What kind of magic? This is called cultivating immortality!

Muyue tentatively asked, "Could something have happened...?"

“That’s right.” The captain’s face grew even uglier as he gritted his teeth. “The base that headquarters discovered was a trap deliberately set by the witch. Now the advance team is in trouble.”

Altai frowned, instinctively retorting, "That's impossible. As far as I know, that advance team consisted entirely of five-star magical girls, with a seven-star leader in charge, and several reinforcement teams were prepared afterward. Even if that base was a trap, they could at least escape unscathed, if not easily deal with those witches, right?"

“That’s the biggest problem.” The captain sighed helplessly. “After the advance team broke through layer upon layer of obstacles and arrived at the so-called witch’s base, they only sent back a message saying ‘we have arrived safely.’ After that, the entire team lost contact completely, and the reinforcement team didn’t have time to react at all.”

Missing?

These two words were like a boulder thrown into a lake; everyone looked at each other, their faces filled with shock and surprise.

The fact that such a formidable advance team ended up with all members missing is even more perplexing than the deaths themselves.

The captain rubbed his temples and continued, "One of the members of that advance team is the daughter of a government member of parliament. The other party originally wanted to use this operation to let his daughter gain experience and build up her resume, accumulating some merits, but unexpectedly... an accident occurred."

"Now, that congressman, along with several of his government colleagues, is putting strong pressure on headquarters, demanding that they rescue the missing magical girl, or else..."

The captain sighed softly and said no more, choosing to save face for the government.

"Tsk, it's good to have someone in your family who's an official," Mu Yue couldn't help but remark immediately.

She clearly didn't have a good impression of the government.

In fact, most magical girls don't have a good impression of the government; they are simply powerless to control it.

"team leader."

On the other side, Fluorescent Light raised her hand, her voice soft: "Are they... still alive?"

"The magical girls at headquarters used the everyday items the advance team members used to investigate and confirmed that they are all still alive, although a few are seriously injured," the captain replied.

"Captain, this matter shouldn't have much to do with our Floating Light Squad, right? Even if the government is putting pressure on us, the rescue operation should be the responsibility of headquarters. Now that you're injured and we're not strong enough, shouldn't we just stay and protect Fangyuan City? Headquarters can't possibly send us to do the rescue, can they?" Cang Xing asked doubtfully.

The captain looked up at his teammates and said bitterly, "It has nothing to do with you guys. It's just..."

She took a deep breath and felt even more miserable about her life:

"It has something to do with me."

"what?"

Everyone froze instantly, their faces filled with astonishment, and they all turned to look at their captain.

Zhong Hui also stopped recalling the Foundation Establishment Elixir formula in his mind.

"Headquarters couldn't withstand the pressure from the government, and at the same time, headquarters was unwilling to abandon the advance team members, after all, every member of that team was a rare high-end combat force..."

"Therefore, headquarters decided to launch a rescue operation. The trap was so powerful that even the advance team was unable to make contact, so ordinary magical girls would be of no use. Therefore, headquarters decided to draw high-level combatants from magical girl teams in various cities across the country to provide assistance."

At this point, the captain shook his head helplessly, his smile full of self-deprecation, "I just happened to be chosen again."

Being called out twice in a row, that's some serious luck.

"Captain, your injuries haven't fully healed yet!" Altai said urgently. "Besides, Lord Xiao Henu has already applied for your application, and headquarters knows about your injuries. It's unreasonable that they specifically asked you to go!"

"There's nothing I can do..."

The captain leaned back, staring blankly at the ceiling, and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, she suddenly sat up straight and said with a wry smile, "The headquarters selects people by allocating them to each region. There aren't many five-star magical girls in our JB region, and I'm a veteran. Even though I'm injured, headquarters still gives me priority."

“Isn’t this bullying?” Zhong Hui said.

"Yeah! Isn't this bullying honest people?" Cangxing said indignantly.

"Captain, be firm and refuse outright. Headquarters can't hold a knife to your throat and force you to go, can they?" Mu Yue suggested.

“Agreed,” Fluorescent followed.

The more composed Altai finally spoke up: "Captain, is there really no other way?"

"No."

The captain slowly shook his head. "Unless I disobey orders, I must go to headquarters to report and participate in the rescue."

A deathly silence fell over the crowd; no one knew what to do.

The captain seemed to have come to terms with it, waving his hand and saying, "Never mind, the capable should do more. I, this sun, am destined to burn out."

"After I leave, Altai will be the captain and Fluorescent will be the vice-captain. I always feel that the witches are still plotting something... Anyway, everyone, please pay more attention to protecting Fangyuan City in the near future, so that no more witches will come to cause trouble. If you encounter something that you can't handle, don't try to fight it yourself, remember to ask for help. Well, that's all." She stood up and then announced the adjournment of the meeting.

"team leader……"

Several people spoke up, none of them willing to leave.

It's obvious to anyone with eyes that this rescue operation is anything but easy, especially since the Seven Star Magical Girls' team has lost contact.

"It's alright, don't worry." The captain reassured everyone, "This rescue operation will be led entirely by Lady Cecilia, who is one of the strongest magical girls in Schicksal. In short, you can put your minds at ease."

"But……"

"Alright, stop making it sound like a life-or-death situation. Let's adjourn the meeting." Seeing that everyone was still reluctant to leave, the captain smiled brightly and immediately patted his chest to assure them, "Don't worry, everyone, I will definitely come back alive and well and continue to be your captain."

"Captain... it's easy to get into trouble if you set a flag before a big battle..." Fluorescent said timidly.

The captain's smile froze. Can you wish me well?

"Captain, when are you leaving?"

As soon as Altai finished speaking, she realized her mistake. Seeing that the captain's smile was getting even more strained, she quickly corrected herself: "I was asking when you're leaving!"

"Hehe... We're leaving tomorrow."

In the end, the captain still decided to go and provide support. No matter how reluctant or worried everyone was, they could only accept the captain's decision.

Chapter 33 The Great Conspiracy

This is an otherworldly realm that defies common sense and is bizarre and fantastical.

Here, there is no alternation of day and night, no change of dawn and dusk; even the passage of time becomes blurred and distorted, as if it is being kneaded and frozen at will by an invisible hand.

The earth beneath our feet is not a solid rock, but rather a vast, ever-flowing ocean that rises and falls in a rhythm that defies the laws of physics.

Above the sky, countless enormous eyeballs hung, darting about and scanning the area below.

Even more chilling was that the distant mountains seemed to be frolicking and running around like living creatures, and the roadside flowers, plants and trees all had complete human faces on them, with crooked eyebrows and eyes, open and closed lips and teeth, constantly emitting sharp and piercing strange laughter, and their eyes slowly moving.

The advance team of magical girls, who have lost contact with headquarters, are now trapped in this absurd place.

In this bizarre world without direction, without boundaries, and without common sense, the group can only wander aimlessly.

They found themselves in an endless desert, the yellow sand scorching and the heat intense.

There are herds of camels here, but these creatures do not walk on all fours. Instead, they stand upright with their two slender legs, their necks turning stiffly, and their eyes staring blankly at them.

Ignoring them, the group hurriedly left the desert and traveled to a seaside.

Here, the sea breeze is cool, and the waves crash against the shore in layers. Several mermaids with fish heads and human bodies sit on the rocks, their scales gleaming coldly in the hazy mist. They sing softly and melodiously, their voices gentle and ethereal, yet hiding a bewitching and eerie quality.

They didn't linger and continued on their way.

No matter where they went, all they could see were bizarre, strange, and misty exotic landscapes.

The enormous, ubiquitous eyes in the sky remained fixed on their figures, their gazes never wavering.

Perhaps due to excessive pressure, or perhaps due to a mental breakdown, the magical girl Su Xiao could no longer bear it and suddenly raised her hand to cast a spell without warning.

Her wand burst forth with blinding flames, and a vast expanse of raging fire shot straight into the sky, sweeping towards the countless eyeballs.

The crackling sound of burning filled the air as the eyeballs were consumed by the flames, bursting open one after another like overripe, rotten fruit, with viscous liquid mixed with ash falling in a flurry.

In the blink of an eye, the sky, which had been filled with eyeballs, became clear and open.

Team leader Viviana sighed softly, her tone filled with helplessness and clarity, and solemnly reminded everyone: "Don't let these external things disturb your mind; they are all just illusory creations. If we can't find the source of this illusion, destroying more illusions will only be a waste of effort."

As if to deliberately confirm her words, within a few breaths, countless eyeballs once again surged from the sky, layer upon layer, covering the sky and continuing to monitor them without moving.

In that cold gaze, there was even a hint of undisguised mockery and ridicule.

"Damn it!" Su Xiao angrily brandished her wand, the flames flickering at its tip. Filled with unvented rage, she gritted her teeth and growled, "What does the witch want by trapping us here?"

No one can answer this question.

Ever since they inexplicably entered this bizarre world, everyone has been on edge, constantly on guard against the witch's sudden and deadly attacks.

What's most unsettling is that the witch never showed herself once throughout the entire story.

They were like utterly abandoned prisoners, trapped in this boundless, indestructible illusionary cage, endlessly drifting and wandering.

Captain Viviana keenly sensed that everyone was in low spirits and on the verge of a mental breakdown, so she quickly spoke up to comfort them: "Cheer up, everyone! We haven't been able to communicate with headquarters for a long time. Headquarters must have noticed something is wrong and is probably making every effort to rescue us right now."

"That's right! Once reinforcements arrive from headquarters, these witches who are lurking in the shadows will definitely be annihilated!"

"Right now, we just need to stay calm, maintain our physical condition, and wait patiently for rescue!"

The other two six-star magical girls quickly chimed in, joining their captain in calming everyone down.

Unbeknownst to them, the mastermind behind this game had been watching them silently from the shadows the entire time.

Outside this world, several figures stood, their gazes fixed on the light screen not far away.

Inside the light screen, twelve girls were fast asleep; they were the entire advance team.

The Witch of Jealousy gazed at the pale golden light barrier and sighed softly, "Viviana is truly amazing. Even though she was being eroded by sleepiness, she was still able to maintain her consciousness and set up a candlelight barrier to protect everyone in the team."

The Greedy Witch chuckled softly and slowly said, "Unfortunately, she miscalculated from the very beginning. Our target was never them. This barrier can protect their lives, but it has also become a shackle that imprisons them, allowing Lilia's dream to be even more effective."

"When exactly will we begin our operation?" The Death Witch on the other side could no longer contain herself, emanating a chilling aura of death as she urged in a cold voice.

"No rush, the bait is in place, it's just a matter of when the fish will take the bait," the Goddess of Jealousy replied calmly and unhurriedly.

"This is troublesome." The Death Witch's face was grim, and her tone was violent. "In my opinion, it would be better to just kill these people and then invade China. With so many witches gathered together, wouldn't it be a piece of cake to deal with China?"

"Death, your temper is still so impatient and reckless."

Suddenly, a portal appeared in the void, and the Arrogant Witch slowly walked out of it, speaking calmly: "The candlelight barrier set up by Viviana is extremely difficult to break. As soon as they sense an attack from the outside, they will be instantly awakened by the barrier. At that time, our location will be completely exposed. Not to mention successfully killing them, it is unknown whether we can even escape unscathed from the encirclement of the magical girls who come to reinforce us."

"Hmph, what's there to be afraid of?" The Death Witch crossed her arms, her death aura surging, her face full of disdain. "So what if I'm exposed? I can kill as many magical girls from China as they dare to come."

"It seems your smooth sailing in the Western Continent has made you arrogant and conceited." The Arrogant Witch's eyes turned cold. "Do you really think that the magical girls there are so easy to deal with, given that China is the strongest country in the Central Continent?"

"Leaving aside the other magical girls in China, Cecilia, who is in charge of overseeing the headquarters of Schicksal, is already an absolutely troublesome opponent. Back then, when many witches launched a massive invasion of Red Cherry City, she single-handedly chased them down for thousands of miles. You were no match for me. If you were to actually face her, what are your chances of surviving?"

"You're welcome to try!" Enraged, the Death Witch unleashed a powerful aura of death that swept through the surrounding darkness.

The arrogant demoness's expression was cold and stern as she confronted him head-on. The two powerful magical energies clashed and clashed, instantly creating a tense atmosphere, as if they were about to start fighting at any moment.