The Creatures that We Are

“Yes, ma’am!”

Can rushed to the kitchen with the groceries and stored the food in the fridge, humming happily.

Half an hour later, the seven members gathered at the dining table, sharing a large bowl of spaghetti bolognese. All except Lithe Snake, who hadn't eaten traditional food in months, sustaining himself instead on daily nutrient capsules.

Gray Bear devoured the spaghetti and cleaned his plate in minutes. He wiped his mouth with two tissues, lit a cigarette, and took a long, contented drag. His gaze fell derisively on Lithe Snake as he delivered his usual critique.

“If one can give up even their appetite, what’s the meaning of life?”

“Only animals allow desires to dominate them,” Lithe Snake shot back dismissively.

“Brother Snake, it’s not always a bad thing to let desires drive you.” Xiran smiled. “People are people because of our emotions and desires. Otherwise, what makes us different from artificial intelligence?”

“That’s not accurate,” Ronnie chimed in, his usual stutter absent when discussing a topic of his interest. “Artificial intelligence can simulate desires, too. It’s human brains’ intrinsic modular structures resulting in our contradictions and confusion, and an AI’s computing framework allowing it to carry out executions precisely. The two models are inherently…”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Can quickly interrupted. “We’ve got a newbie among our ranks. Please talk about something else on this special day. I’m begging you, on my knees!”

Can turned to Gao Yang. “Newbie, how’s my cooking?”

“Quite good.” Gao Yang picked up a piece of spam from his bowl. “Do people put spam in spaghetti bolognese?”

“Haha, no.” Can giggled. “Captain bought it, and it gave me an idea. Don’t you like spam, newbie?”

Gao Yang shook his head. “I like it.”

“Then have your fill!” Can said, propping her head on her hand as she smiled at him.

“Can, fallen for the new guy already?” Vermilion Bird smirked with a cigarette between her fingers, having finished eating.

“No! How could I?” Can waved her hands frantically. “I just saw myself in him when I first joined, so I can’t help but want to show him more care.”

“There’s no rush in that,” Vermilion Bird said.

“Seems like you have a plan, boss,” Lithe Snake said.

Vermilion Bird nodded and looked at Gao Yang. “Liu Li, you’ll be an official member starting today.”

“Okay.” Gao Yang saw no reason to decline, and the more complex the situation became, the more likely he'd spot the dream's flaw.

“Haha!” Can was pleased. “Guess what our organization name is?”

Gao Yang shook his head. “I can’t.”

Lithe Snake scoffed. “And now your superpower doesn’t work?”

“Yeah, it does that sometimes,” Gao Yang said casually.

“Can! Tell him the name!” Gray Bear patted his belly proudly.

“Dreamrise!” Can announced.

Gao Yang didn’t expect it to be a completely new name.

“Jupiter Travelers had all survived their dreams. We all rose from the ashes of our dream.” Xiran adjusted his glasses as he gently explained.

“Xiran came up with the name,” Can said with a chuckle. “We all voted yes.”

Vermilion Bird exhaled smoke. “Liu Li, your mission is to contact the doctor in charge of you and establish a deep collaboration with Closure.”

“Why?” Gao Yang asked.

“Good question. I need access to your dream.” Vermilion Bird smiled. “It’s stored in Closure’s servers. Without a deep collaboration, you’ll have to visit the company to browse any of it even if you pay the member fees. You can’t copy it, and others can’t see it.”

She tapped her temples. “Once you establish a collaboration with Closure, you can simply browse it online. Then I can hack it to allow copies to be made and stored locally. We’ll all be able to check it.”

“Got it.” Gao Yang nodded. “It seems that my dream will help locate Qilin.”

Gray Bear chuckled. “You’re quick.”

Vermilion Bird exhaled another cloud of smoke and fixed her gaze on Gao Yang. “Among the clues I discovered in the consciousness shards in the Heavenly Ocean, some were about you.”

Gao Yang quietly waited.

“I won’t go into how I did it. To conclude, I got an important clue from the investigation: the orphanage that took you in was funded by a businessman surnamed Su, which is one of Qilin’s aliases.”

“Reasonable.” Gao Yang nodded. “I’ll do it.”

“The guy’s unexpectedly easygoing,” Gray Bear said.

“He’s decisive,” Can corrected.

“No, he simply doesn’t care,” Vermilion Bird said. “He still believes this to be a dream or a game.”

“I suggest you be a little more serious.” Lithe Snake stared at Gao Yang icily. “If you dare to drag us down, I’ll give you a game over.”

“Brother Snake!” Can pouted. “We should get along. Why are you threatening the newbie?”

Lithe Snake ignored her protest, returning his attention to his shortsword.

Vermilion Bird nodded contently. “Since you care about him so much, Can, why don’t you live here for the time being?”

“Huh?” Can started and blushed. “Captain, that, that, that…won’t be appropriate, will it?”

Vermilion Bird said, “Liu Li’s condition is unstable. Someone should keep an eye on him, but I don’t have time.”

“I have work,” Xiran said.

“Me, too,” Ronnie echoed.

“I’m not gonna play babysitter!” That was Gray Bear.

“None of my business.” Then Lithe Snake.

Vermilion Bird shrugged with a resigned smile. “So, you’re it.”

“Alright.” Can winked at Gao Yang. “I’ll be in your care, newbie.”

“Sure.” Gao Yang nodded.

Vermilion Bird then continued, “You have another mission, Can. Once I extract Liu Li’s dream, go through it and compile the relevant information.”

“Captain, won’t it be quicker for you to upload the dream to Neunet and browse it with your Red Scorpion?”

“It won’t be the same. I can quickly browse and organize information, but getting insights and deductions from it is different. Technology can’t do everything, at least not now.”

Can straightened her posture. “I understand. I’ll complete the mission properly!”

Vermilion Bird thought for a moment. “I’ll give you a fake identity. You’ll be Liu Li’s distant cousin from now on. You came all the way to Moon City to take care of him.”

She turned to Gao Yang. “As for you, focus on recovery for now. I’ll seek you out for more missions. Seeking Qilin is our long-term goal. We take on gigs to feed ourselves.”

Can sighed, resting her chin on her hand. “You can’t get anywhere without money in Moon City.”

“Hmph, it’s the same everywhere,” Gray Bear said. “Free things don’t just fall from the sky.”

“But Jupiter Viruses do,” Lithe Snake added.

“That’s it then.” Vermilion Bird walked toward the living room. “Xiran, get me a vomit bag.”

“On it!” Xiran jumped to his feet.

Vermilion Bird sank into the couch and pulled out the drawer beneath the tea table, an access point to Neunet. She pulled out strings that resembled a jellyfish’s tentacles and lifted it to the back of her neck. They braided themselves into a cable and entered her S Chip’s port.

A violent shudder ran through her body as she collapsed onto the sofa, her head lolling forward.

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