Illusion Report

Chapter 225: Chapter 188: Chaisi: A Good Hound Never Lets Go

After they finished reading the *Illusion Report*, Jin Xueli put her phone away and subconsciously exchanged a glance with Chaisi.

Then, they both turned to look at "Han Liuyue."

A bright red smile had, at some point, stretched wide across her snow-white face.

"See,"

"Han Liuyue" said in an encouraging tone, "our interests and our path forward are one and the same. We’ll have to cooperate from now on."

She still spoke with Han Liuyue’s voice, which was deeply unsettling to hear, but her words reminded Chaisi of something else.

’Why was it only sent to Jin Xueli?’

’Did he also receive the *Illusion Report* on his phone?’

’This operation involved Han Liuyue. As someone directly involved, he should have received a copy as well. Even "Han Liuyue" said their paths were aligned.’

’Right, his phone...’

Chaisi patted himself down.

His clothes had been changed into a hospital gown. His driver’s license, wallet, phone, keys... he had no idea where they were.

"Looking for your phone? It’s at the last hospital. You were transferred over," Jin Xueli said, immediately guessing his intention. "They said you can retrieve your things after you’re discharged."

"...Understood. Let’s go right now."

’It wasn’t just about getting his phone back quickly. This hospital was rival territory. The longer they stayed, the more could go wrong.’

Chaisi pressed a hand to the ground. His muscles spasmed a few times before he could finally muster enough strength to struggle to his feet. It was the first time he’d felt this powerless in his adult life.

’That thin black slice of Fu Tailan’s... it was like some kind of poison. If I’d reacted any slower, I probably wouldn’t have made it.’

’That guy’s injuries must be pretty severe, too... I know how hard I hit him.’

’If his organs are ruptured, not even a Hunter-affiliated clinic could handle it. He’d have to be taken to a proper hospital.’

’Where was Fu Tailan taken?’

"Need a hand?"

He snapped out of it to find Jin Xueli’s hand hovering in mid-air, the offer more polite than practical.

"I’m worried I won’t be able to hold you up, and you’ll flatten me. Er, not that you’re fat, but you really are heavy..."

"Let him help you," "Han Liuyue" interjected.

She beckoned, and the tall security guard who had been standing silently in the hallway turned toward them.

A small, snow-white fragment was embedded in his skin next to the corner of his mouth, like a porcelain mushroom sprouting from his dark-brown flesh.

The security guard came forward and took Chaisi by the arm as if he were helping an old woman.

"What about the others?" Jin Xueli asked.

"Just pull out my face," "Han Liuyue" said.

"Will... will there be any consequences?"

"They’ll each have side effects, depending on where the fragment was embedded. As for the specifics, I don’t know, because I don’t care."

"Han Liuyue’s" tone was flat. She beckoned to the other four people, and they all turned in unison.

"What in the world are you?" Chaisi asked in a low voice.

"I’m Han Liuyue."

’...I really want to kill her.’

’And yet, underneath that mask-like face, it might really still be Han Liuyue.’

’If a single embedded fragment causes side effects, then Han Liuyue’s entire body...’

Chaisi slowly exhaled.

’First, I have to save her. I’ll figure out the rest later.’

Snow-white fragments tore themselves from each person’s face and floated slowly back toward "Han Liuyue." Trailing behind them were thin tentacles, making them look like a school of hard-shelled jellyfish.

Small, circular black holes were left behind on the corners of their eyes, their cheeks, and their chins.

They were clearly human, but looking into the depths of those holes revealed no fat, muscle, or blood vessels beneath the skin—only straight, dark pits like bottomless wells. Even Chaisi couldn’t bear to look at them for long.

Once the fragments were gone, the people stood blankly in place, blinking slowly.

But the doctor, whose fragment left a small black hole on his forehead, was another story. At first glance, it looked as if his skull had been pierced straight through. His eyes suddenly rolled back, and he collapsed to the floor.

Jin Xueli leaped aside, staring at the doctor on the floor. "Is... is he dead?" she whispered.

"Han Liuyue" didn’t seem to think the question was worth answering.

Chaisi suddenly said, "Wait."

"Han Liuyue" turned her head toward him.

Chaisi pulled down the sleeve of his hospital gown, wrapped it around his hand, and carefully reached out to gently grasp the fragment that had been extracted from the doctor’s forehead, which was still hovering in mid-air.

"What are you doing?" Jin Xueli asked, suddenly anxious. "I just went through all that trouble to save you—"

"...It’s fine. She still needs me to take her to the mayor."

"Han Liuyue" watched him fixedly.

Chaisi used his sleeve to wipe the tiny tentacles trailing from the fragment.

He could even feel the tentacles grow "excited" as they sensed him, trying to burrow through the fabric and into his skin. The moment they were clean, he snatched his hand back and released the fragment.

"There was a bit of... brain tissue on it," he explained to the two women staring at him.

It was the only fragment whose tentacles were stained with the victim’s tissue.

’The thought of tentacles stained with another person’s brain tissue burrowing into Han Liuyue’s body was unbearable.’

’Until the day she dies, Han Liuyue is my subordinate. I have a responsibility to look out for her.’

"Let’s go," Chaisi said.

Stepping over the unconscious staff on the floor, the group of four quickly left the hospital and got into a taxi. Before getting in, "Han Liuyue" removed her fragment, leaving the now-dazed security guard on the roadside.

Retrieving his phone went smoothly, though the nurse at the first hospital seemed surprised to see the patient himself show up so soon. She tried several times to persuade him to stay for an examination.

"Just as I thought, I got one too." After getting away from the nurse, Chaisi immediately opened his phone and found his *Illusion Report*. The report opened with the words "The Loathsome Contestant, Chaisi."

’The bias is a little too obvious.’

’Compared to a 99.99% probability, the other two objectives weren’t even worth considering.’

"So, what now?" Jin Xueli asked, sizing him up. "You look absolutely terrible... I’m starting to feel less than optimistic about my chances of ever collecting that favor you owe me."

’This girl really just says whatever’s on her mind, with no regard for social niceties or the listener’s feelings.’

’But she wasn’t wrong.’

Chaisi really did need to sit down—just the brief confrontation with the nurse and the walk out of the hospital had left him dizzy and seeing spots.

It wasn’t just dizziness; he even felt an uncharacteristic chill, prompting him to ask the nurse for an old, unclaimed jacket from the lost and found.

"...I know the item I sold the mayor very well. Manpower alone isn’t enough to bypass its defensive measures."

Wearing the ill-fitting jacket, Chaisi sat on the edge of a planter by the hospital entrance, tucking his hands together against the night wind. If you swapped out Han Liuyue and Jin Xueli for a cardboard sign and a dog, he’d look just like a beggar.

’Thank god no one from the Kai Family is here.’

"I can get you in front of the mayor, but your fragments won’t be able to pierce him."

Chaisi looked at "Han Liuyue" and said, "The mayor has already absorbed that Illusion into his body. It’s become a part of him, so it protects him 24/7."

"Why didn’t you sell something that powerful to the president?" Jin Xueli muttered.

"The president wouldn’t be interested. He has better."

"You’ve met him?" Jin Xueli asked, stunned.

"Not in person, I’ve just heard things. I may be a villain, but I haven’t done anything to deserve that kind of torture. Now, don’t get me sidetracked."

"If you don’t take the bait, how can you go off-topic?"

She had a point. Chaisi turned away and continued speaking to "Han Liuyue." "But based on what I know about that Illusion, I have a pretty good idea how to numb or bypass its defense mechanism. The only thing is, it requires me to use an Illusion that can specifically counter it."

"Doesn’t the Kai Family have one?" "Han Liuyue" immediately asked.

"No."

Like other Hunter Family Factions, the Illusions the Kai Family keeps for itself are usually ones that help Hunters survive in Nests, acquire other Illusions, or gain an edge in combat. The Kai Family rarely carries out assassinations, so they naturally wouldn’t have that kind of Illusion in their inventory.

"That’s not acceptable. You have to make the mayor one of my potential bodies."

"Han Liuyue" thought for a moment, then said, "I don’t care about whatever report you received. It has nothing to do with me. But if I can’t become the mayor, I’ll have to stay as Han Liuyue forever. You should think long and hard about that."

Chaisi resisted the urge to sigh. "...I know. I’m working on it."

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we go to Between the Backlight?"

Jin Xueli, who had been listening quietly, suddenly chimed in. "It would take way too long to send a Kai Family Hunter into a Nest to look for one now, right? Why not go to Between the Backlight, post a purchase request, and see if anyone has something suitable?"

’...That’s not a bad idea.’

’Besides, I could really use a stiff drink right now.’

He checked the time. It was the early morning of November 22nd, 1:05 AM.

’Is it only the 22nd?’

’So much had happened in the last few days. It felt like an eternity, almost as if months had passed. I need a drink to steady my nerves.’

Letting "Han Liuyue" hail a cab would only result in taxis pretending not to see her and speeding past. By the time she’d even tried, Jin Xueli had already called an Uber.

"Han Liuyue" took the front passenger seat—startling the driver into a yelp—while the other two sat in the back. The car started up and sped through the city streets toward Between the Backlight.

Less than ten minutes into the drive, Chaisi’s phone rang.

"...Tian Xi?" he answered the phone. "Why are you calling me at this hour?"

’It had only been a few hours since my last contact with the Household Hunters. The Kai Family Hunters probably had no idea I’d just taken a walk through the Ghost Gate.’

"Brother Chaisi, there’s a big backlog for testing at the lab. I had them work overtime to rush it, and I just now got the results."

Chaisi froze for a second, then remembered. Tian Xi had to be talking about the strand of red hair that Han Liuyue had found in the coffin.

"And?"

Tian Xi paused. "I had to use both threats and bribes to get the technician back to the lab tonight... Not long after, he called me from there."

’...That’s not a good sign.’

"He said it’s not human hair. It’s a high-temperature synthetic fiber... in other words, it’s from a wig."

Chaisi suddenly recalled the woman on the cemetery path, the one who had spun around so quickly after he’d grabbed her.

Her umbrella had shed a shower of raindrops, and a shadow had shrouded the upper half of her face.

’With the umbrella in the way, I could only see the damp tips of her hair... I couldn’t see the hair on her head clearly enough to notice if anything was unnatural about it.’

"I see," Chaisi said slowly. "Your call is well-timed. Actually, there’s something else I was about to ask you to handle."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Fu Tailan of the Morgan Family was seriously injured tonight. He should have been taken to a hospital. First, I need you to have someone find out which one. Second, I’m going to send you an address. I want you to go there yourself and search it from top to bottom. Use whatever means necessary, but find the Illusion hidden in that apartment."

"No problem," Tian Xi said crisply.

After hanging up, Chaisi sent the address of the Fu Tailan Apartment to Tian Xi.

’Fu Tailan is so badly injured, he’ll be lucky just to stay conscious. He couldn’t possibly have had the energy to find a new hiding place for the key.’

’The key has to still be in the apartment.’