Cherreads

Chapter 18 - Masks of the City of Light

In **Chapter Eighteen**, the team is forced to lay low while investigating the city of **Yanmir**, a sprawling metropolis built atop ley lines of ancient power. The catch? They can't go in as themselves.

So each must adopt a cover — which, given their wildly different personalities and powers, makes for the *most chaotic infiltration yet*

---

## **Chapter Eighteen: Masks of the City of Light**

> *Location: Yanmir, the Last City of Lights*

> *Objective: Investigate reports of missing mystics, while blending in among humans*

> *Note: Magic is illegal here. Aura detection towers on every street.*

---

### **Scene One: Bai Lu, CEO of Death**

> Cover Identity: **Bai Lu, CEO of LuTech CyberDefense Corp**

> Mission Front: "Corporate Expansion"

> Real Reason: LuTech is actually scanning leyline interference via fake AI products.

Bai Lu enters the towering skyscraper she now "owns," wearing a black power suit sharp enough to kill.

She doesn't smile. She doesn't blink. Her assistant faints twice from stress.

A board member jokes during a meeting.

She fires him mid-laugh and buys his family's company within the hour.

> *"I need this woman's confidence," Taila whispers, watching her from a balcony.*

> *"No. You need her rage control," Rin corrects.*

Her cold efficiency allows the team to move freely through the corporate network. But she rarely sleeps. She's *watching something*, calculating.

Even now… she's not just playing a part.

---

### **Scene Two: Rin, The Accidental Celebrity Comedian**

> Cover Identity: **"Rin the Relatable Vampire" – Stand-up Comedian and Talk Show Host**

> Venue: "The Bloodline Club"

> Secret: Every laugh powers his system exponentially

His first show was meant to be subtle.

He told a joke about a vampire dating app crashing because all the matches refused to reflect.

The crowd *erupted*.

> *\[System Notice: Emotional Amplification Detected – Crowd Synchronization +600%]*

> *\[Reward: Vampire Bloodline Mutation Unlocked – Shadow-Walk (Humorous Variant)]*

The more they laugh, the stronger he becomes. And it shows. He moves faster. His eyes glow between sets. Even his hair is *better.*

Taila calls it *"the power of narcissism."*

Reacher watches his shows silently. He never laughs. But he *never misses one*.

And Bai Lu? She hasn't been to a single show.

Yet Rin always checks the empty front row\... just in case.

---

### **Scene Three: Reacher, Detective of Lies**

> Cover Identity: **Detective Reacher Vale – Paranormal Consultant**

> Agency Name: "Vale & Whispers Investigations"

> Specialty: Finding things no one should find

Reacher walks the streets in a long coat, fedora tilted, smile sharper than ever.

He solves cold cases in minutes. Murders, missing items, even cheating spouses.

But in the process... he's building a secret map of **Yanmir's underground**: the mystic vaults, the smuggler tunnels, the forgotten gods' shrines.

Clients fear him.

Cops hate him.

Victims *worship* him.

One night, he walks into Rin's green room after a show.

> "You're getting too loud, blood boy."

Rin raises a brow. "Jealous?"

Reacher smiles. "Amused. If you burn too bright, the gods might notice."

He walks out whistling.

Behind him, Rin's dressing mirror cracks.

---

### **Scene Four: Taila, The Star Who Breathes Fire**

> Cover Identity: **Taila Serai – Rising Pop Idol**

> Genre: Ethereal Fusion (Human-language vocals over draconic harmonics)

> Secret: Her songs influence emotions directly — unlocking memories or calming trauma

Her first concert was meant to be a test.

By the second song, *people were weeping*.

By the fifth, a riot nearly broke out from people trying to touch her.

> *\[Dragonfire Core Reactivation: 15%]*

> *\[Echo Unlock: Ancient Lullaby of the Sky-Father]*

She lives in a penthouse now, constantly tailed by media, bodyguards, and obsessed fans. She hates the attention—but loves the feeling of *not being hated.*

She still visits Bai Lu on the rooftop during her lunch breaks.

> "Do you ever feel like we're lying too well?"

> Bai Lu stares into her tea. "No."

> "I do."

---

### **Scene Five: The Moment of Convergence**

One night, each of them receives the same message.

> A digital symbol: **∞**

> A time: **Midnight.**

> A location: **Old City Ruins beneath Yanmir's foundation.**

Bai Lu leaves her boardroom meeting mid-sentence.

Rin ends his sold-out show on a laugh so sharp it *makes someone pass out.*

Reacher closes a case by whispering a single word to a grieving mother: *"Breathe."*

Taila ends a concert with a lullaby that puts the entire crowd to sleep in their seats.

They converge under neon lights and broken stone.

Each of them wearing a mask... none of them pretending anymore.

> The real mission is about to begin.

---

> *In Yanmir, they wore new faces and walked new paths.*

> *But beneath the lies, they sharpened like blades in sheaths.*

>

> *And now, something ancient has called them all to the same point.*

>

> *Not as strangers. But as catalysts of fate.*

More Chapters