Illusion Report

Chapter 226: Chapter 189: Chaisi: A Good Leader Makes the Best Use of His People

"...A r-rare guest, Mr. Monroe."

The bartender, who looked just like a dejected Shar-Pei, recognized Chaisi, and even his drooping eyebrows couldn’t help but fly up, straightening out. But when he saw Han Liuyue, he nearly dropped his glass.

He first glanced around, as if looking for something to defend himself with. Finding nothing, he pretended not to see Han Liuyue and said, "If there’s anything I can help with, just say the word... Um, no fighting in the bar."

’Chaisi sometimes wondered what kind of reputation he really had. It wasn’t like he was some violent psychopath.’

"We’re here to post a purchase request," Jin Xueli said, taking the lead as if she knew how weak he was.

The Shar-Pei bartender seemed to have only just noticed her standing there and was startled yet again.

"Huh? It’s you? When did you and... Ahem, what’s the purchase request? Go on. We’ve got a lot of customers tonight, you might even be able to make a deal on the spot."

’It felt like he’d swallowed a lot of words.’

The bartender wasn’t exaggerating. The bar did seem to have more customers than usual—though if Chaisi had closed his eyes, he might have mistaken the place for being deserted.

That was because after the three of them entered, the clamor of the bar receded like a tide, falling away in an instant to reveal a vast silence. Countless eyes swept over them, unwilling to linger, yet too afraid to look away completely. It wasn’t until they started talking to the bartender that scattered whispers rose up from the bar behind them.

This wasn’t entirely because of Chaisi.

Everyone present was a Hunter. A single glance at Han Liuyue’s face was all they needed to know she was something from a Nest—even if not a resident, she was definitely not one hundred percent human.

If Chaisi hadn’t been with her, someone probably would have protested, or even made a move, long ago.

"I need an Illusion that can paralyze another Illusion."

Chaisi watched as the bartender took out a pen and paper and jotted down his words.

"...Something with a function that targets Illusions—paralysis, temporary incapacitation, forced breach, disarming alerts, or bypassing awareness, anything like that will do. Also, I heard an Illusion surfaced a few months ago that makes others see the user as ’one of their own,’ right? If anyone is willing to sell that one, the price is negotiable."

Besides his usual work of collecting, testing, buying, and selling, Chaisi also kept an eye on every new Illusion that popped up in the Hunter circle. He then rattled off the names of four or five Illusions and the people who’d handled them, as if listing family heirlooms.

"...For the ones I just mentioned, you can also ask if anyone can contact the owners about selling."

"Very detailed and thorough," the bartender said, nodding as he put away his pen and paper. "With such a specific request, you should hear something soon."

Even Han Liuyue’s mask-like face seemed to show a hint of satisfaction.

"So we don’t have to wait here, right?" Jin Xueli asked, letting out a yawn. "When there’s news, just have him give you a call..."

She didn’t finish before suddenly changing the subject. "Actually, on second thought, waiting half an hour is fine—hey, is your kitchen still open?"

Chaisi glanced at her, pulled a card from the pocket of his tight-fitting jacket, and handed it to the bartender. "Use this. And get me a whiskey on the rocks."

"Starting to repay your debt?"

As a waitress led them to a corner of the bar, Jin Xueli couldn’t resist adding, "It’s a good start. We can discuss the rest of the repayment in detail. There *is* more repayment, right?"

"...Is my life the only business you’re interested in?"

"There *is* more repayment, right?" Jin Xueli repeated, her tone heavier.

"...Yes."

Chaisi agreed, then turned to the waitress. "Keep the whiskey coming for me. No, just leave the bottle."

A newly awakened Hunter, it seemed, had a rubber stomach that could expand indefinitely.

When Tian Xi called again, Jin Xueli was diligently working her way through a mountain of Buffalo wings piled in front of her—one order was six wings, and she had somehow ordered five.

She was sweating from the heat of the food, all table manners forgotten. The sounds of her smacking and chewing were so loud that even Tian Xi could hear them over the phone.

"Brother Chaisi, are... are you eating?"

"...That’s not me."

The mere sight of food made Chaisi’s stomach turn. He couldn’t bear to look at the table laden with burgers and wings, nor did he want to look at Han Liuyue across from him. With nowhere else to rest his eyes, he stared at the distant entrance of the bar. "What’s the news?"

"The area around that apartment is being watched by Hunters from the Morgan Family. There are people monitoring from a car on the street below, and more guards in the hallway and the apartment itself. I sent someone to sneak into the building and get a rough idea of the situation. Without using force to break through, there’s no way to get into the apartment."

’Even severely injured, Fu Tailan hadn’t left any openings... Or rather, if he *had* left the apartment unguarded, Chaisi would have suspected a trap.’

"Brother Chaisi," Tian Xi said, not without hesitation, "do we need to make a move? We’ve always been on peaceful terms with the Morgan Family, and we have no conflicts of interest..."

The Hunter Family Factions were ultimately all about "profit," and they were reluctant to fight and kill without good reason.

Moreover, they all wielded powers that shouldn’t exist in the human world. If a conflict were to erupt between Family Factions, the consequences would be unpredictable.

When Chaisi first took over as second-in-command, he had recognized this very point. It was why he’d intentionally made the Kai Family’s style more and more like a gangster syndicate. When everyone else was hesitant to act, he, as the only one who was unscrupulous, had the advantage.

’But in the past, this approach had always been directed at individuals. To make a move against a Family Faction’s leader would be tantamount to declaring war...’

"You’re not eating, are you?"

Jin Xueli suddenly looked up from her wings, the lower half of her face a mottled orange-red from the hot sauce. She snapped at Han Liuyue across the table, "If you’re not going to eat, don’t stare at me. You’re making me lose my appetite."

’...It was hard to imagine this was her with a *bad* appetite.’

Just as expected, she had distracted Chaisi again. His gaze swept over the messy table before landing on Han Liuyue’s face, which was indeed quite close to the food.

’It looked more like curiosity than hunger. Perhaps the thing occupying her body didn’t get hungry.’

’Han Liuyue hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since coming out of the Nest. Even just from that perspective, he had to act fast—wait.’

"Don’t make a move yet. I might have a way..." Chaisi said into his phone, his eyes still fixed on her mask-like face. "Stay nearby, watch the situation, and wait for my signal."

He hung up the phone. Neither of the two at the table asked, "What’s wrong?"

Chaisi drained his second glass of whiskey. The cold liquid ignited his esophagus, like a trail of cold fire. He set the glass down, feeling his spirits lift slightly, and scanned the bar, mulling over his situation.

A rule of the Hunter trade was to never fight in "Between the Backlight."

This bar was like a temporary lake on the African Grassland where lions and zebras alike could coexist peacefully—but that was before the "Nest Dominance Game."

’Now, when it comes to acquiring a target Illusion, the four contestants in the game would never let old rules hold them back...’

"Are you done eating?" Chaisi asked.

Jin Xueli was staring with some regret at the last small half of a burger, seemingly unwilling to give up, still trying to figure out how to stuff it into her stomach.

"I’m done," she said, finally putting the burger down. "What’s up? Are you leaving? It’s true, with people hunting you, it’s not safe to stay here."

"...Thanks."

’Only now that you’re finished eating do you finally think of that.’

"I have something I need to ask you," Chaisi said.

"What is it?"

It was hard to phrase the next part tactfully, so he just went straight to the point. "A person who loves to talk as much as you do must have a lot of friends who love to gossip just as much, right?"

"The way you talk—"

"Five thousand dollars."

"Go on."

"If you spread the news that I’m here at ’Between the Backlight,’ how confident are you that Morando will hear about it tonight?"

Jin Xueli froze. She seemed to want to ask "why" and "let me see" at the same time, but her tongue got tied. She ended up just pulling out her phone and carefully scrolling through her contacts.

"I don’t think it’ll be a problem."

’Hard to say how much of that was for the five thousand dollars.’

"She has a friend named Qiao Yuyue. Qiao Yuyue and I are in the same Telegram group; she’s actually the one who recommended I join..."

"But she can’t know the information came from you."

"That’s fine too," Jin Xueli said, not bothered in the slightest. "I have a friend, Amber, who’s an accountant for the Morgan Family. She can tell the Morgan Family Hunters, and I’m sure there are Morgan Family Hunters in the group..."

’What a web woven from wagging tongues.’

"Then do it," Chaisi said with a nod. "The faster the news reaches Morando’s ears, the sooner you get paid. By tomorrow morning, this offer expires."

Jin Xueli’s eyes lit up. Without even asking "why," she lowered her head and started typing furiously.

"I don’t understand."

A sentence slowly seeped from Han Liuyue’s rigid, mask-like face. "Morando... she’s the one who just tried to kill you, right? You’re weak right now, yet you’re deliberately revealing your location to her. Aren’t you afraid she’ll strike while the iron is hot and try again?"

’Morando could be quite lazy at times, especially when she was emotionally volatile. She probably wouldn’t make another move tonight, but the people behind her were another matter.’

"Of course I’m afraid."

Chaisi poured himself a third glass of whiskey. "Look, even lifting this bottle makes my hand tremble slightly. How could I possibly fight?"

"I don’t get it. Then why would you—"

Chaisi took a sip of his drink, looked at her, and smiled. "I was just thinking. In this entire world, I’m the only person who will help you transfer into the mayor."

The mask-faced Han Liuyue looked at him and fell silent.

"This Miss Jin Xueli, let’s not even mention that she has no way of getting you in front of the mayor... Even if she could, she would only take you to him. Because once that step is done, she gets her reward. She would never pay out of her own pocket to buy an Illusion for you."

Chaisi set down his glass and said slowly, "The person who will acquire the Illusion, take you to the mayor, figure out how to break through his defenses, and help you transfer successfully... that’s only me. If I die, you’ll be stuck as the ordinary Hunter Han Liuyue forever."

"...So?"

"Someone will be here to cause trouble for me soon."

Chaisi leaned back in his chair. Unfortunately, the booth was too small for him to stretch out his legs.

"Do you want me to live? We’ll see what you do when the time comes."