F-class thief? Sorry, I can steal anything.

I...smell...the scent of 'theft'...

This thought pierced deeply into Chen Yifan's soul.

My heart skipped a beat at that moment.

But what surged up was not fear.

It wasn't shocking.

Rather, it is an extreme sense of absurdity.

What? I smell theft.

I even heard the death knell tolling.

How could there possibly be another person in this world who knows the secret of their own talent?

And Shadow Fiend.

The wanted criminal whom he personally... or rather, whom he "pressed to death" on the supporting pillar.

His body should have been packed up and taken away by the security bureau long ago; there's no way it could have ended up here.

fake.

Only these two words remained in Chen Yifan's mind.

He didn't even bother to look at Mu Wanqing, who was completely lost in fanaticism and greed, standing next to him.

He simply raised his eyes and stared silently at the beating giant heart, as if watching a clown putting on a great show but making numerous mistakes.

If it weren't for this corpse riddled with flaws...

He didn't realize so quickly that everything before him was just a carefully orchestrated illusion.

only……

How can we break this deadlock?

Although he realized it was fake, the surrounding environment did not change at all.

The enormous "heart" was still beating, and the Shadow Fiend's corpse still lay there.

Forced attack?

Attacking a non-existent illusion could trigger a chain reaction.

Fight with mental strength?

Perhaps it is feasible.

However, he had no mental skills whatsoever, nor any experience in dealing with illusions.

That's the most troublesome part.

So...

Chen Yifan's mind raced.

The cooldown for [Steal Everything] hasn't expired yet.

but……

[Spy Investigation], no cooldown!

Chen Yifan activated his innate skill without hesitation.

There is no specific goal.

This time, what he wants to investigate is this space itself!

hum-

A deluge of information, like a flood bursting its banks, surged into his mind!

[Target: Projection Field - A Thousand Nightmares]

[Status: Activated/Energy Absorption in Progress]

[Note: This is a mental projection field created by the alien beast [Illusion Gu: Thousand Threads of Nightmare].]

This realm is not a real space, but a "real illusion" that directly affects the soul of the captured.

It reads its prey's memories and desires, constructing the most captivating scenes to ensnare it, until it completely drains the prey's spirit and vitality.

[Core Domain: Unknown (Hidden somewhere within the fungal ecosystem)]

[Domain Weakness: Strong physical or mental impacts have a chance to cause the captured person's consciousness to separate from the domain.]

[List of items that can be stolen:]

[1. Concept: The "realism" of the illusion (after being stolen, the target illusion will exhibit logical flaws and distortions)]

[2. Energy: Inject spiritual energy (0.01%) into this area]

【3. Rule Fragment: Nightmare (A tiny fragment of the core rules of the domain can be stolen with an extremely low probability)】

……

This time, perhaps because the unit being investigated was not a normal one, it did not exhibit any mental attributes.

It's also possible that his spiritual attributes are greater than his.

but……

His purpose was simply to obtain information.

It was not theft.

Chen Yifan's expression remained unchanged.

He slowly turned his head and looked at the woman beside him who was still immersed in the fervor of "discovering the ultimate treasure" and could not extricate herself.

Mu Wanqing.

"The return... is immeasurable... just get it..."

"Chen Yifan... if only you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place..."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

She was murmuring to herself, completely immersed in the beautiful dream that the illusion had been tailor-made for her.

but……

When Chen Yifan heard the other person call out his name.

He stared at her for a long time.

What's wrong with this woman?

and also……

Is she... real or fake?

If it's true, according to the information provided by [the investigation], a strong stimulus might be able to wake her from the illusion.

The two working together offer a greater chance of breaking the deadlock.

If she is fake, then she is part of an illusion.

that……

It doesn't matter if they kill me.

Chen Yifan made a decision in an instant.

He raised his right hand expressionlessly.

There was no murderous intent, no emotion.

Only absolute rationality and...precision.

next second.

His figure left a blurry afterimage in the spot.

Snapped! ! !

A crisp, extremely loud slap suddenly rang out in the deathly silent cave!

Chen Yifan showed no mercy in this slap.

The immense force sent Mu Wanqing spinning completely around in place.

The exquisite fox mask could no longer be held up, and along with a few broken strands of hair, it spun and flew away.

Beneath the mask was a face distorted by extreme shock and pain, yet still undeniably beautiful.

A trickle of blood slowly oozed from the corner of Mu Wanqing's mouth.

Five clear finger marks quickly appeared on her fair cheeks, and swelled up at a visible speed.

My brain was buzzing, and I couldn't hear anything except for a sharp ringing in my ears.

She was completely stunned.

What is this "Black Gold Code"?

What Chamber of Commerce's Senate throne?

All ambition and fervor were extinguished by this slap.

All that remained was the burning pain and an emotion called "humiliation" that erupted like a volcano!

The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the deathly silent cave, even carrying a somewhat comical resonance.

"you……"

She covered her face, came to her senses, and felt the pain so real that it made her soul tremble. The confusion in her eyes slowly faded, replaced by an unprecedented sense of humiliation and anger.

She saw Chen Yifan's face so close to hers, and the undisguised mockery on his lips.

"woke up?"

Chen Yifan's voice was calm, as if he were greeting a roommate who had just woken up.

"How dare you hit me?!"

Mu Wanqing's scream shattered the tranquility of the cave.

She has lived for over twenty years, and from a young age she was the pride of heaven, the center of attention.

I've never been slapped in the face, let alone heard a harsh word.

Today, in this godforsaken place, I was held to the neck with a dagger twice and choked once.

now……

He was slapped again.

"I'm going to kill you!"

She screamed, her mind completely blank, her left hand gesturing in the air, preparing to summon her contracted creature.

However, she seemed to have forgotten that her contracted possession was standing quietly behind her.

Seeing Mu Wanqing's strong reaction, Chen Yifan acted even faster than her.

His left hand, like an iron clamp, precisely gripped her slender wrist.

Save your breath.

He looked at the face before him, so beautiful it was like a fairy, and a smile that was hard to describe played on his lips.

But the force with which he gripped her wrist made Mu Wanqing feel as if her bones were about to be crushed.

"Instead of thanking me properly, you want to get revenge on me?"

"What...do you mean?"

Mu Wanqing's anger was momentarily stunned by this seemingly random remark.

next second.

A deeper fear gripped her heart.

She suddenly realized... what she had just been doing.

She regained consciousness.

The scene before me remained unchanged.

The magnificent throne, forged from obsidian and gold, still stands before you. On the throne, the "Black Gold Codex," exuding supreme majesty, is slowly being opened, awaiting her coronation.

The world she sees is still the dream she is about to ascend to the pinnacle of power.

But it felt different.

Is this...an illusion?

"you……"

Mu Wanqing covered her burning cheeks, her lips trembling.

She wanted to be angry, to question, and to tear the man who dared to humiliate her to pieces.

But in the end, I held back.

Because she suddenly realized.

I just had a brush with death.

If it weren't for that slap... she would have been trapped in that illusion forever, until she was drained dry and turned into a dried-up corpse.

He saved himself.

In the most brutal, direct, and... humiliating way.

"What kind of place is this?"

After a long while, she spoke.

"And... take your dirty hands off..."

Chen Yifan shrugged and released his grip.

"It seems to be a place called [Illusion Gu: Thousand Threads of Nightmare], do you know it?"

"I've heard of it..."

Mu Wanqing rubbed her sore wrists and nodded, forcing herself not to look at the illusion of the throne that made her heart flutter.

"An extremely rare psychic beast that constructs an illusion that is almost indistinguishable from reality, reads the memories and desires of its prey, and then... drains its prey dry."

Chen Yifan remained silent.

He already knew this information.

What he wants is not to repeat known information.

Rather, it's a way to break the deadlock.

"Where is the core?" he asked.

Mu Wanqing shook her head, a hint of helplessness appearing on her face for the first time.

"I don't know. The core of the Thousand Threads Nightmare is extremely well hidden. It can disguise its main body as any fungus in the real environment, or even a piece of fungal carpet. What we see now is all fake. If we can't find the core, we'll never get out."

Chen Yifan's gaze slowly swept over the bizarre scene before him, composed of a pulsating heart and the corpse of a shadow demon.

Behind these thousands of fake objects, can we find the real core?

It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

However, a cold smile curled at the corner of Chen Yifan's mouth.

Can't find it?

That's because the method is wrong.

He turned his head and looked at the three-meter-tall giant golem behind Mu Wanqing.

Obsidian Sentinel.

"I do have an idea..."

Mu Wanqing was taken aback.

"What?"

Chen Yifan pointed to the giant, beating heart behind him.

Or rather, it was something else entirely in Mu Wanqing's eyes.

Then she pointed to the sentry behind her.

His voice was low, carrying an unquestionable command.

"Let it in... then self-destruct!"