https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-386-The-Golden-Falcon-and-the-Owl/12957787/
Chapter 387: Metal Shielding
Chapter 387: Metal Shielding
"Oooo..."
Rita Skeeter skillfully bit down on a wooden stick, curled up on the small bed, and shivered.
Over the past few days, she had been hiding in this prison cell, enduring this torture from time to time.
Sometimes, the people on the island seemed convinced that she was still in this place, and they would suddenly launch an attack, with the search never letting up.
Rita had initially thought that they would mistake her for having escaped, giving her a chance to flee.
Later, she realized—perhaps the message she had sent to Wade Grey had exposed her situation.
For the thousandth time, she regretted not bringing her entire Companion Ledger.
Fortunately, the children in this prison cell had been covering for her, sharing their food with Rita, letting her sleep on the only bed in the room, and when she couldn't bear the pain and moaned, the children would also cry out, covering her voice.
When someone patrolled outside, Rita would transform into a beetle, thus evading the gaze of the black-cloaked soldiers.
Over the past few days, Rita had also discovered that among the children in the prison cell, some were also wizards—at least, they possessed magic power.
Every time the buzzing sound rang out, they would huddle on the ground, motionless, with pained expressions, but not uttering a word, as if they had already become accustomed to it.
But Rita felt that no matter how many times, she couldn't get used to this torment.
Once the pain subsided, she repeatedly told these children, and herself—
"It's almost here... they're coming... we'll definitely be saved..."
"Who are they?"
A girl named Haley asked in a soft voice.
She had light golden hair, skin as pale as if transparent, and a pair of green eyes that were pure and innocent.
Unfortunately, her appearance was ordinary, with buck teeth and a protruding chin, making her features bizarre and ugly.
In this prison cell, apart from a girl named Mabel, there were no other pretty children; these children's appearances didn't quite meet the public's standards.
At first, Rita had even mocked their appearances in her mind, subconsciously coming up with some sarcastic descriptions.
But after spending several days with them, she finally understood that she couldn't judge others by their appearances—these were the ugliest children she had ever seen, yet also the kindest.
Rita thought for a moment and said seriously, "They are the most powerful wizards in the world... and the future's greatest alchemists."
"Wizards?" Haley tilted her head, whispering, "Wizards can't do anything to them... magic is useless here."
"It's different... they are different."
Rita Skeeter herself felt that her words were empty and weak, completely unconvincing, so she added, "Powerful wizards can burn down this entire island with just one spell."
"Then wouldn't we be burned to death too?" Mabel, a slightly older girl with brown hair, said coldly, "I hate magic; if not for magic, how would I have ended up like this?"
She rolled up her sleeves, revealing layers of scars and countless needle marks on her arms.
Rita was stunned.
She already knew that among the children, some like Haley had no magic power, while others like Mabel did.
The latter's situation was much more dire.
Haley and the others, aside from occasionally being taken for blood draws and examinations, were only locked up. Their daily meals weren't delicious, but at least they didn't have to worry about going hungry.
Mabel and another boy named Luke had it much worse; they were almost taken away every day, and when they were brought back, the two would become extremely weak, and new scars would appear on their bodies.
Sometimes, in the middle of the night, they would suddenly vomit, convulse, and run a fever. The other children skillfully cleaned the mess and cared for them, and the guards would even bring some appropriate medications.
Luke always showed great fear when he was taken away, and Rita worried every day that he would sell her out to improve his situation.
But to her surprise, no matter how scared this child was, he clenched his teeth and didn't utter an extra word.
Mabel seemed to understand Rita's thoughts. Once after treating a wound, she suddenly said to Rita, "Your worries are unnecessary."
Rita looked at her in surprise.
"Our value lies in the magic power within us that can't be escaped," Mabel leaned against the wall, saying expressionlessly, "Even if you're sold out, you'd just be one more test subject, and our situation can't be changed.
"Test subjects?" Rita reacted, asking angrily, "Do these Muggles want to steal your magic power?"
Mabel didn't answer yes or no, but stared blankly at the small window, muttering, "If only they could really take it away."
"How is that possible?" Rita subconsciously retorted, "Without magic... without magic..."
—If there was no magic, what would be the difference between suddenly becoming disabled? But suddenly, Rita thought of Mabel's experience and couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.
Suddenly, a jingling sound rang out from outside the prison cell, like the clatter of metal keys and bells constantly colliding as someone walked down the corridor.
Rita quickly transformed into a beetle and was about to crawl into the dirty pillow when she noticed all the children in the cell jumping up and rushing to the side closest to the corridor.
They grabbed the iron bars, seemingly trying to squeeze their faces out, desperately looking outside.
Rita hesitated, but her curiosity compelled her to fly over and land on Mabel's hair.
Mabel shook her head in annoyance but didn't push her away.
So Rita saw a few men with imposing builds and an oppressive aura walking down the corridor.
The leader wore a mask, had a string of silver keys hanging from his waist, and held a stack of lists in his hand, making a jingling sound as he walked.
The group walked past.
Not only in this cell, but all the children in the cells were crouching by the bars, not speaking or moving, just staring fixedly at the group.
Rita didn't understand why they were reacting this way. She wanted to nudge Mabel's face with her antennae to get her to explain, but then she suddenly heard the jingling sound getting louder.
The group was already coming back.
The difference was that this time, there was an additional boy among them, around thirteen years old.
The boy was very thin, and his eyes revealed deep despair and helplessness, as if he had already lost consciousness, and his body was only mechanically moving forward.
The jingling sound gradually approached, then suddenly stopped.
He stopped in front of Mabel and the others' cell, looked down at the list in his hand, and said, "Haley Kokes."
Haley's face suddenly turned pale, frozen in place, not moving.
The surrounding children looked at her in shock.
Mabel subconsciously shouted, "No—how can it be Haley? She's still so young!"
The masked man looked at her and smiled, saying, "It's Mabel... give her a lesson."
As soon as he finished speaking, the person behind him suddenly drew a round, fat gun and aimed it at Mabel.
Mabel's eyes suddenly widened in shock.
Luke beside her pounced, "Mabel!"
He pushed the girl down, and Rita felt her vision spinning. She subconsciously wanted to fly away, but Luke pressed her down.
The boy spoke in a trembling, fearful voice, "Don't move!"
Rita was stunned, and then she lost the opportunity to fly away, pinned down by the two of them—
Luke's palm pressed her to the floor, and then Mabel's body was on top of Luke's.
The two of them trembled, emitting hoarse and painful cries, like two injured beasts.
Rita was stunned.
She faintly felt that kind of pain, as if her entire magic power was rebelling, but because she was blocked by the two children above her, she only felt a slight sting.
Mabel and Luke were directly facing some kind of attack, and at this moment, even though the usual buzzing sound had started, the two of them, who usually didn't make a sound, were now wailing incessantly.
Rita tried to look through Luke's fingers and saw the cell door open. Haley stood stiffly, and then a man carried her out like a little chick.
The jingling sound faded into the distance, and the sound of locking the door could be heard. Only then did the children seem to be released from a body-binding spell and started to move.
The children in the cells that weren't taken away were relieved and started whispering and moving around. In this cell, the other children rushed over and helped Mabel and Luke lie down on the bed.
"You were too impulsive, Mabel—and you too, Luke." A child said fearfully, "I almost thought you were going to be taken away too."
"I won't." Mabel looked at the ceiling and said sarcastically, "We are precious test subjects."
Luke lowered his head, his body still trembling, and didn't speak.
"Rita, are you okay?" A child also came to care for Rita Skeeter, whispering, "I was so scared you would change back."
They all knew that when the buzzing sound started, Rita Skeeter would uncontrollably change back to her original form.
Rita returned and shook her head. "I'm fine... They helped me block them."
She looked at the children's silent and sorrowful faces and asked, "What about Haley... What will happen to her?"
"I don't know," Mabel said, her eyes empty. "But the children taken away by those people... None of them have ever returned."
No one would believe that these demons would kindly release their captives, so the answer seemed obvious.
Rita Skeeter tightly clenched the parchment in her hand, and a deep sense of despair filled her heart.
She knew it hadn't been long since she had contacted Wade, but she silently urged him in her mind—
Please, hurry... Faster...
Hurry up and find this place...
...
At the edge of the forest, Wade suddenly looked up and saw a spider weaving its web between the leaves.
Unlike the typical spider web's regular and symmetrical structure, this web was incomplete, as if it had been missing a part since it was woven.
It seemed that even insects were negatively affected in this place.
Wade lowered his gaze and looked ahead—Dumbledore waved his wand, and silver threads and copper wires intertwined like spider webs, forming a metal cloak with a net-like pattern.
He had always known that magic would interfere with electromagnetic signals, so no electronic devices could function properly in Hogwarts. Even when a powerful wizard experiences intense emotional fluctuations, they might unconsciously interfere with nearby lights, televisions, and radios.
But Wade didn't expect that Muggles would learn to counter wizards so early—
If magic can interfere with electromagnetic signals, then conversely, sufficiently strong electromagnetic signals can also interfere with magic.
For wizards who are completely isolated from the Muggle world, encountering such an attack would naturally leave them helpless, and even Dumbledore might be affected if he's not careful.
However, Wade knew how to shield against this interference.
The current technological level of this world had not yet surpassed his understanding.
As an alchemist, Wade carried various alchemical materials in his bag wherever he went.
And as a master of Transfiguration, Dumbledore could easily transform raw materials into any shape they needed.
In no time, two electromagnetic-shielded metal cloaks were created, and Dumbledore even creatively wove the Hogwarts crest pattern onto them.
—For the headmaster, this might be the manifestation of his thoughts.
Wade put on the cloak, and it fit perfectly.
"Even the Weaving Charm is so proficient—Headmaster, is there anything you can't do?" Wade couldn't help but ask.
"I'm just particularly interested in knitting sweaters—this is a great pastime, you should try it too."
Dumbledore also put on his metal cloak, remaining calm and composed as he walked alongside Wade, treating the cameras along the road as if they didn't exist.
"If I had lived as long as you, I might also find some interesting things to pass the time," Wade politely declined.
"There's always work to be done," Dumbledore said. "You're pushing yourself too hard, Wade."
"After seeing Skeeter's experience, I feel like there's still a lot I need to improve on," Wade said.
Dumbledore thought for a moment and surprisingly agreed, nodding, "You're right—we must first protect our lives before we can talk about anything else."
The two walked along a concrete path through the jungle, seemingly aimless, but in reality, they were following the trail of "magic."
The cameras on both sides were as silent as black stones, and their reflections were completely absent from the mirror surfaces.
"Can this shield that kind of... magnetic field?" Dumbledore asked.
"Complete shielding is impossible, but it should be able to weaken it to a tolerable level."
"Copper and silver have high conductivity, so they are better at shielding high-frequency magnetic fields. But for complete shielding, superconductor materials may be required, so it's best to cut off the power source."
"Superconductor materials?" Dumbledore asked curiously. "What are they? How are they made?"
Wade was speechless. "This is beyond my knowledge, Professor. I only know that it's something I don't currently understand."
"Wade, I believe your knowledge has already surpassed that of most ordinary people," Dumbledore said. "I know some professors from Muggle schools, and they may not know as much as you do—ah, here we are."
Before them appeared a tall wall.
(End of Chapter)
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