Illusion Report

Rain was a nuisance. It drizzled ceaselessly, like long tufts of white grass swaying between the gray sky and the earth.

Her long hair was splayed across her back, the ends soaked through, making her head feel heavy. A layer of silvery-white fuzz seemed to have bloomed on her black overcoat.

"...Are you still outside waiting for me?" Brianna asked in a low voice.

"Yeah," Morando said. Her voice was a small, gentle echo of a feeling she longed for, trapped in Brianna’s earpiece.

"When you saw me today, did you think I was anything like my old self?" she asked, her tone deliberate.

Morando was silent for a few seconds before saying, "...People change."

Brianna laughed.

’Just like old times. She was always trying to strike a balance between the truth and a comforting lie.’

"Why did you come out?" Morando seemed to want to change the subject. "It’s not safe yet," she said in Brianna’s ear. "The clean-up crew the Kai Family hired just left, so there might still be people around."

’She always changed the subject to business—if you could even call it that. Perhaps it was because business was all they had left.’

Brianna raised a hand and gently pressed the corner of her eye, trying to force her overactive tear ducts back into submission.

Her fingertip came away damp. She touched her eyelashes with another finger; a quick glance confirmed there was no mascara on her fingertip.

"You... Wait, are you crying? It was just one failed attempt. You weren’t caught, so you still have a chance. Don’t be upset."

Morando sounded a little flustered. "I just think it would be better for you to hide a while longer. It’s not just the clean-up crew. I’m also worried Chaisi Monroe might circle back. From what I know of him, he won’t be satisfied leaving empty-handed..."

"Why do you even care about me?"

’She knew she shouldn’t have said it, but she couldn’t stop herself. A masochistic mix of pain and faint pleasure came with the words.’ "If I’d died, you could have finally breathed a sigh of relief, couldn’t you? If Chaisi and his Mercenaries had found me earlier, you could’ve gotten out of this disgusting mess."

Brianna had known all along that the attack she’d arranged against the Kai Luonan couple was on a timer.

Chaisi wouldn’t be trapped at the Central Police Station forever. Once he arrived, it was only a matter of time before he called in reinforcements to search the cemetery. She didn’t know Chaisi well, but she knew he wasn’t an idiot. The moment he got there, he’d realize the person controlling the bullets was on a nearby slope in the cemetery and would naturally order a search.

The bullets could only cover the section of the cemetery where Kai Luonan was located. So, when Chaisi’s men started searching the surrounding area instead of that section, Brianna’s planned assault had to end. Even she had to go into hiding.

She hid in the cemetery for several long hours, waiting for the Kai Family’s people to give up the search, waiting for that clean-up crew to process the scene... By the time she finally resurfaced, a steady drizzle once again filled the air, and night was falling.

"Don’t say that. Of course I don’t want anything to happen to you," Morando said softly. "I understand. You’re in more pain than anyone... That’s why I want to help you."

Brianna took a deep breath and said, "Mm... I’m sorry."

They both fell silent for a few seconds.

"You need to be careful," Morando said softly. "Mr. and Mrs. Kai have both been sent to the hospital. Chaisi is very likely to go back and lie in wait."

"Didn’t they search this cemetery several times already?" Brianna said, her voice languid. She opened her umbrella to shield herself from the drizzle but didn’t make a move to leave. "My men are all dead, and they found nothing in the cemetery. Why would he come back?"

’Brianna knew that if she couldn’t kill Kai Luonan before Chaisi launched his search, then today’s attack was a failure. But she had long been prepared for failure—and now, it seemed every precaution she’d put in place had served its purpose perfectly.’

’For instance, of all the ways to assassinate someone, why specifically use an Illusion to control the bullets?’

’On the surface, this method had two advantages. First, it could seal off an area, preventing Kai Luonan from escaping in the chaos. Second, a small number of bullets could be concealed among the trees and foliage for a surprise attack. In fact, the moment the Kai Family thought they could finally retreat safely was when they suffered the most casualties, because no one ever thought to guard against leaves, tombstones, or clumps of grass.’

’But beyond those two points, there was a third, one Brianna had never spoken aloud and Morando had never asked about.’

’...She couldn’t, of course, let the assassins she’d hired fall into the hands of the Kai Family.’

’Since today’s ambush on Kai Luonan had failed, there was no way those assassins were walking off that cemetery slope alive. Brianna had made them wear yellow raincoats not only to distinguish friend from foe during the attack, but also to make them easy targets to be silenced afterward.’

’Every person she’d hired, every person who had seen her face, now lay dead on that slope.’

’No matter how furious or frustrated Chaisi became, no matter how unwilling he was to give up, in the end, he wouldn’t get a single shred of information about the person behind it all.’

’After all, Chaisi was merely reacting to the situation. She *was* the situation.’

"He may be good at using force to instill fear, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t meticulous."

Morando was still trying to persuade her. "I was pretty close with him back in college. I saw firsthand how sharp his mind can be. The cemetery is where it all went down, so it’s the most likely place to find a clue... Never mind him—even I would come back for another look."

"That makes sense," Brianna sighed softly, Morando’s words stirring up old memories. "I saw him once when I came to visit you at your university, but we never really spoke. He certainly leaves an impression."

’Back then, she and Morando had just started dating. All the joy and terror were still so vivid, so intense... Thinking back now, it felt like a lifetime ago, a story that belonged to someone else.’

Morando finally remembered. "Oh," she said, the realization dawning on her. "That’s right, you did meet him once. But it’s been so many years. He’s probably long forgotten a single brief meeting like that."

Brianna looked back.

’Morando’s fear that she’d walk right into Chaisi’s hands wasn’t entirely unfounded paranoia. And while Brianna was fully prepared and unafraid of an encounter with him, it would still be safer, out of an abundance of caution, to wait until it was completely dark before leaving... ’

"...No," Brianna said abruptly. "I don’t want to."

"What?"

Brianna couldn’t bear to look at the lavish, apartment-sized mausoleum any longer. She turned her head away and said in a low voice, "It’s nothing. I just don’t want to go back into hiding."

Morando paused, then said, "...Are you afraid?"

’Afraid?’

’Of course not.’

"Hiding in his tomb disgusts me."

As she spoke, Brianna brushed down her overcoat, making sure there were no stray leaves or dust clinging to it. ’If she did happen to run into Chaisi on the path, she couldn’t have anything about her appearance give her away or make him suspect she’d been in the cemetery this whole time.’

"Who the hell does he think he is? His wife built him this massive mausoleum as if he had some great deeds worth remembering. He spent his whole life as a greedy, shameless, arrogant, and narrow-minded rat. The idea that he’s the one sheltering me from the storm now that he’s dead... it’s laughable."

Morando said nothing, only listening quietly. Her silence felt like a form of acceptance, of permission.

’Brianna had told her everything. Morando knew about her disgrace and her shame. She knew how far-fetched this plan was, and how slim the chances of success were. More than that, she knew that the person Brianna was right now was neither good nor righteous—that she would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, even if it meant paving her path with blood.’

’But still, she just listened quietly, reaching out a hand whenever Brianna needed one.’

’The more accepting and supportive Morando was, the more tortured Brianna felt.’

"No, it wasn’t the mausoleum that helped me evade the Kai Family’s search."

Brianna let out a cold laugh as she started down the small path through the grass. "The Kai Family Hunters are meticulous. They even picked the lock and looked inside the mausoleum. If his wife hadn’t reserved an empty crypt for herself, I would’ve been caught long ago."

The black umbrella cast a shadow over her head, obscuring her face.

Brianna popped the collar of her overcoat—in mid-November, it was colder when it rained, so an overcoat wasn’t too conspicuous—and only felt at ease once her face was mostly hidden.

The path from the mausoleum led past the slope where the Kai Luonan couple had been attacked.

She listened to the click of her heels on the stone path as she walked away, step by step. Even though no one was around, Brianna was careful not to let her gaze drift toward the slope.

’Such a pity.’

’The moment she’d realized Chaisi was stuck at the station and that the Kai Luonan couple just so happened to be at this very cemetery, every step of the attack had materialized in her mind with perfect clarity... ’

She couldn’t help but sigh.

’Who would have thought that such a perfect opportunity would still end in failure, right at the cusp of success.’

’Then again, if her target had been any other Family Faction, she might have already succeeded. Perhaps she never should have targeted the Kai Family, because the Kai Family had Chaisi—’

It was as if her thoughts had conjured him into reality. When Brianna lifted her eyes, a tall figure was walking toward her on the path ahead. His all-black clothes were still somewhat disheveled, his shirt soaked through by the rain and clinging to his shoulders and arms.

’...Morando really knew how to jinx things,’ Brianna thought, a bitter laugh almost escaping her.

Chaisi wasn’t carrying an umbrella. The rain had made his skin pale, but his black hair was still slicked neatly back. The moment they met on the path, his eyes locked onto her as if he’d caught the scent of prey, and they didn’t move.

’No, on second thought, it was only natural.’

’After all, for anyone to appear in such a sensitive place at such a suspicious time... he’d give a dog a second glance. But she had even prepared for a face-to-face encounter with Chaisi, so there was no need to panic. Few people came to this cemetery, but it wasn’t unheard of. She was just an ordinary person paying her respects.’

She reminded herself to stay calm, maintaining her pace and posture as she continued toward Chaisi.

Just as they were about to pass each other, Brianna gave Chaisi a slight nod from under her umbrella.

’She was shorter than him and had her head lowered, so she couldn’t see his expression.’

’Did he notice anything? What did his face look like?’

’Brianna had no idea, and she couldn’t risk looking up to find out. All she could do was feign calmness and take the next step.’

’For the split second it took her heel to land, she was terrified Chaisi would hear the breath she’d suddenly held, that he would turn around and grab her by the arm—’

But Chaisi didn’t reach for her.

In her peripheral vision, she saw him give a slight nod in return. "Ma’am," he said, and walked right past her.