Magical Girl's Knight Brother

Chapter 117 Old Archives!

The pen writing is vigorous and powerful, with each stroke steady and firm. The words are arranged together like a neat and orderly army.

The strokes are connected in an orderly manner without any sense of procrastination.

Although the paper is relatively old, one can still imagine the image and mentality of the person who wrote it at that time.

Tang Zijun turned another page and read carefully.

"In order to understand the diversity of wild birds and animals in Huailing and supplement the species catalog, we used infrared sonar to continuously monitor wild birds and animals in the field from 19XX to May 19XX."

"A total of 23 mammal species belonging to four orders and ten families were recorded during the monitoring; 4 bird species belonging to nine orders and 10 families were recorded. Among them, two species are Class I protected wild animals: the Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) and the Takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi)."

"The main purpose of this monitoring is to understand the diversity and distribution of birds and animals in the Huailing Mountains, and to record them based on their population size, altitude distribution, and grid occupancy, which will provide useful reference for subsequent research and conservation management."

"In addition to technical monitoring, a scientific expedition team was dispatched to the mountains to conduct a 14-day, 13-night cataloguing and survey mission."

"Mission Objective: Based on routine surveys, gradually advance the comprehensive cataloging of wild birds and animals."

"Two previous detailed field surveys and records have revealed a cumulative total of 2 new bird species and 21 new mammal species. This indicates there is still significant room for improvement in the Huailing Wildlife Species Catalog."
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On ▊▊▊▊▊, the weather was sunny, with a wind level of 19.

Today is the 27th day since the scientific expedition team entered the mountains. The monitoring equipment and facilities have been recovered, but the search and rescue team still has not found their whereabouts.

On ▊▊▊▊▊, the weather was sunny, with a wind level of 19.

After investigation and confirmation, the list of missing persons in Huailing in previous years decreased by 13% year-on-year, and the list of confirmed deaths increased by 30% year-on-year. At present, no trace of the relevant scientific expedition team members has been found.

On ▊▊▊▊▊, the weather was light rain, and the wind level was level 19.

Search and rescue work was carried out along the route planned by the scientific expedition team, but to no avail.

On ▊▊▊▊▊, the weather was cloudy, with a wind level of 19.

After seven days of searching, the temporary campsite of the scientific expedition team has been confirmed, where three dead people were found with all their equipment, while the whereabouts of the remaining eleven people are unknown.

In addition, according to the investigation, murder and suicide have been ruled out, and none of the three people were attacked by wild animals before their death.

Attachment: 14 photos of the scene, 4 pages of autopsy report.

On ▊▊▊▊▊, the weather was sunny, with a wind level of 19.

An investigation of the monitoring equipment and surveillance revealed no abnormalities.

Conduct a diffuse investigation and search within a five-kilometer radius centered on the camp.

Due to the influence of the local natural environment, the search and rescue progress has been suspended.
-
On ▊▊▊▊▊, the weather was cloudy, with a wind level of 19.

Today we received a report from villagers outside Huailing that a group of unidentified people walked out of the mountains. They were ragged and looked rather embarrassed.

After investigation, the identities of this group of people have been confirmed. They are the remaining members of the scientific expedition team that entered the mountains 9 days ago, a total of people, and the whereabouts of the other two people are unknown.

Attachment: 2 photos of the scene.

On ▊▊▊▊▊, the weather was cloudy, with a wind level of 19.

That night, a safety check was conducted on the members of the scientific expedition team. Apart from the loss of memory nine days after entering the ridge, nothing unusual was found. The whereabouts of the other two people have not yet been confirmed.

"This is?"

Tang Zijun looked up at Tan Zhixin opposite him, with some confusion in his eyes.

Although he had little contact with these things, Tang Zijun knew that this kind of archival report was definitely not something that ordinary people could access, let alone that it had been passed down from the last century.

Tan Zhixin sat upright at the tea table, raised her hand to pour dried flower petals and some tea into the teapot, then looked up and said.

"Most of the previous records are reports of missing persons in Huailing. It's hard to tell whether they're true or false. After all, I don't know much about that area, so I can't confirm whether these things are true or false."

"But the textual records at the back are quite interesting. They describe in detail some special creatures, which can be considered living things."

Hearing this, Tang Zijun quickly flipped through the diary, and soon he saw the familiar penmanship at the back.
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The weather in Huailing is unpredictable, and this has affected our investigation of this mysterious forested mountain range.

[As we went deeper, we found no more traces of poachers' traps, and passage became increasingly difficult.]

Seventeen days have passed since I entered the forest. I found fresh paw prints next to a large tree. My initial assessment is that they were likely left by an adult cat.

I observed a bird's nest with several unhatched eggs. I carefully recorded the nest's location and characteristics. This is likely a species that hasn't been recorded yet, but I still haven't found my target.

On the 39th day, heavy rain destroyed my makeshift camp and took away my food.

On the 43rd day, the heavy rain finally stopped, and the forest was filled with thick fog. I was afraid I was lost.

The compass is broken. I tried to use the resources at hand and the surrounding environment to determine the direction, but it was ineffective. Perhaps the magnetic field here is affected in some way.

On the 51st day, as I walked up the slope, I heard the calls of monkeys, but I could not find any trace of them.

In the evening, near a cave, I found some peculiar traces that looked like they were made by humans. They might have been left by someone who had gotten lost here before.

I still haven't found my direction.

【On the fifty-ninth day, I fell ill.】

【Great! I'm not dead yet.】

【It’s foggy again.】

【I seem to have seen something.】

[There was a tall tree in the fog, it seemed to stretch all the way to the sky.] [On the third day, the fog lifted, and the tree was gone.]

I can't remember the exact time anymore. My memories before that are a bit hazy and indistinct. I guess I just experienced a mirage.

【By the way, I found traces of wild boars in a river tributary.】

I still haven't found my direction.

【After going around in circles, I'm back here again. 】

[It's raining again, and the river has flooded my road. I have to find a way to cross the river, but the river is flowing too fast, so I have to wait for the right opportunity.]

[Successfully swam over.]

[There's something in the river, and it's definitely not a fish.]

[That thing is huge. I can clearly hear the movement underwater. It is definitely not a fish.]

【It’s foggy again.】

[Tree! What a huge tree!]

I found them!

Then, a pen-scribbled drawing of a humanoid creature appeared on the page.

The painter's painting skills are a bit poor, but it can be vaguely recognized that it is a creature similar to humans. The difference is that it has two antennae on its head and dragonfly-like wings on its back.

It could also be the wings of a cicada. Tang Zijun was a little unsure.

However, after seeing this, he already understood the meaning of Tan Zhixin giving this to him. The records in this diary were, in a sense, enough to prove something.

Just as Tang Zijun was about to turn the page to continue reading, he suddenly found that there was nothing at the back. The back half of the diary had been torn off.

"What about the rest?" Tang Zijun asked.

"I don't know." Tan Zhixin said calmly, then she took out two cups and poured a cup of tea for Tang Zijun. "When it came into my hands, it was already like this."

Tang Zijun came and sat down opposite Tan Zhixin, frowning slightly.

"Where did you get this?"

"This is a relic left by Qin Nan's parents."

Tang Zijun:
After a slight pause, Tang Zijun's eyes changed when he looked at Tan Zhixin.

Although she had guessed Qin Nan's past, Tang Zijun never thought that her family would be involved in these things.

"Why are Qin Nan's parents' belongings here with you?"

"She put it here on her own initiative."

Tan Zhixin answered while holding the teacup.

"Before Qin Nan became a magical girl, Xiao Hui had been staying with me temporarily. Later, he sensed the choice of the Rainbow Crystal Flower and traveled thousands of miles to Chang'an. That was when I met Qin Nan."

"After we got to know each other, I gave her some basic training to help her better master and release magic. It was also at that time that I learned about her past and some of her family's circumstances."

"Given the age of this thing, the diary shouldn't have been written by her parents, right?" Tang Zijun looked at Tan Zhixin and asked.

Hearing this, Tan Zhixin nodded gently. "This diary is just one of many relics. The fire destroyed a lot of things, and not much survives. We can't be sure of the diary's origins."

Tang Zijun could also tell from Tan Zhixin's words that Qin Nan was probably not very old when the fire broke out, and might not even remember the specific circumstances.

Without Qin Nan's parents, the last person who knew about this diary also disappeared.

"Have you never tried to investigate this matter? Since you were able to find this diary, it proves that you have already read what is recorded in it."

"I have indeed seen it, but..." Tan Zhixin frowned and sighed softly.

Just then, the little green snake spoke.

"It's not that we don't want to investigate, but the situation simply doesn't allow it."

"What do you mean?" Tang Zijun moved his gaze to Xiaoqing.

"These records and paintings, until there's proof of their authenticity, are nothing more than fantastical stories. Wolf Rider, do you know how many similar archives we've come across?"

"Not to mention the water monster and the wild man, during the time Qing Nang served as the communicator, we collected no less than a hundred sighting reports and special documents from magical girls across the country."

"At first, we tried to start the investigation with easy records. With the help of the magical girl's power, the investigation progressed quickly, but in the end, we found that most of them were fake."

"Even in very old documents, the things written on them are just ordinary beasts that could not be observed due to the limitations of the technology at the time."

Listening to Xiaoqing's words, Tang Zijun frowned slightly. "But even so, if there's something real here, then wouldn't you have missed it?"

"That can't be helped," Tan Zhixin sighed. "Unlike you, we don't have the Greedy One's ability to freely travel through the mirror."

"Wolf Rider, you have to know that every magical girl has her own jurisdiction. If you leave rashly, it is very likely that the Outer Path Demon will take advantage of the opportunity to enter."

"In this situation, we simply don't have the capacity to mobilize personnel to check these things."

"As for entering Huailing, that's even more impossible."

(End of this chapter)