Chapter 23: Shanghai? The City of Demons?

"Don't be impatient; we still need to coordinate and prepare!" The Doctor adjusted his monocle.

"Besides, I need to prepare the paperwork for your departure! This process will take a day."

Lu Xiao curled his lip and sat back down on the bed.

"I will arrange for people to pick you up tomorrow. Just cooperate with them to complete the mission!"

"Remember! You must not kill anyone!"

With that, the Doctor turned and left.

Once the Doctor was gone, Lu Xiao pulled out that bone spur again to examine it closely. The spur vibrated incessantly in his hand, much like a vibrator. Lu Xiao found it impossible to put down.

In the Doctor's office.

"Dart! This is the documentation authorizing the mobilization of S292 for the operation."

Dart took the file from the Doctor and asked in a low voice, "Are we letting S292 assist in our containment operation?"

The Doctor nodded. He produced the video recording and handed it to Dart.

"This is one of his abilities!"

"I have calculated it; the radiation radius is three kilometers!"

"When this ability is activated, every human within that three-kilometer radius experiences the same degree of vertigo!"

"And it lasts for half an hour!"

Hearing this, Dart gasped. "Is this ability unavoidable?"

The Doctor adjusted his monocle. "I suspect that only those with strong mental fortitude can resist that sudden onset of vertigo."

Dart looked at the video. Even Lu Xiao, who was in the footage, experienced a momentary dizziness. That single instant was enough for Dart to formulate a plan. With such an ability, the villa, which had previously been impossible for human forces to breach, would become an easy target.

The Doctor seemed to read his mind. "You're thinking too simply!"

Dart was taken aback and looked at the Doctor. The Doctor said softly, "The target possesses the attribute of omniscience, so the likelihood of completing the containment by relying on this method is low."

Dart immediately understood. Indeed, the omniscient nature of that containment object was a major headache. Otherwise, with the capabilities of their squad, a single raid would have been enough to complete the mission.

"Then what is the point of bringing S292 along?" Dart asked, puzzled.

"S292 possesses the characteristics of a high-ranking entity; perhaps he can slightly interfere with the target's predictive results!"

The Doctor was not entirely certain about this. They had too little information on that mirror. Many things could only be guessed.

"Furthermore! Besides containing the target, there is another objective for this operation!"

"Jailers from other nations have infiltrated the area, intending to seize this containment object!"

"If you cannot contain the target, then you must sabotage the containment efforts of those other Jailers!"

As he spoke, the Doctor adjusted his monocle again. "If necessary, you may have S292 use this ability against the other Jailers!"

"As long as the target remains within the borders of China, the mission is considered a success!"

This was the true reason the Doctor had them bring Lu Xiao along. Dart did not question the order and immediately took his leave.

...

Inside the manor villa.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall! I want to ask how to make Era Real Estate go bankrupt!" President Liu wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face plastered with a sycophantic smile.

A human face appeared on the mirror's surface, looking at President Liu with immense disdain. "You cannot afford the price of this question!"

President Liu froze. This was the first time he had ever received such an answer.

"Can you tell me why?" As long as he could take down Era Real Estate, his business would spread throughout the entire Magic City, and he would become the power behind it.

The Magic Mirror sneered. "I'll give you the answer to this question as a freebie!"

"The principle of trade is equivalence!"

"The cost of each question varies based on the impact the final result will have on the world!"

Its mouth tore open to the ears, and a crimson tongue darted out, swirling around the edges of the gash twice.

"In other words, the meager amount of flesh and blood you have sacrificed is nowhere near enough to pay the price required for this question!"

President Liu wiped the sweat from his brow again. "But I can sacrifice more flesh and blood! A hundred? A thousand?"

Hearing this, the Magic Mirror clicked its tongue, the disgust in its eyes becoming even more apparent. "You still don't understand what I mean. I am saying that with your current capacity, you are incapable of paying the price for this question!"

At these words, President Liu felt like a deflated balloon and slumped to the floor.

The Magic Mirror continued, "Rather than worrying about how to bankrupt Era Real Estate, I think you should be worried about something else right now!"

"What thing?" President Liu's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous feeling flooded his mind.

At that moment, an image appeared on the mirror's surface. It showed a headless, obese corpse.

The Magic Mirror's voice came through. "This answer is also a gift for you!"

After saying this, the Magic Mirror went completely silent. No matter how much President Liu pleaded, it remained motionless.

President Liu began to panic; he recognized that headless corpse in the image instantly—it was his own.

...

The following day.

An ambulance drove out of the Magic City First Psychiatric Hospital. The members of the City Fire squad inside looked somewhat nervous. Lu Xiao was gazing out the window, looking around.

No one dared to breathe loudly. This man was a heavyweight, and they were terrified of upsetting him and having him perform his 360-degree head-rotation magic trick on them. The atmosphere was heavy.

Lu Xiao, however, did not notice any of this, as he seemed captivated by the scenery outside.

After a long while, Lu Xiao asked, "Which city is this?"

The squad members exchanged glances, their eyes finally falling on Slippery. Slippery pointed at his own nose, and seeing everyone nod, he took a deep breath.

"Mr. Lu Xiao, this is Magic City, a first-tier city in the nation of China!"

Lu Xiao's eyes lit up. "Magic City? Oh, oh, oh! I know it!"

It was exactly the same name as a city he knew before he fell into the Dark Prison, and even the country's alternative name was the same.

"When I was a kid, the city I wanted to visit most was Magic City. I didn't expect I'd get the chance in this lifetime!"

Hearing this, the squad members were stunned. Slippery mustered the courage to ask, "Mr. Lu Xiao, you know Magic City?"

Lu Xiao nodded, revealing a warm, sunny smile. "Of course I do! It's Shanghai, right? That's a huge city!"

"What Shanghai?" Slippery looked blank. The other squad members also looked puzzled.

Seeing their expressions, Lu Xiao sensed that something was slightly off.

"Isn't Magic City just Shanghai?"

Slippery shook his head immediately. "Magic City is Magic City! We have never heard of a place called Shanghai!"

At this point, Flowing Light interrupted. "I seem to have heard of that name!" He thought carefully for a moment before continuing. "I once heard my father mention that name! It seems to have been a super-city in the Near-Ancient Century!"

Hearing Flowing Light's words, Lu Xiao's pupils contracted sharply.