Passersby screamed in fear and scattered. The academy guard in front of them suddenly raised his head and immediately pulled out the revolver from his waist.

Nina's words were interrupted by this sudden incident. She subconsciously pulled Shirley beside her, then quickly turned around and looked in the direction where the scream came from.

＜Beyond the curtain, across some invisible boundary.

The roar and noise suddenly escalated to an unbearable level. Sharp pain shook the senses, strong light filled the ears, eyes were stung by the noise, skin evaporated and boiled in the wind, and an indescribable huge sphere hung high in the equally indescribable sky, expanding and shrinking and wriggling madly.

Malevolent things stirred—bulging and shrinking shapes moving madly about, shaking the world with their terrible roars.

But... where are my weapons? Where is my armor? Where are my companions? Where am I...? >

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

The mass seemed like some kind of flesh and blood, but it constantly reflected a cold metallic luster. The strange surface that was constantly reorganizing itself sometimes reflected colorful phantom light, and it seemed as if something was roaring and jumping in the light.

This horrific creature caused panic among the crowd, and everyone fled in all directions.

Only the two "knowledge guards" on the scene drew their pistols and took out their spellcasting tools without hesitation and rushed towards the terrifying "reality invader."

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

Nina was startled by the guard's shout. She stared at the center of the chaos with her eyes wide open in shock.

She didn't know if she was hallucinating.

Because in that brief moment, in that first one or two seconds, or even shorter, she felt that she saw something far more incredible than that horrible and terrifying mass - yes, in that first second, that thing looked... like a person.

She wondered if she had seen it wrong, because that moment was too brief, and looking at the reactions of other people around her...it seemed that no one noticed that scene.

The guards had already rushed forward, but as they were still unsure of the strange characteristics of the "invader" that suddenly appeared, they did not shoot rashly. Instead, they first smashed several test tubes on the ground nearby. The volatile chemicals in the test tubes quickly spread in the air, forming a "wall of air" that was as condensed as mist. When the sunlight shone on it, it refracted a psychedelic light.

It was as if some kind of rainbow-like crystal barrier had formed in the surrounding air mass.

Two guards entered the "air wall" first. One of them pointed a gun at the expanding and shrinking object that was constantly rolling and squirming on the ground, while the other quickly spread potions and dust on the ground nearby and lit a portable candlestick. Then he built a temporary protective barrier with crystals and metal blocks to suppress the movement of that thing.

Then another sharp whistle was heard from the other end of the street, and the guards who were patrolling other places in the market came to support in time. While dispersing the remaining pedestrians on the road, they walked into the "air wall" and began to skillfully perform a series of sealing, suppression, and purification processes.

Nina and Shirley were standing not far away, watching the scene in dazzle. They didn't feel nervous, but just found it very novel.

Because although they have come into contact with many extraordinary events so far, they have actually never seen how professional guardians "handle events according to procedures."

Ordinary people who have been trained follow strict operating regulations and skillful cooperation to control the invaders who suddenly appear in the real world - this scene is very different from Uncle Duncan's (Captain) style of solving problems on weekdays.

At this moment, the "mass" in the center of the "air wall" that was glowing with metallic luster and looked like some kind of living steel suddenly moved violently again, and the temporary seal hastily constructed by the guards with a ritual was immediately impacted - the transparent shell-like structure covering the surface of the "invader" shattered into pieces, making a sharp tearing sound, and the two knowledge guards who were maintaining the ritual suppression immediately took a few steps back, and the crystal prism in the hand of one of them instantly shattered into pieces.

But this seemed to be the last resistance of the "invader".

The guards reacted in a panic and were ready to strengthen the seal again, but they found that the ball of "living steel" in the center of the venue was rapidly weakening its wriggling, as if its vitality was quickly fading away. The strange hissing and friction sounds constantly coming from its interior gradually subsided, and its undulating surface seemed to gradually solidify and become still, and the metallic "skin" spread a gray color, like rapidly weathering stone.

Finally, it was almost motionless as a whole, with only a residual slight tremor appearing on its surface from time to time, like the muscle twitching of an animal after death.

"The target's activity has decreased and it has stopped reacting to catalyst No. 17."

A guard holding a revolver in one hand and a few test tubes in the other spoke quickly.

Another guard held an extremely heavy book in both hands, staring at the mass of "living steel" in the center of the field while sensing something. After a moment, he said, "The target has no mental activity."

"There are still signs of activity in the central area, but it is still fading... No tendency to communicate with the outside world has been detected."

"Class III catalyst groups are insensitive and do not belong to any known 'invasion types'... When will the team from the academy arrive?"

"The letter has been sent. It will take at least fifteen minutes."

"Understood. Everyone, stay alert and pay attention to your mental state. Do not leave the barrier area. Report any unusual information you see or hear immediately."

The guards handled the sudden situation here professionally and quickly. Even though what entered the real world this time was a "new thing" that was not in the records, they did not seem to be at a loss at all - until an abrupt voice suddenly came from the side.

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

Nina dragged Shirley to the side of the "living mass of steel" that had almost stopped moving. The two brave girls carefully observed the "substance" on the ground with a diameter of nearly two meters. The former couldn't help but ask curiously.

The knowledge guard closest to them almost jumped up on the spot.

The middle-aged man in a burqa, who looked more like a middle school teacher than a soldier, turned his head in horror, only to see the two young girls who had walked towards him at the beginning and seemed to want to report something standing behind him. He thought the two girls should have been evacuated immediately, so why were they still here? !

And the next second, the guard realized an even more incredible fact.

"How did you get in?!"

He stared at Nina and Shirley in amazement, and quickly glanced behind them from the corner of his eyes. The "air wall" used to block the area where the incident occurred was still intact and floating several meters away. The barrier with a rainbow crystal texture in the mist did not show any signs of being damaged. He himself did not sense any entity touching the barrier...

How did these two girls who looked like middle school students walk in so brazenly?!

"I walked in." Nina saw the stunned reaction of the Guardian and the other Guardians around her who were suddenly in a state of panic. She finally became a little nervous. "I just... I just walked in like that."

Shirley beside him also nodded quickly, trying her best to use her acting skills that she had practiced since she was a child but had not been put to good use in recent times, pretending to be well-behaved and innocent: "We are just curious, so we came over to take a look, sir..."

"Walked in?!" The guard stared, and his professional ethics acquired over the years made him silently recite Rahm's prayer in his heart. At the same time, he held the gun handle with one hand and stared at the two girls in front of him.

A faint silver light appeared in his eyes.

However, Nina and Shirley just stood there harmlessly, like two ordinary kids out shopping.

And Nina really didn't know what was going on.

She saw the surrounding mist, but felt that it was only 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 as sunlight could naturally pass through glass.

As for Shirley… Shirley didn’t feel that barrier either.

Because she walks with the sunshine.

The tense and strange confrontation lasted for several seconds. The guards on the scene were on high alert, and half of them had a faint silver glow in their eyes. Lahem's blessing temporarily enhanced their ability to see the truth, so that they could observe these two girls who seemed ordinary but whose words and actions were vaguely suspicious.

However, they found nothing unusual.

Only the middle-aged knowledge guard who looked the oldest always felt a little uncomfortable in his heart. He always felt that there was something hidden in front of him, hidden deep in the smile of one of the girls, so he couldn't help but look at Nina twice more, with a gleam in his eyes.

But suddenly, he felt as if there was no need for him to continue watching - this unreasonable thought made him unconsciously retract the light in his eyes.

The guard rubbed his eyes, and in a trance he forgot the sense of disobedience that had just arisen in his heart.

"Did we disturb you at work?" Nina said apologetically.

The guards looked at each other, some of them exchanged glances quickly, and discussed in a low voice.

The middle-aged guard who looked the most senior took a step forward with a serious expression while remaining slightly alert.

"Excuse me, ladies, could you please come with us?"