Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

"Hmm, nothing much, I'll be back in a month. When you are with your friends, make sure not to overdo it, and don't fall behind on your schoolwork. Especially since Emerald Sparrow is also going out, you'll need to learn to be more self-disciplined without her watching over you,"

On the slowly moving land cruiser, a deep male voice rose from the seat by the window.

"Is Auntie Hong going to take care of you guys? Can she cook? Or should I arrange for a part-time worker to come and cook for you where you're staying?"

Lin Yun held his phone, leaning back in his seat, his eyebrows slightly raised, "Can you do it by yourselves? Are you sure?"

As his words fell, there seemed to be the buzzing of a girl's voice from the other end of the phone. Lin Yun listened attentively before speaking again, his voice tinged with a hint of helplessness, "Alright, alright, you're not a child anymore, I get it, Dad shouldn't be questioning you like this."

After going over a few more mundane matters of daily life, he hung up the call and let out a long sigh.

It had been two days since he received the notice from the investigation agency, and at the behest of his "boss" Golden Green Cat's Eye, he had left Fangting City and was en route to Bai'an City.

Because he had to leave Fangting City, he was faced with a troublesome issue: Lin Yun and Emerald Sparrow would both be disappearing from Fangting City.

Considering that Lin Xiaolu might come home midway, it wouldn't do for her to find her father unexpectedly absent as well, raising all sorts of odd speculations. Therefore, Lin Yun had no choice but to notify Lin Xiaolu ahead of time as a father that he had to go on a business trip.

Luckily, he had previously mentioned to Lin Xiaolu the possibility of his having to go away on business, akin to planting a seed, and now it came in handy. Subsequently, this didn't raise any further suspicions from Lin Xiaolu.

Afterwards, he, in the guise of Emerald Sparrow, informed the three newcomers that she might be leaving Fangting City for some time.

This news naturally caused a strong reaction among the three young ones.

Lin Xiaolu, who was the most unable to mask her thoughts, bombarded with a series of questions upon hearing that Emerald Sparrow was leaving Fangting City: whether she would never come back, whether she was dissatisfied with them, whether the mission in Fangting City was completed... She fell just short of writing "Don't leave" on her face, and it took Emerald Sparrow quite an effort to calm her down.

Xia Liang's reaction was relatively mature. Her first thought was Emerald Sparrow's role as an "Inspector", inquiring whether Emerald Sparrow had received some new assignment. After a positive response, she also appropriately expressed her concerns.

As for Bai Jingxuan, she was quite calm and compliant, easily accepting the fact that Emerald Sparrow was leaving. However, she also raised her own concern: how to proceed with their magic power practice and lessons.

Her time with the team was still short, and although she had taken a liking to the other Magical Girls, her emotional bonds were not yet so deep. She seemed more concerned about the lack of a guide once Emerald Sparrow left, rather than Emerald Sparrow's departure itself.

Her concerns were not unfounded. In fact, Emerald Sparrow had also taken this into consideration and proposed several backup plans:

The first was to bring over Hong Siyu. Although she no longer possessed magical powers, her knowledge was not lacking; the second was to leave behind a training program and periodically check in on the newcomers by phone to understand their progress and offer guidance; the last option was for the entire Fangting City team to move to Bai'an City.

The girls uniformly favored the third option, but after much thought, Emerald Sparrow did not agree to it.

The reason was that the city they were headed to was the one where the investigative team had gone missing, and it was unknown what kind of enemies might be lurking there. No matter what, the safety of the newcomers was paramount.

Thus, even though Lin Xiaolu strongly opposed the first option, the result ended up being a combination of the first and second plans: Hong Siyu was responsible for the day-to-day guidance of the girls, while Emerald Sparrow would periodically check their progress.

Having settled this, the next day, Lin Yun boarded the land cruiser leaving Fangting City, heading for Bai'an City.

To ensure that all arrangements were without issues, he also, in his role as a father, exchanged messages with Lin Xiaolu to assure each other's safety and inquired briefly about the situation back home before hanging up the phone with peace of mind.

Sitting by the window, looking out at the protective nets surrounding the land cruiser's walkway, and beyond it, the endless barren wilderness, Lin Yun fell silent for a moment.

The mission assigned by the investigation agency was about to formally begin.

According to the information received through the magic mirror that night, the investigation agency's Cat Tail Team had lost contact about a week ago.

After bringing the sparrow back to the kingdom and going through the interrogation of the investigation agency, the Cat Tail Team learned of traces of activity by Claw Mark in the southeast Donghua Region and once again returned there. They began investigating based on the sparrow's intelligence.

After searching through many cities, they finally headed to Bai'an City as planned.

However, that was the last message they left for the Investigation Institute.

In the days that followed, the Cat Tail Squad, which should have provided daily reports to the Investigation Institute, did not communicate at all, even when the communications department of the institute reached out proactively, there was still no response.

After that, the institute made inquiries to Bai An City's Abnormal Strategy Bureau and the Seeder, learning that the Cat Tail Squad had indeed gone to Bai An City. They simply didn't request the assistance of local resident Magical Girls; they merely had a short exchange and left.

Nobody knew where they went afterwards.

Considering the dangerous nature of the situation, the institute dispatched two more investigation squads to Bai An City for investigation, while also contacting the nearest inspector to assist with the work.

And the unfortunate inspector chosen for the task was none other than Emerald Sparrow, who resided in the southeastern Donghua Region.

Emerald Sparrow did not refuse the assignment.

The incident had occurred in the Donghua Region, near her own city, meaning the danger could very well spread to Fangting City at any moment. If she refused, by the time the institute appointed another inspector to handle it, it was uncertain what other variables could arise.

More importantly, according to the report, the status of the Cat Tail Squad was "missing"—a word that spurred some associations in her mind.

Because there was something she had always wondered about—a Seeder in Fangting City who was still "missing."

This Seeder named Nini had likewise "gone missing" after heading to the Donghua Region to resume duties in Fangting City. Neither the city's Abnormal Strategy Bureau nor the royal court had any clue about its whereabouts, and no one even knew if it had ever arrived.

The situation was eerily similar to the current plight of the Cat Tail Squad.

Emerald Sparrow didn't think this was a coincidence, especially with the previous murky situation concerning the attack on Fangting City by Sparrow and others. To get to the bottom of this, she decided to proactively strike.

The scenery on either side of the overland pathway began to change as the overland ship moved forward. When the ship neared its destination—Bai An City—the desolate wasteland views faded, replaced by hints of green that appeared in people's field of vision.

As the ship docked at the pathway's mooring area, the announcement broadcast that the passengers' journey on the overland ship had concluded. Lin Yun packed up his phone, stood up from his seat, grabbed his luggage, and followed the stream of people down the deck.

Stepping off the ship and into the port, the bustling scene made him feel somewhat surreal.

The spacious waiting hall was a flurry of diverse shapes and sizes: some hurried along with their luggage, some carefully navigated the crowded streams while carrying children, and others rested on the hall's seats, idly scrolling through their phones out of boredom.

Beyond the security checkpoint was a vast shopping center, located between the port's building and the exterior entrance, occupying prime real estate, bustling with noise and people.

Passing through the center, Lin Yun could see travelers of all kinds in the surrounding shops and restaurants—tourists like himself from afar and locals spending in the center before their journeys. The lively atmosphere washed away the somberness of traveling across the vast desolate land, swiftly imparting a sense of civilization's warmth to those just disembarking.

This also calmed Lin Yun's previously anxious mood.

After all, based solely on the information provided by the institute, Bai An City seemed like a gaping maw ready to devour Magical Girls at any moment, with the entire city shrouded in clouds of impending crisis.

Only by coming here in person, seeing ordinary people's lives, and witnessing their continued stable routines, did Lin Yun realize once again—Magic was never the entirety of this world.

However, if the underlying threat was not resolved, the present prosperity would ultimately be no more than a fragile illusion, easily shattered.

Gathering his emotions, Lin Yun straightened his mindset and continued walking out of the shopping center.

He crossed the external security channels and came to the outside plaza where vehicles packed with luggage and supplies moved slowly along. After navigating through the traffic and leaving the parking lot, he officially entered Bai An City in the early evening.

Having arranged a pickup through his phone, he stood expressionlessly at the port's parking area waiting, during which many people enthusiastically approached to recommend their travel groups and hotels. However, Lin Yun's aloof expression and steely demeanor quickly discouraged them, and they tactfully sought other prospects.

Lin Yun paid no attention to these people, not only because he had already booked his hotel, but also because his primary objective was not to check in and rest.

Given the urgency, even though it was now early evening, it did not deter him from heading straight to his first destination—the Bai An City Abnormal Strategy Bureau.