Magical Girl's Knight Brother

Chapter 550 Wasteland Online

The Demon Surveillance Bureau building, eight underground floors, a secret assembly area.

The air here carried a mixed smell of engine oil and high-end electronic devices; it was cold, yet strangely invigorating. The vast space was illuminated by soft blue-white light, the spotless alloy floor reflecting images. There were no windows, only huge screens embedded in the walls, currently displaying complex star maps and dimensional coordinate streams—exuding the sophistication of a futuristic war room. At this moment, this space, usually so quiet you could hear the server fans, was unusually bustling.

More than a hundred agents, dressed in uniform, sharply tailored dark gray uniforms from the Bureau of Magical Investigations, stood in neat rows like well-trained soldiers. Among them were both men and women, the vast majority of whom were relatively young, with very few over thirty-five years old.

The badges they wore on their chests all gleamed with at least three silver stars—a mark of seasoned elites, signifying that they had handled Class B anomalies worthy of being documented in textbooks or urgently sealed off by higher-ups. Although everyone tried to maintain an elite poker face, the glances exchanged and the subtle adjustments to their posture betrayed their inner turmoil. "Hey, Old Li, saw the notification? 'Deep Dive Operation,' highest priority, personally signed by the director."

"Nonsense, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here. But nobody knows the specifics; the secrecy level is ridiculously high. Even our district head is clueless." "Pfft, a gathering of agents with three stars or higher... and they're top picks from across the country. The last time we had a force this big was probably when we went to deal with Rakshasa with Deputy Director Qiu." "Shh! The director's here!"

Upon hearing this, the hushed murmurs vanished instantly, and all eyes focused like searchlights on the high point ahead.

The alloy door on the high side slid open silently, and a familiar figure stepped out first—Zhang Wei.

Seeing this guy, many people below raised their eyebrows. Clearly, as senior agents, even though they were stationed all over the country, they still knew each other to some extent. Zhang Wei still had that upright and dignified face, as if he had his own "Serve the People" background music, and his three-star badge was polished to a gleaming shine. He might not be the highest-ranking person here, but no one would underestimate him. After all, they heard that he was an agent personally selected by Deputy Director Chang, and everyone believed that he must have something extraordinary about him. Zhang Wei's sharp eyes swept across the room, exuding an aura of "Comrades, you've worked hard." However, his slightly tense jawline betrayed his inner "uncertainty." After all, the scene of dealing with Tang Zijun last time—the steam train and the fighter jet dancing together—was still fresh in his mind—and that experience was not pleasant at all.

Zhang Wei didn't know what he would encounter, but he heard from Deputy Director Chang that Tang Zijun had specifically asked him to join this operation. He couldn't say anything, but he felt a guilty feeling that "I seem to have been involved in something very important."

Following closely behind Zhang Wei, almost side by side, walked out with Xiao Yue.

The former captain of the Shanghai action team pushed up his high-tech smart glasses, unconsciously rubbing a miniature model made of dark materials in his hand, as if he were playing with walnuts. "Hey, Zhang Wei from Harbin and Xiao Yue from Shanghai." In a corner of the team, a burly agent with a faint scar on his face couldn't help but whisper in the encrypted channel. "These two are here too? Looks like something's up." Zhang Wei's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, but he ignored it. Xiao Yue, however, glanced at the source of the voice, his fingers rapidly tapping on the virtual keyboard. Immediately, a dynamic emoticon popped up in the encrypted channel: [A duck with a question mark on its head.jpg].

The accompanying text reads: "No money requests, please."

This caused a suppressed chuckle.

Just then, the light in the entire hall dimmed slightly, and all the data streams on the screens instantly disappeared, leaving only a huge, slowly rotating emblem of the Magic Bureau. *Tap, tap, tap*

The crisp sound of high heels clicking on the alloy floor rang out, carrying an undeniable rhythm. Hearing this, everyone held their breath. A moment later, Director Shangguan Su appeared in Gao Zhongyang.

She was still wearing a perfectly tailored black uniform, her hair was styled meticulously, her face was exquisitely beautiful, and her eyes were as calm as a deep well. Her gaze slowly swept over the 117 three-star elites below, as if inspecting her own sharp sword.

You could hear a pin drop in the entire hall area.

"Gentlemen," Shangguan Su began, her voice clear and distinct, reaching everyone's ears. "You are the sharpest blade and the strongest shield of the Demon Surveillance Bureau. I have gathered you here today because an operation codenamed 'Wasteland Zero Call' is about to begin."

Wasteland L?

The agents below simultaneously wondered, "Does this sound like an online game?"

"This is an unprecedented cross-dimensional, highly realistic, and immersive combat training and intelligence gathering project."

Shangguan Su's explanation remained shrouded in mystery and filled with official rhetoric.

"You will enter a special 'sandbox' that highly simulates a real wasteland environment, where you will perform tasks such as exploration, establishing outposts, and acquiring critical data. The environment is extremely complex, and the challenges are unprecedented."... Xiao Yue's eyes flashed wildly. He knew all too well what others might not; after spending time in the Reverse World with his sister, he had learned some secrets and gained a certain understanding of the wasteland world. He just hadn't expected Tang Zijun to actually target that place, and even have a way to involve them in the operation. "A detailed mission briefing will be sent directly by the system after you 'log in,'" Shangguan Su continued, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "Remember a few points: First, the realism of perception within the sandbox is extremely high; pain, touch, and environmental feedback are all top-tier simulations. Second, death penalties... exist, but are not permanent damage."

She cleverly avoided mentioning the "risk of impaired consciousness".

"Third, your 'vessels' in the sandbox are specially made, and each person's is different. They need to be determined by drawing lots. Please adapt as soon as possible. Fourth, and most importantly, maintain the highest level of vigilance. Trust your intuition and your commander. Finally, I wish you a pleasant gaming experience."

The words "Enjoy the game" uttered by Shangguan Su carried a chilling sense of incongruity.

The agents exchanged glances, their poker faces starting to falter.

Is this a trip to war or a team-building activity involving playing online games?

A platform? A sandbox? A death penalty?

The more I listen, the stranger it sounds.

But before they could react, Shangguan Su continued.

"Now, please proceed to the designated 'Connection Pod' in an orderly manner."

With a wave of her hand, Shangguan Su silently slid open the walls on both sides of the hall, revealing rows of "connection pods" that shimmered with a ghostly blue light and resembled high-tech ice coffins. "Old Zhang," one of the agents, standing in line, nudged Zhang Wei with his elbow as he approached, lowering his voice, "I feel like this 'sandbox' is a bit unreliable. That 'L' suffix doesn't mean 'Online,' does it? Are we going to play a game?"

Zhang Wei's face darkened further as he stared at the coldly glowing "coffins" before him. He mumbled, "Who are you asking me?" He recalled Tang Zijun's ever-confident face, and any lingering expectation was instantly replaced by a strong sense of foreboding. Meanwhile, the burly, scarred agent had already lain down in a connecting pod. Before the hatch slowly closed, he gave Zhang Wei and Xiao Yue a thumbs-up, mouthing, "Watch me clear this in one life!" Xiao Yue sighed, resignedly lying down in his own "ice coffin," watching the hatch close before him, and muttered one last thing. "I hope my 'halberd body'... isn't just some newbie slime. At least give me a decent 'newbie weapon,' right?"

A pale blue liquid began to flow into the connecting pod, and the feeling of consciousness being withdrawn slowly crept in. One hundred and seventeen veteran agents, filled with questions and a touch of pride at being chosen, anticipation for the thrilling mission, and a lingering chill from the phrase "Enjoy the game," officially embarked on this uncertain, forced login journey known as "Wasteland L." The pod closed completely, leaving only the pale blue light and a soft hum of energy in the hall, and the atmosphere returned to silence.

Shangguan Su watched all this quietly, a subtle, meaningful smile playing on her lips.

Then all the energy in front of her vanished, and everything dissipated like a mirage, as if everything here was just an illusion, leaving only the agents' reflections in the mirror. At the same time, Chang Lei and Qin Nan, who was holding Suolin, also walked over.