"Why not?" The child sounded disappointed after hearing the answer. "You won't be able to learn it." The bck-haired man replied. The child only sulked for a moment before getting distracted by a nearby ice cream vendor, skipping off happily.

  "It's just a cheap trick," the bck-haired man muttered as he gathered up his deck of cards. Then, he noticed a strikingly beautiful, tall bck-haired girl walking by, and his smile widened. "Care for a magic trick, lovely dy?" he called out.

  Mo Ying, who had come out to do some shopping, paused and turned toward the voice. She saw a handsome bck-haired man gesturing at her with a grin. Judging by the props id out in front of him, he appeared to be a magician.

  She walked over and saw a name card: Wei Zhiheng. "That's your name?" she asked.

  Looks like someone from the Eastern Continent.

  "That's right." Wei Zhiheng nodded. "What kind of magic would you like to see? It's free."

  "What kind of tricks can you do?" Mo Ying asked. "I can make people disappear," Wei Zhiheng said dramatically. "A human trafficker?" Mo Ying raised an eyebrow.

  Wei Zhiheng: "..." What a way with words! he thought. I'm no trafficker!

  "Sorry, I just watched a movie about human trafficking. You look a lot like one of the characters in it—someone who uses an innocent face to trick people." Mo Ying apologized upon realizing her slip.

  Wei Zhiheng had a delicate face that gave off no sense of threat. He wasn’t particurly muscur either, fitting Mo Ying’s description of a harmless appearance quite well.

  "Let me show you one of my test tricks," Wei Zhiheng said, deciding to avoid further questions. He took out a book with a red cover and handed it to Mo Ying, signaling her to examine it.

  Mo Ying flipped through it, checked the front and back, and found it to be an ordinary novel. She returned it to him. "Looks fine to me." "Now, watch closely." Wei Zhiheng held the book, closed his eyes, muttered something under his breath, then opened them again.

  "Do you believe something can suddenly appear inside this book?" he asked.

  Mo Ying stared at the book silently. Since he said it, it probably would. With a snap of his fingers, the book bulged slightly, as if something were hidden within its pages. Under Mo Ying’s gaze, he slowly opened it to reveal a badge.

  He handed it to her. "This is for you, miss." Mo Ying took the badge and examined it. It was a delicately crafted rose emblem.

  "Thanks. Your trick was amazing—not a single fw." She slipped the badge into her jacket pocket. "Of course, I'm a magician. It's my job," Wei Zhiheng said, closing the book.

  "Let me show you another one." He pced a cloth over the book. "Next, this book will turn into a different one. Do you believe that?" His voice was soft, as if trying to draw her into his world.

  Mo Ying shook her head. "Nope." Wei Zhiheng just smiled and lifted a corner of the cloth, revealing a glimpse of the red book cover.

  "Oh dear, you don’t believe it? That won’t do. Haven’t you heard? If you believe, miracles can happen." He put the cloth back in pce. "Fine. I believe," Mo Ying said. "Excellent." Wei Zhiheng nodded approvingly.

  He lifted the cloth again, revealing a silver corner beneath. When he saw the surprise on Mo Ying’s face, he grinned and yanked the cloth off completely.

  The book beneath was silver, with no text on the cover—only a golden eye-like symbol.

  Mo Ying’s eyes fshed with astonishment. She stared at the book for a moment before flipping it open. Inside, all the pages were bnk. Slowly, she looked up, her purple eyes locking onto him.

  "What’s the meaning of this?" she asked. "Looks like you recognize the book. Oh, don’t worry—it’s not real, just a prop," Wei Zhiheng said, sliding the book into his backpack.

  Mo Ying continued staring at him, her gaze intense and unrelenting.

  "If you want to know more, come find me tomorrow night. Just trust me." Wei Zhiheng packed up the rest of his things, handed her a slip of paper with an address, and walked off whistling.

  Mo Ying stood on the street holding the slip. She had a vague sense that something was off but couldn’t put her finger on it.

  The clock showed 11 PM, but staying up te had become the norm for most young people these days. Whether it was reading web novels or binge-watching dramas, modern entertainment was endless—and addictive.

  Kagumo, Ansel, and Mo Ying were no exception. They were currently huddled around Ansel’s computer.

  "Hahaha! You’re dead now, you pathetic loser!" a vilin-looking character shouted at the protagonist in the anime.

  Characters like him were usually cannon fodder. Sure enough, the protagonist took him out in a single move. The heroine then jumped into his arms with excitement while the vilin stared in disbelief. "This can't be! How are you this strong?!" he gasped.

  The audience in the show also looked shocked, followed by enthusiastic discussions about how awesome the hero was.

  This was supposed to be a climactic moment, one that viewers should find satisfying. But the three of them were deadpan.

  "Wow. Cssic power-fantasy plot," Mo Ying said ftly. "Same recycled formu, same tropes, same harem nonsense. Boring," Kagumo added.

  Ansel, who had picked the anime, ughed awkwardly. "Are you into this kind of stuff?" Mo Ying asked. "Not really. I've already seen like three shows with the same plot. Kinda done with it," Ansel said as he closed the tab.

  "I just saw it on a recommended list online and figured I’d try it. Guess that list wasn’t very reliable," he added. "You can't just follow recs—you gotta check the ratings first," Mo Ying said. She always checked reviews before watching anything. "You’re right. I’ll remember that next time," Ansel nodded.

  "So what now?" Kagumo asked, flipping through her phone out of boredom. "Midnight snack," Mo Ying proposed. A brilliant idea. "Great idea!" Ansel instantly opened the food delivery app and fell into deep thought.

  The age-old dilemma: What to eat tonight? A question that pgued people across the continent every day.

  The three stared at one another. No ideas, but they definitely wanted a snack. "Wait, I bought some chicken wings earlier today. Just need to heat them up," Mo Ying suddenly remembered picking them up on sale at the supermarket.

  Though not short on money, there was just something magical about discounts—they were irresistible.

  "Meow." Shadow suddenly jumped onto the table and meowed. "Looks like she wants a snack too," Kagumo said, stroking Shadow’s head. "Those chicken wings are heavily seasoned, so it’s not safe for cats," Mo Ying said as she headed downstairs. "Too bad, your midnight snack is gone," Kagumo told Shadow.

  Ten minutes ter, Mo Ying came back up with the roasted wings, their mouthwatering aroma filling the room.

  "These are delicious. We should get more next time," Kagumo said, tearing into a wing. Ansel was too busy eating to speak, but his satisfied expression said it all.

  "Oh right, I remembered something," Kagumo said suddenly. "Yesterday, Yvette and Davis were talking about something—it sounded like the recent serial murders." "Serial murders? I saw that on the news. Apparently an Affinity User is responsible. Really hurts our reputation," Ansel said. "Those individuals don’t represent all of us," Mo Ying said, adjusting her posture. "But if they’re talking about it... Could it be that the Special Ops Division wants our help?"

  Kagumo nodded. "Exactly. But Yvette didn’t seem too keen on taking the case. She even mentioned ‘Poker.’"

  At that name, the room fell silent for a few seconds. They all knew that organization. "That assassin group... Yeah, I get why they’d hesitate," Ansel said. "You don’t think a Joker would be involved, do you?" Kagumo asked nervously. "A Joker wouldn’t make a move so easily... right?" Ansel replied.

  Ah, Kagumo, Ansel... you're setting up fgs like pros. Feels like they’re gonna come crashing down any second now, Mo Ying thought.

  In truth, the fg had already fallen.

  Yvette and Davis stared at the test message from Colton and sighed. Yvette even considered blocking him and ciming it was an "accidental slip." "A Joker… Which one could it be?" Davis murmured, thinking through the ten codenamed cards. "Who knows. I didn’t expect even someone from the Joker rank to get involved," Yvette said. "What could their goal be? For top-ten-ranked killers to act like this..." Davis thought back to the recent movements of armed groups but found no clues.

  Yvette decided to pretend she hadn’t seen the message. She tossed her phone aside. Avoidance may be shameful, but it’s effective. Yvette closed her eyes. Davis gave up thinking too and turned off the lights. Tomorrow’s problem.

  Back in the young folks’ part of the house, everyone had returned to their rooms after the midnight snack. Mo Ying sat with Wei Zhiheng’s address in hand, deep in thought. Should I go tomorrow night...?