Blood Moon hung high in the sky.
Lin Lu stood in the corner of the headquarters’ main hall, staring at the blood moon suspended in the heavens.
The unease in her heart grew stronger by the second.
Hoshino Hikari was maintaining order at the entrance, Lin Qingqing was distributing supplies among the crowd, and other Magical Girls were on alert at the barrier’s edge.
“The last batch of civilians has been settled in, Sister Lin.” Hoshino Hikari walked over, a hint of exhaustion on her face.
“Mm.” Lin Lu nodded, grabbed a bottle of water, and handed it to her.
“What’s wrong, Sister Lin? You don’t look so good.” Hoshino Hikari took the water, twisted off the cap, took a sip, and asked with concern.
“It’s nothing.” Lin Lu said, “Just a bit unsettled. The situation is grim right now.”
“It’ll be fine! The headquarters’ defenses are super strong. Even if double the Shadow Beasts show up outside, we can hold out until reinforcements arrive. I guarantee not even a single fly gets in!” Hoshino Hikari puffed out her chest, brimming with confidence.
“You can relax, Sister Lin. Our headquarters’ barrier was personally reinforced by the Capital Headquarters. It can withstand Rising Dawn Rank attacks. Those Shadow Beasts can’t even scratch a hair off it.”
“Hoshino Hikari, would you just shut up for once? With that jinx mouth of yours, who knows what disaster you’ll call down next,” Lin Qingqing said, overhearing her as she walked over and rolled her eyes.
“What could possibly happen? I’ll stand by my words. If something does happen, I’ll eat three whole pounds of something!” Hoshino Hikari put her hands on her hips, looking defiant.
“Lin Qingqing, can’t you ever hope for the best? What happened before was just a coincidence. It’s not like I can actually speak things into existence!”
“That’s not necessarily true.”
The moment Lin Qingqing’s words fell, a massive magical array suddenly appeared on the ground.
A gigantic circular pattern emerged, its edges lined with dense runes.
Purple light enveloped the entire headquarters and surrounding area, forming an eerie domain of light.
“Wha… what is this?”
“I don’t know… It must be a formation set up by the Magical Girls, right?”
The civilians around immediately buzzed with speculation, all assuming it was a protective array deployed by the Magical Girls.
But every Magical Girl present was just as clueless—’an array? What array? Did the headquarters even have something like this installed?’
Lin Lu’s mouth twitched, ‘Speak of the devil.’
Although she didn’t know the exact function of this array, seeing Hoshino Hikari’s blank expression made it clear—this wasn’t something the headquarters had set up.
Combining that with the investigative leads Hong Huang had vaguely hinted at recently, Lin Lu immediately guessed that this thing was likely the work of Guixu Zhiying.
“Everyone! Move the civilians to the interior and underground shelters! Combat personnel, maintain external vigilance!” Lin Lu gave the order without hesitation.
If the civilians learned too much right now, it would definitely spark chaos.
No matter what, keeping them in the dark was the best choice at this moment.
Lin Qingqing crouched down, her fingers touching the purple light patterns as she carefully observed.
“No doubt about it, this isn’t our array.” Lin Qingqing frowned, “Whatever its purpose, an array of this scale would have taken a very long time to set up.”
“Is there anything similar in the headquarters’ array archives?” Lin Lu asked.
“No.” Lin Qingqing shook her head, “This type of array has never been recorded.”
“How could anyone set up an array around the headquarters without being discovered?” Hoshino Hikari said in disbelief.
“Impossible.” She shook her head again.
“There are patrols every day, and this array definitely wasn’t drawn recently. Something this massive…”
“What if… the mole is on the inside?” Lin Lu said after a moment of silence.
“A traitor?” At those words, everyone fell silent for a moment.
“Impossible!” Hoshino Hikari was the first to retort, frowning, “Sister Lin, what are you saying? How could a Magical Girl be a traitor?”
“Hoshino Hikari, calm down.” Lin Lu cut her off, sweeping her gaze across the crowd before pointing at the array on the ground.
“This array could never have been set up by an outsider. Look at the rune directions—the center is at the core of the headquarters, radiating outward. You should understand what that means.”
“The person who set up this array must have had long-term access to the interior and surroundings of the headquarters without raising suspicion, and they’re very familiar with its layout,” Lin Qingqing said.
“Exactly.” Lin Lu nodded, “Someone who can frequently operate within the headquarters is definitely an internal member, not a temporary outsider.”
“Then… it doesn’t have to be one of us Magical Girls, right? What if it’s a regular staff member…” Hoshino Hikari still refused to believe it.
“How could a regular staff member have enough magical power to support an array of this scale?” Lin Lu shook her head, “No, it has to be a Magical Girl.”
Then Lin Lu looked at Lin Qingqing and said: “Qingqing, estimate how long it would take to set up an array like this.”
Lin Qingqing studied the array’s scale carefully, thought for a moment, and said, “If it’s one person working intermittently without being noticed by headquarters… at least three months. If it’s a team effort, it’s hard to say.”
“Three months or more…” Lin Lu murmured to herself.
An internal member, possessing powerful magic, and not a rookie—these conditions alone already ruled out most people.
Add to that someone who could operate long-term within the headquarters without arousing suspicion…
Lin Lu sighed.
Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she turned to Hoshino Hikari: “Over the past three months, who were the personnel on night patrol around the headquarters and its perimeter?”
“Night patrol?” Hoshino Hikari was taken aback, frowning as she tried to recall.
“The roster changes every half month… For three months…”
“Can you list specific names?” Lin Lu asked.
Hoshino Hikari pulled out her phone and scrolled through the duty logs.
“Let me see… Over these three months, the night patrol included… Xiao Ge, Meng Lan, Minazuki…” She rattled off a list of about six or seven names, many of whom were substitutes.
Lin Qingqing added, “A lot of them are newcomers or low-level. They wouldn’t be able to support an array of this scale.”
“Then who’s left?” Lin Lu asked.
Hoshino Hikari and Lin Qingqing exchanged glances and named two other squad members—and Minazuki.
Lin Lu’s gaze slowly shifted to Minazuki, who had been silently standing off to the side.
Hoshino Hikari noticed this too, her face paling slightly, “Sister Lin… this… you can’t just go by process of elimination…”
Lin Lu shook her head and said, “Shouldn’t you have noticed how strange Minazuki has been acting lately? Not just her emotional breakdown a few days ago… Over these past three months, hasn’t she been constantly busy? The attacks at the debut event and the piano competition were way too coincidental.”
“And before the competition, she bailed on our plans to go shopping, saying she had things to do—what exactly was she so busy with?”
Lin Qingqing thought it over and added, “There is something off. A month ago, during night patrol, she applied for solo patrol privileges. Given her strength and seniority, headquarters approved it… Her suspicion level is indeed quite high.”
“But that still doesn’t prove anything…” Hoshino Hikari found it hard to accept.
“How do we confirm it?” Lin Qingqing frowned, “We don’t have solid evidence.”
Lin Lu was silent for a moment, her gaze turning cold.
“Whether it’s her or not, we’ll know once we confirm it.”
Her mind raced—she couldn’t confront her directly.
If Minazuki really was the traitor, she’d need to set a trap.
“It’s fine, I’ll handle it.” Lin Lu said, “You two stay quiet and just watch.”
She got up and walked toward Minazuki.
Hoshino Hikari and Lin Qingqing exchanged a look and followed.
“Minazuki.” Lin Lu sat down beside her, her tone serious, “This sudden teleportation array is too dangerous. We need to move the civilians immediately. Otherwise, if the Shadow Beasts get teleported in, we won’t be able to protect this many people.”
Minazuki shook her head, “Don’t worry. Staying in the headquarters is the safest option.”
“Is that so?” Lin Lu let out a soft sigh, meeting her gaze directly, “Then… Minazuki, can you tell me—why did you set up a Sacrificial Array?”