A City, Bureau of Anomalies headquarters.
At the end of the corridor, no windows, no signs, just a gray-white metal door.
The door panel was as thick as if it had been removed from a bank vault, with no buttons or handles on the surface.
Lin Du stood in front of this door, with the two sunglasses-wearing men behind him, one on each side.
The skinny sunglasses stepped forward, pressed his palm against the door panel, and a thin blue light scanned from top to bottom across his palm.
Rumble—
From inside came a low mechanical sound, and the metal door slowly slid open, revealing a narrow corridor behind.
“Go in.”
The skinny sunglasses raised his chin.
Lin Du stepped over the threshold.
The door behind him slowly closed, shutting the two sunglasses men outside.
At the end of the corridor was a larger room.
He couldn’t see where the ceiling was, nor where the walls were—only a narrow, glowing path beneath his feet.
Following the path to its end, a spotlight fell from directly above like a silver knife, slicing through the darkness.
At the center of the beam was a simple black table.
“Please approach the front desk.”
In the darkness, a dignified female voice sounded.
Lin Du took a deep breath and walked up to the table.
As Lin Du stood still, virtual projections lit up one after another in the air around him.
The people in the projections were all wearing formal suits, sitting upright in their chairs—red images as if carved directly into the air with laser light, each edge shimmering with data streams.
From their postures alone, one could tell they were the city’s administrators—members of the Review Committee.
But from Lin Du’s perspective, he couldn’t make out their faces; they were either obscured by shadows or blurred by data streams.
The man in the center spoke, his voice flat.
“Lin Du, do you know why you were brought here?”
The surrounding dark figures silently watched Lin Du, like a row of cameras.
“Yes.”
Lin Du looked up at the virtual images in the air.
“Then let’s get straight to the point.”
The man tapped twice on the keyboard in front of him and spoke.
“Yesterday at ten in the morning, you experienced a loss of control in the East City area, burning three hundred and twenty meters of street, damaging twelve vehicles, and injuring seven people nearby.”
The man paused, then continued.
“Among them was a Containment Squad Captain, with multiple injuries to the neck and respiratory tract.
He is still receiving treatment in the hospital and has not yet left the critical stage.”
With each word the man spoke, a new virtual projection popped up in the surrounding air.
Some were aerial photos, some were videos, and some were dense rows of data.
Lin Du saw the scorched asphalt road, the car wreckage still emitting black smoke, and the captain whose neck had been grabbed.
“Furthermore,”
the woman beside him added,
“before you lost control, you crashed into a residential building, causing severe damage to the house.
Fortunately, there were no casualties.”
Lin Du recalled opening his eyes at that time and seeing White Li standing in the ruins, angrily kicking his chest armor.
“In consideration of Lin Du’s efforts as the Blazing Knight to protect the city, and since the loss of control was not his own intention, he is not required to bear any compensation for all losses and damages caused.”
The man sat up straight, folded his hands on the table, and twitched the corner of his mouth before returning to a calm expression.
“Next, we will read the decision.”
“Medical expenses will be fully covered by the Bureau of Anomalies.”
Lin Du breathed a sigh of relief.
He had expected to be held accountable, maybe even locked up, but it seemed his three years of diligent service had not been in vain.
“However—”
The man tapped his finger lightly on the table.
Click.
A new beam of light fell from the upper side.
From the shadows beside, a figure slowly walked out.
A black suit, wearing glasses, holding a silver metal tray in his hands.
Qiuyue Liangjie, Director of the Equipment Department.
He walked to the other side of the table and gently placed the tray on it.
In the center of the tray lay a silver-gray wristband.
“Considering the erosion effect the Knight System has had on your body,”
Qiuyue Liangjie said, lowering his head to look at the wristband in the tray,
“we need to retrieve it and reassess its viability as a weapon.”
He raised his head and looked at Lin Du.
“This is to protect you.
And to protect others.”
Lin Du’s pupils contracted slightly.
‘Qiuyue Liangjie getting the wristband meant someone entered his house after he left.’
‘White Li was still at home, and last night her disguise had failed.’
‘Did she go to school and not get found out?
Or was she discovered?’
‘But no one mentioned “White Li,” no one mentioned “Fox Clan strange person,” no one mentioned anything about White Li’s other identity.’
‘Didn’t they know?
Or did they know but didn’t say it?’
Lin Du’s fingers tightened under the table, his face expressionless.
“By resolution of the Supreme Review Committee,”
the man sitting in the center stood up,
“Lin Du’s usage rights for the Knight System are hereby revoked.
Effective immediately, Lin Du is no longer a Knight.
The duties of the Blazing Knight will be taken over by other personnel.”
He paused.
“Execute immediately.”
Darkness surged in like a tide from all directions, and the red virtual projections went out one by one.
“Go back and rest.”
The man’s voice finally showed a hint of fluctuation.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for A City over these three years.
You’ve protected many people.
That won’t change because of any decision.”
“Understood.”
Lin Du lowered his head.
In the air, the last patch of light went out, and the room returned to pitch black.
At the end of the corridor, outside the metal door.
Sitiao Shizhi stood at the corner of the corridor, back against the wall, holding her phone.
Through the wall, she couldn’t see the scene inside at all, only hear the sounds.
The voices were muffled, but the words “revoke the Knight System” and “no longer serve as a Knight” pierced her ears like needles.
Her lips pressed into a line, biting until they turned white.
“Miss Shijo?”
A voice came from behind.
“Ah!”
She quickly shoved her phone into her pocket, turned around, and forced a smile.
“Nothing.
Let’s go.”
Underground, Starfall Society branch.
The hall’s main door creaked open with a screech from the hinges.
Pink light poured in through the crack, illuminating the ancient pillars on the stone steps.
“Tired…
Tired tired tired tired…”
Isadora walked in with a weary face and casually tossed her magic staff to the floor.
She stretched, raising her arms above her head, her wings fluttering behind her.
The pink star at the head of the staff hit the stone slab with a crisp sound.
“So tired.”
Isadora pouted, rubbing her shoulders, and walked to the center of the hall.
She dragged a chair from the wall, plopped down, crossed her arms, and crossed her legs.
“Save people today, save people again tomorrow.
Take photos today, take photos again tomorrow.”
She counted on her fingers, growing more aggrieved.
“Right now, I’m like… like an entertainer—always have to keep smiling, my face is stiff!
No, wait—entertainers at least get paid.
What am I?
Volunteer work?”
“Hey, I’m saying—”
Isadora looked up at the woman leisurely drinking tea on the throne,
“when will you turn me back?”
Madam took a sip of tea without immediately answering.
“I’m a nightmare demon, you know?
This form is totally inconvenient.”
Isadora tugged at her own skirt, then touched the bow on her head.
“I used to move freely in dreams, scare whoever I wanted, mess with whoever I wanted.
Now what am I?
A magical girl?
Three layers!
Three layers!
I even have to lift my skirt to go to the bathroom.
Look at this dress!”
Madam set down her teacup with a soft laugh.
“Heh…”
“Soon.
Hold on a little longer.”
“Soon?
When is soon?”
Isadora pressed relentlessly.
“Today?
Tomorrow?
Next week?
Next month?
You have to give me a definite answer.
I can’t stay a magical girl until I retire.”
Madam leaned on the throne, one hand supporting her cheek, watching the flickering flame of the candle.
“Now…”
she finally spoke,
“haven’t you already gained the humans’ trust?
They call you ‘Magical Girl,’ give you applause, take your picture, treat you like a hero.
Don’t you like it?”
Isadora opened her mouth, wanting to say something but stopping.
“Work a little harder.
Push forward.”
Madam blinked.
“Push forward, push forward…”
Isadora muttered, picking up her staff from the floor.
“If I push too hard, I really will become a righteous magical girl.
Then I won’t care about your damn business.”
“You won’t.”
Madam looked at Isadora, her violet eyes reflecting the candlelight.
“I believe you.”