Chapter 526 - 467: Chaisi: Clues to the Next Target Illusion

Chapter 526: Chapter 467: Chaisi: Clues to the Next Target Illusion

"...Chaisi, do you feel nauseous? Like you want to throw up? Are you having trouble breathing?"

Chaisi’s consciousness kept slipping into darkness, only to be yanked back.

Every time he closed his eyes, the pain would slowly fade. But it was as if Mai Mingle wouldn’t allow him even a moment’s respite, always finding a way to call him back to his senses. "Chaisi? Chaisi, don’t fall asleep. Look at me. Answer my questions..."

Her voice was like a small boat on the sea, drifting farther and farther away.

’Just a little sleep,’ he thought. ’Just enough to recover my strength, then I can get up... Just a little sleep...’

When Chaisi jolted and his eyes flew open again, he vaguely realized that Mai Mingle had produced a bottle of mineral water from somewhere and had just splashed half of it on his face.

...He was a little angry, and a little grateful.

"I... I’m so cold..."

Chaisi mumbled, feeling the cold water slide down his neck like an icy hand, soaking his chest. His clothes were already failing to ward off the late December chill. "Hypothermia... can also..."

"I know. Don’t be scared. We’ll just check you over, then get in the car right away, okay?" Mai Mingle’s tone was like she was coaxing a child.

She held up her phone, turned on the flashlight, and shined it on Chaisi. She reached out and gently pressed down on his lower abdomen.

"Take a deep breath and pull in your stomach—hey, right, just like that. Do you feel any pain deep in your organs? Does it hurt when I press like this?"

Chaisi sucked in a breath of cold air and hissed, "No... It doesn’t hurt."

Mai Mingle gave him a skeptical look.

Chaisi knew what she was checking for. "This level of injury... doesn’t count as pain. My internal organs... shouldn’t be ruptured."

’Damian must not have wanted me dead just yet.’

Perhaps while Chaisi was fighting for his life, Damian had been calculating, controlling the force and location of his blows to ensure he wouldn’t be fatally injured—that was why he had managed to hold on until Mai Mingle arrived.

’It doesn’t matter,’ he thought. ’As long as it’s not fatal, it doesn’t count as an injury.’

"Logically, you should go to the hospital immediately,"

Mai Mingle said, looking around. The fear and anxiety rising on the elderly woman’s face was almost suffocating to watch. "But in a world like this... I don’t even know what the hospitals are like anymore."

Chaisi didn’t say a word.

"Can you stand up and get in the car by yourself?" Mai Mingle gave a bitter smile. "I can’t move you. I already tried. I... ran into some trouble. I can still move around normally, but my body isn’t what it used to be."

She suddenly paused and shook her head.

"I don’t know how many times I’ve said that in my life."

If Chaisi had harbored any doubts before, they all vanished upon seeing Mai Mingle now. Her speech, her demeanor, her every move had always seemed slightly out of place.

But now that she had reverted to her elderly appearance, that incongruity was completely gone.

"I’ll try," Chaisi said, gritting his teeth. He pushed himself up from the ground, rising bit by bit.

Every muscle in his body protested with a sharp, grating ache, like unoiled door hinges. Each movement seemed to shift sharp blades wrapped in his flesh, making his vision go black and his breath catch in his throat.

Even though Mai Mingle insisted, Chaisi didn’t dare put his weight on her and let her support him.

Just a few hours ago, she had been tall and strong, with powerful muscles.

But just now, when she had tried to help him up, Chaisi could feel that there was barely any flesh left on her. Her tired skin hung loosely over a frail skeleton. Her arms felt like they could snap with the slightest pressure, and she was even several centimeters shorter.

He panted as he pulled the car door open. He stood there, and the old woman looked at him for several seconds. Neither of them moved.

"You opened it for me?" Mai Mingle finally realized. "You don’t have to. Don’t look down on me. I may look old, but my Illusion hasn’t actually expired yet. I still have strength. You sit! You’re the one who’s hurt. Are you really going to walk all the way around to the other side? Get in, I’ll drive."

Once the pair of old, weak, and wounded finally settled into the car and turned on the heat, Chaisi’s nearly frozen body at last began to warm up. And as his muscles revived, so did the memories of the recent events, scene by scene.

They sat in silence for nearly half a minute before a single sentence escaped Chaisi’s lips without any warning.

"I’m going to kill Kai Luonan."

His voice was calm.

Mai Mingle glanced at him. She didn’t ask why, much less try to talk him out of it.

She was silent for a few seconds, then said, "He’s already obtained the ???. I got a notification on my phone."

Chaisi hadn’t had a chance to check his own phone, but he couldn’t be bothered.

How the ruling game was progressing, how much the human world had been corrupted... all of that had taken a backseat. It didn’t matter anymore.

Kai Luonan was right. He wasn’t a good person; he had no principles or morals to speak of.

So as long as he could kill Kai Luonan, Chaisi wouldn’t hesitate, no matter the cost.

"109.2," Chaisi said. "Before he got the ???, Damian told him that number. As for how he actually got it..."

He took a breath before continuing, "I didn’t see. He didn’t let me see."

’There’s no need to mention the Black Cube.’

"109.2?" Mai Mingle frowned. "Is... is that a radio frequency? It sounds like one, and Damian is a host on the Nest’s radio station... If it’s a radio frequency, that would make sense. No wonder he could get the ??? without even leaving his car."

"The highest FM frequency is 108," Chaisi replied. "But when it comes to Nest Illusions, they probably don’t have to follow common sense."

"Let me try tuning to it," Mai Mingle said, reaching out, but then she froze. "Huh, these new cars don’t have a radio dial..."

Chaisi tried to lift his arm, but it felt like half his body was about to be pierced by a knife, so he had to guide her with his words. "First, turn on the screen... Right, see ’FM’? Tap it. Now manually drag the slider. What else would a slider be? It’s the bar. Right... good, you can drag it. Give it a try."

The slider only went up to 107.9 MHz. Mai Mingle held it firmly at its limit, but still couldn’t force it to 109.2 MHz.

"Maybe it’s not an FM broadcast," Mai Mingle said, her finger still pressing on the screen to no avail. She couldn’t help but feel a little discouraged. "After all—"

"Brother, you’re finally awake."

Damian’s voice suddenly rang out from inside the car.

Mai Mingle flinched and pulled her hand away from the screen.

The voice from the radio was deep and smooth. To others, it might have sounded like a competent radio host, but to Chaisi, it was impossible not to be reminded of Kai Luonan.

"You guessed right. 109.2 is indeed an FM frequency, and the ??? is hidden within it. But just knowing the number isn’t enough to get it."

Damian sighed with what sounded like pleased satisfaction. "Think back. What conditions were met before our dad got his hands on it?"

Mai Mingle turned to look at Chaisi.

"When you asked if I hated him, I lied to you. Even if killing my residents didn’t have much to do with your mother, how could I possibly not hate him?"

Damian’s voice was tinged with a smile as he said, "But compared to him, I hate you more. On one side, my dad; on the other, my brother. I’d love to flay you both and sleep on your bones... *Sigh*. So this is what they mean by ’the palm and the back of the hand are both flesh.’"

Mai Mingle opened her mouth, but stopped before saying anything.

"Even a fool could guess what you’re planning to do next. So why don’t I give you a little help?"

Damian said softly, "Our dad has gone looking for the ’Radio’ Illusion... I’m the one who gave him the clue. Once he has all four Illusions, it’ll be game over for everyone else in the ruling game. You wouldn’t be content to just let him win, would you? So listen closely."

Chaisi didn’t want to hear a single word, but he held his breath anyway.

"The Radio Illusion is in Jin Xueli’s hands. For reasons I don’t quite understand myself, Jin Xueli’s identity has become a bit... blurry and repetitive. But for Kai Luonan, who now holds the ???, that’s not a big problem.

"In other words, he’ll be tracking down the real Jin Xueli very soon to find that radio."

The radio broadcast ended there. With a crackle of static, it went silent.

The two of them sat in a stunned silence. After a long moment, Mai Mingle finally said, "I saw her tonight—"

"Wait," Chaisi cut her off. "Listen."

Mai Mingle paused. "What?"

"Outside," Chaisi said. "I think someone outside has been calling your name."