The subway. At this hour, there weren't as many people on the subway as during the morning rush hour. Lin Yilin found a relatively empty spot and sat down.
After a while, Lin Yilin asked, "Mr. Illusion, what do you think of that person just now?"
"He's quite handsome?"
"...Are you gay?"
"Why are you bringing that up again?"
"Never mind. I want to ask if you sensed any illusion Factor on Qingye Heshi."
"A little, but not very strong. How do I put it?" Zheng Fan sat down in the seat opposite Lin Yilin.
"I'm not the only one who has made a deal with an Illusion. Besides the common and legitimate way of using supernatural power by obtaining Fantasy Factors left behind by Illusions, if you want to use that power without losing yourself, you can only make a deal with an Illusion," Lin Yilin said.
"I see, but wouldn't doing that be very risky?"
"Yes, very risky. You can't guarantee all the actions of an Illusion. However... because of different upbringings, the individual differences between Illusions are indeed very significant. There are quite a few people like this. Qingye probably obtained this power three years ago, and he's been safe and sound until now, even doing increasingly well in his own office."
Lin Yilin stared at the subway's itinerary display, seemingly lost in thought.
"It's very dangerous, but this power can change a person's situation in an instant, right?" Zheng Fan concluded.
"In Dadu, there are countless people who desire this kind of instant reversal. I am just one of them, just a little more prepared than the average person. Understanding more doesn't mean complete control over everything. If Mr. Illusion wasn't so easy to talk to, my outcome might have been very tragic as well." Lin Yilin's gaze shifted to another car.
Weary crowds, beggars, vendors, displaced people—you can see many of them on the subway in the Grey District, true faces that are a genuine part of Dadu.
Zheng Fan chuckled, "But if my actions showed even a hint of something amiss, you wouldn't have easily come to negotiate with me, would you?"
"Heh." Lin Yilin was noncommittal but also smiled.
"What happened with you getting expelled from university?" Zheng Fan changed the subject, asking about something that interested him more.
Lin Yilin clearly seemed like the type with a brilliant mind, and in fact, she was indeed a genius. Her mere presence gave people a sense of being "non-human"; it was impossible to tell what she was thinking, she was different from ordinary people.
In this regard, Zheng Fan felt that Qingye Heshi's evaluation of Lin Yilin was quite accurate.
However, even though that handsome Japanese-style man knew this, he still treated her with the attitude and measures he would use for ordinary people.
Rather, Qingye Heshi probably hoped that Lin Yilin could break free from this feeling of being an anomaly.
She was clearly human, yet she detached herself from the crowd, unnoticed by others, a genius overlooked by others. Like a dream or an Illusion, she seemed like an Illusion within the crowd, capable of disappearing in the blink of an eye.
But for such a person to say she was almost expelled from university, that sense of unreality suddenly became a bit more real.
Although he felt sorry, Zheng Fan still found it a bit funny.
"Just some not-so-good things happened in the club that violated school rules. My classmates did it too, and I wasn't even the mastermind," Lin Yilin said lightly, glancing sideways.
But, young lady, you even said "mastermind."
"Club? You even joined a club?" Zheng Fan was a little surprised. Speaking of which, when he was in university, his parents enrolled him in a "fun" major. If he hadn't gotten used to those idiotic parents, he wouldn't have cared, otherwise, he would have called the police.
Although he met a few interesting people at school, overall, university didn't leave much of a memory. As for clubs, they felt really distant.
"Not exactly a club, because it wasn't recognized by the school. It was just an activity we privately gathered for, collectively called the 'Multiverse Research Society,'" Lin Yilin recalled.
What kind of research society?
What on earth were you doing in university?
Although it sounded like the kind of fan club that chuunibyou youths would gather for fun, just like some supernatural research societies he had heard of.
But looking at Lin Yilin's demeanor and her methods, this research society sounded very ominous.
Wait a minute, she said they caused an incident in this club. Was this incident really just an ordinary violation of school rules?
Zheng Fan fell into a brainstorm.
"Mr. Illusion, we've arrived," Lin Yilin suddenly stood up and said.
Zheng Fan didn't think any further and followed her.
Forget it, anyway, after spending more time together, what he should or shouldn't know would eventually become clear.
Who doesn't have some "shady" past?
The Closed Community is an area of considerable scale located northwest of Xixikeke Street. Its prosperity ranks high on Xixikeke Street. If Beixiao Road is like a county town, then this place is probably like the city center of a small city.
But while developed, what's worse than Beixiao Road is that larger gang forces are gathered here.
The largest underground black market in Xixikeke Street and even several surrounding major urban areas is also located here.
These details were irrelevant to Zheng Fan and his companion for now. They headed straight to Kaibisi's house.
In a mid-to-high-end residential area, they saw a character at the entrance who was considered a high-risk profession in Dadu and quite rare in the Grey District—a security guard.
And it was precisely this rare character who blocked Lin Yilin.
"From an office? No entry." The security guard uncle looked at the business card Lin Yilin handed him, just casually glanced at it, and replied like that.
It even made Lin Yilin freeze for a moment.
"An obscure little office, and who knows what kind of commissions you take. If I let everyone in, how am I supposed to do my job? Little girl, go home early. Don't treat an office like a game." The security guard uncle waved his hand casually and dismissed Lin Yilin.
"That, please..."
Lin Yilin still wanted to try, but the security guard didn't even intend to listen and simply turned around and went back to his guard booth.
"Pfft..." Zheng Fan, standing nearby, couldn't hold back.
What do you call a mission that fails before it even begins?
The invincible Miss Lin Yilin was stuck at the security guard.
At this point, Lin Yilin really didn't seem to have any conventional way to get in.
"How can this be..." Lin Yilin lowered her head by the roadside. Like a... Earthworm by the roadside.
"He's just being very dedicated and responsible."
"When I first said I was from an office, he didn't directly refuse but looked at the business card first, which means he wasn't resistant to offices in general, but to small offices. Indeed, as he said, the quality of small offices varies and they don't have much credibility." Lin Yilin exhaled.
"Shall I try?" Zheng Fan said.
"Although I could perform a hallucinatory ritual to sneak past, there are a lot of people here, so it's not good to do it openly. Mr. Illusion, I'm sorry to have to ask for your help with something like this." Lin Yilin could only reluctantly accept reality.
A moment later, as a car drove back into the community, the community gate opened. The security guard at the entrance only felt a blur before his eyes and a strong gust of wind. He blinked and looked around, but didn't see anything unusual.
"Lin Yilin" stopped in an unpopulated corner as if taking a stroll, looked back at the distant security guard, chuckled, and walked in swaggeringly.
If Zheng Fan possessed Lin Yilin, the solution would be simple.
Just walk in when the door opens.