However, when they saw the core hub in front of them, which had been dismantled down to its foundation, their expressions all turned grim.
"Did you find anything?" Thunderbird circled the ruins of the central spire once, then tilted his head to look at the two people beside him.
"All living things have disappeared, and no signs of struggle were found. It should be said that all human traces have been completely cleaned up. This ruin in front of us is where the park's protective core was located, and it has also been completely dismantled. The other party came prepared." Golden Knight picked up a piece of leftover debris, squeezed it in his hand, and then angrily threw it to the ground.
"You know the situation here best. Is there anyone who can easily break through the defenses here?" Although Phoenix also frequently returned to Germany to assist Golden Knight, the breeding parks had always been his responsibility, so she was not familiar with the situation here.
"Impossible. The defenses here are very sound. No one could break in directly without alarming the guards. The core array for warning and guarding cost the club a lot of resources and was built with heavy investment. It can resist the attack of dozens of people for at least half an hour, which is enough time for us to react." Golden Knight's heart was bleeding now. Building these three parks had cost the Silver Spears at least twenty years of savings. Now, like a burst bubble, it was gone just like that. The expression under his mask was already distorted to the extreme.
"Along the way, I also didn't detect any signs of resistance from the internal guards. So many people couldn't just disappear into thin air." Thunderbird nodded slightly, as if deep in thought. "If everything you said is true, then there's an internal mole in the park!" Then Thunderbird stared intently at Golden Knight beside him, as if trying to discern something from him.
Golden Knight also noticed Thunderbird's unusual behavior at this moment and immediately glared back angrily, "Why are you looking at me? I didn't attack the park." As soon as he spoke, his heart sank. Could this Thunderbird be suspecting him?
In fact, it wasn't just Golden Knight and Thunderbird; Phoenix, who was standing by, also realized something and then, like Thunderbird, stared at Golden Knight with a strange expression.
Thunderbird, meanwhile, snorted coldly, "You used to assure us that the defenses of these parks were impregnable. Now that such a major blunder has occurred, how do you explain it? If it was done by an internal mole, an ordinary mole couldn't achieve this level. And the park in front of us, rather than being attacked, looks more like it underwent an orderly relocation. Who else could accomplish this besides you?" After saying this, Thunderbird faced him directly, his wand gently lowered at his side, and slowly pressed closer to Golden Knight.
Golden Knight's eyes under his mask had narrowed into slits. Thunderbird wasn't just staring at him anymore; he was even ready for battle. If he showed any abnormality, he had no doubt that the other party would strike directly. And at the same time, Golden Knight could clearly sense that Phoenix had also unknowingly circled behind him. It seemed that in that instant, the two of them had reached a consensus.
"Thunderbird, now is not the time for you to go crazy. What reason would I have to do such a thing?" Golden Knight knew that if he couldn't dispel their suspicions today, things would likely not end well.
"Reason? Does monopolizing the resources of the breeding park count?" Thunderbird snorted coldly, "The Rune Serpent hasn't shown up at all now. Who knows if you've already mastered the formula for the Elixir of Life? With something like that, you probably wouldn't need us, would you?"
"Take your brain out of your heel and think carefully. If it were truly as you imagine, why would I have to choose this time to do such a thing?" Golden Knight shouted somewhat agitatedly. "Moreover, I put so much effort into building the parks. Keeping them would be more beneficial than harmful to you, me, and the club. According to the previous plan, in the near future, we would no longer lack magical creature resources. Do you think I would be so foolish as to do something that shoots myself in the foot?"
"It's really not you messing around? Then who do you say it could be? This place doesn't look like it was attacked. Even the managers in the park—do they have the ability to do something to this extent?" Thunderbird's tone softened slightly, but he still looked at Golden Knight with great suspicion.
"So what we should do now is investigate, not engage in infighting here. The person who did all this is either an internal mole or a powerful enemy targeting the club. Are you sure you're ready to fight me now? And!" Golden Knight's tone also gradually turned cold as he said this, "If all of this was truly my scheme, do you think just the two of you could stop me?" After saying this, a strong magical fluctuation suddenly erupted from Golden Knight's body, its momentum no less than Thunderbird releasing Blue Fiendfyre.
Seeing Golden Knight's actions, Thunderbird and Phoenix also instinctively released their magical fields. These three magical fluctuations were exceptionally conspicuous, like three flames in the deep night. At the same time, these strong magical powers almost solidified and slowly spread outward. They continuously pushed away everything around the three, until these three masses of magic collided and merged together.
After their respective magical fields touched each other, the three did not continue to expand, but instead remained in a stalemate. If they went any further, it was highly likely that a major battle would directly erupt. This stalemate lasted for about ten seconds, and then Thunderbird's magical field was the first to relax. Golden Knight and Phoenix, seeing this, also instinctively withdrew their outward magical fluctuations.
"It seems he wasn't lying!" Thunderbird didn't continue speaking to Golden Knight but instead glanced at Phoenix beside him.
"Indeed, I can sense his composure in his magic." Phoenix also nodded, "At their level of strength, they can sensitively detect many issues from magical contact." After saying that, Phoenix specifically looked at Thunderbird opposite him, "Your magic, however, has become even wilder than before, making me feel like I'm touching lightning in a storm. It seems your strength has improved again."
"Heh, same to you. Your magic is still so annoying, just like walking into a graveyard in the middle of the night." Thunderbird also quipped, then calmly put away his wand, no longer aggressively targeting Golden Knight.
Seeing the two of them chatting back and forth, as if he were nothing, Golden Knight felt a hint of annoyance in his heart, but he also knew that after the previous test, he had been cleared of suspicion.
"Since the misunderstanding is temporarily resolved, what should we do next?" Alan slightly emphasized the word "temporarily," seemingly reminding Golden Knight that he didn't fully believe his explanation.
Golden Knight didn't care about this and just said gloomily, "What we need to do now is naturally to find the missing people and magical creatures!"
"Do you have any clues? Transferring so many people and magical creatures is not a small project, and being able to do it without anyone knowing, one or two people certainly couldn't do it." Phoenix surveyed the vast, empty park. This was something they had painstakingly built over so many years.
Golden Knight nodded upon hearing this, "First, there must have been an internal mole, but it's unclear whether they are from the club or the park. Second, so many magical creatures and personnel couldn't just disappear into thin air; they definitely need a place to be housed. And I met with the park managers a week ago, so they couldn't have been transported too far. Following this lead, we still have a chance to recover them."
"The target?" Thunderbird immediately asked upon hearing this, "Who exactly is opposing us? Do you have a target in mind?"
"The most likely is Andre from the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but to be honest, he doesn't seem like someone who could do all this. There aren't many other candidates; either it's someone from the Wizengamot, or a certain wizard family," Golden Knight speculated reasonably.
"Could it be a foreign force?" Thunderbird said this and specifically pointed toward the southeast, "For example, some old friends from over there?"
"Are you talking about other Saints?" Golden Knight's eyes widened suddenly, "They usually guard Grindelwald and don't act easily, do they?"
"That's not necessarily true. If the Ministry of Magic found this place, they wouldn't normally use such sneaky methods. And if there's anyone else in this world who hates us more, it's those people from Austria." Alan, under Thunderbird's mask, didn't care that much; he just wanted to stir up trouble in the club.
"Now that Thunderbird mentions it, it's not impossible." Phoenix interjected at this point, "Those Saints of our generation are very stubborn in their thinking. Many of them consider us traitors."
"This..." Being led by Thunderbird and Phoenix, Golden Knight's mind was a bit muddled now. Then Golden Knight shook his head abruptly, "No matter what, finding those lost magical creatures is the most important thing. Who the mastermind is will become clear once we find the people and the goods."
"Alright then." Thunderbird, seeing that Golden Knight could still keep a clear head at this moment, nodded in admiration, "Following this clue, the next step is to thoroughly investigate all suitable places in Germany to house so many personnel and magical creatures. And such a large-scale movement is likely to have witnesses, so we need to pay attention to that aspect as well. At the same time, we also need to pay attention to whether anyone or any organization is purchasing large quantities of food, water, and medicine. So many living creatures cannot go without eating and drinking, let alone so many magical creatures."
Hearing the items listed by Thunderbird, Golden Knight and Phoenix both nodded in agreement.