Long and Mai fell silent when they heard Uncle Lam speak.
In the pouring rain, the villagers of Manualee gathered in large numbers, their eyes burning with determination. They wanted to march to the city of Puresight and storm Witchiecoop. But it was a reckless idea. Witchiecoop had a powerful army of AI Witches, many of them high-ranking, and possessed abundant EN resources. It manipulated both the government and the nobility. The villagers of Manualee, on the other hand, had only primitive weapons, knew nothing about using AI Witches, and had meager EN resources—barely enough to survive from day to day. Everyone understood that their chances of returning alive were almost zero.
Mai took a deep breath, then spoke in a calm but determined voice.
"I think everyone should calm down. Let Long and me try to break into Witchiecoop first, see how things are, and then decide what to do next. If everyone rushes in now, it will be extremely dangerous. You all know how terrifying Witchiecoop's power is…"
Uncle Lam smiled gently, kindness in his expression, though worry lingered in his eyes.
"Thank you, kids. But we can't put all the burden and danger on the shoulders of two children. If we do, what honor will we adults have left…?"
He turned to look at Kiet—the deaf boy who was still standing there innocently, his round eyes following everyone. His voice deepened, weighed down by sorrow.
"…Besides, I don't want to see children like Kiet suffer any more misfortune."
Uncle Lam and the villagers turned away, but before leaving, they looked back and smiled kindly at Long and Mai.
"Kiet is counting on you to look after him…"
The people of Manualee hurried toward Puresight, their footsteps rapid, like the beat of a drum urging them forward.
Mai panicked and ran after them, her voice breaking in the rain.
"Everyone, come back! I beg you! We have AI Witches and EN—we'll find a way to help… Please, come back!"
But they kept moving, no one looking back.
Mai slipped and fell, the umbrella flying from her hand. Mud splattered across her face, tears mingling with the rain. She sobbed uncontrollably. Once again, helplessness tightened around her heart. She had grown up in luxury, cherished and protected. But when she opened her heart to her friends, she realized how powerless she truly was—unable to protect those kind people.
Her cries echoed through the gray rain. Mai began to doubt her own strength.
A strong hand suddenly reached out—wet, but steady. Long helped her up, his eyes resolute as he looked straight toward Puresight.
"Mai, don't cry."
His voice was deep and firm.
"We'll go to Puresight together."
Mai felt her heart grow lighter, as if a small flame had been lit inside her. Long's determination spread to her, quickening her pulse. She knew she couldn't stop the furious crowd, but at least she still had something to hold on to: saving Mimi and protecting the children—together.
Mai looked up. Her eyes were still wet, but the light had returned.
"Thank you, Long…" Her voice trembled, then gradually steadied. "Let's go together."
Outside the Witchiecoop tower, the rain poured relentlessly. Inside, however, it was eerily quiet. On the top floor, the sound of Ms. Phan's high heels echoed, steady as a heartbeat in the solemn space. She walked while softly whistling a familiar tune—a song she used to sing with her late son.
The laboratory door opened. Before her stood a strange chip glowing inside a massive glass pillar. The barrier surrounding it—created by Witchiecoop's highest-level AI Witches—made it nearly impenetrable. Golden light from the chip flickered intermittently, bright enough to illuminate the entire corner of the room. Ms. Phan gazed at it, the corners of her lips curling into a mysterious smile.
Behind her, Director Dong appeared, his deep voice resonating through the room.
"How nostalgic. Since you left, no one has had the ability to continue the project to bring back the AI King Witch."
Ms. Phan laughed, her eyes cold.
"You overestimate me. Aren't you still hunting down ownerless AI Witches and throwing them into the incinerator…?"
As if suddenly recalling something, she burst into laughter, the sound echoing sharply against the walls.
"Oh no, I should call it by its proper name: the furnace that extracts the witch DNA from inside an AI Witch's body in order to synthesize the body of the AI King Witch."
She turned, her eyes fixed on the surveillance screen. Inside, cold, mechanical processes were underway. An AI Witch that had just lost its owner was locked inside a glass cage. A drilling device searched and extracted the DNA core. In an instant, the light in its eyes went out. The lifeless body was discarded into storage like a worthless object.
Ms. Phan curled her lips slightly, her voice calm, each word cutting like a blade.
"When I refused to extract witch DNA from innocent children… you chose to retrieve DNA from these poor AI Witches instead. You are truly cruel."
Director Dong replied, his voice cold as ice.
"If we're discussing cruelty, then the one who came up with the idea of synthesizing the AI King Witch's body from countless fragments of witch DNA is the cruelest of all. And that person is you, Phan. The tragedy the children of commoners without EN must endure… doesn't it originate from you?"
His words were sharp, twisting straight into her memory. Phan fell silent. In that moment, the truth weighed heavily on her, haunting her and stirring deep regret.
Director Dong laughed, the cold sound echoing throughout the laboratory.
"Right now, the children carrying witch DNA are still waiting for you to study them to create a complete body for the AI King Witch. At the same time, the DNA extracted from the AI Witches is sufficient to begin testing its resurrection."
He stepped closer, his eyes filled with mockery.
"Be grateful. We are still giving you… the chance to resurrect your lost son."
Ms. Phan sank into deep thought, and the room fell into oppressive silence.
"BOOM!" A deafening explosion rocked the tower, shattering the eerie silence.
Director Dong paused, then slowly walked toward the window, his eyes icy.
"Hmph… the villagers of Manualee."
He turned, staring intently at the surveillance screen in the laboratory, then issued a decisive order.
"Those poor people… deal with them as quickly as possible."
Immediately, he summoned the butterfly-shaped Superior AI Witch, Scobby. A purple space opened, swirling like a portal into nothingness. Dong stepped in leisurely, his shadow gradually merging into the violet light.
Before disappearing, he tossed back one final command, his voice sharp and cold.
"Resurrect the AI King Witch."
The purple gate closed, leaving the room empty, with only the sound of rain outside and the heaviness in Phan's heart. She walked to the window and looked down.
The villagers of Manualee were attacking the Witchiecoop headquarters.
The main gate of Witchiecoop had been blown apart.