Chapter 49: Honeymoon (Silver Sponsor Bonus 1)

In the office of the Magic Affairs Bureau headquarters, Li Xiaohan was handling paperwork amid a heavy atmosphere of low morale.

Following the conclusion of that failed capture operation, the entire special investigation team had fallen into a deep sense of discouragement.

This was not only because they had failed to apprehend the target, but largely because for many of them, it was the first time they had witnessed the terrifying power of a magical girl at such close range.

In retrospect, high-intensity conflicts had existed right up until five years ago. Yet merely five years later, with the influx of new recruits and a shift in the focus of their work, many people had almost forgotten a fundamental truth:

Magical girls were genuine warriors, not helpless little girls at the mercy of others.

Collective consciousness was always more forgetful than one might imagine. This operation had undoubtedly taught the newcomers a profound lesson and sounded a sobering alarm for those who had grown complacent.

Information regarding the Stranded had still not been made public, and the battle inside the Castle of Cards had left behind no video records. Yet many magic police officers already faintly sensed that beneath the seemingly stable current situation, undercurrents were surging, ominous and unsettling.

Long Yushu had returned to the Provincial Magic Affairs Department to submit her report, and presumably had a number of meetings to attend as well. Due to the unexpected appearance of the Black Coral, the upper echelons needed to re-evaluate their operational guidelines.

As for the tedious periodic aftermath, the burden fell upon the deputy team leader, Li Xiaohan. Until further instructions arrived from superiors, she and her team members were bogged down by trivial paperwork and reports.

The operation to capture the Chord Heart Stone had temporarily stalled, and in this stalemate, all they could do was step up patrols. Meanwhile, neither the faction of the Chord Heart Stone nor the Black Coral had made any new moves.

Everyone knew this was likely just the calm before the next storm.

Finishing a report, Li Xiaohan leaned back in her chair and stretched lazily.

She would rather spend a week on fieldwork in the wilderness than stay cooped up in the office doing these boring PowerPoint presentations.

Or perhaps go on a mission with the Identification Division. Recently, that underground breeding facility accident had pulled away all the forensic personnel of the special task force, and a good number of people from the Magical Beast Countermeasures Division had been deployed as well. Yet, saddled with her position as deputy team leader, she was stuck and could go nowhere.

"Done with your work?" Deputy Bureau Chief Su walked over and gently tapped the corner of her desk.

Li Xiaohan turned her head, offered an apologetic smile, and quickly adjusted her posture to greet her superior.

"Good day, Bureau Chief Su."

"Hard at work, Xiaohan."

"It's nothing, it's all good experience."

After the two exchanged formal pleasantries, the deputy bureau chief suddenly lowered her voice mysteriously: "Bureau Chief Hao wants to see you."

Xiaohan asked in surprise, "She's back? Isn't she supposed to be away for a few more days?"

"She came back early because of this matter. Go on now, the bureau chief specifically asked to see you first. She quietly changed her schedule; once the news gets out, she'll have her hands full."

Li Xiaohan nodded, quickly tidied up, gathered her documents, and headed toward the bureau chief's office.

Knocking and entering, she caught sight of a familiar figure standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.

An intellectual and poised woman was seated behind her desk, gazing intently at a monitor. She wore a neatly ironed white shirt, adorned with delicate collar pins and cufflinks on her collar and cuffs, adding a touch of elegance to her standard professional attire.

Hearing Xiaohan enter, her gaze shifted from the monitor to the door, and her eyes instantly filled with a warm, gentle smile.

Her chair lowered itself on the spot, transforming back into a standard-height electric wheelchair, and she rolled toward Li Xiaohan.

Xiaohan hurried forward: "There's no need for that, Bureau Chief Hao! I can just come over... You're being far too polite."

The bureau chief deliberately put on a displeased expression: "Using formal titles again?"

Xiaohan sheepishly stuck out her tongue and corrected herself, dropping the honorifics. After exchanging a few more polite remarks with the bureau chief, she sat down on a nearby sofa, inwardly marveling:

Of all the leaders, Bureau Chief Hao is still the one who makes people feel most at ease...

Hao Ye, the director of the municipal Magic Affairs Bureau, was young and accomplished, having attained this position at the mere age of 36.

Rumors had it that she once had the opportunity to enter the provincial Magic Affairs Department, or even be exceptionally promoted to the Magic Affairs General Bureau, but unfortunately, due to an injury-induced disability, she ultimately remained at the municipal bureau.

Despite her restricted mobility, no one could deny her outstanding work capability and the refreshing, magnetic charm of her personality. Whether it was her colleagues within the bureau or citizens on the outside, everyone held the utmost respect for Bureau Chief Hao.

She was the undisputed backbone of the municipal bureau. Just catching sight of Bureau Chief Hao made Xiaohan feel secure inside.

Hao Ye adjusted her hair while in her wheelchair, re-tying the ends of her soft, smooth long hair and draping them over her shoulders: "So, Xiaohan, are you getting used to working with Shushu?"

"Who?" Xiaohan looked blankly puzzled.

Once it dawned on her whom the name referred to, she was struck dumb with astonishment.

"The Shushu you mentioned... could it possibly be... Department Head Long?!"

"Ah, yes, it's her. Sorry, I got used to calling her that back in our school days." Hao Ye wore a nostalgic smile. "Did I never call her that in front of you guys? True, it's been how many years since she last came to the city. Besides, at work, one must still use official titles."

Li Xiaohan was still reeling from the shock of this address and took a moment to regain her composure: "Bureau Chief Hao, you and Department Head Long were classmates?"

Hao Ye raised a hand toward the bookshelf, and Xiaohan hurriedly stood up to retrieve a framed photograph from that row for her.

The photo depicted two young female college students, both wearing graduation robes.

The shorter girl stood on the steps, standing on tiptoes, wrapping her arm around the shoulders of the other girl, beaming brightly. The girl she embraced held onto a pair of large, black-framed glasses with one hand, her head slightly lowered in bashful embarrassment, wearing a shy smile.

Li Xiaohan easily recognized the shorter one as Hao Ye, yet she could never bring herself to believe that the shy girl with round glasses and straight bangs was Long Yushu.

"You find it hard to believe she wore glasses?" Hao Ye explained, "We weren't graduates of the police academy; we majored in National Security. Back when the Magic Affairs Bureau was first established, they recruited us as special talents. And just like that, 15 years have flown by."

Li Xiaohan averted her gaze from Long Yushu's glasses: "No, the glasses aren't the main point... Her transformation is just too drastic!"

Hao Ye smiled and remarked with emotion, "In these 15 years, she isn't the only one who has changed drastically, is she?"

Xiaohan placed the photo back on the bookshelf, sat down on the sofa, and hesitated, wondering if the words lingering in her mind were appropriate to voice.

Hao Ye, perceptive as ever, said, "Has she been putting a lot of pressure on you all recently?"

"It's alright... Given that this mission is of great significance, after all."

"The province sent her to take charge of this case; the intention is quite obvious..." Hao Ye signaled for Xiaohan to hand over the documents she had brought, and flipped through them briefly. "I've reviewed the operational report and the recorder logs, and now I primarily want to hear your perspective.

"Xiaohan, do you think the strategy adopted for this operation was appropriate?"

Li Xiaohan hesitated for a long time, unsure of where to begin.

"It's fine, feel free to share any thoughts you have. Think of it as a chat between friends."

Xiaohan knew this was by no means the standard, hollow rhetoric of other leaders; the bureau chief was genuinely someone worthy of trust.

So she said, "I feel... and this is just my personal opinion, that the operation to capture the Chord Heart Stone was somewhat overly hasty.

"Under standard procedures, we should first contact and communicate with magical girls, prioritizing persuasion and surrender. Only when the target resorts to violent resistance against the law, or has already engaged in acts endangering public safety, do we resort to coercive measures.

"Of course, the situation of the Chord Heart Stone is rather unique, seeing as she is..."

"A Stranded," Hao Ye finished the sentence.

"Right..."

Hao Ye asked again, "Xiaohan, in your impression, has there ever been an incident of loss of control triggered by a Stranded? I know you hadn't even heard of the concept of the Stranded prior to this incident, but you can analyze it based on the ages of the individuals involved and the chronological order of events.

"For instance, let's start with the three major foundational accidents."

Hearing this, Li Xiaohan began to ponder.

The three major accidents constituted a subject repeatedly covered during the onboarding training of every magic police officer.

Ever since magical girls openly appeared before the public in 2006, it had taken people two years to gradually accept their existence, stripping away conspiracy theories about them being superhuman experimental subjects or dark cabals, and viewing these girls born to protect humanity in the right light.

Then followed a honeymoon period lasting several years. Magical girls were revered by the public as heroes and idols, becoming synonymous with miracles and hope in people's hearts.

Thanks to the freedom of open activities, defensive operations once confined to the outskirts of cities rapidly transformed into joint operations with the Magic Affairs Bureau.

Both sides joined forces to launch proactive clean-up campaigns against magical beasts. Within those three years, the magical beasts lurking in the wild were almost entirely annihilated.

Not only that, magical girls actively participated in daily rescue operations, bringing the miracle of magic to those in need of help.

Brave, kind, righteous, resolute... these shining girls seemed to be the embodiment of all noble qualities, making enormous contributions to the entire world.

However, in 2012, three extremely severe incidents involving magical girls losing control occurred in rapid succession over the span of just three months, causing the situation to take a sharp turn for the worse.