The Creatures That We Are-Chapter 1149: Dance

“Yeah.” Liao Liao laughed in schadenfreude. “He wasn’t that determined before, only choosing to fight until the end because Old Seven kept pushing him. Then he acquired Gravity last week and changed his mind.”

“He got stronger with more Talents, but instead wanted to pull out?” Qing Ling asked in confusion.

“That’s not how Crimson Bee sees it. Gravity reminds him of the terrible ends the two previous owners faced. He felt intimidated and changed his mind, saying it was a bad omen.”

Nainai tipped her head up with a huff. “A mortal trapped by a power greater than he is. This Empress has mercifully saved him from his plight.”

This girl, acting like she has the moral high ground.

Liao Liao teased, “Oh, right, Nainai. Crimson Bee didn’t give you his Talents without conditions.”

“What-what?!” Nainai flinched, eyes widening. “It was his honor to give his Talents to this Empress. An insect like him dared to ask for something in return?!”

“Yeah,” Liao Liao deadpanned. “His condition is that you must dance an anime choreo in a bunny girl suit to boost morale before the fight.”

“In-insolence!” Nainai jumped in panic and fury. “This Empress’s dancing is beyond you mortals—”

“It’s fine for you to not do it. He’ll just take his Talents away.”

Nainai stared in stunned silence, her expressions changing as she agonized over the decision. On one hand, she coveted the three Talents. Gravity, especially, would allow her to look down at all without wind. It would be perfect. On the other hand, while she sometimes danced for her own amusement in private, doing it before everyone in a bunny girl suit would be unbecoming of her—it would be public humiliation.

“No, nononono... I can’t do it...” Nainai held her head in both hands, the picture in her mind becoming clearer. Embarrassment rushed through her.

“Alright, stop teasing her,” Gao Yang intervened.

Liao Liao burst out laughing.

“You...you lied!” Nainai finally realized.

“Serve you right,” Liao Liao argued. “Talents cannot be retracted after being given away through Life Bank. You wouldn’t have fallen for it if you’d been listening to the explanation.”

“How dare you! This Empress—” Nainai was about to lay into Liao Liao when Qing Ling stopped her with a glance. She sat down meekly. “This Empress will spare you this time.”

New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.

—Veggie (Magic Hair, Lion Roar, Mitosis) gave her Talents to Gregor (Pestilence, Word Game, First-person)

Mitosis, serial number 108, Life-type. It allowed one to split into at most seven smaller individuals with power divided between them. Each individual had the autonomy to act on their own.

Word Game, serial number 159, Support-type. It was a rule-based Talent allowing him to disturb, restrict, and debuff a target by twisting words or speech around, such as taking something out of context or purposeful misinterpretation.

First-person, serial number 123, Psyche-type. It allowed one to temporarily share the target’s six senses and thoughts through physical contact, entering their first-person point of view.

“Did Gregor choose Veggie’s Talents on his own?” Gao Yang asked.

“Yes,” Liao Liao responded. “Sister Xia and I think it’s a good choice.”

Gao Yang nodded. “Lion Roar is a pretty good match for Pestilence.”

“Yeah.” Liao Liao snorted. “But Mr. Gao’s actually after Magic Hair and Mitosis. The former will stop him from balding, and the latter will increase his writing speed. He was sorely disappointed when he found out that the seven Gregors he split into had a much poorer writing skill.”

Gao Yang blinked in surprise. Gregor’s reasons were absurd, but made sense for him.

“As long as he’s happy with it,” Gao Yang commented before shifting his gaze back to the list.

—Small Luo (Toys, Praise, Sensory Disturbance) gave her Talents to Mischievous Monkey (Earth, Memory, One-inch Punch, Intel).

Sensory Disturbance, serial number 151, Psyche-type. It targeted one’s six senses and caused overstimulation, disorientation, synesthesia, cognitive dissonance, or cognitive impairment.

Intel, serial number 172, Knowledge-type. It allowed one to extract the most useful information out of a mess of information, as well as accurately identify true intelligence out of a mix of facts and lies.

—Major Fortune (Feigned Death, Billionaire, Psychic Corruption) gave his Talents to Dead Pig (Self Recovery, Beastly, Displacement, Arm Strength).

Billionaire, serial number 183, Knowledge-type. It granted great business sense and allowed one to earn a great fortune no matter what business they went into.

Psychic Corruption, serial number 132, Poison-type. It created a poison for the target’s mind. While the poison wouldn’t be fatal, it would lead to various negative effects, possibly driving the target to madness.

Gao Yang spent some time considering their strategy. Then he continued.

—Lying Wood (Negotiation Expert, Afterimage, Sleepless, Contract, Heavy) gave his Talents to Old Seven (Finger Strength, Six Senses Judge, Compulsion, Nagging).

Compulsion, serial number 167, Psyche-type. It influenced the target’s mind and made them fixate on a thought or a thing.

Nagging, serial number 163, Support-type. It influenced the user and all those around them through nonstop talking, but the influence could be good or bad.

Gao Yang pinched his brows with his head lowered. With the wildly differing array of Talents in play, it was difficult to allocate the members.

“Captain.” Liao Liao leaned in, pointing at Old Seven. “Can I have him on my team?”

Gao Yang looked up in surprise. “There’s a death monster you want to take on?”

“Yeah.”

“Let me guess.” Gao Yang paused. “Sloth?”

“Holy Shit!” Liao Liao jumped. “Did you acquire Mindreading?”

Gao Yang shook his head. “It’s just a hunch. The same attracts no matter if they are friends or enemies. You share a resemblance to Sloth in your temperament.”

“Haha, you’re being nice about it, Captain.” Liao Liao laughed self-deprecatingly. “She’s lazy, and I dislike trouble. We are the same breed.”

Gao Yang smiled instead of responding.

Liao Liao continued, “Captain, I believe we should target each death monster’s weakness, and someone similar to them can best understand them and spot their weakness. That’s why I think I’m the best candidate for facing Sloth.”

Gao Yang thought for a moment before nodding. “I’ll leave Sloth to you then. Who else do you want other than Old Seven?”

“I’m not asking for a lot,” Liao Liao deadpanned. “You or Dragon will do.”

Gao Yang stared at her.

“You can’t make it? Then Uncle Tiger, Sister Xia, or Sister Qing works, too.”

Gao Yang’s poker face did not crack.

“Haha, it’s just a joke. You have no sense of humor!” Liao Liao laughed, but she wasn’t entirely joking. “I know you’re all big shots who each have to take on a big threat. I’ll pick from the remaining members after you’ve assigned the team leaders.”

Gao Yang nodded. “You’re strong, Liao Liao. Have some confidence.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Liao Liao swallowed her tears.