Passersby were shouting in terror, scattering in all directions. The academy guards in front of them suddenly raised their heads and drew their revolvers from their waists at the same time.

Nina had only managed to say half a sentence when she was abruptly interrupted by the sudden change. She instinctively pulled Sherry beside her and quickly turned her head to look in the direction of the screams.

(Beyond the veil, beyond some unseen boundary.

The roars and noises suddenly amplified to an unbearable level. Sharp pain vibrated through her senses, intense light filled her ears, her eyes were stung by the noise, her skin evaporated and boiled in the wind, and an indescribable giant sphere hung high in an equally indescribable sky, writhing and contracting madly.

Things filled with malice stirred—those shifting, fluctuating shapes moved frantically around, shaking the entire world with their terrifying roars.

But...where was her weapon? Where was her armor? Where were her comrades? Where...was she?)

A terrifying, indescribable black "mass" burst out of the air and crashed to the ground with a thud.

The mass resembled flesh and blood, yet it constantly refracted a metallic, cold luster. The bizarre surface, constantly reforming, sometimes reflected colorful, illusory light, and within the light, something seemed to be roaring and pulsating.

This terrifying object stirred panic among the crowd, and everyone scattered in terror.

Only the two "Knowledge Guards" on the scene unhesitatingly drew their pistols, took out their casting tools, and rushed towards the horrifying "reality invader."

Their shouts reached Nina and Sherry's ears: "Kids, run!"

The guards' shouts startled Nina awake. In the suddenly erupting chaos, she widened her eyes in astonishment, looking at the center of the chaos.

She didn't know if it was her imagination.

Because in that brief moment, in that initial second or two, or even a shorter instant, she thought she saw something even more unbelievable than that terrifying mass—yes, in that first second, that thing looked...like a person.

She wondered if she had seen wrong, because that instant was too fleeting, and judging by the reactions of the others around her...it seemed that no one had noticed that scene.

The guards had already rushed forward. Because they couldn't yet determine what strange characteristics the suddenly appearing "invader" possessed, they didn't rashly open fire, but instead first smashed several test tubes on the ground nearby. The volatile reagents in the test tubes quickly dispersed into the air, forming a thin, condensed "gas wall," and the sunlight shone on it, refracting hallucinatory light.

It was as if a rainbow-like crystalline barrier had formed in the surrounding gas.

Two guards first entered the "gas wall." One pointed a gun at the writhing, fluctuating thing on the ground, while the other quickly scattered potions and powders on the nearby ground, lit portable candlesticks, and then constructed a temporary protective barrier with crystals and metal blocks, suppressing the thing's movements.

Immediately afterward, a sharp whistle came from the other end of the street. Guards patrolling in other parts of the market arrived in time to support them. While dispersing the remaining pedestrians on the road, they walked into the "gas wall" and began to skillfully execute a series of sealing, suppression, and purification procedures.

Nina and Sherry stood not far away, watching this scene with dazzled eyes. They didn't feel nervous, just very curious.

Because although they had encountered quite a few paranormal events by now, they hadn't actually seen how professional guards "handled incidents according to procedure."

Trained ordinary people controlled invaders that suddenly appeared in the real world according to strict operating procedures and skillful coordination—this scene was quite different from the style in which Uncle Duncan (the Captain) solved problems on weekdays.

Just then, the "mass" in the center of the "gas wall," which was shimmering with metallic light and resembled some kind of living steel, suddenly began to move violently again. The temporary seal hastily constructed by the guards was immediately impacted—the transparent shell-like structure covering the "invader's" body shattered inch by inch, emitting a piercing, sharp tearing sound. The two Knowledge Guards who were maintaining the ritualistic suppression immediately took a few steps back, and the crystal prism in one of their hands shattered instantly.

But this seemed to be the "invader's" last resistance.

The guards reacted in a panic and were prepared to reinforce the seal again, but they found that the "living steel" mass in the center of the field was rapidly weakening its writhing, as if its life force was rapidly draining away. The strange hissing and rubbing sounds constantly coming from inside it gradually subsided, and its undulating surface seemed to gradually solidify and become still. A gray, dusty color spread across the metallic "skin," like rapidly weathering stone.

Finally, it almost completely stopped moving, with only a residual, slight twitching, like muscle spasms after an animal's death, appearing on its surface from time to time.

"Target activity reduced, no reaction to Catalyst 17."

A guard holding a revolver in one hand and several test tubes in the other said quickly.

Another guard, holding an exceptionally thick book in both hands, stared intently at the "living steel" mass in the center of the field while sensing something. After a moment, he said, "Target has no mental activity."

"There are still signs of activity in the central area, but it is still receding...no tendency to communicate externally detected."

"Class III catalysts are insensitive, does not belong to any known 'invasion type'...when will the team from the academy arrive?"

"A message has been sent, it will take fifteen minutes at the earliest."

"Understood. Everyone be vigilant, pay attention to your mental state, do not leave the barrier area, and report any unusual information you see or hear immediately."

The guards professionally and quickly handled the sudden situation here. Although what entered the real world this time was an "entirely new thing" not found in the records, they did not appear flustered in any way—until an abrupt voice suddenly came from the side.

"Um...Mr. Guard, what is this thing?"

Nina, dragging Sherry, came to the side of the almost completely still "living steel mass." The two incredibly daring girls carefully observed the "substance" on the ground, which was nearly two meters in diameter, and the former couldn't help but ask curiously.

The Knowledge Guard nearest to them almost jumped on the spot.

This middle-aged man, dressed in a robe and with a temperament more like a middle school teacher who had just walked out of the classroom than a warrior, turned his head in horror, only to see that standing behind him were the two young girls who had initially walked towards him, seemingly wanting to report something—he had thought that these two girls should have been evacuated immediately, so why were they still here?!

And in the next second, this guard realized an even more unbelievable fact.

"How did you get in here?!"

He stared blankly at Nina and Sherry, and out of the corner of his eye, he quickly glanced behind them—the "gas wall" used to block off the affected area was still floating intact several meters away, and the barrier in the mist, which was full of rainbow crystal textures, did not show any signs of being damaged. He himself had not sensed any physical contact with this barrier...

How did these two girls, who looked like middle school students, swagger in?!

"I walked in," Nina said, a little nervously, seeing the guard's dumbfounded reaction and the way the other guards were suddenly on high alert, "just...just walked in like that."

Sherry next to her also nodded quickly, trying her best to display the acting skills she had practiced since she was a child but hadn't used much recently, pretending to be well-behaved and innocent: "We were just curious, so we came over to take a look, sir..."

"Walked in?!" The guard stared, his professional qualities honed over many years making him silently recite Lahm's prayer in his heart at the first moment. At the same time, he held down the handle of his gun with one hand, while his eyes stared intently at the two girls in front of him.

A faint silver light floated in the depths of his eyes.

However, Nina and Sherry just stood there harmlessly, like two ordinary children out shopping.

Moreover, Nina really didn't know what was happening.

She saw the surrounding mist, but only felt that the gas was some kind of symbolic "boundary," like a frame drawn on the ground with white paint. She walked in as a matter of course, without feeling any obstruction—just like sunlight can pass through glass as a matter of course.

As for Sherry...Sherry didn't feel the barrier either.

Because she was walking with the sunlight.

The tense and strange confrontation lasted for several seconds. The guards on the scene were on high alert, and a faint silver glow flickered in the eyes of half of them. Lahm's blessing temporarily enhanced their ability to perceive the truth, in order to observe these two girls who seemed ordinary, but whose words and actions vaguely revealed suspicion.

However, they did not find anything unusual.

Only the middle-aged Knowledge Guard, who seemed to be the oldest, still felt a vague sense of incongruity in his heart. He always felt that something was hidden before his eyes, hidden in the depths of one of the girls' smiles, so he couldn't help but look at Nina a few more times, the light in his eyes flickering.

But suddenly, he felt that he didn't need to keep looking—this inexplicable thought made him unconsciously withdraw the light from his eyes.

This guard rubbed his eyes, and in a daze, forgot the sense of incongruity that had just arisen in his heart.

"Are we disturbing your work?" Nina said apologetically.

The guards looked at each other, several of them quickly exchanged glances, and whispered a few words.

The middle-aged guard who looked the most senior took a step forward, with a serious expression, while maintaining a slight vigilance.

"Sorry, ladies, could you...please come with us for a while?"

(Headache, fever, cough, sore throat, I don't know if I have COVID again...wish me luck.)

(End of chapter)