Chapter 30: Late to Bed, Late to Rise, and the Result of the Conversation

Under normal circumstances, Lin Yun's daily routine was very regular.

He woke up at 6:30 AM and rested at 11:30 PM, repeating the cycle to ensure he had enough mental energy to handle his work.

His biological clock was equally precise; unless he was excessively exhausted, he would inevitably open his eyes right on time in the early sixes.

But there are always exceptions. The night before, after work, he first gave lessons to two Magical Girls; then, without stopping, he rushed to the sewers and slaughtered an entire nest of Larval-stage Remnant Beasts; finally, he made a very long phone call to Hong Siyu to verify the situation. By the time the back of his head touched the pillow, it was already 5 AM.

The final result was that he overslept.

When Lin Yun opened his eyes from his drowsiness, it was already 7:05 AM.

He glanced to his side, then picked up the phone on his nightstand. Seeing the time digits on the lock screen, his eyes gradually widened. He threw off the covers, stepped into his slippers, and hurriedly ran toward the wardrobe.

Washing up quickly in the bathroom, Lin Yun brushed his teeth while combing his hair, rinsing his mouth while buttoning his shirt. In the midst of the rush, he couldn't help but recall the phone call that had caused him to stay up so late:

The conversation last night ultimately yielded no information. According to Hong Siyu, during her two-year tenure in Fang Ting City, the appearances of Remnant Beasts were few and far between; even the single sighting of a Caterpillar was provided during the incident where Lin Xiaolu was attacked, let alone a Pupa.

If Lin Yun had not personally gone to the sewers to kill that Pupa, it likely would have remained unknown until it developed into a "Molt," at which point Fang Ting City would have faced a catastrophic disaster.

Lin Yun did not fully believe her.

Setting aside whether he trusted Hong Siyu—if possible, he did not want to doubt a former junior—even if the information Hong Siyu provided was the limit of what she could find, the data in the Special Countermeasures Bureau's database might not be complete.

Rather, Lin Yun's suspicion was directed squarely at the Special Countermeasures Bureau; he always felt they were still hiding something. The hidden force in Fang Ting City was far too brazen for the Special Countermeasures Bureau to be completely unaware.

He knew the Special Countermeasures Bureau was powerless against magical factions involving Remnant Beasts, but they should not have absolutely no information.

The current situation left only two possibilities: the first was that the Special Countermeasures Bureau was entirely a group of useless drunkards and gluttons, which would be regrettable enough; the second was that the Special Countermeasures Bureau actually knew something, but this information was held by a very few people and was not even recorded in the database.

Lin Yun preferred the latter scenario, so he had to meet with the high-level officials of the local Special Countermeasures Bureau.

Even if the enemy had only a name, he had to ask for that name.

However, demanding a meeting with the high-level officials of such a special organization as the Special Countermeasures Bureau in the capacity of an ordinary citizen was nothing short of wishful thinking; he needed to reveal an identity they could not refuse to meet.

He had this identity, even two of them, but it was hard to choose between them. Whether to use Lin Yun or the Magical Girl Senior Cuique, he was unsure in his heart.

Using the identity of Lin Yun, he would be the relative of both the deceased former Magical Girl "Cherry" and the current Magical Girl "Bai Mei."

The Special Countermeasures Bureau's method for handling Magical Girl identities was "mutual secrecy." Except for specific high-level officials and liaison personnel directly interfacing with Magical Girls, they would neither reveal the true identities of Magical Girls to others nor reveal information about the magical side to the families of Magical Girls.

They actually did this very well; even when attending Anya's funeral, they did not reveal their origins nor exchange any information with Lin Yun—after all, nineteen years had passed, Lin Yun's liaison had long since been promoted to the headquarters, and the high-level officials of that time had all retired. The final result of mutual secrecy was that even the local Special Countermeasures Bureau did not know Lin Yun's true identity. The true form of Magical Girl "Senior Cuique" had long since become classified files, archived and dumped into the General Bureau's database.

But if Lin Yun stated that he already knew the true identities of his wife and daughter and was familiar with a series of magical-side knowledge, the nature of the situation would be completely different. As the family member of a sacrificed Magical Girl, he had every reason to demand a meeting with the high-level officials of the Special Countermeasures Bureau and be informed of the relevant truths; at that time, apart from requiring him to sign an agreement not to disclose the magical side to the public, the Special Countermeasures Bureau would have no way to constrain him.

The advantage of this plan was stability; it would allow him to contact the high-level officials of the Special Countermeasures Bureau without alerting the snake or disturbing anyone within the Bureau who might have unclear motives. The disadvantage was that the information obtained would still likely be incomplete, as the other party might be unwilling to reveal everything fully because he was a commoner.

As for using the identity of Senior Cuique, that was simple; the other party would definitely not dare to hide anything and would surely tell everything they knew.

But the impact of doing so would be profound: first, Senior Cuique's liaison with the Special Countermeasures Bureau was Hong Siyu, and her own information had been processed; the Special Countermeasures Bureau's understanding of her was merely "Bai Mei's partner." Once she revealed her original origins, it would likely alert the mysterious forces hiding in Fang Ting City; second, she had not officially resumed her duties yet, operating only on a small scale in Fang Ting City. If news of her resumption reached the Magical Realm, it might trigger some unnecessary trouble.

Regarding this, Hong Siyu had also proposed a plan for Senior Cuique to urge Lin Xiaolu to contact the Special Countermeasures Bureau, but Lin Yun always felt that if his daughter handled it, there was no guarantee she wouldn't be fooled and dismissed by the other party with a single call, so he ultimately vetoed it. Besides, he did not want to use Senior Cuique's identity to deceive his daughter again.

After weighing both options, Lin Yun chose to act cautiously, that is, to meet with the Special Countermeasures Bureau in the identity of "Lin Yun."

After further discussion of various details and the tug-of-war over the division of work between the two parties, Lin Yun and Hong Siyu continued their discussion until dawn approached. Only after arranging all matters did they end that long phone call.

It was truly exhausting.

Letting out a long yawn, Lin Yun stood before the mirror, mocking himself as he took a look at himself: aside from heavy dark circles under his eyes, he had at least managed to look presentable. He no longer spent much effort, grabbed the suit jacket draped over the back of the chair, and strode toward the door.

Opening the master bedroom door, he habitually glanced to the left, only to see the door to the adjacent room opening at the same time. Lin Xiaolu, with messy hair and sleepy eyes, walked out of the door, holding a hair tie in her hand as she tried to tie up the hair at the back of her head. Her gaze happened to shift and met his.

Father and daughter stood in the corridor at the doorway, falling into an eerie silence.

Finally, it was Lin Xiaolu who broke the stalemate. Pretending she had seen nothing, she stepped back a few paces into the room and closed the door with a "click."

About two minutes later, she continued to pretend nothing had happened, opened the door, peeked out cautiously, and tried to walk out, only to find that Lin Yun was still standing at the doorway.

"Why haven't you left yet?"

After a brief moment of awkwardness, she glared at Lin Yun.

Lin Yun had already put on his jacket and was now tying his tie. Seeing her come out in a bad mood, he couldn't help but sigh, "I was just about to ask you that question. Leaving at this hour, you're going to be late, aren't you?"