"Well..." Deng Zhan hesitated for a mont after hearing the question, then awkwardly smiled, "It's a bit embarrassing to say, so please don’t laugh, alright?"
"What happened?"
"I found the person, but I lost the fight."
Pointing to her forehead, Deng Zhan chuckled, "Originally, I followed the enemy to this nest, thinking that I could challenge a Cocoon-stage Ravager. But the result was..."
"The result was?" Veronica raised an eyebrow.
"The result was that I almost got captured, and I barely escaped after exhausting most of my magic power."
As she spoke, Deng Zhan subconsciously scratched the back of her head, "I didn't expect that guy to be so strong."
"That guy? Do you an you’ve found the culprit?"
Veronica pressed, "Could you explain more clearly? What exactly is going on?"
"It's a long story," Deng Zhan shifted slightly to make herself more comfortable, thinking for a mont before speaking, "But I’ll start from a week ago, when the Investigation Bureau's squad went missing."
Deng Zhan shifted again, thinking back to how to start. "But where should I begin? Inspector, have you heard the previous details from Bai Ji and the others?"
"If you're talking about the Investigation Squad's arrival in Bo'an City, then I have a rough idea," Veronica nodded. "From Bai Ji’s description, it seems like you provided a lot of information to the squad."
"Yes, but it’s not just that," Deng Zhan added. "Actually, when the Cat Tail squad’s senior, i i, t for the first ti, she warned not to take things lightly. What they’re investigating now is bigger than we expected. Black Cinders Dawn seems to be planning sothing very dangerous."
"Black Cinders Dawn?" Veronica couldn’t help but feel puzzled. "According to the records from the Investigation Bureau, they were investigating the Claw Mark organization’s movents."
"According to i i’s words, that was their original target when they first ca to Donghua Province," Deng Zhan corrected. "But after a broad investigation of Donghua Province, the priority of that target changed. They found many clues pointing to one thing—the Black Cinders Dawn is planning sothing in the southern part of Donghua Province."
"So, what they were investigating later was related to Black Cinders Dawn?" Veronica frowned. "What are those guys planning?"
Whether it was the Claw Mark organization or Black Cinders Dawn, Veronica knew very little about these groups. Their rise happened after she had gone into seclusion.
Had it not been for the recent attack on Fangting City, she still wouldn’t have a clear understanding of the differences between these organizations.
"We don’t know," Deng Zhan shook her head. "But i i did tell sothing before she disappeared."
"What was that?"
"About the recent disappearances of magical girls over the past two years."
Deng Zhan folded her hands over her knees and stared into Veronica’s eyes. "Inspector, do you know? Black Cinders Dawn has committed a lot of evil deeds in Donghua Province. They even have a special group targeting rookie magical girls."
"You don’t need to be so formal. Just call Veronica," Veronica nodded gently. "And yes, I’ve heard of this."
So mbers of Black Cinders Dawn can control Ravagers, and they even hunt magical girls, she had already learned from Lin Xiaolu.
If anything, it was because of Black Cinders Dawn that Veronica had ended up as a magical girl herself. If it weren't for that night at the Wetland Park in Fangting City, when one of their mbers tried to attack Lin Xiaolu, Veronica wouldn’t have transford again into a magical girl so decisively.
In a way, she was deeply affected by that event.
"Veronica? Is that your alias as an Inspector?" Deng Zhan asked instinctively.
"Yes," Veronica nodded again.
"Then, Veronica, do you know how many magical girls have gone missing in Donghua Province in the last two years?" Deng Zhan continued.
"How many?" Veronica felt an uneasy premonition growing inside her as she heard the question.
"Just the ones with Flower Cards, recorded in the archives, there are 11 magical girls," Deng Zhan said seriously, looking straight at Veronica, emphasizing each word. "This number doesn’t even include those who disappeared without a trace. In fact, a significant number of these girls were still in their novice stage, had not received their Flower Cards, and so even disappeared without ever contacting the Counterasure Bureau. Though not recorded, based on feedback from Seeders around the region, the number is likely to double. The total result is that over 20 magical girls have disappeared in the last two years."
"Two years? 22 people?" Veronica was shocked. "Is it really that many? There are so few magical girls in the southern part of Donghua Province, and 22 have gone missing over two years, and this is just now being discovered?"
"This is one of the major doubts in this case," Deng Zhan sighed, looking down. "It’s a mystery we still have no clue about."
She hugged her knees and lowered her gaze. "I’ve heard that in so cities, even Seeders have gone missing. It’s like so places are just terribly unlucky."
Veronica glanced away, not expressing any opinion on this topic.
"Anyway, we have many questions about this. Black Cinders Dawn seems very obsessed with hunting magical girls. They’ve repeatedly ntioned the word 'ritual,' as if they’re conducting so kind of strange activity."
Seeing that Veronica was silent, Deng Zhan continued, "When i i arrived, she asked if I had encountered any strange occurrences in Bo'an City, as those might be signs of Black Cinders Dawn operating in the shadows."
"In fact, I have felt so odd things during my own missions…"
Deng Zhan began listing and describing several places she had patrolled or fought in, but which still felt suspicious after the fact. She couldn’t clearly explain her feelings, but the places she listed were locations she had visited where she always felt sothing was hidden.
This list was eventually handed over to i i, and the next day, the Investigation Squad started investigating those locations.
In the first few days, i i occasionally contacted Deng Zhan to report on the investigation’s progress. But then, one day, i i suddenly beca completely unresponsive.
Deng Zhan contacted the Counterasure Bureau, and a lot of manpower was used to search Bo'an City. However, no trace of i i or the others was found. Feeling helpless, Deng Zhan decided to report the matter to the Investigation Bureau.
While waiting for the Investigation Bureau’s arrival, Deng Zhan, unable to sit idly by, thought the case was likely connected to her and decided to search for more clues. So, she joined forces with the Counterasure Bureau to conduct a detailed investigation around the locations she had previously provided, trying to find any traces or leads.
Any suspicious people, items, or occurrences were docunted and presented on the Counterasure Bureau’s desk.
After studying the materials, Deng Zhan narrowed her focus to a few highly suspicious individuals. After a day of following these leads, she had locked onto one particular man.
According to the records, this man had been a magician who had been arrested and punished by the Counterasure Bureau for engaging in illegal activities. After serving his sentence, he was released but stripped of his ability to use spells and beca an unemployed drifter.
During the ti before and after the Cat Tail Squad’s incident, this man had been spotted several tis near the locations Deng Zhan had previously identified, making his movents very suspicious.
After locking onto this person, Deng Zhan took action and attempted to follow his trail. However, to her surprise, she got lost during the pursuit.
After following the man into an underground tunnel, she beca completely disoriented, and after so twists and turns, she found herself in what appeared to be a Ravager nest.
At first, she thought she had entered the Counterasure Bureau, but soon she encountered several employees who were also trapped in the Bureau. Through their conversations, she learned that this was not the real Counterasure Bureau.
Once she realized that she was in a Cocoon-stage Ravager’s nest, she refocused on her goal to defeat the Ravager and began searching for the center of the nest.
Her magical armor had tracking capabilities, so she was able to quickly find the nest’s center—and more importantly, she also found the man she had been following.
—The man was feeding the Ravagers.
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