Chương 165: Another Meeting with Roland

The sky was covered by a thick layer of leaden gray clouds, and the cold rain, falling like beads from a broken string, pattered against the classroom windows, making a series of dull and monotonous sounds.

The air was damp and cool, making this morning, which should have been full of vitality, seem somewhat bleak and oppressive.

Inside the teaching building of Jiangchuan No. 1 Middle School, before the bell rang for morning self-study, a number of students who had arrived early had already gathered in twos and threes in the corridor.

As the homeroom teacher, Chen Minggang, walked to the classroom door of Class 1A and was about to push the door open, a clear and polite voice called out to him from behind.

"Good morning, Teacher Chen."

Chen Ming turned around and saw Su Yuqing standing prettily in front of him, with her usual obedient smile on her face.

"Oh, it's Su Yuqing. Good morning." Chen Ming nodded gently.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"" Su Yuqing bowed slightly and said apologetically, "It's like this, Teacher Chen, my brother—he's not feeling well again today and might not be able to come to class. I'd like to ask for leave for him."

"Is Lin Che feeling unwell again?" Chen Ming frowned slightly upon hearing this.

As Lin Che and Su Yuqing's homeroom teacher, Chen Ming naturally knew that they were siblings from a blended family, and just a few days ago, Lin Che had indeed taken a leave of absence due to illness.

In addition, Su Yuqing has always been an excellent student who is both academically and morally upright and never causes trouble, so he naturally has no doubts about what the child says.

He then asked with concern, "Is Lin Che's condition serious? Has his illness from a few days ago relapsed? Has he been to the hospital?"

Su Yuqing gently shook her head, a slightly helpless smile on her face, and replied, "Thank you for your concern, teacher. It should be nothing serious, just a slight fever again. My mother told him to stay home and rest."

"But I'm not sure when he'll be fully recovered, so he might not be able to come to school tomorrow either."

She paused, then added sincerely, "I will take care to organize his class notes and homework for the next two days and bring them to him. He won't fall behind in his studies, so please don't worry, teacher."

"Okay, I understand." Chen Ming nodded, indicating his understanding.

"Go back and tell Lin Che to get some rest. His health is the most important thing. He doesn't need to worry too much about his studies."

"If there's anything I can help you with, feel free to let me know."

Then, she gave Su Yuqing a few more instructions, such as taking care of her health, and telling her to take care of herself while taking care of her brother, and not to overwork herself, before turning around and walking into the slightly noisy classroom.

Su Yuqing responded politely, watching Chen Ming's figure disappear behind the classroom door. The obedient smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by an undisguised worry.

She didn't immediately follow them into the classroom, but instead turned around and cast her gaze at the gray, rain-shrouded world outside the corridor.

Outside the window, the rain seemed to have intensified, the cold raindrops slanting against the glass, gathering into winding streaks that blurred distant objects.

Looking at the gloomy rainy scene, she murmured in a somewhat uneasy voice, "What about Xiaoying—" I don't know what happened to her—" Meanwhile, dozens of kilometers away, on the top floor of the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs branch building in the city center, in the director's office.

Roland stood quietly by the huge floor-to-ceiling window in his office, his eyes, long since devoid of light, staring blankly at the bustling city shrouded in rain before him.

His brows furrowed slightly, and even through the thick tempered glass, he seemed to feel the lingering dampness and stuffiness in the air.

The office lights were not on; only the dim daylight filtered in through the windows, barely illuminating a corner of the room. Most of the space was shrouded in deep shadow, making the atmosphere in the entire office somewhat oppressive and heavy.

Since five days ago, when the magical girl who called herself "Starfrost" spoke with him and then received a sudden distress signal and hurriedly left, the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs has not received any further contact from any magical girl in Jiangchuan City.

Although the infiltration of the virtual world within the city seems to have disappeared in the past few days, the monitoring center has not detected any energy fluctuations that could have a significant impact on the real world.

Perhaps—it's just that those children fighting on the front lines don't need to come here for the time being.

However, this eerie silence that lasted for several days still gave rise to some even worse associations in him. The uneasy premonition in his heart, like the dark clouds outside the window, grew heavier and more oppressive.

Until—last night.

Miss Xingxian, who claimed to be an inspector from the Magic Kingdom, suddenly visited this place.

She not only announced her identity and the purpose of her trip, but also directly demanded that the Jiangchuan City Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs immediately provide all possible assistance and intelligence support.

Cooperate with her investigation into the recent disappearances of magical girls in the city, and—the complete communication blackout that lasted for months between Jiangchuan City and the Magic Kingdom.

Logically speaking, given the uncertain security situation in the city, it should have been a fortunate thing that the Magic Kingdom was able to send patrol envoys to provide support in a timely manner, just as Miss Starfrost had said.

However, from the narration of the seemingly aloof and somewhat unapproachable patrol officer, Roland keenly perceived a crucial piece of information that deeply worried him—she had also failed to establish effective contact with any of the local magical girls.

This is clearly not good news.

Every time Roland thought about this, he couldn't help but feel deeply worried about Miss Starfrost's safety.

Although he had only met her twice and spent very little time with her, the magical girl, who possessed a maturity and resilience that was completely incongruous with her petite stature, had indeed left a very deep impression on him.

What's wrong with her now? Was she ambushed by that enemy hiding behind the scenes, the one even she finds troublesome?

Or is it that—she is still fighting silently in an unknown corner to protect this city, just like before?

He didn't know the answer.

Looking out the window at the city skyline, blurred by the endless rain, Roland's brows furrowed even more, and he let out a deep sigh filled with weariness and helplessness.

"Knock knock."

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the office door, interrupting his thoughts.

"Director," a capable and steady female voice came from outside the door, "the internal meeting regarding the visit of the Star String Inspector is about to begin. We need to be in conference room number three ten minutes in advance."

With a gentle and composed smile on his face, Roland slowly turned around, facing the direction from which the sound came.

Standing not far from his desk was a young woman wearing a dark blue Situation Bureau uniform and sporting a neat short haircut.

Her features were delicate, her eyes bright and focused, and she exuded the competence and composure of a professional woman—she was his secretary, Qin Yue.

A very capable young woman who was also deeply trusted by him.

Seeing that the respectable old man in front of her did not reply immediately, Qin Yue glanced at the time on her watch and gently reminded him again.

Director Roland was about to nod to indicate that he understood, but his movement paused slightly at the next moment.

His expression remained unchanged, and he spoke calmly, "Xiaoyue, go and inform the other attendees that this morning's meeting will be postponed for a while."

"It suddenly occurred to me that I had some more urgent work to do right away."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue was slightly taken aback, but immediately replied respectfully, "Yes, Director. Should I stay and assist you with your work as usual?"

"I can inform them directly about the meeting postponement via internal communication lines."

However, Roland shook his head slightly and repeated his instructions in an unquestionable tone: "No need, you go and notify them yourself, and make sure everyone receives the message."

"After giving this notice, unless I give you further instructions, stay in your office and handle your daily tasks. Do not move around unnecessarily."

He paused, then added casually, "Oh, right, Xiaoyue, remember to prepare a cup of coffee for me before the meeting starts—yes, with 30% sugar."

Qin Yue nodded slightly, still maintaining her respectful and capable demeanor. She bowed slightly and replied in a steady voice, "Yes, Director, I understand."

"Three parts sugar, I'll remember that."

After saying that, she didn't say anything more, turned around and walked away from the slightly dim office with steady steps.

In the corridor, the gleaming marble floor clearly reflected her slender figure in high heels.

"Tap, tap, tap—" The crisp, rhythmic tapping of her high heels echoed through the empty corridor, each step exuding an air of unhurried ease, as if she were simply carrying out an utterly ordinary daily task.

However, if anyone could see into her eyes at this moment, hidden beneath her calm expression, they would find that they were already filled with deep unease and worry.

Director Roland stood quietly, listening to Qin Yue's footsteps gradually fade into the distance until the sound completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, before letting out a soft sigh of relief.

Then, he slowly turned around, and his face, which had originally been carrying a gentle smile, was now filled with an unfathomable calm and solemnity.

Those empty eyes, unable to see anything, were accurately "looking" at the side of the office, an area that was originally empty but had now become unusually deep and dark, out of place with its surroundings.

After a moment, he spoke slowly in a calm, almost indifferent tone: "Hehe, I have a guest here today—an unexpected one."

"Although I don't know how you managed to sneak in here so quietly, avoiding my incompetent subordinates—"

"But now that you're here, why keep hiding? Why not come out and have a proper chat with me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the shadow that had been as still as stagnant water suddenly came to life and began to writhe and surge violently.

Immediately afterward, under Roland's invisible "gaze," a petite and delicate figure silently emerged from the shadows.

She wore a long black trench coat that reached her knees, perfectly showcasing her slender waist and long legs clad in black knee-high boots. The high collar of the coat concealed her delicate neck.

Her long, jet-black hair was tied into a playful side ponytail, swaying gently with her movements.

The girl stepped out of the shadows and stopped less than five meters from Roland's desk before slightly raising her head to reveal her firm and beautiful face.

A pair of dark red eyes, as clear as pure rubies, shimmered faintly in the dim light, calmly "staring" at Director Roland's empty eyes.

It is indeed — Lonely Shadow.