Infiltration

(Bai Ziye)

A sea of heads.

The underground pedestrian street is extremely crowded during holidays.

If I were to run at full speed, any ordinary person I touched would either be killed or seriously injured. Therefore, I had no choice but to return to this relatively spacious ground and run wildly along the city highway.

Yes, I meant the driveway.

The city has speed limits, so most vehicles can't keep up with me. Traffic jams and traffic lights are no problem for me, and there are no pedestrians to bother me. This track is surprisingly suitable for me.

However, time is moving at a normal pace for me; it's still quite a distance to get from here to the treatment facility.

"Sigh, they want to release the Shark Princess Witch."

Therefore, I don't think about certain things.

According to her mother, the business card with writing on it in the dressing room was slipped in an hour ago. No matter how much Ceruno's mother shopped and delayed them, they were almost at their destination.

I might not even make it in time. Although the cell was as sturdy as Switzerland bank vault, it was useless against the black-robed magical girl who had mastered teleportation magic.

If Falcon were here, it would be much faster to fly Past.

The Skyreach City Treatment Facility building is not as tall as the branch building, but it occupies a larger area and is surrounded by parks and green belts. The fact that the Association has acquired such a large piece of land in the heart of Skyreach City, where land is extremely valuable, demonstrates its strong financial resources.

Just as I was about to see the building, my phone rang with a drawn-out ringtone, forcing me to slow down.

"Miluno."

It was Yin Wei calling again, but the voice on the other end was...

"SpiCa, is there any new information?"

"Prosecutor Lu Linxi told me about your findings, and in fact, Ceruno reached the same conclusion... Where are you now?"

Oh, did that idiot discover something too?

"I'm almost at the treatment facility. I would have arrived by now if you hadn't called."

I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

SpiCa replied, "Very well, then don't go in yet."

"... Why?"

She seems to have some plans in mind.

"In 26 minutes, at 6 PM, it will be the time for the security shift to change shifts at the treatment facility. At that time, the upper-level security personnel will withdraw first, and the shift security personnel will not be able to go up so quickly. A-Ji will most likely seize that opportunity to launch his operation."

"Aren't there surveillance cameras in the upper floors?"

You still don't know about Yuehan... Ceruno's mother's magic, right?

"I don't know."

"In layman's terms, it's invisibility, a range of invisibility. It's speculated that it's activated in places where there's no direct sunlight, but it could also only be effective when the brightness is below a certain level. The exact extent of its effectiveness is still unknown, but surveillance will definitely be ineffective. They will most likely use this magic to infiltrate the medical facility and free the Shark Princess Witch imprisoned in the upper cells."

Invisibility is also a rather troublesome ability for me.

"They actually plan to rescue the witch? Has Ceruno's father truly betrayed her?"

I don't understand. His wife, whom he's been longing for, has woken up. Why continue doing this? If all else fails, going to jail would at least show some responsibility.

SpiCa replied, "I'm afraid it's to repay the Sword Witch. The technology to extract and forcibly control the Star Crystal, and that short-range wormhole that even magical girls can use—these are clearly aids from 'the Other Side,' and these aids certainly weren't free... He violated his principles; it's a serious betrayal, both to us and to himself."

The Sword Witch also insisted on calling Chairman Sun "my friend." Although Ceruno was their previous target, last night's battle only targeted me and Falcon, without harming Ceruno in the slightest.

It's strange, how did a "human" and a "witch" with Monster Heart become friends?

Could the Monster made Ryu protect Ceruno also be Sword Witch?

While pondering, SpiCa continued, "However, this matter must be handled with caution. If the existence of witches is exposed, the Association will truly be powerless in the battle of public opinion... Even those unsuspecting magical girls might turn against us because of this... Miluno, I know you have opinions about the Association, but this society cannot exist without the Association."

Because of the previous media reports, the Association was already in the eye of the storm. Now that the witch incident has been exposed, the situation is really out of control.

I know about that kind of thing.

I answered, then asked, "So what should I do now?"

"You stay put. Sirius has gone to provide support with the other magical girls. Before they make their move, you'd better not enter the treatment facility to avoid alerting them."

I'm wandering around the perimeter of the green belt, trying to find an angle where I can observe the entrance of the institution without being in the sun.

"No problem, but the treatment facility is so big, how do you know where they'll get in? Since they can turn invisible, you wouldn't even know if they've gotten in at all, right?"

"There are two locations: the fire escape in the shaded southeast direction, which is the most suitable entrance for them; and the direct elevator in the underground parking garage. Both places are monitored, so if there are instances where the doors are open but no one enters or exits, that's most likely the culprit."

"Only two places?"

"There are only two entrances. Unless they climb the ventilation ducts like you did before, but it's daytime now, and the noise in the ducts is bound to be noticed. Besides, once they're inside, it will be very difficult for us to pinpoint their location."

However, once Mom gets here, we'll have a way to track it down.

Even if you remain invisible, you'll still leave behind memories.

"That's the general plan, Miluno. Go get a walkie-talkie from the liaison officer nearby, and I'll add you to the action team's channel."

"... I see."

I've said it many times before, I hate the uncomfortable design of the Association's walkie-talkie, but it does make it less likely to fall off when you're using it, and it's much more convenient than a cell phone.

The latest contact person...

SpiCa sent me photos and location.

"Dining car?"

Who would have thought that the middle-aged woman selling expensive fried noodles at the entrance of a medical institution was actually the Association's liaison officer?

"Little girl, would you like to buy a serving of fried noodles?"

"Auntie, I'm here to pick up..."

"I'll buy a serving of fried noodles first!" she shouted even louder.

"... Then one will do."

After I paid, the quick-handed auntie fried me a bowl of noodles, but inside the opaque brown paper bag, besides the fried noodles container, there was also a small walkie-talkie.

I stuffed it into my ear, the front of the earphone went deep into the ear canal, and expanded to fix itself in place... Ugh, it still feels so uncomfortable.

"Hey, Miluno- chan~ We're on our way to you. This time we have plenty of manpower, so we definitely won't let you fight the witch alone!"

Sirius was playing in my headphones...

"Miss Moonlit Gale from D3 District? Nice to meet you! I'm Bai Ze, the magical girl from F3 District! I'm your fan!"

... and the voice of a magical girl that sounds troublesome.