socalfunplaces Chapter 240 Advancement
Chapter 240 Advancement
Chapter 240 Advancement
Dark clouds loomed overhead, and the night was deep.
For most people in the world, this environment would allow them to get a good night's sleep, something they haven't done in a long time, but for some, it might be hard to sleep tonight.
Yandu, the headquarters office of the Demon Supervision Bureau.
Shangguan Su leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. In front of her, a professional woman who looked to be in her late twenties was intently reading a document.
The woman had purple hair, long and styled in a bun on top of her head, with a wisp of bangs falling steadily from her forehead and down the right side of her silver-rimmed glasses.
Her gaze was very focused, and her expression was unpredictable.
The file was uploaded just ten minutes ago. In addition to Chang Lei's statement, there was also a report from an action team leader, which described the situation in Bingcheng in detail.
In principle, as the head of the division, Chang Lei should be free to formulate the next steps in this matter, but it is clear that this problem has exceeded his authority.
The Shadow Clan's occupation of multiple surface worlds, the fall of newly born magical girls, and foreigners being attacked and kidnapped by evil forces within the country—each of these issues is extremely troublesome.
After an unknown amount of time, the woman gently put down the documents in her hand, raised her hand to rub her temples, and sighed softly.
"I knew it! If you dragged me out of my house in the middle of the night, it couldn't be anything good..."
"There's nothing I can do, Sister Qiu Yun. Who told you to be one of the four most powerful magical girls in the country?" Shangguan Su forced a smile. "Besides, do you think I really want to see you? The less often we meet, the safer the world will be."
The woman called Qiu Yun smiled slightly, but didn't say anything more.
As one of the few blue-level magical girls in the world, Qiu Yun has long since transcended the responsibility of protecting a single city.
Saying she's retired isn't quite accurate either; when Shangguan Su found her, Qiu Yun was still asking questions on Longhu Mountain.
Having reached her level, she no longer needs to personally deal with ordinary heretical demons and evil creatures. Unless a high-ranking official or an even more powerful being descends upon reality, she will not show herself on her own initiative.
For many years, Qiu Yun has been sensing the power of nature in the deep mountains far from the city, attempting to break through to become a Blue-level magical girl.
To reach the point where the rainbow crystal flower can bear fruit.
She wouldn't have gone down the mountain so casually if the Demon Surveillance Bureau hadn't come to her door.
"Wow, time really flies. Only a few years have passed, and the world has developed to the point where I don't even recognize it anymore."
Qiu Yun took off her silver-rimmed glasses, crossed her arms, and leaned back in her chair.
"Beasts unafraid of sunlight, heretical demons invading secret realms from the mythical era, magical girls exposed to the eyes of ordinary people, and now a new force has emerged..."
"Shangguan, do you know that back when I was active, my biggest worry was the monster in the mirror?"
"Greedy people, huh? I know these guys. They've been missing for seven years." Shangguan Su tilted her head.
"Yes, I've read the bureau's report. It seems all the clues point to them disappearing, but I still feel like something's not quite right."
"You suspect that this newly formed Shadow Clan might be related to the missing Greedy Ones?" Shangguan Su asked, frowning.
"Perhaps. The demise of one world and the rise of another are both vastly different from heretics. If there is any connection between them, it is probably time."
Qiu Yun's long years of seclusion did not diminish her combat experience; on the contrary, she had more time to reflect on and review her past combat experiences.
"After the Greedy Ones disappeared, the Shadow Clan emerged, and the fact that they could invade the real world without needing a breach is no coincidence. The only difference, perhaps, lies in..."
Qiu Yun lightly tapped the document with her index finger.
"The greedy ones transform into humans, while the Shadow Clan extends their reach to magical girls."
"This is what's giving me the biggest headache. Every magical girl is a treasure, and no one can be missing. But the problem is that we can't currently observe the awakening of magical girls and make the corresponding preparations."
Shangguan Su sighed deeply and continued.
"Whether it's a spirit beast or a rainbow crystal flower, that kind of inheritance cannot be detected by technology. We can't be sure who the next magical girl will be, let alone which animal will awaken into a spirit beast, but the Shadow Clan is obviously able to act before us."
"Just like this time, the pet store's surveillance footage showed that a rabbit opened its cage and slipped out under the cover of night. She had barely left when the Shadows caught up with her."
"During this time, since there were no magical girls in Ice City, no one discovered the existence of these Shadows. By the time the Shadows launched their attack, it was already too late."
Listening quietly to Shangguan Su's words, Qiu Yun's face was also rather gloomy. This kind of thing was not troublesome in itself, but it was extremely disgusting.
Like the Shadow Clan, the Shadow Clan are all low-level enemies, and even a newly awakened magical girl could easily defeat them.
The problem is that if such an entity launches a sneak attack while a magical girl is awakening, the threat it poses will be enormous, since the Magical Supervision Bureau cannot protect everyone.
Shangguan Su sat up straight and said, "This report needs to be sent up after dawn, so we need to come to a conclusion within this timeframe."
Qiu Yun frowned slightly. "Shangguan, if I remember correctly, this report was provided by Deputy Director Chang, right?"
?
"Yes, Deputy Director Chang took on the role of person in charge of the Northeast region. He's usually quite busy and might not even be able to attend meetings, so you haven't met him. However, you have met his secretary," Shangguan Su replied.
Nodding slightly, Qiu Yun didn't think much of it and instead asked, "Since this happened in Deputy Director Chang's jurisdiction..."
"Besides, he submitted the report himself, so didn't he offer any suggestions?"
"Suggestion..." Shangguan Su paused, then sighed. "Deputy Director Chang still holds the same opinion, hoping we can implement the three-person team policy as soon as possible."
Qiu Yun pondered for a moment. "A three-person team... is it a combination of a magical girl, a spirit beast, and a flower fairy?"
"That's it. The Flower Fairy can detect the movements of the Shadow Clan, just like a Spirit Beast can sense gaps in the Outer Path. It also has a certain degree of recovery ability, making it an excellent support."
"What do we need to discuss? Isn't this a good thing?"
Qiu Yun frowned, somewhat puzzled.
"Assign Flower Fairies to cities where no magical girls have been born, to constantly monitor negative energy and the Shadow Clan. Once a new magical girl is detected, the bureau will immediately dispatch the nearest magical girl to provide support, even if the Shadow Clan gets there first."
They probably don't have enough time either.
Hearing Qiu Yun's suggestion, Shangguan Su took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, and said in a deep voice.
"I am well aware of what you are saying, but the problem now is that the cooperation with the Flower Fairy Clan has encountered some difficulties."
"Difficulties?" Qiu Yun thought for a moment. "Do they distrust the Flower Fairies, or do they believe the Flower Fairy clan will betray them at a crucial moment?"
"Both are true, but that's not the most important thing. Actually, the higher-ups have already decided to cooperate with Flower Fairy."
"Then why return it?"
"The divine tree fell." Shangguan Su looked up at Qiu Yun and said. "You must have seen the scene the day the divine tree fell, right?"
Qiu Yun didn't speak, but nodded subconsciously.
Then Shangguan Su continued.
"The Divine Tree has fallen under the influence of magic, and the effects have spread throughout the entire Eastern Hemisphere. It's not just within the country; even magical girls abroad have seen it. However, no one can say for sure where exactly it happened."
"If we cooperate with the Flower Fairy Clan at this time, once the Flower Fairy Clan is exposed, everyone will know that the Divine Tree fell in our country, and they will also know that we have more than just magical girls."
"Sister Qiu Yun, you haven't been down the mountain long, so you don't know, but in addition to this report, Deputy Director Chang also provided some information about overseas countries."
"Although I don't know how he obtained the information, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that some forces abroad have already begun contacting heretics..."
"The Shadow Clan may seem like a small fry, but they are a powerful force with far-reaching consequences. Now you know why I find this matter so troublesome."
Inside the office, Chang Lei gave a wry smile and looked at Tang Zijun across from him.
"This time, I'm afraid you won't be able to just charge through like you used to."
"As can be seen from the surface world being corrupted by the power of shadow, the shadow world has no reflection. Since we cannot enter, we can only passively fight back. At this time, the only thing we can rely on is the Flower Fairy."
"But the progress on the Flower Fairy side has run into difficulties. We can't just tell them directly that the Flower Fairy clan is now your kin."
"But don't worry, that little snake in the south has already started to make its move. It's estimated that in a couple of days it will arrange for the Flower Fairy Queen to meet with the higher-ups, and after that, it's hard to say what will happen."
"Are you going to the meeting?" Tang Zijun suddenly asked.
"I?!"
Upon hearing this, Chang Lei immediately shook his head repeatedly.
"I'm not going. What would I do there? The situation in Harbin isn't even resolved yet. Just you wait and see, once that foreign girl wakes up, there will probably be a whole lot of trouble."
Tang Zijun pouted. "You're just afraid those blue-level magical girls will see through your true form, aren't you?"
"That's just one of the reasons."
Chang Lei did not deny it.
"Many high-ranking officials will be present at the meeting, and I'm worried that the Shadow Clan might take advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble."
"Don't forget, if we really cooperate with the Flower Fairy Clan, it could be a devastating blow to the Shadow Clan."
"The Shadow World itself doesn't have high-end combat power, and you've intercepted their negative energy. Now their only option is to target the new magical girls."
"If even this road is cut off, then they are completely finished."