The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 748: Never Surrender

Harvest Song dove into Yellow Lotus’ space in the blink of an eye, the five fingers of her right hand pressed together to make a knife-hand strike at Yellow Lotus’ throat.

She was quick, but she was attacking with her bare hand. Without a hidden weapon like a triangular blade, her reach was much shorter.

Yellow Lotus had longer limbs and thus an advantage over Harvest Song. While she wasn’t as agile as Harvest Song, she had enough time to react and easily brushed Harvest Song’s thrusting knife-hand aside. With her other hand, Yellow Lotus grabbed Harvest Song’s collar. If she managed to grab her, she would be able to transition into a shoulder throw and win the match.

Harvest Song had anticipated the move, though. Her flexible body bent back to dodge Yellow Lotus’ hand as she dropped to her knees, utilizing the momentum to slide to Yellow Lotus’ feet so that she could strike at the woman’s left ankle with her other hand.

As expected of an assassin. Harvest Song made every strike at the weak parts of the human body even without a weapon.

Yellow Lotus quickly lifted her left foot to dodge the attack, kicking at Harvest Song with the same foot.

Harvest Song pulled back and grabbed onto Yellow Lotus’ calf, using her legs like a scissor to cut at Yellow Lotus’ other leg in an attempt to trip her to the ground.

She would be the winner as long as Yellow Lotus fell to the ground for a second first.

Harvest Song was at a disadvantage under the particular rules of the match, and this was one of the few ways Harvest Song could secure a win by catching her opponent off guard.

Unfortunately, Harvest Song had underestimated Yellow Lotus’ Muscles. When her legs wrapped around Yellow Lotus’, it felt as if she was holding onto a hard concrete pillar. She couldn’t make Yellow Lotus lose balance.

With her muscles tensed, Yellow Lotus kept a steady center of gravity and didn’t even waver.

Harvest Song started and let go, about to roll away to increase their distance, but Yellow Lotus didn’t give her the chance. She extended her long arms and grabbed Harvest Song’s shirt from the back, easily lifting her for a throw.

Harvest Song twisted her waist and shot out both legs to wind them around Yellow Lotus’ neck. She planned to use the triangle choke on her. Like a snake, Harvest Song slithered around Yellow Lotus while grappling her, using her weight to throw Yellow Lotus off balance.

Yellow Lotus scoffed silently. She was waiting for this.

She pushed her muscles to the limit and turned as unwavering as a sturdy stone statue. Harvest Song was too light to break her stance.

Harvest Song realized with a shock that she had fallen for a trap, but it was too late to back out.

Ignoring the thighs strangling her neck, Yellow Lotus lifted Harvest Song high with her hands under Harvest Song’s armpits.

“Agh...”

Harvest Song cried out reflexively.

Bam! Yellow Lotus dropped to her knees and slammed Harvest Song to the floor.

With Harvest Song’s legs still locked onto Yellow Lotus’ neck and Yellow Lotus pushing her weight on Harvest Song, she was pressed into a horizontal U.

Harvest Song blushed. It was humiliating and embarrassing to lose the match in this posture.

“Do you tap out?” Yellow Lotus grinned at her teasingly.

Harvest Song kept her mouth shut. She pushed herself to break free of the hold, but failed.

“Tap out?” Yellow Lotus repeated. She sounded like she was enjoying her victory.

Harvest Song wouldn’t give up. She clenched her teeth, trying to sneakily move her hands.

Yellow Lotus noticed immediately and broke into a smirk. The hands on Harvest Song’s armpits started tickling her.

“Ah...”

Harvest Song swallowed down a whine and finally said through clenched teeth with great reluctance, “I surrender.”

Only then did Yellow Lotus pick herself up. “If you wanna defeat me, Little Harvest, you should come at me in your next life.”

Harvest Song leaped to a standing position and quickly sorted out the wrinkled judo uniform, her delicate but sharp heart-shaped face had a stubborn expression on it. Without a word, she returned to her spot and sat down cross-legged.

“Haha, I win the bet again.” Thick Earth was pleased. He gave Yellow Lotus a thumbs-up. “Good job, Lotus.”

His brother High Sky took out his wallet and handed his brother a dollar bill. He said half-jokingly, “Couldn’t you go easy on her, Lotus? What’s the fun of winning every time? Look at Little Harvest. She’s close to tears.”

“I don’t need it,” Harvest Song said stubbornly.

“Heard that?” Yellow Lotus untied her ponytail with a hand, shaking her blond curls loose. Her feminine charm was on full display. “If I had gone easy on her, Little Harvest would’ve been even angrier.”

“You need to do it skillfully so that no one will notice. Just like how...” Tall Sky quickly swallowed the unspoken words and shut his mouth.

But they all knew what was left unsaid.

Just like how Team Leader Goldthread did it.

The air grew heavy. Harvest Song’s expression had become noticeably colder. She looked down at the ground and clutched the hem of the judo shirt on her lap.

“Everyone.” Zhong He finally spoke up.

The team members turned to him.

“This is my last sparring session with all of you.” Zhong He smiled. “I resigned. I’m no longer your team leader.”

“Resigned?” Lying Wood started, adjusting his glasses. “Where are you going?”

“Nowhere. I’m going to be an unaffiliated awakener and a nobody.” Zhong He sounded a little like he had given up on himself.

“What?!” Yellow Lotus was surprised and a little nervous. She had a secret crush on Zhong He, but she hid it well and acted like his best buddy instead.

“Are you joking, Old Zhong?”

“I’m not.”

Quiet Book lowered her eyes, feeling melancholy and lost. “Once you go, Team Leader, the sixth team will really be gone.”

“The Qilin Guild is domineering. The Hundred Rivers Union is swallowed in its entirety. A flock of birds on the same branch the sixth team is. Each flying our way when the danger hits.” Muzitu put away his fan and uttered while shaking his head around.

Sunny shrugged. She had expected that to happen.

Cold Cicada didn’t say anything.

“I’m never team leader material.” Zhong He smiled bitterly. “I was just like you before. If not for the acquisition of Phantom, I would never be promoted to deputy team leader and then team leader after Goldthread’s departure. I came to lead the team simply by happenstance.”

“With power comes responsibility,” said Void. “You must not run away.”

Why can’t I?

What can I possibly do even if I don’t run away?

The whales have left a real mess after their fight. Why should shrimps like us become cannon fodder?

Zhong He wanted to say all that out loud, but he couldn’t. It would do no good to fuel their panic.

In fact, he didn’t think it would be wise for the others to go unaffiliated like him. He still had a powerful Talent to protect himself with; the same couldn’t be said about the other team members.

And the world was chaotic now. There was no telling if the unaffiliated awakeners would be gunned down. After all, the fewer awakeners there were, the greater the chance of comprehending a new Talent. With the doomsday seemingly on the horizon, nothing was beyond human nature if one could push up their chance of survival.

“Then I’m resigning too!” Yellow Lotus raised her voice and stated.