The Gacha Thief’s Confession

Han Xiaoyu, following Director Li Yue’s instructions, would periodically pull the tri-fold phone from her pocket to glance at it. She wasn’t sure what she was even supposed to be looking for, given that her fingerprints couldn’t unlock the device.

Just then, a figure clad in a black hoodie darted out from her blind spot.

The figure seemed to materialize out of thin air; Mo Linyu hadn’t sensed their presence until they were alarmingly close.

“Xiaoyu, behind you!”

However, the warning came too late; the diminutive figure slammed into Han Xiaoyu’s shoulder with force.

“Ah!”

Han Xiaoyu cried out, tumbling to the ground, her phone snatched from her grasp.

“‘Thief?’ This person is clearly committing robbery!”

Mo Linyu rushed towards the stairs, preparing to give chase, her high-heeled boots clattering loudly against the steps.

Li Yue, however, executed a graceful flip, leaping directly from the second-story window of the teahouse.

“Hmm? Truly worthy of a Hero; what a daring maneuver.”

Mo Linyu returned to the window, watching as Li Yue landed steadily and sprinted towards the familiar retreating figure.

“Leave that one to me!”

Li Yue waved to Mo Linyu on the second floor, then effortlessly pulled Han Xiaoyu back to her feet.

“You head back to the shop and rest!”

“But… but the phone…”

“I’ll get it back!”

Beneath Li Yue’s white sun-protective jacket, a square black bulge was discernible—the Taser Mo Linyu had given her. Being contraband, it had to be kept well-hidden.

Her golden hair streamed behind her, lifted by the wind as she ran, her entire form a golden streak of lightning shooting towards the figure ahead.

Li Yue’s physical prowess had not diminished in the slightest from becoming a young girl; in fact, she felt remarkably light.

The thief had not anticipated someone falling from the sky to pursue her. In a panic, she overturned several trash cans, attempting to obstruct Li Yue’s chase. However, Li Yue remained completely unfazed, not even slowing down, and simply vaulted over the bins with a single, powerful stride.

“‘That trick won’t work a second time!'”

The thief suddenly remembered.

It was the same person who had almost caught her yesterday!

She had fallen into a trap; the young girl with the tri-fold phone was clearly their bait.

[Damn it! It’s that wild beast!]

Li Yue, having perceived this rude mental outburst, felt an angry vein throb on her forehead.

As always, she dove into a narrow alley, attempting to shake Li Yue off by leveraging her familiarity with the local terrain, just as she had before.

Yet, this tactic had already proven futile last time, especially since her escape routes were plainly displayed in the dialogue box.

Li Yue followed her into the deserted alley, which was precisely the environment she had hoped for.

“Hey, little thief! You’ve fallen into my trap!”

The thief glanced back, her eyes catching a prominent bulge on Li Yue’s front. It appeared firm, located beneath her jacket, just above her crotch, resembling some indescribable, illicit object…

Li Yue reached into her jacket and began to rummage.

[Th-this couldn’t be…]

Then, Li Yue smoothly pulled out the Taser, aiming it at the thief’s retreating back. The thief, clearly unfamiliar with such a device, turned with a bewildered expression.

*Whirr—*

The Taser emitted a faint hum as its front cover snapped open, two thin wires instantly shooting out to accurately strike the thief’s back. The resulting muscle spasms caused the thief to collapse in a convulsive heap, unable to even utter a scream.

“Well? Still planning to run?”

Li Yue’s shadow fell across the thief’s face, appearing like a malevolent demon in her eyes.

****

On the pedestrian street, there was a budget hotel where Mo Linyu had booked a standard room.

The front desk attendant noticed the thief, whom the two had carried in together, and cast a suspicious glance their way.

Mo Linyu caught their gaze, and as she swiped her card to pay, she offered an explanation:

“This is my cousin, and these two are my classmates. Our friend suffered from heatstroke, so we’re just getting a hourly room for them to rest. That’s perfectly reasonable, isn’t it?”

“Yes, of course. Please make yourselves comfortable.”

The attendant offered an awkward yet polite smile, though it was unclear how much of Mo Linyu’s explanation she had truly believed.

On the way to the room, however, Li Yue questioned, “Wait, why am I the cousin?”

Mo Linyu had indeed pointed to Li Yue when she said ‘cousin’.

“Wouldn’t it be strange if everyone was a classmate?”

“Wouldn’t it be stranger to have a cousin mixed in with classmates? Besides, with Xiaoyu’s physique, wouldn’t she look more like a younger sister?”

“Huh?”

Han Xiaoyu, suddenly addressed, looked over with a bewildered expression.

After swiping the room card, the four entered the guest room, tossed the thief onto a chair, and bound her with rope, while they themselves settled onto the two beds.

“So, first things first…”

Mo Linyu reached out and retrieved her phone from the thief’s person. Han Xiaoyu diligently filmed this entire search as evidence with her own phone.

“You’re truly easily fooled. Did you want this phone that badly?”

Mo Linyu, having recovered her phone, sat back on the edge of the bed, observing the blue-haired girl bound to the chair, her arms crossed.

“So, what’s your name?”

The thief lowered her head, replying with a hint of grievance, “…Chen, Chen Xiaoqiang.”

“Are you a cockroach?”

Mo Linyu raised an eyebrow, glancing at Li Yue for confirmation. Li Yue, understanding, cast a look at the dialogue box hovering near the thief’s meager chest.

[No, this name is too masculine! They won’t suspect me, will they?]

Li Yue sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. “That’s not your real name. Tell us the truth.”

[As expected, they’re suspicious?]

“It’s not suspicion; I know exactly what you’re thinking~”

Li Yue reached out, pulled down the thief’s hoodie, and poked her forehead. “I’m a cultivator (TL Note: A person who practices ‘Xianxia’, a Chinese literary genre focusing on immortal cultivation and spiritual enlightenment.), I can read your mind, so I advise you not to lie to me.”

“Liar!”

[How could something like cultivation possibly exist?]

“It does exist! How else do you think I knew all your escape routes?”

The thief’s expression grew wary and suspicious, especially since Mo Linyu’s inability to shake her off had been undeniably true.

“Alright, stop teasing her.”

Mo Linyu interjected from the side, looking at the thief. “We just want to know your true identity. If you tell us the truth, we won’t call the police. Otherwise, we’ve recorded your entire escape and capture process, every step of the way.”

In reality, apart from Han Xiaoyu’s current filming, the earlier capture process had not been recorded. Otherwise, the moment Li Yue pulled out the Taser, her crime would have been far more severe than the thief’s.

The thief, however, was clearly unaware of this, having been thoroughly intimidated.

Mo Linyu continued her intimidation.

“Of course, if the police catch you, your accumulated theft charges probably extend beyond just my phone, wouldn’t they? How many people’s belongings have you stolen in Runze Square so far?”

The thief bit her lip, remaining silent for a moment before finally confessing.

“M-my name is Su Luoli.”

Li Yue, still gazing at the dialogue box, declared, “Hmm, this time, it’s the truth.”

“Huh? Loli? Someone actually named Loli?”

Mo Linyu covered her mouth, chuckling softly, then pulled Han Xiaoyu into her embrace and ruffled her hair.

“You’re not even as much of a loli as my Xiaoyu!”

“Huh?”

Han Xiaoyu frowned, swatting away Mo Linyu’s hand from her head with annoyance.

“Hey! We’re the same age!”

Mo Linyu, however, simply beamed with satisfaction at her reaction.

As for Su Luoli, she merely stared wide-eyed at Li Yue, pondering how much truth lay in her earlier claim of being a “cultivator.”

“So, Loli-classmate, why did you resort to stealing?”

Su Luoli lowered her head.

“…I, I need money.”

Mo Linyu furrowed her brow and asked, “Hmm, financial difficulties at home?”

Su Luoli, however, glanced at Li Yue and remained silent.

[…I want to pull gacha (TL Note: A term from video games referring to a monetization system where players spend real money to receive random virtual items, similar to a vending machine or capsule toy machine.), how can I possibly say that reason out loud.]

Li Yue’s brows furrowed deeply as she read the dialogue box.

“Huh? Gacha pulls?”

Su Luoli, her thoughts exposed by Li Yue, turned pale, her head bowed as she squeezed out a voice barely louder than a mosquito’s from her throat.

“…Mobile games.”

Stealing to spend money on in-game purchases?