“Who is the target?” Lin Yilin asked softly.
“A zombie,” Zheng Fan blurted out, then added, “Her age should be similar to yours, maybe a little younger, but her figure is better than yours, her fashion sense is very bold, and she looks fierce but is actually quite timid. She has a peculiar family relationship, though it’s probably normal in the Violent World. All in all, she’s quite interesting.”
Lin Yilin nodded, quickly scrolled through her phone, and after a moment said, “Ginger Association’s fourth daughter, Jiang Si?”
“Oh my, how—no, how did you pinpoint her with such an abstract description?” Zheng Fan was a little surprised.
“Xixikeke Street is vast, but it can also be very small. There aren’t that many noteworthy events in a single day. Jiang Hui, with his Animal Garden, finally cornered his unruly sister, but they were ambushed by the sudden intervention of the Red Dragon Gang. However, afterward, the Red Dragon Gang members were counter-killed by Jiang Si and then pursued by the Animal Garden, with only a few members surviving.”
Lin Yilin recited the information in her hand in a flat, rapid tone.
“Information Lin Yilin, you are too powerful,” Zheng Fan applauded in praise.
To keep up with her pace, he would have to work hard to become “Healthy Zheng Fan” next.
“I see. So that Jiang Si was able to make a comeback while severely injured thanks to your help, Mr. Illusion. Congratulations on finding your second body. Do you feel yourself becoming stronger?” Lin Yilin asked.
Zheng Fan was indeed stunned by her words, then pulled out a red bead from his pocket: “Does this count?”
“A red bead?” Lin Yilin was also a little surprised.
“After leaving Jiang Si’s body, I found I had a lot of these things in my hand. Is it related to what you said about getting stronger?” Zheng Fan gently placed the bead on the desk in front of Lin Yilin.
Lin Yilin reached out to touch it and found that she could.
She had tested the previous Black Bead anomaly and found it untouchable; only Zheng Fan himself could touch and use it.
If the anomaly represented the power of the Black World, then the red bead was…
Lin Yilin quickly made a connection.
“Not all Illusions are bound to one person,” she explained while pondering. “Although possession is the most basic way for Illusions to grow, with only one person, it’s still too slow. When Illusions taste the good of reality, they often crave more bodies and more contact with reality. The more people they invade, the more exaggerated their improvement will be.”
“But honestly, I didn’t feel much when I possessed you,” Zheng Fan said bluntly.
“Perhaps it’s because Mr. Illusion is already very strong, and I am too weak,” Lin Yilin didn’t mind belittling herself at all; she was merely stating a fact.
“In terms of the help it can bring to Mr. Illusion, it seems that the gangster young lady from the Violent World is superior.”
“No,” Zheng Fan denied.
Lin Yilin looked at him in confusion, not knowing where she had misspoken.
“My understanding of this world still comes from you. It would be very troublesome to sort through and discover so much knowledge bit by bit on my own, and I don’t know how much time it would take. I’m not good at that. In this regard, you are much more helpful to me than that zombie who only knows how to kill, Information Lin Yilin.”
After speaking, Zheng Fan smiled again: “Besides, in terms of personality, you are also more interesting. I also want to learn more about you.”
Lin Yilin stared at Zheng Fan, a little lost in thought, then spoke: “Information Lin Yilin really sounds terrible. Could you please not call me that?”
“Depends on my mood,” Zheng Fan shrugged.
Lin Yilin lowered her head, playing with the red bead in her hand: “As long as it helps you.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, I said this bead contains the power of the Violent World, a bit like… Blood Red Factor.” Lin Yilin skillfully changed the subject, not lingering too long on a conversation that might cause mutual awkwardness.
Blood Red Factor, she had mentioned it when she introduced the Violent World to Zheng Fan.
It was a power originating from the lowest level of the Violent World that simultaneously increased a person's violence index and led them towards violence.
“Have you tried it?” Lin Yilin asked Zheng Fan.
“I gave one to Toast,” Zheng Fan pointed to the lively Toast behind him.
“…Do you really like it?” Lin Yilin calmly retorted.
Can something of unknown origin be used casually on one’s “beloved dog”?!
“I love it, but it bit me again this morning when I just got back,” Zheng Fan also had a legitimate reason.
Lin Yilin covered her forehead and was silent for a moment, then collected herself: “What are the symptoms?”
“Reporting, Doctor, the patient was initially enveloped in red light, similar to the manifestation when overlapping with the Violent World. Afterward, its barking became agitated, and it charged at the sofa several times…”
“What?! My sofa!” Lin Yilin suddenly interrupted, springing up from her seat, pouncing on the sofa to examine it closely, and finding bite marks on one corner of the single sofa.
“…”
“I noticed its biting force seems to have increased significantly, and its strength has also improved. The frantic behavior returned to normal only after the red light disappeared, but the improvements remained,” Zheng Fan, hands in his pockets, came to Lin Yilin, who was sprawled on the sofa in a daze, and continued his report.
Lin Yilin remained silent for a long time, then tilted her head back and directly put the red bead in her hand into her mouth and swallowed it.
Red light enveloped her.
“Toast, come here,” Lin Yilin, under the red light, directly pulled out her gun, her cold tone like a queen preparing to judge a serious criminal.
Toast was originally playing around happily, but upon hearing her voice, its perfect Toast instinct told it something bad was happening, and it immediately shot off to run away!
But Lin Yilin anticipated it first, and the Black Earthworm in her hand suddenly shot out, biting Toast and strangling it into a bind.
Amidst Toast’s wails, a terrible torment began in the office.
…
“Hmm—I can’t believe it, Mr. Illusion. These beads can be said to be a pure version of Blood Red Factor. After experiencing it myself, I can confirm it. Using it can achieve an increase in the violence index, just like engaging in violent activities in the Violent World. On this basis, it does not subtly influence a person’s personality or thinking, but rather compresses it into a momentary state of excitement and frenzy.”
Lin Yilin recorded this information, and even she, facing such a divine object, could not hide her surprise in her tone.
“Mm-hmm,” Zheng Fan responded perfunctorily, watching Toast, covered in flour, struggling to replenish itself.
“If this kind of thing were to get out, even a hint of it could cause a bloody storm in Dadu. Even if you are a Black Illusion, Mr. Illusion, there will be many people who will target you recklessly for the sake of the benefits involved,” Lin Yilin continued to emphasize the seriousness of the matter.
“Mm-hmm—are three bags enough? It looks like it’s still a bit short. How about I crack a few more eggs for you…?”
“Mr. Illusion…”
“Hey, what’s there to be afraid of? When you have something like this, the first thing you should think about isn’t how dangerous it is to hold it, but rather to quickly use it to turn yourself into something that others fear. If it’s so useful, you should eat more of it, and get rid of that ‘chicken’ title sooner,” Zheng Fan said without looking back.
Lin Yilin didn’t know what to say, but Zheng Fan’s words did make a lot of sense.
Just as she was thinking, the doorbell rang.
“Come in,” Lin Yilin said loudly.
The door opened, and the visitor was Aunt Chen, the landlady, but Lin Yilin quickly focused her gaze on a somewhat haggard woman following behind Aunt Chen.
“Xiao Lin, this lady has encountered some trouble, so I brought her to you to have a look.” Aunt Chen had just finished speaking when she peeked into the room and couldn’t help but say, “Xiao Lin, a person has many difficulties, and it’s really not good for you to keep everything bottled up at such a young age. You need to vent, I understand all that, but you don’t need to ruin a Toast like this.”
Inside the room, Aunt Chen couldn’t see Zheng Fan, only a tattered Toast and flour scattered all over the floor.
Lin Yilin: “…”
It really was…irrefutable.