"What happened?"
Zick and the others were taken aback.
Their response was the sudden blackout of more screens, leaving only a few still operational.
On the island, large areas lost their lights; the previously roaring machines ceased operations, and the conveyor belt that spanned the entire area also came to a halt.
A boy, whose face was once dull, suddenly had a gleam of hope in his eyes. He made muffled sounds, struggling desperately, but was firmly strapped to the bed.
The nearby people in surgical protective suits exchanged glances.
"What's going on?"
"A power outage?"
"Hold on, it might just be equipment maintenance."
The people spoke with little emotion, as if they didn't notice the boy on the bed sobbing.
A few minutes later, the backup generator kicked in, and the sound of metal clashing echoed in the room.
In another room, Hayley looked up at the lights which had come back on, squinting as if the light stung her eyes. She hastily raised her little hand to shield her eyes.
Beside her sat a plump woman, who smiled and said, "Perhaps the circuit connection is unstable... Don't worry about it. Shall we continue reading?"
Hayley asked softly, "After we finish, can I go back?"
The plump woman asked curiously, "Go back for what? Do you like the cell?"
"No, I don't," Hayley shook her head and added, "But Mabel is still waiting for me!"
The plump woman stroked her soft hair and said, "Mabel has her mission, and you have your destination. Be good, Hayley."
Hayley shuddered slightly and lowered her head in silence.
The plump woman praised, "Good girl."
The two sat quietly for a while, with only the sound of flipping pages in the room.
Hayley was very thirsty, but she looked up at the woman and dared not ask for water.
She lowered her head again.
The picture book in her hand was a story of Little Red Riding Hood being eaten by the Big Bad Wolf and rescued by the Hunter.
In the corner of the picture book, someone had written a small, blurry name in pencil.
[Salah].
Hayley remembered that strange child, who had very dark skin and was in a room diagonally across from them.
He would sometimes sing songs that no one could understand, sometimes using broken English to describe various animals on the plains and the stories of fighting with other kids for water.
It sounded as if he came from a different world.
Was he brought to this place to read over a month ago too?
Suddenly, the reading room door was pushed open, and a woman in green clothes stood at the door.
"Bring her in."
She said.
Hayley was pulled up by the plump woman. She turned back in confusion and saw Little Red Riding Hood in the picture book being taken by the Hunter, happily reuniting with her grandmother.
The wind in the corridor flipped the pages, turning to the scene where Little Red Riding Hood was swallowed whole by the Big Bad Wolf.
...
At this moment, most parts of the island were actually in chaos.
Countless strange animals suddenly appeared, with cute appearances that didn't match their sharp claws and fangs.
A light swipe could sever thick cables and iron frames, and the automatic machine guns mounted on the walls were cut into pieces before they could even unleash their power.
Bird-like creatures swooped down from above, their sharp beaks piercing through human thighs like bullets. The soldiers holding guns fell to the ground, screaming in pain.
Warriors wielding swords charged forward boldly, while a woman resembling a maid brandished garden shears, breaking the guards' arms, and even short men, or people the size of a fist, shouted as they charged, possessing enough strength to send adults flying.
The most bizarre part was that even brooms and dustpans joined in attacking the base—
The slender broom, despite being unmanned, spun wildly, hurling weapons and people alike.
The dustpan hammered like a sledgehammer, causing soldiers to scurry away with their heads in their hands.
Some people, not immediately attacked, decisively picked up guns to fight back, and gunfire rang continuously.
A cat with a broken leg could still leap and pounce with agility on its three remaining legs.
The rest, whether hit by bullets or not, barely seemed to feel pain, pausing only briefly before resuming their attack.
Only a few would suddenly stop moving, collapsing with a thud, never to move again.
"Aim for the head! Shoot at these creatures' heads!"
Someone successfully "killed" a leopard and hurriedly shared their experience with the others.
A soldier struggling not to be thrown by a spinning broom cried out, "Where's its head? Tell me where it is, then!"
The broom's bristles didn't seem to indicate a vital point.
The next moment, the soldier traced an arc in the air from a parabolic throw.
But not everyone was as unfortunate as him; most attackers had a "head" as part of their body.
Immediately, the previously scattered bullets converged toward the head, with the foremost maid's head almost reduced to a sieve.
The soldier in front of it smiled with joy and shouted, "Die, monster!"
Soon after, he received a heavy blow to the face, almost embedding him in the ground.
Silence fell over the area.
Under the terrified gaze of everyone, the headless maid touched her half-remaining head and suddenly went berserk, launching a frenzied attack on the surrounding soldiers.
The crowd was nearly scared out of their wits, screaming as they threw down their guns and ran away.
The maid roared after them, followed by an assortment of strangely-shaped attackers.
A pack of hounds just released saw the headless maid charging at them, whimpered in fear, tucked their tails, and turned to flee, leaving behind a trail of distressed, "whimpering" cries.
The crowd had no time to retaliate, only cursing themselves for not having two more legs.
"Buzz——"
The island suddenly resonated with a buzzing sound.
Everyone knew, when this sound echoed, it signified that the island's strong magnetic field had been activated. At this point, most people would stay quietly in their rooms, while those patrolling outdoors would wear radiation suits.
As they ran, they noticed the noise of slaughter behind them had lessened significantly.
They hesitated, stopped, and turned back, only to see the once-unbeatable attackers now collapsed on the ground like piles of rubbish, only a few still making feeble attempts to move.
The soldiers paused, then cheered in unison, some even jumping and stomping on the bodies of the attackers.
They knew the strong magnetic field was also harmful to their bodies, but what did it matter? It was better than being killed by the monsters.
Meanwhile, as the Poppets diverted personnel within the base, Vid and Dumbledore, who had already infiltrated, also heard the buzzing.
One of them supported themselves on a table, while the other leaned against the wall, clenching their teeth and enduring silently.
The concrete walls and shielding suits already blocked most of the damage, but even the remaining slightest bit of influence felt unbearably like being pricked by needles all over, including inside their organs.
Vid noticed the principal's arm trembling slightly and considerately looked away.
It had nothing to do with one's magic power; even the stronger the magic, the more sensitive the perception, making it more uncomfortable during this time.
They couldn't even use spells like the Iron Armor Spell or the Impedimenta Curse to resist—any magic leaving the body would be disrupted.
After two or three seconds, the buzzing finally stopped.
It took another moment before Vid could barely stand steady, cold sweat soaking his back.
"Impressive!" he couldn't help but say, unfastening his shielding suit, "The machine needs at least half an hour to cool down; this is our opportunity."
"Don't take off your cloak," Dumbledore stopped him, saying, "Maybe they have similar weapons."
"...Alright." Vid rewrapped himself in the protective clothing, then suddenly asked, "Professor, do you think... we still need to show mercy to these people?"
On the desk beside him lay bloody photos.