Chapter 389: I Need You
Chapter 389: I Need You
Even though Wade and Dumbledore could confirm that Rita Skeeter had sent out a distress signal from this island, and there were indeed weapons targeting wizards here, they did not immediately regard them as enemies.
The attacking puppets looked ferocious, but in reality, each one followed a single command—to not kill.
As for broken limbs or a few cracked ribs, these were not considered major issues in the wizarding world.
The two of them infiltrated the island to investigate the identities of these people. However, they had yet to find this part of the information when they first saw a large number of experimental reports, rosters, and transaction catalogs.
【0203: Mario Hogan, 15 years old, heart match, blood match, healthy body... Processed.】
【0241: Benedict Duke, 13 years old, kidney match, blood match, healthy body... Processed.】
【0128: Jasmine Camille, 14 years old, liver match, bone marrow match, heart match, healthy body... Processed.】
【1957: Anastasia Joy, 9 years old, cardiopulmonary match, bone marrow match... Infected with a contagious disease, destroyed.】
Behind these simple lines of text were bloody organ images, representing the lives of vibrant individuals forced to their demise.
These were just a few files that Wade randomly picked up; there were many more neatly stacked on the shelves, densely packed.
In the folders marked with 【Magic】, there were even more detailed personal profiles.
The first page was a photo of a young child, followed by extensive information akin to a political review form, including lineage traced back to great-great-grandparents.
Then came medical reports detailing even the rate of hair growth and countless experimental records completely unrelated to humanity.
Under these cruel experiments, young wizards quickly became expendable. Some, in their desperation, unleashed abnormally powerful abilities, causing significant damage to the base.
Consequently, they learned various methods to restrict wizards, primarily through the mutual interference of electromagnetic fields and magical energy fields. Nowadays, underage wizards wear a collar called a restriction collar, which prevents them from using their powers normally.
This forced the children to endure the base's cruel treatment, unable even to take their own lives.
"Foolish Muggles," Dumbledore said coldly after reading these files. "This will have terrible consequences—I hope they haven't made a grave mistake yet."
Wade glanced at the security personnel lying nearby.
He was a chubby man with a round face, a round body, and round eyes, resembling an innocent raccoon. He was the guard of this place.
When Wade broke in, he had only used a Stunning Spell to put the man to sleep. But after reading a few files, he used Veritaserum to force the fat manager to reveal the truth—
"I don't know how many people were sent here; I didn't count... No one needs to know this..."
"Children are sent here every month, sometimes as few as twenty or thirty, and other times as many as one or two hundred... There's no pattern, but if I had to say, during wars or natural disasters, more people are sent here..."
"After raising them for a while, when suitable buyers are found, they can be sold... Blood, organs, bone marrow, skin... Anything goes."
"Even if there's a contagious disease, and the organs can't be used, there are still people who collect bones and eyes... Sphenoid bone, the butterfly-shaped bone in the front of the skull, is the most collected and the most expensive..."
"Actually, the ones sent here are all rejects. Those with good looks and talented young wizards who are easy to brainwash are sent to other places... We're just picking up others' unwanted trash, making use of the waste..."
The fat manager spoke in a casual tone, uttering terrifying words.
After asking a few more questions, Wade discovered that this seemingly honest and simple man had several lives on his hands.
The work of a "cleanser" was initially unrelated to him, but to relieve work stress and for the absurd reason of "fun," he specifically sent gifts to other colleagues, requesting to be involved.
Just as Wade was about to take action, a buzzing sound rang out, forcing the two to resist the pain of boiling magic. The fat manager was knocked unconscious again to prevent him from doing anything.
When it was over, Wade asked, "Professor, do you think... we still need to hold back against these people?"
Standing by Dumbledore, he had wanted to appear more "righteous," but at this moment, he felt he could no longer endure it.
Dumbledore sighed, "I never wish for you to be too merciful to your enemies, Vold—I only wish you wouldn't underestimate the value of life."
"I understand..." Vold said.
Vold waved, and the Phoenix, Mikhail, excitedly poked its head out of the wardrobe dimension, its flames dancing. In an instant, the room seemed to have heated up by several degrees.
But Dumbledore pressed down on Mikhail's head with a wave of his hand, and the Phoenix looked at him in confusion.
"Go back," Dumbledore said.
The White Wizard's words seemed to carry a powerful magic, and Mikhail couldn't help but retreat back into the wardrobe dimension.
Vold frowned, "Professor?"
"You don't need to be here, Vold," Dumbledore said, "I don't want to see your soul harmed."
As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and a ball of scorching flames engulfed the fat caretaker's body.
The man woke up from his stupor and immediately fell back, his mouth wide open in a silent scream as he died.
Vold paid no attention to the scorching heat behind him but looked at Dumbledore and asked, "What about your soul, sir?"
"Helping innocent children avoid torture and death, sending demons who linger in the world to hell, will not harm my soul."
Dumbledore said gently, "Vold, I've come through two wars, not by shouting slogans or trying to convert enemies with love. I know when to make a firm decision."
"But you're still too young, child. I'm not worried about your magical abilities—I know you have the power to eliminate all the enemies before you as if they were powerless scarecrows compared to you."
"I know you have a mature mind and exceptional magic, and I've always been very proud of you, Vold."
"But I'm worried—I fear you won't be able to distinguish between fighting for protection and fighting for the sake of killing. I fear you'll become addicted to the thrill of life and death, treating taking lives as a routine, problem-solving method."
"I've seen the most outstanding wizards in the world fall, and I know many excellent young people who initially wanted to speak up for the persecuted but eventually became the very darkness that plagued the world."
"They believed in their strength and thought their efforts were to save the world, but in the end, they got lost on the path of salvation..."
"These people lost their reverence for life and death and their compassion for ordinary people. Even when slaughtering an innocent baby, they only pitied their pain and didn't show mercy to the innocent victims."
"So wait a little longer, Vold. I'm not underestimating you; I just want you to avoid polluting your soul before you build a strong enough mental defense."
Vold: "..."
At this moment, he truly wished Dumbledore would either ignore him, as he did with Harry in the original story, or firmly stop him from getting involved.
That way, Vold could have a clear conscience and not pay attention to Dumbledore's views, doing things his way.
But he couldn't resist such gentle and sincere admonitions and earnest pleas.
At this moment, there wasn't time for mutual confessions and persuasion. Vold could only say, "So what should I do? Are you asking me to just watch?"
"Of course not," Dumbledore smiled, "I need you to protect those children and find Miss Skitt, ensuring their safety—can you do that?"
"Of course."
...
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom—"
The explosions roared, and flames soared into the sky. A utility pole snapped, and underground wires flew into the air, twisting and tangling. The machines that had been rumbling underground suddenly burst out and exploded mid-air.
After experiencing a strong magnetic field attack, Dumbledore had already figured out the locations of these objects.
He didn't need to know how they worked; he only needed to damage them enough to render them unusable.
The Headmaster was well aware of how fragile Muggle machinery could be.
Black-cloaked soldiers who rushed forward fell one after another, after another, while researchers in white coats fled in panic, clutching their chests and collapsing halfway.
This time, the Headmaster showed no mercy.
It was only then that Vold saw the restraint Dumbledore had shown, as he had spared some innocent children and unfortunate victims on the island.
Otherwise, the entire island would have been engulfed in flames by now, leaving no chance for these people to escape.
But—
When needed, he would say, "I'll teach you magic."
When not, it was, "You're still too young, Vold."
Vold still grumbled inwardly as he ran towards the dungeon, faithfully executing Dumbledore's order... or request.
There was no other choice.
"I need you."
These simple words always held immense power.
The dungeon's location was well-known to the plump caretaker; it wasn't a separate building but hidden beneath the laboratory, separated by two entire floors.
So, even if chaos reigned above, this place remained calm, except for the guards frequently pacing in the corridor between the cells.
As the humming ceased, Rita Skeeter swiftly transformed back into a beetle, intentionally blocking the children's view of the bed.
The sound of boots hitting the ground echoed again.
They sat on the floor, silently watching as the guards frowned and paced in the corridor, occasionally whispering into their headsets or exchanging glances with their companions before resuming their patrol.
The children in the cell whispered to each other—
"What's happening?"
"They don't usually patrol this often..."
"Do they need more people over there?"
"I don't think so. They seem to have encountered some trouble."
"Mabel, what do you think, Mabel?"
Mabel stared blankly at the sky, then after a while, she said, "I don't know."
Luke looked up at the outside, then lowered his head, appearing disinterested.
His back had been scratched earlier, and he was now licking his wound, like a cat licking its paw.
Rita wanted to say something to them, but she knew that for their safety, remaining silent was the best arrangement for everyone.
She fidgeted on the old blanket, then suddenly heard a "plop," "plop" sound.
The guards in the corridor stopped without warning, and one of them slammed into the wall, his nose seemingly flattened.
They heard footsteps, and everyone fell silent again.
Then, Rita heard a boy's voice ask, "Just these guys? Are there other guards here?"
No one answered him, and the terrified and injured children stared silently, as if they didn't understand English.
Rita was stunned for a moment, then jumped forward, reverting to human form. She grabbed the bars and shouted, "Vold! Vold Grey! Is it really you? Have you come for us?"
Like the other children, she lost her composure, squeezing her face between the iron bars until it almost deformed, completely forgetting that she could transform into a beetle and fly away.
"Rita?"
Vold was also surprised. He quickly walked over and said, "Thank Merlin you're safe. I didn't expect you to be hiding in the cell."
As he spoke, he used an unlocking charm to open the cell's lock.
Rita Skeeter immediately rushed out, excitedly about to embrace Vold, but she saw the tip of a wand pointing at her nose.
"Wait a moment, prove that you're Rita Skeeter."
Vold said expressionlessly.
Rita Skeeter, who had been about to burst into tears, froze. She pitifully raised her hand, struggling to recall her scarce interactions with Vold.
"I... you gave me the Invisibility Cloak..."
"It was borrowed... but never mind. Where's the Invisibility Cloak?" Vold asked, lowering his wand.
"They broke it," Rita said anxiously. "Never mind that—how many people did you bring?"
"Two."
"What? Only two?" Rita screamed.
"The other is Dumbledore," Vold said.
"That's good, escaping from here shouldn't be a problem," Rita said, slightly relieved. "Where's Dumbledore? You didn't fall for the Muggles' trap, did you? That buzzing sound..."
"It's not sound waves that affect magic, but the magnetic field here..."
Vold stopped mid-sentence, realizing Rita wouldn't understand, and swallowed the rest of his words.
"Get ready, I'll take you out of here."
He waved his wand, and the locks on all the nearby cells opened. The pale, frail children looked at each other, and after a long while, finally, someone bravely stepped out first.
"If you can save us, can you also save Haley?" A girl suddenly shouted, "They took her away!"
The corridor fell silent.
(End of Chapter)
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