“What’s going on? Why was Zhao Haiping’s team arrested!? Don’t they know they’re rushing to repair the super-large star ring right now!?”
Su Daoling, the General Commander of the Interdimensional Customs, slammed his fist on the table in anger.
In front of Su Daoling stood a man in plain clothes, his hair also streaked with gray, but his face still carried an air of youthful vigor.
He faced the General Commander with an unchanging expression, calmly extinguishing his cigarette in the ashtray and said,
“We suspect that the recent large-scale shutdown of the Wangyue-class and the异人组织 (Alien Organization) are connected. Recently, our national security agents have uncovered some clues indicating that the Alien Organization is involved in some unsavory activities—not small-time trouble, but major moves.”
The man in plain clothes spoke with a heavy voice.
“And Zhao Haiping’s team is suspected of providing intelligence to the Alien Organization. We only dared to make arrests because of indirect evidence.”
“You can’t arrest them at such a critical moment! Even if you have to, wait until the Wangyue-class super-large star ring issue is fixed!”
General Commander Su Daoling looked at him firmly and unwaveringly.
“No, Zhao Haiping’s team is useless… or at least, they won’t be of much use. Whether it’s the Equator-class or Wangyue-class, the research is led by that person from the Alien Organization. If we want to repair the Wangyue-class super-large star ring, in the end, we still have to rely on that person from the Alien Organization.”
Hearing this, Su Daoling’s towering anger subsided somewhat.
It was, in a way, an embarrassing truth they refused to admit—
The strength of an entire country was still inferior in research capabilities to one organization.
Not that they were entirely inferior; the country could conduct multiple researches simultaneously, unlike the Alien Organization, which was too small.
But whenever the Alien Organization settled on a research plan, they were sure to produce results—often leading other countries by over ten years.
The Equator-class super-large star ring symbolized the splendid crystallization of human industrial civilization in this century, effectively curbing the unilateral ravaging of human society by dimensional beasts.
But without the Alien Organization’s development of the Singularity Core, the countries of the world would never have overcome this hurdle.
Mystical forces like “magic,” which all countries were clueless about, were quietly applied by the Alien Organization into the Singularity Core of the Wangyue-class super-large star ring from the very beginning.
Simply calling the Alien Organization’s research unit “gifted” was an understatement; they must have some extraordinary abilities to reach such a miraculous level.
Therefore, it was perfectly normal that Zhao Haiping’s team wouldn’t accomplish much.
“Commander Su, be honest with me—how far along are we in the research of ‘magic’?” the man in plain clothes asked seriously.
“You’re from national security; we’re not in the same system. Asking that is beyond your authority.”
“Please, just give me a hint. I believe the fact that the Wangyue-class Singularity Core uses magic as an alternative energy source is no coincidence. It’s a ‘time bomb’ the Alien Organization planted since the early development of the Wangyue-class. If the Alien Organization is making big moves now and succeeds, we’re in big trouble!”
Su Daoling’s expression moved.
“That can’t be. The Singularity Core’s malfunction was caused by recent anomalies in the Interdimensional Sea. The composition of the ‘Source’ we extracted changed. Could the Alien Organization have predicted the changes in the Interdimensional Sea?”
“Who knows? They always manage to surprise us.”
The man in plain clothes asked again, “I don’t need you to tell me the specific research directions. Just tell me—are our research results on magic higher than those of the Alien Organization?”
“…I’m ashamed to say no.”
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
Those three words conveyed enough information.
The man in plain clothes stood up to leave; he had already found a concrete direction for investigation.
***
The sky darkened.
Luo You tapped her fingers impatiently at the dinner table.
The clock in the living room showed 7:30 PM.
“I’m home—”
“So slow!”
Luo Zi’ning, just out of school, was scolded by Luo You as soon as she came in.
“Did you have club activities today? Coming home so late, and your phone was unreachable!”
Luo Zi’ning didn’t talk back but asked absentmindedly, “Dad… have you ever actually seen a super-large star ring?”
“Huh? Who hasn’t?”
“But have you ever personally been on one?”
“Tch, as if you’ve been on one!” Luo You scoffed disdainfully.
The super-large star ring was top military secret; under normal circumstances, her daughter, just a magical girl stationed in the mainland, had no chance of boarding it.
Luo Zi’ning pouted in dissatisfaction.
“So what if I really went on it!”
“You actually have been?”
“Uh, no, no…,” she averted her gaze guiltily.
Luo You narrowed her eyes slightly.
Looks like she did go up, and it was today.
[Why?]
Even a top magical girl fighting on the front lines of the Interdimensional Customs might not get on the super-large star ring, but Luo Zi’ning did?
Besides, why would Luo Zi’ning go to the Interdimensional Customs?
Luo You calmly called Luo Zi’ning over to eat, then casually asked while her daughter was still dazed, “By the way, has something happened recently at the Interdimensional Customs?”
“Yeah… the atmosphere there seems very tense, many magical girls… ah!”
Luo Zi’ning paused, then added, “That’s what people online say.”
“Heh… I’ll look it up later.”
Luo You already had a partial answer in her heart.
If the anomaly that Xue sensed came from the Interdimensional Customs, then this heavy ‘scent’ in the mainland meant that the Interdimensional Sea’s danger had spread to the mainland.
Well… it wasn’t her business to worry about.
Right now, what she needed to focus on was—
“Zi’ning, where does your sister live?”
“What do you want to do!?”
Luo Zi’ning was immediately wary.
“If you keep acting like this, I’ll call the police! She’s only in her twenties… oh, she’s an adult now… but still!”
“…Can’t you think well of me for once?”
Luo You was used to her daughter’s distrust and persistently coaxed her until she got Ji Meng’s address.
Next was to start the operation.
Bring that outstanding woman back from that nagging Li Yun.
The next day, Luo You went to the Jiuling Sea.
***
She first arrived at the address she got from Luo Zi’ning, then… barged right in!
Like a thief.
Like a wicked woman scheming against the resident, coveting their looks.
“Looks like no one’s lived here for a while,” Luo You murmured to herself.
But it was understandable—Ji Meng was the third of the Ten Seats, Xingyu, and recently the Interdimensional Customs had been troubled with many incidents; she didn’t have much free time to come back.
Though she knew Ji Meng’s address, Luo You had long confirmed that Ji Meng’s younger sister—Li Yun—couldn’t possibly live here.
If Li Yun lived here, and Luo Zi’ning came over on a day Ji Meng was away, wouldn’t Li Yun be exposed?
So Ji Meng must have a second residence where she usually lived with Li Yun.
“Although even Zi’ning doesn’t know where the second place is, there must be clues here…”
Magical girls were just magical girls, not anti-surveillance experts; they couldn’t leave no traces in this regard.
Sure enough, after a simple search, Luo You found a stack of heating bills in the drawer.
They not only listed this house’s address but also another property—still in the same building, just different floors, one on the third floor, the other on the sixth.
“Hmph… now that I’ve found it, it’ll be easy.”
Luo You smiled wickedly, ready to start guiding the magical nag now!