Illusion Report

When Mai Mingle looked up, she was in a corridor with peeling walls and dismal lighting.

The struggling fluorescent lights were like a mouthful of cavities. Every few steps, another tube was dark, leaving only a decaying black hole.

The remaining dim lights couldn’t be trusted, either. Every so often, a tube would flicker with a sharp CRACK, assaulting the eyes with a flash of darkness.

’...What floor is this?’

It looked nothing like the area behind the ground-floor main entrance. At the end of the corridor was a narrow window, and through it, she could vaguely see the rooftops of nearby buildings.

Mai Mingle listened. Aside from the buzzing of the lights, the corridor was silent.

She was all alone. The other four people, and that translucent face, had been flung to god-knows-which corner of the building.

’Maybe that translucent face stayed outside with the Kai Family Hunters?’

"This month, the production at Annie’s Warehouse Theater is a modern play, set in a toy company that’s struggling to stay afloat and is on the verge of going out of business."

During his introduction at the entrance, Chebri had said this, then paused to glance at Mai Mingle. Seemingly remembering her lack of experience, he added an explanation:

"The theaters here in Old Port, in the Nest, also have productions that rotate every so often. For us, they’re potentially lethal traps. But for the residents, these ’dramas’ are their cultural entertainment... After all, there’s no play that makes them happier than one where they get to watch humans die."

He chuckled after saying this. "To be honest, I can’t say I don’t get it."

"Chebri," Tian Xi said, giving him a look.

Sha Xue remained impassive.

"Alright, alright. I’m just saying, if I died in the Nest, I’d definitely spawn the most powerful resident imaginable."

Chebri ran a hand through his platinum hair and got back on topic. "Due to the influence of this month’s play, the environment and scenes inside the warehouse will change accordingly. After we go in, we’ll find that the whole building has become that toy company on the brink of bankruptcy."

’It seems this toy company was once quite successful. It’s a decent size, with more than one story—even if the floor space here seems small.’

"...Once inside, you’ll find you’ve been randomly placed on one of the floors. The requirement for passing the interview is to get back to the first floor and leave through the main entrance within one hour. Don’t worry, the main entrance won’t be blocked. As long as you can get back to the first floor and find it, you’ll be able to leave."

She had listened carefully to every word of Chebri’s instructions.

"Let me give you a heads-up about this theater’s special feature. The first thing you need to do once you’re inside is to figure out what your appearance has been changed into. Until you see your appearance with your own eyes, it’s an unfixed, chaotic mass. This means the theater can ’style’ you however it pleases.

"It’s like the observer effect in physics—’observation causes collapse.’ The moment you see your own appearance, it finally solidifies and settles into a single form. Once your appearance is fixed, the theater can no longer mold you however it wants.

"Remember, you must fix your appearance before doing anything else."

He’d also said that within five minutes of entering, you had to find a way to see your own form. Exceeding the five-minute mark without confirming it was equivalent to failing halfway.

As for the exact reason why, Chebri hadn’t said.

Though his briefing was about the upcoming dangers, he had deftly skirted around all the truly perilous details.

Chebri had, however, stressed that after an hour, anyone who hadn’t made it through the trap would be considered a complete failure.

At that point, the three Kai Family Hunters waiting outside Annie’s Warehouse would enter the building and attempt to rescue any trapped candidates—assuming, of course, there was anyone left to save.

No one from the Kai Family had explicitly stated how dangerous this theater was. But judging by their tone, it seemed plenty of people who went in never came out.

’Why would they risk so much just to join a Family Faction?’

Mai Mingle glanced over her shoulder. Behind her was a single door leading to the fire escape stairwell.

’...A restroom. There must be a restroom in this corridor.’

She crept forward along the corridor, one step at a time, her hand resting on the gun at her hip.

Emily had been the one to give her the gun—the supply bags from the Kai Family contained more than one. Li Stan had also given her some bullets, a pen and paper, and a few other things. Between the two of them, they had cobbled together enough that Mai Mingle didn’t have to go in empty-handed.

While Emily was handing out the supplies, Mai Mingle had subtly asked her if she felt the interview was too great a risk.

"Taking this kind of risk now means that once we’re in a Family Faction, we won’t have to face similar dangers alone and unprepared anymore."

Emily had shaken her head, still rummaging through her supply bag. "In the Nest, deadly things happen anytime, anywhere. No matter how careful you are, you’ll get dragged in. It’s impossible to be prepared for everything. Since it’s all a risk anyway, you might as well take one that gets you the backing of a Family Faction. I’ve had more than enough of running solo."

’Or rather, the real question should be: if it’s so dangerous, why be a Hunter in the first place?’

Mai Mingle had a feeling, though. Even if she asked, she doubted anyone could give her a satisfying answer.

She didn’t even know how to answer the question herself. But there was one thing she knew for certain.

No matter how dangerous the Nest was, she still wanted to be a Hunter.

Mai Mingle advanced, wary of the doors on both sides of the hall. When passing glass doors, in particular, she had to stand aside to observe and wait for a moment before dashing past in one go. The corridor wasn’t long, yet it still took her a minute or two to reach the end.

Fortunately, the office layout seemed pretty normal and logical. The restroom was easy to find, right next to the breakroom at the end of the corridor.

’Then again, what kind of company would make its employees navigate a maze just to get to the bathroom?’

That being said, as Mai Mingle stood before the women’s restroom, she couldn’t suppress a rising sense of suspicion.

Chebri’s briefing had omitted all mention of potential dangers and traps.

"...When we test Hunters, besides wanting to know their goals and character, the most important thing is their ability. Whether you can perceive the source of a threat, whether you can even recognize what constitutes a threat—that’s naturally part of the test. I can’t just leak all the answers to you from the get-go, right?"

’In other words, he’d made a point of emphasizing that she must confirm her appearance first. Was it just because it was an unusual requirement that she’d never think of on her own, or was it because this step held a hidden danger?’

’If all she had to do was walk into the restroom and look in a mirror to complete a major step, wasn’t that a little too simple...?’

Mai Mingle pressed her ear to the door and listened. The restroom was silent.

She pushed the door open a crack. For a moment, she half-expected to once again see the back of a long-haired woman in the corner, but this restroom was completely empty. Not a soul in sight.

The walls and floor were covered in long, thin tiles. Three toilet stalls stood facing two sinks.

Above each sink hung a mirror.

Before looking in the mirrors, Mai Mingle first bent down to check under each stall door. She saw only the bases of the toilets, no feet.

’...Do things in the Nest even have to have feet?’

Mai Mingle thought back. It seemed all the residents she’d encountered so far had feet, at the very least. That was a small comfort, she supposed.

In the cold air, thick with the smell of chemical cleaner, she cautiously approached the first mirror.

Chebri had said her appearance would change upon entering.

He had also said that the change in appearance was a crucial clue for getting through the trial.

’...What have I been turned into?’

Mai Mingle stood before the mirror, lifted her head, and looked at her reflection.

Her mind went blank. Almost as a muscular, subconscious reaction, she raised a hand and opened the door.

Mai Mingle had no idea how to comprehend what she was seeing.