He is the leader of the Tantric sect in Chagdu.

Ai opened her eyes.

"Eh..."

He didn't see office chandeliers or hospital walls; no one was clapping or congratulating him.

He saw a ceiling in a clean, girly pink with recessed lighting. But with the surrounding flashy effect lights and a wall full of glue and figurines, it looked like a hardcore otaku's gaming room.

where is this?

He moved his hands and feet, feeling that his body was mostly fine, and his mind was unusually clear... Except for his right hand, which was numb, he naturally looked to his right—

"Huh?!"

A gray-furred creature was quietly dozing beside his hand—this was, of course, just a metaphor, mainly because Ai didn't know how else to describe the scene: a gothic-dressed, childish girl was curled up on the edge of the bed, occupying only a tiny, pitiful space, yet still pressing her face tightly against the back of her hand. Her lifeless, pale face appeared fragile, her defenseless, animal-like posture suggested she was trapped in unease, and her thin, delicate body seemed to be trembling slightly.

"nirvana."

Ai moved her arm slightly, but fearing she might wake Nie, she couldn't bring herself to pull away from her embrace. However, the girl beside her was unusually alert, waking the moment Ai made a sound.

Her eyelids were slightly open, lacking their previous vibrancy, and her pale red pupils were extremely wide open, like a cat that hadn't woken up yet.

She looked at Ai without making a move.

Ai tilted her head slightly: So cute.

After hesitating for a moment, he reached his hand over the little girl's head. Seeing Nie squinting his eyes without realizing it, Ai felt as if she had been blessed with a long-awaited rain. Her worn-out corporate heart was healed, and she felt that even the lividity had faded.

So... this is what it feels like when my colleagues masturbate me?

"Did you save me?" Ai asked casually, moving her numb right arm.

He wasn't slow-witted. Not counting the original owner's connections, the only "companion" he had encountered in the esoteric world was Nie. When he woke up and found Nie right next to his bed, he naturally came to the conclusion: "You really helped a lot... Uh, you look terrible."

Ai also noticed that Nie was in poor condition. Since returning from the Great Sacrificial Pool, she should have officially entered the realm of the Invisible Arts, becoming a cultist. The secret transmission of insight was beginning to apply to the mortal world; he perceived something invisible on the girl—the dim, lifeless red fluid flowing between her spirit and flesh, conveying a message of weakness.

"Sexual condition: Anemia - The light in her brain is depleted due to excessive loss, and she feels listless."

Items like this were displayed in the center of the screen; it was unclear whether this was normal. Seeing this, Ai couldn't help but ask, "Is it serious?"

He looked very ill, completely listless. He hadn't uttered a single word since the beginning, which made Ai even more worried: "Is it excessive blood loss? Can hospitals treat this kind of illness?"

"Why did you lose blood after saving me...?"

Shifting her gaze from Nie's pale face, Ai unconsciously noticed something far more striking—the girl was still wearing her black and white gothic dress, but the style was different; it had shoulder straps. Her already petite frame made her shoulders appear even thinner, but that wasn't the main point. The main point was the area where her shoulders, arms, and elbows connected—it was all…

Ingenious ball joint.

This time, they're not even going to pretend anymore. Anyway, in the Nest City, this level of human modification is nothing new, and Nie doesn't intend to hide it.

Can the Machine-Doll get anemia?

As Ai played with the ball joints, considering whether to take Nie to the hospital for a blood transfusion, she was completely unaware of his overly intimate actions. Suddenly, the little girl looked up and whispered in a soft, sweet voice:

"Father, I'm alright."

?

Ai tilted her head, looking utterly dejected: "Something's wrong with you."

Its tail was already puffed up into a ball of fur. The fox sighed softly, forced itself to remain calm, and moved to the edge of the bed, trying to catch its breath. Then, expressionless, it turned back, about to ask a question, when it caught a glimpse of a familiar figure standing by the door with a mocking expression.

Lin felt she had completely seen through this wicked fox's true colors, and revealed a chilling smile: "You guys continue, don't worry about me."

Who are you from, market vendor? Did they give you permission to speak?

As if finding an outlet for her emotions, an icon suddenly lit up on the gray screen in front of her. Without thinking, Ai instinctively threw the skill at Lin.

"Silence spell: I'm going to silence you, now... Shh—be quiet!"

"Gurgle!"

Having inexplicably become the target of persecution, that feeling of "the voice being filled inside the body" returned once more. This time, Lin wasn't particularly panicked; she seemed to know this ability wouldn't cause any real harm, and she continued to look at Ai with that smug expression—

It was clearly the latter who couldn't hold back first.

The fox sighed and reluctantly conceded, "Sit down, we need to talk."

The three of them sat in a row on the edge of the bed, which didn't feel crowded. Ai spoke first:

First of all, where are we?

Lin pointed at Nie, meaning "Go ask her," but the truth was that the effects of the moth's arrival had spread throughout the entire nest, and the company would soon become the focus of attention for many forces. In order to escape the trouble, Nie decisively found a ready-made "unlucky guy" to take temporary refuge at her house.

So, this is your home?

Ai glanced at the surroundings, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes: "Tch, an older, shut-in woman..."

Lin couldn't retort; it was a one-sided output now, which felt great.

This sentence failed to break Lin's defenses, but it clearly fueled her anger. Ai Yi gave her a wicked look and continued:

Second, what happened while I was unconscious?

This issue clearly cannot be conveyed through eye contact and micro-expressions, so Ai sighed and had no choice but to lift the "silence spell" on Lin.

"Cough cough—"

Lin coughed twice, then glared at Ai and Nie with the look of utter contempt: "I get it, so I'm part of your play too?"

"Tsk." Ai clicked her tongue.

Sure enough, something strange happened.

He spread his hands and said, "If I said—I only met this little one three months ago…and only learned her name yesterday morning, do you know what I mean?"

"Besides... I'm at most thirty years old, where did this grown-up daughter come from?!"

He wanted to look at Nie with pleading eyes, but in the end he didn't—his intuition told him that if Nie were to personally step in and explain, it might lead to an even more irreparable situation.

But since it concerned her image within the company and the surrounding area, Ai had to stop Lin from talking nonsense outside—she was one of the few people who knew of Dodo's existence, and if that "Father" got back to that stupid woman's ears…

That's it, it's all over.

Ai then argued further, "Besides, there's no such thing as heredity here. Even if she has some similar physical characteristics to me, it could just be...a coincidence?"

"Do you think I believe you?"

Actually, Lin had pretty much figured it out by now; she was just being stubborn.

Understanding this, Ai breathed a sigh of relief, but the matter was far from over—

Third, what should we do now?

...

"So...who exactly are you people?"

Lin placed the coffee she was holding on the bedside table and asked in a solemn voice.

She didn't think her sudden loss of voice was her fault, but it had shaken her worldview, and she needed some time to process it: "Magic? Witchcraft? Supernatural powers? Shonen comics?"

"It can't be some new technology from the company, can it?!"

Judging from her enthusiastic expression, she doesn't seem to need much time to calm down.

Ai extracted information from Lynn's reaction:

The art of the invisible... In the eyes of ordinary people in the hive, it is indeed a kind of "secret" knowledge, at least in the worldview of the lower-town office workers, it is a concept that cannot be touched.

My previous caution was worthwhile.

"Just pretend we're magicians."

"Nye." Ai turned her head to look at the girl who had been sitting obediently by the bed. After hesitating for a moment, she softly called out to her, "In this situation... what should we do next?"

Kitty, think of a solution!

"run."

Nie spoke succinctly, completely ignoring Ai's twitching lips, his voice gentle yet cruel: "The influence of the moths has surfaced... it's a top-level covert event. More than half an hour has passed since we left, and the investigators are probably already at the scene gathering information—we need to hurry."

Along the way, from infiltrating the company to escaping with Ai, Nie's principle of silence erased most of the traces left behind, but this did not mean they were safe—the official investigation methods of the Nest City were thorough, and when interrogation and reviewing surveillance footage proved ineffective, it was the turn of the "Special Countermeasures Agency" to be deployed.

"So...we've become fugitives?" Lin was clearly unable to accept the sudden change in their identities, and Ai Yi was obviously not quite able to accept it either, but he didn't show his emotions. You could only tell from the fox's unease from his drooping, listless ears.

He wasn't sad for long, of course: "Then let's moisturize it!"

Cooperating with the investigation is impossible; my past was never clean to begin with—plus, I've now embarked on the path of esoteric Buddhism, so if I'm caught, I'll be forced to start over.

Incidents related to esoteric Buddhism are not trivial matters that can be resolved by simply passing the buck; this place will no longer be safe for a long time to come.

"Where do we run to?"

The question had barely left her lips when, before Nie could even answer, Ai Yi already had her own answer: "There's no escaping it after all."

Now I have no choice but to go to the outskirts.

That place was originally a lawless area in the lower city, a den of iniquity and an excellent hiding place.

More importantly: the original owner's cult lair was located in the far suburbs, and the secret he left behind was the ladder to ascension. Exploring "Ai's Single Apartment" is now on the agenda and cannot be delayed.

"And what about me?"

Lin held her hands to her ears, her hair visibly bristling: "You didn't include me in that, did you?"

Ai and Nee exchanged a glance, wagged their tails, and spoke in unison, "We can leave you here, Nee. Do you have any magic that can erase memories...?"

"Yes, there is." Nie nodded in agreement and said softly, "The red fluid inside her skull contains her rationality, including her memories. Just open it up and pour out a little bit, and she will forget what happened in the last few days... or even months. And you can rest assured that the loss of a small amount of red fluid will not endanger her life."

A very gentle threat.

Lin had already put on a look of utter despair: "I give up."

Amidst the fox's wicked grin, she gritted her teeth and began packing her bags: "Damn it, I've maintained perfect attendance for a whole month, just two days short, and it's all ruined by you two scoundrels."

She still remembers to attend all her classes, so her attitude seems pretty good—Lin looks like a loud and boisterous person, but she's actually a... very reliable guy?

"What's this?" Ai asked curiously as she rummaged through drawers and cabinets, pulling out a small box from some unknown corner, placing it on the table, and then immediately walking to the display case in the room.

"I'm a single, overworked office worker. Is it okay for me to have some self-protection mechanisms at home?"

Lin picked and chose from her wall of glue... and then took the weapon parts from the hands of several large models and lined them up in front of Ai.

"?"

Ai looked at all those long guns and short cannons, momentarily stunned, and asked, "What are these?"

"The real deal."

Lin looked pale and sickly: "It's cheaper than the original, and the quality is even better... I accidentally bought too much."

Ai: "..."

Weapons in the city are indeed cheaper than entertainment products, and the profit margins are much higher. Many weapons dealers are scrambling to get into the "secondary industry"—when there are no places to fight and the weapons market is saturated, how can selling guns and cannons compare to making money from anime fans?

But you, who put real stuff on a model, must be out of your mind.

"Will this... work?"

Ai picked up a pistol with trembling hands: the small, exquisite mold was just right for him; the dark gun hole looked a little eerie, and machine oil was still oozing from the barrel—"You're oiling this thing?"

"I've always taken good care of it." Lin rolled her eyes at the fox, snatched the pistol, and carefully inspected each component. The gun made a few crisp "click-click" sounds, which sounded pleasant to the eye.

"No problem, it will definitely work—I guarantee it with my level 15 badges from the Glue Bar and Military Bar; they're both craving blood!"

Still suffering from chuunibyou (middle school syndrome).

Nie leaned closer for a look: "The mold for the fourth-generation Schlein looks like a product from a small workshop. The precision of the parts seems average; it's probably been modified more for appearance. If nothing is missing, it should be usable."

She pressed on, "Do you have ammunition?"

Lin proudly put her hands on her hips: "Of course, they didn't deduct the shipping fee when I paid, they gave me a lot of extras because they were afraid I would leave a bad review."

Ai: "..."

Nie nodded and added to Ai Yi, "This is an obsolete weapon—shotgun shells. It has a very low kill range, only killing within five meters. However, because it is small and easy to carry, and can be bought anywhere, it is often used in street fights."

Ai: "..."

Why are you two so knowledgeable?

Ai smiled wryly: "Am I the only one who's really a corporate slave?"

However, since they were going to that chaotic place in the far suburbs, they still needed to have some self-defense equipment. Ai picked out a short dagger from Lin's strange collection and a palm-sized sprayer to arm herself, and she was ready to set off.

By the way—

Lin suddenly realized something: "Shouldn't we disguise ourselves before going on a mission?"

camouflage?

Ai looked at herself, Lin, and Nie, and there was a strange feeling of a single mother taking her twins on a trip. Although the city was very tolerant, it was really too conspicuous for such a group to go to the suburbs.

but……

He felt he could solve the problem: it was another inexplicable intuition, and the ground beneath his feet rippled with this strange sensation, shimmering like liquid, as if he were standing in a pool.

Ai lowered his head, and the murky red liquid spread to every corner of his eyes, clashing violently with the style of the floor in Lin's room and out of place with reality—this was the perspective of insight.

He saw the Grand Ceremony Pool at night, but only saw it; he did not go any deeper.

But as long as I can see it, that's enough.

Crimson liquid gathered at his feet, and the sound of flapping wings resonated through the gaps—Nirvana reacted in an instant, and the principle of silence covered everything here in the next moment.

An unusual glint appeared in her eyes.

"As expected of you..."

Even if the secret teachings are lost, knowledge is scarce, or even if one's inclinations are completely altered, one can still roam freely in the realm of intangible arts—

You will eventually reclaim everything from the past...

...

Ai was staring at the red pool before him, and amidst the flapping of wings, he felt his intuition and passion becoming the controller of this will. Having abandoned the advice of reason, invisible symbols began to surge deep within his mind.

He plunged his mouthparts into the leaves of whimsy, drawing sap from the veins that flowed with knowledge:

"I am... a moth-like being, someone who leans towards the path of change."

"The moth, the eternal law of change, the unpredictable chaos."

He felt thin wings growing from his abdomen.

"I should know this technique... to learn from tiny flying insects, how they use overlapping, thin wings to conceal their identity—just as people can only know that an insect flaps its wings, but not its name."

Yes, I am a nameless and unknowable moth.

"Your understanding of 'moth' has deepened."

"This is... the principle of deception, the principle of disguise, the principle of ever-changing."

The fluid in the abdomen turns into red water and enters the circulation of the Great Ritual Pool—the abdomen, which is connected to the lowest part of the three cavities of the skull, chest, and abdomen, and is the cavity that stores passion.

Passion flows back to the bottom of the pool, while knowledge rises from the bottom.

"The moth's whimsical ideas inspired me; my 'face' gradually faded, flowing away like melting wax, transforming into what I envisioned."

Under Lin's horrified gaze, Ai felt the muscles and bones on his face become soft and malleable, and an invisible red liquid lifted his frame, broadened his shoulders, and dissolved into his ever-changing appearance—

Got it, my first... alias.

The young man, who looked to be seventeen or eighteen, like a high school student, tucked his clothes into his clothes, which no longer fit him. His dark gray eyes were understated and unremarkable, but just when he was about to be overlooked, a sharp, cold light would flash within them.

"Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Ren Amamiya, and I'm from Kitakawa Ward in the Lower City..."

He flashed a handsome smile: "My ideal job is to be a..."

"Phantom Thief."