Jin Luan wasn’t slacking off either, patrolling the city.
She noticed that the Eastern Alliance had increased patrols in the city, probably suspecting something.
She observed carefully and saw that the Alliance specifically targeted box trucks for inspection, pulling them all over and opening each cargo compartment to search thoroughly.
Were they checking if the trucks were smuggling demonic creatures? Or maybe searching for magic-infused materials? Or something else?
Jin Luan didn’t disturb them, just watched from high above. When she got tired of flying, she found a rooftop to rest on.
She watched until evening, returned empty-handed, and had to go home to pretend to be a normal person.
When she got home, her father called her to the study.
“Where were you?”
Her father’s voice was stern. He sat upright, exuding an intimidating authority.
Xia Shiyao became demure, almost like a proper lady.
“I was working on my summer break research project.”
She was a little nervous, afraid of being found out.
But her father just asked casually, didn’t press further, and changed the subject.
“There’s a cocktail party tomorrow afternoon. You’ll come with us. A few promising young men will be attending, so you can socialize with them.”
His tone left no room for argument, giving Xia Shiyao no chance to refuse.
When she didn’t nod after a few seconds, he shot her a glare.
Only then did Xia Shiyao nod.
“Yes.”
She returned to her room, picked up her phone, and checked the Three Sisters Group chat. No one was talking. She looked up at the sunset outside the window, lost in thought.
At the hospital, Huan Hong was also looking at her phone, wanting to share something, but there was nothing worth sharing. She too gazed at the sunset through the window, reminiscing about the wonderful day she’d had.
Song Wuli had gone to eat as well. Both his friends were busy today and didn’t come. He ordered takeout, then took his boxed meal to the rooftop to eat, watching the sunset. It made the food go down easier.
He was always busy with work and hadn’t taken the time to quietly watch the sunset in a long time.
Even though it was something he could see every day, just by looking up, he hadn’t done it in ages.
After finishing his meal, he was about to go back to work when his phone suddenly vibrated with a message.
Out of habit, he picked up Old Song’s phone first. Not that one. Then he looked at the silver phone. It was a message from Jin Luan.
[Should we go investigate the Star Summoning Society tonight? I have intel on where they might show up.]
Old Song stared at his phone for a long time, looking conflicted.
He seemed distracted when he went back to work after dinner.
Night fell. The moon hung from the branches.
He checked the time. It was past eight. He still left his post.
He met Jin Luan at exactly nine. On time, not late.
They nodded at each other in greeting.
Somehow, Jin Luan seemed more reserved than usual.
She used to be handsy and unrestrained, but now she was much more proper. She didn’t tease with words or try to take advantage physically.
Yin Lin vaguely sensed the change in Jin Luan but didn’t dwell on it.
Seeing Jin Luan carrying a bag, Yin Lin asked:
“Why are you bringing a bag? Going on a picnic?”
Jin Luan opened the backpack and took out its contents.
A miner’s helmet, silent flat shoes, cut-resistant gloves.
The sewers they were heading into were dark, so these things would come in handy for illumination.
It was a bit strange—she brought all this stuff, but in the end, only the miner’s helmet was actually useful.
About the silent flat shoes, Jin Luan asked:
“Yin Lin, you don’t usually wear high heels, do you? Want to switch to these?”
That was true, but Yin Lin couldn’t admit it:
“I do wear heels, normally. It’s just that the style and size of the Magical Girl uniform shoes are a bit uncomfortable.”
A weak excuse.
Jin Luan didn’t call her out. If she didn’t want to change shoes, fine.
After all, Magical Girls could fight in the air most of the time without needing their legs. What they wore didn’t matter much.
Especially for Yin Lin, who had an invincible turtle shell. She could even go completely naked and still have enough defense to crush low and mid-level demonic creatures.
The two entered the underground passage, slowly weaving through the stinking sewers.
Jin Luan kept glancing at the silver-haired girl beside her, noticing that although she clearly hated this place, she endured it quietly without complaining or asking to leave.
She felt that this girl had a maturity beyond her years, like those adults who claimed they could handle anything, even if the sky fell.
Adults always did things they hated but had to do.
Like work.
“Willfulness,” a natural human trait, was buried deep in the heart as people grew older.
Jin Luan sensed the same quality in the silver-haired girl.
Even though she clearly disliked the sewer environment, she still came here to investigate.
This kind of forbearance for the sake of benefit was exactly like an adult.
Noticing Jin Luan’s repeated glances, Yin Lin finally called her out.
“What? What’s there to look at?”
“I like looking at you. You’re beautiful.”
Jin Luan didn’t hide it, hitting her with a direct compliment again.
Yin Lin had to change the subject, chatting about other things, like the source of the intel.
Both of them got the information from Huang Yi.
Speaking of which, they couldn’t help but joke.
If Huang Yi were an enemy, a member of the Star Summoning Society, then Jin Luan and Yin Lin walking into this would be like walking into a trap.
After all, the info came from Huang Yi. If he were a spy, tricking them into the sewers would be perfectly normal.
Yin Lin gave a dry laugh.
Jin Luan couldn’t laugh. Her expression darkened.
She had some doubts about Huang Yi.
She was wanted, already somewhat hostile and disgusted with the Human Alliance.
Her relationship with Huang Yi was simply a matter of convenience, not even allies. Everyone got what they needed.
Song Wuli was different.
He and Huang Yi had resonance in age, work attitude, and gender, so naturally he felt more closeness to Huang Yi.
The deep interaction with Huang Yi at the Grand Theater that time gave him a better understanding of the guy’s character.
That guy was most likely a good person, a pure human, definitely not a traitor to humanity.
“We might need to pick up the pace. The Eastern Alliance knows we’re here. We don’t have much time.”
After mentioning Huang Yi, Jin Luan became serious.
“Okay.”
Yin Lin increased her flight speed.
The Eastern Alliance indeed knew their location.
New-type sensors were being installed across the city. These things were highly sensitive and had already detected the magic power emitted by their Magical Girl uniforms.
A simple analysis of the magic signature confirmed it was them.
After searching the sewers for an hour, Yin Lin suddenly made a discovery.
“Stop!”
Yin Lin called Jin Luan to a halt.
About three kilometers underground, there was a mana presence.
This was one of the small reasons Jin Luan had brought Yin Lin along.
Yin Lin’s perception ability was incredible. She was a perfect radar.