chapter 5 - infiltrating (part 2)

The allure of being an information broker lies in the complexity and ambiguity of our motives—the complete opposite of my ideals. Unlike straightforward heroes or villains, we operate in shades of gray, driven by profit, power, curiosity, or a combination of these elements. I'm unique: I do this job solely for a living, not for strength or leverage. Sometimes, I love this job because my loyalty is fluid, dictated by the circumstances and potential gains. Mastering manipulation, negotiation, and survival in a world where knowledge is the most powerful currency—much more powerful than magic—makes this path intriguingAugust 9th, 2050, around 2 hours and 50 minutes before the incident, Near District 37 of Mysteria at 2.09 pmshadow rebels - the self-proclaimed largest rebellion group in the nation always worked in pairs when doing investigations and always dressed up normally. people won't know they are part of the rebel group unless you are a magician. the more interesting part is that its leader Is unknown and very few know their motive. Some say it's obvious and it is to get back to their freedom from the Magicians, but if that's true, why did they destroy other dreams like the others...*back in the cafe*As we walked towards the table, they glanced left and right before looking straight at me dead in the eyes. "did you bring the documents"i get closer to their faces "Be patient, I thought being part of shadow rebels, you will know the proper rules" They are about to grab their guns, alerted that he knew their identity."i know everything you know, if you don't want me to leak your identity, better pay up" beside the table, they looked at each other before they grabbed it and passed it at me from under the table. I giggled as they passed me the money, confused and irritated, they asked angrily about my actions"What's so funny, Celeste" one of them mumbled to me "It's nothing, you two just look stupid", we exchanged the goods. I passed them the document on past research on deconstruction weapons.The two of them excitedly snatched it from my hand and flipped through the pages one by one. to their horror, when they reached the last page and saw the page number they realized it was 148 pages long."how do we report it back to him, he wants us to give the intel now, we can't read through this before the deadline"The two of them looked at me and I sighed knowing what they wanted from me."pay me double or I won't help" I smirked. Bitting their tongue, they sneak another $1500 into the bag. "This is not a good place to explain the details, let's go somewhere else". we packed the documents we walked out of the cafe and towards an abandoned building in District 37Wanting to know about these weapons and how to increase Eido efficiency- in other words, Increasing the speed at which the Eido particles get associated with the magic language invoke by magicans who can see the dimension in which information is stored. the eido particles contain information on the world and Magiya language can command the Eido particles to perform specific actions when correctly used. There are multiple ways to increase Eido efficiency.One is to use a modified Assistant Converter Device which stabilizes the process more efficiently than the default function, speeding up the association of Eido particles with the Magiya language. and add functionality to that information. the benefit of using an ACD is Faster spell invocation as the Eido particles are more quickly and stably associated with the necessary magical commands. With a modified Assistant Converter Device with the added module, the spell's speed is invoked faster. in other world the speed at which the eido particles come to the physical world and have the spell released. on the other hand however, using a deconstruction weapon, instead of an added module, you imbue the language onto the weapon and the weapon deconstructs the complex information in eido particles for you so that you don't have to disassemble it yourself - Magical operations in your brain, which is much faster than modifying your ACD and spending them getting used to it. I explained to them, and they listened attentively while walking around empty alleyways and buildings.at around the same time, while Katou is talking to the shadow rebel members, Another devious plan is cooking in the backgroundXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXAugust 9th, 2050, around 2 hours and 22 minutes before the incident, Near District 37 of Mysteria at 2.37 pm. "Sakura, have you gotten the grappler ready" "Sakura, have you got the grappler ready?" Aiko asked, overseeing the operation with a mix of fear and determination.Sakura's hands worked quickly, untangling the last knots in the rope. The zipline was their key to infiltrating the facility undetected, but everything had to go perfectly. Aiko kept her eyes on the surroundings, every sound making her heart race a little faster."Misaka, are you at the entrance?" Aiko asked quietly, the tension in her voice barely contained."Not yet. There's some interference preventing me from using magic," Misaka replied, frustration creeping into her tone.Aiko frowned. "The barrier's coverage is more extensive than we thought. Be cautious."With the rope finally untangled, Sakura nodded. "The rope is ready."Aiko's gaze flicked to Yuki, who stood poised to create the necessary distraction. "Go," he whispered."Please be safe, Yuki" Sakura prayed for her safetyYuki took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. With a determined look, The sudden light and sound drew the guards' attention like moths to a flame. She ran as fast as she could to gain some time for her friends. As she ran, she thought to herself how she wished she could be with them...Back to a few days earlier...At the same meeting place, the four discuss for the upcoming mission"I'm afraid Only three of us can infiltrate the facility," Aiko said while crossing his arms"Why can only three of us enter the facility" "I'm getting to that part, Takashi. Misaka magic barrier can only last a certain amount of time to make us undetectable by the cameras. the more people, the more mana will be consumed. Having more time means a higher success chance of shutting down the cameras in the control room plus we need someone to distract the people on the second floor to come down." He looked over at Sakura. flustered by his stare, she slowly started walking backward and said "Why are you looking at me like that, I'm not fit to do the most important part of the mission, what if I mess up" "I think you are the best candidate for it, Sakura, have confidence in yourself""You can do it, Yuki" "Good luck" Misaka and Takashi said respectively while giving a thumbs up."Okay, I'll try my best, Misa and ...Takashi" "My name is not Misa, its... Nevermind" Startled by Misaka angry tone, she apologise to misaka"We will meet at the same abandoned building after we shut down the anti-magic machines"Back to the present timeSakura, AIko, and Takashi didn't waste a second. They launched themselves up the zipline, the world blurring around them as they ascended. The wind whipped past their faces, the thrill of the operation mixing with the ever-present fear of what could go wrong.They landed on the second floor with a soft thud, quickly detaching themselves from the zipline. The air was thick with anticipation as they crept towards their entry point, every sense on high alert.But as they inched forward, something felt off. The atmosphere was eerily quiet, too quiet. A chill ran down Aiko's spine. What awaited them was something none of them had anticipated...