Illusion Report

This Illusion Hunter business is no life for a human.

"The way you guys live... more happens in one of your days than in a normal person’s entire year. To think it’s only the 22nd... I feel like the Earth is spinning wrong, like it’s slowed down."

Mai Mingle plopped down on the soaking wet ground, not caring that it was covered in water—she was already drenched from the rain anyway.

"It’s not always like this..." Hai Luwei mumbled, defending all the Hunters in the world.

Mai Mingle wasn’t convinced.

"It’s not just a lot, it’s dangerous. Deadly dangerous. What the hell was all that about? I just wanted to sell something, and what happens? One of me turns into a whole crowd of me... Good thing I didn’t lose the item. And what was with all those bullets, whizzing back and forth over my head? It was like something out of a movie."

The gunfire in the distant alley had stopped, but no one, including Megan, was brave enough to go back to the bar to check on the situation.

As the saying goes, a wise person doesn’t stand under a crumbling wall. After escaping, they had nowhere else to go. For the moment, they were huddled like vagrants under the awning of a roadside dessert shop, recovering from the shock.

Earlier, while Chaisi was in a standoff with another man in the alley, the three of them had pressed their backs to the wall and greased their heels, scuttling away one by one like crabs along the base of the wall. Mai Mingle had seen it clearly: as they ran, Chaisi had turned and glanced at them.

In that moment, her mind was a chaotic jumble of thoughts: ’Is the Snake Belt bulletproof? Can an Illusion be destroyed? What if I get hit in the head? If I run faster, can I outrun a bullet?’

To her surprise, Chaisi had turned his head back and let them go.

"Of course he’d let us go,"

Hai Luwei sighed after she finished. "Three more bodies, one of whom works at the bar, would just be a future liability for him, a hassle. We’re all Hunters; we have no beef with him. Letting us go is no big deal. It’s not like we can go to court and testify that he killed someone."

Megan refused to sit on the ground and was squatting on Mai Mingle’s other side. She sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth.

"What are you talking about?" Megan said, looking at him earnestly. "I didn’t see anyone die."

’Huh? But that big guy just now—’

"Oh, you’re right," Hai Luwei nodded repeatedly. "My mistake. The guy tripped and fell, then got back up."

It dawned on Mai Mingle.

’So this is what it means to be a Hunter...’ she thought, a little dazed.

She wanted to be a Hunter, to enter the Nest, to live a different life a second time. To do that, she had to act according to the Hunters’ ways.

But to mentally accept death so smoothly and naturally, to act as if nothing happened, to not even call the police—that was still very difficult for her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had done something wrong.

"You can’t be naive,"

The moment a hint of her thoughts showed on her face, Megan grew alert. "The conflicts and disputes of the Hunter World should stay in the Hunter World. They have nothing to do with ordinary people. Whoever kills someone or snatches an Illusion, there will be consequences within the Hunter World. No matter what you see or what happens, that’s the bottom line. If the Nest is exposed, none of us will be better off for it. Right, Hai Luwei? You should talk some sense into her."

"She’s new to this, she’s not used to it yet," Hai Luwei said, sounding almost embarrassed on Mai Mingle’s behalf. "She’ll get over it after a while."

Megan nodded. "...Once she sells that lipstick, she’ll understand."

’Why?’

Mai Mingle looked back and forth between the two of them, but they didn’t seem inclined to explain any further.

Megan only said, "The one who wants to buy your lipstick is Chaisi Monroe"—but that didn’t seem to be what she was really getting at.

Even if the two of them had never killed anyone personally, they showed an extraordinary ability to adapt to things like gunfights and death. While Mai Mingle was still dazedly mulling it over, they had already put the death aside. Hai Luwei was even starting to worry about her future.

"...We’re in a bit of a tight spot," Hai Luwei said tentatively. "If your bar has any channels, anyone who sells identities, could you please contact her—er, contact me. Preferably a full set of documents, the kind you can open a bank account with."

"No problem," Megan said, readily exchanging contact information with him. "The clean-up organizations often sell those. It won’t be hard to get."

This, however, brought Mai Mingle’s thoughts crashing back to earth, reminding her of reality.

The reality was, she had no money.

Contacting Chaisi again to sell him the lipstick now seemed to Mai Mingle like a mouse contemplating how to trade for a piece of cheese with a mousetrap. ’Better not. What if he just takes it from me?’

’Wait, I’m not a crook.’

’In any case, it wouldn’t be too late to consider Chaisi if no other buyer appears...’

When they heard the distant wail of sirens, Megan stood up. "Looks like things are wrapping up. I should get back."

"If there are any developments, send me a message, okay?"

Hai Luwei hurriedly shouted at her retreating back. Megan just waved a hand, tossed out a "You guys go home too," and left.

The lingering fear from being caught up in the Illusion and the gunfight had now subsided.

"Despite the little incident, we’ve finished what we set out to do." Hai Luwei yawned, wiping a tear from his eye, his weary, gentle expression returning. "Let me call a car... Oh, right. When morning comes, I still have to take you to get a SIM card and teach you how to use your phone."

"You’re such a kind-hearted kid." Mai Mingle thought for a moment. "Thanksgiving is coming up. What are your plans? Why don’t you come over for dinner? I’ll cook a big meal. You can bring your girlfriend, or a tub of ice cream, either is fine."

Hai Luwei glanced at her as if she were a freshly-landed alien. He didn’t say whether he would come for Thanksgiving, not even by the time he dropped Mai Mingle off at home.

He said that based on past experience, he would need to sleep for at least a few more hours after getting home. While she waited for him to wake up, Mai Mingle was alone again, sitting in the old apartment she had lived in for decades, looking around again and again.

Just two or three days ago, this apartment had been the only world she knew. Now, simply looking at it through a pair of young eyes, she felt it had become a museum, unsealed and opened to the public, displaying the life of a distant old woman.

She gently stroked the faded fabric cover draped over the sofa, the coarse texture rubbing against her skin, and wondered if she should move.

’If I don’t move—’

The thought hadn’t even finished when a sudden buzzing sound made her jump. She frantically looked around for the source before finally realizing she had a phone now. The sound seemed to be the same one the phone made last time it received a message.

’Please don’t let it be another Illusion approaching me. Once was more than enough.’

Thinking this, Mai Mingle fumbled to pull the phone out of her coat pocket. Perhaps she had taken too long, because the screen went black just as she got it out.

’Is it okay? Is it broken?’

She froze for a second, then held it up high with her left hand and tentatively gave it a hard poke with her right index finger. The screen lit up again.

According to Megan, this phone had no signal and shouldn’t be able to receive anything. But that didn’t stop the Nest from finding her.

! Nest Dominance Game Progress, Major Breakthrough Notification !

Congratulations to the lovely player Jin Xueli for successfully obtaining the target Illusion (the Black Cube)!

That’s fantastic!

Talk about using the situation to your advantage, turning the tables, playing the long game and coming out on top! This is a masterclass in—wait.

Mai Mingle stared at the text on the screen, not quite processing it.

’Jin Xueli was the player who joined the game before me, right?’

The Black Cube had gotten close to the Between the Backlight bar, but somehow, Jin Xueli had swooped in and snatched it away—that part was easy enough to understand.

’But what did "wait" mean? What did the Nest want me to wait for?’

That question was answered half a minute later by another message that made the phone buzz.

! Nest Dominance Game Progress, Major Breakthrough Notification !

What the hell, the situation is changing way too fast. Sigh, I really can’t bring myself to say the word "congratulations"...

Anyway, here’s the deal: the detestable player Chaisi has just obtained the target Illusion (Black Cube).

Sigh.

Child of the Cuckoo, Chaisi Monroe, has currently obtained the following Illusions: Tongue; Black Cube

Player Chaisi’s current progress: 2/7

Player Chaisi’s current location: Blackmoor City Cross-Sea Bridge

Player Chaisi’s current status: Weakened, Injured

To the rest of you players, are you even trying? Are you really going to let him keep advancing like this, completely unstoppable? Can you even sleep at night?

Even player Jin Xueli doesn’t look so lovely anymore.

So what if player Chaisi pointed a gun at you? You gave in way too fast, didn’t you? If you pick it up, it’s yours. Why would you just give it to him?

How do you know your flesh-and-blood body will lose to a submachine gun if you don’t even try?

Fighting him for the Illusion, even if you die, would be a worthy death! A life lived with no regrets! A clear conscience!

In any case, the Nest will absolutely not acknowledge this "alliance of interests" between you two.

Remember, when it comes to an "alliance of interests," the emphasis isn’t on the "alliance," but on the "interests."

When only one of you can become the ultimate beneficiary of the Nest Dominance Game, can your alliance truly last?

It was such a long notification. If Mai Mingle hadn’t tried poking the screen a few times and accidentally found a gesture that expanded it, she wouldn’t have known how to read the whole thing.

’The Nest really seems to hate Chaisi,’ she thought.

’Looks like that tall, skinny guy with the Black Cube lost tonight’s battle...’ Mai Mingle thought, dazed. ’That kid was after the "Tongue," wasn’t he?’

’Did he die too?’

Even though she had only caught a few glimpses of him, she felt that the kid seemed to be in great pain... There were no outward signs, but Mai Mingle couldn’t shake the feeling.

’Is it because of the Illusion?’

’Staying out of the game was definitely the right choice.’

She just wanted to get the Time Illusion and have a second life. She didn’t want to make others suffer for the sake of power, nor did she want others to bring her suffering.

Mai Mingle fiddled with the screen for a while. She wasn’t sure what she did, but the notification disappeared. Then she did something else, and the screen returned to the greeting, saying hello to her in various languages.

"Um, hello," Mai Mingle said hesitantly to the phone. "Well... once Hai Luwei wakes up, I’ll know how to use you."

As she placed it on the table, the phone buzzed again, as if in response.

’Could there be a new development with Chaisi and Jin Xueli?’

Mai Mingle picked up the phone, leaned in for a look, and saw a few lines of text.

"Illusion Report"

Only those who bring change to the world deserve the right to advance

Beloved Player Mai Mingle, the following is your path to obtaining the Time Illusion—