The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 963: A and B

Chapter 963: A and B

Qilin still had time. He considered Zhong He with amusement. “You aren’t as fearless as you pretend to be, are you?”

Zhong He trembled, stripped bare by Qilin's perception.

"Your fury masks something deeper. Perhaps you hadn't realized how thoroughly you've buried your fear beneath rage. You're terrified of me..." Qilin paused. "No, not just me. You fear anyone and anything more powerful than yourself."

Zhong He remained silent.

"Don't be afraid," Qilin said. "I've already told you—I won't kill you."

"Why?"

“I take no pleasure in killing the innocent. Killing is a means to an end rather than the end itself.”

Zhong He scoffed.

"I understand your skepticism." Qilin's voice remained even. "But consider this: before Gao Yang's appearance, did the Qilin Guild ever kill an innocent under my leadership? Gao Yang forced this civil war. He catalyzed our current reality."

Zhong He's silence stretched.

"I've told you before, Zhong He," Surnamed Li pressed. "Gao Yang is the Malediction! He'll destroy everything – not by choice, but by fate's decree! We're fighting to change that fate. No matter how slim the hope, even if it damns me to hell, I won't surrender!"

Still, Zhong He said nothing.

"There's another reason for sparing you," Qilin continued. "We need hostages. Gao Yang will trade the Rune Circuits for your lives."

Zhang Wei blinked, surprised by the frank admission.

“Follow me, or do you want me to do it for you?” Qilin’s smile faded.

“Let go of your hatred!” Surnamed Li implored. “Too many have died unnecessarily. Don’t throw away your life for nothing!”

His head snapped up, eyes hardening. "Now I understand. Fear is useless. The more afraid I am, the worse it gets. As long as I breathe, I can't leave the world in A's hands. There will always be another B. Countless Bs."

He stepped forward. "Eventually, we all become B."

Qilin and Surnamed Li listened in silence. A deep sorrow filled Surnamed Li's eyes before she slowly closed them.

Darkness crashed down as every light died.

Shadow Army!

Zhong He's confession, though genuine, had served as misdirection. His heel had never left the cardboard's shadow, allowing him to quietly extend a shadow thread. Rather than attacking Qilin directly, he'd sent it through the study's pipeline to the storage room, finding the main switch and cutting power at the perfect moment.

In absolute darkness, shadow elements moved like lightning, reaching Qilin and Surnamed Li almost instantly.

Shadow elements ignored psychic power. Even if Qilin killed or controlled Zhong He, the elements would continue their programmed attack for two crucial seconds.

Two seconds to end it all.

Power returned moments later. Eighteen shadow warriors surrounded Qilin and Surnamed Li, their weapons piercing through both figures as Yellow Lotus held them.

Had it worked?

A detail suddenly struck Zhong He.

The moment before his attack, Surnamed Li had closed her eyes with regret.

Right, she could see the ten-second future, and she would have kept Prophet running given the circumstances.

Why didn’t she warn Qilin?

Zhong He’s eyes shook when he saw the reason.