Illusion Report

Mai Mingle thanked her again and again. Even after Huangli got in the car, Mai Mingle waved vigorously, watching her leave. ’Who says young people are apathetic these days? I just met a good kid, didn’t I?’

But Mai Mingle never expected that after obtaining the Hunter Family Faction’s contact information with relative ease, her next objective would be even harder to find than the Morgan Family: a public phone booth.

’Weren’t they all over the place before?’

But now, she could walk for what felt like hours and not see a single one. When she finally spotted one and went inside, she didn’t see a telephone, but rather the word "WI-FI"—next to a fan-like symbol made of three curved lines.

’What’s this for?’

Mai Mingle wandered the streets for at least thirty minutes before she finally accepted the reality: public phone booths had, it seemed, been rendered obsolete.

After resting for a bit, she decided she couldn’t take it anymore. Hoping to get lucky, she walked into a small Chinese restaurant that looked like it had been there for ages. And sure enough, behind the cash register, she spotted a familiar, old-fashioned telephone.

"Could I please use your phone for a moment?"

Mai Mingle grew excited. She knew she looked a mess and, afraid of being thrown out, quickly added, "I’ll order a chow mein, too."

"You have money for the chow mein?" the owner asked, sizing her up with a suspicious gaze. "One dollar a minute."

’Thank goodness for Huangli Roslin’s money... I have to find a way to find that kid later, pay her back, and write her a thank you letter.’

Mai Mingle pressed her ear to the receiver, listening to the phone ring. The past twenty-four hours felt like a strange, dark play that was finally approaching its finale, the curtain about to fall.

Through her clothes, she touched the Snake Belt.

Mai Mingle had long grown used to its presence. If she didn’t touch it, she would even forget that the Illusion was still wrapped around her.

She hadn’t forgotten, of course, that the Snake Belt was the Morgan Family’s target. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

That was why Mai Mingle had no intention of revealing herself. Not letting anyone from the Morgan Family see her was the safest approach.

"Hello?" a woman’s voice answered on the other end.

"Hello," Mai Mingle said, glancing at the owner in the distance. She turned around, cupped her hand over the mouthpiece, and whispered, "Is this the Morgan Family?"

"Who is this?"

"Someone just gave me some money to call you and pass on a message."

The person on the other end immediately grew wary. "Who exactly are you?"

Mai Mingle ignored the question and continued, "She told me she just came back from a place called a Nest. She saw one of your people there, a little... a man named Jonah. She wanted me to tell you—are you listening?"

The other end of the line was silent. But for some reason, the silence felt tense to Mai Mingle, unnatural, as if it were concealing a flurry of movement and sound.

"I’m listening," the woman’s voice finally said, and a burst of noise erupted in the background along with her words. The moment she finished speaking, the line went dead silent again.

If Mai Mingle had been more experienced with cell phones, she would have realized the person on the other end had just hit the mute button.

But she lacked that experience.

"She told me to tell you that Jonah is at Saint Louis Hospital and needs to be rescued urgently."

’Just saying that might not be enough. Maybe I should explain more about Jonah’s condition... What if they bring that bug back with him?’

While Mai Mingle was thinking, the woman on the other end asked a few more questions, none of them very important. Not sensing anything amiss, she answered them all.

But the woman’s next words made every hair on her body stand on end.

"I have your location now," the woman said, then hung up with a sharp CLICK.