Illusion Report

Chapter 326: Chapter 282: Jin Xueli: 106,600,000

Jin Xueli had never paid any attention to public phone booths.

’Are there still things like this in Blackmoor City?’

She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d seen one—it might have been on TV.

It definitely wasn’t before she was ten. Back then, she lived on a farm in a remote southern region. Driving out from her house, all you could see were endless fields of tall corn. You could go for more than ten kilometers without seeing a single neighbor, let alone a phone booth.

By the time she moved to Blackmoor City, everyone already had a cell phone.

’If you can’t even find them in the human world, how could they possibly exist in the Nest?’

Jin Xueli walked along the sidewalk, her eyes and ears on high alert. It still didn’t feel like enough. She wished she could spin her head 360 degrees.

Neon signs, streetlights, lights from high-rise windows, traffic lights...

The lights, some bright, some hazy, formed an impressionist painting of light and color against the night sky—a caricature mocking Blackmoor City.

Squinting, she could see that the silhouettes of the buildings and streets still resembled Blackmoor City. But it was like one of those cartoon portraits from a street artist that exaggerates a person’s features—you didn’t dare look too closely at the details.

In every third-floor window across the street, severed lower legs floated horizontally.

In the windows of the next building, on the same floor, were severed knees and thighs.

Countless windows along the road pieced together a horizontally-laid giant of unknown length.

She’d never heard of this thing before. But just as she was about to pass the window containing the head, Jin Xueli stopped dead in her tracks, turned, and ducked into an alley to take a detour.

Every Hunter had to have some survival instinct.

The human world’s MOS Burger had become Mole’s Burger here—the "Traitor Burger Joint." Its signature dish was the "Big Mouth Resident Meat-Burger," which supposedly caused a mole to appear in your circle after you ate it.

’Who on earth would eat something like that?’

As Jin Xueli passed, she snuck a glance at the burger on the poster out of the corner of her eye.

A layer of sesame bun, a layer of lettuce, a layer of cheese, a layer of tomato, a gaping, dark maw of a mouth, and another layer of bun.

She quickly picked up her pace, pretending she hadn’t seen it.

To search for a phone booth in this twisted, distorted world, where daggers were hidden behind smiles, all while staying vigilant for Illusions...

Jin Xueli was starting to have regrets. She should have brought more coffee today.

The very act of exposing oneself on the streets of the Nest was a constant, immense drain on one’s spirit.

Her only comfort was that finding a public phone booth seemed more hopeful than finding some unknown liquid...

"Do you want money?"

A small voice came from a trash can that was as tall as a person. "Money from the human world is worthless in the Nest. It’s worse than trash. I wouldn’t mind just giving it to you. I have lots of it here."

Though she desperately warned herself not to fall for it, Jin Xueli couldn’t resist a quick glance at the trash can.

"You really, really, *really* value money. You really, really, *really* love money."

It turned out the voice wasn’t coming from inside the trash can. A hand reached out from behind it, resting on the edge. "The moment you came over, I could feel you were a client of mine... Ah, to think that humans can be enslaved and bewildered by a tool of their own creation. It’s so silly it’s almost cute."

She did love money, but she wasn’t exactly happy to have it thrown in her face like that.

’Besides, how would a resident have money? Let alone give it to her?’

Jin Xueli had just lifted her foot to leave when the voice spoke again. "Do you know where this money comes from?"

’...Where does it come from?’

"It leaks in from Blackmoor City. It’s not just water that leaks in, you know. Money does, too. Do you want to know how?"

’It’s definitely a trick.’

’She already had a 3% stake. If she sold it, she’d have nine million. Who cares how the money leaks in? She didn’t need money—’

"...How does it leak?" Jin Xueli heard herself ask.

’Damn it, I actually asked. I knew I shouldn’t have engaged.’

’But... what if it’s real? There’s no harm in hearing it out, right?’

The hand pressed down on the trash can, slowly pushing it aside. Bit by bit, an arm, a shoulder... an ear, and the sliver of a face were revealed.

The "person" was crouched behind the trash can, watching Jin Xueli with its single visible half-eye.

In that half-eye, a green, S-shaped dollar sign glowed brightly—just like a cartoon character whose eyes turn to money, but Jin Xueli couldn’t bring herself to laugh.

"Printing more currency... lost Bitcoin... offshore accounts... evaporated financial products... political slush funds... lost historical treasures... it all leaks in. Money, money, money, money, money, money, as plentiful as sand in the desert. This trash can only holds a tiny fraction of it... Do you want it?"

As it spoke, it raised its hand and opened the lid of the trash can.

Under the dim streetlight, the can was filled with huge bundles of pale green cash, stacked and crammed together, each one a thick wad.

The trash can was surprisingly clean, probably because it had never actually held trash. The moment the lid opened, Jin Xueli smelled it—the distinct scent of banknotes.

She had never seen so much cash in her entire life.

"A bundle of ten thousand dollars in cash is about 1.5 inches thick, or 3.81 centimeters. A million dollars can fit into a standard-sized school backpack. You think your net worth is... hmm, nine million? Haha, that’s only nine backpacks. How pathetic."

Jin Xueli was startled. "H-How did you know... about the nine million?"

"Me? I’m extremely sensitive to money. Anything related to it, I know it inside and out with just a sniff or a glance."

’Is this resident looking to adopt a goddaughter?’

"Just look at the size of this trash can." The silhouette of the face behind the can warped, a corner of its mouth hooking upwards. Its smile formed a dark, triangular hole between its lips, and a gold tooth glinted.

This was a trash can as tall as a person, over a meter wide, and could fit at least two adults inside.

"How many school backpacks do you think can fit in this trash can?"

Jin Xueli stood there, stunned. For a moment, she couldn’t think, couldn’t move.

’Is this... really happening?’

’It has to be a trap, right? The money must be fake.’

But even if it was a trap, she couldn’t tear herself away from the trash can.

It turned out that numbers on a phone and physical cash were two completely different things. One was just a digit; the other could make you hold your breath and set your heart racing.

Even if knives were to sprout from the ground, even if she had to stand in a pool of her own blood with blades pressing against her legs, she wouldn’t want to walk away from it.

"This trash can is 1.6 meters high, 1.2 meters long, and 1.1 meters wide." The face behind the trash can spoke in a near-whisper. "Ten million dollars can be laid flat on a standard building pallet. A standard building pallet is 121.9 by 101.6 centimeters. So guess... how much cash is in this trash can?"

Jin Xueli stood rooted to the spot. The only part of her that could still move was the mediocre math ability she’d had back in school.

"’One backpack... a pallet...’"

The number in her head was too long. If she lost focus for even a second, she’d forget how many digits there were, making her dizzy. At some point, she had taken out her phone and started punching in numbers.

"’Forty million? No, that’s not right...’"

"One hundred and six million, six hundred thousand," the resident said. "This trash can actually holds a bit more, you know. Calculations can’t perfectly match reality."

’N-nine digits?’

’...It must be fake money. It has to be a trap.’

’Over a hundred million, what did that even mean?’

If she spent three thousand dollars a day, over a hundred million would be enough to last her—enough to last her—

She stared at the result on her phone’s calculator and blinked a few times.

Ninety-one years.

She’d never heard of a resident in the Nest just handing over a huge sum of cash. ’This has to be a trap—’

"You can stick your hand in and grab a bundle to verify it."

The dollar sign behind the trash can glowed a sinister green. "Whatever you pull out, consider it a little gift from me."

’Don’t go over there, don’t fall for it...’

When Jin Xueli came to her senses, she was already standing in front of the trash can, the high, full pile of cash right under her nose.

The smell of money was so sharp and rich it made her head swim.

’The top layer... it’s real money, but who knows what’s hidden underneath? If I stick my hand in, I might lose my whole arm.’

’No, touching any bundle could trigger some unforeseen, fatal danger. I absolutely can’t touch it...’

Jin Xueli slowly reached out a hand, almost trembling, and picked up the bundle of cash closest to her.

There was no pain, no danger, only the weight of the money.

Just one bundle, but the solid, satisfying feeling... it made you want to dig your nails in deep and never let go.

Even though Chaisi had already given her a 3% stake, for now, it was just a thin piece of paper, not yet converted into money.

She had never seen, never smelled, never touched... such an astonishing amount of cash.

It was laughable. It was something that would be utterly meaningless the moment she died, yet it made her feel that dying in a sea of money would be worth it.

"So conservative. Only taking from the top layer?"

The voice from behind said, almost sweetly, "Go on, grab another bundle from deeper inside. I guarantee it’s all real. Take another one, it’s my treat."

’Here it comes. This must be its trump card.’

’Absolutely not... I can’t...’

Jin Xueli’s breathing was rapid and shallow, a buzzing tremor in her chest. She didn’t know if it was fear or an inexplicable excitement—as her entire arm sank deep into the pile of cash, she realized tears were welling up in her eyes.

Twenty thousand dollars, two bundles. Every bill was real, and the serial numbers weren’t even consecutive.

Just these man-made, paper, printed things...

If this could have existed in her childhood, her entire life would have been different.

She wouldn’t have been cursed. People wouldn’t have looked down their noses at her or hinted that her family was hiring maids.

No one would have asked her what her relationship was with a certain man.

She would never again have to put on a cheerful, enthusiastic, bright, and likable facade for anyone—unless she wanted to.

Jin Xueli rarely wanted to.

Her outer shell had always been the way it was now because she was used to it.

It was the shell that maximized the resources she could obtain. It also happened to suit her perfectly, feeling effortless and completely natural.

Anyone who saw her would think Jin Xueli was just that sort of straightforward, warm person. Even her unabashed, abundant desires, which might be off-putting on someone else, seemed cute on her.

The resident behind the trash can let out a theatrical sigh.

"Aiyah, to us residents, this stuff is completely useless trash. I wouldn’t mind if you took it all, but..."

Jin Xueli clutched the money, took two steps back, and stared at the sliver of face behind the trash can, forcing herself to calm down.

"But what?" she said. "What are your conditions?"

The resident laughed.

"One, you must have at least nine million in cash of your own. Borrowed money or loans don’t count, and I doubt you could get a loan anyway. Money flows to money, right? You reek of poverty; even money wants to run and hide from you."

’...In other words, I have to make sure Scott’s company successfully gets the investment, sell my shares, and get my first pot of gold. Only then will I have a chance at this bigger sum.’

Even though she didn’t know why the resident was insisting she have money of her own, what she had to do was crystal clear.

’The Original Liquid. No matter what, I have to find the Original Liquid—’ Her chest was burning.

"What’s the second condition?" Jin Xueli asked. "If there’s a one, there has to be a two, right?"

"Once you’ve fulfilled the first condition, come back here."

The resident whispered, "We have a target, an annoying new Hunter. She may be inexperienced, but we just can’t seem to kill her. She keeps getting away, and this time Chai—I mean, someone else—ruined our plans again. When you come back, I’ll give you her file... You make her die in Blackmoor City, and you can take this one hundred and six million, six hundred thousand."

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