The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 1069: Life Bank

Walled City of Ten Dragons, Feiyang District.

Half an hour later, Gao Yang arrived at the Black Tortoise building. He had Wang Zikai wait in the lobby on the first floor while he headed to the single ward on the second floor. As soon as he opened the door, he found four people inside: Vermilion Bird, flanked by Ke Yo, One Stone, and Raven Shark.

One Stone was still dressed in a long white coat, while Raven Shark was drenched. It seemed that both had received a message from Ke Yo during work.

The past two days, the Life Rune Circuit hadn’t been studied in Dr. Jia’s laboratory, but put on Vermilion Bird to see if it would help her reach level 8. At first, everyone was hopeful that it would happen, but it seemed less and less likely that a miracle would grace them over time.

Nevertheless, they had to try.

Ke Yo had been Vermilion Bird’s personal caretaker over the past two days. When she woke up this morning, she realized to her shock that the Rune Circuit placed on Vermilion Bird’s chest was gone; instead, a pair of translucent light green gloves enveloped her hands—the form Life Rune Circuit took after merging.

It was unstable, reverting to the Life Rune Circuit not long after and returning to Vermilion Bird’s palm.

Ke Yo was overjoyed. She immediately called Gao Yang, One Stone, and Raven Shark.

“Captain, they merged!” Ke Yo exclaimed. “I saw it!”

“Yeah.” Gao Yang strode up to Vermilion Bird and knelt, taking one of her hands and using the inspection ability of Evanescent Omnireplication.

He opened his eyes after two seconds, perking up. The slight upturn of his tone belied his calmness. “It’s reached level 8.”

“Check what the skill is!” One Stone urged.

Gao Yang nodded and circulated his energy as he took Vermilion Bird’s hand, replicating her level 8 skill.

He observed the intangible energy pathway in his body, feeling it out and translating it into concrete information.

Then he pulled back after thirty seconds.

“Her level 8 skill is Life Bank.”

One Stone, Ke Yo, and Raven Shark held their breaths, waiting for Gao Yang to read out his judgment.

“The skill can freely store and convert the energy, Talent, and even lifespan of multiple higher lifeforms.”

“Lifespan?” Ke Yo raised her voice. “So we can save her?”

One Stone and Raven Shark lit up with hope, too.

“The mechanism is complex,” Gao Yang continued. “I’ll just go over the part regarding lifespan.”

“Let’s say for example that the total lifespan between the five of us is 300 years. I can only live for another 10 years, Ke Yo, 100 years. Then through Vermilion Bird’s Life Bank acting as the trading hub, she can give me another 100 years and Ke Yo another 10 years, or she can give us each 60 years. Of course, she can also kill all of us so that she can live 300 years on her own.”

“So it still follows the principle of Equivalent Exchange,” One Stone said.

“Yes.” Gao Yang nodded. “And it only works on willing subjects. Forcing it on someone comes with a chance of failure. The side effects are quite severe.”

“Then can we save Sister Xia?” Ke Yo asked the only question she cared about.

Gao Yang pondered for a moment. “In theory, it should be possible to save her since her brain, heart, and body hadn’t suffered serious damage. Well, it isn’t saving per se, but extending her life.”

One Stone caught up. “I get it. So we can save her by giving our life to her.”

“But Sister Xia’s still alive. She’s not dead, only turned vegetative.” Ke Yo identified the crux of the issue. She was about to say something else when realization dawned and contorted her face.

“We have to kill Elder Vermilion Bird.” Raven Shark guessed. He stared at Gao Yang’s chest with determination.

Gao Yang smiled wryly. “Yes, the only solution is to kill her first. Then I’ll use the replicated Life Bank on her, transferring some of my lifespan to her to bring her back. I’ll be using the resurrection ability of Equivalent Exchange at the same time. However, it comes with a time limit. It’s best to resurrect her within twenty-four hours after her death, the sooner the better.”

“Then Sister Xia will recover?” Ke Yo pressed.

“Perhaps.” Gao Yang couldn’t give a guarantee. “It should work in theory. Vermilion Bird won’t be living on her lifespan, but mine.”

“What if...it fails?” Ke Yo asked.

“Then Vermilion Bird will return just like this.”

Everyone fell silent.

Gao Yang hesitated for a moment. Then he volunteered the truth. “Moreover, I’ve never replicated a level 8 Talent with Evanescent Omnireplication before. I can’t guarantee that it’ll work. If that fails, Vermilion Bird will be dead for real.”

The air stilled. The hope and joy on the three faces turned into worry and hesitance.

Gao Yang sighed. “We are all those Vermilion Bird would entrust her life to. We will be making the decision in her stead.”

They exchanged a glance.

“I’ll give you ten seconds,” Gao Yang said.

“Huh?” Ke Yo started. “I thought you would let us think calmly for a few days—”

“Seven seconds,” Gao Yang cut her off.

One Stone got nervous too. “Wait, at least give us half an hour—”

Gao Yang interrupted once more, “Five seconds.”

“Four.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

“Answer!”

“Save her! Save her!” One Stone squeezed her eyes shut and shouted. “I know Vermilion Bird! She would rather die than stay like this until she dies!”

“I agree!” Ke Yo’s eyes turned red.

Raven Shark nodded. “Agreed.”

“See?” Gao Yang chuckled. “You have your answer the moment the coin is tossed.”

“What about you?” One Stone asked.

“What do you think?”

She paused, adjusting her rimless glasses with a bitter smile. “Then use my lifespan.”

“No, use mine!” Ke Yo spoke up.

“Use mine...”

“None of yours,” Gao Yang stopped them coolly. “It’s an additional layer of work with more people involved, and the more complex the process becomes, the higher the chance of failure.”

His reason was so sound that the three couldn’t argue.

Gao Yang went up and looked down at Vermilion Bird and her blank eyes. “I don’t know whether Life Bank allows repeated transfer of lifespan between the same targets. That’s something I can’t find out with Evanescent Omnireplication. If things can’t be repeated, the years I give her this time will be the years she’ll live.”

One Stone’s face darkened. “Then how long are you going to give Vermilion Bird?”

“I quite treasure my life,” Gao Yang said apologetically. “So I’ll only give her half.”

“Half?!” One Stone shouted. “You’re out of your mind!”

Ke Yo and Raven Shark gaped. Treasuring his life? He should look up the definition of “treasure”!

“Yeah. I’ll give her half of my years.” Gao Yang was determined. “If Vermilion Bird wakes up, and Life Bank turns out to allow multiple transfers of lifespans to the same target, she will be able to take a couple of years from you to give back to me. If it doesn’t work with the same target, I can live with having half of my years.”

One Stone couldn’t believe how calm Gao Yang was going about it. He might as well be talking about the weather. She lowered her head, shamefaced.

“When...when are we getting started?” Ke Yo asked nervously.

“Now,” Gao Yang said.

That made the three jump once more.

It was fine to make the decision quickly, but did he have to execute his decision in such a hurry as well?

None of them could guarantee that the plan would work. If they failed, they would effectively be ending Vermilion Bird’s life. At least they should gather those Vermilion Bird knew to say goodbye to her just in case, or they should pick an auspicious day, or they should think about the worst-case scenario and prepare accordingly.

Yet Gao Yang did everything as if they were just going downstairs for food.

Thinking about it, though, One Stone could understand Gao Yang.

Deep down, she wanted them to act quickly. The longer they dragged this on, the more torment they would have to endure. Vermilion Bird, too, had suffered enough. Good or bad, she deserved a conclusion to this misery.

Mind made up, she turned around and stalked out. “I’ll get the medicine!”

Gao Yang didn’t respond to her, but instead turned to Ke Yo and Raven Shark. “Promise me that whether this works or not, do not tell the others, especially not Wang Zikai or Gao Xinxin.”

They nodded immediately.

Soon, One Stone returned with a syringe of poison that would instantly kill someone without making them suffer. She knelt down before Vermilion Bird’s wheelchair, slowly holding the syringe to Vermilion Bird’s pale neck.

Vermilion Bird’s head slightly drooped, gazing blankly at One Stone and feeling no fear for her incoming death. Like an innocent little girl, she didn’t understand anything.

One Stone took a labored deep breath, eyes reddening, face pale, and hands shaking.

Suddenly, Gao Yang took the syringe from her and stabbed the needle into Vermilion Bird’s neck, emptying the syringe, giving the others no time to react.

“Hate me if you want to,” he said in a steely voice.