcohol to keep me company. It’s a fine thing. Our ancestors were right. Drinking can drown all our worries.”
She tipped her head up and emptied the bottle, her bold act shocking both of them.
She burped and wiped her mouth roughly, casting the bottle behind her carelessly.
“Muzi, Qilin, do you...” She paused. “Do you believe in fate?”
Qilin and Surnamed Li were taken aback. They had thought they could now get into business. Why did she bring up something else?
“Hoho, fate is an unpredictable mistress,” Alcoholic drawled with a slight buzz. “What day is it today?”
“June 13th, 2018.”
“Oh!”
Alcoholic blurted out with wide eyes, “Today! It was today! It’s all meant to be!”
"Ah!” The girl with a tapered chin jumped. “Are, are you out of your mind?!”
“What are you doing, bro?” The man with a shaved head started too, staggering a few steps back. “Drop the knife. Do you want to go to jail?!”
“Shut up!” The man with a middle part suddenly grew fierce, and he shouted at Gao Yang, “If you take another step, I’ll slit her throat!”
Huai Wei stopped struggling when the swiss army knife pressed under her chin and left a shallow cut on her neck. She went so still that she was barely breathing, let alone move.
“Don’t!” Gao Yang hurriedly dropped the bag of snacks and raised both hands, showing the man that he wasn’t armed and meant no harm.
“Turn around!” The man growled. “Now!”
“Alright, alright. As long as you don’t hurt her.” Gao Yang slowly turned away from them.
Without pause, three thick flexible tentacles shot out and wrapped around Gao Yang’s waist, armpits, and neck. The more Gao Yang struggled, the tighter the tentacles strangled him, keeping him in place.
“Ahhhh help!”
“Monster...”
Gao Yang heard the man and women scream.
“Haha, haha! It must be my lucky day! Two awakeners. Two...”
Gao Yang was lifted off the ground and slowly turned around. He was thus allowed the sight of the man’s two arms having each morphed into three thick tentacles, restraining him and Huai Wei and lifting them into the air.
A devourer!
And the two women and one man with him were all wanderers. They had fainted after screaming, and when they woke up, they would forget everything about what happened, their memory automatically modified.
“Mine, all mine...” The devourer’s face twisted unnaturally under the dim, grayish moonlight, its eyes glinting with a cold desire.
Slick tiny tentacles grew out of the three large tentacles, reaching toward Gao Yang’s head and were about to burrow into his orifices.
“How, how did you know?” Gao Yang asked begrudgingly, hands dropped to his sides like he had given up on struggling.
“Haha, it’s her wound. Her wound on her side smelled like awakeners.”
Ah.
So it had checked the wound that had just healed under the guise of harassing her.
It seemed that Medicine C retained the energy of Dead Pig’s Talent, and it left a strong enough trace in the short term that a devourer could smell it in short distance.
He filed that away in his head for future reference. He had to be more careful going forward.
Alright, I should stop playing.
Gao Yang grabbed the tentacle around his neck. “Fire!”
Whoosh! Flames climbed along the tentacle to reach the devourer’s main body. It screamed as the fire devoured it, and its hold on Gao Yang loosened.
Gao Yang used Teleport as soon as his feet hit the ground.
He appeared right before the devourer, his right hand tightening around its neck. With a crack, he broke its cervical spine.
With a shudder, the devourer dropped to its knees and collapsed.
The tentacles of the monster’s other arm retracted quickly and morphed back into human form. Although traces of its monster form could still be observed on the skin of its fingers, it wasn’t obvious.
Kneeling on the ground, Huai Wei held onto her neck and got into a coughing fit.
“You okay?”
“I’m, I’m alright...” Huai Wei looked up in terror. “Ah! You, you killed a man!”
“That’s not a man, but a monster. Just like your...” Gao Yang swallowed the word ‘pops’ and looked around, letting out a sigh. “This isn’t a safe place for conversation. Let’s move.”
Just when Gao Yang turned around, he felt something loosen around his arm, and a weight dropped down from his shirt.
Gao Yang felt around and found the arm pocket empty.
The devourer’s tentacles had applied great pressure when strangling him. Although Gao Yang could easily take it with his enhanced physical abilities, the same couldn’t be said about his clothes and the arm pocket.
Gao Yang turned around. Indeed, the Time-Space Rune Circuit had fallen off.
“What is this...”
Huai Wei was just about to stand up when she spotted the circular metal tablet on the skerry. She reached out to pick it up, examining it under the moonlight.
It was cool and smooth to the touch, the craftsmanship sophisticated. The finely-etched indentations glowed, and at the center of the tablet was an abstracted pattern of an hourglass.
Suddenly, she was hit with a strange sense of familiarity and resonation. The unexplainable warmth climbed up her fingers and spread to other parts of her body, converging in her chest.
Then the energy rushed into her head.
“Hmph.”
Huai Wei felt her consciousness waver. She closed her eyes and toppled backward.
Gao Yang teleported to her and caught the Rune Circuit before it could hit the ground; at the same time, he caught Huai Wei with his other arm around her waist, preventing her from hitting the rocky ground.
“Huai Wei? You okay?”
Gao Yang called out to her, but she had fainted.
...
Green Lotus Park, Shangqing District, Li City. Eleven at night inside the RV.
The rain had relented somewhat, but it continued to drizzle. The lotuses in the lake covered the water in a patch of vibrant green and elegant blooms, painting a picture of serenity and quietness.
By the lake, the RV was lit up with warm orange light. Laughter could be heard every once in a while.
Alcoholic, Qilin, and Surnamed Li sat around a small wooden table inside the crowded RV. On the table were two bowls of liquor and a saucer filled with peanuts.
Half of the peanuts were eaten, and the two bowls were almost empty.
With a bottle in her hand, Alcoholic thought back to her past. “I’m not exaggerating. Back then, I was a well-known beauty among awakeners. My suitors could line up from the south gate of this park to the north gate.”
“There were less than 200 awakeners. How could they possibly form such a long line?” Surnamed Li lost her usual reserved nature and acted like a contrarian child before Alcoholic.
“What do you know, young woman? Monsters count too! As beautiful as I was back then, even dogs wagged their tails at me, and monsters were naturally no exception!”
Her old eyes glinted with satisfaction. “My husband beat up everyone at the awakeners sparring tournament in order to pursue me. It was a grand confession.”
“Then we got married and started the Elusive Sect...” Her eyes suddenly dimmed, and a long sigh escaped her lips. “Better not get into it. Nothing good happened afterwards.”
Qilin picked up his porcelain bowl and said in an admiring tone, “You and your husband founded the organization to explore the Mist World all those years ago. Your courage and foresight were impressive. Allow me to salute you as a latecomer.”
He downed the last of the liquor.
Alcoholic paused. This brat was taunting her.
You mean I’m a sorry shadow of my once ambitious self, don’t you?
“Ha.”
Alcoholic started talking Qilin up too. “We were nothing in comparison to you. Don’t we look like three-year-olds in your eyes? Twenty years ago, when you discovered the Rune Circuits, you ignited the hope for all awakeners. Why would you need an old hag like me when you are so powerful?”
Surnamed Li paused. Alcoholic had always hated being seen as old, yet she was using her age to mock herself now.
“Alcoholic.” Surnamed Li’s voice softened. “This time, all awakeners are at stake—no, all of humanity is.”
Alcoholic stared at the almost empty bottle and sighed heavily. “I’ve suffered so much because I’ve lived too long. Thankfully I have alcohol to keep me company. It’s a fine thing. Our ancestors were right. Drinking can drown all our worries.”
She tipped her head up and emptied the bottle, her bold act shocking both of them.
She burped and wiped her mouth roughly, casting the bottle behind her carelessly.
“Muzi, Qilin, do you...” She paused. “Do you believe in fate?”
Qilin and Surnamed Li were taken aback. They had thought they could now get into business. Why did she bring up something else?
“Hoho, fate is an unpredictable mistress,” Alcoholic drawled with a slight buzz. “What day is it today?”
“June 13th, 2018.”
“Oh!”
Alcoholic blurted out with wide eyes, “Today! It was today! It’s all meant to be!”
