Chapter 13

Jiang Si was taken to a private room.

The location of the Disaster Strategy Bureau was so peculiar that, generally speaking, no one should be able to infiltrate it.

But as everyone knows, wherever there are people, there are always loopholes, and the Disaster Strategy Bureau was no exception.

Otherwise, the Qingyun Sect wouldn't have been able to plant an insider within the Bureau.

Moreover, since magical girls existed in this world, other bizarre supernatural powers must exist as well.

Things like disguises, invisibility, or teleportation were all possibilities; infiltrating this place was not an impossibility.

As a new magical girl, Jiang Keke's status within the Disaster Strategy Bureau went without saying.

The Bureau had been waiting for a newcomer with bated breath; they naturally wouldn't dare to neglect such a precious treasure.

Let alone arrest him.

In fact, when they took Jiang Si away, they had gone through the full process of "ideological work" with Jiang Keke, telling her they were merely conducting a separate inquiry.

As it turned out, they turned around and locked him in a room that looked exactly like an interrogation room.

Naturally, Jiang Si wasn't particularly panicking.

Over the years, while collecting magical girls, Bing Tang had naturally acquired many strange abilities.

For example, spatial-type abilities like position swapping.

Magical girl abilities were diverse and lacked a fixed pattern; through the enhancement and development of an ability, even the simplest mechanism could eventually manifest incredible power.

For instance, position-swapping magic might have started as something like "Magical Hand," a physical attack ability.

Later, somehow, it had been developed into position swapping.

For Jiang Si, if his identity were truly exposed, he could simply use position swapping to leave.

However, doing so would completely confirm his identity, and he likely wouldn't be able to live a normal life in BH City afterward.

It was best not to do that unless absolutely necessary.

Furthermore, Bing Tang had told him that there was an insider within the Disaster Strategy Bureau who would step in to help if anything went wrong.

Thus, Jiang Si was in no hurry, content to slowly observe how the situation developed.

"Susan, he is Jiang Keke's brother. Jiang Keke is a newcomer the Bureau has waited a long time for. You arrested her brother the moment you arrived; how will she view us in the future? If word gets out, who will want to join us as a new magical girl?"

"As long as word doesn't get out, it's fine."

"Jiang Keke is a magical girl; your memory-erasing tricks won't work on her."

"I know. I have plenty of ways to ensure she doesn't speak, Miss Yinluo."

"You aren't planning on laying a hand on a magical girl, are you?"

The speaker was a tall woman with long red hair, wearing dark-rimmed glasses and professional office attire.

Her features bore some resemblance to Yinlian, though she appeared more mature. She held a stack of documents in her left hand and occasionally adjusted her glasses with her right, her expression somewhat helpless.

She was Yinlian's older sister and also a civilian staff member of the Bureau. When Jiang Si was brought in, Yinlian had immediately contacted her sister for help.

This was the primary reason Jiang Si had not yet been interrogated.

And the one confronting her was the blonde girl in military uniform who had arrested him.

Susan.

In appearance, she seemed to be of mixed race, possessing a commanding presence and a gaze that carried a hint of arrogance.

Hearing the challenge, she lifted her chin slightly. "I am not that stupid, Miss Yinluo."

"I require to accompany you during his interrogation."

"That is not according to regulations."

"Your unauthorized arrest of Jiang Si is also not according to regulations. We do not have the authority to imprison the relatives of magical girls, Miss Susan. He has only just signed an employment contract for Jiang Keke."

...

After the argument continued for a while, Susan and Yinluo eventually walked in together.

One was expressionless with cold eyes, while the other had a kind smile and a gentle tone. "You must be Jiang Keke's brother, Mr. Jiang Si."

As she spoke, she poured a cup of hot water for Jiang Si and pushed it toward him. "Please do not be nervous. We will only conduct a simple inquiry, and you will be allowed to leave once it is finished. As Jiang Keke's brother, you are a distinguished guest to us; we will not make things difficult for you..."

"Just now, at exactly 2:41 PM, when you stepped off the broom carriage, you passed through the clouds and fell downward, correct?"

Although he hadn't seen surveillance footage, there should be similar equipment near the Bureau, given how precise the time was.

In reality, the exact moment he had failed to step on the clouds and fell was 2:41:29 PM.

Jiang Si's long-term training and meditation had given him a simulated clock in his mind, making him extremely sensitive to every second.

Therefore, he knew Susan wasn't talking nonsense; she had indeed viewed surveillance or something similar.

"Yes," Jiang Si naturally did not deny it. "I passed by North Second High School yesterday and happened to encounter a Bat Disaster Beast. I was contaminated by the beast's blood, which is why I couldn't step on the clouds. That is what Yinlian said."

Yinluo glanced at Susan and smiled. "That is indeed the case. Previously, a magical girl was also contaminated by a disaster beast without being cleansed, and she nearly fell when she arrived here."

Susan remained noncommittal. "The contamination doesn't last a full day."

"Every person's constitution is different, not to mention he is an ordinary human. A magical girl's purification speed would be much faster, wouldn't it?"

This time, Susan finally stopped denying it.

Yinluo breathed a sigh of relief. "In any case, it is best for ordinary people to stay away from disaster beasts. The contamination brought by a disaster beast's mana lasts a long time; not only will it cause illness, but it will also make one irritable and prone to anger."

"I understand."

"There is also an agreement here that we hope you can sign, regarding the hope that you will not disclose the details of this interrogation..."

"Wait, I haven't said we can end this yet."

Susan immediately interrupted Yinluo, who was attempting to conclude the interrogation. "Do not act on your own authority. There are still many suspicious points about him. We need to continue testing whether he can pass through the clouds."

"Miss Susan." This time, Yinluo's tone finally carried a hint of severity. "An ordinary person's contamination lasts at most half a month. Do you intend to imprison him for half a month?"

"We can perform a purification ritual for him."

"He is an ordinary human, not a magical girl. A purification ritual causes memory loss and physical damage." Yinluo tapped the table. "I could very well file a lawsuit against you, Miss Susan!"

Susan did not back down in the slightest. She lifted her head and looked at her coldly. "We lost three Seeds, Yinluo. If the person before us is the culprit who stole the three Seeds, no one can bear the responsibility of letting him go like this."

"I can guarantee that he is absolutely not the one who stole the Seeds."

The two had completely ignored Jiang Si, becoming immersed in their own dispute. At this point, Yinluo seemed less like she was helping Jiang Si and more like she was fighting for her own pride, becoming heated. "I will guarantee him using my position! If he is the thief who stole the Seeds, I am willing to take full responsibility!"

Jiang Si couldn't help but glance sideways. The woman looked like a mature white-collar professional at first glance, but she was actually quite emotional.

The argument had escalated in just a few sentences, and she had directly offered a guarantee.

The habitually cold Susan finally curled her lips into a smirk, then quickly nodded. "Since you've said so, then write a report to the Director when the time comes. If any issues are discovered regarding Jiang Si in the future, you will bear all the responsibility personally."

Yinluo maintained her smile. "Fine, no problem."

She then adjusted her glasses, though her hand trembled slightly.

Jiang Si knew that Yinlian's sister was likely not as calm and composed as she appeared on the surface.

Provoked by Susan's two sentences, she had made a promise and taken the burden of this matter upon herself...

"Can we let him go now?"

Yinluo clearly did not want to continue bickering over this matter and stood up decisively. "I will take responsibility for whatever happens. Since you are so afraid of trouble, you might as well resign from this position sooner or later."

"It is difficult to get me dismissed. But as for you, Miss Yinluo—if anything unusual happens to Jiang Si, not only will your position be lost, but your sister's status as a Captain will likely be revoked as well."

Her expression stiffened slightly, but Yinluo still said firmly, "That is none of your concern."

With that, she stepped forward, unlocked the handcuffs on Jiang Si's hands, and led him out of the interrogation room by the hand. "If there's nothing else, we'll be going."

"As you wish."

As they walked out of the room, Jiang Si instinctively wanted to look back.

The Yinluo in front of him immediately lowered her voice and said, "Don't look back."

Jiang Si had originally wanted to see if Susan would follow, but this warning immediately made him behave.

It wasn't until they reached the stairwell, preparing to go downstairs, that Yinluo explained, "That woman is extremely suspicious. If you even glance at her, you'll be arrested and interrogated for a while longer."

"Is she really that unreasonable?"

"Susan used to be a magical girl. Later, due to some minor errors by the Disaster Strategy Bureau, she lost her Miracle Seed and could no longer transform. To compensate her, the Bureau gave her the position of Head of the Security Department. She has a lot of power, and ever since she lost her ability to transform, she's been like someone going through menopause—she loves finding trouble with others. It's due to her dissatisfaction with life..."

Hearing Yinluo's somewhat caustic evaluation, Jiang Si chuckled inwardly. As expected, official organizations were all the same, plagued by internal strife.

Even those bearing the name of "magical girl" were not exempt from such things.

Yinluo also felt she had been a bit too harsh and added, "Anyway, she and I have never gotten along. This time wasn't just to help you; it was mainly to save my own face."

*I see. A person of passion.*

Jiang Si did not comment on this, but instead asked, "If I really am a suspicious person, you'll be the one to suffer, won't you?"

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, I never liked this position much."

A hint of loneliness appeared in her eyes. "If I could have been a magical girl, who would want to work in the rear..."

Realizing she had spoken too much, Yinluo immediately changed her tune. "Haha, sorry, I said too much. Everything you've done since coming to the Bureau has been recorded. I've seen it; there is absolutely nothing unusual. Moreover, my sister Yinlian also said that you are definitely not a suspicious person. I believe Yinlian, and I believe you."

"I will try my best not to become a suspicious person."

Yinluo smiled, thinking Jiang Si was quite humorous.

As they went downstairs, they found that the two Incubators at the counter were gone; the entire hall was empty.

Jiang Keke was sitting on a bench opposite the counter, holding her previous employment contract, looking as quiet as if she were in a classroom.

Yinlian was pacing back and forth nearby, clearly anxious.

As Jiang Si came down, he heard Keke complaining to Yinlian, "Can you stop pacing? You're making me dizzy."

"You aren't worried at all that your brother was arrested."

"Nothing is going to happen. The Bureau is an official organization; what's there to fear?"

"You're only not afraid because you don't know. Senior Susan is very terrifying!"

"She can't exactly kill people, can she? As for imprisonment, it's not a big deal. It might actually give him a chance to train in peace."

"I feel like your relationship as siblings is quite poor; you bear a lot of responsibility too, Keke..."

"Say whatever you want."

When Jiang Si followed Yinluo down and the two girls noticed him, Yinlian was the first to run over, happily grabbing her sister's arm. "As expected of my big sister, being able to fish someone out from Susan's hands!"

Jiang Keke stood up briefly, her gaze lingering on her brother for a second before she sat back down without approaching him.

Yinluo found her sister's attitude somewhat strange and patted her head. "There was nothing to begin with; Susan was in the wrong. However, since the Miracle Seeds are lost, the higher-ups have divined that the Witches' Society will find the Bureau's location. Yinlian, you must be careful."

"Don't worry, sister! Once I find them, I'll definitely give them a heavy blow!"

Yinlian threw two vigorous punches into the air.

Jiang Si, standing nearby, frowned slightly.

The Witches' Society—an organization that spreads Seeds of Sorrow and breeds Disaster Beasts.

Jiang Si had heard Bing Tang mention before that this group had caused significant trouble for the Qingyun Sect as well.

Their goal was to hunt magical girls, and the members of the Qingyun Sect were naturally within their scope.

Because the initiation ritual was too cruel, Bing Tang had been unable to let Qingyun Sect members infiltrate the Witches' Society.

In terms of scale and notoriety alone, the Witches' Society could not actually compare to the Qingyun Sect or the Disaster Strategy Bureau—at least not in the North Sea.

They were just a roadside gang, yet they had managed to steal Miracle Seeds from the Bureau.

The Bureau was truly incompetent.

But why had Bing Tang been one step slower than the Witches' Society? Or had the divination been wrong?

As he was thinking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from upstairs.

Susan came walking down again, accompanied by three soldiers.

Yinluo frowned and was about to step in front to block her when Susan suddenly threw out a document.

"The application for the cloud test has been approved. The higher-ups have requested that I conduct the test on Jiang Si alone."

Yinluo pointed at Susan in anger. "You!"

A hint of contemptuous laughter appeared on Susan's cold face. "What 'you'? If you have any dissatisfaction, take it up with the Director. The document has been given to you, and Yinlian has seen it as well. This is a legal and compliant test. If you continue to obstruct, it will be a violation on your part."

Yinluo clearly hadn't expected that, despite her previous promise, Susan would immediately apply for the cloud test.

But the document was right there in black and white; even with her status in the Bureau, she couldn't do anything about it for the moment.

Yinlian was also full of helplessness.

Jiang Si knew he couldn't avoid the current situation, so he took the initiative to walk forward. "It's fine, I'll just do a test. You all wait here for a bit; don't leave yet, or I won't be able to find my way back."

These words eased the atmosphere somewhat. Jiang Keke, who was still looking down at the employment contract—having read it countless times—replied indifferently, "Then hurry up. It's too late, and no one will be waiting for you."

"Hey, hey, I'll wait, I'll wait! It's fine," Yinlian patted her chest. "I'll definitely bring you back!"

"Mm."

Yinlian's serious tone as a magical girl actually provided a sense of reassurance.

Susan sneered beside them but said nothing, merely tugging at Jiang Si. "Shall we?"

Thus, he followed behind Susan back toward the second floor.

This time, they went to a different room, the last one on the east side. This room was more enclosed and even somewhat light-proof.

Only after Susan closed the door, leaving the other soldiers outside, did she slowly sit down, facing him directly.

In the pitch-black room, the pressure was immense. Just as Jiang Si was considering how to handle the cloud test, Susan suddenly turned her head. In the darkness, her lips moved slightly, her voice barely audible

"Heaven and Earth are heartless."

Jiang Si froze, then lowered his voice as well: "They treat all things as straw dogs."

The previously cold woman immediately cupped her hands in a respectful gesture, her expression softening. "Fellow Daoist, my apologies for the offense."