What kind of magic? This is called cultivating immortality!

"The situation is getting more and more chaotic..."

She rubbed her forehead, her eyelids twitching incessantly.

She originally thought that this was just a protest against the replacement of mechs, and that it could be easily resolved by the nine regions working together to exert pressure, as the others suggested.

Unexpectedly, this turmoil was actually linked to an internal traitor within headquarters, and this person behind the scenes who was connected to the Divine Kingdom was very likely Lin Guohui, the minister who created the entire Destiny!

Chapter 103: All Leaders Gather

That night, Xiao Henu sat alone in the conference room, his gaze fixed on the computer screen that was establishing a connection.

With a crisp "ding," eight independent windows popped up on the screen, each displaying a beautiful face.

They are the top leaders of the other eight regions.

Tonight, the nine leaders gathered remotely to finalize the follow-up actions of the protest headquarters.

In the scene, a girl wearing a face mask broke the silence first: "Xiao Henu, you were delayed for two days because of the Wish Witch's incident. You should have finished everything today, right?"

The girl who spoke was named Meng Liuli, the person in charge of Lingdong, and also the core initiator of the entire resistance plan.

She spearheaded and coordinated this large-scale protest operation, which involved nine regions, from beginning to end.

Without her dedicated efforts, the nine regions would probably still be a disorganized mess; without her, the Titan Project launched by headquarters might actually have succeeded.

Even the things Xiao Henu did today were inseparable from Meng Liuli's advice and planning; she helped draft the action plan and speech.

Remembering the kindness shown to him, Xiao Henu replied in a very gentle tone, "Everything is settled on my end. We won all twenty-four matches, and I secretly facilitated only ten of them. With these consecutive victories, plus the publicity from the speeches, the fighting spirit of all the magical girls in Jiangbei has been ignited. They are all eagerly awaiting the next move."

"very good."

Meng Liuli said in a deep voice, "Now that everything is ready, tomorrow the nine regions will jointly submit a petition. On one hand, we will protest and put pressure on headquarters, and on the other hand, we will simultaneously submit a protest document to the government. We will proceed on two fronts to force both sides to take our demands seriously."

"This...isn't it a bit inappropriate to involve the government?" Rimu Li, the person in charge of Guihai, frowned slightly, her words filled with obvious hesitation.

As soon as she finished speaking, Yang Zhi, the person in charge of South China, immediately retorted, his attitude resolute: "Why worry so much? This matter must be blown out of proportion, the bigger the better. Otherwise, with just over a thousand people from our nine regions, we may not be able to make headquarters bow down and abandon the development of combat robots. With government intervention and pressure, a two-pronged attack, we can completely block any possibility of headquarters turning the tables."

"Some members of the government are not trustworthy."

Jiang Yao, the person in charge of Longxiang, immediately raised objections, "They already have ways to control us. Actively bringing the government into the game is tantamount to inviting wolves into the house. They are very likely to take the opportunity to seize power and swallow up the headquarters. At that time, all of us magical girls will become lambs to the slaughter."

“What’s the essential difference between obeying headquarters and being dependent on the government? In the end, aren’t we still going to keep contributing to this world?” the Changheng representative said.

“That’s not how you put it,” the Xihua representative explained logically. “The current system of checks and balances between headquarters and the government is entirely beneficial to us. If we make the wrong choice and allow one side to become dominant, can we still keep everything we have now? We don’t want to end up shooting ourselves in the foot.”

"But the current checks and balances have clearly failed. Even though the government still exists, isn't the headquarters still driven by selfish motives, constantly developing robots to replace magical girls? If you ask me, it would be better to let the government absorb the headquarters, destroying it and then rebuilding it." The person in charge, Kinzo, said bluntly, unconvinced.

"Absolutely not, the headquarters must exist. Allowing the government, which already has the power to control us, to become the sole authority will only make the situation worse," the Hebei official immediately rejected.

For a time, everyone held their own opinions and argued endlessly. Each person had their own considerations and insistence, and they were unable to reach a consensus or finalize a solution.

Just as the stalemate reached its conclusion, Xiao Henu suddenly spoke, dropping a bombshell:

"Stop arguing for now. After you hear my news, then you can argue about whether the headquarters or the government is right or wrong."

"Just today, one of my magical girls discovered that the internal structure of the K1 Titan, developed by headquarters, is exactly the same as that of the Steel Calamity Beast that appeared before. It is very likely that the two were created by the same person."

Upon hearing this, the video conference fell instantly silent, the entire room completely silent.

Meng Liuli ripped off the face mask and exclaimed, "Really?"

Realizing she was getting too emotional, she quickly composed herself and regained her composure: "Xiao Henu, are you sure the news is true? This matter can't be spread carelessly; it has serious implications."

Xiao Henu nodded firmly: "The person who gave me the information had close contact with the Steel Calamity Beast, so I can confirm that the information is true. As for everything else, I will not comment."

This matter is far too complex, far exceeding the Titan replacement plan. Expressing opinions casually could easily cause a major upheaval.

Xiao Henu was confident in her abilities and intelligence, and silence was the best option for her at the moment.

Coincidentally, most of the others had the same thought.

As is well known, the identities and addresses of magical girls are strictly protected, and even within Schicksal, very few people have the authority to access them.

Despite this tight security measures, magical girls were attacked in various places recently.

At that time, countless magical girls filed a joint and angry appeal, forcing headquarters to launch its first thorough investigation into the traitor, but to no avail.

The magical girls naturally denied it. In order to give an explanation, the headquarters could only appease the magical girls' emotions while continuing to investigate the traitor. As time went by, the matter was gradually put on hold.

No one expected that, just as the storm had subsided, the headquarters developed the K1 Titan, attempting to collect combat data from low-level magical girls in order to pave the way for replacing them in the future.

Even more chilling is that the core structure of this robot is exactly the same as that of the Steel Beast.

Under these circumstances, the suspicion against Lim Kok Hui, the Minister of Destiny who spearheaded the Titan Project and held the highest decision-making power, inevitably surged dramatically.

In other words, the mole who has been hiding in headquarters for a long time is very likely him!

Thinking of this, several managers in front of the screen felt a chill run down their spines.

The pioneers who once fought against witches and protected the world have harbored such evil intentions.

If all of this is true, the moment the news breaks, it will surely cause unpredictable turmoil.

After a long silence, Meng Liuli broke the stillness and spoke in a deep voice: "No matter what the truth is, we must not speculate wildly or panic. We should report this information to Lady Cecilia first, as only she has the ability to make a decision on this matter."

“But… Lady Cecilia has always been his staunch supporter…”

Meng Liuli directly interrupted the other person in charge's concerns: "Lady Cecilia never blindly supports anyone; she only supports those who align with her goals."

When she was preparing for the protest, Cecilia was the first person she approached, but Cecilia neither agreed nor refused, and did not report the matter, as if she knew nothing about it.

But this time, Cecilia will definitely make a move, based on Meng Liuli's absolute trust in her.

Cecilia's goal has always been simple: whoever can eliminate all the witches and return the world to normalcy, she will support, even if all the magical girls perish in the process, she doesn't care.

She would never stand idly by if someone clearly posed a threat to the world, even if that person was someone she had once wholeheartedly supported.

"Alright, this information will be kept confidential for now. This meeting is adjourned for now. All members will await further instructions regarding the subsequent protest plan."

After saying that, Meng Liuli disconnected, and the others followed suit and exited the meeting interface one after another.

In the empty conference room, only Xiao Henu remained sitting quietly in his seat.

She stared silently at the computer screen, a strange premonition rising in her heart. This action, which was originally only to protect the rights of magical girls, seemed to be becoming increasingly unpredictable.

Chapter 104 The Situation Reversed

At 10 p.m., in the brightly lit gym, Cecilia, who had just finished exercising, sat quietly on a bench, browsing through a series of messages sent by Meng Liuli, the person in charge of Lingdong.

After reading it, she paused briefly, then replied "Received," put away her phone, and got up to leave.

Regardless of whether the news was true or false, she insisted on visiting in person to find out the truth.

The night was deep and still, the bright moon hung high in the sky, and countless stars illuminated the night. The cascading starlight and moonlight stretched her figure long and slender.

Before long, Cecilia arrived at an old neighborhood.

Following her memory, she found the three apartment buildings, took the elevator directly to the seventh floor, and pressed the doorbell of room 701.

"Ding-dong~"

Who is it?

In the study, Lin Guohui, who had not yet rested, got up upon hearing the sound, quickly walked to the entrance, and opened the door.

Upon seeing who was standing at the door, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, then he joked, "A rare guest! You haven't visited my home in years. What brings you here today?"

Cecilia said calmly, "I just heard some news and couldn't wait until tomorrow, so I came over tonight to ask you a few questions. I hope I didn't disturb your rest?"

"Don't bother me, young people always sleep late."

Lin Guohui stepped aside to let him pass, then turned and walked towards the living room: "Come in and have a seat. We don't have many drinks, how about a cup of hot tea?"

Before he finished speaking, he picked up the thermos, poured water and added tea in one smooth motion, and then handed the steaming teacup to Cecilia, who was sitting on the sofa.

Cecilia nodded and took the sample, sipping it lightly before getting straight to the point: "What is your true purpose in dedicating yourself to robot research for so many years? Why did you specifically choose magical girls as your experimental subjects this time? Are you trying to collect their combat data so you can completely replace magical girls in the future?"

"There's a whole host of problems," Lin Guohui chuckled. "I really didn't expect you'd come knocking on my door specifically for something like this."

“Answer me.”

“Alright, how should I put it…” Lin Guohui sat down on a low chair, pondered for a moment, and slowly began, “I firmly believe that humanity’s future and hope must be firmly grasped in our own hands.”

"So in your eyes, magical girls who have always shouldered the responsibility of protection can no longer be considered human?" Cecilia frowned slightly, her words revealing obvious displeasure.

Lin Guohui looked helpless, took a deep breath, and, out of absolute trust in her, decided to reveal all his considerations:

"Do you think normal humans can fly or teleport? Can they tear through space and freeze time? From the moment they sign the contract and become magical girls, they have already transcended the realm of humanity."

"I don't deny that magical girls have always fought to protect this duty, even at the cost of their lives. But the reason we can fight side by side right now is simply because we share a common enemy: the witch."

"But what about the future? If one day, witches of unknown origin completely disappear, will you magical girls who wield extraordinary powers become the new witches? At that time, how will weak humans contend with them?"

"Rather than entrusting our future to some vague savior, it's better for humanity to acquire the ability to save itself and take control of its own destiny."

Lin Guohui paused slightly, his voice deepening:

"Given my position, I must plan ahead for the long-term survival of humanity. Over the years, I have spared no expense in developing various powers that humanity can utilize, yet progress has been consistently slow."

"Until recently, my research team mastered the technology for extracting energy from the Seed of Lamentation. Only with this extraordinary energy supply could a new type of combat robot, with performance comparable to a magical girl, finally be developed."

"However, the current first-generation model is still not perfect. Now that the witches have disappeared, we don't have enough real-world combat data to refer to. We can only collect combat records of magical girls to iterate and optimize, and develop stronger and more complete combat robots."

He spoke frankly, his eyes clear, every word from the bottom of his heart. He acted without a trace of selfishness, and all his plans were for the future of the entire human race.

Even if it makes him a villain hated by all magical girls, he will never regret it.

After hearing this confession, Cecilia's face remained completely expressionless. She simply said, "Your ideals, it seems, have never changed from beginning to end."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have your support."

Lin Guohui poured himself a cup of hot tea to moisten his dry throat, and sighed softly, "If it weren't for you, I would have lost this position long ago. The government has always wanted to interfere in Schicksal's affairs; they've long coveted the power to command and control the magical girls."

“The government’s current regulations and systems have huge loopholes. Unless they are changed, once those councilors gain the power to command magical girls, coupled with their existing control, it will definitely cause big problems,” Cecilia said bluntly.

Lin Guohui smiled upon hearing this, not pursuing the topic further, and changed the subject: "So, you came all this way tonight just to ask these questions?"

"This is only part of it. I received a report that the K1 Titan, which you spearheaded the development of, has an internal structure completely identical to the Iron Hound."

Cecilia's gaze suddenly darkened, her tone becoming solemn: "The entire experiment was driven by you alone. Because of this, many people are suspicious, doubting that your motives are pure, and even believing you to be a mole hidden in headquarters."

Faced with these accusations, Lin Guohui remained calm and showed no sign of panic.

"And what about you? What do you think?" he asked casually, taking a leisurely sip of hot tea.