Chapter 39: A Night Veiled in Thick Fog

"Where has Jiang Si gone recently?" Lin Yilin asked, seizing a moment of downtime.

"No idea. She's drifting around, homeless as ever. Honestly, it's a wonder she manages to live so comfortably. But I suppose that's her way of surviving. It seems she's temporarily left Xixi Keke Street to go cause trouble elsewhere—probably lying low," Zheng Fan replied, his words slightly muffled by the coffee spoon in his mouth.

Lin Yilin thought for a moment. "It’s probably because of the Meron family."

"What exactly does this Meron family do? Are they some kind of underworld gang?" Zheng Fan asked.

"Not an underground gang, though in some ways, they're more troublesome than one. They are a legitimate merchant dynasty, primarily operating in the White World. Their main business is luxury cosmetics. The Meron Group’s products are quite famous in the White World; I even bought some back in my university days."

Zheng Fan immediately straightened up and looked at Lin Yilin.

Before he could speak, Lin Yilin preempted him: "I just bought them as gifts for others. I didn't use them myself."

Zheng Fan felt instantly bored and lay back down.

"How does a merchant family from the White World get mixed up with a serial killer from the Red World?"

"If you want to grow a business, you're bound to cross paths with the Gray Districts sooner or later. With such a massive market right there, even the risks can't deter those merchants," Lin Yilin said as if it were obvious.

"I suppose that's true."

Lin Yilin continued, "Anyway, Jiang Si previously destroyed their factory on Xixi Keke Street, causing them huge losses."

"Oh?"

"There’s more to the story. According to my intelligence, it wasn't just Jiang Si involved that day, but she was the only one exposed, which made her notorious overnight. And then there's the mystery of her motive."

Zheng Fan recalled the girl's simple-minded nature. "She was probably tricked by someone."

"That much isn't hard to guess. What I'm curious about is *how* she was tricked." Lin Yilin tapped her nails against the phone on her desk. "Jiang Si’s behavioral patterns don't differ much from my stereotypical view of serial killers—killing for various reasons—but she isn't stupid. If anything, she’s 'foolish' in a wise sort of way. For a serial killer to navigate the Great Metropolis so successfully for so long says a lot. Under those circumstances, she shouldn't have been tricked into taking on a behemoth like that."

Zheng Fan was surprised. "You think that highly of her? I haven't met other serial killers, so I don't really have a frame of reference."

"Serial killers are geniuses in certain aspects, but their temperaments are usually the same. Jiang Si is a bit unique." Lin Yilin looked at Zheng Fan, lost in thought. "Then again, the fact that she attracted your attention, Mr. Illusion, already makes her quite special."

Zheng Fan waved a hand. "I was just attracted to her black lace lingerie."

"...There was really no need to be so blunt."

Lin Yilin sighed softly. "Forget it. It has nothing to do with me anyway."

It did not, in fact, have anything to do with Lin Yilin. But it might have something to do with Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan pondered for a moment. If Jiang Si were to do something inconsistent with her usual logic, it would likely involve that friend she mentioned—the one abducted by another "illusion."

The office fell into a long silence.

Lin Yilin looked up from her book at the window. "The fog is getting thicker. For safety, let's close up early today."

"You're the boss of the agency; it's your call," Zheng Fan said, rolling over on the sofa.

Lin Yilin leaned in and deftly swiped the black bank card from Zheng Fan’s pocket.

"Hey!" Zheng Fan quickly looked back.

"To prevent Mr. Illusion from 'purchasing' too many strange things when I'm not looking, I'll be taking the card with me," Lin Yilin said, tucking the card away.

A coffee machine could cost seventy thousand; she didn't even want to imagine what would happen if she left the card with Zheng Fan overnight.

Even with her wealth—derived from her stepfather’s inheritance and her own occasional investments—she had far less than the commercial conglomerates in the heart of the White World.

Lin Yilin suspected that even if a business tycoon handed their vault to Zheng Fan, he would easily evaporate it. After all, the upper limit of Zheng Fan’s ability to "shop" was currently unknown.

If he decided to build something like one of those "Gundams" he talked about, or acquired a few batches of high-end military hardware, nuclear warheads, bombers, or an aircraft carrier... that would truly be absurd.

The power of "assets" was truly like Pandora’s Box; once opened, the future seemed to teeter on the brink of collapse.

"Tch, whatever," Zheng Fan turned away, looking indifferent.

Lin Yilin didn't say anything more. "See you tomorrow, Mr. Illusion."

The agency door clicked shut.

The weather was damp and foggy. Zheng Fan didn't even feel like going out, and things didn't improve as the sky darkened.

Finally, he took out a deck of cards—secretly bought with Lin Yilin’s money—pure, unadulterated, ordinary playing cards, albeit slightly more luxurious-looking.

Then, he asked Toast to play cards with him.

What? Toast can play cards?

Are you questioning it?

That is a Perfect Toast. Even if it felt soft and limp from the humidity and looked like it was about to mold, it was still a Perfect Toast.

Playing cards wasn't too hard for it.

Toast was also silently leveling up. Lin Yilin took the "Red Elixirs" produced by the violent world quite slowly, but Toast had no such restrictions. Day by day, it had changed significantly.

For example, right now, it could mold its forelimbs into a pair of chubby little hands to play cards with Zheng Fan.

What a powerful ability! It truly was the Perfect Toast, easily accomplishing what no other toast could!

"Holy crap, you calculated that blackjack faster than I did. Are you actually a piece of toast?"

"Awoo!"

"Well, look at that. I've met my match."

"Awoo!"

"Again."

"Awoo!"

"Tch, mistake, that was a mistake..."

When you feel like a failure, don't forget: there is an illusion out there who can't beat a piece of toast at blackjack.

So, Zheng Fan changed his plan, switching from blackjack to "Kingslayer." If you can't beat them, join them.

"Kingslayer" was a tabletop game played with a single deck of cards, where J, Q, and K were treated as the targets to defeat, while other cards acted as attack, defense, and special effects. It was quite challenging and could be played solo or in teams.

Zheng Fan and Toast teamed up to challenge the evil monarchs of the deck.

They played until the sky was pitch black. Zheng Fan went to make a cup of coffee, broke off a piece of Toast, dipped it in, and ate it.

Not bad.

Just as he was wondering what to play next, Zheng Fan suddenly looked toward the window.

Some stealthy footsteps were approaching the agency. In the pitch-black night shrouded by fog, the streetlights outside provided only a dim, hazy glow.

Several silhouettes appeared outside the window.

Who would come to the agency this late?

...

"Damn it, do we really have to come in this weather? I almost crashed just walking here. I can't even see your faces at this range," a few thugs from the Banamu Agency gathered outside the door, cursing under their breaths.

"This is exactly the kind of weather for getting things done. That woman is sharp; if we aren't careful, she'll spot us."

"So what if she spots us? Does she dare cause trouble for Banamu? Hmph, we'll finish her!"

"Enough, it's Sister Yuan's intent." The speaker was Cheng Fei, who had lost several teeth to a punch from Zheng Fan (possessing Lin Yilin) and now seemed to have recovered. "Boss Qingye is soft on that woman, so Sister Yuan wants to get rid of her. She wants us to harass her agency until she's driven out of Xiding Road. Ideally, she shouldn't even be able to stay in the Xixi Keke Street area!"

"Yeah, yeah, we know. Breaking and entering in the middle of the night is our specialty; that's what we do. We were scolded hard by Boss Qingye for failing previous jobs, and since they don't want us anymore, we're stuck working for Sister Yuan now."

"Stop talking, let's move."

As they spoke, one of them stepped forward to pick the lock.

But before he could even start, as soon as he touched the door, it swung open effortlessly.

The door wasn't locked?

No, that wasn't it—it felt like the door had... opened itself.

The men froze for a moment, an inexplicable chill running down their spines.

"What are you waiting for? That woman has nerves of steel, let's get inside!" Cheng Fei looked at the brand-new, yet identical-looking door, his teeth aching, and urged them on.

They pushed the door open and entered.

Stepping into the silent Zero-One Agency, they found a steaming cup of coffee sitting on the coffee table.