Illusion Report

...The "Nest Communication Network" could end at any moment.

Even though Jin Xueli knew perfectly well what was truly important, when she heard the words "it’ll be as if you never did it," for a fleeting moment, she forgot to breathe.

Her feet were planted firmly on the ground; for a moment, she couldn’t take a single step.

So much time had passed; she no longer had to worry about stepping into a pool of blood with every move.

For a moment, it was as if erasing the record would allow her to simply pretend it had never happened—a sweet, hollow fantasy she had entertained countless times before.

"So, can we do it?" Ashley watched her expression intently, a single sentence pulling Jin Xueli back to her senses. "I know who I can call in a favor with to get the database—"

At this critical juncture, the important thing wasn’t verifying whether Chief Ashley could deliver on her promise. For Jin Xueli, there had only ever been one way to guarantee her own safety: getting away in time.

She could just agree and walk away.

’After that, I’ll just see whether or not I need to hand Ashley over. If turning her in is more advantageous for me, it’s not hard to say the word. If Chaisi doesn’t suspect anything, then I can just let her go.’

’It’s a risk-free deal for me. It would be great if Ashley keeps her promise, but even if she breaks it later, so what?’

’The situation wouldn’t fundamentally change. It would just mean another trip to the Nest, same as before.’

"You don’t have to say anything else," she interrupted Ashley. "Alright, let’s do it." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Ashley was stunned. She clearly hadn’t expected her to agree so readily, without even asking a single question like, "How can I be sure you’ll keep your promise?"

Ashley, naturally, found such a response hard to believe. As Jin Xueli turned to leave, she grabbed her by the shoulder and called out in a low voice, "Wait!"

"Let go," Jin Xueli said in a low voice. "What do you want?"

Ashley let go, her brows knitted together as if she couldn’t figure her out. "Are you really that loyal to... that Chaisi guy? I thought you were just someone who got accidentally caught up in all this."

"I am."

"Then why won’t you do me this favor?" Ashley seemed convinced that Jin Xueli was determined to side with Chaisi.

She wasn’t a Hunter, so unlike Chaisi, she hadn’t concluded that Jin Xueli had another "lifeline." Everyone interprets the world through the lens of their own experience, and a police chief is no exception.

"I’ve already promised that the police won’t be your enemy. Do you really trust some dangerous person you just happened to meet more than you trust the police?"

’Who knew that agreeing so readily would just make her suspicious...’ Jin Xueli almost wanted to sigh.

"I know he seems decent, but you absolutely can’t trust him because of it." Ashley seemed to have misunderstood something, her voice low and urgent. "He could be connected to numerous criminal cases. His upbringing and environment were extremely unstable—the perfect breeding ground for an antisocial personality. When he was a teenager, he even killed his own stepbrother—"

Jin Xueli had already been on her way out, but she couldn’t help but turn her head when she heard that.

"What?"

As if seeing a glimmer of hope, Ashley took a breath and did her best to steady her emotions.

"He recently came onto my radar, so I did a preliminary investigation. A string of mysterious, unexplained deaths has always surrounded this Chaisi Monroe... Not counting his mother, who disappeared in an accident, the first suspicious death was his adoptive father’s biological son, his stepbrother, Damian."

As Jin Xueli’s hand, clutching her phone, dropped to her side, both of their faces sank into the dim twilight.

"...Is that true?" she asked in a low voice. "Chaisi killed his stepbrother? And maybe his mother, too?"

"Yes. If he can even bring himself to harm his own family, do you still think he’s trustworthy? Would he show any kindness to a complete stranger?"

"That can’t be right," Jin Xueli retorted instinctively. "What about the person who adopted him? Did they just let it go?"

"No," Ashley said in a low voice. "I think that’s precisely why his adoptive father didn’t call the police and kept him by his side. His adoptive father is no ordinary man. He’s not clean, either. He needed a lackey, an enforcer, someone vicious enough to turn on their own family. Chaisi is an extremely dangerous criminal, and I am a police officer. You’re a smart woman; you should be able to see which choice is better for you."

’...So he killed his stepbrother.’

"But I can’t completely trust you, either," Jin Xueli said. "Once you’re out of danger, who’s to say you’ll keep your promise?"

Hearing her doubt, Ashley actually seemed to relax, a spark of hope appearing in her eyes.

"I know. I’ve only given you a promise, so it’s hard for you to trust me. And besides my word, I really have no other way to prove it. I can only give you my personal guarantee that I would never repay a favor with betrayal. Besides, what good would breaking my promise do me later? I can tell you’re quite accustomed to this bizarre phenomenon; you’re not an easy person to cross..."

In her urgency, the words tumbled out of her in a rush. She spoke all this in one breath before suddenly stopping as if she had choked, her eyes fixed on Jin Xueli.

"What... what are you doing?"

Ashley swallowed her shock and slowly asked, "...Why?"

Jin Xueli looked at her, and after a second, let out a soft sigh.

’The Chief was a truly remarkable person; her observation, quick-wittedness, and adaptability were all first-rate. To try and fool her with lies at this point would be disrespectful.’

"I’m making a phone call,"

Jin Xueli lifted the phone that had been hanging at her side, showing the screen to Ashley. It was on the dialing screen. At that exact moment, the first faint ringtone sounded from the phone. If they hadn’t both fallen silent, it would have been nearly impossible to notice.

Ever since the policewoman had given her the phone, Jin Xueli had been careful not to let it lock again—she never expected that precaution would come in handy here.

"How did you notice? I didn’t look directly at the screen when I was dialing, and I did my best to cover my finger movements."

She had angled the phone screen toward her body, using her peripheral vision to get her bearings from one row of numbers before pressing the others based on their approximate location. It would have been obvious in broad daylight, but Jin Xueli hadn’t expected Ashley to notice such a small movement from her fingers in the dim surroundings.

"As you pressed the keys, your fingers kept blocking the light from the screen."

Ashley seemed to suddenly lose all the energy she’d had when trying to persuade her. She simply stood in place and asked in a low voice, "Why? What exactly is your relationship with him?"

"You wouldn’t believe me if I said we had no relationship at all, would you?"

Ashley shook her head as if the words had just flown past her ears, clearly not believing her in the slightest. "No relationship at all? Then why would you go this far to help him?"

"Maybe I was being a little impulsive."

Even as she answered, Jin Xueli was well aware that the truth can sometimes be the hardest thing to believe. "It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but I’m a pretty impulsive person... Of course, I know why I was impulsive, but I don’t want to tell you the reason."

Ashley fell silent. She stared at Jin Xueli, her expression a mixture of amusement and warning. "Getting involved with someone like that... Aren’t you afraid you’ll regret it? No, you will regret it."

’I have an antidote for regret.’

Jin Xueli thought to herself, though she had no idea if that "antidote" would actually work as she intended...

The "Nest Communication Network" cut off all outside signals, allowing calls only between two phones located within the same building.

Chaisi was still holding Jin Xueli’s phone, so all she had to do was call her own number. The moment Chaisi saw the incoming call, he would naturally guess who was calling, because the only person in the building who had Jin Xueli’s number memorized was Jin Xueli herself.

However, even knowing that Chaisi would definitely realize it was her calling, she hadn’t expected him to arrive so quickly.

She raised her eyes, looking past Ashley.

Behind the Chief, in the darkness the flashlight beam could not pierce, a tall, dark shadow had appeared, its arrival nearly soundless.

As if she sensed it, Ashley closed her eyes.

"...Well hello, Chief."

Chaisi looked down, his large hand landing gently on Ashley’s shoulder. He chuckled, his voice like mist drifting up from a deep cavern. "I have a few questions I’ve been wanting to ask you for a long time."