Illusion Report

Chapter 160: Chapter 128: Han Liuyue: Chaisi’s Order

"Well, well. I never would’ve thought someone as smart as you could be fooled by a trick like that."

Even though its face was still a splattered, radial mess, the Vulture actually sounded smug.

But Han Liuyue didn’t take it to heart. Instead, she smiled at it. "You’re so smart. Why don’t you tell me all about it?"

"Ever since the 17th, my thoughts, my consciousness, have gradually become clearer."

If the Vulture hadn’t been tied up and unable to move, Han Liuyue suspected it would have tapped its own forehead to show how clever it was.

"Before, I was in a daze, driven by instinct. In essence, I was no different from a wild animal."

It almost sounded sentimental.

"But after the 17th, it was like I’d woken from a long dream. My thoughts connected in my mind. When I was locked in that coffin, I had the chance to truly examine myself for the first time."

The two of them couldn’t help but exchange a glance.

Thinking residents weren’t exactly rare, but for a Vulture, which had previously acted on pure instinct, to undergo such a change... what was the cause?

Han Liuyue had a feeling that Brother Chaisi knew the reason.

And not just Brother Chaisi; Jin Xueli might know, too. The moment their eyes met, she immediately looked away.

"Have you ever wondered why we Vultures, after taking on human form, wholeheartedly believe we are the real person?"

The Vulture seemed to be explaining this for the first time, and it was surprisingly patient. "Because our goal is to leave the Nest and enter Blackmoor City. Only by wholeheartedly believing we are human—from the inside out, in both body and mind—do we have any hope of entering the human world."

Jin Xueli frowned slightly. "I think I get it. This time, when you woke up, you were already in the human world..."

"Exactly. Not only did ’wholehearted belief’ become unnecessary, but I was also in a state where I was ’fundamentally unable to believe I was the original person.’

"I maintained my human form while simultaneously retaining my consciousness as a Vulture. This is probably a first in the history of the Nests."

It sounded genuinely pleased with itself.

"During my time in the coffin, I thought about a lot of things. I was bored, so I also ran a few experiments. For example... ’partial transformation.’"

Han Liuyue froze.

"You—You can keep a part of yourself from transforming?"

"Yes, yes, that’s exactly it."

The Vulture sounded as if it had found a kindred spirit. "I thought to myself, I’m already in the human world. The next time I transform, am I really going to lose my consciousness again for no reason? I wasn’t willing to do that."

’That made sense. A creature with lower intelligence wouldn’t think to preserve its sense of self.’

Only after its intelligence increased and its self-awareness grew stronger would it begin to resist.

"So I came up with a method... I transform most of my body into the target’s appearance, but I leave one small, hidden part in its original Vulture form. By doing that, could I hold on to my consciousness?"

There was no need to state the answer. The two of them had just experienced it firsthand.

Jin Xueli took a sharp breath and asked, "What part did you keep untransformed?"

"My ass," the Vulture said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

’...That’s a pretty safe spot.’

Thinking about it, there were plenty of other hidden, hard-to-see places. Even if everyone immediately changed into swimsuits upon encountering a Vulture, it still wouldn’t be enough to guard against it—places like private areas, the scalp, the soles of the feet, the inside of the mouth...

The Vulture had now become a very tricky resident, especially in crowded situations.

And yet, Hunters entering a Nest in teams was a method used by every Family Faction.

"After I taught myself ’partial transformation,’ you two were the first humans I ran into." freёwebnovel.com

At this point, the Vulture’s tone seemed to suddenly grow complicated. It said to Han Liuyue, "Everything was going so smoothly... but you just had to come along and ruin it at the end."

"Huh? What happened?" Jin Xueli asked, turning her head.

Oh, right. She didn’t know what Han Liuyue had experienced yet.

Han Liuyue recounted her experience and her deductions, trying to stick to the main points. After all, the message for backup had already been sent, and they had nothing but time while they waited.

"I think after the ground collapsed, the first time you went to check the coffin, the lock had already been broken by the fall."

"Yes." freeweɓnovel.cøm

The Vulture was surprisingly cooperative, volunteering, "When you came, I was indeed in the coffin. I just hadn’t pushed the lid open yet. From inside, I reached up and held the lid shut.

"You couldn’t pull it open from the outside, so you assumed the lock wasn’t broken, right? In reality, the moment you left, I pushed the lid open and crawled out."

Jin Xueli glared at it, her face filled with anger. The Vulture’s trick was simple in retrospect, but it would have been incredibly hard to discern at the time. Unless you opened the lid yourself, how could you know if it was locked or if the Vulture was holding it shut from the inside?

Han Liuyue continued, "The silver lining was that the coffin lid was warped. Once opened, it was very difficult to close again. That’s how I realized the one hiding behind the coffin with me was the Vulture."

When the coffin lid could no longer be shut, it essentially proved that the first ’Jin Xueli’s’ claim—"the coffin is still locked"—was a lie.

"But how did you manage to escape just before I got suspicious?"

Han Liuyue still had a question. "The very instant I thought you might be the Vulture, I went back to the coffin, and you were already gone. Don’t tell me you can read minds?"

"Well now, aren’t you the smart one?"

Spoken like a true resident, the Vulture gave a truly obnoxious laugh. "Why can’t you figure it out yourself?"

As Han Liuyue turned to look for her axe, Jin Xueli patted her on the arm.

"I think I know... After all, I’ve fought ’myself’ in person before," she said.

"Hmph?" the Vulture grunted.

"I’m afraid the moment you stood up, the Vulture hiding behind the coffin transformed into you. It gained your way of thinking and knew what you were about to see. Putting those two together, it naturally knew what conclusion you would draw and what you would do next."

"Oh, that’s right." Han Liuyue tilted her head in thought. "I certainly can’t hide my own thoughts from myself. Now that the answer’s out, it seems so simple."

She grinned at Jin Xueli. "Who knew? You’re pretty smart too!"

Jin Xueli’s face fell. "Do you praise Chaisi like that too?"

"Of course not. I have too much respect for him."

"So you do know it’s not a very respectful thing to say?"

’This girl really loves to chat with me,’ Han Liuyue remarked to herself.

’Once she starts talking, she can’t stop. Jin Xueli must actually like me, right?’

She thought it, and so she said it. After hearing it, Jin Xueli’s face turned red.

It was hard to say if it was from shyness or anger.

"Speaking of Brother Chaisi, the timing is perfect."

Han Liuyue pointed at the Vulture and said to Jin Xueli, "You watch it. I need to go give him a call and report the situation."

As she took out her phone and walked toward the side of the road, she heard Jin Xueli muttering, "...How much does he pay you to be so loyal and risk your life..."

’It’s not about the money!’

Han Liuyue wanted to turn around and shout a few words at her, but before she could, the ringing on her phone suddenly cut off. After a pause, a man’s voice came through. "...Speak."

"Sir,"

Han Liuyue instinctively brought her feet together, straightened her back, and stood at attention, just like her time in the army.

"The Vulture just escaped and attacked Jin Xueli in a transformed state, but the situation is now back under control."

She then summarized and reported all the intel: the Vulture’s increased intelligence, the environmental factors that aided it, its method of ’partial transformation,’ its intended target... all of it.

"Can it still turn back into Westley?"

’As expected of Brother Chaisi, he immediately grasped the heart of the matter.’

’And he doesn’t seem surprised by the Vulture’s new abilities—he must have had intel on this already, right?’

"Sorry, no. He’s been dead too long," Han Liuyue said. "At least, that’s what the Vulture itself claims."

Although she had gotten a lot of information out of the Vulture, she knew very well it wasn’t because of her superior interrogation skills—it was simply because the Vulture didn’t mind telling her.

Its mind had evolved, and it had begun to feel the desire to show off and be smug, like a bird displaying its feathers. Fundamentally, this hadn’t been an ’interrogation’ at all.

The Vulture could neither die nor feel pain.

The only thing she could do was smash its form to pieces and cause it some inconvenience. She could neither pose a fundamental threat to it nor make it a genuinely tempting offer.

She didn’t need to say this; Chaisi understood it perfectly.

"...So it has developed to this stage. It’s fine. I never trust intel from a resident’s mouth anyway."

Chaisi didn’t sound disappointed or angry; his voice remained calm.

"You two take the Vulture and the body into the Nest immediately. Someone from backup will handle the cleanup here. Afterward, bring Westley’s body back to be burned. The supplies have been placed where you opened the Path—"

He paused, then suddenly said, "You’ll find a paper bag in your pack."

Han Liuyue was taken aback.

"Just as you said, the Vulture is different now. So there’s an idea worth trying."

As Chaisi finished giving his orders in a low voice, Han Liuyue glanced back at Jin Xueli.

She had found a twig somewhere and was poking it around the Vulture’s half-reformed face, making it groan and complain endlessly.

"...No problem," Han Liuyue replied. "Leave it to me."