Role Playing the Dark Horse Character

Chapter 79: Just Go For It

“The recent anomalies in District 3 are related to you two, aren’t they?” the man in the white uniform asked stiffly.

In front of him, Li Li smiled and said, “Mm-hm, is there a problem?”

Her hands moved behind her back, making a gesture to scout.

Behind her, An Heyu lowered his gaze, his golden eyes sweeping over Li Li’s back as an invisible domain began to expand.

Beyond analyzing and controlling the undead, An Heyu’s ability, Necromantic Prelude, had another function—the one he’d used when he first met Li Li.

He could detect energy signatures within his domain.

Yue Qing had once tried to use this ability to determine if the Heige they’d drawn out was the real one, only to be outplayed by Li Li.

Now, his S-rank domain enveloped all of District 3, even extending to cover half of District 1.

Afterward, when Li Li glanced back, he shook his head almost imperceptibly.

This man had truly come alone, at least without any S-rank backup.

“Just the two of you subdued all of District 3 and killed Shu Du. You’re dangerous,” the man in the white uniform continued, sounding like he was praising them, but the condescension in his words was unmistakable.

It was the tone of someone commending an inferior, laced with a lofty scrutiny.

Li Li merely tilted her head. “You think you’re strong?”

Suspecting her yet coming alone.

Honestly, for a moment, Li Li felt like she was handing her intel on a platter.

The man in the white uniform didn’t answer her question, continuing on his own. “I’m suspicious of all unfamiliar things, including you. Ranmu City shouldn’t attract powerful ability users. Its daylight only makes ability users uncomfortable. Aside from those who grew up here, you have no reason to come.”

He seemed to have his own theories. “You say you’re here for money, but who knows if that’s true?”

The incandescent lights from a nearby high-rise illuminated the path ahead, and faint explosions echoed from the distance in the dark night.

“I don’t trust you. Your words could be lies, and your appearance could be fake. I suspect you, including your self-justifications. So don’t bother with those,” he said.

“Sounds like you’ve come well-prepared,” Li Li said with mild interest, her arched brows and smiling eyes unchanged.

“The Branch Leader won’t act without financial gain or back my suspicions,” the man in the white uniform said candidly, looking at Li Li and the silent An Heyu behind her. “You’re strong enough to kill Shu Du, but that’s all.”

“This is Ranmu City, the domain of the Lin clan nobles, and I am an analyst for the Lin clan’s Ability Guild. I’ll prove my suspicions myself,” he said.

Suddenly, a row of pupils appeared beneath his eyes, and as his ability activated, his hands morphed into long scythes and attacked.

“Only abilities don’t lie. Your ability will tell me who you really are,” he declared.

In an instant, a long blade materialized, and Li Li grasped the hilt, casually raising her wrist to block the scythe with a backhand.

Her movements were fluid, and she stood rooted in place, not even her clothes shifting slightly.

She even gestured behind her back with her other hand, signaling An Heyu to stay calm.

“This doesn’t feel like you’re just testing me,” Li Li said offhandedly.

The scythe was blocked, but four arms sprouted from the man’s back, each connected to a scythe, driven by his ability.

He was fast, his mimicry-type ability reshaping his body to be combat-ready.

As soon as he spoke, another scythe struck from a blind spot in Li Li’s defense.

But the black-haired girl with the long blade kept her smile, flicking her wrist to parry the first scythe while blocking the second.

It didn’t end there.

“If I kill you, the Branch Leader will only be happier.”

The man’s speed increased, his two types of blades blurring into afterimages in the air.

He was fast—blindingly so.

The naked eye couldn’t track where his scythes would strike.

An A-rank mimicry-type ability merged his body with his attack, capable of slicing through the air itself, leaving a momentary vacuum.

“Clang.”

Amid the clinking of metal, the man’s expression shifted from rigid formality to wariness, then apprehension.

“Spell-type?” he deduced from the conjured weapon, but his tone remained skeptical.

He was attacking, yet his target treated his strikes as if they were weightless feathers, barely worth noticing.

“Are you done asking?” Li Li said.

Li Li’s true opponent wasn’t this A-rank but the mysterious lord of Ranmu City behind him.

Who did she see during the day? Was it Lin Ran?

If it was, then even at night, was she under Lin Ran’s observation?

If it really was Lin Ran, would she stop Li Li from attacking her subordinate?

Li Li didn’t like being passive.

When she realized the person she encountered was strange, she prepared to investigate her.

She also considered Lin Ran’s personality, assuming the worst-case scenario: the person she met was indeed Lin Ran, and she might be able to observe Ranmu City even at night.

But if that were true, Lin Ran was maintaining order while also indulging desires.

It was highly likely Lin Ran wouldn’t disrupt this Eternal Night, which gave Li Li the confidence to probe this time.

Illusory Reality activated, leaving only a phantom in her place.

“Then I’ll assume you’re done asking.” Li Li parried the attack, chuckling lightly with a calm air, “My turn to ask—how’s your master’s sleep been lately?”

The long blade flipped, slipping precisely into the chest of the man in the white uniform in that fleeting moment.

It was smooth, almost over in the blink of an eye.

And Lin Ran didn’t intervene.

Either she allowed it, or she didn’t see it.

“You’re strong,” the man in the white uniform said, stumbling back a few steps, “but you can’t withstand the Ability Guild’s retaliation! The Lin clan’s retaliation!”

Li Li ignored him entirely.

She pondered the possible reasons for this situation, then had her phantom wave a hand.

“Little Red,” she said.

An Heyu, with a voice that sounded almost hoarse, replied, “Got it.”

In the domain of Necromantic Prelude, another energy form appeared, dissipating after An Heyu’s analysis.

Having a tool who understood her intentions was incredibly convenient, in every way.

In short, Li Li was satisfied.

She was thinking about the information she had.

There were two possibilities: the ‘Lin’ she met wasn’t Lin Ran, or the ‘Lin’ she met was Lin Ran.

The first meant Eternal Night still wasn’t under Lin Ran’s control, and she was sleeping soundly at home.

The second meant Lin Ran appeared at night, and Eternal Night was either a result of her indulgence or her inability to control it.

Recalling ‘Lin’s’ poor mental state, Li Li felt the latter possibility was surprisingly likely.

Then, there were two reasons why she didn’t stop her subordinate’s death: either she didn’t care about their lives, or Li Li was more important to her.

Recalling ‘Lin’s’ words, “I think our relationship has reached the point where we can exchange names,” Li Li couldn’t help but feel the other party was socially awkward, with low emotional intelligence.

Though the latter guess was a bit narcissistic, Li Li felt it was highly possible.

When grabbing her clothes and asking questions, the reason Li Li initially didn’t think ‘Lin’ was suspicious was that she seemed like an ordinary person who’d been saved and was somewhat dependent on her rescuer.

While pondering, An Heyu finished his analysis.

“This man’s name is Qin Qian. As he said, he’s an analyst for the Ability Guild, but he’s mostly used by Lin Ruye to analyze how to make money,” An Heyu said slowly, eyes closed.

Then he opened his eyes and looked at Li Li. “Before coming to District 3, he told Lin Ruye he’d return and mentioned that if he didn’t get back by midnight or go to the Lin residence first, his guess would be correct—he’d be replaced by an illusionist.”

“He sure prepared a lot,” Li Li said, glancing at the time.

There was still an hour until midnight. “There’s enough time.”

“…” An Heyu raised a hand, signaling a pause. “Wait, just wait a second.”

He looked at Li Li with an expression that seemed to say, ‘Did I misunderstand?’ and asked slowly, “Can you clarify what you’re planning to do?”

Li Li said matter-of-factly, “Didn’t you already guess? Storm the Lin residence.”

An Heyu forgot to hold his cloak, letting the night breeze lift his bright red cloak.

“So when you asked about Lin Ran, you didn’t mean going this afternoon but tonight?” He took a deep breath, still somewhat incredulous.

No, when she asked, she hadn’t planned to go immediately, Li Li thought.

But things had come to this, and it’d be a shame not to swing by.

Besides, she really wanted to see if Lin Ran was sleeping.

“Can the undead you control be detected as ability users by the Lin clan?” Seeing An Heyu’s apparent disagreement, Li Li asked.

An Heyu shook his head. “I haven’t tried. Qu Yan’s ability can’t track me, but Lin Ran is SS-rank. With rank suppression, she might be able to tell.”

“So it’s not certain she can tell,” Li Li calculated, feeling the odds of success were high.

“That’s true…” An Heyu’s stance was already softening.

“Let’s try it,” Li Li decided firmly.

If ‘Lin’ was Lin Ran, then even if she avoided her, she was already in her sights.

If ‘Lin’ wasn’t Lin Ran, they wouldn’t face an SS-rank opponent.

Since they had to send this white-uniformed man back anyway, they might as well take a gamble.

…

Ten minutes later, at the entrance to the Lin residence, the fountain was still running at night, making a splashing sound.

The man in the white uniform, named Qin Qian, used his identification card, and the gate soon opened for him.

He then walked past the high walls into the quiet, well-kept residence.

In the summer, the greenery and fountain made the air cool and damp, and the unextinguished lights in the residence added a different kind of tranquility.

On the shoulder of the man in the white uniform, an illusory crow, hidden by illusion, stood quietly, lifting its small head with his steps.

In this residence, only the highest attic had its lights off, shrouded in darkness.

The moon climbed the treetops, and the servants on duty silently made way for ‘Qin Qian.’

After ‘Qin Qian’ entered the residence, an elderly man resembling a butler stepped forward, lowering his voice: “The young master is in the study.”

‘Qin Qian’ nodded, indicating he understood.