Chapter 80 - Role Playing the Dark Horse Character

Chapter 80: The Real Guest Inside the Lin family residence, the lights shimmered brightly. The servants were still awake, often bustling through the corridors. The raven illusion, through which Li Li saw, perched on ‘Qin Qian’s shoulder, took note of the hurried footsteps of the servants. They instinctively cleared the path for ‘Qin Qian’, displaying visible apprehension. ‘Qin Qian’, controlled by An Heyu, took advantage of this fear. As he passed one of the servants, he casually grasped the person's wrist and asked a harmless question. The servant was visibly eager to free himself from ‘Qin Qian’, clearly frightened by him. This wasn't isolation; it seemed ‘Qin Qian’ wasn’t well-liked among the staff. Referencing ‘Qin Qian’s memories, he quickly arrived at the study's entrance. To be cautious, Li Li shrank, transforming into a small raven that could fit inside a pocket. Then, ‘Qin Qian’ knocked on the door. “Knock, knock.” As the door opened, the little raven poked its head out of the pocket below the white uniform's hem, revealing a pair of red eyes. Inside, the study was brightly lit. Lin Ruye sat behind his desk, surrounded by documents. As ‘Qin Qian’ entered, Li Li noted that these were income statements. Li Li was struck by the scene, lamp-burning late into the night to review one's finances, Lin Ruye truly embraced his character of 'money lover'. She needed to learn, to ensure her new identity also emitted a coppery smell. After all, her arrival was justified as a money-making endeavor. ‘Qin Qian’ first greeted Lin Ruye, then said, “President, you were right. Those two indeed have nothing to do with the illusionist.” Upon hearing this, Lin Ruye put down his documents and leaned back. “Huh, of course.” He glanced towards a corner of the ceiling before returning his gaze, “While the old lady is a nuisance, she’s at least an SS-class. That illusionist coming to Dyed-eye City is a death sentence.” Li Li noted the direction—she had seen the loft earlier. Could Lin Ran be there? She wondered. ‘Qin Qian’ wasn’t planning to leave after his report. He initiated another topic, saying, “But I’m still uneasy. Recently, those remnants have become more brazen. The Yue and An families have both fallen to them.” He purposefully guided the conversation, “President, they have S-classes too, and Qu Yan was killed by that illusionist. Are we really safe?” “The rustic Yue family and the fallen An family? Them?” Lin Ruye mocked, “It was just Qu Yan who got overturned.” He straightened and pointed to the direction he had previously looked. “Well, you’ve only been here for two years.” He added, “So let me tell you why I tolerate that old lady.” “The Empire has only ten SS-class ability users, and that old lady is one of them. Except for the other nine and the one being behind the royal family, no one can escape her ability's impeccable grasp.” Lin Ruye scoffed, “Though she’s quiet during the day now, six years ago, when she decided to create Dyed-eye City, do you know how many she killed in one day?” ‘Qin Qian’ shook his head, affirming Lin Ruye’s narrative, “I do not know.” Lin Ruye spread out five fingers towards him. “Fifty?” ‘Qin Qian’ ventured a guess. Surely just five hundred, Li Li thought. But this time, she guessed wrong. Lin Ruye didn’t keep them in suspense; he calmly revealed, “Five thousand.” Post-merge, Dyed-eye City had a population of about a million, and during that period, Lin Ran alone had killed over five thousand in one day. “The initial suppression lasted three days, and just within those three days, no one dared resist in Dyed-eye City.” Lin Ruye seemed to recall the past vividly, “I remember clearly; the butler reported to the old lady the number of corpses handled later—thirteen thousand eight hundred and forty, piled at the library’s old site, blood flowing hundreds of meters.” “Now, how many die during the everlasting night?” He began to chuckle, “A hundred? Two hundred? Does it even reach that number?” “Utterly unreasonable restriction clauses, no tolerance for violence, no allowance for ability misuse. Yet she was the most violent and abusive of powers.” “At that time, I genuinely thought she had no heart; she didn't seem human. Humans don’t behave like her. But now, I don’t think that way anymore.” Lin Ruye pointed to his heart, saying, “Things like this are unnecessary; she doesn't need it, and neither do I.” Perhaps spilling some inner truth for once, Lin Ruye fell silent for a while before turning to the silent ‘Qin Qian’, “The illusionist won’t come. As long as the old lady is alive, Dyed-eye City is their grave.” “Besides, Dyed-eye City isn’t the illusionist's first choice. The remnants saved by the prophet aren't yet exterminated, still clinging to survival on the Sang family’s territory. That’s where the illusionist should be.” Lin Ruye concluded, “You’ve been floating a bit lately, Qin Qian. Your job is to think about how to make money, not worry whether the illusionist will invade Dyed-eye City.” ‘Qin Qian’ obediently bowed his head, saying, “The president makes good points. I just felt uneasy.” “Whatever.” Lin Ruye was indifferent, “No one in Dyed-eye City will resist the Ability Guild. Go play on your own.” Lin Ruye already had nothing more to say. He waved ‘Qin Qian’ off, returning to his accounts. ... A hundred meters away, An Heyu manipulated ‘Qin Qian’ to leave the study, preparing to depart. “It’s over.” He let out a sigh of relief. Beside him, Li Li sat on a branch, her long skirt cascading down, her legs idly swinging. “No, it’s not over yet.” Li Li said, glancing down at An Heyu and his red hood, “Linger there for a while.” An Heyu: “...” A foreboding feeling crept over him, although this premonition had become almost a routine occurrence. And his intuition proved right. Back in the Lin family residence, the illusion that had been in ‘Qin Qian’s pocket had stealthily departed, making its way towards the loft. Meanwhile, ‘Qin Qian’ naturally struck up a conversation with the butler. The illusion flew silently in the air, stirring a breeze that went unnoticed by the oblivious servants below. From this daring venture, much had been uncovered from Lin Ruye’s revelations, but Li Li’s primary concern remained unresolved. Was the person who recommended the travel guide and whom she had saved one night actually Lin Ran? From Lin Ruye’s description, Lin Ran resembled an untouchable statue. Cold and callous, she engraved her self-imposed laws deep into the land. Could such a person disguise herself as an ordinary individual, only to be captured by those trafficking ability users at night? Not all of Lin Ruye’s words could be trusted. Since she was already here, why not visit Lin Ran before leaving? Li Li found herself at the only darkened part of the Lin family residence. Unlike other lofts, the stairway did not directly lead into the loft. A layer of wall surrounded the loft, cement slabs enveloped it, and from the outside, only a cement wall disguised as a loft was visible. Entry required access from inside, with the residence’s stairs leading to a passage between the wall and loft. But the loft’s doors and windows were sealed shut with planks, seemingly inaccessible. The invisible black raven flapped its wings, landing in the passage. Li Li felt it resembled a prison—a secluded place even deprived of sunlight. Was Lin Ran truly here? She approached, the illusionary raven hopping lightly on the ground without a sound. Her opponent was an SS-class ability user; as Lin Ruye had said, Lin Ran was formidable. For Li Li, currently an A-class, resistance was futile. The gap between mid-tier and high-tier was significant. Li Li had managed to challenge A-class opponents while B-class and win, but against S-class opponents like Yue Qing, she had to resort to psychological warfare, and when faced with S-class Qu Yan, it was S-class An Heyu who defeated him while her role was mainly advisory. In facing Dan last time, she’d merely delayed, without thinking she could directly kill him. For Li Li now, SS-class opponents would be even tougher and more troublesome. The familiar tension enveloped her, a reminiscent echo of when she was just an ordinary person but had to face mid-tier ability user Qing Yushen. Quietly, the raven hopped within the rectangular passageway. Li Li found a door that could be opened. The black raven tilted its head, eyeing the closed door. She prepared to shrink the illusion and slip through the crack. And then— “Creak—” The door swung open! A hundred meters away, Li Li momentarily paused, while the illusionary raven flapped its wings and retreated, gaining some distance from the room. In those red eyes of the raven reflected a flickering candle flame. In this darkness, the candle’s light flickered softly with the slight gust from the opening door. Inside was a simple tea room, a small lamp resting on a low table, behind which sat a young woman, appearing in her twenties, seated on the floor with lowered eyes. It was hard to tell if the orange hue of her long hair was naturally flame-touched or borrowed from the candlelight. It spread on the floor, extends into shadows where the light couldn’t touch. As the candlelight trembled, the woman raised her eyes and looked forward at what should be thin air. Those amethyst eyes seemed to pierce through the masking void to see the hidden black raven. It was Lin Ran! She hadn’t been asleep; she had opened the door for the intruder. A hundred meters away, Li Li's main body vigilantly jumped down from the tree branch, placing a hand on An Heyu's shoulder. Ready to retreat at any moment! Inside the Lin family residence, the butler speaking with ‘Qin Qian’ advised him, “Stop angering the young master.” “With the head of the household here, if the remnants dare come, they'll never leave.” Meanwhile, a door separated Li Li from facing off with the head of the Lin family. Li Li waited—for Lin Ran's reaction. In the stillness of the air, under the dim candlelight, the orange-haired woman finally spoke. “We have such a good relationship; you’re even willing to come to my house to find me.” She spoke toward the direction of the black raven. Li Li: …? A hundred meters away, Li Li let go of An Heyu's shoulder. What had Lin Ruye said about Lin Ran killing off remnants? Is this a kind of ‘you're welcomed in as honored guests to be killed after’? A minute later, Li Li was seated on the floor, separated from Lin Ran by a tea table. In the candlelight, Lin Ran gazed at her with vacant eyes, asking, “Do you like tea?” Li Li maintained her usual smiling demeanor and unabashedly replied, “Do you have milk tea?” In the end, becoming an esteemed guest of the search target is also a kind of success in the investigation.