“What did you say before about how to give you superpowers?” Zheng Fan asked, getting down to business.
Over the past month, he had tested his own special abilities. There were many variations, but they didn't feel real when used in an Illusion state.
Without a tangible body, even superhuman strength was just for self-amusement.
“You just need to lock onto me,” Lin Yilin said, looking at him strangely.
“I’m just a novice Illusion, I don’t know anything,” Zheng Fan could only say.
Lin Yilin took a deep breath, sighing as she exhaled: “There’s no rush, I’m not that desperate yet. Let’s go take care of the door first.”
She came based on Aunt Chen’s recommendation, a door shop whose owner seemed to be an acquaintance of the landlord. She just needed to say a word and pay here, and it would be settled.
Zheng Fan walked along, trying to touch the doors displayed in the shop, but his hand passed right through them.
As expected.
Although he felt his feet on the ground, it was very difficult for him to touch physical objects.
Just then, someone else entered the shop, passing through Zheng Fan from behind.
Zheng Fan seemed to sense something and turned his head to see a haggard young man walk in and head straight for the shop owner.
The shop owner recognized him and asked, “Mr. Chen Wen, the door you ordered is ready. We were just about to send it over for installation.”
“That’s good, hurry up then.” Chen Wen nodded quickly, looking quite anxious.
Zheng Fan observed the man, deep in thought.
Lin Yilin approached him and said, “What’s wrong?”
“There’s a strange pull,” Zheng Fan said.
“Gay?”
“Are you kidding me?”
Zheng Fan looked at Lin Yilin’s serious face.
It seemed her personality might not be as completely serious and cold as her appearance suggested.
Lin Yilin nodded: “I am kidding. Your habits indicate a normal sexual orientation. As for sensing that person, it might be because this gentleman is very close to your ‘world’ now.”
Zheng Fan realized something: “Are you saying?”
“He’s been targeted by an Illusion, and it’s already starting to exert influence. Phew, good luck, maybe we can take on this job.” Zheng Fan could sense a hint of eagerness in Lin Yilin’s calm tone.
“You seem happy?”
“To maintain the agency’s operation, results are naturally needed. I haven’t taken a single case since my adoptive father died. That means, personally, I have no verifiable track record in this circle. At this point, even if the client can’t fully pay, I can offer the maximum discount.”
Lin Yilin analyzed it very clearly.
...
Chen Wen stood weakly at the shop entrance, lighting a cigarette.
“Hello, sir.”
The sudden greeting startled him, and he almost dropped the cigarette he was holding.
He turned and saw Lin Yilin: “Is there, is there something?”
Lin Yilin didn’t say much, directly handing him her business card.
Chen Wen took the card, saw the three large characters “Agency” on it, and his expression immediately changed. He pushed the card back: “No, no, I don’t need it, I don’t have the money.”
“I can handle this matter for you free of charge. You’ve probably been experiencing the abnormalities around you for quite some time. The dark circles under your eyes and the bloodshot eyes show that you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time,” Lin Yilin stated frankly.
“No charge?”
“It’s just a small agency. We need some reputation at the beginning of our venture,” Lin Yilin admitted.
Chen Wen’s expression was uncertain. Suddenly, his gaze went past Lin Yilin, looking behind her, and his face instantly turned pale, his pupils dilating.
“That!” Chen Wen suddenly pointed behind Lin Yilin.
Lin Yilin turned her head suspiciously to look, then turned back: “Did you see anything?”
Chen Wen remained in a daze for a long time. Just now, he had vaguely seen a strange black shadow flash behind Lin Yilin, but now there was truly nothing there. He seemed to have only seen an Illusion.
“...Sorry, I need to go back and think about it.” In the end, Chen Wen still took the business card, extinguished the barely smoked cigarette, and turned to leave quickly.
“Being too straightforward isn’t good for sales,” Zheng Fan’s upper body emerged ghost-like from the nearby wall.
“I’m not a salesperson. Even if I leave him be, people from other agencies will naturally discover his abnormality and seek him out. Sometimes they even force sales...” Lin Yilin retorted, then looked at Zheng Fan: “Why did you scare him just now?”
“I was testing if he could see me. The result seems to be yes, but I’m not sure what he saw.”
“People who cannot truly see the Illusion itself will have their vision affected by their fluctuating thoughts. This is also a troublesome point in the process of confirming an Illusion,” Lin Yilin explained.
Zheng Fan stared at Chen Wen’s back for a while, nodding slightly.
As for the door, the shop owner here quickly sent people to install the new door.
Lin Yilin was just about to follow them back, but when she turned to call out, she found no response from Zheng Fan.
The surroundings were empty, and Zheng Fan was nowhere to be seen.
...
Chen Wen wearily finished his day’s work and was rushing home.
The night in Dadu was still bustling. In the Grey District, the revelry of another group of people might have just begun. The chaos among gangs, agencies, and the Processing Bureau mostly revealed itself at this time.
However, Xixikeke Street was also the largest Grey District nearby, and the control was better than in obscure corners. As long as one didn’t go to some remote places to court death, generally, one wouldn’t get into trouble.
It’s just the past few days...
Thump...
A strange sound of footsteps suddenly came from behind him. Chen Wen shivered and turned around sharply, but still saw nothing.
Chen Wen’s face was ashen, and he stood under the streetlamp, a chill running down his spine.
He stared intently behind him, then after a moment, he gave up and shouted, “I see you! Come out!”
No person or anything else responded to him.
Little did he know, right in front of him, there was a hideous, distorted, pale, swollen face, almost pressed against his own.
Changing back from the ghost face to normal, Zheng Fan looked at Chen Wen, who was still bravely shouting into the alley, feeling a bit speechless.
He still couldn’t see him. Just as Lin Yilin said, the other party had little to do with Zheng Fan; he only occasionally and more frequently caught some of Zheng Fan’s movements because he was affected by another Illusion.
But this time, Zheng Fan had openly rushed at him, almost kissing him, and he still couldn’t see anything.
It was a waste that Zheng Fan had even made what he thought was a decent ghost face.
This was one of Zheng Fan’s current abilities. He noticed that he could change his body, morphing and transforming.
He could change size anywhere, reaching tens of meters tall, and as small as a mosquito currently.
However, after transforming, it wasn’t completely as he wished. It was difficult for his body to adapt after transforming into animals with vastly different body structures.
After Chen Wen called out a few times and received no response, he turned and hurried towards his residence.
A slightly old apartment building, but the location was good, right at the intersection of Xixikeke Street and the adjacent ring district, which easily gave people a sense of security.
Ding~.
The elevator door opened, and Chen Wen stepped onto the dim apartment hallway.
The sound-activated light immediately turned on, but then suddenly went out.
Then it lit up again, flickering non-stop.
“Damn it, why isn’t this broken light fixed yet!” Chen Wen wiped cold sweat and cursed in a low voice.
Suddenly, a cold wind brushed past him from behind. Chen Wen turned sharply, but there was nothing behind him, only a dark hallway. Something seemed to be hidden at the end, yet it also seemed to be just an Illusion.
He didn’t dare to think too much, quickly stepped back to his rented room, took out the key to open the door, and slipped through the door crack as if hiding.
After the sound of the door closing, the hallway returned to silence, with only a shadow flickering faintly under the sound-activated light.
It slowly raised its hand towards the new door in front.
Thump... Thump...
A soft knocking sound echoed.
And beside this ghostly shadow, Zheng Fan leaned against the wall, half-closed his eyes, watching the other’s movements.
“Friend, want to get acquainted?” He spoke, trying to say hello.
But the other party disappeared after knocking on the door, completely ignoring Zheng Fan.
Well, now even “ghosts” couldn’t see him.