Chapter 39 - Role Playing the Dark Horse Character

Chapter 39: Quick, Thank Brother Li! Li Li's plan was straightforward. She aimed to craft a past for herself, seeking a backstory, and Le Shan happened to be her point of breakthrough. Qing Yuchen, having investigated 'Li', would naturally inform Le Shan of what 'Li' looked like. They assumed she was out for revenge, so she morphed into the appearance of a young 'Li' from twelve years ago, guiding Le Shan to believe he ought to recognize her. Le Shan was uninvolved in the events six years ago concerning the former Ability Guild, leaving personal vendettas as her sole pretext for revenge—a connection only notable for its link to an experiment from twelve years ago. What Li Li hadn't anticipated was Le Shan and Qing Yuchen discussing her abilities. In her early stages, she used a variety of guild items. The plundered abilities would downgrade in quality and level, unlike guild items, which had no such limitations, leading Le Shan to a different conclusion. What a perfect coincidence, she thought. The seven or eight-year-old black-haired child she transformed into tilted her head, a faint smile at the corner of her lips, or perhaps it was merely an illusion. "How can you not remember?" Her voice was light, like a ghost whispering from afar, but the eyes, resembling black obsidian, seemed to spark with flames. The mad researcher, lost in his mania, continued to speak: "Are you Black Hair? Number 1126? 1932? No, there were too many of such test subjects." "In the research from twelve years ago, there were hundreds of black-haired subjects. Which one are you exactly?" He spread his arms toward the frail child, "Tell me, my child!" "For my noble ideals." "Tell me what experiments contributed to your existence!" He desired the old research data, believing he could replicate the success. Nothing else mattered to him! The blond researcher bore a faint red flush on his face, his emerald eyes filled with fervor—not seeing a human, but instead viewing his best research achievement, his gateway to success. But the small child's expression remained indifferent, their gaze emotionless as they looked over. "Get lost." The figure fell into a swirl of smoke and dust, growing taller until a black-haired young man, around twenty years old, materialized. Black hair, red eyes, and a silver-white half-mask. He resembled Hei Ge. The black-haired young man's lips curled into a mocking smile, targeting who was unclear. "What are you doing? No matter, I permit your rebellion, my child," Le Shan warmly declared, unfazed by the change in appearance. He stepped forward, one hand over his heart, the other extended outward, "Forget the clairvoyant. Once I recondition you, teach you obedience, you'll remain my most perfect child." With the utterance of those words, opposing sharpness seemed to explode instantly. Amidst a room lined with ashes, the walls began to tremble, dust raining down with a tremendous roar. Where walls had been, new walls arose. At the center of nine small boxes, the floor rotated, amid dust and smoke the blond, green-eyed researcher remained standing. A moment later, skeletal structures shifted, replacing his figure with walls. Yet, it wasn’t the end. Like the central pivot of a Rubik's Cube, Li Li's floor became a wall. Leaping down to land on the new floor, the room's connecting wall lowered to reveal a dense serrated wall surface. With a sudden, resounding clatter, the serrated surface approached her position! Li Li's smile didn’t waver. The false expression was vibrant with confidence as she gracefully raised her hand, long fingers tracing an arc in the air. "Snap." She snapped her fingers. Her figure dissolved into thin air, reappearing as a mirage behind the serrated wall. She created the illusion of having teleported behind the serrations. Le Shan’s voice emerged from all directions, his enthusiasm reaching a fever pitch: "Teleportation ability, the one Qing Yuchen mentioned!" Once confirmed, illusions became reality! A tangible black coat enveloped Li Li, who stood firmly behind the serrated barrier, smiling as gusts tossed her clothing. Behind her, walls clashed violently, spreading ash-gray hues across the space. "Boom!" She turned, scarlet eyes glancing skyward as if penetrating the walls to observe the researcher scrutinizing her. "Use every ability at your disposal!" Le Shan cried out passionately, "My sweet darling!" Moments later, the room rotated again, Li Li's boots lifting from the ground only to land on a wall soon after. With three clicks, the walls lowered, revealing an entire layer of space to Li Li. Gray surrounded them, the rumbling dropping ash to reveal the metal walls underneath. The wall lifted, and from behind the western wall, weapons extended from metal compartments, their barrels targeting Li Li standing in the center of the room. The density was such that evasion was impossible! "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Firelight ignited, with golden bullets casting cross-like glints in the white light, extending to vanish as they neared Li Li's sight! Her smile deepened, a hand reaching forward, turning a circle before raising it with a snap. Instantly, an equal number of bullet illusions appeared behind her, pausing long enough for Le Shan to see before they clashed like shooting stars against the oncoming real bullets. The air erupted with the deafening roar of bullets colliding, blooming like fiery flowers in her gaze. The fiery light gilded her black coat, illuminating her carefree expression. "Materialization? No, this scale, this degree of harmony, it's replication, a mirror replication!" Le Shan muttered, slapping his cheeks, fingers leaving deep impressions in his skin, eyes bulging wide like those in a trance, "Magnificent, utterly magnificent..." "Continue, continue!" His voice now a hoarse shout. The walls trembled, the construct spinning again. Left ninety degrees, top one hundred eighty degrees. Uncertain of her own location, the black-haired youth in the room's center suddenly lifted his head. An A-rank’s advantage over a B-rank is suppressive; within the domain, she couldn’t pinpoint his location using her ability. In a domain-type ability's territory, escaping is near impossible, for it is akin to their sovereign land. Without knowing his limits, she could only act reactively. Le Shan was far more troublesome than the equivalently ranked Yue Lan. But... "I don't really want to continue," she laughed gently. There would be no retreat. Frenzied emotion spread, multiplying. Before someone with extensive knowledge of abilities, she'd toy with reality and illusion until her deception secured her victory! Within the white box, the black silhouette seemed insignificantly small. Those gloved fingers gently snapped once more. In an instant, hallucinations unfurled, ink dots expanding in the white. Until the shadow darkened surpassing walls, engulfing everything! The pervasive blackness overshadowed the ash-gray hues. Images, sounds, the shaking floor, scattered floating gray-white powder. In every sense, there was darkness—an eerie silence as though bereft of all senses, as if everything vanished. It was isolation and fear, enough to drown someone in solitude. In this darkness, though, Le Shan's voice retained its enthusiasm, his hysterical laughter echoing in hoarse tones all around. "I can still sense the construct, my ability remains, this isn't a domain, it's an illusion!" he roared in his madness, "You've delighted me endlessly, my child!" Simultaneously as negation occurred, the black receded like waves pulling from the shore. The illusion was denied, not becoming reality. Did the ability fail? No. "Found you," Li Li laughed softly. From the start, she had no intention of fooling Le Shan outright! The withdrawal of illusion from one location—something only possible within the A-rank Le Shan's construct—directly exposed his position. That was her goal! From the faded illusion spot, in the whiteness, a golden-haired, green-eyed researcher suddenly confronted a mirage behind him. "The hide-and-seek game is over," she declared, the angle beneath the silver-white mask remained unchanged. At her words, Le Shan turned swiftly; the final tone suggested that Li Li had found him. "Teleportation!" Instinctively, his mind recalled earlier abilities. In that moment, illusion became real—Li Li, without delay, raised her hand, crimson eyes seemingly reflecting both void and hellish flames. A dagger pierced through Le Shan’s neck from behind. That was real, a dagger Li Li carried. Moments later, Li Li appeared in front of Le Shan, grasping the knife handle to withdraw it, then stepping forward. Having spent years immersed in the laboratory, with powers unrelated to combat, the researcher's eyes widened, fervor yet to fade from his face. And then, he collapsed. ... Le Shan gazed forward through a blurry vision, lips quivering as if to speak. But he did not see the person he most longed to glimpse. In those final moments, Le Shan seemed to recollect the past, the experiment from twelve years ago, the clairvoyant, the former Ability Guild, leading up to the present-day twins. And the rare instance a few days ago when Yue Qing, seemingly lowering himself, called him. "Yue Lan is dead, died at Qing Yuchen's place," Yue Qing had queried, "Did Qing Yuchen ever mention Hei Ge to you?" Le Shan, unkempt as ever, having no inclination, replied: "Don't know him." The person Qing Yuchen wanted him to investigate was named 'Li', not some Hei Ge. Receiving a denial, Yue Qing ended the call, while Le Shan idly glanced at the sketch Qing Yuchen had sent across his desk. The sketch depicted a black-haired youth with a choker, sharp eyebrows yet a gentle face, exuding a sense of conflicting fragility. "They are enemies of the former Ability Guild, not my enemies," he said, casually tearing the photo and tossing it into the trash. Back then, he hadn’t anticipated that person would seek him out. Yet he felt no regret, only a sense of... Magnificence! This was his creation; even in death, it would forever bear his imprint, belonging to him. "My most perfect masterpiece!" As these words fell, the green pupils began to expand. The black-haired youth standing behind him sheathed the dagger, slowly turning around. His smile faded. The illusory shadow wavered, eventually condensing into the form of a child. Black hair, black eyes, wearing a choker, the somewhat chubby face expressionless. That was the appearance of the young 'Li' from Le Shan’s memories and the photograph. The small child and the grown youth simultaneously looked forward at the lifeless researcher, their gazes vacant, as if merely performing the act of ‘looking.’ "He didn’t remember you," the black-haired youth abruptly spoke. The child remained silent, quietly akin to an ice sculpture forcibly painted with color. The youth too was silent for a moment before raising a hand, seemingly to disperse the illusion. Just then. A familiar voice sounded from ahead, a glimpse of a brown-haired boy flashed by beyond the ajar door. Trailing him were several figures in blue robes, pursuing him. The youth instinctively lowered his head, meeting the dark eyes of the child, gradually brightening. "Still too weak," the youth remarked, unsure whom he was referring to. He hesitated briefly and then reached out his hand. The sound of snapping fingers echoed, the child's apparition vanished, and simultaneously, where the black-haired youth once stood appeared a blond, green-eyed man in a white coat. It was the form of Le Shan lying on the ground. He strode out with large steps, observing the brown-haired boy, now restrained by the C-rank blue-robed men, wearing a deceptive, refined villain’s smile. "Don't run around, it’ll delay the research," 'Le Shan’ said. ... Li Li thought her method was ingenious. Even though boss Le Shan was gone, she could pose as the boss, ensuring the plot continued. Moreover... She glanced at the unconscious Yi Ming, thinking: Little brother, you need to grow; you need to battle the boss. Quick, thank Brother Li!