Chapter 470 - 412: Mai Mingle: Another Way Not to Sink

Chapter 470: Chapter 412: Mai Mingle: Another Way Not to Sink

The continuous rain fell from the sky, its soft rustle filling the silence between the two women and washing everything into a blank slate.

Mai Mingle stared at the road, where countless white splashes erupted from the pavement. Several seconds passed before she blinked. When she opened her eyes, the road was still empty.

She slowly scanned the area—the road, the inside of the car, underneath the car, the distant sidewalk...

Aside from Brianna, who was just as stunned and helpless, staring blankly at her own hands, there was no one else around.

When Brianna lifted her gaze and their eyes met, they both asked each other the exact same question at the exact same time—"Where’s Jin Xueli?"

"You’re asking me?"

Mai Mingle almost laughed in exasperation. "You were the one who attacked her. Shouldn’t I be asking you where she went? Do you have some special ability as a resident? Don’t tell me her Path is getting hit? She gets slapped and just enters the Nest?"

’The more I think about it, the more certain I am that Jin Xueli must have entered the Nest,’ she thought. ’What other explanation could there be?’

"Impossible. Her Path is jumping from a tall building. She can’t enter the Nest just by getting hit. And I’m not a resident."

Brianna glared at Mai Mingle, her shock and bewilderment mixed with clear displeasure. She looked much more alive than she had moments ago.

"This isn’t because of some backup plan you set up, is it? You’re so cunning and sly... Did you use some kind of protective Illusion?"

Now Mai Mingle really did laugh in anger. She shoved her hands into her pockets, then pulled the sopping-wet, completely empty linings inside out. "See for yourself!"

Brianna pouted.

"Running into Jin Xueli, finding you—none of this was expected. Everything that’s happened tonight has been a surprise. Forget the fact that I don’t have that kind of Illusion; even if I did, I can’t predict the future! Who could’ve guessed you’d actually go through with it? I can’t imagine what kind of grudge you have against her..."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"See? There you go, losing your temper again. Listen to some advice from someone who’s been there. If a person can’t learn to let go, the only one who ends up trapped is themse—"

"Ah!"

Brianna suddenly clapped her hands loudly, cutting Mai Mingle off. She had been deep in thought, seemingly not hearing a word, until she finally shot a glance at Mai Mingle.

"What are you rambling on about like an old woman? Who wants to listen to your rotten, stale, cheesy advice? Shut up and listen to me!"

She had demanded Mai Mingle listen to her, but the moment Mai Mingle closed her mouth, Brianna fell silent. The sound of the rain once again filled the void.

As some realization dawned on her, Brianna’s eyes and mouth slowly widened, her features seeming to open up into three black holes on her face.

"This is bad... This is bad. This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, what if we can’t find her, what do we do, what if Jin Xueli just disappears forever, what do I do, this is bad, this is bad, of course, it had to be this way, of course I can never get what I want!"

’Jin Xueli will disappear forever?’

’Does she want Jin Xueli to live, or to die?’

Seeing Brianna on the verge of another breakdown, Mai Mingle quickly tried to soothe her. "It’s okay, calm down. Tell me what you’ve realized. If you don’t say anything, how will we know if we can get Jin Xueli back, right? Don’t rush. Start from the beginning. No matter what it is, there’s always a way."

After a few moments of her gentle persuasion, Brianna took a couple of deep, shuddering breaths and finally managed to compose herself.

"It must be a consequence of the ???. The boundary of our world has blurred and softened, allowing ’effects’ that don’t belong to our world to leak in. For example, you, in this world. You clearly didn’t hide a gun under the car, but you still found one there. Maybe that slap I gave her just now knocked her—"

She stopped herself and looked at the hand she had used to slap Jin Xueli.

"What is it?" Mai Mingle asked.

"Something’s... not right."

"What’s not right?"

"When I slapped Jin Xueli just now, the impact felt... hollow and weightless. I definitely hit her, but it felt like I missed. Hmm, how about this? Let me slap you too, and see if I can knock you out of this world."

"I don’t think so,"

Mai Mingle found that sometimes, she couldn’t even bring herself to get angry at these residents. ’They’re just so brutally honest,’ she thought. "I still have a machine gun here. You hit me, I’ll shoot you. Let’s see if *you* can get knocked into another dimension."

The human and the resident faced off in the rain for several seconds.

"But this was caused by the ???, right?" Mai Mingle changed the subject. "So if we find the ???, we can get Jin Xueli back?"

Brianna’s brow was tightly furrowed. After thinking for a moment, she gave a reluctant nod. "...That might be it."

She shot Mai Mingle a look. "You want to save Jin Xueli?"

"Yes. And not just Jin Xueli. Believe it or not, I want to save all of Blackmoor City... and everyone affected by the Nest."

Brianna’s expression suddenly went blank, her eyes turning into empty voids as she stared at her. "In that case, I have to remind you of something."

"What is it?"

"The Host used the contestants to let the Original Liquid flow into the human world. Under the influence of the Original Liquid’s power, all the confusion, bewilderment, and shock that every contestant experienced tonight resonated with one another, finally allowing the ??? to be born."

Brianna explained in a near-calm voice, "It appeared in the human world. The Host hadn’t entered the human world at that time, so I naturally assumed it wasn’t in their possession."

Mai Mingle had a sinking feeling. "But...?"

"But, even for something as wondrous as the ???, it is still, in essence, an Illusion. And an Illusion, well, it won’t have any effect unless someone uses it. Otherwise, can you imagine the chaos the human world and the Nest would be in?"

Mai Mingle sucked in a sharp breath—she had been so focused on trying to understand the function of the ??? that she hadn’t considered this.

"Then... if we’re already starting to witness the blurring of the world’s boundary..."

"Correct. It can only mean that the ??? has fallen into someone’s hands, and that person is now using it."

...Other than the Host, Mai Mingle couldn’t think of anyone else who could have gotten their hands on the ??? so quickly.

She was silent for a moment before finally giving a slow nod. "I understand."

"You understand?" Brianna laughed. "Do you understand how difficult the situation is now?"

Mai Mingle sighed and wiped the water from her face. The storm seemed to be passing, and the rain was gradually letting up.

"Your original plan to gather the target Illusions from every contestant was already an impossible task."

Brianna laughed again, a flat, even sound. "And now one of them has fallen into the hands of the person pulling our strings from behind the scenes. What do you think your chances of success are?"

She looked delighted, the corners of her mouth cutting deep into her cheeks.

"Let me tell you, you can’t succeed. Do you know why? Because I want Jin Xueli to come back. And whatever I want can never happen. It can never be realized."

Mai Mingle opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.

She knew nothing of Brianna’s past. She didn’t know what comforting words to offer, let alone what she could possibly get for her.

’The human world is so vast, its scenery so endlessly rich, and there are so, so many things to love... Yet it seemed Brianna had never gotten any of it.’

In the end, Mai Mingle simply nodded.

"I’ll get them," she said. "I’ll find the Host. I’ll find every contestant. I will get all the target Illusions. When I do, I’ll come find you again. And I’ll prove you wrong."

Brianna’s smile grew wider, the black voids on her face looking large enough to swallow a small child’s head.

"Is that so? How wonderful. I didn’t have to go anywhere in the first place. I’ll just wait for you right here. I’ll wait for you to gather the other four target Illusions and deliver yourself right into my trap."

Mai Mingle didn’t argue. "Mm," she said.

She picked up the machine gun from the ground and walked back toward the car. Reaching the driver’s side, she took another look inside, clinging to a sliver of hope—but of course, Jin Xueli wasn’t there.

Mai Mingle straightened up. Brianna was still in the same spot, watching her without moving.

"I have a question for you," she called out.

Brianna didn’t answer.

"Let’s say I give you all the target Illusions and let you become the winner of the Nest Dominance Game—"

"I told you, I’m not saving the human world."

"No, that’s not what I want to ask." Mai Mingle paused, then asked tentatively, "If you became the winner, would you know how to save yourself?"

Brianna suddenly shuddered, as if she’d been struck by an invisible hand.

"Who said I want to be saved? I’m not like you! I died a long time ago, a long time ago, a long time ago! Save what? There’s nothing to save! I’m fine! I don’t need saving! No! Can’t be saved! Nothing to save!"

...’So that’s how it is...’

’She died in the Nest and became... this.’

Chaisi had once told Mai Mingle explicitly that even the power of the Nest had its limits. The dead could not be revived—not even the master of the Nest could bring a dead person back to life.

Mai Mingle nodded again.

"You said the more you struggle, the deeper you sink... so let’s not waste our energy struggling. I’ll pull you up." Her voice was gentle. "You don’t know what to do, so I’ll figure it out. You, Jin Xueli, and this whole human world... just let me figure something out for all of you."