Act Master of Illusion

Foreword:

Making things complicated is easy; making things simple is complicated.

Dale Carnegie | How to Win Friends and Influence People

[Part 1: Hitting the Nail on the Head]

After reading the letter, Jason Megan put the paper away, intending to use it as a clue to try his luck in the Police Department's database based on the handwriting characteristics.

"Mr. Boris Harman."

At this moment, the gunsmith, who had been silent all along, spoke up.

"--I hope you can return to your post and remain silent about what you just witnessed."

The chubby manager in the customer service department seemed a bit lost. He didn't know if he should listen to this, but it was too late. He had already heard the contents of the letter, and his mind couldn't possibly forget these things, or rather, he would never forget today's experience for the rest of his life.

"Gunsmith, I... I'm having a very, very hard time."

"I know this is a bit difficult for you. You can take a break for a while and then contact this number." Jiang Xueming tore off a page from the journal and handed Mr. Harman Mr. Victor's contact information. "It would be better for you to forget about this experience."

Harman nodded blankly. He had become a psionicist, and his life would be very different from now on. Although he didn't know the gunsmith's intentions, he would not go against the wishes of the Ming De Inner Guard.

After Mr. Boris left, Jason Megan could clearly feel the temperature in the room slowly dropping.

The charcoal in the brazier gradually turned from golden to red. The gunsmith leisurely opened the vent next to the bay window, sat casually on the platform, took out a cigarette, tossed one to Jason, and lit it himself.

This is the first cigarette he's smoked this year. The last time was when he was still in his Big Sister mode, using nicotine instead of serotonin to deal with his excessively high Madness Index.

To be honest, since becoming the wolf mother's child, Jason no longer liked the taste of cigarettes. He didn't light one and sat side by side with the gunsmith, trying to say something to alleviate this silent anxiety.

"Jiang Xueming, are you worried about the safety of your wife and children?"

The gunsmith used a wine glass as an ashtray. "I don't know, things have gotten complicated. My mind isn't as sharp as it used to be, and I start getting angry uncontrollably."

"Leave it to me, this guy won't get away," Jason Megan said confidently. "To me, the clues he left behind are enough for me to find him."

Jiang Xueming smiled and nodded, but his brows remained furrowed, his expression still serious and cold. "Kill this one, and there's another, and the one after that, when will it ever end?"

How many more times can Immortals lose? Xue Ming didn't know.

But the small gifts Pellegrini sent today did indeed irritate him, making him agitated and restless.

Despite the bird-man's extreme sarcasm, having written down all the riddles and made all his purposes clear, he still managed to deliver a sarcastic response.

But that arrogant and condescending attitude really struck a nerve with Xue Ming.

Things don't lie. When these gifts were presented to Xue Ming, for a moment he felt a sense of urgency, a kind of weakness, and signs of losing control of his emotions.

But he quickly calmed down and immediately asked Boris Harman to keep this a secret.

If this kind of thing becomes news, becomes a local legend, and becomes a laughing stock among Armadillo Hunters, its destructive power will exceed people's imagination.

If a gunsmith can't even protect his wife and children, what right does he have to be the guardian of so many sites?

"Have you noticed? This guy really likes to think he's so clever." Jiang Xueming suddenly sensed a familiar feeling, a reminder from his past experiences in many battles. "He seems to be intimidating me, but he's actually terrified."

Jason Megan became interested. "Tell me more."

Jiang Xueming took out a marker and drew basic topographic maps of Districts Forty-One District, Forty District, and District 39 on the platform.

He compared several major transportation routes and identified key locations: the former ancestral home of Mali Pero, the West Suburbs Park, and the equipment market surrounding Daji Town.

"This is his itinerary."

"We'll set off around mid-July, and we'll need to recruit troops about two weeks in advance."

"He needs a car, and he needs a car with fake license plates. The regulations for firearms and ammunition are at their strictest during the Moon God Cup, and he also needs a temporary base to store vehicles and house soldiers."

"He was going to find Mali Pero through various means. Before I came to Daji Town, no one knew where my students would go, because A Hao selected team members entirely based on his mood. So Pellegrini Tuan only started planning the attack when I set off, or when Chief of Staff Li Zhiwen recognized me."

"So he only has seven days left to organize and mobilize soldiers, procure equipment and supplies, and persuade Mali Pero or other Moon God Cup contestants—I don't know if any other contestants have also received the elixir's blessing, but let's put that aside for now."

"Let's start with this movement trajectory, Jason. I need your investigative skills to deduce a plan that can successfully complete all the miscellaneous tasks within seven days."

"It's your turn to perform."

Jason Megan first went to the children's room to rummage through Haitang's belongings, identifying the specific arms dealer through the carrying gear and plastic magazines, as well as several rations, a survival rope and knife, a flashlight and GPS, a rugged phone and Bluetooth device. There was no radio, presumably the combat equipment was left at the field base.

He had seen this kind of canned food before. The digestive system of the blood-granting unit preferred human flesh. In order to maintain their "human content", many hybrid monsters would specially purchase some nutritional supplements containing White Lady's products as side dishes. The processing workshops of these White Lady's products had artificial livers to continuously cultivate chubby Madness Butterfly larvae.

The moment the can was opened, Jason took a small lick and finally locked onto his target.

"Next to the highway at the north entrance of Xicheng, there's a small market that's also a large logistics hub. This canned food came from the meat and pharmaceutical processing plant there."

Jiang Xueming: "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I didn't think of it at first, but I only realized it after tasting the bitterness of liver and gallbladder." Jason explained, "The Greenstone People are the most hardworking and productive group. They operate in districts 30 to 50, the starting point for the Kurbo Gold Mine. There are many gold prospectors who need to prepare sufficient provisions."

"White Lady's nutritional supplement is an essential part of the daily life of the hybrid monsters. These hybrids are all potential sufferers of bestiality and need this food supplement to control their bestial nature—the blood-donating units can also consume this meal replacement."

"The highway at the north entrance of the western city connects the checkpoints of Forty District and Forty-One District. This logistics hub is also the largest paradise for hybrid monsters on the entire Eurasian Land Bridge. Hybrids with superhuman strength are happy to work as deliverymen and porters, and the wages are very high."

"The rations for this blood-bleeding animal are a local specialty and are not sold outside the area."

"Every product requires expensive transportation to reach distant places. In the underground world, trains are the main arteries, and highways are the capillaries leading to the skin. Without trucks, there would be no door-to-door delivery."

As Jason spoke, he took the marker from Jiang Xueming's hand. His right arm was newly grown and not very flexible yet. He wanted to draw circles to represent Pellegrini's range of motion, but in the end, he couldn't draw circles freehand and could only vaguely draw concentric polygons.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Xueming immediately said, "Now I have no way of determining his exact location."

Jason immediately added more details.

You can buy tactical radios and carrying gear, corresponding level 3 to 5 standard bulletproof plates, and helmets and hats made of plastic fabric for sun protection for blood-receiving units, etc. Three areas were left.

Jiang Xueming: "He might die now, but it's only a possibility."

Jason continued working, feeling his brain heating up as he worked at an overclock, concentrating on recalling various small items from his memory, tracing the scents of all the objects back to their source.

"Fragrance! Yes, yes, and this too!"

The room at Haitang Hotel always smelled of alcohol-based fragrances, unlike the Dali Hotel which had such a strong scent. This five-star hotel's rooms are designed to promote sleep, not for couples seeking passion.

This scented agent, with its strong sexual connotations and ability to even disrupt the lapis lazuli wolf's sense of smell, pinpointed the final location.

Along with two other pieces of evidence, one was the auto repair shop that used the fake license plate on the vehicle,

The other is the dozens of lines that Jason Megan forcefully drew—

--This is Pellegrini's route of operation. It is the route he took when traveling by vehicle to various places to recruit hunters, distribute equipment, purchase ammunition and military supplies, purchase living and living necessities, investigate the backgrounds of contestants, and contact talent scouts in Forty District and Forty-One District. The intersection of these lines is the location of the outpost.

Jiang Xueming stubbed out his cigarette; "He's dead meat now."

Mr. Jason felt his mental energy was somewhat insufficient. It was easy to complicate simple things, but to simplify complex things was far too complicated.

It sounds complicated, but it conforms to the thermodynamic law of entropy increase.

"The rest is up to you, Gunsmith. Do what you do best. I need to rest for a while."

The half-wolf lay sprawled on the platform next to the bay window. After a series of fierce battles, and with Pellegrini putting them through this brainstorming session, he simply didn't have the mental energy to keep his brain functioning. It was as if he had done hundreds of math problems in a short period of time.

This duel may appear to be a contest between a gunsmith and Immortals, but at the decision-making level, it's a battle of wits between Pellegrini Tuan and Jason Megan.

One attacked while fleeing, the other defended while pursuing; it was a contest of wits and endurance.

Jason Megan finally understood why the gunsmith said, "[This guy actually really likes to be smart]."

Pellegrini left his real name, seemingly determined to fight to the death; his tactics of making threats and leaving gifts are quite sophisticated.

He simply didn't want to die. He wanted to do everything in his power to disrupt the gunsmith's judgment, reserving all his mental bandwidth and energy for his family, his students, and the Moon God Cup. Including the legend of the Dagda's Cauldron, the Holy Grail that could grant all wishes. Regardless of whether it was real or not, perhaps Ming De had indeed possessed such a bountiful artifact, but Pellegrini's specific mention of it in his letter practically depicted the terrifying sight of him trembling and his hair standing on end.

He was genuinely terrified and only hoped to use a jumble of information and various sleight of hand to distract the audience like an elegant magician and complete the magic trick.

He wanted to live; survival was the eagle's only goal.

[Part 2: The Next Attack]

"Are the last few words this guy left in the letter credible?" the gunsmith asked Jason.

Jason immediately seized on the key point, reminding the leader. "It's not important, at least not now. If Pellegrini's goal is the Moon God Cup, he should be in Adulis, near Zura, not here messing with us. He said he wanted to keep you in Forty-One District, which sounds reasonable, but it's utter nonsense—because there are at least fifty VIPs guarding the trophy at the Moon God Cup finals. He's courting death."

Gunsmith: "If I were to mobilize the police force of Forty-One District right now and summon Guangling Zhixi to help arrest Pellegrini, where would he hide?"

Jason, as if plugging a battery into his brain, decided to work overtime. "He's definitely not at the hideout. Think about it: we've already exposed our intention to capture him, and he's already prepared gifts and letters—he anticipated our intentions. Following this nested logic, he could be anywhere—except at the hideout. If we go to the hideout now to arrest him, we'll likely start another round of cat-and-mouse games. If we continue to follow his plan, he can keep discarding his recruited henchmen, one after another, slowly stalling for time."

"You just said it was about stalling for time, right?" The gunsmith perked up.

Jason: "He needs time. He didn't have much time to plan the attack to begin with. Since arriving in this area, this guy has been working like 007, day and night, just to prepare these traps."

The gunsmith shattered the bay window with a single punch, and Fragrant Dream emanated from his body, grabbing back all the shards of glass.

"I've figured it out!"

He went upstairs and downstairs in the same way, climbing down the outer wall without wasting a single moment.

Jason Megan, her body rash from the wind blowing from the high-rise building, shouted, "What have you figured out? Hey! Boss! Stop playing riddles! At least tell me clearly!"

"I've been separated from my students! It's a four-hour drive to the capital!" the gunsmith shouted into his phone. "This guy's target is my students! My students whom I've taught with such care for six years!"

Time will defeat the gunsmith, a truth Pellegrini has always firmly believed in. However, the gunsmith's students are not yet mature; they are weak and powerless, and are very likely to become the henchmen of the Madness Butterfly. Whether it's material temptations or threats of death, as long as they are captured, everything else will be easy to handle.

However, A Hao, Daniel, Kaycee, and Xiao Min usually stayed in the vicinity of District One. This was the first time they had traveled so far, enduring a journey of more than thirty hours to reach a completely unfamiliar place, all to find Qi Ji, their teammate.

In Pellegrini's view, this is like a young animal leaving its parents' supervision and venturing alone into a dangerous wilderness.

Pellegrini's basic idea and winning strategy was to transform any one of them into a blood-granting unit, using the gunsmith's skills against the gunsmith, and having the student attack the teacher.

If that's not possible, then choose a good time to transmit the videos of the brutal killings of these young people to various trading hubs, driving the gunsmith mad and severely damaging his moral compass. That's also a kind of victory, just a smaller one.

If even these young people cannot be killed or captured, the backup plan is to convert a group of Moon God Cup players, preferably admirers of the Gunsmith and followers of the Nameless One, distort their values, corrupt them with money and power, and make them fight against the Nameless One.

Rigid plans can't keep up with changes. Pellegrini is a very flexible decision-maker. By using one blood donation unit to buy four hours, he made a deal that was profitable.

For the next four calm hours, in the Lionheart Stadium, on the eve of the City Championship, he had to take action against these unsuspecting young beasts. Even with the gunsmith having wings on his back, he couldn't get back to the students.

The blood donors who carried out the arrest were a married couple.

The husband's name was Griffin Barton, and the wife's name was Claire Barton.

They have a lovely child who is now a hostage in Lord Pellegrini's hands.

They were both worried about the child's safety and delighted by the divine power brought by the blood transfusion, so they eventually became Pellegrini's henchmen, half-heartedly accepting the situation.

At this moment, the man, braving the scorching 41-degree Celsius heat, pushed an ice cream cart and, despite the capital's strict gun control, remained unarmed, standing by the entrance of the Roman Holiday Hotel, observing the people coming and going.

He and his wife, one in the open and one in the shadows, acted as two sentinels, tasked with striking when members of the Fairy Tale Kingdom were separated from their teams. They were a kidnapping duo pre-positioned in the capital, both possessing Soul Power.

Everything seemed so wonderful, except these little guys were like conjoined twins, always requiring at least three people to go out together.

"Klee." Griffin lowered his hat brim, his eyes restless, two sharp teeth showing between his thick lips. When he encountered a rapid response patrol, he could only cheerfully call himself a hybrid of a monster and a monster. "Klee, are you listening?"

The young woman hiding by the alleyway awoke from her slumber, exclaiming, "Oh! Darling! I've been here all along!"

"Mali Pero is staying at this hotel too, why? Why?" Griffin demanded. "Why does this guy get to stay in a suite while we have to stand on the street and be treated like this? Good heavens! Just now two rapid reaction force soldiers came and questioned me, they were being racist! It's unbelievable! Why are there people like this in the world! Doesn't Ming De do anything about it?! They took ice cream and didn't pay!"

Klee replied awkwardly, "My dear, for the sake of the Madness Butterfly's great cause, you must be patient and learn to endure."

"Ha!" Griffin cursed, "That's how society gets so corrupt! It's a good thing we have people like Pellegrini! Otherwise, how would we survive?"

"Hehehe, darling," Claire quickly comforted him, "Mali Pero's parents are still in Lord Pellegrini's hands! The boy has no choice in the matter!"

"Helpless? I wish I could be helpless too!" Griffin grumbled. "If I sent my parents hostage, I could stay in a hotel, eat and drink well every day, and have cheerleaders every night."

Klee: "What did you say?"

Griffin: "No, I didn't say anything."

Klee: "You said it, cheerleaders."

Griffin: "No, no, no, no! That's not right. Someone's coming out!"

A Shasha emerged from the gate; this was the only lone target the Bartons had spotted during their days of surveillance.

"Ugh! What the hell! It's so hot! I'm going to turn into a salted fish!"

The little shark, wearing only a pair of sharkskin pants, was still sweating profusely and had to rub cooling paste on its forehead every now and then.

"You won't even go downstairs to pick up takeout! A bunch of lazy bums! You want the coach to do it himself! I'll dock all your paychecks sooner or later!"

Griffin was disappointed because the small shark wasn't their target.

His wife, Clare, had given him a wake-up call.

"Grab this one! Then the rest will all come!"