Illusion Report

'R-Right... I guess that makes sense...'

"Besides, there's one more, crucial reason."

"What is it?"

Jin Xueli figured that as long as Jacqueline was still talking, she wouldn't have to make a decision just yet. For that reason, she was willing to let her continue.

"I know human nature, and I'm not immune to its weaknesses. Even if I agree to give you nine million, or even nineteen million, out of fear right now, I won't be happy with that price once I'm back in the safety and comfort of my own home. I'll only end up hating you for extorting me when I was in a vulnerable position."

Jacqueline's expression was natural as she said this.

"That's how I am, and that's how everyone is. If you were in my shoes, you wouldn't be willing to part with it either. Because that's human nature. So, since I know this, if I agree to give you nine million, wouldn't I just be lying to you?

"It's like the saying... a small favor earns gratitude, but a large one can breed resentment. Even if I give you a little less, it would still be a lie. You'd hold a grudge against me, and who knows what kind of trouble that would bring me in the future? So it's better to be honest and do what's right. Nine million... I can afford it, but I don't have to pay it. In fact, I shouldn't agree to pay it."

Jin Xueli was actually starting to admire her. "What industry are you in?"

"I worked in finance before I got married." Jacqueline shrugged. "The benefits of marrying were far greater than staying in the workforce, so I got married. Fortunately, we get along well, too."

"You were born to be a Hunter," Jin Xueli couldn't help but remark.

Jacqueline's eyebrows shot up. "A Hunter?"

The word struck her like a flash of lightning, illuminating some unknown doubt in her mind. She mumbled, half to herself, "So this place is for Hunters..."

Her voice trailed off, and the rest of the sentence was inaudible.

"You have a point. If the circumstances weren't so unusual, I would have agreed to your terms long ago."

Jin Xueli had no time to worry about what Jacqueline was thinking. Her own mind was a mess of anxiety, like a tangled ball of yarn a cat had played with, binding her limbs and thoughts, making it impossible to break free no matter which way she struggled.

"But... I don't know how I can make you believe me. You probably won't believe me at all, but I need you to give me nine million. It's the only way I can ensure you get out of here alive."

As the words left her mouth, even she found them laughable. Though she knew every word was true, she had never heard a reason that sounded so flimsy, greedy, and false.

As expected, Jacqueline let out a "Ha!" shaking her head as she rubbed her shoulder.

"I don't know why you're so fixated on the number nine million... but I've already told you my reasons honestly. You shouldn't keep treating me like a fool."

This was the first time Jin Xueli had felt so tormented since coming to Blackmoor City.

She wanted to both beg Jacqueline to believe her and slap her across the face.

If there were a wall in front of her, her forehead would have already smashed a dent in it. 'Ah, but maybe I shouldn't smash my head against a wall in front of Jacqueline. Why do I keep thinking about the word 'smash'—'

Jin Xueli's head snapped up.

"Why are you rubbing your shoulder?" she stared at Jacqueline, almost stuttering. "Y-You just said that after you were brought in, you were smashed and disoriented... What happened?"

"I was hit by scaffolding," Jacqueline said. "My back is much better, but my shoulder still hurts."

Jin Xueli's breathing grew a little heavier.

'If it's really as I suspected... then maybe there's a solution that works for both of us?'

But whether it was truly a solution for them both, or just a self-deception to justify giving in to temptation, Jin Xueli didn't know.

And she didn't want to think about it anymore.

She had already tormented herself long enough for this stranger. All she wanted was something that should have been hers in the first place. 'Is that so wrong?'

'Is it so unreasonable to want a different life?'

'Isn't it enough that I've struggled and fought for so many years for something others have from birth?'

"Let me ask you... was it after you were hit by the scaffolding that you opened your eyes and found yourself here?"

Jacqueline looked straight at her and took half a step back. "Y-Yes..."

'So it's true.'

'It'll work... That method will definitely work.'

"Don't worry, I understand now."

Jin Xueli took a deep breath to steady herself. "I can't take you back myself, but I can give you directions and tell you how to get back. In exchange, you tell me how to make a phone call. How about it?"

Jacqueline was naturally suspicious of her change in attitude, but she only probed lightly with a few questions. After all, she didn't have the luxury of being picky; she had to seize this opportunity.

"The method is simple. First, press 0. After you hear three rings, state the name of the radio show, and you'll be connected."

'It's that simple?'

But it was probably because the method was so simple that Jacqueline remembered it. If it had been a long string of numbers she'd memorized after hearing it just once, Jin Xueli would have most likely thought she was lying.

She followed Jacqueline's instructions and pressed 0. Just as she'd said, a ringing tone sounded, and Xueli hung the phone back up.

"Alright, how do I get out?" Jacqueline urged.

Jin Xueli glanced at her.

She still hadn't taken her hand off the receiver, clutching it so tightly her knuckles had turned white. She was afraid that if she let go, her hand would start to tremble uncontrollably.

No matter how she tried to justify it, she couldn't change the fact that she was deliberately putting Jacqueline in danger.

'So what if I am?'

She gritted her teeth. 'In this life, I was never going to be a morally perfect person anyway.'

"You can get out the same way you came in."

Jin Xueli stared at the tips of her shoes and said in a low voice, "Being hit by the scaffolding was your Path here. So, if you get hit by scaffolding a second time, you can return to Blackmoor City. See the direction I came from? The nearest scaffolding is on that street."

Jacqueline was skeptical. She glanced at the distant road, then back at Jin Xueli.

If she suspected it was a trap, she didn't say so out loud.

Besides, from Jacqueline's perspective, the choice was simple: walk in the direction Jin Xueli pointed and try for that glimmer of hope, or continue running around like a headless chicken until the residents caught her. Soon enough, she lifted her foot and started walking toward the other side of the street.

"Wait, one more thing!"

Jin Xueli remembered something else she had to say and hurriedly shouted, "There are monsters near that scaffolding, so you need to be quick about it! Don't linger!"

Jacqueline turned around and nodded.

...Jin Xueli didn't make the call right away.

She watched Jacqueline cross the street, step onto the opposite sidewalk, and walk farther and farther away, her figure shrinking until it vanished from sight.

Jin Xueli sat down in the phone booth, tormented by the storm of thoughts raging in her mind. One moment, she suspected she'd made a terrible mistake; the next, she believed she'd found the perfect solution. One second she thought Jacqueline would die, and the next she felt certain the woman would make it home...

Every so often, she would take out her phone to check the time.

After Jacqueline had been gone for three hours, Jin Xueli felt it was about time, but she forced herself to wait another ten minutes.

'That should be enough time for Jacqueline to get there and get hit, right?'

The longer she waited, the greater Jacqueline's chances of survival, and the smaller her own chances of getting the reward.

Three hours and fifteen minutes was her limit.

"...Hello, is this the host?"

Jin Xueli lowered her voice, imitating a resident's tone as she spoke into the phone. "I'm pretty amazing! I found Jacqueline... If I tell you her location, the reward is mine, right? And if I want to trade it for a piece of information, that's allowed too, right?"

She held her breath, pressing the receiver tightly to her ear.

The man's voice, which she had heard countless times on the radio, was soft and steady as it affirmed each of her questions, one by one.

Jin Xueli gave him the location of the scaffolding.

As she recited the address, she pressed a hand tightly against her chest, subconsciously reminding herself to breathe deeply.

She couldn't let herself cry out loud and let the host know something was wrong.

She didn't know why she was crying.

Jin Xueli couldn't tell if she was feeling guilt or excitement.