Free Web NovelChapter 197: Chapter 161: Fu Tailan: The Footstool at Home (Part 2)
The first summons notice listed only a short name or a symbol for each Illusion. He had no idea where to find them or what they did.
The second notice congratulated him on obtaining the key, but it was hardly a cause for celebration. Because the last sentence of the notice read, "The target Illusion you now hold will be shared as intel with the next contestant. Please be sure to protect it well."
He had seen what the Westley Team held, so the next contestant would be able to see his... ’In that case, does the last person to compete have the biggest advantage?’
Fu Tailan felt he was in no shape to think.
He held the key and tried three times to insert it into the lock before he finally found the keyhole. He twisted it, but it wouldn’t turn.
Fu Tailan stood dazedly at the door. Thoughts like, ’Wrong key,’ ’Someone snuck in and bolted the door,’ ’I’m still in the Nest,’ flashed through his mind one after another. He squinted, only to realize this wasn’t the door to his apartment.
’I’ll think about it tomorrow morning. I should be in better shape by then...’
He finally opened the correct apartment door, casually tossed his key and backpack onto the entryway floor, and flicked on the light switch.
On the armchair in the living room, Chaisi looked up.
In that instant, the fog in his mind cleared almost completely.
The twilight outside the floor-to-ceiling window painted a faint, nostalgic, dark orange-red halo around him. With his long fingers interlaced before him, Chaisi looked almost peaceful and calm.
He was leaning against the back of the armchair, his long legs stretched out, his feet propped up in front of him.
Fu Tailan didn’t own a footstool for this armchair.
Sitting on the floor, being used as a footstool for Chaisi’s feet, was Fu Han, trussed up and looking miserable.
Chaisi looked at Fu Tailan and slowly smiled. His teeth were perfectly straight, a dense, dusky white, as if from tearing through too much flesh, stained with a deathly aura that could never be washed away.
’The gun... I already returned it to the Morgan Family’s materiel division.’
Fu Tailan looked at his father on the floor, then at Chaisi. He closed his eyes and let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Aren’t you happy to see your father?" Chaisi tilted his head, a glint of light flashing across his neat, glossy black hair.
"You see..."
As he spoke, he gently lifted a foot and tapped his heel on Fu Han’s shoulder, causing his body to sink a few inches. "This is the fundamental difference between us."
Fu Tailan wanted to say something, but Fu Han spoke first, his voice trembling. "Xiaotai... W-what’s going on? Why is he..."
He rarely called him Xiaotai. He’d said it reminded him of Fu Tailan’s mother.
Fu Tailan pinched the corners of his eyes.
’...What a headache.’
’If only I’d taken a few painkillers before leaving the clinic.’
The products Hunters sold were special, and the channels they used to obtain them were also special, but that was the extent of it.
This line of work, when you got down to it, was just business. It was all about the money.
Just as steel merchants don’t go around assassinating each other, Hunters were reluctant to see blood shed. They were all peers in the same trade. Unless you absolutely had to snatch the food right out of someone’s mouth, it was best not to burn your bridges.
Fights to the death were rare—after all, life is more important than money. A situation like this, with bared fangs and family members threatened, was a first, even between Fu Tailan and Chaisi.
"Don’t talk," Fu Tailan said to Fu Han, but his eyes never left Chaisi. "Let me think."
He and Chaisi had always mutually loathed each other, but not to the point that Chaisi would suddenly kidnap Fu Han. As for what had changed in his circumstances since they last met, Fu Tailan could only think of one thing.
’The key.’
’However, even if Chaisi knew I had the key, he wouldn’t declare war this openly if he just thought it was another valuable Illusion. The fact that he’s sitting here can only mean one thing.’
’...Chaisi was summoned by the Nest?’
’That’s ridiculous. He isn’t even a Hunter, and he doesn’t have a Path.’
’Is the Nest getting that desperate?’
’If he really has a Path and has become a contestant... then even without what happened today, Chaisi must die.’
’Chaisi probably feels the same way about me.’
"Your face..." Chaisi’s gaze suddenly shifted to the bandaged wound on Fu Tailan’s face. "What happened?"
’Hm?’
"Are you worried about me? Oh, I’m so touched."
As Fu Tailan spoke, he suddenly took a few steps to the other sofa and collapsed into it—making Fu Han jump.
’Who gives a damn? I can barely stand. If Chaisi kills Fu Han just because I sat down, then that’s just Fu Han’s bad luck.’
"I’m so jealous you’ve never had to go through this," Fu Tailan said, touching the bandage on his face. "Got hit by a resident in the Nest. It really hurts."
Chaisi was unmoved. "When were you injured?"
’Why is this slick-haired cockroach asking me that?’
Fu Tailan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Last night."
Chaisi thought for a few seconds, then said, "...Take off the bandage."
’How should I put this... If I had a gun in my hand, I feel like I’d shoot Chaisi dead first, then put a bullet in Fu Han.’
He fell silent for a moment before reaching up and unwrapping the bandage. ’The nurse isn’t going to be happy about this.’
From halfway across the living room, Chaisi studied his wound for a while—Fu Tailan was an ugly sight at the moment. The wound was severely swollen, held together by several stitches.
"...It looks like you really are injured. Between midnight and 1 AM on the 20th, where were you?" Chaisi asked, his brow furrowing slightly as if he’d thought of something.
’Last night? What happened then?’
"Even if I told you, you couldn’t go there anyway," Fu Tailan said in a deeply sympathetic tone. "If you’re really that interested, I can take some pictures of the Nest for you next time. You can stick them on your fridge?"
Fu Han’s eyes bulged with anxiety, but Fu Tailan pretended not to notice.
Chaisi, however, seemed not to have heard. He neither got angry nor replied, but just folded his arms, as if he had encountered an unsolvable puzzle.
"Impossible..." he muttered, glancing at Fu Tailan. "How strange."
’No way. Did he really just take my answer at face value?’
’Even though I was telling the truth, Chaisi believed me far too easily. He of all people should know to be wary of my lies.’
’It seems... there’s something else going on here. Something I haven’t figured out, but Chaisi already knows.’
"I did not find what I was looking for," Chaisi said in a low voice. One large hand unconsciously made a slight gesture, his fingers like long, white leaves closing for the night. "It wasn’t at your family’s place, and it’s not here either..."
’Is he talking about the key?’
Fu Tailan resisted the urge to ask.
’If Chaisi isn’t looking for the key, I can’t be the one to tell him about the Nest Dominance Game.’
"Now I have two questions. Your answers will decide whether or not you become an orphan."
Fu Tailan barely managed to swallow the retort, ’Like you?’
"First, has an Illusion that can copy someone’s appearance been circulating recently?" Chaisi asked.
Fu Tailan froze. Suddenly, he understood.
’Someone’s impersonating me? Is that why Chaisi was asking where I was last night?’
’That’s it... No wonder he wanted to see my wound. The injury on my face is new; my impersonator wouldn’t know about it.’
"I haven’t heard of anything like that," Fu Tailan said honestly. "At least, the Morgan Family hasn’t handled one."
Chaisi remained silent.
He stared at the back of Fu Han’s head, his expression almost placid, but the sheen of sweat on Fu Han’s forehead refused to fade.
"The second thing isn’t a question. It’s... an order." Chaisi glanced at him and smiled. "No matter. You would have found out sooner or later anyway."
Fu Tailan raised his eyes.
"The key you have," Chaisi said tonelessly, holding out a hand. "It’s ’the Key,’ one of the seven target Illusions. Give it to me."
