Illusion Report

The Nest was actually a place with a strong sense of principle.

All information within a Nest intended for humans, or conveyed using human language, adhered to human linguistic customs and expressions. It was even constrained by human cultural context; Nests rarely used "linguistic ambiguity" as a deliberate ploy to create deadly traps.

For instance, since the host had said the clerk might "gaze" at visitors, then the clerk must have "gazing tools"—in human terms, eyes.

’Besides, the host thought I was a resident, right?’ Jin Xueli thought, a little uncertain.

’Residents don’t harm other residents, right?’

She had never been a resident, so she didn’t know if residents, upon moving to a new place, also had to cautiously abide by the rules of another Nest... ’Maybe they do, which is why the host warned me?’

’If my cover was blown, the host probably wouldn’t have given me the reward so easily, would it?’

In short, the gas station didn’t seem to be a trap.

And inside the convenience store, there didn’t seem to be any living thing equipped with gazing tools.

Jin Xueli stood sideways outside the door, not daring to push it open directly. She stretched her arm out, holding her phone, and took twenty or thirty photos in a row through the glass.

She crouched down, hiding in the shadows outside the door with her back pressed tightly against the wall. One moment she was zooming in on the photos until they were pixelated, the next she was shrinking them to their minimum size, squinting at the screen... The light from the phone cast an upward glow on her face, illuminating the inside of her upper eyelids with a pale, bluish-white ring.

’No need to worry about the host seeing through my disguise,’ Jin Xueli thought. ’Anyone who saw me looking this sneaky and shady would have to assume I’m a resident.’

If a Hunter showed up right now, Jin Xueli was absolutely certain that all she’d have to do was slowly open her mouth and smile at them to earn a free bullet.

But wild thoughts were just wild thoughts. In reality, there were no Hunters or residents around. The convenience store didn’t even have security cameras, so the possibility of "gazing through a camera" could also be ruled out.

’In that case, I might as well go in and look for clues, right?’

Jin Xueli always had a sense of ill-timed optimism. ’What if the gas price list is just sitting on the counter? What if a Hunter from the Knight Family opened a membership account here?’

’Hey, what if there’s an Illusion inside?’

Only when she heard the TING-A-LING of the glass door being pushed open did it suddenly occur to her: ’What if the clerk hears a customer and shows up?’

The thought came a step too late. She was already standing inside the convenience store. Still, whether it was good luck or bad, the store remained completely empty. Not a soul in sight.

It was a little embarrassing to admit, but Jin Xueli had always held a special fascination for convenience stores, supermarkets, and shops.

When she was little, besides school, the vacant lot, and home, there weren’t many places for her to play.

The monthly living assistance vouchers her mother received were limited, so they could only buy the same set of the cheapest products. The flavors and packaging were so repetitive they became maddeningly boring—but switching to another brand might mean the vouchers wouldn’t be enough.

Occasionally, her mother would take her into the city—it was just a small city with a population of less than 100,000, but in Jin Xueli’s eyes back then, it was every bit as bustling as today’s Blackmoor City. Her favorite thing to do was wander around large supermarkets like Walmart.

The brightly colored products that only appeared in TV commercials, the frozen food section radiating cold air, the dazzlingly full shelves, the cans stacked into pyramids, the fried chicken and baked goods that you knew weren’t good but looked so tempting, the employees who would always hand her samples...

For Jin Xueli, stores were her Disneyland.

Thinking back on it now, that was the first place in her life where she experienced "abundance."

So even if it was a convenience store in a Nest—no, it was precisely *because* it was a Nest’s convenience store that Jin Xueli found it even more fascinating. It was more like a theme park that blended abundance with strangeness.

For instance, she’d been a Hunter for some years now, but she never knew that Nests had *Time* magazine.

"Isn’t that the president?"

Jin Xueli used her sleeve to cover her hand and picked up a magazine, unsure of who to be more impressed by—the old man for managing to get on the cover of a Nest magazine, or the Nest for keeping up so well with current events.

There were indeed a pair of eyes on the cover—half-hidden by thick, heavy, drooping eyelids, revealing murky pupils the color of sewage. But at least they didn’t, as she had feared, glance over at her.

’Since the clerk can choose to gaze or not, and can even hold a conversation, it must be a sentient, living creature. As far as I’m concerned, the president himself barely meets that standard, let alone a photo of him.’

Jin Xueli boldly flipped through a few pages and discovered that the Nest’s columnist was extremely eager for the president to die in a Nest.

"...The Nests would become dozens of times darker and more chaotic, a hell beyond compare... For such a once-in-a-generation candidate to have no Path is perhaps the greatest regret of the Nests... The chaos and horror of the human world are about to surpass our own!"

Jin Xueli put the magazine back.

Not far from the magazine rack, next to the cash register, was a hot case with roasted sausages and chicken wings. Behind the register was a shelf of cigarettes and liquor. She squinted at it for a moment, then heard a THUMP-THUMP. Turning toward the sound, she saw that a chicken wing had stood up.

It was the one that had just knocked on the glass.

This was obvious, because a new grease stain had appeared on the glass.

The chicken wing used its wingtip to point at the cigarettes and liquor, then at a label below.

"To purchase tobacco or alcohol, please present proof that you are not human and are over twenty-one-one-one-one-one-mouthfuls of age."

As for what exactly "twenty-one-one-one-one-one-mouthfuls" meant, Jin Xueli didn’t think the chicken wing could give her an answer.

’...The clerk isn’t the chicken wing, is it? Or the roasted sausage? Neither of them has gazing tools, right?’

She waved her hand to indicate she wasn’t buying anything. The chicken wing seemed to let out a sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted. It flopped back down next to the hard, dry, blackened sausage and went still.

’It has a lot to worry about for a piece of meat waiting to be sold.’

Jin Xueli walked between the aisles with great interest. As she browsed, she gradually began to understand.

Just like the gas pumps outside, the products inside had no price tags, making it impossible to tell what, or how much, one had to pay to buy them.

After looking at a few items, a suspicion in Jin Xueli’s mind grew more solid and real—this gas station and convenience store might be exclusively for serving residents.

If the shelves were stocked with things like "Hunter Jerky," it might just be to intimidate humans. But the products here all had a clear and specific purpose:

"Fresh Breath Mints"

You’ve worked so hard to make your appearance identical to a human’s, but you’re still one crucial step away from deceiving a Hunter—because the moment you open your mouth, it’s like, "Helloooooo the moment I see you I just want to wring wring wring wring your brain like a wet towel and squeeze out all the stupidity!!!!"

A Hunter would run away immediately upon hearing that.

But just suck on this product, and your breath will become just like a human’s. Please feel free to chat pleasantly with them in their own language and lead them to their eternal damnation!

Note: Humans naturally think their own breath is what’s ’good’ but in reality this product should probably be renamed ’Hypocritical Breath Mints’

Even though she had no use for it whatsoever, Jin Xueli just found it fascinating.

’Anyway, the Original Liquid is in the pumps outside, it’s not going anywhere. And I don’t know how to pay. What’s wrong with taking a look around while I have the chance?’

’Seeing what tricks the residents have up their sleeves might just save my life one day.’

"Crystal Ball Monthly Membership Service"

This card provides 30 days of Crystal Ball membership service. Once activated, you can search and view scenes from the human world through your crystal ball. For specific terms and conditions, please contact the Crystal Ball platform.

Crystal ball not included.

’They... they can’t possibly see everything, can they?’

Jin Xueli looked all around, but unfortunately, it seemed the convenience store didn’t sell crystal balls.

"Radar Human Repellent"

All-natural, non-toxic, plant-based formula. Causes psychological fear in humans for a deterrent effect.

Potent human repellent, kills harmful people.

Giving you a refreshing, human-free spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

’This one’s self-explanatory. It seems there are shy types among the residents who don’t want to deal with people. If only they were all this type.’

"Egg Sandwitch"

Jin Xueli took a closer look and realized she hadn’t misread it; that’s really how it was spelled.

Ingredients: Eggs, sand, witch, lettuce.

Jin Xueli thought the product was very honest. But as for trying a bite, there was absolutely no way she’d do it.

The longer she walked and the more she saw, the more cheerful she became—because the convenience store was surprisingly safe. So safe, in fact, it made one suspect it was a trap.

She touched and looked at everything, even taking down particularly interesting items to give them a shake, but no traps were triggered. No face peeked out from between the products on the shelves, nor was there anyone with their head stuck in the freezer.

’So it’s true, residents don’t harm other residents. Does that mean a convenience store that serves residents is safer?’

Jin Xueli grew more and more relieved, and bolder and bolder, to the point that she even considered for a moment whether she could steal something. Stealing from residents probably wouldn’t be condemned by her conscience.

"Ah, I’ve got it."

She clapped her hands, let out a small cheer in the empty convenience store, and muttered to herself, "Jeez, I get distracted so easily. The products caught my attention the moment I came in... Really, I should have thought of this sooner."

’Isn’t there a cash register in the store?’

’If I want to know what to pay with, isn’t checking the cash register the fastest, most reliable way?’

’And even if I can’t figure anything out from the register, I seem to recall that cashiers can also control the gas pumps...’

’At least, that’s how it works at gas stations in the human world. It should be the same in a Nest, right?’

Encouraged, Jin Xueli strode toward the counter and tried pushing the small swing door next to it. It opened easily.

She cheerfully took a step inside, then froze in her tracks.

She stared at the thing on the floor behind the counter, her mind a complete blank.

’Wait a minute, this isn’t right. This feels like I’ve walked onto the wrong movie set. This scene isn’t supposed to be happening in front of me, is it...?’

Jin Xueli had found the clerk on duty.

From the looks of the scene... it... it...

Looked like it had been murdered.