Chapter 74 - Role Playing the Dark Horse Character

Chapter 74: The Most Undetectable Lie Li Li was deep in thought. She remembered her opponent as a formidable high-level ability user, who was also intent on killing her. Being merely mid-level, she prepared to counter the high-level killing intent. The sequence of events should have been like this, and Li Li considered her actions justifiable self-defense. However, as her true form, a black crow, flew in the sky and saw the white-haired boy on the ground hugging a rabbit plushie, burying his head into it, trembling as if clutching a lost and regained treasure, an unexpected pang of conscience nudged her. Clearly, Dan was the strong one who could incapacitate her with just a claim of "no illusions are allowed here," yet why did it seem that she, Li Li, was playing the villain? She felt like she was bullying someone. Li Li ultimately blamed this feeling on being deceived by Dan's appearance. At this moment, with six minutes left until five o'clock, Dan was half-kneeling on the ground, clutching his rabbit plushie as if under a tremendous shock, as if nothing else around mattered. Even though the oppressive aura vanished when the plushie left his hands, Li Li remained cautious. If Dan attacked her, she would continue with her plan. Correction might change his state like her Illusory Reality. As long as it wasn't a one-hit kill, he might heal himself, fully reviving. Therefore, Li Li never thought she could kill this high-level ability user. As the daylight in Dyed-eye City was similar to the state of the city lord of Desolate Dragon when under wide-range attacks, she could stall until daylight, leading Dan to use his abilities to wreak havoc during the day, thus relying on Lin to deal with him. As she was thinking this, Dan suddenly moved. The white-haired boy, wearing a black dress with puff sleeves, tightly hugged his rabbit plushie, visible tear streaks on his cheeks. There were five minutes left until five o'clock. Dan turned to look at Li Li, as if he was eager to tear out her throat. This mad dog still hadn't been tamed, but that was to be expected. He wanted to kill Li Li, and she wanted to kill him; they were the same. However, Dan took a step back with his plushie in hand, then opened his mouth and said, "Rewind." Rewind? The unfamiliar phrasing made Li Li ponder for a moment. In that moment, behind the phantom, the shattered pieces of street moved with a clattering sound, floating into position as if with a mind of their own, returning to their original places. The indentations were smoothed over, the cracks disappeared, and the fragments reformed to fill the gaps. After the word "rewind," the street looked brand new. Just like the scenery Li Li had seen at the junction of the eternal night and the day. Dan had rewound time. It turned out that the one cleaning up the aftermath of eternal night was Dan! "I will kill you," Dan said, seeming eager to fulfill that promise now, the anger from being slighted burning deep in his eyes, still shimmering with unshed tears. Li Li had no doubt, if there were a button to end her life right now, Dan would press it a hundred times in a second, wanting nothing more than to shatter it. But in the end, he tightened his grip on the plushie, took a step back, and vanished from sight. There were four minutes left until five o'clock. The crow flew in the air as Li Li saw Dan arrive in Sector Twelve, instantly using his powers to rewind the city's time to just before the night, only to disappear again, rushing to Sector Eleven. In the final four minutes, Dan busied himself restoring Dyed-eye City, running around the city post-eternal night. There was no mistake; her previous analysis was correct. The ability that restored the city post-eternal night was concept-type time rewind, and Dan was the owner of this power. This was likely one of the abilities he had plundered. Acknowledged as a conceptual hunter by Qing Yuchen, Dan had multiple abilities beyond his own. Due to the flaws of plundering, these abilities might be incomplete, or come with added restrictions, or even be downgraded by a tier. But Dan probably didn't just plunder mid-level abilities, and even with losses, a plundered high-level ability is exceptionally powerful. Thoughts raced as the black-haired youth phantom standing there disappeared with a smile on its lips. Li Li continued to think. She was here for the Lin family nobles, and now Dan was connected to them as well. The name Dan obviously belonged to a commoner, yet he was working for the nobles. Recalling Dan's attachment to the rabbit plushie and the oddities of Sector Thirteen, Li Li checked the time. Seizing the opportunity while Dan was busy rewinding the city, the black crow spread its wings in the sky, and a phantom dove forward towards the mysterious Sector Thirteen she couldn’t enter before. What lay in view was a derelict city, completely different from other districts. As if stuck in a time loop from a decade ago, with partially collapsed tube buildings and weed-ridden ground. It was as if Sector Thirteen was frozen in time, left behind while the rest of Dyed-eye City naturally developed, leaving it far behind in the past. The crow perched on a utility pole, its claws dusting it clean with a shake, and noticed signs of life in a tube building, with paths trodden through the weeds. Slowly she scanned upwards, noting the climbing dead vines and partially collapsing structure. Could this be Dan’s territory? Li Li speculated naturally. Regardless if Dan was a commoner, a noble needing an S-level service would have to pay a price. If Sector Thirteen was his reward from the nobles, it wasn’t hard to see why it was special. This area, stuck in the past, was significant to Dan, much like the plushie he always carried. With two minutes until five, to be safe, Li Li recalled her phantoms from Sector Thirteen, vanishing from the area rapidly. In the final minute, she flew in through a window, transforming back into her true form upon landing. This was the house An Heyu had rented for them in Dyed-eye City. They had only stayed a few hours on the first day before An Heyu stayed in Sector Three to arrange the ability users' organization there. "Dong—" The clock chimed; it was five o'clock. Li Li adjusted her sunglasses, slid her hands into the pockets of her dark blue coat, and, right on time, headed towards the door, planning to explore further during the day. She opened the door to see a familiar hooded red-haired youth standing outside with a bag. “Are you opening the door for me?” An Heyu showed a look of surprise, as if witnessing a miracle akin to a world-shattering event or, perhaps, the delight of a parent seeing their normally idle child unexpectedly volunteering to wash dishes, brimming with joy and wanting to announce it to the world. Li Li's smile didn’t waver, stepping aside to let An Heyu in, playing along as if she had indeed anticipated his arrival. “There’s something I was originally going to mention tonight,” An Heyu said, entering sideways. “I’ve found some former Ability Guild members within a gang in Sector Three.” “They’re now part of an organization called Tides, but you’re likely aware.” As he passed by Li Li, he paused thoughtfully, inquiring, “How should we handle them?” Li Li pondered. Currently, they and Tides were on the same side, so they wouldn’t truly act against them. Simply issuing orders without reinforcement wouldn’t work, and she didn’t want any hidden threats. “Tell them the person you serve is Hei Ge; they will comply,” Li Li finally said. While she disliked being a so-called leader, it was convenient to use the name when needed, so why not use it? Whether from the prudent faction of Hua Yi's group or the aggressive faction of Ruo Yue’s group, anyone who knew the name Hei Ge would be inclined to show some respect. “Alright.” An Heyu nodded in agreement, not asking for further explanation. Perhaps after experiencing the simple pleasures of everyday life at a food stall in Desolate Dragon, An Heyu had developed a fondness for local breakfast stands. For example, today, after discussing business, he walked to the dining table, setting down the breakfast he brought. “Dyed-eye City has breakfast stands too. I brought some back, though they're not squid and pork buns, but there’s orange juice fish chicken silk tofu brain...” ??? What in the world? Li Li thought the debate between sweet and savory tofu brain was only in the real world. Who knew the manga world could produce orange juice fish chicken silk tofu brain? This raised a crucial question: was it sweet or savory? In any case, she refused to engage with what was surely a dark culinary experiment! “I’m not hungry,” Li Li swiftly declined, then slipped out the door. “...I also brought milk tea.” An Heyu mentioned, setting the bag on the table and turning to see the closed door behind her. Silence followed as he skeptically wondered aloud, “Has he been eating lately?” In his recollection, An Heyu hadn’t seen Li Li eat anything except sporadically drinking his homemade milk tea, and she had tried breakfast once back at Desolate Dragon. With the ability to rely on her powers, Li Li could theoretically sustain herself indefinitely. She wasn't particularly concerned with culinary cravings. If she had time, she'd eat; if not, she'd use her ability to refresh her state—a strategy she'd often used in Four-Way City while disguised as Li Baige. After a few moments of contemplation, An Heyu turned his gaze towards the kitchen adjacent to the living room. Then he walked in. ... Li Li never meddled in how An Heyu managed Sector Three; she had zero interest in running any organization. However, what An Heyu said made sense. The two of them alone were too prominent as targets. It was better to blend into the ability user organization in Sector Three. Like a drop of water joining a pond, it offered more subtlety and safety amidst limited initial information. Much like when she first arrived at Four-Way City, becoming a bounty hunter to gather sufficient intel before making a move. As night fell, eternal night descended once more upon the land. Li Li initially planned to visit Sector Three to see the Tides members An Heyu mentioned, and he had something special to show her, specifically arranging for her to come by that evening. But plans couldn't keep up with changes, and on her way, she caught sight of a striking shade of orange. The crow, initially hurrying along, circled around, landing silently on a branch to watch a confrontation unfolding on the road. “Please, save us!” This was Sector One, the operational area of the Ability Guild. At that moment, several ability users were detaining two ordinary people, a man and a woman. The Ability Guild members faced them. Two nobles with orange hair, and a blond who seemed to be their subordinate. The leader, the orange-haired young man, was the same one who appeared in advertisements on the big screen. He wore extremely expensive fabrics and jewelry, and unlike the others, his white Ability Guild uniform was topped with an elegant white coat draped across his shoulders. He exuded luxury and was strikingly handsome. One of the ordinary people looked pleadingly at the leading orange-haired youth. “Anything, anything you want, just please save us!” At those words, the advertisement orange-haired youth said, “How much can you pay?” “Huh?” The ordinary person was momentarily startled, then like finding a lifeline, he said, “My entire savings!” But contrary to his expectation, after hearing this, the orange-haired youth turned to the detaining ability users. “And you?” he asked. The leader of the ability users quickly replied, “Double that!” Having apparently been through similar situations many times, they were well-prepared. Their words were clear, and the advertisement youth was visibly satisfied. No ordinary person's savings could compare to the profits of a human trafficking organization. The advertisement youth spread his hands in feigned regret and said to the ordinary man, “So that’s how it is. I’m powerless here.” He wasn't powerless; he was shamelessly money-oriented. Watching from the sidelines, Li Li couldn’t help but shake her head, feeling this person's character synopsis should be written in bold: Loves money. “I can still offer more, I can...” The ordinary man struggled to grasp at the false hope, “I’ve bought your protective doors and windows; I support every product update. Please, help me!” This was his only chance at rescue. But the advertisement youth had already turned away, gesturing casually. His companions also displayed amused expressions, turning with him. “It’s useless,” the bound female ordinary person said. She seemed numb to their plight, her head hanging low as she spoke softly, “No one will save you because you’re just low-level filth.” Seeing the Ability Guild agents ready to leave, the holding ability users impatiently muttered, “Let’s go. Enough with the mumbling.” But the woman continued, “Unless we meet that person; only that person can save you—” She lifted her head, revealing a face Li Li seemed to recognize but couldn't quite place. It reminded her of a young woman from that human trafficking ring she dismantled on her first night in Dyed-eye City. So how did she get captured again? Seeing the Ability Guild members about to depart, Li Li quickly contemplated. If she stepped in as Hei Ge, it would immediately escalate into a fight—the last thing she wanted. Thus, as long as she didn't appear as Hei Ge, it'd be fine. However, she also had to consider that Lin family nobles or Lin Ran, with potentially similar abilities, might see through illusions. She couldn't overlook this possibility. Li Li thought of Dan in his black dress and his obviously soft pink bunny plushie. Then, she nodded at the crow’s bird head. The most undetectable lie in the world might just be a fabricated falsehood. Because that is the truth.