The Labyrinth of the Monsters-Chapter 67 – Passing and Inheritance
Wu Dahai's first action was predictable. He used his hands to straighten his drooping broom head, without even needing to spray any hair gel. He made the broom head sturdy and straight, truly a man with "ionic perm" in his hands.
Wu Dahai walked to the left side of the office, where there was a two-meter diameter circular totem on the floor. It vaguely resembled a freehand drawing of the twelve zodiac animals.
He waved his hand. "Come over here."
Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, and White Rabbit all came to his side and stood inside the totem.
"Click."
Wu Dahai snapped his fingers. One second later, the totem under their feet turned into an elevator platform. It slowly descended while rotating, and when it completed one full rotation, the platform stopped and arrived at a secret room.
The group stepped off the elevator platform and began to look around.
The secret room had a polygonal circular structure, estimated to be around 200 square meters. The walls and ceiling were made of textured ivory-white stone.
Gao Yang counted and found that there were twelve walls, each with an abstract and solemn relief carving. Starting from the one o'clock direction, they were: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Rooster, Monkey, Dog, and Pig.
Under each relief carving, there was a metal table that had both an antique and technological feel. On the table were various zodiac masks of different quantities, types, shapes, and conditions. They were all placed in sealed oxygen-free glass cabinets, as if they were antiques on display.
Gao Yang went to the relief carving of the Rat. There were three sealed oxygen-free glass cabinets on the metal table, all containing rat masks. The year was written on the outside of the glass.
The first mask was a cheap plastic rat mask that looked like a toy worth a few dollars at a street stall. Year: 1965-1980.
The second mask was a rubber rat headgear with a punk style, but only the upper half remained. The lower half seemed to have been cut off by a sharp weapon, and there were dried dark red bloodstains remaining on the headgear. Year: 1983-1984.
The third mask was the most miserable, with only some irreparable metal fragments left. It looked like it had been melted by high temperatures and was made of metal. Year: 1993-2010.
Not only Gao Yang, but Qing Ling and Officer Huang were also attracted by the other masks. They circled around the relief carvings, as if they were visiting a museum.
Gao Yang quickly walked around and discovered that there were masks under each relief carving, ranging from one to as many as six. However, there was not a single mask under the Dragon.
"Are you curious why there is no mask under the Dragon?" White Rabbit came to Gao Yang's side and looked at the Dragon relief carving on the wall with him.
"A little bit."
"Our organization was established 57 years ago, and the twelve zodiac animals were formed within three years. When a position becomes vacant, the organization will recruit new suitable candidates to fill it. Therefore, for the most part, there have always been twelve members of the Zodiac. You can understand it as a kind of inheritance."
White Rabbit's expression turned serious. In her eyes, this was not something to be joked about. "Each member can customize their own zodiac mask. To facilitate distinction, starting from the second generation, the name cannot be just the zodiac animal, but must have an additional word. For example, the first generation Rat was called 'Rat', the second generation was called 'Year Rat', the third generation was called 'Shadow Rat', and the fourth generation is Wu Dahai. His talent is [Thunder and Lightning], so he calls himself 'Electric Mouse'."
Gao Yang immediately understood. "The masks displayed here are all from deceased predecessors."
"Yes, Wu Dahai is the fourth generation." White Rabbit's gaze was filled with respect. "I am the third generation, and Adorable Lamb is the most unfortunate. She is already the seventh generation, but she is now the favorite of the group. Everyone would rather die themselves than see Adorable Lamb die. But well, Adorable Lamb's talent now is not easy to die."
Gao Yang was shocked. "Then, isn't the Dragon..."
"The Dragon has never died, so he is still called 'Dragon'. The Dragon is the captain and the founder of the Zodiac." White Rabbit's tone changed when she mentioned the captain. "The captain is really pitiful. All the original teammates died, and only he and us, the group of newcomers, are left."
Gao Yang's mood became complicated. "You said earlier that the captain and I are blood brothers, so I thought... the captain is very young."
"He is indeed very young, not only young but also very handsome!" White Rabbit revealed a fangirl smile. "You will know what I mean in the future."
"Okay." Gao Yang no longer asked.
After thinking for a moment, Gao Yang asked again, "Is the vice captain the Tiger?"
"Wow, how did you know? Did Wu Dahai tell you?" White Rabbit was surprised.
"No, I noticed that besides the Dragon, there are the fewest masks for the Tiger, only one. So his seniority should be very old."
White Rabbit raised her thumb. "You are very smart. I like smart people. The vice captain is called Fighting Tiger. He won't be attending the new recruits welcome party because he is on a mission."
The sound of the elevator platform descending came from behind. White Rabbit looked over Gao Yang's shoulder, her eyes brightening. "Ah, everyone is here."
Gao Yang turned around, and the group walked off the elevator platform.Tengu was leading the way, still wearing his mask, with Adorable Lamb sitting on his shoulder. Today, Adorable Lamb was dressed in a light green Han dress, her previous bun styled into a cute twist braid. She was holding a candied hawthorn stick, waving at Gao Yang, "Brother Gao Yang, we meet again!"
"Yes, Little Adorable Lamb." Gao Yang was also happy to see Adorable Lamb. This little girl not only saved him but also gave him a sense of sisterly affection.
"Everyone's here." Dead Pig laughed cheerfully. As he stepped off the elevator platform, everyone felt the floor trembling slightly.
Behind Dead Pig were two men and a woman, all wearing masks, representing a chicken, a monkey, and a horse.
"Let me introduce you, these three are our new members: Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang Qi." White Rabbit walked over to her teammates and introduced them in turn: "These three are Mischievous Ghost, Splashing Monkey, and Singing Chicken."
The man called Mischievous Ghost was not "mischievous" at all. He wore a mask with a horse face that looked world-weary, giving the impression that this horse was suffering from depression.
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The man took off his mask, revealing a middle-aged uncle with prominent brow bones and a broad chin. His nasolabial folds were deep, his dark circles were huge, and he was wearing a rigid dark blue suit, carrying a black briefcase, looking like a corporate slave who had been working overtime for three days and nights.
Mischievous Ghost extended his hand politely, his voice gloomy, "Hello."
"Hello." Gao Yang lightly shook his hand, which was as cold as a dead man's. Then he shook hands with Qing Ling and Officer Huang.
After shaking hands, he took out three business cards from his suit pocket: "Please accept these."
The three of them looked at each other, took the business cards, and felt quite embarrassed.
Gao Yang glanced at the business card and was slightly surprised. It turned out that Mischievous Ghost was a lawyer from a law firm.
After Mischievous Ghost stepped back, Splashing Monkey stepped forward. He was wearing a mask in the style of traditional Chinese opera, depicting the Monkey King, with silver hair and dressed in a white Tai Chi suit, showing his age.
The old man called Splashing Monkey took off his mask.
Gao Yang was taken aback: it was him?!
