Lin Yilin hailed a taxi and arrived at Dongding Road, her primary target being the pastry shop.
The shop was quite large, and many customers could already be seen inside.
Some people were chatting with the cashier at the front desk, appearing very familiar, likely regular customers living nearby.
However, compared to these regulars, it was hard to say about some of the other people in the shop.
Lin Yilin's gaze quickly swept over the other group of people.
This group was different; they didn't look like they were there to buy pastries at all. Their behavior showed no inclination of customers browsing goods; they seemed more like spies playing anti-surveillance.
Most importantly, while the shop was large, it had its limits, and these guys, not buying anything but just looking around, were really making the place crowded.
Unfortunately, Lin Yilin herself was about to join them.
Pushing the door open, Lin Yilin's entry immediately attracted the attention of those who were investigating.
Seeing Lin Yilin's attire, most people here recognized her.
Lin Yilin herself wasn't a celebrity, but her adoptive father used to be one in Xixikeke District, and she had followed him for many years, so she was remembered by association.
"All eyes on me!"
Zheng Fan suddenly phased in from the nearby glass display case, making a dazzling entrance with his arms spread wide.
Naturally, no one could see him; only Lin Yilin briefly glanced sideways, but realizing that Zheng Fan was just seeking attention, she quickly looked away.
"...How come even you don't respond?" Zheng Fan said, a little dejectedly.
Lin Yilin picked up her phone, opened her notepad, and typed: There are many Zero One Office members in the shop. If we make any abnormal moves, we might be seen as being afflicted by an illusion, and we can't afford to be investigated.
That was true.
Although Zheng Fan had considered it, Lin Yilin's cautiousness was higher than he had thought.
Talking to oneself wasn't a strange habit, but even so, she wasn't willing to leave any openings.
He scanned the people around him who were suspected to be from other Zero One Offices.
There was also a greater possibility that the competition between Zero One Offices might be even more intense than he had imagined.
However...
"Those few punks who I scared away last time are also here," Zheng Fan noticed some familiar faces and warned.
Lin Yilin continued typing on her phone, responding as if nothing was amiss while investigating the shop: I noticed them too, they're from the Banmu Office.
Lin Yilin had previously described the Banmu Office to Zheng Fan.
Xixikeke District has two large Zero One Offices, three medium-sized Zero One Offices, and several small Zero One Offices. The Banmu Office is actually one of those three medium-sized Zero One Offices.
Most importantly, the Banmu Office's headquarters, like the Zero One Office, is also on Xiding Road.
They are neighbors with the Zero One Office.
Previously, they had conflicts and collaborations with Lin Yilin's adoptive father, but now that her adoptive father, who had an impressive record, had passed away, Lin Yilin alone no longer had the qualifications for collaboration, leaving only one-sided conflicts.
"Although I never had high hopes for this haphazard world, if the underlings of a medium-sized Zero One Office are all like this, isn't that too cheap?" Zheng Fan grumbled.
Lin Yilin's lips curved slightly before quickly flattening. She typed on her phone: You can't say that. It mainly depends on the Zero One Office's style of operation. Some medium to large Zero One Offices even adopt military-style management. Banmu's "social" style can only be said to be one of their hallmarks. They rely on it to gather a lot of lower-level forces from the Grey District.
"What's the difference between this and a gang?" Zheng Fan remembered that there were countless gangs of all sizes in Dadu.
Lin Yilin slowly typed out a sentence: There is no essential difference between a Zero One Office and a gang.
What a clear and concise summary.
After looking around the shop for a while, Lin Yilin reached out and took a large Toast from the shelf.
"Buy this for me too," Zheng Fan suddenly pointed to the doughnuts next to them.
Lin Yilin paused her movement, then placed a few doughnuts on the tray as well and went to the front counter to pay.
After the items were packed and she had chatted with the shop assistant at the front desk for a few questions, Lin Yilin left the shop with her bag.
Once she was away from the pastry shop, she finally spoke directly: "Mr. Illusion, do you like doughnuts?"
"Yes, I do," Zheng Fan rubbed his hands like a fly, eager to try: "I don't like sweets, except for doughnuts."
"But you can't eat them right now."
"Can't I eat them using your body?"
Lin Yilin hesitated for a moment before saying: "I don't like overly sweet things either."
"Then you'll have to learn to like them from now on," Zheng Fan dismissed casually, then asked about the main business: "So, what did you gain from looking around in that shop for a while?"
He looked at the Toast in Lin Yilin's bag: "You're not trying to find a companion for it to lure it out, are you?"
Lin Yilin shook her head: "How could that be? It's just because I got hungry looking at it."
Her expression was very serious and earnest.
Zheng Fan raised an eyebrow: "Girl, your sense of humor is much more abundant than your appearance suggests."
Lin Yilin opened the package, tore off a piece, and put it in her mouth to chew: "Actually, it's not difficult to find a Phantasms. We're not proper detectives. We don't need to gather clues or do proper reasoning."
"That's good," Zheng Fan breathed a slight sigh of relief: "I just prepared myself mentally to turn into a dog to sniff out the scent for you. Now it seems I don't have to."
Lin Yilin's eyes lit up: "Mr. Illusion, can you really do something like that? Didn't you say you couldn't replicate abilities?"
Zheng Fan moved a few steps away; Lin Yilin had gotten a bit too close: "It's not some incredibly bizarre superpower. If it's just this level, it's not difficult and doesn't require too much effort. It just took me a lot of time to adapt to a dog's world of smell. It was very disgusting at first."
"For example?"
"For example, did you not shower last night?"
..."Indeed, I forgot because I was busy with other things. From now on, you don't need to mention such things, Mr. Illusion. Let's get to the real business quickly."
"Before you do anything, shouldn't we deal with the people following us?" Zheng Fan's head rotated one and a half turns towards his back.
Don't ask why it was one and a half turns; it's because it's fun.
Lin Yilin also turned her head and saw the few punks from the Banmu Office following not far behind.
"Should I beat them up?" Lin Yilin asked.
Zheng Fan turned his head back to normal: "No, you said you could handle it yourself earlier. Let me see how you handle it."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yilin broke off another piece of Toast and put it in her mouth.
Zheng Fan really wanted to say "break some off for me," but he couldn't break off even a bit right now, which was a great pity.
Seeing Lin Yilin stop in place and look back at them, those punks no longer bothered to hide. In reality, their tracking skills were quite poor.
They walked directly closer.
"Where's Cheng Fei?" To their surprise, Lin Yilin spoke first before they could.
The few young punks were stunned.
Oh my, how did she know Fei Ge's full name?
They were so used to calling him "Fei Ge" that they, his younger brothers, had forgotten Fei Ge's full name.
"Fei Ge lost a few teeth because of your evil magic and is still recovering from treatment," someone, being honest, replied directly.
"Then what are you doing now?"
"No, no! Don't be so quick to act! We're not here to cause trouble!" Seeing Lin Yilin start to rummage in her bag, the people opposite her panicked a bit and quickly reached out to stop her.
Lin Yilin stopped her movements, looking at them with a strange expression.
"Actually, we were planning to go directly to your Zero One Office to find you, but running into you here is just as good, so we'll just tell you directly. It's not about Fei Ge; it's the meaning from our higher-up boss," the punk continued.
Zheng Fan said from the side: "They clearly initially thought they could follow you first, to see if you had discovered anything they could intercept... They really don't seem very smart."
Lin Yilin nodded imperceptibly.
"Big Brother wants us to apologize to you, and also ask if you're willing to join our Zero One Office."