Magical Girl's Knight Brother

Chapter 709 Whereabouts

The charred ruins of the river frontline rushed past the train window, and the land soaked in blood was gradually replaced by the desolate but still orderly wilderness outside the Black City.

Driving the steam train, like a giant steel dragon speeding across the land, Curly Ears carried the weary but hopeful crowd toward the towering gates of Black City.

Alex, the red dragon, retracted her massive wings, landing steadily on the roof of a specially reinforced carriage like a giant, burning crimson ruby ​​statue. For Black City, this legendary red dragon was no longer a harbinger of disaster, but a powerful ally who had just fought alongside them to drive out the evil god. Its very existence was a great deterrent and encouragement. The threat from the ocean was temporarily eliminated, and Alex no longer needed to hide.

The train, puffing out white smoke mixed with magical light and steam, emitted a long and slightly weary whistle as it slowly came to a stop in front of the massive steel gates of Black City.

The gates were already wide open, welcoming the hero's return.

Two figures were already standing and waiting in the open space in front of the door.

At this moment, Grilando's face showed obvious urgency. Beside her was Chang Lei, who was still elegant, with a monocle on his nose and a cup of steaming black tea in his hand, smiling as he watched the steam train coming from afar.

"Katie, you're finally back!" Glolando greeted the blonde magical girl who had just jumped off the train before it had even come to a complete stop, speaking rapidly. "The purification potions, emergency rations, and building modules urgently needed at the front lines have filled three warehouses. They're just waiting for your train to deliver them. Desk is pressing us hard."

"Don't worry, I've got your back." Katie patted her chest confidently and immediately began directing the flight attendants.

As they loaded the truck, the small figure was full of energy. Katie really liked this feeling of being needed.

On the other side, Tang Zijun also stepped off the train. He was wearing his dusty civilian clothes and looked no different from an ordinary soldier returning home. However, his appearance immediately caused a stir among the crowd and drew admiring glances. The soldiers spontaneously straightened their bodies and paid their respects.

Chang Lei strode forward, a genuine, almost reverent smile on his face. "Boss, you're back! Hahaha, I could feel your grandeur from a distance, I knew it..."

'

He had prepared a whole host of praises and excited words, but before he could finish speaking, Tang Zijun raised her hand to interrupt him.

Tang Zijun's expression was calm, even somewhat solemn. His deep gaze fell on Chang Lei's face, without the joy of returning victorious, but rather with an indescribable complex meaning.

"Old Chang." Tang Zijun's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the surrounding noise and reached Chang Lei's eardrums. "Come with me for a moment, let's talk alone."

Chang Lei's smile froze instantly. A strange unease, like a cold snake, crept up his spine. He subconsciously looked at Grelando and the busy Katie and the others, then at Tang Zijun's eyes, which seemed to pierce through his soul. Tang Zijun's eyes... something was wrong. They were definitely not the eyes of someone sharing the joy of victory.

"Something happened?" Chang Lei's voice was lower, with a hint of barely perceptible hoarseness.

Tang Zijun didn't answer, but waved at him, then turned and walked away into the distance. Seeing this, Chang Lei suppressed his unease and followed Tang Zijun to a corner of the city gate away from the crowd and the noise of the train. The tall shadows cast down, isolating him from the hustle and bustle outside.

The corner was quiet, with only the faint sounds of voices and the scraping of metal coming from afar.

Tang Zijun stopped and turned around to face Chang Lei.

"Old Chang," Tang Zijun's voice was low and clear, as if stating an unalterable fact, "about the mother you've been searching for..."

2

Chang Lei's heart skipped a beat. This matter, this knot in his heart that had almost kept him awake at night, was now spoken by Tang Zijun with a calmness that almost froze his blood.

Tang Zijun raised her head, and her gaze finally met Chang Lei's eyes, which were filled with astonishment, expectation and fear.

"...I sensed her."

"Where is she!?"

Chang Lei suddenly stepped forward from the shadows, his face filled with eager desire and undisguised trembling. In the depths of his human-inherited eyes, a point of scarlet light spread uncontrollably, like ink dripping into clear water.

Even more chilling was the cold, viscous aura of a greedy and destructive lust, which emanated from his body like an out-of-control poisonous fog. The surrounding air temperature plummeted, and the small pebbles on the ground trembled slightly, as if drawn by an invisible evil force.

"Old Chang, calm down." Tang Zijun reached out and patted Chang Lei on the shoulder.

Om-!

Like boiling water being thrown into an ice cave! The cold, greedy aura that permeated Chang Lei's body was forcibly suppressed and forced back into his body by that higher, colder chaotic will. The scarlet light in his eyes flickered violently a few times, and finally faded away with difficulty, and was replaced by the clarity that belonged to Chang Lei, which was filled with pain and ecstasy.

He was breathing heavily, his body trembling slightly from the force of his breathing, but his gaze remained fixed on Tang Zijun.

Tang Zijun watched Chang Lei struggle to suppress his excitement and the backlash from his internal energy, a subtle, complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He softened his tone.

"Don't rush, listen to me. Regarding your mother's whereabouts, that power I gained after 'digesting' the Lord of the Deep Sea's Sleeping Deity is deeply connected to the polluted waters, like a pervasive network of filth sensing covering the entire ocean."

He gazed at the dark horizon in the distance, his voice carrying a knowing certainty.

"Through this net, I detected an extremely faint but incredibly familiar soul fluctuation belonging to your mother, and..." Tang Zijun paused, then confirmed, "...and that stuttering little girl, her spiritual imprint is also nearby, they're together."

Chang Lei's body jolted violently, and his eyes instantly flashed with an unbelievable, ecstatic light. They were alive! They were really still alive.

"Are they... in the dream world now?" Chang Lei's voice was hoarse, trembling with relief.

"Yes." Tang Zijun nodded, but her expression immediately turned serious. "But the distance—is very far."

He gestured with his hand, pointing to the other end of the continent, almost in the opposite direction from where Black City was located, or even further away, to a broken territory shrouded in unknown mists. "So far that even if Katie traveled at full speed using conventional means, it would take a very long time, and the journey would be fraught with danger."

The light in Chang Lei's eyes dimmed instantly, replaced by deep despair and a reckless impulse. "I want to go too! Right now! I..."

'

"Old Chang!" Tang Zijun interrupted his impending outburst with a sharp voice, stepped forward, and tightened the pressure on Chang Lei's shoulder.

"Let me finish." Tang Zijun looked directly into Chang Lei's eyes. "I know what you're worried about, but believe me, distance will soon no longer be a problem."

3

He released his hand from Chang Lei's shoulder and instead pointed to the dark ocean below, which still retained the corrupting aura of the evil god.

"I already have a plan. I'm going to pull the Reverse World over and open a passage in the water's reflection. This action isn't just about expelling negative energy; it's about eliminating the Great Old Ones at their root."

He paused, then continued, "Once the passage is successfully established and stabilized, the reflection of any polluted body of water in the dream world will become a 'gate' connecting to the reversed world."

"The reversed world is a reflection of the real universe; its spatial rules are highly intertwined and overlapped with those of reality."

"You should know better than me what this means," Tang Zijun's voice suddenly rose. "It means that by using the Reverse World as an intermediary, the reflection of the dream world will also be reflected in the Reverse World, just like we are in the real world."

He looked at Chang Lei's wide eyes, which were filled with shock, and made a firm promise.

"Once the passage is completed, I will be able to pinpoint the nearest reflection of your mother and the others' location."

"Then..." Tang Zijun's fingertip traced an arc connecting two points in the air. "...we can then enter the Reverse World through the door on this side of Black City, and then appear directly in front of them through the door on the other side, sending her soul back to the real world with ease."

Silently listening to Tang Zijun's words, the evil aura that had been stirring within Chang Lei completely subsided, leaving only a violent heartbeat and a dizzying sensation caused by the overwhelming hope.

He staggered, grabbed the broken wall beside him, looked at Tang Zijun, his lips moved but no sound came out, his eyes were filled with ecstasy, gratitude and a kind of relief that was almost exhaustion, as if he had found a treasure again.

"So..." Tang Zijun's voice returned to calm, but carried a reassuring strength. "The most important thing now is not to let you rush into the perilous wilderness like a headless fly, but to concentrate all our efforts to ensure the success of this passage project. On the day the passage is completed, I will personally take you to find Auntie."

Chang Lei nodded vigorously, all his anxiety and impulsiveness replaced by this clear goal.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions, straightened his body, and his eyes regained their steely resolve. "I understand... So now, what do you need me to do?"

Tang Zijun looked at Chang Lei, who had regained his composure, and nodded slightly. "Bringing the Reverse World over is not a simple matter. I need to go to the Wasteland World. Coincidentally, the God of the Epoch is also looking for me. I guess his research has yielded results. In the meantime, Black City... Dream World will be in your hands."

T

Chang Lei nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd gathered at the city gate before returning to Tang Zijun. "I understand."

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