The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 407: Shabby Hotel

She hurriedly picked up a piece of pork liver and put it in Gao Yang’s bowl. “You should eat more too.”

Gao Yang sighed in relief before smiling awkwardly. I’m glad that you’re willing to play along, Qing Ling, but have you forgotten that I don’t like pork liver?

I remember all your favorite food! Would you please keep in mind my preferences too like a good actor would?

Wait...you don’t like pork liver, either, do you?

Huh, so you’re just trying to leave more of your favorite food for yourself? Is this how you treat someone who’s been through life-and-death situations with you? Don’t you have a conscience?

The dinner left Gao Yang feeling unloved.

After dinner, Officer Huang went to the kitchen to do dishes, while the three of them watched TV in the living room and chatted until nine o’clock.

Then Officer Huang served the birthday cake, and they celebrated Su Xi’s birthday together simply. After they sang her the birthday song, Su Xi made wishes and blew the candles.

When it was time to share the cake, Qing Ling followed the earlier examples and continued to ‘show her love’, leaving the cake part she didn’t like to Gao Yang and the cream and fruit she liked to herself.

About ten o’clock, Su Xi was getting tired and retired to bed first.

Officer Huang gave Qing Ling and Gao Yang a ride back to the university.

It wasn’t until a little into the ride that they put their awakener hat back on.

“What did my wife tell you while I was cooking?” Officer Huang asked.

“Nothing much.” Gao Yang snickered. “Just the fact that after your parents’ death, you got abandoned by your gambling addict of an uncle and became a problem student. Then you turned to the light side and entered a police academy...”

“Alright I get it stop.” Officer Huang thought embarrassedly, She’s told them all about my dark past!

After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath and mustered the courage to ask, “Did you use Lie Detection on my wife?”

Gao Yang paused. So that was why Officer Huang invited them to his place.

“I did,” Gao Yang admitted.

“The result is good, right?” Officer Huang asked tentatively. “If it’s not good, you would’ve found a way to let me know immediately.”

“Yeah, your wife loves you, and her attitude to you is benevolent.”

“Thank you,” Officer Huang said in a gentle voice. “It’s important to me.”

Soon, the car stopped at a traffic light. Officer Huang added, “Oh, she’s expected to give birth mid November.”

Gao Yang calculated it in his head. “One and a half months away.”

“Yeah.” Officer Huang sighed, sounding worried.

“Did War Tiger make any progress in his investigation?” Gao Yang asked, curious.

Officer Huang knew he was talking about the procreation between a human and a monster. He looked up at Gao Yang through the rearview mirror. “Guess why I joined Operation: Heavenbreaker?”

Gao Yang realized immediately, “It has something to do with the Godbearer Cult?”

Officer Huang nodded. “War Tiger found that decades ago, the Godbearer Cult had already started studying the procreation between humans and monsters and came to some conclusions. The information is confidential even among the Cult. To figure things out quickly, the best choice is to get my hands on their records.”

“How did War Tiger find out?” Gao Yang asked.

“He said he had a reliable source of information, but nothing else.”

Gao Yang thought about it. Could there be a spy within the Cult planted by War Tiger?

It was unlikely. Even Ghost Horse had failed to infiltrate the inner circle of the Godbearer Cult. Planting a spy wasn’t an easy task.

War Tiger was more likely to have gotten the information through other channels and means. Perhaps Dragon was involved in the process. After all, Dragon was from the era of the Elusive Sect. He knew a lot.

It wasn’t a surprise to Gao Yang that the Godbearer Cult was studying the procreation of humans and monsters, though. After all, the Cult was behind the merging of Epilogue, the leader of shadowstalkers, and Lilia, an awakener.

What exactly was their ultimate goal?

The green light came. Officer Huang stepped on the accelerator to start the car. “There’s something else that may be related to what I want to find out.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about Old Man Liu.”

Gao Yang tensed.

Old Man Liu was Mischievous Monkey’s twin brother, the owner of the malatang stand that Officer Huang frequented.

While Mischievous Monkey was an awakener, Old Man Liu, his twin, was a wanderer, which didn’t make sense at all.

Mischievous Monkey had joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs to get to the bottom of the mystery. It seemed that progress had finally been made in that regard.

“Keep going.” Gao Yang waited for him to continue.

“No rush.” Officer Huang took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. “I’ll make the report in the operation meeting tomorrow. Let’s do things by the book, and I don’t have to repeat the same thing twice.”

“Alright.” Gao Yang didn’t disagree.

It wasn’t long until Officer Huang’s car reached the gates of the Li City University. The light of the dorms would soon go off. Gao Yang and Qing Ling got out of the car and hurried to the school gates.

Before they entered, though, Gao Yang came to a sudden halt and thought for a few seconds, giving Qing Ling a pointed look. “Why don’t we go elsewhere rather than returning to campus?”

“Where to?”

“Get a room at a hotel.”

Qing Ling held his gaze. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay.” Qing Ling grabbed his hand and turned to leave.