“You…”
By the time Lu Chongming reacted, he turned his head again only to find that the terrifying figure he had just seen seemed to be merely an Illusion, having already vanished.
“His aptitude for contact is surprisingly good, but it should only be a momentary proximity, and it was also promoted by the Illusion that had previously possessed him, so it cannot form a reliable connection,” Lin Yilin said, speaking words he couldn't understand.
In fact, this sentence was directed at Zheng Fan, who, from Lin Yilin's perspective, was currently pretending to possess Lu Chongming by overlapping with him.
“I acted as soon as he seemed to see me. What a pity,” Zheng Fan said, stepping away from Lu Chongming.
He stood aside, observing Lu Chongming and thinking about another reason: this person's mental strength was quite strong.
Lu Chongming looked at Lin Yilin with lingering fear, and Brother Wang was also somewhat at a loss: “This, young lady…”
Lin Yilin glanced at him: “Sir, please step aside for a moment. I want to have a chat with this young man.” Her gaze then returned to focus on Lu Chongming.
Brother Wang looked at Lu Chongming, and after Lu Chongming nodded slightly, he left with some reluctance.
“It feels great to have a reliable senior looking after you at work. I was the same in the past,” Lin Yilin said, trying to bridge the distance.
Lu Chongming was very reserved, one could even say wary, unsure of what to say.
“Lu Chongming, 21 years old, high school graduate. His family has lived on Xixikeke Street for generations. Their living standard was originally maintainable until his mother fell seriously ill. To ensure her hospitalization at the Fourth Branch of Dadu Central Hospital in Baiyun District, the entire family has been running themselves ragged.”
“You…” Lu Chongming widened his eyes, looking at Lin Yilin. Having never dealt with an agency before, he experienced for the first time what Brother Wang meant by “those people from agencies are not good news.”
Although this might be a misunderstanding, because probably only Miss Lin Yilin was like this.
“These are all very superficial details. Please don't look so surprised. I understand your predicament, but sending others into the mouth of an Illusion is another matter entirely,” Lin Yilin said.
“Do you want to be a hero?” Lu Chongming’s expression darkened.
“Not a hero, just objective facts. And because your attraction to the Illusion wasn't strong enough, even though I found you, that Illusion directly abandoned you and fled, which honestly bothers me a little,” Lin Yilin said without holding back.
Lu Chongming suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Yilin's collar: “How dare you!”
“Who allowed you to touch ‘me’?”
The next moment, the terror that had just receded surged up again.
The scarred girl's face showed deeper tear marks. Although she was shorter than Lu Chongming, her cold, grayish-white eyes staring at him from close range still made him feel looked down upon.
He subconsciously let go and stepped back.
Suddenly, his foot caught on some long object, and he sat down clumsily on the ground.
“Lin Yilin” tidied her collar, then slowly put her hands into her jacket pockets. Her posture was remarkably similar to the figure from before.
“...Is it necessary? It was just a pinch of the collar. He might not even be able to beat me, and I have my gun,” Lin Yilin’s shadow said.
“It's necessary. I feel like I haven't touched your body in a long time. I'll find an excuse to come in and enjoy myself.”
“Are you making a lewd joke at a time like this?”
“Why would you think it's a lewd joke?”
After Zheng Fan finished speaking, he looked down at Lu Chongming using Lin Yilin's body: “Control your emotions. You are being affected by strange things, and your agitated mind will make you increasingly detached from yourself.”
“You… you also…”
“I told you to calm down. We are not here to cause you trouble, though it depends on how you behave. Where are the samples of those shoes?” “Lin Yilin” said, a bit annoyed, cutting straight to the point.
Lu Chongming sat on the ground to compose himself, then understood the situation and got up: “...Follow me.”
Led by him, they arrived at a corner deep within the warehouse. Among a pile of useless cardboard boxes, Lu Chongming pulled out one of them and opened it in front of “Lin Yilin.”
Inside were various shoes, most with exaggerated colors and designs. Compared to them, the ones Teng Jun had worn earlier even seemed somewhat conservative. The only consistent thing was the familiar trademark.
“Are all these?”
“These are the shoes that thing made using my hands. All of them are here,” Lu Chongming said.
“That thing made them, not you?”
“Yes, I was just a… tool,” Lu Chongming whispered.
“That's good, it's not a problem with your aesthetics,” “Lin Yilin” said, picking up a shoe from the box and examining it. “That thing's aesthetics can only be described as tragic.”
Even the big brands in Zheng Fan's past world probably wouldn't dare to release such garbage, despite their massive resources.
Although, even if they did, there might still be an audience for it, which is regrettable.
Lin Yilin’s shadow spoke: “The efficacy of these items has disappeared. Since it chose to abandon this place, there's no reason for it to leave its power behind.”
“Then what should we do?”
“However, since so many shoes did pass through its hands, I have room to maneuver. After all, the goal of the commission wasn't to solve that Illusion, but merely to get Teng Jun's shoes off.”
“I see,” Zheng Fan acknowledged, then turned and said through Lin Yilin’s body: “Then I’ll take these shoes.”
“Ah… mm, okay,” Lu Chongming wanted to say something, but realized he might no longer be involved in this matter, and could only respond weakly.
“Lin Yilin” lifted the box with one hand.
Lu Chongming watched this scene, feeling a sense of emptiness in his heart.
He had been anxious and stressed these past days, only to gain nothing in the end, and even got himself into trouble. Now, that thing had run off, and he couldn't even resolve the issue of the bald supervisor making him take the blame.
The situation hadn't improved at all; instead, it had become even worse.
Damn it…
Why did he have to endure such humiliation…
His heart felt heavy, as if something was suppressed inside, wanting to tear open his chest and rush out.
His breathing became rapid.
“Mr. Illusion, let me confirm Lu Chongming’s condition,” Lin Yilin suddenly spoke as Zheng Fan was about to leave.
“What’s wrong?”
“Bait-type Illusions have some tricky aspects. I need to confirm, and it can also be considered helping this gentleman out.”
“You really are strangely kind,” Zheng Fan said, and walked towards Lu Chongming: “Hey, are you alright?”
Lu Chongming didn't notice any of this. His mind unknowingly became a tangled mess. Through his blurry vision, he suddenly saw his feet… When did his work shoes change?
Rip!
A surge of resentment broke through his chest, and a grotesque insect burst forth from Lu Chongming's chest, revealing an ugly head.
Lu Chongming’s head tilted, and he instantly fainted, but his body didn't fall; instead, it was taken over by the bizarre insect.
Blood also burst from his spine, and a sharp, black tail extended, immediately lashing out at “Lin Yilin.”
Ding!
Unexpectedly, “Lin Yilin” merely flicked her finger, and her thin fingernail precisely met the sharp, pointed tail stinger, easily deflecting it.
“I told you that possessing the body beforehand would be useful,” Zheng Fan muttered to himself.
“Hyaaaah!” The strange insect let out a bizarre shriek.
“What the hell,” “Lin Yilin” looked at the scene speechlessly. “Didn't it run away? Hiding? But hiding right in front of us, could it really fool both of us?”
“It's not hiding,” Lin Yilin’s shadow made a judgment. “It’s remote control.”
“What? An Illusion can even do something like that?” A certain super Illusion was shocked.
“Bait-type Illusions can do this through distributed bait. I wanted to confirm this just now. Although that Illusion abandoned Lu Chongming, it doesn't rule out the possibility of it making the most of things. It seems it was waiting for this moment.”
Zheng Fan looked at the strange insect “rooted” in Lu Chongming’s body and couldn't help but say, “Is this cosplaying an Alien?”
The strange insect, controlling Lu Chongming's body, was about to launch an attack, but a strong gust of wind swept past. “Lin Yilin” appeared beside it as if teleporting, one hand still holding the cardboard box, the other mercilessly delivering a hand chop.
Pfft!
The insect's head was severed on the spot.
Then “Lin Yilin” grabbed the remaining part of the insect’s body left in Lu Chongming’s chest, pulled hard, and followed up with a fierce kick to Lu Chongming’s stomach, sending him flying while also tearing out the rest of the insect.
The terrifying insect, with a centipede-like body and a scorpion's tail, struggled for a moment in “Lin Yilin’s” hand before he casually threw it on the ground to feed the Earthworm.
Shaking his hand, “Lin Yilin” softly said, “All show and no substance.”