Came Up Empty-Handed

(Sun Yao)

Phase-Detection Airship are a prime example of grid-based cities.

The city was crudely divided into grids of equal size, with the size of each area depending on the airship's surveillance range.

These giant steel balloons are basically suspended in the sky all year round, except when they need to return to the dock for maintenance or during extreme weather such as typhoons. From the ground, they look about the size of Matchbox, but their actual size is much larger than I imagined.

Miss SpiCa sighed, "The Association has spent a lot of manpower and resources setting up these airships to provide early warning of wormholes and protect citizens, yet some people still feel they are being monitored and are expressing their dissatisfaction."

Auntie shrugged at this.

"Human beings never learn from history. Many people think that the war twelve years ago happened a long time ago, but they forget that the war is not over yet."

Although I hate to admit it, I used to belong to that group of people too.

That's why he went to the site of the wormhole blockade, just to witness the magical girls' battle firsthand, but ended up causing Heat Haze to end up in this state.

Of course I hope my mother can wake up, but if the price has to be paid by Heat Haze...

As it approached the airship, the Falcon slowed down.

To be precise, it was Miluno deactivated the Time Acceleration, and time slowed down for her and Miss Falcon.

"This distance should be about right, Director SpiCa. Please have Secretary-General Anjie open a door for us."

After hearing her aunt's words, Miss SpiCa also cautioned, "Be prepared for battle. There's a possibility there are other magical girls inside the research lab who have forcibly fused with the Star Crystal, so don't let your guard down."

The airship is large, but the research lab is probably not that big. After all, it needs to maintain the normal operation of the airship's functions, so it's impossible to free up too much space. Perhaps, as Aunt Lin Xi said, this is just a life support pod to keep her mother alive.

Miss Anjie, manipulated by SpiCa, raised her hand, and a red magic, unlike the Bloodline, unfolded in a ring before us.

"It's very close to a wormhole, but it's not a wormhole... It was developed based on wormhole technology, not her magic."

"This isn't magic?"

The aunt replied, "The magic she received as a magical girl is undoubtedly that barely visible Bloodline. It's probably a trick created by a third-party organization, which Chairman Sun used as a front door."

"Does a third-party organization outside the Association have this kind of technical capability?"

"It's not a very complicated technology. It's precisely because they can't handle wormholes that they're struggling with this short-range application. The distance traveled is short enough that the pressure inside the wormhole is much lower, so ordinary people can pass through... Little Eagle, are you impatient? Then let's go in!"

Falcon, who was worried about his friend, had been waiting impatiently. At this moment, his aunt gave the order, and the light from her braids surged, pulling us headlong into the Teleportation Halo that looked like a "wormhole".

The expected impact sound.

The space inside the airship cabin is limited, and the research room wouldn't be too big either. Falcon, rushing over at that speed, would definitely have crashed into the wall. She was unharmed because of my Bubble Membrane, but we inside the large bubble were thrown around in a daze.

I removed the bubbles.

Falcon drew his revolver from his waist and shouted, "Don't move! Police!"

"They're not police officers, are they?"

Miluno, who was equally unharmed, glanced at her and then pulled me up from the ground.

Although it's not large, this research institute hidden inside the airship is divided into several rooms, and where we are currently is like an office.

The only room connected to the office must have been the one my aunt mentioned... my mother's life support capsule.

"Um, you are...?"

The male researcher in the white lab coat stood up groggily. There was no one else around; it seemed he was the only one on duty.

However, researchers from all the research institutes dress in roughly the same way.

The aunt patted her bottom and stood up, then took out her identification documents.

"Association, Prosecutorate! Do I need to read your lines from the script again?"

The researcher was taken aback at first, and then began to panic.

"Prosecutors... wait! You've misunderstood! This isn't some illegal research facility, and I'm not a heartless scientist!"

Oh, is this a case of admitting guilt without being asked?

However, this middle-aged man's scholarly appearance certainly didn't resemble that of a scientist from a criminal organization, but his aunt said, "To deny your identity over such a trivial matter, do you deserve the white coat you're wearing!"

"I... I'm really not a researcher! I'm just a doctor!"

"Doctor? Whose doctor?"

He avoided eye contact and replied, "I... I was hired to be specifically in charge of the health of a distinguished patient..."

"A patient? Hmm, you mean this is a VIP ward?"

"Yes, yes, yes." The uncle nodded repeatedly.

"And then today another patient came in... a magical girl with her whole body in casts, only her left hand could move?"

"Um, the one that can move is the right hand."

The middle-aged man, who identified himself as a doctor, corrected him in a low voice.

"Good, looks like we've come to the right place."

Bang--

Falcon could no longer contain his rage and fired a shot at the man's leg with his revolver. Although the bullet missed, it startled the man so much that he fell to the ground, and it was unclear whether he wet himself.

Miluno coldly reminded him, "Hey, firing a gun in a small room like this is dangerous."

"Relax, the bullet's trajectory is also within my control... But the next shot won't be a warning. Answer our questions honestly, no tricks allowed!"

"But... but this really is a hospital ward."

"Still trying to be stubborn? Aren't there a whole bunch of research instruments inside?"

Auntie's magic allows her to see other people's memories; she clearly saw something in Miss Anjie's head, which is why she said this was a research institute.

"Instruments? How do you know? But those are for monitoring patients' vital signs... You should know about the ICU, right? The patients here are in worse condition than over there!"

"... The patient you mentioned is very likely my mother."

I knelt down in front of him and patiently said, "The other patient is my friend. Could you let me see them?"

"Oh, this... I'm afraid that won't work... Ohhh!!"

Miluno also drew her short sword and held it to the man's neck, but she said nothing; that alone was enough to intimidate him.

But I always feel like what we're doing now doesn't quite resemble magical girls...

Aunt Lin Xi took the name tag off his neck.

"The search is mandatory; there's no need to consult him. Ceruno, go in and take a look with this."

"Um!"

Use the uncle's name tag to open the door to the research lab.

My mother is there; it's been almost ten years since I last saw her—a long time that has made even my memories blurry.

"... Huh?"

However, there was no one in the room.

There were only two VIP hospital beds that were still warm.

Back in the office, the middle-aged researcher was already trampled underfoot by Miluno. He seemed to feel fooled, and his expressionless face revealed obvious displeasure.

The aunt demanded, "Where is he? What happened?"

"That's why I said no... the person was just taken away."

Who picked them up?

"I... I can't say for sure... but you should already know the answer, right?"

"If you don't want to talk about it, then let me see!"

The aunt put on sunglasses, grabbed the uncle's hair, and her eyes gleamed red again.