The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 668: Liao Liao

“Huh?” War Tiger blinked dumbly at her. “I don’t. I live on my own, and I can smoke wherever I want.”

Chen Ying wasn’t sure if he was playing dumb or actually oblivious.

She asked instead, “Where are you heading? I’ll give you a ride.”

“Haha, I should be going the same way as you. Take me to your main base.”

Chen Ying hid her surprise. According to what Nine Frost had said, she was to talk to Liao Liao—the fifth team leader—after talking to Chestnut, continuing her investigation into Dust.

So War Tiger did talk to Nine Frost through Telepathy. He must be answering my previous question.

Just when she had the thought, though, War Tiger pointed at the trunk with his thumb, smiling. “I’m asking Jiang Hao and Goldthread to enchant my baby.”

Chen Ying paused. Through the rearview mirror, she could see the more than two meters long wooden case in the trunk. Since it was way too long, one side of it was put through the window, and scratches were left on the mat and the inside of the door. She could imagine how roughly War Tiger had shoved the box into her car.

He’s dancing around lies and truth. I can’t pin him down.

Forget it. I’ll assume he’s contacted Nine Frost and is looking for the spy.

Chen Ying sighed softly, making a turn toward the headquarters.

...

Third breakroom, underground base of the Hundred Rivers Union, one thirty in the afternoon.

In the brightly lit room, the entire fifth team gathered, joined by Goldthread and Zhong He from the sixth team.

The thirteen of them sat around a circular meeting table covered in snacks and drinks. They were all getting worked up in a heated debate.

Well, they were playing a game of Werewolf with twelve people. Liao Liao was the moderator.

“I told you I wasn’t a wolf. Why did you vote for me?!” First Firelord raged.

“Well, I couldn’t help it. Zhong He was too good an actor!” Citrus smiled shamelessly. “When he made his earnest and handsome statement, I thought he must be the seer, but it turned out he was a wolf pretending to be the seer.”

“The operative word being ‘handsome’, ” Rain River commented.

“You make judgments according to looks!” A man in his thirties was getting worked up too. He was the real seer, but he was the first to die. He had a lot to say. “The game’s about logic. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you! Zhong He might have spoken with passion, but his statement was full of holes! He was clearly acting!”

“Do you know what your biggest problem is, Old Tune?” Zhong He smirked with his handsome face. “You were too eager and came out too strongly. You acted like everyone at the table must listen to you, which only inspired resistance.”

“Yeah.” Goldthread laughed hoarsely, his face entirely covered by his hat, mask, and sunglasses. “Although your logic was clearer, no one believed you.”

“Seriously, you put that on me?” The man had short blue hair, a square face, a hook nose, and thin lips. With his circular black glasses, he looked a little like an owl.

He was Wandering Tune, with Chaos Space, serial number 99, Time-Space-type.

In the mundane world, he had been the main coach of an e-sport club, but being a mediocre coach, he had been unemployed for two years.

“Alright, let’s start the next game.”

A young girl sat at the moderator seat, shuffling cards with practiced ease.

She was wearing a sweater with white and gray stripes, her shorter hair tied into a small ponytail. Her delicate and soft facial features made her seem approachable, and in general, she gave off a harmless impression.

One wouldn’t peg her as the new leader of the fifth team. She was Liao Liao, nineteen years old, with Aptitude, Follow Heart, God of Archery, and Insects King.

She was a hacker in the mundane world, and she had been working in the Union’s intelligence department.

The department was an independent unit that didn’t belong to any of the six main teams. Liao Liao kept a low profile and had little ambition. She did as little as possible at work and left right on the dot, and she never went past mere acquaintances with her colleagues. She was unmemorable.

Over the past year, the Union lost a large number of members again and again. Thus, the Union had no choice but to reorganize the teams. And with Liao Liao comprehending two Talents, giving her some fighting power, she was assigned to Team Goldthread as the deputy leader.

Not long after that, Zhong He comprehended Phantom, giving him a significant boost in power, and he replaced Liao Liao as the deputy leader.

Liao Liao had thought that she could be a happy salary thief again, but Green Tea met an untimely end, and she was appointed the fifth team leader.

Liao Liao had rejected the offer. However, Surnamed Li recognized the great potential in Aptitude. She believed that Liao Liao would become somebody sooner or later and wanted to cultivate the girl.

Moreover, Liao Liao was clever but easygoing, her disposition stable. She made a good leader for the not-so-powerful fifth team.

Liao Liao had no choice but to take on the mantle. Knowing the list of suspects who could be Dust, she made a few rules under the guise of exerting her will as the new leader.

First, no one was to call a teammate by name, nickname, pet name, or any other address.

Second, no physical contact was allowed between teammates.

Third, they are to play Werewolf once every week.

On the surface, it was to build deeper understanding between teammates while staying as individuals, but in truth, the rules were meant for the three suspects, Citrus, Sister Ling, and Rain River.

Werewolf was a game that tested comprehensive intelligence, acting, mental will, and mutual understanding. Through the games, Liao Liao would get to know her team better. She was new and didn’t have that much time to learn about everyone; Werewolf provided a means for her to do that.

Creak. Just when Liao Liao was going to hand out the cards, someone opened the door and came in. Chen Ying, who had changed into clean clothes, led the way for War Tiger and Jiang Hao.

“Oh, you’re all here!” War Tiger said enthusiastically. When he glanced at Goldthread, his gaze resembled that of a tiger spotting prey in the forest. “It’s only been a few days, Leader Goldthread. You’ve become younger!”

That’s a shit attempt at flattery, Goldthread grumbled in his mind. You can’t even see my face, and I seem younger to you?

War Tiger realized his mistake and laughed to cover it up. “I mean you seem younger in spirit. You’re even playing a board game with the youngsters. I can’t do that now.”

Goldthread got to his feet politely. “What can I do for you, Mr. War Tiger?”

“Geez, don’t be a stranger. Just call me Brother Tiger.” War Tiger went up to him with a grin. “Goldy, I need some help from you and Jiang Hao. Come on, let’s talk outside.”

Goldthread didn’t immediately say yes. He glanced at Chen Ying, who explained, “It’s a private matter.”

“Alright. Let’s talk outside.”

Goldthread followed War Tiger out of the room.

“Liao Liao,” Chen Ying called out. “May I have a few minutes?”

“Of course.” Liao Liao lowered the cards. “I’ll be back.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Citrus was terrible at the game, but that didn’t stop her from being enthusiastic. “Let’s have a 9-player game. You’re the moderator, Zhong He. Stop using your masculine wiles on an innocent girl like me.”