Illusion Report

’Thank goodness these two kids came to help,’ Mai Mingle thought.

At eighty-six years old, this was her first time acting as part of a sea search and rescue team, and she had to admit she’d underestimated the task. This wasn’t a job one person could handle alone. With two helpers, everything was indeed much more manageable and convenient—for example, with Hai Luwei piloting the boat, she and Emily could each wield a powerful flashlight and focus on scanning the ocean surface in sweeping circles.

The flashlights were high-powered outdoor models Mai Mingle had bought specially. When switched on, they were like spotlights—dazzling white beams pierced the distant night, carving out wet, bright, empty circles on the dark, choppy waves.

However, wherever they looked, there were only waves.

When she first heard "go out to sea to rescue someone," she hadn’t given it much thought. But now, actually out on the waters of Central Bay, Mai Mingle realized just how minuscule and insignificant their flashlights and eyesight were compared to the vast, dark expanse of the sea and sky.

Casting a beam of light or shouting into the night felt like tearing the wing off an insect and tossing it into a howling storm. They had only been out on the boat for thirty minutes, yet Mai Mingle was already starting to lose hope.

"Actually, renting a few helicopters to search for the person who fell overboard would be more efficient and give us a better chance."

Emily stood in the cold wind, wrapped tightly in a blanket meant for the rescue, and held her flashlight high as she spoke. "Renting one for a day, pilot included, probably wouldn’t even cost twenty thousand. Why did you think of renting a boat?"

"The game said to rent one," Mai Mingle replied.

’If she hadn’t just earned some money, the rental price of a single helicopter would have made her knees weak.’

’But only a day had passed, and now twenty thousand didn’t sound like a lot of money anymore. She could actually afford it—she could afford ten times that. Before, she would never have dared to even imagine it.’

’No wonder so many people were flocking to enter the Nests. The money for a Hunter came in way too fast, way too furiously.’

Hai Luwei glanced back at her, his face full of disapproval.

But to be honest, Emily wasn’t an invited competitor, had no idea what the rewards for the Nest Dominance Game were, and had already heard its name. Mai Mingle felt that even if she didn’t have to lay all her cards on the table, there was no point in being secretive anymore.

Perhaps it was precisely because of Mai Mingle’s casual and open attitude that Emily came up with her own explanation, seeming to think that Mai Mingle was merely participating in some kind of Nest scenario.

"...A game taking place in a Nest that actually spills over into Blackmoor City? This is the first I’ve ever heard of it. But Nests are full of traps. You shouldn’t put too much trust in the rules of some game or scenario."

Those words hit upon one of Mai Mingle’s own hidden worries.

"The game’s prompt says the person fell in the water right here, is still alive, and is waiting for me to rescue them. But if too much time passes and we still can’t find him, won’t he be swept away by the waves? At that point, the game’s prompt won’t mean much, will it?"

Emily was silent for a moment, then finally said through gritted teeth, "...Don’t you worry so much. I’m going to find that person for you, one way or another. If we can’t find him tonight, I’ll call the police tomorrow, and then I’ll go rent a helicopter for you."

’Huh, that’s right.’

’The Illusion Report never actually said she wasn’t allowed to use the police to find someone... But there were parts that would be difficult to explain. Maybe it could be a last resort.’

’But seeing Emily’s teeth-gritting determination, anyone who didn’t know better might think she was here to kill someone.’

"Don’t take this burden on for my sake," Mai Mingle said, patting her shoulder. "You don’t owe me anything. Let’s just focus on searching tonight. We can worry about what’s next if we don’t find him."

The prompt for the second action point had arrived the instant she sold the lipstick to the mayor, without a minute’s delay. Considering the deadline for the second action point was a full thirty days, Mai Mingle couldn’t help but form a theory.

"I think that man, Ivan, must have just fallen into the sea yesterday. Maybe he managed to grab onto an artificial buoy or an unmanned boat moored out here. That’s how he wasn’t swept away or drowned... That’s the only thing that makes sense. As long as he can hold on, we can definitely find him. We might not even need a helicopter."

After she finished speaking, even Mai Mingle felt a renewed sense of confidence. The two kids also found it perfectly reasonable—if he hadn’t grabbed onto a lifeline after falling in, how could he possibly still be in Central Bay?

If that was the case, then there was a good chance of rescuing him!

The spirits of all three were visibly lifted. The boat continued to expand its search radius, circling outwards. After a while, Mai Mingle even took hot coffee and sandwiches out of a thermos box, insisting the two eat something before they continued.

However, reality was not swayed by their high spirits and determination.

By the fourth hour of the search, it no longer felt like they were rescuing someone who had fallen overboard. Instead, it felt as if they’d been thrown into a long, futile, and bitingly cold punishment.

As far as the eye could see, every wave that churned up and crashed against another seemed like one of their own hopes, dashed upon the surface of the sea.

"Let’s rest for a bit,"

As the eastern sky faded from deep violet-black to a faint, dark blue, Mai Mingle finally couldn’t help but speak.

Hai Luwei, who had been piloting the boat all night, was completely drained. If he took off his jacket, he probably would have looked more like the one who’d just been pulled from the water.

He didn’t refuse this time. He temporarily cut the engine, letting the boat bob on the waves. The three of them sat in silence for a while.

"We’ve already checked the areas closer to the shore," Emily was the first to speak. "If we head out towards the open sea... how far would we have to go before it’s ’far’? Would it even still be considered Central Bay?"

Mai Mingle’s face was etched with worry.

She had no other choice now but to brace herself and keep searching.

"I haven’t seen any artificial buoys, nor any boats moored in the sea."

Hai Luwei, however, was approaching it from another angle. "Central Bay has a lot of boat traffic. It’s a busy waterway. We haven’t seen a single thing that could be floating around and getting in the way."

Mai Mingle was starting to understand.

"The person fell in a day ago. Logically, they should have been swept away by now."

Hai Luwei hesitated, glanced at Mai Mingle, and didn’t say it outright. Instead, he just mumbled, "Well... I don’t know if the prompt can be trusted."

’If the action points were easy to complete, what would be the difference between that and just handing the Illusion to her?’

’But if every action point was so difficult that it was impossible to complete, wouldn’t it mean some Illusions could never be collected, and the Nest would never have to worry about a winner emerging from the Nest Dominance Game?’

’What was it that the host who saved her said?’

’A "Nest Dominance Game" appearing in a Nest is like a hurricane making landfall in Florida...’

’The hurricane itself cannot be stopped.’

’But there would definitely be forces trying to mitigate the hurricane’s damage, right?’

’If the Nest really had modified the difficulty of the action points, it wouldn’t be surprising.’

’Huh?’

’Wait,’ Mai Mingle frowned.

’That night, the host whose face she had never seen seemed to have made another analogy...’

’An analogy that felt a little out of place at the time...’

But even if she could recall the host’s every word, it wouldn’t help their current predicament. The person they were supposed to be rescuing seemed to have already been swallowed by the pitch-black Central Bay, leaving no trace behind.

"We’ve been searching all night. You two are pale."

Mai Mingle sighed, unwilling to keep dragging the two kids along on this aimless search. "Let’s all go back and rest. The boat needs to refuel, too. If that person really has been swept away by the waves, a day or so won’t make a difference."

They were both good kids, so neither of them jumped at the offer to quit. Instead, they both worried on Mai Mingle’s behalf for a moment. But it was precisely because of this that she couldn’t endlessly take advantage of their kindness.

"Go on," she instructed Hai Luwei. "Start the boat. Let’s turn back to shore. I’ll treat you to breakfast. We’ll get something hot, fill our bellies, and then go home to sleep."

Emily couldn’t help but snort. "I’m not a child," she grumbled.

Hai Luwei agreed. THUD. He stood up and froze.

All three of them went still for a moment, their expressions frozen in place, not daring to move, as if afraid of startling something.

Hai Luwei had only stood up—he hadn’t knocked anything over, let alone hit the side of the boat.

But the moment he stood, there had been a distinct THUD.

"Was that..."

Mai Mingle had just begun to whisper when another muffled thud came from the bottom of the boat.