Gwen felt there was a strange sense of oppression here, unlike the open-air environment in Sydney. But she also felt a sense of security that Australia lacked. Citizens play fearlessly in the park, and men and women look wealthy. Sydney has its glorious districts and suburbs, but the vast majority of the inner and outer westerns are still plagued by neglect and poverty. But here, Singapore's CBD seems to be full of men and women busy working, eating, and playing. Even their warehouse area is cleaner than Sydney's affluent port district.

"Shall we go back?" Jonas asked Gwen.

"Do you mind if we walk a long way home?" Gwen's eyes floated on the dreamy river. When will she see it again, and what will it be like in Sydney once they return?

"Alright then," Jonas said approvingly.

The group was gone, the men in front, the girls following, the river facing their flanks. Their eyes are filled with a rainbow of refractions of transnational advertising, and they enjoy the wonders of Singapore before they inevitably return to the war-torn homeland that awaits them.

Gillan. Singapore's premier red light district.

"The target is crossing Gillan, 50 metres to Gilmad. "A burly young man in a tight top and blue jeans was busy mimicking eating my 32-year-old shrimp noodle Laxa while speaking into coded message symbols. "The goal has stopped. He was at Mrs. Lin's house. ”

"Confirm target entered," the voice of control came from the glyph.

"Confirmed. Switch optics. ”

The young man seemed unhappy with the glare of the restaurant's solar globe, and he put on a pair of fashionable sunglasses - American-made Ray Bans. He leaned back to admire the famous noodle shop and the spicy dumpling wonton shrimp noodles before burping. Some hieroglyphs skimmed the dark surface of the pilot, and a smaller scythe effect was produced.

"Confirmed. The target company is in talks with Mrs. ”

"Target goes to level 2. ”

"The goal is to be with a woman ... Be two women. ”

"The goal is ......" faded away. Is this necessary? Their goal is clearly to party all night.

"Keep looking," Control pleaded. "Don't break the Holy Grail. The goal is very slippery. ”

"Yes," the voice replied desperately, almost whimpering. "The target is having sex. ”

"Confirm Objective 2. ”

On the sparkling banks of the river, a young man with a strong accent leisurely walked through the crowd, followed by a group of foreigners. Among them was a tall, lithe girl, as tall as the Singaporeans beside her, and a burly Polynesian who strutted in public. He wasn't afraid to be seen, and wherever the group ventured, the men turned their faces to peek at the girl, while the children stared blankly at the dark-skinned giant with the tattoos on his face and pointed head.

"The target is returning to the designated hostel on Route 7. ”

"Confirm the status of the observation. ”

"Confirmed. The target is 6 feet, female, with dark brown hair and shoulder-length. Eyes, green. White dress, floral. Travel with a team of high-level mages. Suggest next steps. ”

"Maintain a medium operating distance. As soon as the crowd thins out, move to the maximum viewing distance, "the voice of the control center comes from the information symbol with the precise sound of a mechanical device."

"Definitely. Request more information. ”

"Agreed. ”

"Is it a arrest tonight?"

"No, there will be contact elsewhere. Continue as commanded. ”

"Definitely. ”

The inn recommended by customs officials was clean and cheap, much to the surprise of Gwen and her crew, despite its proximity to the city's industrial zone. The men rented two rooms, two in each room and another for the girls.

By the time Gwen, Avia, and Yue entered their little "queen plus single" bedroom, the air conditioning was already on, and the room was breezy and sunny.

The girls take turns bathing and getting ready to go to bed. Their designated ship to Brisbane will board at 9 a.m. sharp, which means they need to arrive at customs two hours earlier.

They put their beds together and lay next to each other, feeling the warmth of each other's bodies in the dark. Gwen reached out and took Avia's hand, and Avia touched it and found Xiaoyue.

"That's not my hand. ”

“...“

"I'm sorry. ”

And just like that, the girls fell silent.

"Hey, Gwen," Elvia's voice drifted through the dark room.

"Yes, Eve?"

"Will you tell Mother Deborah the truth?"

“...”

"I won't," Yue's voice joined them. "If I were her mom, I'd rather my daughter die to protect her friends. ”

"yes. A long sigh lingered in the air. "Neither will I. ”

The sound of soft breathing filled the room.

"Gwen?"

"Really?"

"Thank you for saving us. ”

"No need. Gwen smiled in the dark. "You'll do the same for me. ”

"You know," Yue's voice interjected. "Good night. ”

"Thank you, Xiaoyue. ”

"Squeak"

“...”

"Good night, Eve. ”

"Good night. ”

“...“

"Hi, Gwen?"

"Eve...... Go to sleep. ”

"Okay. ”

In the morning a group of people gathered outside the hotel, Sans Moyer.

"I'll give him a call," Jonas stepped aside, dialing Moyer's typeface.

After a while he returned.

"Don't answer. Leave them a message about the time and place. Let's go. ”

"Okay. ”

Due to their convenient location, they are within walking distance of Jurong Pier, which has a large cargo terminal and a major customs checkpoint. While it is possible to ride passenger ferries with greater comfort and convenience, seats are usually pre-booked and sold out long in advance. Therefore, for occasional travelers, buying a space on a daily freighter is a viable option.

The group made their way through the warehouse area until they were greeted by a police officer in black uniform, who led them to the customs terminal, an impressive building with a modern concrete and glass façade.

The ship they were going to board was the Crown Express, a Class E cargo ship of the third class. From their vantage point, they could see the cargo crane's skeletal fingers on the massive hull.

As usual, the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the building is at least 10 degrees, and the humidity is about 100%.

"Oh, wow, I'm alive again," Xiaoyue shouted, fanning her impressive breasts with her hands. It was so hot outside that she had to unbutton a few buttons on her blouse.

"Yes. Gwen felt the sheen of sweat on her bare arms cool her limbs. "There's a steamboat outside. ”

"Yo!"

The group turned around and saw Moyer, still wearing the same clothes he had left on, getting up from a sunken couch in the break room. It goes without saying that he slept in public for at least a few hours.

"Good morning, Mr. Song," Elvia greeted him cordially.

"Hello, Angel. Moyer grinned. "Good morning, my daughter. ”

"You seem to be in good spirits, Dad. Gwen forced a smile.

"Me too. Moyer's gaze scrossed the crowd and nodded to each other until they landed in front of Yue Yangming.

"Oh, hello," he said to Yue, not looking her in the eye.

"Mr. Song. Yue puffed out her chest proudly, although her eyes were smiling as Gwen's face turned cold.

Wetu walked among them with a cautious expression. He very much wanted to go home and not be delayed by the showdown at Singapore Customs.

"Alright, let's go home!" Jonas applauded, calling for attention. "No delay, a document, follow me!"

At this time, a young woman looked at her with a pair of charming eyes.

"That's it, through the scanner entrance," the girl pointed them in the right direction. "Do you have any unstable items to report?It includes level 2 and above transformation or summoning magic items, and level 3 and above magic items. And anything you're willing to voluntarily get tested. If you fail to declare these items, you will be fined under the Singapore Maritime Act, which is punishable by up to 10,000 LDM companies and 1 year in prison. ”

The soldiers took out a lot of things, and while in Ritu, they had to check the safety and clear the customs, and the girls followed Moyer on.

"Please go this way," the lively girl said, gesturing to a series of corridors separating the boarding station from Singapore City. "Start here, here, the machine will scan you for volatile substances. ”

Elvia and Yue left first.

When it was Moyer's turn, the customs officer threw him a suggestive look, and in response, Moyer kissed her gently, causing her to giggle happily.

Gwen felt anger rise in her chest, but she pressed it down like a good girl who knew how not to make a fool of herself in public.

Her father then walked into the partitioned section, and finally it was her turn.

There is a tunnel inside. It is empty, white, sterile and impeccably clean, like many places in Singapore. Her father was nowhere to be seen, and must have passed soon. Halfway through Gwen, a carved mandala lit up. She quickened her pace and walked forward, hoping that the things they scanned wouldn't find anything strange, like the Void's mana, or her unicorn amulet.

The silver-white mana shone brightly, the color of magic, something Gwen had seen many times before.

A teleportation circle?, Gwen thought to herself. What can they scan with space-time magic?

The magic was gone immediately, and Gwen found herself in a square room, about four meters wide, also sterile. She stood in the center, on a circle of teleportation mandalas that faded away. At the farthest doorway were three people, two in dark suits and one in the naval uniform of a customs officer. She recognized it as Liu—the man she had spoken to yesterday.

"!" Gwen cursed under his breath. "Ariel!"

The mink disappeared from the thin air, and the room was filled with the stench of ozone. No matter what happens, Gwen will have a familiar person by her side, and if things worsen, she will harass her enemies.

"Very impressive, Ms. Song," Liu said, patting the golf ball politely. "I just want to say that you'd better not make a lot of noise and listen carefully to what I say. ”

"Who are you?" Gwen narrowed her eyes and leaned back in a fighting stance. She can unleash Caliban's spider form if needed, but this also means that she has become desperate enough to endanger herself, exposing herself to more environments. Gwen's mind turned to the disturbing events she had experienced at Blackheath. "Are you slaves, traders?"

Liu seemed taken aback by her outlandish accusations.

"Oh no, there's no such thing!" I assure you, we're legitimate law enforcement officers. Liu took out an ID card and waved it in front of her. As it refracts light, it shimmers, revealing the undoubted symbol of Singapore Tower – the rainbow-coloured Merlion. "I promise you, you won't have any trouble, except that you might take a short detour on your way home. ”

Instead of letting her guard down, Gwen covered it with a layer of bark filled with elemental lightning, causing blue-white arcs of lightning to leap out of her.

"Listen to me now," Liu continued. He pointed to the two men next to him. "These two gentlemen are from Shanghai Tower. ”

Gwen felt her heart pound. How are they different from her own? What level are they on, what are they capable of?

One of the men took off his glasses, revealing a stoic, featureless Asian face that was flat, expressionless, almost reptile. The man tapped something next to his ear, and a pink-green money stone began to float around his head.

"I'm Wei. It took a few seconds for the stone to tune into the man's astral soul and translate his speech from Mandarin to Mandarin. "We are from MSS. ”

Gwen blinked. What the hell is a lady?

Xiaowei frowned. Confusion wasn't the reaction he was expecting.

"Ministry of State Security. ”

Gwen's eyes told him that she still didn't know.

"They will be rough people sent by the People's Republic of China to do rough work on their behalf," *** explained helpfully. "The kind of person who keeps you and me awake at night. ”

"What do they want me to do?"

"Their demands on your father are more important, but the order has been given to take you in as well. I'm sorry. ”

Gwen didn't know what to say. In her past life, she traveled a lot and was never detained, not even when she flew to the Middle East, visited the legendary Petra, and returned to Australia with souvenirs.

"I'm not going. ”

"You will. Xiaowei reached into his pocket and took out a small cube. "Whether you want it or not, the choice is yours. This does not change the results. ”

"Where is my father?"

"He's on his way. ”

"Where are we going?"

"Shanghai. All I can say is that you won't be hurt. ”

"Are you going to read my rights to me?" Gwen felt stupid as soon as she spoke.

"......," Wei's expression showed a slight frown of displeasure on his face. He hid the golden cube in the palm of his hand, which must have been some kind of magical item based on imprisonment. "You have 60 seconds to decide to obey. ”

Liu Xiang stepped forward and stretched out his hands in front of him to express peace.

"Now, Ms. Song, I know that you have a personal relationship with Lord Gunther of Sydney, so I will do this for you quickly and simply. Soon, your friends will appear on the other side of the barrier, but they won't see you. As a boon to the Singapore Tower, I mean – I will be your messenger of peace. Recorded here

The man pointed to the lumen recorder pinned to his chest.

"If your friends try to rescue or cause trouble, it will not only be futile but will put them in jail, so you have to think carefully about the next sentence. ”

Maybe a year ago, Gwen would have felt panic and despair. But all she felt now was a cold calm. What Mr. Liu, the "customs officer", said to her was as sincere and patient as a person in his position could do. Liu was not rude, he was not condescending. He was simply explaining the situation to her, like a newbie entering some new and unfamiliar territory for the first time.

Gwen dispersed Ariel and her bark skin, facing the cavity recorder, trying to relax her body. She had a convincing smile on her face.

"Eve, Yue, I'm not in danger. My father got into some trouble. I need to work with him to solve this problem. I will get back to Australia as soon as possible. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Tell Gunther to contact Tower Singapore for details. ”

"Is that okay?" asked Gwen Liu, who turned off the tape recorder.

"Great, Mrs. Song. I have a hard time believing you're just a high school student. A little magician will react more strongly

Gwen didn't say anything. Instead, she turned to face the two Chinese men and held out her wrists in pleading.

"I'm yours. ”

Xiaowei and the others looked blankly at her wrists.

Gwen felt her face turn red as she pulled her hands back to her sides.

"Isn't that the case with authoritarian arrests now?"

"If you came voluntarily, Ms. Song wouldn't," Wei said coldly. "While I can't tell you why you are needed, I can tell you that you are not wanted for a crime. ”

"So my father is wanted for a crime?"

Her father had told her that he had killed someone he shouldn't have killed, but he rarely talked about it since. Was this his past?If so, why was she brought to him?Was it a father's sin?Who was looking for Moyer?Why was she needed?

As she tried to recall any details of Moyer's frenzy, two men in black walked past Liu Xiang and stood beside Gwen. She noticed that one of them was half a head shorter than her, while the other was just below her increased heel height. Now, she was standing next to them, looking over their heads, which made them less scared.

"Please relax," Wei said, without any particular emotion. "It can be a little disgusting for someone who has never experienced it before. ”

They each placed a hand on the porcelain skin of her wrist.

"Wow-"

When the conveyor ring restarts, there is a flash of light.

And then they were gone.