The Creatures That We Are
Chapter 1263: Projection

Chapter 1263: Projection

The man under the mask looked around twenty-seven. His grey hair was combed into a side part, going well with his handsome face and eyes curved at the tail like a peach blossom petal. A beauty mark adorned the corner of his left eye. His thin lips made him look playful without being unpleasantly frivolous. He looked like the typical charming playboy one couldn’t help but be drawn to.

Cerulean Dog raised an eyebrow at Adept Horse. “You’re a member of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, buddy?”

“Adept Horse.”

“Adept Horse.” Cerulean Dog stroked his chin with his long, bony fingers. “Nice name. But what a shame. It seems that none of the companions I know are around.” He turned to the others. “Anyone else here belong to the Zodiacs?”

They had numerous questions to ask this man, but the man in question launched into small talk as if it were the natural thing to do. They had no choice but to play along for now.

“Heavenly Dog.” Heavenly Dog glanced down at the girl sleeping in his arms. “Lovely Lamb.”

“Green Snake,” Qing Ling said.

“Dark Horse,” Gao Yang said.

“Haha, you need not introduce yourself. You’re a certified celebrity with many aliases.” Cerulean Dog rattled off while bending his fingers, “Dark Horse, Seven Shadow, Qi Ying, Jintiannan, Liu Li, son-in-law of the Spectres, the Divine Scion, Master Gao...”

He stopped all of a sudden, doing a double-take at Qing Ling. His eyes lit up with recognition. “Oh, it’s you, Cousin! You’ve changed a lot. I didn’t recognize you at first.”

Qing Ling, meanwhile, had recognized him at a glance, but she wasn’t surprised. They had anticipated this possibility.

Of course, she was curious why Cerulean Dog would show up here, but she believed they would get their answer soon enough.

“Yeah,” She responded coolly.

“Tsk.” Cerulean Dog put on a hurt look. “I’m your cousin, girl. You could be a little more enthusiastic about this reunion. You’ve always been this way, though. I still prefer Little Ling.”

Face darkening, Qing Ling shot back, “And I prefer your Tang Dao.”

“Haha, you didn’t change.” Cerulean Dog was about to say something else when his smile stiffened. He finally spotted the beautiful woman with silver hair and crimson eyes dressed in a quaint red dress in the back. Her gaze was a mix of joy, passion, and rage that burned like fire under a frozen lake.

Sensing the volatile tension, the others parted to the side to make way for White Dew.

Chin slightly lifted, White Dew sauntered over to Cerulean Dog with her chin slightly lifted and her eyes lowered, the hem of her dress sashaying softly in tandem with her elegant steps.

The smirk on Cerulean Dog’s face faded. His beautiful eyes glinted with love. “White...”

White Dew slapped him with a clean swing.

The man’s face was twisted to the side, but he didn’t seem angry. He turned back to her and gave her a tender smile.

White Dew moved in and cupped his face before kissing him passionately. Cerulean Dog wound his arms around her and responded with equal fervor.

Silence arrived suddenly.

Then Zhang Wei broke it with a flabbergasted remark, “Wait, we should be fighting the boss and saving humanity, right? Why are we suddenly transported to a soap opera...”

“We aren’t in a rush.” Vermilion Bird gave him an eyeroll. “This is prime television. And you’re complaining about it?”

“Yeah!” Liao Liao grinned, her shipper heart awakening. “But is this something we should be watching without paying?”

The pair kissed in each other’s embrace for a long while before letting go.

Cerulean Dog murmured adoringly, “Little...”

“Call me White Dew,” White Dew snapped. “We aren’t close.”

“Yeah, you’re not close,” Zhang Wei muttered under his breath. “You’re intimate.”

“I’m glad that you’re alive, White Dew,” Cerulean Dog said.

“I’m not. I shouldn’t have eaten you.” White Dew looked at him with grievances she could not untangle. “I was born with a curse, and you gave me another one that forced me to live on my own until now. Do you know how cruel that is?”

Cerulean Dog smiled softly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that my vital energy was special. What’s wrong with a man giving his life for the woman he loves? Forgive me, White Dew.”

“I don’t forgive you. I will never forgive you.”

Cerulean Dog was still smiling. “Okay. Then don’t forgive me. It’s your decision.”

“Ew, I’m ready to throw up,” Zhang Wei grumbled, but no one paid any attention to him.

White Dew took a deep breath before returning to the group as if nothing had happened—or her reunion with her former lover had merely been an out-of-the-blue commercial, and the show was now back on.

After a moment of silence, Gao Yang asked the first question: “Are you a friend, or foe?”

Cerulean Dog smirked. “Neither.”

“Who are you?” Gao Yang pressed.

“How do I put it?” Cerulean Dog’s shoulder sloped with one hand in his pocket and the other hand adjusting his tie. He looked captivating with his long, slim fingers and bobbing Adam’s apple. “While I was in the Mist World, I was an independent lifeform no different from you. Once I died, though, I returned here and became a projection.”

“Whose projection?” Gao Yang caught the keyword.

“Theirs,” Cerulean Dog said.

“And who are They?”

“They do not have a name. They exist on the other side of the Gates. If you consider yourselves guests here, They would be the host.”

“So you’re Their apostle?” Vermilion Bird tried to boil the situation down to a clear narrative.

“No,” Cerulean Dog corrected with a smile. “I’m merely Their projection.”

“Stop beating around the bush!” Wang Zikai was getting impatient. “Just tell me if things will end if I kill you.” His only goal now was to bring Gao Yang back to the real world safely.

Cerulean Dog shook his head. “One doesn’t ache when their shadow is stepped on.”

“Then just take me to Them!”

Cerulean Dog smiled, intrigued. “As expected of Pride.”

“Pride your ass! Pride’s dead. Standing before you is God Kai!” Wang Zikai declared haughtyly.

“Of course.” Cerulean Dog didn’t appear irate. Instead, he played along easily. “Respectfully, God Kai, I cannot grant your demand. This place is quite big, divided into seven rooms. They are in the last room. To see Them, you’ll have to go through the other rooms first.”

“Then take me there!” Wang Zikai demanded.

“I can come and go freely, but not you.”

“You’re asking for a beating!”

Vermilion Bird stopped Wang Zikai from charging at the man. “Easy. What do we do, Cerulean Dog?”

“It’s simple.” Cerulean Dog extended a finger. “Every room poses a question. Once you answer it, you’ll enter the next room.”

“Ugh, what’s the point of all this trouble?” Zhang Wei asked irritably.

“It’s Their rules. Consider this...” Cerulean Dog thought of a word for it. “An interview.”

Gregor laughed bitterly with a cigarette in his mouth. “Who would’ve thought? We still couldn’t escape the fate of a corporate slave even after entering the Gates of Closure.”

“Is there no other option?” Gao Yang asked.

“No.” Cerulean Dog thought about it and added, “Or you can kill me and become trapped in eternity.”

“Now you’re really asking for it! Do you think I don’t dare to—” Wang Zikai swallowed his pride when he met Gao Yang’s eyes.

“We’ll take the interview,” Gao Yang said.

“Good,” Cerulean Dog responded with a smile.

Dr. Jia was the most eager among them. “What are you waiting for? Let’s get started!”

“You are already in the first room. It’s called the Black and White Corridor.”