If two Bai Lingyue existed simultaneously, the mission to rescue all hostages would succeed with absolute certainty.

...

Due to the hostage crisis, Cloud Gate City’s No. 2 High School was now fully surrounded. Dozens of riot police vehicles blocked the entrance. Armed officers stamped with "POLICE" patrolled the perimeter. Snipers occupied nearby rooftops. Their laser rifles could silently reduce flesh to ash within one second of target lock.

Scorch marks and fresh blood stained the ground near the school gates—evidence of a failed assault.

"We can’t launch an operation? Why?!"

Captain Kong Yu of the SWAT Team Two snarled. Five of his men had fallen in the first firefight. He itched to turn the terrorists inside the school into sieves.

Before him stood Han Hongbei, the city’s police chief and overall commander. His face was grim.

"Seven mages are confirmed inside. Even a full assault would fail. The hostages are still in terrorist hands. A reckless attack would sacrifice them pointlessly. The government would face massive backlash—and none of us would escape blame. Moreover, the Navy Commission Secretary just called. His son is among the hostages. We must proceed with extreme caution."

"Damn it! What do we do then?!"

"Wait for the Mage Response Unit."

"Will they make it? The ransom deadline is in twenty minutes—100 billion Euri. No sane government would pay. We’ll just watch the hostages die."

"I can only say that’s not our responsibility. And even if we acted, the outcome would be no better."

"So we’re powerless?"

"Yes."

Silence choked the temporary command center. Every eye flickered between Kong Yu and Han Hongbei.

"Report! One figure detected on the school sports field!"

A monitor technician’s shout shattered the quiet.

All heads snapped to the drone feed. A silver-haired woman stood alone on the empty field.

...

Yan Lingxuan stood armored on the field. His black-and-white combat suit clung tightly to his frame. A narrow shield hung from his left arm; a cube-shaped device gripped his right hand.

The "Magic Quantum Shield" and "Magic Quantum Gun"—shortened to Magic Shield and Magic Gun—were magitech weapons crafted by Atlantis’s Brooks Institute. Designed for mages, they channeled magic power into destruction. No triggers needed; mere thought activated them.

Feeling the Magic Gun’s weight, Yan Lingxuan’s anxiety eased slightly. He’d already tested its power—a small magic infusion had blasted an arm-sized hole through a building wall.

Calmness gave way to distraction. *This suit was Lingyue’s...*

*Sniff!*

He inhaled deeply, savoring his sister’s lingering scent on the fabric. A warmth flooded his chest. *This fragrance... better than roses, laurel, peonies, night-blooming cereus... all flowers combined. Must savor it!*

He rubbed the suit’s surface, addicted to its texture. The material stretched perfectly. Though tailored for Lingyue, it fit his taller male frame snugly—delightfully so.

"What’s he doing? Nervous breakdown?"

Five kilometers away, three observers watched. They were on standby per plan.

"Will Bernie Butterworth really take the bait? This trap is obvious."

The strategy hinged on luring Bernie—the terrorists’ strongest fighter—away from the auditorium where hostages were held.

"Alice’s calculations never err. Provoked, Bernie has an 88% probability of engaging alone."

The "second Bai Lingyue" was Yan Lingxuan in disguise—a decoy to draw the enemy’s main force. (Though Yan’s personal motive for wearing his sister’s suit remained undeniable...)

...

Inside the auditorium, tension thickened after the earlier police firefight. The slum thugs had sobered from their frenzy. They grasped the point of no return.

On stage, Bernie Butterworth sat motionless in a chair, eyes closed. But his fingers drummed a restless rhythm on his knee.

"She’s provoking me."

Alecsei, standing behind him, understood. Every mage present recognized the obvious ploy—and the trap within it.

"Though I know your wisdom, Lord Bernie, I must remind you: this is a diversion."

"I know."

Any competent mage could sense Yan Lingxuan 1,200 meters away—standing alone on the field, magic power flaring like a beacon.

Alecsei watched silently as Bernie rose. Arguments would be futile.

"Guard this place. Don’t disappoint me."

Bernie’s form blurred. Five seconds later, he vanished from the stage.

On the sports field, Yan Lingxuan jolted as a hazy figure materialized before him. No warning—only a sudden surge of magic power alerted him.

Red hair. Pale blue eyes. The broad features of an Eastern European. A crimson robe draped his shoulders.

If not for the palpable magic aura, Yan Lingxuan would have mistaken him for a hologram.

*So magic can do this too? Fascinating.*

Without hesitation, he raised the Magic Gun and fired.

The barrel glowed like a laser lens. Magic power surged from his hand into the weapon. A red dot flared at the tip.

Crimson light pierced Bernie’s silhouette—but inflicted no wound. The beam tore through a distant tree trunk, leaving a smoldering hole.

Yan Lingxuan’s shot was the signal. Three mages waiting nearby sprang into action.

"A welcome show?" Bernie sneered.

Yan Lingxuan could only grimace.

He fired again and again. Red beams passed harmlessly through Bernie’s image, cratering the slope behind him. Trees groaned and crashed.

No time to mourn the damaged campus. Yan Lingxuan sensed Bernie’s counterattack coming.

Bernie studied the woman before him, puzzled. *Stalling for time?*

"Tiresome."

Overthinking was pointless. Only one solution existed—and it aligned with his goal: eliminate the nuisance.

Yan Lingxuan watched Bernie dodge his shots, then raise a hand. A finger snapped.

*Thud—*

The world spun. When stillness returned, Yan Lingxuan found himself staring at the sky. Pain exploded across his body as he realized he was flat on his back.

*What happened?!*

"I call this ‘Air Explosive’," Bernie explained casually. He’d sensed the three approaching mages but felt no urgency to return. "It exploits black hole-white hole matter transfer from general relativity. Compress air beyond its singularity point, then release it. Spatial coordinates distort during impact—making the strike impossible to predict. A mage-specific technique."

As Bernie boasted, the fallen girl staggered upright. Though unsteady, she stood firm. Her eyes lifted, icy with killing intent.

Then Yan Lingxuan saw it—the tear in his combat suit from Bernie’s attack.

Rage detonated in his skull. *MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE!*

*This suit holds my sister’s scent and sweat! I planned to keep it forever after the fight! That fucking red-haired bastard dared to ruin something worth more than diamonds?!*

"I’m ending you."