Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 354 A Companion Beyond

Zheng Fan's possession only lasted a very short time; he really just came out and slapped the nameless little illusion once, and did nothing else.

Lin Yilin and Hong Yijia searched the scene briefly and found the drugs that the small gang was smuggling.

The remaining few people were so terrified that they no longer dared to resist or struggle to escape. They were eventually taken away one by one by Hong Yijia and handed over to the members of the processing bureau outside after they left the underground.

Before leaving the subway line, Lin Yilin found the wreckage of a subway car.

It must have been a subway train that was destroyed after the subway tunnel collapsed during the earthquake. There was still a foul, putrid smell emanating from it, which attracted some small animals such as rats to move around inside.

"Hmm?" Lin Yilin suddenly asked in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Zheng Fan asked from the side.

“A large part of this subway car has been dismantled,” Lin Yilin said.

Although the overall appearance is terrible, mixed with mud and rocks that fell from the tower, it is difficult to restore the original appearance of the subway. However, upon closer inspection, it is not hard to find that many parts are missing.

“That’s pretty normal, considering how unsettled things have been underground lately,” Hong Yijia said.

Dismantle the subway and use the proceeds to build temporary shelters, or resell them for a profit—it's not a problem. After all, nobody wants the subway here anyway.

Lin Yilin looked at the subway, nodded thoughtfully, and then left with Hong Yijia.

After confirming the smuggled goods and the people arrested, the bureau paid Lin Yilin the due reward.

Lin Yilin said goodbye to Hong Yijia amidst repeated thanks and left, her work for the day temporarily coming to an end.

A rare period of leisure and free time after three months.

On my way back to the office, the streets of the Shishikoko district were bustling with people. Looking around, it seemed no different from before.

But this seemingly ordinary daily routine can be changed in the blink of an eye, and one may subsequently miss out on opportunities with others.

"It's really impressive that it has recovered to this extent in just three months. Although there are other severely affected areas, we can see the resilience of the capital here," Zheng Fan said, walking beside Lin Yilin.

"Xixi Keke recently decided to expand. Several surrounding side streets were damaged by the earthquake and are expected to be directly incorporated into Xixi Keke for unified management."

Does this mean your area of ​​activity also needs to be expanded?

"Probably, but I've been keeping an eye on the surrounding area anyway, so it's not important." Lin Yilin took out her phone to check her overflowing email inbox.

The direct assignments from the Bureau of Processing have come to an end; what remains are private commissions, but she has little interest in them at the moment after a cursory glance.

So she turned to check the latest intelligence from Dadu.

In some severely affected areas, some religions have indeed begun to emerge, and undercurrents are surging in various prosperous neighborhoods. As the order of most gray neighborhoods collapses, many people are eager to find their own opportunities and place.

Most of them are currently blank.

The struggle that arose from the sudden collapse of the Jacob family was somewhat limited in the first place, but this time the impact is all-encompassing.

The gray and white divide, broken by the earthquake, was quickly restored after the earthquake ended, but as expected, the area of ​​many white urban areas shrank, and a considerable portion of the area turned from white to gray.

This has also triggered a strong sense of crisis among some residents of the white-clad urban areas.

These extra areas are coveted by the gray-market forces; they are completely untapped areas waiting for them to explore and occupy.

Strangely enough, families, gangs, and even firms in this situation have somehow imbued the capital with an atmosphere of great expansion, at least for these people.

The most serious case is in Jiangwen Street.

Lin Yilin came across a piece of news that had garnered a lot of attention amidst a sea of ​​miscellaneous messages, mainly because the information was quite technical and most people probably wouldn't have the patience to read it without a summary.

The title is: The expansion of Jiangwen Street has stabilized, and the losses of the surrounding white urban area and the future trend of Jiangwen Street.

After clicking in and taking a look, Lin Yilin looked at Zheng Fan beside her and said, "Jiangwen Street has stabilized." "Is that so? Congratulations." Zheng Fan replied casually.

"The area has expanded by half, and the surrounding white districts have all lost a significant portion of their territory, turning into gray streets," Lin Yilin summarized the situation.

Zheng Fan said, "Although we can blame it on the earthquake and 'Lossway,' it is true that I was the main cause of this."

The speed at which the impact of an earthquake spreads varies, but the cause of the severe damage in Jiangwen Street was not the earthquake itself, but the Changsheng Society. Although the patriarch caused a great deal of trouble, it was not to the extent that he could shake the two border lines.

The subsequent arrival of "Losher" and Zheng Fan, who planted the tree, were the two main culprits.

This was especially true of Zheng Fan.

After all, it made the lumberjacks restless.

Jiangwen Street was already a large cluster of gray-area neighborhoods, and now it has expanded by half again, which is a real "expansion of territory".

but……

"There's probably not anyone around there anymore," he said.

“The original population of 30 million has been reduced to the million level. It can be said that it has become completely empty. However, the foundation of the super-large district is there. Now it is a huge gold mine. Starting from scratch is not a problem for the vast majority of people who originally had nothing,” Lin Yilin said.

"It's a pity I don't have a host over there anymore, so it's not so convenient to come and go." Zheng Fan shrugged, feeling that it had nothing to do with him.

"Is Mr. Illusion currently looking for a new host?"

"No," Zheng replied, "I don't feel there's any need for it right now."

"why?"

"Haven't we already found a way to stabilize and enter the second stage with you? As long as I use your second stage, I can use my power without reservation, except for transformation. In that case, I can say that I already have the most satisfactory body."

Lin Yilin nodded: "I'm still happy to hear Illusion say that." But then she changed the subject, "However, we haven't tried the second stage since then. Why is Mr. Illusion so sure?"

“A premonition.” Zheng Fan raised his hands, making an antenna-like gesture.

"Mr. Illusion wouldn't even let me hold his hand again."

"Don't act like a lonely, resentful woman at such a young age. That being said, I'll still try to find a host, but I'll wait until after the Little Sheep's concert tour ends. After all, I've found that people or things that resonate with me never keep me bored," Zheng Fan said, patting Lin Yilin's shoulder reassuringly.

Lin Yilin wasn't angry; as usual, as long as she expressed some emotional dissatisfaction appropriately, Mr. Illusion wouldn't hesitate to comfort her.

Although Lin Yilin did have fantasies about having a relationship with Mr. Illusion that was somewhat superficial, but could still bring physical and mental stimulation, it was not without its own interpretations.

However, she found that she was not really that attached to this kind of thing. The reason she had thought about it before was just that if Mr. Illusion maintained his personality, could his behavior hold that personality more tightly?

But things are different now.

The stable second phase, although it hadn't been tried again since the earthquake, she and Mr. Illusion had a premonition that now, if they wanted to, they could probably get into the state very easily.

After reaching that second stage, Lin Yilin felt that her body had undergone some kind of wonderful change, but she had been too busy to study it properly recently.

And this is proof that she and Mr. Illusion went beyond ordinary partners.

The girl, who was only driven by curiosity, has now found another reason to live.

“You know what? That dessert shop on Dongding Road is the birthplace of toast. It reopened after the disaster. I miss their donuts,” Zheng Fan said from the side.

“I know. I received the news yesterday and asked Lu Chongming to buy it for me this morning.”

"Hehe, as expected of the all-knowing Binary Sister."

"All I know about Mr. Illusion for now."

(End of this chapter)