Chapter Thirty-Six: The Clockwork Doll

Within several hundred meters of the target garage, multiple groups of plainclothes officers had completed their deployment. Invisible magical traps were stretched taut between nearby buildings to prevent the target from escaping using flight abilities. Several sniper positions had been set up inside these buildings, ready to execute crossfire with anti-magic sniper rifles at any moment.

Li Xiaohan was hiding inside one of the buildings, watching the garage’s movements through a telescope. They had confirmed magical energy reactions from a beast inside the garage, and the last trace of Aria’s magic had vanished just ten meters away. It was almost certain that this was her breeding ground for the orb beasts.

The exact situation inside the garage was still unclear. To avoid alerting the target, the Magical Affairs Bureau had only set up perimeter control without directly breaking in. Destroying the nest held little significance; if possible, they preferred to capture Aria herself on the spot.

Xiaohan had originally intended to have colleagues from the Trace Identification Department use magic for further probing, but Lily warned her that a magical girl could instinctively sense insight-type magic. Moreover, there had been a suspected countermeasure magical array inside the garage the previous night. It was better to wait for the target to appear.

Now, after nearly thirty-six hours of surveillance, there was finally a breakthrough.

The moment the heavily concealed figure appeared, the magical police nearby instantly became alert.

“Attention all units, a suspected target is approaching the garage,” Xiaohan reported into the radio, following the person in the trench coat through her telescope.

Judging by the figure’s build and posture, it was likely a woman. She wore a mask and sunglasses, her hair tucked under a hat to conceal it. She looked around suspiciously as she walked, lingering nearby several times before finally entering the garage.

The magical police remained on standby, carefully tightening the perimeter.

“Could this be Aria’s true form?” Xiaohan asked Long Yushu, positioned in another building. “The detector shows no reaction, and her physique is slightly different. Seems she hasn’t transformed.”

“If it’s her true form, we should act now. It’ll be harder to deal with her once she transforms.”

Long Yushu glanced at Lily, whose smile had faded, and replied, “Wait a little longer.”

Xiaohan grew tense but also felt a thrill of anticipation. Warm blood surged to her fingertips as her hand lightly brushed over the card box. She understood that she alone could not defeat Aria, but the chance to wield a relic weapon firsthand was rare.

The Queen of Hearts’ personal guard had once belonged to the same master as the Guillotine.

But this deck was incomplete...

She pressed the radio against her left ear and alerted the outer reinforcements to prepare. Carefully, she drew out cards and began assembling them on the ground.

In a nearby café at the street corner, a woman in formal attire watched a van drive past. Although there were no identifying markings, she recognized it. After a moment’s hesitation, she pressed her phone.

“Wumi Li, what’s up?”

“Are you making a delivery?”

“No, why? Is something wrong?”

Li stared at the Magical Affairs Bureau vehicle turning the corner, frowning slightly. “No, nothing.”

“...Alright, thanks for your concern. I’m a bit busy, gotta go.”

Shi Ningyu hung up, displeased as she looked toward the door.

Fu Lan, who had just entered, calmly removed her sunglasses and hat.

Shi Ningyu cursed, “What kind of big star still has time to finish all this before heading out!”

Fu Lan said nothing and went forward to check on the orb beast’s condition.

Encased in ice, the orb beast was no longer as red as before but still terrifyingly swollen. It had expanded to near transparency; its stretched-thin skin revealed internal organs and the shadow of another orb beast within.

“I stayed here early last night, fearing something might go wrong. I suddenly woke up this morning feeling uneasy and came down to check. Didn’t expect an accident to actually happen,” Shi Ningyu said. “How did it self-detonate?”

“No idea.”

“Is there a way to fix it?”

“I’m thinking,” Fu Lan said, touching the cold ice block, racking his memory for any relevant experience.

However, the USB drive held no record of handling orb beast self-detonation; he had to rely on himself...

Suddenly, the ice cracked.

The melting interior clashed with the still solid outer ice layer, loosening the containment spell quickly. The orb beast continued to swell, pushing the cracks in the ice wider.

Shi Ningyu’s face turned pale. “Throw it next door! I’ll cast a magical shield on the wall—probably can hold, but this side is too narrow!”

Seeing Fu Lan hesitate, she stomped her foot anxiously. “It’s just one orb dog! Why are you so stingy about keeping it alive?”

Fu Lan suddenly turned. “Do you know hypnosis magic?”

“I—I’m not good at it! I only know a few simple illusions and haven’t really used hypnosis!”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re not skilled. Just use hypnosis on it, make it think the thing inside its belly is a pendulum ball.”

“What kind of weird request is that? I’m telling you, I’m really not good at it—I only practiced a few times! If you know what magic to use, then cast it yourself!”

“I don’t know how. You cast it.”

“Damn it...” Shi Ningyu muttered as she made the casting gestures and struggled to recite the spell.

...

...

“Report, strong magical energy detected!”

Is it time? Xiaohan opened the radio. “Teams One and Two, move in as planned. Activate shield enchantments and deploy illusion formations.”

The riot shields in the magical police’s hands glowed with runes, covered by a translucent protective shield.

At the same time, each officer dispersed multiple illusions of themselves, hiding their true forms among them. This not only confused the enemy’s judgment but also restricted the magical girl’s attack range to some extent.

Because magical girls cannot harm humans.

Even illusions could disturb their minds and cause magic aimed nearby to fail.

But for an experienced magical girl, this trick might not work...

On a rooftop, Lily and Long Yushu exchanged glances. For once, Lily was unusually resolute.

“Director, please allow me to join the fight.”

“No.”

“They’re definitely no match for her,” Lily said worriedly. “If you won’t let me fight, then why not use the Guillotine? If you only mark her without decapitation, maybe—”

“I have my reasons.”

“Don’t you understand Aria’s strength? Are you going to send them to their deaths?”

Long Yushu narrowed his eyes. “Aria has no record of killing anyone. How can you be so certain they’ll die?”

“For twenty years, no one can guarantee her mental state is stable. The mere possibility of sacrifice is unacceptable to me.” Lily pulled down her collar to reveal a bloodstain on her neck. “I have sworn an oath—you can execute me at any time. Isn’t that enough?”

Long Yushu shook his head coldly.

“Director!” Lily called out, madness flickering faintly in her eyes.

“You cannot act until absolutely necessary,” Long Yushu said, staring deeply at her. “No stranded one is sane, and you are no exception.”

“You’re a pacifist lunatic.”

Outside the garage, a team of officers formed a semicircle, their enchanted shields pointed at the door. Others readied standard magical weapons.

“Nontarget personnel confirmed evacuated. Assault team in position, standing by!”

“Ready to breach.”

Li Xiaohan gripped the card box tightly. “Begin operation.”

A magical policeman by the door raised his finger and counted down from three. Comrades used a battering ram to smash open the wooden door; the rest immediately followed.

Yet the moment the door opened, everyone nearby froze. Suddenly, they all dropped their weapons and kneeled, forming two neat lines.

As if welcoming the arrival of a king.

Li Xiaohan’s heart sank. She immediately stopped colleagues who were attempting to reinforce.

She looked to the observer beside her, who just shook their head. From this angle, the inside was invisible, and snipers couldn’t get a shot.

Unsure if lacking line of sight would work, she still drew a card and scattered it outside the window.

“Guards, arrest her!”

Playing cards of clubs and diamonds materialized into soldiers in midair, landing one by one at the garage door.

Several magical policemen suddenly stood, picked up weapons, and fired at them—clearly under mind control magic.

The card soldiers turned sideways, beams passing through their thin bodies without hitting.

Instinctively, they raised long axes to counterattack, but Xiaohan quickly focused her will to halt them.

Lily glared down from above at the garage door. “We’ve been tricked. It’s not Aria.”

“Then who is it?”

“A far more troublesome person. Please let me go down, Director. The situation is completely out of control.”

Long Yushu stared at the vacant-eyed officers and finally nodded.

Lily stepped off the rooftop. A crimson light flashed across her eyepatch, and by the time her black loafers touched the ground, she had completed her transformation.

In the garage’s shadows, the figure in the trench coat slowly emerged. She removed her sunglasses and mask, shrugged off the long coat, revealing an exquisitely crafted silver body, adorned in a stunning black gown.

A group of orb dog dolls bounced at her feet, their large mouths fixed in Cheshire Cat-like mocking grins. She lightly opened her crystal-thin eyelids; sapphire-carved eyes gazed at the short-haired magical girl.

“Long time no see, Lily.”

“Long time no see, Black Coral.”

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, inside a bicycle storage room, Fu Lan and Shi Ningyu exhaled deeply, staring at two orb dogs before them.

One had vacant eyes, nudging its just-born offspring. The newborn stared blankly, swinging side to side in its pet cradle.

“It... was born. Both mother and child are safe,” Fu Lan suddenly thought.

He muttered to himself, “Crazy.”