“Where has Jiang Si been lately?” Lin Yilin asked, seizing the opportunity.
“I don’t know. She’s always running around, never settling down. It’s a wonder how she manages to live so comfortably. But I suppose that’s her way of survival. It seems she’s temporarily left Xixikeke Street to mess around elsewhere, probably to lay low,” Zheng Fan said, his words a bit unclear as he chewed on his coffee spoon.
Lin Yilin pondered, “It’s probably because of the Mellon Family.”
“What exactly does this Mellon Family do? Are they another gang?” Zheng Fan asked.
“They’re not an underground gang, but in some ways, they’re even more troublesome than one. They’re a legitimate merchant family, primarily operating in the White World. Their main business is luxury cosmetics. Mullen Group’s products are quite famous in the White World; I even bought some of their products when I was in college.”
Zheng Fan immediately sat up straight, looking at Lin Yilin.
Before he could speak, Lin Yilin quickly said, “I only bought them as gifts, not for myself.”
Zheng Fan immediately lay back down, feeling bored.
“How did a business family from the White World get involved with a Killing demon from the Red World?”
“To expand a business, you’ll inevitably get involved with the Grey District to some extent. With such a huge market available, even the risks can’t deter those merchants,” Lin Yilin said as a matter of course.
“That’s true.”
Lin Yilin continued, “Then, Jiang Si previously destroyed their factory on Xixikeke Street, causing them immense losses.”
“Oh, really?”
“There’s more to this incident. First, according to my intelligence, Jiang Si wasn’t the only one involved that day, but only she was exposed, gaining instant notoriety. Then there’s the mystery of Jiang Si’s motive.”
Zheng Fan recalled the girl’s simple mind, “She was probably tricked.”
“That’s not hard to guess. What I’m curious about is how she was tricked,” Lin Yilin tapped her phone on the table with her fingernail. “Jiang Si’s modus operandi isn’t much different from my stereotype of a Killing demon—engaging in killing activities for various reasons. But she’s not foolish; rather, she’s subtly wise. The fact that a mere Killing demon can thrive in Dadu for so long already speaks volumes. In such a situation, she shouldn’t have been tricked into confronting such a behemoth.”
Zheng Fan was surprised. “You think so highly of her? I haven’t met other Killing demons, so I don’t have much to compare.”
“Killing demons are all geniuses in some aspect, but their temperaments are mostly the same, while Jiang Si is somewhat special,” Lin Yilin said, looking thoughtfully at Zheng Fan. “However, to attract Mr. Illusion like you, that alone is indeed very special.”
Zheng Fan waved his hand. “I was just attracted by her black lace underwear.”
“…You don’t have to be so blunt about it.”
Lin Yilin sighed softly. “Forget it, it has nothing to do with me anyway.”
It really had nothing 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 that didn’t align with her usual actions, it would probably be related to the friend she mentioned, who was taken away by another Illusion.
The office was silent for a long time.
Lin Yilin looked up from her book and glanced out the window. “The fog is getting thicker. For safety, let’s leave work early today.”
“You’re the boss of the office, you call the shots,” Zheng Fan rolled over on the sofa.
Lin Yilin leaned closer, reaching out to swipe the black card from Zheng Fan’s pocket.
“Ah!” Zheng Fan quickly turned his head.
“To prevent Mr. Illusion from ‘buying’ too many strange things without my knowledge, I’ll take the card for now,” Lin Yilin put away the bank card.
A coffee machine alone cost seventy thousand. She couldn’t even imagine what would happen if the bank card was left in Zheng Fan’s hands for one night.
Even with all her money, she was only living off her adoptive father’s inheritance, supplemented by her occasional investments and financial management, which accumulated far more wealth than ordinary people, but she was not one of the commercial groups or financial magnates at the center of the White World.
Lin Yilin suspected that even a business giant, if they entrusted their treasury to Zheng Fan, he could easily make it vanish.
After all, the upper limit of Zheng Fan’s purchasing power was currently unknown.
What if he used it to build some Gundam-like contraption he mentioned, or acquired several batches of high-grade military weapons, a few nuclear warheads, bombers, aircraft carriers, etc.? That would be truly outrageous.
The power of “property” was indeed like Pandora’s Box; once opened, the future seemed to teeter on the brink.
“Tch, whatever,” Zheng Fan turned his head away, looking indifferent.
Lin Yilin didn’t say much more, “Then, see you tomorrow, Mr. Illusion.”
The office door closed softly.
The foggy weather was damp, and Zheng Fan didn't even feel like going out to play, and it didn't improve much until dusk.
Finally, he pulled out a deck of cards—secretly bought with Lin Yilin’s money—which were also pure and without any oddities, though they looked a bit more luxurious.
Then he found Toast to play cards with him.
What? Toast can play cards?
What are you questioning?
That’s Perfect Toast. Even if it’s soft and limp from the damp weather, looking like it’s about to mold, it’s still Perfect Toast.
Playing cards is no challenge for it.
Toast is also quietly leveling up. Lin Yilin eats the “Red Pill” produced in the Violent World relatively slowly, but Toast has fewer reservations. With daily accumulation, it’s already not what it used to be.
For example, now, it can mold its front limbs into a pair of chubby little hands to play cards with Zheng Fan.
What a powerful ability! As expected of Perfect Toast, it easily accomplished what other Toast couldn't!
“Holy crap, you calculate blackjack faster than me. Are you really a piece of Toast?”
“Awooo!”
“Goodness, I’ve met my match.”
“Awooo!”
“Again.”
“Awooo!”
“Tsk, a mistake, a mistake…”
When you feel like a failure, please don’t forget that there’s an Illusion who can’t beat a piece of Toast at blackjack.
So Zheng Fan changed his plan, switching from blackjack to “Regicide.” If you can’t beat them, join them.
“Regicide” is a board game that can be played with a single deck of cards, where JQK are considered the targets to be defeated, and other cards are used for attack, defense, and other special effects in a confrontation game of comparable difficulty. It can be played solo or with multiple players in co-op.
Zheng Fan and Toast went together to challenge the evil card monarchs.
They played until it was completely dark. Zheng Fan made a cup of coffee, broke off a piece of Toast, dipped it in the coffee, and ate it.
Not bad.
Just as he was about to say what they should play next, Zheng Fan suddenly looked out the window.
Some stealthy footsteps approached the office. In the misty, dark night, the streetlights outside could only provide a faint glow.
Several figures appeared outside the window.
Who would come to the office so late?
…
“Damn it, do we have to come in this weather? We almost collided walking here; I can’t even see your faces from this close,” outside the door, several thugs from Banmu Office gathered, cursing intermittently.
“This kind of weather is perfect for getting things done. That woman is sharp; if we’re not careful, we’ll be found out.”
“So what if we’re found out? Does she dare to cause trouble for our Banmu? Hmph, we’ll kill her!”
“Alright, this is Yuan Jie’s idea,” the one who spoke now was Cheng Fei, whose several teeth had been knocked out by Lin Yilin when Zheng Fan possessed her. He seemed to have recovered now. “Boss Qingye is soft on that woman, so Yuan Jie wants her dead. She wants us to harass her office more, to drive her out of Xiding Road quickly, preferably making it impossible for her to stay even on Xixikeke Street!”
“Got it, got it. Smashing things in the middle of the night is what we do best; that’s what we’re here for. We messed up a few times before and Boss Qingye chewed us out badly. They don’t want us there, so now we can only follow Yuan Jie.”
“Enough talk, let’s do it.”
As they spoke, one person stepped forward to pry open the door.
But before he could pry, as soon as he touched it, he found the door pushed inward effortlessly.
The door wasn’t locked?
No, it wasn’t a matter of it not being locked. It seemed like the door… opened by itself?
The few men froze for a moment, feeling inexplicably eerie.
“What are you standing around for? That woman has quite the nerve. Come on, let’s go in!” Cheng Fei urged, looking at the brand new but identical door, his teeth aching.
They pushed the door open and entered.
They entered the silent Zero One Office.
They found a steaming cup of coffee on the office’s reception coffee table.