Magical Girls? There's No Going Back! Chapter 33

After ????'s research, it was suspected that Containment Object 9999-2 had a close connection to Containment Object 0000. ???? speculated that its birth had most likely been caused by some trigger activating Containment Object 0000's self-defense mechanism.

After extensive comparative testing, it was confirmed that Containment Object 9999-2 and Containment Object 9999-4 were actually the same entity. The difference in their manifestations might merely be due to the ???? they occupied within dreams.

9999-2 always wore an eye patch. ??????????????????, and any attempt to remove it would provoke fierce resistance.

During communication experiments, 9999-2 claimed to be the younger sister of Containment Object 0000 ???????. However, whenever matters related to 0000 were mentioned, 9999-2 displayed abnormal fear.

After numerous attempts at communication, 9999-2 was considered one of the milder Alice Fragments. The basis for this conclusion was that she had never subjectively killed, or attempted to kill, any researcher who communicated with her.

9999-2's personality was unstable. At times, she could communicate; at others, she refused to do so. It was speculated that this was related to ?????????.

9999-2 appeared to feed on human dreams. No effects on humans whose dreams had been eaten had yet been discovered.

It was strictly forbidden to contemplate or study the philosophical significance of 9999-2. Doing so might cause one to question the authenticity of the real world, become unable to distinguish reality from dreams, or even lead to ??.

All researchers unanimously agreed that 9999-2 was extremely cute.

Special Containment Procedures:

9999-2 had to be kept within a safe dream. Any stimulating or intense dream could cause her to undergo an unknowable mutation.

It had been confirmed that 9999-2 could move freely through human dreams. According to ????'s estimates, the theoretical maximum distance was 35.7 kilometers.

Based on the above theory, the special containment procedures for 9999-2 were as follows:

Prepare ten to fifteen physically and mentally healthy volunteers with strong wills for rotation at any time. While on standby, volunteers had to maintain healthy lifestyles. Viewing violent material or ???? was strictly prohibited, as was the use of any psychoactive drugs or similar products.

9999-2 should be kept within a volunteer's dream. The volunteer should safely enter the dream with the Guardian Abbey's specialized equipment.

The volunteer storing 9999-2 had to have at least two substitutes on standby. Their physical data had to be monitored at all times, and the handover procedure initiated immediately upon detecting any abnormalities.

During the handover procedure, the substitute volunteer needed to approach the current volunteer under strict supervision and use the equipment to fall asleep.

Only after it was detected that the substitute volunteer had entered light sleep could the current volunteer be awakened, forcing 9999-2 to move into the substitute volunteer's dream.

Throughout this process, there must not be any sleeping humans other than the volunteers within a spherical radius of 37.21 kilometers around her.

If, during the handover procedure, both individuals were awake at the same time, 9999-2 would automatically enter an unclaimed dream.

At that point, the volunteers had to be forced to remain where they were, and magical girls capable of entering dreams had to be summoned immediately to recapture 9999-2 within the unclaimed dream.

Before the capture was complete, no one was permitted to enter or leave the 37.21-kilometer area.

When stimulated by certain dream scenarios, such as ????, 9999-2 might attack volunteers or magical girls entering dreams, preventing them from waking up and trapping them in endlessly repeating dreams. She might also attempt to interfere with the dream-entry process through her projection in reality.

If such a situation occurred, ?????? had to be activated immediately to suppress her.

Magical girls immune to mental attacks—of whom only ??, ??, and ?? had currently been found—could ignore any attack from 9999-2 and proceed directly into the dream to capture her.

According to ????'s instructions, as few people as possible should know of 9999-2's existence.

Other than ????, only those with Class A clearance could access the relevant files.

Latest Report on Containment Object 9999-2:

Influenced by Containment Object 9999-5 ??????????, Containment Object 9999-2 had now escaped. According to the latest intelligence, 9999-2 was currently located in the Church jurisdiction around Flower River City.

In accordance with the principle of preventing her existence from becoming known, ???? recommended dispatching a small team to capture her in secret.

Since the vast majority of relevant researchers had been dispatched to ???? to capture 9999-5, only ????'s disciple ?? and field unit member ??, who possessed mental immunity, could be sent to carry out the capture operation.

On the fifteenth day of the capture mission, ?? and ?? lost contact for unknown reasons. Negotiations with the Church were currently underway, with the aim of properly resolving Alice's escape and rescuing the two field operatives. A full report on the incident was being compiled.

The entire document was not particularly long. Li Xuan quickly read through it carefully, committing the important contents firmly to memory.

What puzzled him, however, was that many important pieces of information in the file had been deliberately omitted. He did not know whether it was intentional or due to some other consideration.

"The redacted parts weren't my doing. The original file was already like this. It's the Guardian Abbey's confidentiality measure. Only those with the relevant clearance, or the Guardian Abbey's upper management, can access the complete records."

Li Sijie saw Li Xuan's confusion and took the initiative to explain.

"Didn't you even kidnap the Church's president? How come the Guardian Abbey's upper management is too much for you?" Li Xuan teased.

"Don't try to provoke me. I really can't afford to provoke that person from the Guardian Abbey. She's nothing like the Church president, who was so gentle that even while tied up, she was still thinking about persuading me to turn back from my misguided ways and even wanted to hear my confession." Li Sijie smiled.

"I never thought there'd be someone in this world you couldn't handle." Li Xuan smiled and handed the phone back to Li Sijie.

"I have a question. What does the Containment Object mentioned in this file mean? I heard the Guardian Abbey specializes in sealing monsters. What's the relationship between the two?"

"They overlap a great deal. Most Containment Objects are actually monsters, but compared to ordinary monsters, they often possess unimaginable traits and require unique measures to control them, at least until the Guardian Abbey finds a way to destroy or use them. But judging from this file, they apparently don't consider Mian Yin to be a monster." Li Sijie said.

"That's right. I can't sense any monster aura from her either. But they seem convinced that Mian Yin isn't very dangerous, so it should be fine for me to let her live in my dream, right?" Li Xuan asked.

"I think it's safe. The Guardian Abbey does things very rigorously. If there were real danger, they would definitely emphasize it repeatedly." Halfway through speaking, Li Sijie suddenly heard a rumbling sound.

"Sorry. I've been busy this whole time. It seems like I haven't eaten anything." Li Xuan patted his stomach and smiled awkwardly.

"Then perfect. I bought discounted beef this morning, and there are still noodles left from what I rolled yesterday. I'll make you a bowl." Without waiting for Li Xuan to agree, Li Sijie tied on an apron and ran into the kitchen to boil water and cook noodles.

My Place Is Pretty Big

After eating the noodles Li Sijie had made, Li Xuan immediately felt much better. He had been busy with his grand undertaking of conquering magical girls lately, and it had been a long time since he had enjoyed a proper meal like this.

"What are you planning to do next?" Li Sijie asked as she cleared the dishes.

"From your file, it seems the Guardian Abbey still doesn't know where Bing Rui and Tang Xi are. But as soon as they connect this matter to the magical girl disappearances in Clear Lotus City, I'll be in serious trouble." Li Xuan rested his chin on his interlocked hands.

"You'll certainly have trouble, but the relationship between the Church and the Guardian Abbey isn't that good. I imagine they'll spend quite a while arguing first." Li Sijie smiled.

"Even arguments have an end. I can see they take Alice very seriously, so they definitely won't drag this out. Besides, if they're sane, the people they send definitely won't be weaker than Bing Rui and Tang Xi together—no, it would only make sense for them to be far stronger." Li Xuan spoke while admiring Li Sijie's busy figure.

"Your judgment is correct. The Guardian Abbey is much more efficient than the Church. If this hadn't happened on Church territory, they probably would have sent people to kill you already." Li Sijie finished washing the dishes, pulled over a kitchen towel to dry her hands, then returned to sit in front of Li Xuan.

"So—Dora Sijie~ can you pull some more magical gadgets out from between your legs to help me? You've seen it too. Now that I've gotten stronger, the Fallen Blood's effects have improved. Sooner or later, I'll fulfill your wish of becoming a monster." Li Xuan took Li Sijie's hands, chilled from the cold water.

"There aren't any convenient things like that." Li Sijie pulled her hands away, took off her apron and hung it on the wall, then headed for the door.

"Since you've returned home, this maid who broke in without permission should leave too. If you need anything, you can come find me at the café, but you can't do those excessive things to me in the shop." Li Sijie winked at Li Xuan, then opened the door only a crack and prepared to slip away.

"Wait!"

Looking at the tidy room, Li Xuan suddenly thought of something and called out to stop her.

"No waiting. Last time you told me to wait too, and I almost got..." Li Sijie's face flushed. Though she said she was leaving, she only took one step before remaining where she was.

"Trust me, this time it's definitely a good thing." Li Xuan hurried to the door and pulled Li Sijie back inside.

"President Li, what are you doing? You can't just pull girls around like that~" Li Sijie said, casually closing the door behind her.

"There's a great place. I want to take you there." Li Xuan said.

"Is it really a great place?" Li Sijie looked at him skeptically.

"Really. If I'm lying, may my dick grow barbs." Li Xuan swore.

"That wouldn't be a good thing for me... But since you've said that much, I'll believe you one more time." Li Sijie covered her mouth and laughed.

"Then come with me." Li Xuan reached out and opened a portal to the Delusive Badlands before him.

Originally, he had not planned to bring anyone he could not control into this secret place. But Li Sijie had worked with him several times already. Though they had each been taking what they needed, he had undeniably gained quite a few advantages.

After spending time together on several occasions, Li Xuan's trust in her had gradually deepened. As long as she still needed his Fallen Blood, she would not easily...

This time, he had naturally invited Li Sijie into the Delusive Badlands for his own reasons.

"Is this the ability you used to suddenly appear in my room? It looks like some kind of spatial magic..." Li Sijie thoughtfully extended half a hand through it, then immediately pulled it back.

"There isn't going to be a bug wall, an electric chair, an iron maiden, a wooden horse, a sensation-blocking trap, or a time-stop barrier waiting for me on the other side, is there? And once my upper body goes in, won't you close the entrance and trap my lower half, then come around and do something weird?" Li Sijie asked warily.

"??? That's a great idea! How hadn't I thought of that?" Li Xuan's eyes lit up, as if he regretted not having actually prepared some traps as little surprises.

"You really are thinking bad things. I don't want to go in anymore." Li Sijie retreated several steps, only to be tripped by one of Li Xuan's tentacles and scooped into his arms.

"Relax. I invited you in because I value your ability to organize rooms. The space in there is a complete mess. I'm planning to build it up properly, and I want to hear your opinion." Li Xuan did not care whether Li Sijie agreed or not. He simply held her and jumped straight into the portal.

By then, the magical girls had all gone home to rest. The blond mother and daughter were still enjoying their brief happy time in the Stone Tower, while Tang Xi and Bing Rui, the pair of unfortunate sisters, were deeply bound by mana-sucking tentacles and unable to move. In the vast Delusive Badlands, there was not a living soul in sight outside.

"How does it feel? This is my world." Li Xuan spread his arms in a pose that seemed to embrace everything.

Li Sijie did not answer immediately. Standing on the stone platform of the Delusive Badlands, she looked up at the endless void. Her pupils shrank to tiny points and trembled violently.

After a long while, she finally exclaimed in a deeply shocked tone, "Unimaginable. My connection to the world has been severed... No, not severed. It simply doesn't exist at all. Did you not isolate a space, but bring me to another world?"

Li Xuan gave her a thumbs-up from the bottom of his heart. "Damn, you're the first person to figure it out."

"It's nothing much. The Sealing Type's perception is simply especially sharp." Li Sijie touched the stockings on her legs, then continued, "Luckily, the power I had already obtained from the world is still here. Otherwise, this would be dangerous!"

"Don't worry. With me here, there won't be any danger." Li Xuan laughed when he saw how tense she was.

"It's dangerous precisely because you're here. If I couldn't use my power in this world, you'd probably violate me in an instant, wouldn't you?" Li Sijie said disdainfully.

"Not that quickly. It would take me at least a few seconds to tear your clothes off..." Li Xuan defended himself with a straight face.

"Alright, alright. Didn't you want me to advise you on how to plan this place? We should find somewhere to sit and talk—we can't just stand here, can we?" Li Sijie said helplessly.

"This place is pretty crude, so just make do." Li Xuan used his authority to move over the two stone pillars Tang Xi had used for tightrope walking that day, laid them down horizontally, and sat facing Li Sijie.

"So they really were for that game. I understood the moment I heard your request." Seeing the hemp ropes on the pillars, Li Sijie immediately became excited.

"Only you could understand it instantly—let me explain my idea first. Since I'll probably capture a lot more magical girls in the future, I'm planning to expand this place. Build a dormitory to solve the sleeping problem, a cafeteria for meals, a large prison for disobedient magical girls, and a wall around it to stop the people inside from escaping." Li Xuan described.

"Hmm... Why does that sound so much like our school?" Li Sijie rested her cheek on her hand.

Phase One of the Delusive Badlands Project

"Exactly! Let's build a school!" Li Xuan slapped his thigh. "Magical girls are basically all school age. A school environment is the environment they're most familiar with, and school facilities can meet a lot of people's needs too!"

"I was only joking that going to school feels like prison, and you actually took it seriously. But now that I think about it, it does make some sense. Still, who would teach at your school?" Li Sijie asked curiously.

"Who cares? Build it first and worry about that later! I hereby appoint you the principal's secretary. Assist me in constructing Phase One of the Delusive Badlands Project!" Li Xuan said excitedly.

"The principal's secretary? Then who's the principal?"

"Obviously me! When there's work, the secretary does it; when there's no work, I do the secretary." Li Xuan grinned wickedly.

"You use this secretary for both public and private purposes. Pretty efficient, aren't you?" Li Sijie teased.

"That's right! Enough small talk. Let's hurry and figure out how to build this school! What a magnificent project!" Li Xuan said excitedly.

"I don't see what's magnificent about it. Isn't it just to satisfy your selfish desires? And what benefit would I get from being your secretary? Are you trying to trick me into working for free again?" Li Sijie said disdainfully.

"No, think carefully. This is a school built by us, so we can define the school rules ourselves! For example, we can ban safety shorts completely, offer physiology classes with live demonstrations, choose one day every week as Nude School Day, and have all kinds of interesting punishments for students who violate the rules—the specific implementation can be left to Miss Secretary."

The more Li Xuan thought about it, the more excited he became. Even his camping tent had gone up.

"I take back what I said. You really are magnificent!" Upon hearing she would have a part in it too, Li Sijie immediately grew excited. The two conspirators hit it off at once and drew up a rough sketch on the spot.

Li Xuan found the original platform too small, so he transported more matter from the void and created a larger platform above the original one. Then he went outside, collected a huge amount of discarded construction materials, and threw them onto it. The two of them began working enthusiastically on the new platform.

Before crossing over, Li Xuan had been an old hand barely getting by at construction sites. He had worked for years without making anything of himself, only to be prosecuted after a safety accident. He fast-forwarded straight to the ending of a civil engineering major and skipped several decades of detours—despite never having participated in that project at all. He had merely been tricked into signing his name.

At that moment, he truly understood something his teacher had once said: "No matter how much AI develops, it can never replace us civil engineering majors."

Indeed. After all, AI couldn't go to prison.

After that, he had crossed into this world.

Still, although many years had passed, Li Xuan's skills had not entirely rusted away. Under his control, the discarded construction materials were broken down, reassembled, and transformed into the buildings from the blueprints.

The authority of the Delusive Badlands allowed Li Xuan to manipulate objects inside it as freely as if he were in Minecraft's Creative Mode, while Li Sijie handled the details and provided him with a constant stream of energy. This made Li Xuan's construction progress incredibly fast, and the basic framework of the dormitory building was soon complete.

"Let's stop here for today. Phase One is meant to build a campus that can accommodate two hundred people. Even with cheats, a project of this scale can't be completed in one go." Li Xuan said as he looked at the mountain of construction materials before him.

"Then I'll come again tomorrow. But please don't let anyone else know my identity for now. It could bring me trouble." Li Sijie reminded him.

"Don't worry. I'll forbid them from coming onto the new platform. The magical girls here all consider me their master, so they definitely won't disobey me." Li Xuan assured her.

"Not necessarily." Li Sijie narrowed her eyes and glanced around before suddenly reaching out and grabbing a black figure behind her.

"Mian Yin? Ah, I forgot you were here." Li Xuan looked at the black-dressed girl caught in Li Sijie's hand.

"Huh? I should have been spying from within the dream. How could I still get caught?" Mian Yin looked at Li Sijie in terror.

"It's simple. Observation itself is a kind of contact. When you can see someone else, you have to be prepared for them to notice you." Li Sijie smiled.

"You're Alice's Fragment, aren't you? You look very cute. You must have heard our conversation just now. You can't tell anyone about me, or else..."

Halfway through speaking, Li Sijie turned to Li Xuan. Only after seeing him nod did she turn back and continue, "Or else, I'll seal you inside my stockings. That is the Dreamless Land. You can only sleep forever in darkness. Do you understand?"

"Mian Yin... understands... The big-breasted sister is not someone to mess with. Mian Yin will behave." Mian Yin said fearfully.

"Go on, cute little sister. Remember to come play in my dreams another day." Li Sijie smiled and released her hand. Mian Yin immediately vanished from where she stood, as though she had never existed at all.