What kind of magic? This is called cultivating immortality!

"It seems you have plenty of time to fight amongst yourselves here."

A cold, emotionless voice suddenly rang out from the depths of darkness.

The standoff between death and arrogance froze instantly, and the magic they exuded abruptly subsided.

The other witches present also changed their expressions, subconsciously suppressing their aura and daring not to make any further moves.

The voice slowly rang out again: "I don't care what personal grudges or old grievances you have, you all better behave yourselves during this mission. Destiny has already begun mobilizing magical girls from major cities as reinforcements, and the first step of the plan has been initially successful. If anyone dares to disrupt this plan, you know the consequences yourselves."

In the darkness, no one dared to make a sound.

Chapter 34 Cecilia

Meanwhile, at the other side, the Destiny headquarters

"Minister, all the magical girls drawn from the nine regions have arrived and are currently resting in hotels. They are ready to be deployed at any time to carry out rescue missions."

"Minister, Councilor Su from the government has sent word that he is again urging us to launch a rescue operation as soon as possible."

"Minister, diplomatic envoys from Yingguo, Nanguo, Daqin and other countries have arrived at the diplomatic residence and will be able to meet and talk in an hour. In addition, your business trip this afternoon has also been arranged."

"Minister, Lady Cecilia wishes to speak with you in person."

Inside the solemn minister's office, four secretaries stepped forward one by one, reporting in an orderly manner on the various tasks at hand.

Behind the desk, a middle-aged man with a handlebar beard calmly picked up a white porcelain teacup with a red portrait on it, gently blew away the rising steam, took a leisurely sip of hot tea, and then slowly issued instructions one by one.

"The rescue operation should be put on hold for now. Let the magical girls who have come to provide reinforcements stay at the hotel and rest properly."

"That guy surnamed Su, let him die."

"The diplomatic meeting will be held half an hour earlier, and the business trip schedule will be adjusted to depart promptly at 1 p.m.

"As for Cecilia... tell her, I had a sudden heart attack and am currently in the hospital receiving emergency treatment."

The secretaries noted down the instructions, bowed, and left the office one after another.

In just a moment, only the minister remained in the huge minister's office.

He stretched his limbs and yawned contentedly, his bones making a soft cracking sound.

Since the advance team that went to the Antarctic ice field to investigate the witch's location lost contact, the headquarters of Destiny has been in a state of non-stop busy chaos.

As the highest-ranking official in charge at the central level, he could only steal moments of leisure from his busy schedule.

"These are turbulent times."

He shook his head, adopting the demeanor of an old cadre, picked up his teacup again, and had just brought it to his lips when a sudden commotion came from outside the office door.

"Lord Cecilia, the minister is really not in his office. He suffered a sudden heart attack and is currently being treated at the hospital!"

"Lord Cecilia, the minister has not given your permission. You cannot enter without authorization... much less force your way in!"

Frantic shouts of protest rang out from outside the door, but they couldn't stop the approaching, imposing footsteps.

The minister sighed and put down his teacup.

The next second, the tightly closed door was suddenly pushed open with a "bang".

Cecilia stood in the doorway, her sharp gaze falling on the middle-aged man sitting behind the desk. A slight smirk played on her lips as she said:

"Your secretary just said you're in the hospital receiving emergency treatment?"

"Minister, we really couldn't stop them..." The secretaries who rushed over were pale-faced and hurriedly apologized.

"Oh, it's alright, it's alright." The minister waved his hand dismissively, acting as if he were in a gentle breeze. "This is our Schicksal's strongest magical girl. It would be strange if you could stop her. You can go now, I'll handle things here."

The secretary, feeling as if granted a pardon, closed the door and quickly left.

Cecilia stepped forward and sat down in the chair opposite the minister. Her gaze was sharp as a blade as she stared directly at the highest authority of Schicksal and sternly questioned, "Why did you rashly order the transfer of magical girls who were originally responsible for guarding the cities from the nine regions? Minister, please give me a reasonable explanation."

"Do I need to explain this? The news has been circulating all over headquarters. I thought you knew about it." The minister looked surprised, but still patiently explained, "That guy surnamed Su wants to save his daughter. He teamed up with a group of councilors in the government and put pressure on headquarters around the clock. There's nothing we can do. We can't afford to mess with the government."

"Is this your explanation?" Cecilia knew exactly what had happened. She had expected the minister to give a more reasonable explanation, but she hadn't expected such a perfunctory one.

She immediately stood up, her voice firm and resolute: "Fine, since you can't afford to offend the government, then I'll handle this matter."

As soon as she finished speaking, a flash of light appeared in her palm, and a long, crimson spear appeared in her hand.

"Now, I request the minister to issue an order for the magical girls who have been transferred here to reinforce the city to return to their respective cities and continue their duties."

The minister's face darkened, and his voice was filled with anger: "I am, after all, the highest-ranking official in charge of Mandate of Heaven. Is this the attitude you should have towards me?"

Seeing that her superior was already angry, Cecilia did not back down in the slightest. She slammed her spear heavily into the ground and said:

"If you were still as wise and decisive as before, I would naturally support you as before. But now, just because of pressure from a few government members, you have ordered the mobilization of key officials from some cities in various regions to come to the rescue. Please forgive me for not being able to accept this!"

"Minister, I don't know if you've never truly considered the hidden dangers, or if you're afraid of offending a member of parliament and losing your position. Now, I urge you to think carefully: once a large number of five-star magical girls are transferred away from their assigned areas, what if a witch suddenly launches an attack during the rescue operation? How will those cities, deprived of the magical girls' protection, withstand the disaster? What will happen to the millions of innocent civilians?"

After learning that many city officials had been transferred, she realized the risk and tried to explain it to the minister repeatedly, but the minister kept avoiding her. So she had no choice but to force her way in and explain.

Even though Cecilia had already pointed out the danger, the minister simply replied in a deep voice, "Don't forget, each city is garrisoned by small teams. Even if the captain is transferred, there are still enough magical girls stationed there."

"Even if they are attacked by witches, as long as they hold out for a while, magical girls will soon come to their aid. I have everything arranged, and there will be no major trouble."

“I cannot accept your explanation.” Cecilia shook her head slowly, her eyes filled with disappointment. “What is your bottom line for ‘not causing chaos’? Is it hundreds of casualties, thousands of deaths, or tens of thousands of people being affected?”

"Cecilia!"

Seeing that he couldn't win the argument, the minister slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Don't forget your own identity and responsibilities!"

“Following orders is my duty, but protecting the people is also my duty. I’ll ask you one last time: are you willing to change the order?” Cecilia’s gaze was firm, unyielding.

As the highest-ranking member of Schicksal, the department head is very familiar with the temperaments and personalities of many magical girls.

Cecilia's words at this moment indicated that her patience had completely run out.

Even so, the minister remained unmoved and tried to change her mind in another way:

"Even disregarding the pressure from the government, every member of the advance team that went missing on the Antarctic ice sheet is a crucial backbone, and they have made significant contributions in the fight against the witch. Viviana, in particular, is your closest friend. Can you really bear to watch them go missing and lose their lives silently?"

Cecilia took a deep breath and said slowly, "If there were a way to have both, I would do everything in my power to rescue them. But I will never allow the lives of thousands of people to be sacrificed for an unequal rescue."

The minister remained silent, but his expression grew increasingly grim.

Cecilia looked at the person she once respected most with complicated emotions, and after a long while, she spoke again: "It seems that we have different ideas... Lin Guohui, having sat in this high position for so long, have you forgotten your original intentions?"

People with different values ​​cannot work together. Since they could not reach an agreement, she decided to resolve the issue in her own way.

She didn't say another word, turned around and left with her gun.

In the empty office, the middle-aged man slumped helplessly in his chair, a bitter smile on his face.

Would he not understand?

He understands better than anyone else.

However, this matter is far more complicated than it appears on the surface.

"Sigh..." he sighed to himself, "Cecilia's temper is really troublesome... I need to think of a way..."

Chapter 35 It's all the fault of our family of origin.

The first day after the captain left.

After the members of the Floating Light Squad reluctantly saw each other off, life quickly returned to its usual rhythm, and everyone lived their lives peacefully as before.

The midday sun streamed through the window, casting a soft, warm glow on the living room floor.

Cangxing curled up alone on the sofa, legs crossed, head down, eyes glued to the screen, completely immersed in the world of the melodrama.

Just then, a soft rustling sound was accompanied by a dog's bark.

A snow-white Border Collie puppy with heterochromia ran quickly to her, carrying a stainless steel food bowl in its mouth. Its tail wagged like a little windmill, and its round eyes stared at her intently, while it made soft whimpering sounds.

Cangxing paused the show, looked down at the puppy at her feet, and asked hesitantly:

"Uh... are you hungry? Did Zhong forget to feed you again?"

The Border Collie seemed to understand human speech perfectly, nodding vigorously and moving closer with its food bowl in its mouth, looking rather aggrieved.

"Really." Cang Xing couldn't help but mutter under her breath, reaching out to take the food bowl from the puppy's mouth. "Zhong Hui clearly said before that as long as I paid to buy this dog, he would take care of everything. How come in the end, I'm the one who has to feed it all?"

Although she complained, her hands moved quickly, unscrewing the can of puppy food and pouring it into the food bowl.

The little guy, who had been starving for a long time, suddenly had his eyes light up and immediately lowered his head to wolf down his food.

"Poor little guy." Cangxing crouched down and gently stroked the puppy that was only a few months old.

Even while eating, the puppy didn't forget to be affectionate, rubbing its head against Sousei's ankle affectionately.

This heartwarming scene instantly brought a maternal smile to Cang Xing's face, and she whispered:

"Don't worry, when Zhong Hui comes back, I will definitely have a good talk with him and make him take on the responsibilities of being a master in the future."

No matter how good her relationship with Zhong Hui is, she will absolutely uphold the law impartially in this matter and will not show any favoritism whatsoever.

"Woof." The puppy barked at the right moment, as if in agreement with her words.

"So good!" Cangxing liked it even more.

The man and his dog got along very well in the living room.

Just then, the door to the entrance was suddenly pushed open.

Zhong Hui, dressed in a loose short-sleeved shirt and flip-flops, carrying a large white plastic bag, slowly walked into the living room.

"You're back?"

Cangxing laughed even harder, but when she turned around and saw what was in the plastic bag, her smile froze instantly, and her expression became tense. She quickly asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell? Why didn't you tell me about this? Is this medicine for treating illness? Have you gone to the hospital for a checkup?"

Faced with four concerned questions, Zhong Hui casually placed the plastic bag on the table and replied unhurriedly, "I am in good health. These medicines are not ordinary medicines for treating illnesses, but spiritual medicines of heaven and earth that have absorbed the essence of the sun and moon. I specially bought them to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill."

"It's good that you're not sick..." Cang Xing breathed a sigh of relief, but then an even bigger question arose, "What is the Foundation Establishment Pill?"

Zhong Hui patiently explained, "The Foundation Establishment Pill is a pill used by cultivators who have reached the Qi Refining Realm to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. After taking it, it can clear impurities from the body, cleanse the meridians and marrow, gather spiritual energy and strengthen the foundation, and stabilize the Dao foundation. At that time, if I combine it with a wisp of Heavenly Dao Qi, I can achieve the most outstanding Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment in one fell swoop."

Uh... I don't understand at all... Sousei could only nod, seemingly understanding.

After a two-second silence, she asked again, "So, how much did you spend on all these... Chinese medicines and elixirs?"

"Not much, just a mere 300,000," Zhong Hui said casually, as if it were only 30 yuan.

But these words struck Cang Xing like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Incredulously, she stepped forward, pointed at the herbs in the bag, and raised her voice several decibels: "Three hundred thousand for this little bit?! This is just ordinary ginseng, and the quality is so poor. And this is just honeysuckle, which you can find anywhere. And this thing that looks like a radish, is it a radish? All of this together shouldn't cost more than ten thousand yuan!"