Hearing Fumizuki's words, Lin Yuxia showed an expression that said "as expected." She picked up the videotape and said, "You two should take a look at this first!"
Meanwhile, on the other side in Gensokyo, they were also discussing the video they just saw. For the people of Gensokyo, the significance of this video was even greater. Because from this video, it could be seen that mysterious powers also existed in that world. Why mysterious? Because the power of technology cannot yet perform the act of extracting a human soul. Not to mention that room, filled with traces of witchcraft and looking like some cult altar, had absolutely nothing to do with technology.
They were currently assessing the strength of the mysterious powers that might exist in that world.
"I remember Flandre saying the symbols on these two people belong to a place called Rhodes Island," Remilia recalled what Flandre had once said.
"Rhodes Island? Where is that?" Eirin Yagokoro asked from the side.
"A medical institution specialized in treating the Infected," Yukari Yakumo replied from the side.
"Hiss, a doctor from a regular medical institution can actually perform repairs on a human soul?"
"Although the skill level is a bit rough, there's indeed nothing wrong with how it was done!"
"They achieved a stabilizing and nurturing effect on the soul without affecting the soul itself."
"And it also effectively suppressed that evil power within the other person's body," Eirin Yagokoro shared her opinion after a brief assessment.
"You mean we should raise the danger level of that side?" Yukari Yakumo narrowed her eyes.
"It might indeed be necessary."
"After all, look at the 'chief surgeon' here. From his clumsy movements, you can see he's not actually skilled in this area, and he's very young."
"If someone of this age has this kind of ability..."
Eirin Yagokoro's meaning was simple: she believed that since a young person in a medical company had this kind of ability, then there must be even stronger people in that world. The others nodded upon hearing Eirin Yagokoro's words, but no one was afraid because of it. Many of the youkai present could also do what was in the video, and even better.
Furthermore, as Eirin Yagokoro said, the technology inside was just average; it was only rated a level higher because it involved the soul. This didn't make them afraid; instead, it added a bit more interest to their trip to Terra. After all, if that side was also a world dominated by technology, it would be very troublesome for youkai to obtain Fear. Conversely, if it was a place with a high level of mystery, then even if the youkai of Gensokyo didn't live all over the land, it would be no problem at all for them to find a place to rule as kings.
Meanwhile, in the Lungmen Governor's Mansion.
When the video started playing, Wei Yenwu and Fumizuki realized something was wrong. They had always thought it was an oripathy surgery, but whether it was the room full of Incantations or the lack of any medical equipment by the "operating table," it showed that this surgery was completely different from what they had imagined.
As the "surgery" began, Wei Yenwu stood up abruptly. What did he see? Talulah's soul was pulled directly out of her body, and then they were manipulating her soul. If Flandre hadn't been standing right there in the video, he would have questioned the cause of this event. But at the same time, he also saw the three clusters of black mist inside Talulah.
His expression couldn't help but turn somber. As the biggest loss he had suffered after leaving a government body, he would recognize Kashchey even if he turned to ash. So he immediately stopped Fumizuki's questioning and instead just stared at the actions of the three people in the video. He didn't even choose to fast-forward, but watched the entire process of the "surgery" step by step.
Only after finishing did he look at Flandre.
"First, thank you for everything you've done for Talulah."
"Then, can you tell me exactly what happened here?"
Flandre nodded; looking at Wei Yenwu's appearance, he really was unaware of this matter. She had always thought he knew, so she hadn't mentioned it. Thinking about it now, Ch'en must have helped keep this a secret at the time.
Flandre began to recount Talulah's story.
"When that cluster of black mist first appeared, I happened to be right there."
"At that time, I used my ability to cut off the dissipating black mist and heavily damaged that black shadow, but at the same time, because my Magic is pure destruction, it also had a significant impact on Talulah."
"Afterwards, I told them about it. Mr. Buldrokkas'tee told us about its origin and identity; it is the power of the Immortal Black Snake, a legendary spirit from Ursus."
"Later, when Rhodes Island came here to help treat the Infected, they learned about this news and said they had a master of Magic who could provide assistance in this area."
"And then came this surgery."
"At that time, Mr. Logos's original intention was to settle it once and for all by completely cutting that cluster of black mist out of Talulah's soul."
"But when we separated the soul from the body, we found that the opponent's location was not just one place, but three."
"If we were to deal with it, handling just one would be useless and might even cause violent resistance from the other two, leading to even more severe damage to Talulah's soul."
"And we couldn't handle all three at once, so in the end, we chose a more conservative plan."
"Which is what you saw: reinforcing and nurturing Talulah's soul and engraving an Early Warning Ritual on her soul. This way, although we didn't achieve the expected goal of purging the Immortal Black Snake from Talulah's body, it's pretty much kept under control and monitored."
Flandre concluded her introduction by pointing to the thing she called the "Soul Seed."
After listening to Flandre's introduction, the two realized that such a serious hidden danger was actually buried within Talulah. Consequently, the anger they had felt because these juniors hadn't reported things to them also dissipated.
Wei Yenwu knew a lot of inside information, so he could better understand the danger in the video. Although Talulah was the one undergoing the surgery, the man leading the surgery and the woman beside him bore risks no less than Talulah's. And Flandre, she had been there the whole time. Even though she didn't act, Wei Yenwu could feel that she must have played a crucial role.
After inquiring, he understood that the reason those three clusters of black mist from the will of the Immortal Black Snake could stay obediently in their places without moving, allowing the person named Logos to cast his spell, was precisely because Flandre was there. Her ability had been deeply remembered and guarded against by the opponent after she had cut off its appearance last time. So with her standing there, even if she didn't strike, the opponent didn't dare to move easily.
Wei Yenwu then asked more about the situation in the video. Flandre answered what she understood and knew, and for what she didn't, she decisively stated her ignorance.
"By the way, I actually have another similar video here, which is a summary and research of this surgery by me and a professor." Flandre remembered her exchange with Fremont in Zwillingstürme.
"Also at your house?" Wei Yenwu asked.
Flandre nodded. "Exactly!"
"How about we go directly to your house to watch it!" Wei Yenwu originally wanted to tell her to bring it in, but the Governor's Mansion had many people and was quite public, with people coming in from time to time to report on work, so it wasn't really suitable for viewing highly confidential things.
"But it's almost three in the afternoon now, and I still want to go to the Central Plaza to watch the excitement!" Flandre said after checking the time.
"Excitement? What excitement?" Wei Yenwu reacted just after speaking. Beatrice Schwire's final deadline for those businesses to relocate was three in the afternoon.
"Then let's go together. After it's handled, we'll go straight to your house." Wei Yenwu indicated that nothing was more important than his niece's business. Anyway, most of the work in Lungmen didn't require his personal attention; he just needed to know the final progress.
The group got into an inconspicuous car and soon arrived at the edge of the Central Plaza. From inside the car, they could see two groups of people confronting each other not far away.
Beatrice's eyes were now full of cold light. She had given these people a chance, but not only did they not show any restraint, they even intensified their actions. If they had closed their doors today and said they couldn't finish moving everything in one day and needed two more days to handle it, she wouldn't have acted in a way that completely disregarded the survival of these businesses.
But now...
Beatrice raised her hand, and the Guard Department Operators walked straight up.
"What do you want to do?" Facing the Guard Department Operators who held large shields and stood in a row, getting closer and closer, many business owners began to panic. But they didn't choose to take action, so the Guard Department members just silently approached without any other movement.
And just at this moment, someone took a stone and suddenly threw it toward the Guard Department Operators. The stone hit the shield with a "bang," a very crisp sound, but it made those business owners' hearts turn cold.
Originally, as long as they didn't take action, the Guard Department, no matter how much they were pressured, could at most only exert pressure and block the road; they couldn't do anything to these business owners. But now that someone had acted, the nature of the situation changed instantly. The confrontation suddenly turned into the suppression of a riot.
Sure enough, in the next second, batons were pulled out by the Operators.
"Everyone, put your hands behind your heads and squat on the ground! Do not move!"
Fortunately, considering they were citizens and many people were watching in the city center, the Operators didn't use that six-strikes-per-second baton technique. Instead, they very formally approached quickly while telling them to give up resistance and surrender on the spot. In less than ten minutes, everyone was handcuffed.
Then, professionals began to enter the scene to clear the items in these shops, packing them into categories and labeling them according to the different businesses before the demolition team finally entered to tear down the illegally modified shops. The entire process was smooth and efficient, leaving those business owners not a single chance for resistance.