Illusion Report

Caught in the middle of a hail of bullets, Chaisi was perhaps the only person on Earth who would actually let out a sigh of relief.

He’d been holding back all night, feeling utterly constrained. It was finally his turn.

Chaisi crouched behind a dumpster, listening as Brianna’s two henchmen behind him fired shot after shot in his direction. The bullets cracked the air with each flash of light, weaving a tight web of fiery brass in the long, dark night of the narrow alley.

Some guns were fitted with silencers, others weren’t. The gunshots alternated between loud and soft, a mix of roars and muffled coughs that drowned out all other sounds in the alley.

At that moment, he saw a few familiar figures at the far end of the alley. They had just scrambled out of a car and were using a wall for cover as they returned fire. He let out a sharp whistle and shouted, "Get me a weapon!"

"Brother Chaisi," someone called back.

Under the cover of gunfire, the person spun out from behind the corner. Hunched over and hugging the wall, he quickly closed the distance to Chaisi during a lull in the shooting. A long, thick braid swayed over his shoulder in the darkness—it was Tian Xi.

Chaisi raised a hand and caught the gun. Its heavy weight was almost enough to make the muscles in his arms protest with a faint tremor.

The moment the gun was in his hand, he twisted, rose, and aimed. A single shot rang out, and a dark figure in the alley behind him dropped. The man’s heavy, bulky body slammed onto the ground, the impact seemingly making the curtain of rain shudder.

"Pete!"

The lanky man cried out, but he didn’t dare stand up from his hiding spot to check on his partner.

Of course, it made no difference whether he looked or not.

Chaisi took the opportunity to narrow his eyes and quickly scan his surroundings.

Visibility in the alley was poor.

The buildings on both sides were dark. Far beyond the alley’s end, the red and yellow of Blackmoor City’s traffic lights and street lamps floated in the distance. Their colors were a soft, blurry mess reflected in the alley’s puddles, as if blood and fat had seeped in.

’Sometimes, I really have mixed feelings about my luck.’

’If Morando had been the one to show up tonight, I wouldn’t have even had the chance to dive behind this dumpster when the shooting started.’

’To someone unfamiliar with firearms, it might be hard to imagine that wounding someone without killing them is actually the more difficult, more technical feat. Besides, I’d rather die with the Illusion than cooperate and hand it over to that lanky guy.’

’The lanky man was clearly aware of this, which is why he hadn’t fired on me, choosing to aim at Jin Xueli instead. In that respect, I suppose my luck was pretty good.’

But it was precisely because the lanky man had his sights set on Jin Xueli that he managed to survive the initial volley of gunfire from the surprise attack.

The lanky man had been standing in the middle of a straight section of the alley, with not even a dumpster for cover. Logically, his chances of surviving the first volley should have been slim.

But because he’d been focused on Jin Xueli, he got an indirect warning, which not only allowed him to survive but also gave him time to find cover—the open door of the bar.

And how did Chaisi know this?

Because just then, Han Liuyue’s nonchalant voice drifted from behind the bar door. "...Don’t crowd me. Brother Chaisi is a tough man to kill."

’The guy had some real nerve, huddling up with Han Liuyue like that.’

’It wasn’t just her personality that was enough to make anyone keep their distance; Han Liuyue’s allegiance could shift in a heartbeat. With her in the mix, I really couldn’t afford to make a reckless move.’

He glanced again. Jin Xueli was on his side of the alley. On the other side, three people were plastered to the ground, sucking in their stomachs and stretching their bodies out as flat and long as possible against the pavement and walls. At a glance, they looked like four pieces of graffiti.

’Just as you’d expect from Hunters. Their bodies, minds, and principles are all equally flexible.’

Chaisi gave a backward wave, and the gunfire from behind him instantly ceased.

"Give me the Illusion, and take me to Brianna."

He rested the barrel of his gun on the dumpster lid, his line of fire covering the bar door. "Those are my terms if you want to live through the night."

From behind the door, the lanky man seemed to scoff. "...How unfortunate. I can’t do either of those."

"Do you really think you have any other way out?"

Behind him, Tian Xi heard this and grunted in confusion but held back from interrupting.

Chaisi continued, "This is the only door to the bar. The moment you show your face, I’ll shoot. Or are you pinning all your hopes on Han Liuyue? Do you really think she’s going to help you at this point?"

The normally composed Tian Xi seemed to sense the risk of Han Liuyue switching sides. He shifted uncomfortably, as if ants were crawling all over him, opening his mouth to speak before closing it again.

It seemed the lanky man really was counting on Han Liuyue.

He lowered his voice, whispering urgently to her from behind the door. Though Chaisi couldn’t make out the words, he could easily imagine the gist of it.

’It’s probably just a promise to take her to see the mayor if she helps him take me down, right?’

The lipstick-selling duo and the bar waitress took the opportunity to quietly scramble to their feet. Hugging the wall, they scuttled away one after another like crabs. Chaisi glanced at them but pretended not to see, turning his attention back to the bar door.

’They’re Hunters; they should know the rules. If something has nothing to do with them, they’ve seen nothing. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.’

"Brother Chaisi," Tian Xi finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. "Do we have people inside the bar?"

’...What a strange question.’

"No," Chaisi said, glancing at him.

’If I did, what would be the point of calling him here?’

Tian Xi looked even more agitated. "Then why did you say he has no other way out?"

Chaisi paused. The answer was so obvious that for a moment, he couldn’t understand why Tian Xi hadn’t figured it out and had to ask.

He was just about to answer when, as fate would have it, Han Liuyue’s voice came clearly from behind the door. "...Alright."

’So the lanky guy managed to win Han Liuyue over again?’

A chill went down Chaisi’s spine. He instantly forgot about answering Tian Xi, his full attention snapping back to the bar door, the muzzle of his gun dead still.

But after a few seconds, Han Liuyue didn’t emerge. Instead, Jin Xueli, seeing a lull in the action, seized the opportunity to hurry over to the dumpster. "Chaisi, did you plant someone inside the bar?" she asked as she came.

’Why is everyone asking me that?’

Chaisi suppressed his irritation and ignored her. He had a feeling it was a little too quiet behind that door.

"If you don’t have anyone inside, can’t he just leave through the front entrance?"

Tian Xi’s tone was so careful it was as if he suspected Chaisi had suddenly gone senile. He had already pulled out his phone. "Should I get someone to block the front entrance right now?"

’...Front entrance?’

Chaisi squeezed his eyes shut, his head suddenly swimming.

’Since when does Between the Backlight have a front entrance?’

’Wait, didn’t I have a similar conversation with Han Liuyue?’

"Brother Chaisi, I’m coming out now."

From behind the open bar door, Han Liuyue’s snow-white, Noh-mask-like face finally peeked out. Tian Xi still wasn’t used to the sight of her, and he flinched back in surprise.

"You’ve stalled long enough, haven’t you?" Han Liuyue asked, as if nothing at all had happened. "So when are you going to take me to see the mayor?"

’In a way, she was ruthlessly decisive. The moment Brianna’s man was dead and she saw her hopes dashed, she immediately placed her bets back on me.’

Han Liuyue stepped into the alley and casually pulled the door shut behind her.

In the dim, rainy night, a strange silence fell over the alley. Chaisi stared at Han Liuyue, but Tian Xi and Jin Xueli were staring at Chaisi.

"What are you standing there for? That guy’s getting away!" Jin Xueli blurted out, pointing at the bar door. "Aren’t you going to chase him?"

"I already called someone to cut him off—" Tian Xi chimed in at the same time.

Chaisi looked from Jin Xueli to Tian Xi. As confusion bloomed in his mind, he also became aware of a cold, sinking feeling.

"Who ran? ...Chase who?"

’The henchman Brianna sent was already on the ground not far from here, taken down by my shot.’

’Who else was there to chase?’

Tian Xi and Jin Xueli both looked dumbfounded. For a moment, neither could manage a single word.

Only Han Liuyue suddenly lowered her head and snickered.