After the drill ended, everyone was utterly exhausted, so they decided to rest for a few days before continuing to the next phase.
“I’ve reviewed the footage from this drill, Porcelain Moon. Do you have anything to say?” Ma Xinyin contacted Porcelain Moon remotely.
“There were indeed many aspects worth summarizing from this drill, but the most crucial battle wasn’t recorded.”
“You mean the fight between Ying Xian and Chen Lisi?”
“It seems that, aside from Chen Lisi, Miao Ke’er and Tian Lan were overwhelmed by fear—fear induced by Ying Xian. In battles between magical girls, psychological factors might be an extremely critical element.
“Moreover, the enemy was calmly manipulating the ‘Dream Realm’ technique. I think our current combat power is insufficient to confront enemies lurking in the shadows.”
At that moment, Lei Mang appeared behind Porcelain Moon.
“Miss Porcelain Moon, you’re right. To minimize potential casualties in future operations, I suggest equipping you with gear from the Saint Li Group.”
“However, the quotas for the most advanced combat suits are limited, so you’ll have to select the very best to equip.”
“We’ll talk about that later.” Ma Xinyin sent a file to Porcelain Moon.
“I trust Lei Mang; you can review this document,” Ma Xinyin said.
“What is this?” Porcelain Moon asked.
“You told me yesterday there was an anomaly detected within Jing’an City. After that, I deployed the best investigators across the city to track down related abnormalities.”
“We did find several clues. From those traces, we finally pinpointed the enemy’s operation terminal, likely located in the Old City District in the south of Jing’an City,” Ma Xinyin replied.
“That area… I’m not familiar with it. I heard it’s filthy and chaotic. They’ve tried to clean it up for a long time, but nothing’s changed.”
Lei Mang opened the file and examined it carefully before saying, “So, we need to immediately investigate the enemy’s exact position and then launch a raid.
“Don’t alert them prematurely. This investigation involves secret personnel from the Intelligence Bureau. If we act directly with the Magic Control Bureau’s forces, the enemy will definitely find out.”
“We can only proceed step by step, depending on the Intelligence Bureau’s progress.”
“Such a headache. That guy probably has transmission ability too. Escaping must be easy—can’t our researchers develop related technology?” Porcelain Moon complained.
“To develop that would be a big deal. As far as I know, the top researchers from the Saint Li Group are still limited to theoretical understanding of high-dimensional space.”
“If you want to distort space, the energy required would be astronomical,” Lei Mang said.
“What about Lin Xing?”
Ma Xinyin explained, “She’s special. We still don’t understand where her power comes from. Her Magical Core’s power is insufficient for space distortion.”
“Such a person being sent to the frontline is a waste. They should be dissected for research,” Lei Mang joked.
“That’s a bit…” Porcelain Moon was speechless.
“All right, next—Miss Lei Mang, could you leave for a moment? We’re going to discuss something highly confidential,” Ma Xinyin said to Lei Mang.
“Got it.”
Lei Mang left.
“Porcelain Moon, can you conduct investigations disguised as a man?”
“Old hag, probably not. I’ve told you before, whatever underwear I wear, the enemy knows it perfectly. There’s no secrecy,” Porcelain Moon replied.
“What color underwear are you wearing today? I still don’t know.”
“Old hag! What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, magical girls always stand out in a crowd, but an average-looking middle-aged man wearing old, ragged clothes with a bit of makeup? No one would recognize you, just like I know you’re Porcelain Moon but don’t know what underwear you’re wearing.”
“I’m wearing white underwear today, okay, now you know—since the enemy has the Dream Realm ability, it’s easy for them to spot a magical girl. They just need to sense the Magical Core. I would ‘tell’ them myself.”
“Simple—if you don’t wear underwear, no one can guess the color.” Porcelain Moon’s face instantly flushed red.
“You’re such an old pervert! What are you trying to say with this analogy?”
“Just remove your Magical Core. From what I know, the Dream Realm’s creation is related to the Magical Core. Without it, there’s no Dream Realm.”
“How am I supposed to fight the enemy then?”
“You don’t have to fight. What I need is investigation. Your identity is unique. I don’t fully trust anyone else in the Magic Control Bureau except you—you’re clearly on our side. But don’t worry, we have special methods to protect you.”
“What methods?”
“As you know, the Magical Core can find its own master. It can reflect certain high-dimensional traits and, without restraint, it will seek out its master.”
“But there’s a range limit.”
“We have Lin Xing.”
“I get it, I get it. But no matter what, this plan is too risky… If I’m caught by the enemy, it would be trouble.”
“With training, you can equip the Magical Core remotely within a short time and over a long distance. Lin Xing has trained in this kind of operation before, so you don’t have to worry.”
“When do we act?”
“The day after tomorrow. I think our intelligence officers have roughly pinpointed the location. Only a small area remains uncertain. Let’s discuss the detailed plan…”
“Is Miao Ke’er okay? Since she woke up, she’s been hiding under the covers. I’ve tried to pull the blanket off her, but no luck.”
“Kong Ling, she’s fine. Maybe she’s just afraid of me—but people have to overcome fear. If we’re going to fight the enemy in the future, this fear will resurface sooner or later. At least I won’t kill her, but the enemy might,” Porcelain Moon said.
“But… she’s only sixteen. I feel this is too much for her.” Kong Ling came over to Miao Ke’er’s bedside, concerned.
“There’s no way around it. This world is just that cruel.”
***
Elsewhere, Lin Shuqing cared for Tian Lan with the same mindset.
“That scared me to death. Ying Xian is practically a monster! If she wanted, she could have killed me!”
“She’s scarier than an Extradimensional Beast! I’d rather fight a Duke-Class Creature one-on-one than face her… it’s just… that… that…” Tian Lan stammered.
“Enough, Tian Lan, you’re about to lose coherence. No matter what, she’s our future comrade. The stronger our allies, the better, right?” Ziyuan said.
“Is she really that scary?”
Ye Liu, lying on a stretcher, was noticed by Li Jing and Xiao Si.
“Who beat you up this badly?” Li Jing, usually quiet, sounded angry this time.
Not far away, Lin Shuqing overheard Li Jing’s words and quickly slipped away.
“It’s nothing. You don’t get to know someone without fighting them. Besides, magical girls have strong self-healing abilities. I’ll be back to full strength in a few days.”
“I avenged you, Li Jing. Don’t be mad.” Xiao Si said.
“All right then, but next time you meet her, Ye Liu, don’t hold back!”