Illusion Report

Chapter 198: Chapter 162: Fu Tailan and the Key of Unknown Origin

For a moment, Fu Tailan felt as if he were back on that summer highway.

His mother was standing by the car, her arm gripped by someone, just as helpless, just as captive.

But he had a choice again. It didn’t matter that he’d chosen wrong last time. As long as he walked toward her this time, he could stay forever, keep her with him—

"Sit back down."

Chaisi’s voice was like a splash of cold wine to the face, jolting Fu Tailan back to reality.

Only then did he realize that he had, at some point, stood up from the sofa.

’This bout of Nest Dissociation Syndrome... it really is a bad one.’

His body had long since left the Nest, but his spirit was still tethered to it by fine threads, caught between the Nest and the human world as if in a dream.

His father sat on the living room floor, his face pale with terror and slick with greasy sweat. His shirt was soaked through, dark patches staining the armpits, the outline of his undershirt faintly visible beneath.

His usually meticulously-combed hair was a complete mess, plastered limply and crookedly to his forehead, revealing a thinning, high hairline. Fu Han looked several years older than usual. He looked at Fu Tailan imploringly and called out, "...Xiaotai?"

’So pathetic, so pitiable, yet I can’t look away.’

"Wh-what key is that?" Fu Han said in a small, fawning voice. "Since he wants it, just give it to him. A key isn’t important to us, right?"

This was the same Fu Han who, in his childhood, had lectured him about finishing every grain of rice and not wasting money. To see him speak in such a fawning manner made Fu Tailan’s stomach turn; he didn’t know whether to be angry or to cry.

"Kids should listen to their parents," Chaisi said with a silent smile. But his next two words held no trace of amusement. They were heavy, slow, and full of menace. "Sit. Down."

Fu Tailan had to force his legs to bend, slowly, inch by inch, until he was sitting on the sofa again.

The room fell into a dead silence for a few brief seconds.

"Why would they conscript you?" Fu Tailan suddenly wanted to sneer, each word like a bullet. "You’re not even a Hunter. What could you possibly do?"

"I can take your key," Chaisi said calmly. "Your father for your key. It’s a fair trade."

He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, a fleeting bulge that vanished in an instant.

’Does this guy think that makes him look cool? What a creep.’

Chaisi’s legs were draped over Fu Han’s shoulders and back with an air of casual laziness, as if he weren’t applying any pressure at all. But Fu Tailan knew that with his strength alone, it would be impossible to pull Fu Han out from under Chaisi’s feet.

Only the key could save his father’s life.

But that wasn’t even the most pressing problem at the moment.

"...I’m young, so maybe I don’t get it."

Fu Tailan folded his arms. The baggy hoodie enveloped his thin frame like an embrace.

"Let’s say I give you the key. What then? You’re not going to let me live to compete with you, are you? No matter how I look at it, I don’t see a way out of this for me or him."

"I’m not like you. I’m a man of my word. Give me the key, and I’ll let Fu Han live." Chaisi cracked a smile. "As for you... you’re right. There’s no way out for you."

Fu Tailan immediately glanced at Fu Han.

The latter froze, his face turning a shade whiter, looking as if his world had just ended. For a moment, he seemed so frantic that he forgot his own predicament. Though he didn’t dare move his neck, he strained to roll his eyes backward to speak to the man behind him. "Mr. Monroe, you can’t be rash! There’s no animosity between our two Family Factions—"

"This has nothing to do with Family Factions," Fu Tailan cut him off in a low voice. "You don’t have to say any more."

’That’s enough... Knowing he doesn’t want his son to die. That’s enough.’

Fu Tailan sized up Chaisi.

He suddenly let out a breath and said, "Alright. I get it."

Chaisi’s hands remained folded in front of him. He appeared to be unarmed, but it was likely he had a gun or some kind of Illusion hidden at his waist—or more likely, both. Still, given his skills, Fu Tailan wasn’t confident in his chances even if Chaisi was bare-handed.

’Dying isn’t so strange, but dying at Chaisi’s hands? That’d be like drowning in a toilet. My funeral would be a joke.’

But he had to save Fu Han.

For seventeen years, he’d lived with the suspicion that if he looked down, he’d see an iron chain on his ankle, ready to rattle at any moment.

A faint smile touched Fu Tailan’s lips.

"I’ll give you the key, and you let him go. After he’s gone, if you think you can kill me, you’re welcome to try."

"Tailan!"

Fu Han cried out. But after that one word, he didn’t seem to know what else to say and just stared, stunned.

A few seconds later, his neck still rigid, he tried to reason with Chaisi. "I don’t understand. Why does this have to be a life-or-death matter? We’ll give you the key, we can bury the hatchet..."

While he was rambling, Chaisi had already given a slight nod—apparently unconcerned that a freed Fu Han might run off to call for backup.

Fu Tailan stood up, walked to the door, and bent down to pick up the keyring he had thrown on the floor earlier. He began to work a key off the ring.

Chaisi’s eyebrows shot up.

"It’s on the same ring as your house key?"

"Wrong," Fu Tailan said. "It *is* the key to this apartment."

"...Oh?"

"The best place to hide a leaf is in a forest. Isn’t that obvious? Don’t tell me you don’t even get that?"

As he spoke, Fu Tailan detached the apartment key and held it up for Chaisi to see. Then, as if a thought had just occurred to him, he added, "Oh, or is it... that you don’t even know what the target key looks like?"

Seeing the other man’s face darken in silence, Fu Tailan gave a soft laugh.

"After I got it, I had a lock custom-made for it and replaced the one on my apartment door. I knew someone would come after it eventually, so I prepared in advance. Never mind that most people would never think my apartment key is the target Illusion—even now, if I hand it to you plain as day, you won’t dare to believe it’s the real thing, right?"

"The words coming out of your mouth are less believable than a Nest resident’s. Besides, given the state of your relationship with your father, my skepticism is entirely justified."

Chaisi offered a near-sympathetic smile. ’I’d love to smash that smile off his face and drag a Nest resident out of his mouth.’

"Toss me the key."

After he spoke, Fu Tailan remained motionless, still gripping the key tightly.

’...Who could be willing to just give it up?’

After a few seconds, it was Fu Han who panicked first. He called out in a small voice, reminding him, "Xiaotai..."

"I know," Fu Tailan exhaled heavily.

He raised his hand and threw the key. He’d intentionally aimed poorly, sending the key arcing through the air about half a meter away from Chaisi. But Chaisi was tall and long-limbed; without even getting up, he simply leaned to the side, stretched out an arm, and snatched the key from mid-air.

But the slight movement of Chaisi’s body made Fu Han flinch as if electrocuted, breaking out in a torrent of sweat.

’...So that’s it. His right foot, pressed against Dad’s neck, hadn’t moved at all. The edge of the shoe had been tight against his skin the whole time, keeping him from even daring to turn his head.’

’No way. This isn’t some spy movie. Does anyone really do something as ridiculous as hiding a blade in their shoe?’

’What a tacky way to carry a weapon,’ Fu Tailan thought. ’Tacky, ostentatious, and utterly tasteless.’

’Oh well. At least spotting one of his weapons is better than knowing nothing at all...’

Chaisi looked down, studying the key for a moment.

Fu Tailan knew exactly what he was looking at. On one side of the key was a line of small, engraved text: "7704 Days".

No hours, no minutes. The key’s countdown was measured only in days—

"Why only the number of days?" Chaisi asked, just as expected.

The key flipped over between his fingers.

"How should I know," Fu Tailan said with a yawn, not bothering to look at him. "The key’s too small, I guess. Not enough room to write more."

"...Another twenty-one years?" Chaisi’s words were more of a mumble to himself.

But Fu Tailan immediately seized the opening. "What, afraid you won’t outlive the key?"

The look Chaisi shot him was like a sudden gust of wind blasting from a narrow crevice, sharp enough to make one ache.

"Next question." He closed his fist, and the key was swallowed by his large hand, disappearing from view. "How did you get it?"

Fu Tailan couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

"We’re screwed," he said, turning to Fu Han. "He’s going to kill you now."

Fu Han’s eyes went wide. "Huh?" he grunted.

"Because there’s no way he’s going to believe the truth I’m about to tell him." Fu Tailan sighed. "As for why... old guys his age lack an open and tolerant heart."

Chaisi did not seem to find him amusing in the slightest.

Before he could provoke the man any further, Fu Tailan spoke up. "I don’t know how I got this key."

"Run out of lies?" Chaisi sneered.

"Even if you kill him right now, that’s the only thing I can tell you." Fu Tailan shook his head. "Would I use something so unbelievable as a lie? Only the truth can be this incredible. One day, I came home, and this key was just sitting on my table. The moment I picked it up—"

He cut himself off before he could say the next part, instantly substituting it with another sentence.

’The side effects of Nest Dissociation Syndrome are no joke. I almost let it slip.’

"...I realized it was very similar to the keys Westley acquires, and that it was probably one of the seven Nest targets. Seeing you today finally confirmed my suspicions."