Chapter 16: Entrusted with a Critical Mission in a Time of Crisis

Stringheart.

Li Xiaohan stared at the name. Her half-eaten boxed lunch, long since gone cold, sat discarded to the side. It was already three hours past the end of the workday, yet they were still huddled in the conference room. They had made almost no progress, taking only a brief respite to consume their takeout.

"Twenty-four hours since the incident, and this is all you’ve found? How is this any different from what the public has dug up? You’re even relying on their fan-made composite sketches. Do you intend to solve cases by lurking in illegal forums from now on?" Before leaving, the Deputy Director had tossed these bitter words their way.

Li Xiaohan leaned back in her chair. Being dragged into this felt like an unmerited disaster. She was tasked with subjugating magical beasts—what business did she have working with the Magical Girl Regulation Division?

She had indeed been at the scene at the time, but she barely qualified as a witness. After sitting here for an entire day, she felt she hadn't contributed anything of value.

With the aid of the Magical Affairs Bureau’s big data model, Stringheart’s identity had been confirmed early on, yet all information regarding her was a blank slate.

True identity unknown, age unknown, address unknown, original weapon and magical armor unknown...

When they requested files from other government departments, every contact person had worn a cryptic expression upon pulling up the records.

The earliest recorded activity for Stringheart dated back to 2001, long before the Magical Affairs Bureau was even established.

Much of the data regarding her hadn't been compiled by the Bureau’s predecessor—the Anomalous Incident Countermeasures Section—but was instead scattered across various non-specialized departments of that era. This meant it had never been systematically organized and had to be re-collected and re-entered.

Her last appearance before the general public was twenty years ago. Even by the highest record of a magical girl retaining her powers—twenty-four years of age—she was far beyond that limit now. Theoretically, it was impossible for her to transform again.

This was why the Deputy Director was so furious. A magical girl who should have lost her powers long ago had reappeared in the city; if handled poorly, it would be a career-ending catastrophe.

No, perhaps it was a hundred times more serious than that...

Li Xiaohan listened to the discussion at the next table. It seemed they had found records in the archives mentioning Stringheart’s activities in other provinces and cities. One side wanted to contact the Magical Affairs Bureaus of those cities to obtain more information, while the other argued that there was no need to blow things out of proportion so early, suggesting they start by investigating within their own city. The two sides were locked in a stalemate.

At this moment, the Deputy Director appeared at the conference room door and called her out.

"The Provincial Magical Affairs Department has made a decision. A special task force is being established for Stringheart, and you will be the deputy team leader."

"Me?" Li Xiaohan pointed at her own nose. "I’m not in charge of this sector. Besides, I don't have the rank for that!"

The Deputy Director patted her shoulder. "Xiaohan, the Bureau has always valued you; we’ve been giving you opportunities to sharpen your skills these past two years. You’re a top-tier hand at clearing magical beasts, and your performance during your secondment to the Magical Ember Investigation Division was clear for all to see. If you can achieve results with these magical girls, a promotion is all but guaranteed."

"You must understand, the Magical Girl Regulation Division hasn't encountered a new case in a long time. The only 'newcomer' to emerge in these past few years turned themselves in. This is a rare opportunity to distinguish yourself; there are plenty of people who would kill to take this case."

Hehe, Li Xiaohan mused to herself. The people in the Regulation Division were all too happy to enjoy their leisure, spending their days cooperating with other units and large corporations on content distribution and promoting the image of magical girls to the public.

In recent years, an influx of online social activism targeting young girls had greatly stifled the awakening of magical girls. After all, those sentiments were highly incompatible with the nature of a magical girl.

Doing such work for so long, combat opportunities had become increasingly scarce. The people in the Regulation Division had grown slack and were no longer the combat force they once were; those capable of fighting had long since transferred to frontline departments.

If they really ran into a troublesome magical girl, wouldn't they just have to call back the people who had been transferred to the Magical Beast Countermeasures Section or the Magical Ember Investigation Division? A department like that wouldn't be fighting over the chance to earn merit...

And who would believe that talk? Xiaohan thought, looking at the Deputy Director’s bald head. With such a high-stakes mission, I’m probably just being selected as the scapegoat...

If this isn't handled well, what will I have to offer as a sacrifice?

"Maybe we should ask someone more experienced?" she quickly declined. "With my seniority in this area, I won't be able to command respect..."

"You are different from the colleagues who transferred over from the police department. You’ve undergone magical training since you were in the police academy; you are among the first batch of specialized talent. Conventional criminal investigation logic is likely to be limited. You can see their blind spots and have a deeper understanding of magic."

"Your comprehensive aptitude is the strongest among the candidates. And," the Deputy Director said sternly, "this is not a request for your opinion; this is an order."

Thus, Li Xiaohan had no choice but to return to the conference room with him and listen to the Deputy Director announce the news to everyone.

The mood was heavy. That was the downside of the information age—once something bad happened, it couldn't be hidden, and the Magical Affairs Department had already issued a direct order.

Furthermore, the Deputy Director informed them that the province would be sending someone down tomorrow—a team leader would be parachuted in, accompanied by specialists to assist the task force.

Afterward, the newly appointed Li Xiaohan called a halt to the meeting, intending to hold a short session to reorganize their work.

The primary reasons for the stalled progress were the lack of relevant data and the fact that the surveillance footage failed to capture the moments before Stringheart’s transformation.

According to witness testimony, many people at the scene had caught a glimpse of a beam of light, suspected to be the manifestation of a magical girl's transformation.

From the start, Li Xiaohan had also posited that Stringheart must have been at the scene, based on the time the magical girl joined the battle.

However, the crowd nearby had been distracted by the emergency, unable to point out the exact source of that light, nor did they notice who it had emanated from.

Moreover, whether it was the video taken by the outdoor streamer or the nearby surveillance, the angle had failed to capture the exact moment of transformation. This created great difficulties for confirming Stringheart’s true identity.

The investigators' initial idea was to draw a reverse extension line along the path Stringheart took when she launched her first attack, check surveillance within the suspected starting area, and identify all suspicious targets near the mall in the period before she appeared.

Based on previous activity records, they had sketched a suspect profile: a female between 30 and 40 years old. Due to the nature of magical girls, they usually appeared younger than their actual age and might be carrying common types of transformation devices.

Despite repeatedly expanding the search range, they failed to find the target in the surveillance footage. In the end, they only narrowed it down to a dozen or so women who fit the age criteria, waiting for further investigation.

After some thought, Li Xiaohan asked them to add a new screening criterion: the ability to remain calmer than the average person when facing a magical beast attack.

The officers’ eyes lit up upon hearing the suggestion; they couldn't wait to end the meeting and get to work.

Following this, Xiaohan organized a group of Magical Girl Regulation Division employees and arranged for them to contact retired magical girls on record, including those still in custody, in hopes of gaining more information about Stringheart from their perspective.

Beyond this, she made a series of other work adjustments.

After finishing her summary on the whiteboard, Li Xiaohan clapped her hands to the colleagues who were preparing to continue working overtime. "Alright, let's call it a day. Everyone’s responsibilities are clear, and many tasks can't be carried out at this hour. We’ll continue tomorrow morning."

The group was skeptical and didn't move much.

"Is that alright, Director Su?" She turned to look at the Deputy Director.

Director Su, who had been furious not long ago, now showed no emotion on his face. "You are the deputy team leader; you make the call."

"Then everyone is dismissed. Go home and rest. Overtime is strictly prohibited tonight," she said again, insisting on shooing everyone out.

After everyone had left, the Deputy Director smiled. "You hold quite a grudge against me."

"Director Su, that’s a heavy accusation. How could I dare... It’s just that everyone is in such poor condition; continuing to grind away would be futile. Of course, I have no intention of blaming you. I know you mean well, and the pressure from above is immense..."

"Hehe, I don't mind. I chose you because I admire this kind of audacity. As long as the result is good, I don't care how you go about it." Director Su looked at Li Xiaohan meaningfully. "Everyone understands the importance of this case. That is why I submitted an application, and it was just approved."

"If necessary, you are authorized to activate Relic Weapons."