The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 605: Cocky

Gao Yang fell quickly down the abyss. All around him was black. He couldn’t tell if the black fog was simply too thick for him to see through it, or if he had reached the part of the abyss where there was no light.

He did panic a little when he first started free-falling, but he calmed himself with Psychic Armor and realized that there was nothing he could do but count the seconds of his fall.

He counted to a minute, meaning he had roughly fallen 3.3 kilometers.

Was the abyss left by the Malediction’s self-destruction really this deep?

It wouldn’t be too far-fetched. After all, the Malediction was going to blow up the entire Li City.

Finally, Gao Yang felt the land approaching. He quickly created a double as his stepping stone and jumped off it, breaking his fall and making a safe landing.

His double smashed into the ground, but wasn’t too hurt.

Gao Yang noticed that the ground was soft. It felt like it was covered in black snow, and every step he took made a soft squelch. When he looked down, though, he couldn’t see any detail, which was strange.

Stranger still was the fact that he could make out the rough lines of his surroundings like he was in a dim room, when there was no source of light at all.

Gao Yang considered if he should light up the place with a fireball when a door appeared before him, making him jump.

It was a metal door that belonged to those older apartment buildings, covered in blotches of rust and layers upon layers of all sorts of fliers and ads, the colors varying without coordination.

There was no building, though, nor was there even a wall. All around him was a dark gray void, and the door stood out like a sore thumb.

Gao Yang went up to the door with only a few steps. His system didn’t warn him.

He realized that even without Psychic Armor, he didn’t feel any fear, only curiosity. He knocked on the door politely.

“Who is it?” said a lazy and casual voice. It sounded like a girl.

“It’s me.” That was the only response Gao Yang could come up with.

“Finally. Come on in. It’s not locked.” The girl spoke like they were old friends, and she had been waiting for him for a long time.

Without hesitation, Gao Yang opened the door.

Inside was a room that was a little more than ten square meters in size. The windows were shut and covered by blue curtains without patterns, under which was a wooden single bed. The bedding was checkered, the colors black and white, and the blanket and bed sheet were a little messy.

Across from the bed was an old closet and a desk. On the desk stood an unhealthy-looking potted cactus, a few fashion magazines, snacks, and a bulky white monitor with a white mechanical keyboard, looking awkward and old.

All around the space were colorful anime and movie posters, as well as portraits, landscapes, animals, and abstract symbols.

They existed around the space rather than covering the room since the room didn’t have walls or a ceiling. It only seemed like a square bedroom based on the layout of the furniture and items.

Above them was a hovering fan and an energy-saving light, both covered in dust.

“Sit.”

The voice said. Gao Yang was surprised to find the desk now claimed by a thin, bony girl. She had her back to him, her grayish purple hair running down to her shoulders, one of which was revealed under the loose white t-shirt, so was a strap of her undergarment. She was wearing a pair of elastic gray running shorts with black decorative stripes. Legs curled, she rested her feet on the black swivel chair.

Scratching her foot with one hand and holding a small pudding popsicle with her other hand, she ate the popsicle while staring at the screen, the green light dancing on her face.

Gao Yang turned to the screen first, but saw nothing but a cluster of shimmering neon lights.

When he turned to the girl, he was surprised by her profile.

“Nainai!”

The girl leaned into the chair and turned the chair to him, speaking in a lilting tone, “Oh, that’s what you see me as?”

Gao Yang immediately caught on. “This is only my projection?”

“More or less. I didn’t show you my true appearance because you may not be able to take it.” She opened her mouth wide to suck on the popsicle. “Hm...this is good.”

I visited Nainai today to recruit her, making a gamble. That’s why she left a strong impression on my short-term memory.

Gao Yang pictured the form the system usually took instead—the dorm keeper of his old orphanage.

In the blink of an eye, Nainai was gone, replaced by a woman with long braided hair, dressed in a patterned long dress with a whistle around her neck. She had her usual gentle smile on her face.

“Ah.” Her voice changed too, but she was still holding onto her popsicle and sitting in the same, relaxed posture. She looked down at herself. “To be honest, I still prefer the previous form.”

“I’m not used to it,” said Gao Yang. “Let’s go with this.”

“Ha, you brat. You sure are full of yourself.” The woman’s gentle face rearranged into a mocking expression. “Why aren’t you afraid of me at all?”

“I don’t even know who you are.”

“And the unknown is the most terrifying, isn’t it?”

“Who are you, and what do you want?” Gao Yang was getting impatient. If she wanted to kill him, he would be dead already. He was alive because she didn’t intend to take his life for now, and he didn’t have to treat her with deference.

“Good question.” She licked the popsicle again, getting some white cream on a corner of her mouth. “I was born between the Creator Witch and the First Fallen Angel, and...what is it again? I can’t remember.”

“Do you fancy yourself a comedian?” Gao Yang scoffed.

Instantly, the woman was replaced by Cockroach, the chubby and hideous Tail member with a face covered in pink scars and fleshy lumps.

“Hey!” Drooling brown saliva, “Cockroach” jumped, dropping the popsicle in shock. “You better fucking show me some respect. I’m...”

Cockroach quickly swallowed the words that almost fell out. “Turn me back, now!”

“Respect goes both ways.” Gao Yang turned Cockroach back into his dorm keeper with a thought.

“Fine! Be as cocky as you want!”

She shot to her feet and went up to the nightstand, picking up a sheet of paper and a pen and handing them to Gao Yang.

Gao Yang took the paper. It was filled with black symbols resembling earthworms, and the symbols kept morphing. There was no deciphering the writing.

“What is this?”

“A slave contract.” She laughed. “Or a labor contract, to put it nicely.”

“What do you want?” Gao Yang frowned.

“If you don’t sign it, you die.” She grinned. “Sign it, and I’ll let you go.”

“What am I giving by signing it?”

“A lot. Why, are you scared?” She shot him a mocking look. “Weren’t you being all cocky? And you didn’t even hesitate before choosing between milk tea and cigarettes, did you? Why are you hesitating when signing a simple contract? Are you a man or not?”

Gao Yang scoffed, grabbing the pen and paper to sign the contract.

“Haha, good boy.” She took the contract with a smile, but her smile went stiff a second later.