Illusion Report

"Thank you," she said to Xiaozuo and Xiaoyou. "You two can rest for a bit. All we can do now is wait."

Mai Mingle was very patient.

She recalled not long ago, when she had been bedridden. Back then, Mai Mingle had lost most of her interest in the news, feeling it was about another world that had nothing to do with her, a world she was about to leave behind.

She preferred watching a lively reality show about a family with more than ten members. She would lie in bed, motionless, watching the sunlight shift outside her window, listening to the news in the background as she waited for the reality show to start, her consciousness drifting in and out.

Life seemed like a pearl necklace. On the long thread of waiting, moments were strung together, each one prone to slipping away.

Mai Mingle was so exhausted she didn’t even see the purple-haired woman walk out of the main gate.

It wasn’t until the woman was already standing by the side of the road with her phone out, waiting for a car, that Mai Mingle jolted and jumped up, quickly calling out to her, "Hey, hello there."

The purple-haired woman turned her head, revealing a friendly-looking but weary face.

’Well, anyone would be exhausted after the morning she’s had.’

"Hm? Oh, hold on," the purple-haired woman said, patting her pockets. "I think I have some spare change..."

"I’m not asking for money," Mai Mingle declared.

The purple-haired woman froze, her hand hovering, and looked at her.

’Looking at her, you really couldn’t tell she was a Hunter, aside from her toned muscles and clothes that allowed for easy movement.’

Now that the critical moment had arrived, Mai Mingle felt a pang of uncertainty. But with no other choice, she braced herself and cut straight to the chase. "Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the Morgan Family?"

"Oh, you’re asking for directions? Morgan—"

The purple-haired woman had just started to glance aside when she suddenly realized something. Her gaze snapped back to Mai Mingle, and she asked slowly, "...You mean, the Morgan Family?"

’Hunters can’t just kill everyone who knows about them to silence them, right?’

Mai Mingle was genuinely startled by her own thought.

’If just knowing about them puts you in danger, then there’s really only one logical solution.’

"That’s right, I’m a Hunter too. But I’ve always run Nests on my own. I’ve never joined a Family Faction, so I don’t know anything," Mai Mingle said, silently praying that there really were Hunters who didn’t join Factions. "I want to join the Morgan Family now... Do you know how to find them?"

The moment the word "Nest" was spoken, the purple-haired woman’s expression shifted subtly. It was as if that one word was a key, unlocking the facade of an ordinary citizen to reveal something tougher underneath, something more distant from the mortal world.

"You... how did you end up like this?" she asked, looking Mai Mingle up and down. "I’ve never seen a Hunter in such a sorry state. And how did you know I was one, too?"

"I was nearby when your car crashed," Mai Mingle said, a little embarrassed, and smoothed down her hair forcefully.

"Oh, so you saw Chaisi. He is pretty conspicuous." The purple-haired woman nodded, seeming to have received a satisfactory explanation.

’If "Chaisi" was that tall figure seen from behind, maybe the ’Chai’ part of his name was short for ’shy.’ She was quite proud of her little joke, but kept it to herself.’

"You can’t just join a Family Faction whenever you want, you know. You have to pass their assessment standards..."

As the purple-haired woman spoke, she glanced again at her miserable state and seemed to take pity on Mai Mingle. "Well, when you’ve got nowhere else to turn, I suppose it’s worth a shot... At the very least, they should give you a meal."

"So what should I..."

"You’re in luck. I was just headhunted by the Kai Family," the purple-haired woman said, smiling as if she’d mentioned something she was proud of. "Before I joined the Kai Family, I added the contact info for several Family Faction HRs. And as it happens, that includes the one for the Morgan Family."

’...HR?’

’Hunter Family Factions have Human Resources departments?’

’It does mean Human Resources, right? It’s not some new slang the kids are using?’

Mai Mingle kept the confusion from her face as she watched the purple-haired woman take out her phone. The woman then looked up and stared back at Mai Mingle.

The two stared at each other blankly for a few seconds of silence before the purple-haired woman finally spoke. "What are you looking at me for? Get your phone out and take this down."

Mai Mingle rummaged in her pocket and pulled out two crumpled, low-denomination bills. "Do you have a pen?" she asked awkwardly. "This is all I have... I can write it on here..."

"You don’t have a phone?"

She only had a landline, and a single ’senior phone’ she hadn’t used in years. But Mai Mingle sensed it was better not to say that.

"Lost it... in a Nest," she stammered.

The look in the purple-haired woman’s eyes changed from sympathy to the kind you give at a funeral viewing.

"Ah," she said, wiping her nose. She seemed to have something to say but couldn’t quite bring herself to say it. "Right... Um, no wonder you want to join a Family Faction. You have to remember this from now on: don’t leave personal belongings in a Nest. You absolutely, positively have to avoid it."

’Judging by her expression, she was one breath away from adding, "If you even have a ’from now on.’"’

’The purple-haired woman really was a kind soul.’

"Now that I’ve joined the Kai Family, it wouldn’t be right for me to contact other Family Faction HRs. Professional courtesy, you know? You have to avoid conflicts of interest. How about this: find a... find a payphone, give them a call, and tell them Huangli Roslin sent you."

She found a pen in her bag and wrote a contact number on the bill. "Take this money. Once they give you the address, you can use it for a ride."

If Jonah could truly be saved, at least half the credit would belong to Huangli Roslin’s moment of kindness.