READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 281
When danger appears right in front of you, it’s natural for reactions to vary from person to person.
In the face of overwhelming crisis, some beings endure solely through their beliefs and mental strength, while others flee at the slightest hint of fear.
The difference between these two isn’t just about personality; it depends significantly on the cause of the situation they’re facing.
The reactions of a mother confronting danger to her child versus someone being paid to work are also influenced by the same reason.
If a child dies before a parent’s eyes, that parent will live in guilt for not being able to protect them forever. Even in a seemingly ordinary family dynamic, those thoughts can’t be easily shaken off.
However, money is different. While the specifics may vary based on the amount, typically, life is valued more than money. It’s about personal safety rather than mere life.
Therefore, if we were to consider this in general terms, the officer in front of Ha-yoon should have already been terrified and spilling all the secrets he knows.
But he didn’t.
“Do you have any idea what you’re doing? You need to go protect the antenna!” he shouted, trembling.
Ha-yoon turned to look at the other magical girls.
Usually, magical girls don’t work alone. Sure, in unavoidable circumstances, they might handle things by themselves, but typically, they work in teams.
And when forming teams, Ha-yoon always teamed up with Ji-eun.
That was comforting on many levels.
However, Ji-eun was missing despite all the magical girls being out here.
Depending on the situation, it was uncertain whether Ji-eun would even continue being a magical girl.
“Oh, that antenna,” Seo-hee said, opening up a conversation.
“Why are you worried about that? Wouldn’t it be better if it breaks?”
“……”
The officer appeared speechless.
From his expression, it was clear he was trying to grasp what the magical girls were saying.
“And, well, it shouldn’t matter that much. We’re not here just for fun; we came after taking care of our own issues.”
“……No matter what happens, I’ll be able to find out,” Chae-yeon said slowly rising from her seat.
“And I can aim and shoot,” Jua added, following her lead.
Seeing the two of them, the officer was left even more at a loss for words.
“So, if you don’t want to end up in a tough spot here, it’s better to start talking,” Yeon-woo suggested.
“What did you do to Ji-eun… no, to Lily?”
“……”
The officer’s expression went blank.
Ha-yoon thought she might be able to get this information without too much difficulty.
But soon, the officer’s expression changed to one of mockery.
“So, in the end, are you saying one of your magical girls is missing?” he laughed.
Ha-yoon blinked in surprise.
Perhaps due to her shocked expression, the officer seemed even more amused. It was almost like he was relieved.
Had he assumed that this fact would prevent them from attacking him?
“From the start, hope is such a weak force. Just a little disturbance can make Earthlings lose hope. Ah, of course,” the officer continued.
“It’s true she’s a mother. I don’t know how exactly the substitute is related to that—”
But he couldn’t finish that thought.
Thunk.
Ha-yoon’s hand was raised above the officer’s head.
At first glance, it seemed her hand was just petting him.
But the look in Ha-yoon’s eyes wasn’t exactly soothing.
Creeeak.
A sound was heard from beneath his hand.
“……Today, I’ve noticed something strange since I got here,” Ha-yoon slowly began.
“So far, we’ve never properly captured an officer, have we? But today, we’ve come this close.”
“……”
This time, it was the officer’s turn to blink.
“Now that I think about it, we’ve never actually targeted the officer from the start. Our priority was always justice, right? Saving people or protecting the homes of those you were destroying or preventing your destructive operations. All of that becomes meaningless if we’re too late.”
“……Well,” the officer opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it again when Ha-yoon shook her head.
“So, conversely, if I put it this way — yes, regardless of whether we succeed or fail, targeting the officer first implies that we can confront you at any moment.”
“……What are you trying to say?”
He tried to sound confident, but the sparkle in Ha-yoon’s eyes made it impossible for the officer to hide his unease.
“What are you doing right now!? Are magical girls thinking of committing murder!?”
“Murder? That’s a bit too far.”
Seo-hee chuckled, shrugging her shoulders.
“Are you even human? When Ha-yoon grabbed your head earlier, we heard it creak. You’re actually a robot, aren’t you? It would make sense if you were just controlling this from afar.”
“Seriously, it seems you’re a bit too stressed. I’ll agree that your head feels like a lump of metal.”
Yeon-woo calmly added from the side.
“……Cherry.”
Chae-yeon, who had been floating above, interjected.
“Cherry is small.”
“……”
The officer was left dumbfounded.
Ha-yoon lifted her wand and lightly sliced at the officer’s leg.
It was so easy that it could be considered ‘sliced.’
“You’ve seen combatants fight multiple times, right?” Ha-yoon remarked.
“We can take care not to harm the entity inside.”
“……”
“We can arrest that little entity inside right this minute.”
“That’s illegal—”
“Just because it looks like a human doesn’t mean it is; the entity inside is an alien that no one else knows about. Does this country even have their name and face properly registered?”
The officer couldn’t respond.
“So, there are two choices for you,” Ha-yoon calmly explained.
“You can dismantle this robot and hand it over to the Federation. If it’s from Noir Corporation, they might be back out quickly, but who knows if they’ll be able to work properly again. Or maybe, surprisingly, the Federation could throw something major at you. If not,”
Ha-yoon gazed intently at the officer and presented another option.
“Or you can just tell the truth and go back safely.”
“……”
The magical girls fell silent.
As if waiting for a response.
“……If that truth is that she’s your biological daughter?”
“Well, we’ve done some digging,” Ha-yoon said.
“If she really was your daughter, then why would you need to come in person to give orders?”
“……”
Creeeak.
The sound returned from the officer’s head again. Noticing that it wasn’t a human head, he seemed to tighten his grip even more.
“……Ha.”
But instead of answering, the officer laughed.
“Hahaha! So, so what?” he shouted.
“Are you seriously going to kill me if I don’t answer? Didn’t you misprospect your conditions from the start? All you’re suggesting is to capture me and hand me over to the Federation. What illegal acts have I committed? This country isn’t even a member of the Federation!”
“……”
“Let go of me. If you really cross the line, that will pose a major issue for the Federation.”
“You—”
“And if you all get caught due to that… ‘Jeong Ji-eun’, then you’ll truly lose the last trace of hope, won’t you?”
If that were a lie, what could any of you do? With a look that seemed to ask that, the officer spoke.
And aside from that statement, the rest was—plausible.
Ji-eun would undoubtedly despair at Ha-yoon crossing that line. For the fact that this was because of her.
“Oh, look there. A combatant from our company is rushing over. What a coincidence.”
As the officer mentioned, a combatant was approaching from a distance. Seo-hee covered her forehead. The same combatant that usually faced Ji-eun.
She never thought they’d return here—
But upon seeing the rushing combatant, everyone’s mouth dropped open.
The combatant wasn’t wearing a helmet.
Instead, they wore a paper bag with holes cut out for the eyes, seemingly found somewhere, and there was a bit of dirt on it like it had been rolling on the ground.
The helmet was—held in hand.
“Here—”
The officer raised his hand toward the approaching combatant. Ha-yoon had already taken her hand off the officer’s head—
For some reason, the rushing combatant stopped in their tracks.
And also for some reason, they raised the helmet above their head and threw it forcefully at the magical girls.
The magical girls didn’t even bother to dodge. Normally, getting hit wouldn’t cause much pain.
However, the small alien in the flying metal canister mattered a bit more.
“Quack!?”
The helmet flew past the magical girls and struck the officer’s head with a force.
And immediately after, a drop kick hit the stumbling officer in the face.
It seemed too harsh for a circuit-less alien robot.
Bam! The officer spectacularly rolled across the floor, sliding far away.
“……”
The magical girls stared blankly at the officer.
And just then, they glanced at the combatant whose paper bag hadn’t come off.
“……”
The combatant quickly covered their head with both hands.
While they used a paper bag to hide their face?
The magical girls exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for words.