Xyrin Empire
Chapter 372 - Chapter 372 Chapter 372 The Kidnapped Angel

Chapter 372: Chapter 372: The Kidnapped Angel Chapter 372: Chapter 372: The Kidnapped Angel After two peaceful days had passed, the first batch of Sister Misakas finally arrived at our research institute.

It was a heavy cargo truck carrying a shipping container, with a pass that read “Research Equipment Transport.” It arrived at the back entrance of the research institute; the driver had no idea what he was transporting. After delivering the “research equipment” and ensuring we unloaded the container, he left without saying a word.

“Living beings, indeed.”

Big Sister sighed sorrowfully and then stepped forward to open the doors of the container.

As the metallic hinges creaked upon opening from the outside, inside the container sat hundreds of girls with identical delicate features, wearing standardized uniforms of Changpan Platform, their heights and weights precisely the same, even the night-vision goggles on their heads were clipped in exactly the same position. These hundreds of Sister Misakas, just like dolls assembled on a production line, were crammed into the large shipping container like goods. As the sealed door opened, all the Sister Misakas uniformly shifted their gaze towards the incoming light, and I felt a gulp in my heart when hundreds of emotionless, puppet-like eyes stared at me in unison.

Frightening…

Under the command of Misaka 10031, over a hundred Sister Misakas filed out of the container and quickly lined up in two rows by their medical examination numbers in front of us.

“Ahem, first of all, welcome to… well, welcome to our big family.”

As usual, I, the unlucky one, was pushed forward to make the speech. After some thought, I decided to use “family” to describe our relationship. As the saying goes, the more, the merrier, and since we had taken in these Misaka Clones with pitiful backgrounds, we should treat them like our own sisters. After all, having a bunch more sisters around me isn’t going to make much difference–though speaking of ten thousand people is indeed a bit too much, damn it!

Faced with my opening words, the hundred-plus Sister Misakas showed no reaction whatsoever; they just quietly listened and then waited for my next command.

Standby, receive orders, execute, die–this had become an instinctive part of them.

Of course, except for Misaka 10031, who had been living with us for a few days already. Although her expression was as wooden and devoid of emotion as the other sisters, Misaka 10031 still immediately took the lead in applauding, while at the same time looked up at me expressionlessly, saying, “The Misakas are waiting for orders, otherwise they won’t take any action. Director, Misaka 10031 sees you are a bit embarrassed and kindly explains.”

Your explanation just made it more awkward for me.

“Alright, that’s it for now. You all need to familiarize yourselves with the environment and then get used to our Biological Repair Chamber. Misaka 10031 will tell you more… that’s all, dismissed!”

The Sister Misakas immediately changed formation, then calmly followed Misaka 10031 and left the area.

“Talking to them is really stressful.”

I said, releasing a heartfelt sigh of relief.

Lin Xue chimed in from the side, “That’s why you were pushed to take the bullet.”

The number of Misaka Clones was a staggering ten thousand plus; it was clearly impossible to receive them all at once. Honestly, Aresta was even doubtful at first whether our small research institute could accommodate these ten thousand plus clones without the outside world finding out. However, I had already made it clear to him that we could handle this ourselves; he just needed to use his power to safely and covertly transport the ten thousand Sister Misakas to “Xyrin Research Institute.” For now, this first hundred was just the initial batch, aside from serving as the first handover attempt, they would also become the latest test subjects for the Biological Repair Chamber. Over the following days, the remaining Sister Misakas would be sent in batches and then transferred to–Shadow City.

This cold world had never offered the sisters even the slightest warmth; I would rather create a new heaven for them.

Even though this heaven currently has a somewhat bizarre environment… I need to talk to Bubbles about not running scene simulations in Shadow City after watching bizarre anime anymore.

“I wonder if that old fox Aresta will harbor any suspicions about the sudden disappearance of over ten thousand people?”

As I watched the sisters line up behind Misaka 10031 and disappear into the underground entrance of the institute, Big Sister murmured beside me.

“Besides, I always feel that cunning guy’s reaction is a bit odd. Facing the ‘Aliens,’ his actions do not seem to fit those of a leader filled with suspicion.”

“Who knows… Hm? Sister, that energy fluctuation just now…”

“Energy fluctuation?”

Big Sister blinked curiously, “I didn’t feel it.”

An illusion?

Seeing my sister looking puzzled, I also started to doubt whether I had imagined it, but then, another faint wave of energy fluctuations came through, confirming that my senses weren’t mistaken.

It seemed the fluctuations were too weak and also not something Big Sister was familiar with, which is why only I had noticed them.

“I noticed them too…”

Just as I thought this, Lin Xue spoke softly from beside me, almost forgetting that besides me, there was also a girl prophet here, almost like a long-range radar due to her abilities.

“It’s the scent of the magic from this world, not too far from here.”

Lin Xue looked at me, curiosity on her face, “Oh? So this is the magic of this world? It’s a very strange way of energy operation indeed, no spiritual power involved, just as you said, a method driven by idolatry or myths imbuing power to move magic elements, Wood, shall we go check it out?”

Near the pedestrian street of the Seventh District, in a deserted alley, the ground was covered in scorched black, and the walls were full of crisscrossed signs of high heat, with several charred materials still slowly emitting blue smoke, continually giving off a pungent burnt smell. Clearly, a moment of intense heat had just occurred here.

Although the remaining magic fluctuations were quite weak, I could still distinguish that this was the handiwork of magicians.

And one of them was quite familiar.

“Stier’s residual magic, huh?” After sensing with my eyes slightly closed, I easily identified the unique magic fluctuation of that old smoker who could send a scent of tobacco thirty miles downwind, “It seems his opponent was very careful to conceal their tracks. Some magic technique that greatly limits the dispersion of magic fluctuations was continuously in operation in this alley, otherwise, with Stier’s bishop-level power, the clash would have been much more intense.”

“Was anyone hurt?”

Qianqian fanned the acrid smell away from her nose with her hand, frowning as she spoke to me.

“Your husband is a radar, not a GM, okay?”

Lin Xue remained silent, her eyes closed, perceiving something in the air before affirming, “No one was injured. The two just made tentative contact. That red-haired priest was pursuing a target, but the other party was not interested in a battle.”

“You can now see events from the past? Have all your talents been activated?”

Noticing the silver halo flowing in Lin Xue’s eyes, I asked in astonishment.

“Could your way of thinking be any more twisted?” Lin Xue’s expression was puzzled as she tugged at the corner of her mouth and said, “Besides, seeing something that happened in a place not long ago is one of my abilities. This is much simpler than prediction ability, right?”

“Alright, alright, my Lord Prophet, so did you see who Stier was chasing? And where have they gone now?”

“You wait,” Lin Xue said, and closed her eyes again. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes and shook her head, “An unknown target, unable to conduct precise scouting, the image resolution is too low.”

“Hmm… it must be someone from the Roman Orthodox… Who could it be over there?”

Qianqian and Lin Xue turned around as I finished speaking, and together we saw a figure appearing at the mouth of the alley. They couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise, “Shen Lie Huozhi?”

“Lord Angel?”

It seemed that the Girl Saint, too, had hurried over and had not expected to encounter us here, thus she also exclaimed in surprise.

The arrival of Shen Lie finally put an end to our unhelpful speculation. From her explanation, I roughly understood what had happened.

It was indeed a person from Roman Orthodox whom Stier was pursuing.

“So you started fighting immediately upon meeting? Are all of you from the Church of Necessary Evil such single-celled, brainless entities?”

After hearing Shen Lie’s account, I couldn’t help but let out such a helpless sigh. Without even understanding what the other party intended to do, they had engaged in a fight and even let the person escape. The Church of Necessary Evil truly lived up to its reputation as the most violent institution of the British Puritan…

“Very sorry, Lord Angel, but the situation was perhaps extremely urgent then. Stier only sent me a magic communication and didn’t even wait for me to arrive before he launched an attack. He is not usually so impulsive…”

“Alright, alright, I know, I know. That old smoker is a cool and wise young man. I have already directed my subordinates to track him down. So, what exactly have you found out these past few days? What is the Roman Orthodox actually up to here?”

As we got down to serious matters, Shen Lie’s expression immediately turned serious. “They might have discovered the trail of the Lost Angel, and it seems they plan to use the power of that angel to take on Academy City… no, perhaps the entire scientific side.”

Qianqian and I looked at each other, then unanimously said, “They must be full!”

“I just can’t understand why the Roman Orthodox is targeting the scientific side so specifically. Do they really think they can eradicate something like science from the world once it takes root?”

“The opposition between science and religion has existed from the beginning,” Shen Lie shook her head. Even though she was part of the magic side, her judgment was much more reasonable than many religious figures. “Religion has shaped a lofty idol for the people, herding the souls of the faithful with absolute belief. But the emergence of science has shattered all that. In the eyes of science, everything that religion holds dear is ruthlessly negated, even brazenly attempting to reach the heights of God with mortal bodies. This, of course, could not be tolerated by religion. Despite the deep roots and powerful strength of religious forces, science can integrate into ordinary people’s lives in the fastest and most convenient ways. To this day, although the Roman Orthodox claims to have two billion followers, these two billion followers likewise enjoy the conveniences brought by science. One could say that the foundation of the religious world is already faltering under the impact of scientific power. The actions of the Roman Orthodox could be described as fighting for faith, but to dub it as self-redemption wouldn’t be inappropriate either… Of course, to the fanatical believers, reasons probably never mattered from the start, did they?”

Looking at Shen Lie Huozhi, who was fully in philosopher mode, I sincerely remarked, “I think you should be an undercover agent for the scientific side.”

Shen Lie: “… I was just influenced by our discussion the other day, Lord Angel.”

At that moment, the response from the Xyrin Special Agent Team I had dispatched to track any suspicious targets finally arrived. A Xyrin Soldier near the edge of Academy City had discovered Stier’s trail.

On a piece of concrete ground shattered by some great force, the red-haired priest lay unconscious. Hard paper with runes scrawled on it was scattered everywhere, and aside from the broken pieces of concrete, there were no traces of scorching from high temperatures around.

That is to say, Stier didn’t even manage to launch an attack before he was instantly defeated by the opponent.

“Stier!”

On seeing her partner lying unconscious on the ground, potentially dead or alive, Shen Lie immediately rushed over. After confirming that he was not in danger of dying, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“He avoided vital points, merely lost consciousness. This old smoker is indeed lucky,” Lin Xue professionally assessed his injuries. “However, at least six bones are broken, and there is severe internal bleeding–Wood, set up a barrier, release Alaya.”

Why do I feel you just placed Angel Sister in a very subtle position?

Regardless of how strange Lin Xue’s comment was, I immediately activated an energy barrier, blocking any possible espionage, and then released Angel Sister.

Under the impact of Holy Light Energy, even the dead could be resurrected, and naturally, Stier swiftly recovered. Shen Lie, standing nearby, had a somewhat strange look in her eyes. This was the first time she had seen Angel Sister truly act. Unlike the previous times influenced merely by the deterrent of Holy Light Power, this time, she felt a truly serene and peaceful power that belonged to Heaven from this lord. Under the gentle and holy white light, Stier’s battered body visibly recovered quickly, and even the blood on his body and his tattered clothes were miraculously restored anew.

Alaya even cured the old smoker’s pneumonia… you did something unnecessary, you fool!

“Stier, how are you?”

As the red-haired priest slowly came to, Shen Lie immediately stepped forward, helped him up, and asked.

“Dammit, I was ambushed…” Stier’s first words upon waking revealed the unfortunate reason for his predicament, “I never expected they would dare to do something so outrageous in Academy City.”

I casually pushed back Alaya, who was busy counting his own feathers, into the Spirit Sea, and asked, “What exactly happened? What are the people from Roman Orthodox doing?”

“They took the Angel.”

Stier’s statement was shocking.

“Great, how many days in advance did you guys come, and now you’ve been outdone by the ignorant Roman Orthodox?”

“Very sorry, Lord Angel,” faced with my complaints, Shen Lie and Stier immediately bowed and apologized, “We were incompetent…”

“Forget it,” wearing the false title of “Angel,” I certainly couldn’t reprimand these two Mages so assertively, “unless Aresta has lost his mind, the Roman Orthodox people should not have left Academy City yet. Stier, describe their characteristics; perhaps my people can find them.”

“Sure,” Stier nodded, “The person I encountered is a woman wearing traditional white nun’s robes–her Magic Technique is unclear and she kept running away. The one who ambushed me is a tall blond man wearing very elaborate white priest’s robes; his Magic Technique involves creating massive hammers out of air to attack with. He’s very fast and powerful, and that’s all I know…”

I scrolled through the images of the two people described by Stier in my mind for a while and, finding nothing, I then asked, “And the Angel? Did you see her?”

“Yes,” Stier, as usual, pulled out a cigarette and sparked a flame between his fingers to light it, “the woman was carrying her. She’s a silver-haired young girl, but her condition was quite strange. She seemed like a scared ordinary person, not at all like an Angel. She showed no power whatsoever, even the white-robed nun didn’t show any respect towards her. Right, that Angel truly fits the description of being lost–her reactions seem slower than those of ordinary people…”

“A silver-haired girl?”

I looked at Lin Xue.

“A powerless ordinary person?”

Lin Xue also cast a thoughtful look this way.

Then we simultaneously exclaimed, “And also slow on the uptake!?”

“Uh… yes,” Stier hesitantly spoke, sweeping his curious gaze back and forth between us, “is that the Angel?”

“Unexpected…” I was just about to say a certain name, then suddenly realizing the two in front of me were being duped. I quickly corrected myself, “I didn’t expect her to be such a fool… Yes, that’s her. We’ll hurry to find her. Stier, you better rest for now. Holy Light can repair your body, but Life Force needs rest to recover.”

“Alright,” although reluctant, Stier still nodded in agreement with my suggestion, “then I’ll go back to our base to rest, and you, Shen Lie…”

“I will continue tracking them,” Shen Lie said with a determined tone.

“Then we’ll split up; they couldn’t have gone far,” I said, handing a small crystal to Shen Lie, “if you find any trace of them, break it, and we’ll come immediately.”

Shen Lie nodded, took the crystal, and quickly left the place.

After Stier had left as well, Lin Xue and I both sighed deeply, while Qianqian lamented, “I really didn’t expect that the Angel would actually be Silvia–so narrowly missed, so narrowly missed…” (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.NovelFire.net. More chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)