Alan, who had approached the semi-circular protective shield, took out the monitoring magnifying glass again and observed it through the lens for a while. Then he carefully extended his right hand, stopped just before touching the magical barrier, and slowly closed his eyes, beginning to mentally perceive the composition of the shield.
Shalltear, who was behind him, was not idle, carefully monitoring the movements around them using the tactical map. However, Alan's investigation took a long time, and just as she was starting to feel impatient, Alan finally withdrew and returned to her side.
"How is it, my lord? Can that shield be breached?" Shalltear looked at Alan with hope; she didn't want to go back empty-handed.
Alan shook his head. "The composition of this shield is quite complex, containing spells such as 'Peacekeeping,' 'All-Around Protection,' 'Shield Charm,' 'Anti-Apparition Jinx,' and 'Anti-Invisibility Charm.' Moreover, it has an emergency feedback mechanism, making it a composite protective array. Forcibly dismantling it would definitely alert the enemies inside."
"Ah? So we can only watch?" Shalltear pouted, disappointed, then her eyes lit up. "What about sneaking in from underground? Didn't you learn the Tunneling Spell from Thunderbird? This spell can pass through walls and burrow into the ground. We can try going from below."
"No, this array hasn't left any loopholes for us to exploit. The protective barrier also covers the underground, and our Tunneling Spell originally came from the Silver Spears, so they would certainly be on guard against it."
Alan immediately rejected the possibility proposed by Shalltear, but before she could show a disappointed expression, he added, "However, I can open a small opening in the shield without triggering its confounding protection mechanism. The opening should be large enough for you to pass through in your bat form. Later, you can wear monitoring equipment and go in to check the situation. An hour later, I will open another opening in the same spot for you to come out. I also need more time to study this shield; perhaps I can find a way to break through without alarming them. How about it? Do you dare to go in and scout ahead?"
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Shalltear, being naturally audacious, immediately agreed. "But what if I get discovered? Wouldn't the people inside find it strange if a bat suddenly appeared in the sky?"
Alan smiled slightly, explaining softly, "That's why I can guarantee to open a small opening without disturbing them. I just discovered that this shield isn't operating at maximum power to save energy, so its monitoring units only detect intruders above a certain size. Therefore, small animals passing through will not trigger an alarm. Although the magic shield also has a repulsion effect, it's not spread throughout the entire protective layer, so an occasional straggler won't seem too strange. As long as you don't act too conspicuously once inside, I don't think you'll arouse their suspicion."
"What you should be most concerned about is how to accurately find the exit when you return. This array is more for internal protection; coming out from inside is much more difficult than getting in. Once you hit the inner protective layer, the array will quickly sound an alarm. This is probably to prevent the magical creatures inside from escaping. Moreover, this array also has a confounding effect on direction. Once inside, ordinary positioning devices are likely to fail, including Muggle compasses. I suspect it's this kind of magic that caused my mental connection with the young Thunderbird to become inaccurate."
Alan had touched all the way to the entrance of the breeding base, but he still couldn't establish a clear connection with the young Thunderbird. He guessed that the array here was causing the problem. Strictly speaking, the technical content of this magic array was very high, even with extremely strong built-in defensive functions. If the enemies inside were alarmed and fully activated the array's defensive capabilities, even a dozen wizards might not be able to break through for a while. At that point, if the enemies had enough reaction time, they could even use it to call for help. Although he would use a shielding jammer and communication disruptor to cut off ordinary transmission magic and the Silver Spears' mask communication, methods like high-level Patronus Charm applications or direct communication via owls would still be unstoppable. Alan even speculated that the reason they left such a loophole for small creatures to pass through was to facilitate the entry and exit of owls.
"Then what should I do? Wouldn't I be finished if I get trapped inside?" Shalltear's face immediately turned grim upon hearing that going deep alone carried such danger.
"So, after you go in, you must make a mark at the entrance. You can create a simple, recognizable mark on the ground that only you can identify." Alan immediately offered her advice. "But the opening I create will only last for a maximum of ten seconds, which places very high demands on you. If you fail to get out in time after the duration is up, we'll have to think of backup plans."
Before Shalltear could get excited about the previous suggestion, Alan gave her a warning.
"What if I really can't get out?" Shalltear looked at Alan with some apprehension. After hearing her lord say that, she suddenly became a bit insecure.
"Currently, I have prepared two plans." Alan held up a V-sign with his fingers, then explained them one by one. "The first plan is for you to simply stay inside. You've seen the size of this breeding base; it's very large, and due to secrecy requirements, there won't be a particularly large number of guards inside. If you live and hide inside in your bat form, especially by blending in with other magical creatures to create confusion, the risk is actually not particularly high, and I will gather enough people to rescue you in a short time."
With that, Alan even took out a super-small, custom-made Tactical Vest he had prepared for Shalltear's bat form and began stuffing food and daily necessities into the small vest's spatial pockets. Alan's actions made Shalltear's hair stand on end; it was as if he had already concluded that she definitely wouldn't be able to get out.
"What about the second plan? The first plan you mentioned sounds so terrifying. You're not trying to take this opportunity to ditch me, are you?" Shalltear put on a constipated expression, her features almost twisting together.
"The second plan is much simpler. If you truly encounter any particular danger, just charge out and abandon this reconnaissance mission. Although the internal protection of this magical shield is high, it's not strong enough to stop you when it's not operating at maximum power. Although this carries the risk of alarming them, you breaking through the shield in bat form might not make them particularly vigilant. Perhaps they'll even think some magical creature escaped."
Of course, this was Alan comforting Shalltear. This array's internal protection was actually very sensitive; as soon as a magical creature impacted the inner wall, it would trigger an alarm, easily alerting the enemies inside. However, Alan wouldn't disregard Shalltear's life for a mere reconnaissance mission. After all, a surprise attack on the Silver Spears breeding base was only the most profitable course of action, but not the only one.
"Understood." Shalltear understood Alan's meaning. "So, the optimal situation is to escape directly. If I can't make it in time, then I should seize the opportunity to lie low. If all else fails, I should forcibly escape. Is that right?"
"Exactly. And after you go in, you must install the 'conductor' immediately. For safety, you can bury it underground near the shield; otherwise, the monitoring setup inside won't be able to transmit data out." Alan handed a finger-sized metal component to Shalltear and carefully reminded her. He had also installed this type of conductor in the Silver Spears headquarters reception room. Its function was somewhat similar to a signal base station, and the connection and penetration between two conductors were extremely strong, capable of penetrating most blocking magic. Of course, the only slight hassle was that it needed to be installed internally.
"Understood. I guarantee to complete the mission." Shalltear clearly understood that her role was to be Alan's eyes, allowing him to see everything inside so he could apply the right solution. Thus, she no longer had a playful mood and nodded seriously. Moreover, Shalltear had not forgotten her grudge against these smugglers. She had been transported like cargo from the United States to Britain, suffering a lot during the journey. Now that she had the chance to personally get revenge, she naturally took it very seriously.
"Good, let's move now." Alan nodded to Shalltear with satisfaction.
Seeing this, Shalltear lunged forward, instantly transforming into a bat and landing on Alan. He then personally put the special Tactical Vest on the bat. Next, Alan came to the giant magical shield. Without even taking out his wand, he simply reached into the void, as if fumbling for something, or perhaps teasing something.
After a while, Alan, who had been concentrating, let out a soft exclamation. "Now! Fly straight forward in the direction of my finger; there's an opening there."
At this moment, the magical shield in front of Shalltear showed no visible change to the naked eye. She had previously thought that when Alan said he would open a gap, a literal hole would appear in the shield. It was only then that Shalltear understood why Alan had previously said he was afraid she wouldn't be able to find the exit to return. *Damn it, I can't even see the entrance now!*
However, she didn't hesitate much. Now was not the time for overthinking. Shalltear used her hands and feet, vigorously pushing off Alan's arm, and with a whoosh, she shot out. Upon contacting the magical shield, the barrier in front of her felt like air; it had the appearance of a barrier but lacked the sensation of hitting a wall. In the blink of an eye, Shalltear felt her vision blur, and she rushed into the interior of the giant magical shield.