Ji Yan turned to Doctor Long, his expression calm. "Is that your line?"
"Rather than spouting such defeatist nonsense, think about what to do next."
Doctor Long pulled a cigarette from his pocket, swept back his hanging bangs, and said, "That's just my nature. Whenever I run into a problem, I start expecting the worst. You'll get used to it."
"Don't worry, there's still a way."
Ji Yan said, "Our top priority now is stopping Liu Congming."
"But how do we stop him without using force?"
Doctor Long's eyes turned pale as he activated [The World]'s exclusive privilege. Then he suddenly said, "That [The Fool]'s attendant has stopped moving."
"Stopped?"
Doctor Long looked surprised. "That 'K' of yours seems to have used some method to trap Big Smarty in a bind!"
At that moment, Liu Congming had originally been heading toward the central plaza, but somehow, he had unknowingly entered a dimly lit house.
The scenery around him quietly shifted, and the air carried the scent of sandalwood. Liu Congming clicked his tongue. "Just an illusion? That won't work on me."
He took out a candle and lit it, igniting a ghostly blue-green flame—
The flame seemed capable of setting the surrounding darkness alight. The darkness was swiftly torn apart and burned away. It was clearly an Eerie Item of exceptional quality, specifically meant to dispel illusions and visual obstructions.
But Liu Congming quickly realized something was wrong.
The candle in his hand had only driven away the darkness; it could not tear apart this illusory scene!
This candle was [Collector's] quality. After only a few seconds of burning, it could rip apart the effects of any spatial ability, illusion, or similar power.
Then something even more shocking happened.
A gust of sinister wind from the illusory scene snuffed