...
The massive explosion roared through the underground, piercing thick layers of earth and reinforced concrete, still carrying a muffled yet oppressive force.
The walls and ceiling trembled slightly, dust falling down in a whisper, and a piece of plaster fell on Dobby's head.
"The fight above is really fierce." Dobby shook off the plaster, patted his head, and said uneasily, "Have the Muggles brought out some terrifying weapons!"
Maki bit his lip.
When Professor Abigail explained the development of Muggle weapons, these house-elves secretly listened to a class too, and the thought of those terrifying missiles and even nuclear bombs involuntarily showed fear in Maki's eyes.
But then, he showed a determined expression and said, "The most terrifying weapon is right in front of us... no matter what, we must destroy them all! We absolutely can't let them harm Mr. Gray!"
Upon hearing this, Dobby puffed out his thin chest, clenched his fists, and nodded vigorously, "Yes!"
While hiding in the shadows, they heard someone mention Vid's name among the wizards and even heard Vid's voice in person, the joy at that moment was indescribable.
However, standing beside Vid, there were not only over a hundred dark wizards but also the most fearsome Dark Lord Grindelwald. The house-elves, no matter how worried they were, didn't dare to jump out and take Vid away.
Later, they eavesdropped on the arguments and discussions of those people inside the underground building and heard them say that weapons were deployed here that would render wizards unable to use magic, leaving them in unbearable pain.
Of course, Dobby and Maki hoped the dark wizards would be defeated, but Vid was also among those wizards. Muggle weapons couldn't selectively skip over Vid, attacking only those hateful dark wizards.
The two house-elves struggled internally for a moment and finally ran underground together to destroy the machines first.
"Even if we lose track of Mr. Gray this time, there will be opportunities to find him again. But if he loses his magic and gets caught by Muggles, it'll be completely over!"
Maki used these words to convince himself and also Dobby. The two elves, enduring their grievances, temporarily played the role of the Witch Pure Party's helpers.
...
When the battle was raging fervently, there was another team flying over Sweden.
The broom flew fast, the Cube Poppet blocking the wind ahead; followed by Mabel draped in a cloak, holding a map; and finally, Peter the Second, with Mikhail standing on top of it, burning two holes in its cloak, but Peter the Second didn't mind.
After receiving the message from Machioni, the poppet teams initially wanted to find that Adler, but considering the distance, everyone remained silent.
The poppets and Mabel couldn't Apparate, nor did they have a suitable Portkey, all their movement speed relied on the broom's flying speed.
Flying from the United Kingdom took nearly a day, and it would take about two days to fly from here to Adler's manor.
If they weren't lucky, perhaps by the time they arrived, the battle would have already ended, leaving only ruins like in several previous places, and then it would take another two days to return.
"Let's not go!" the Cube Poppet decided, "The Witch Pure Party can run wild, but their lair can't run away!"
So one person and several poppets did not leave this land, continuing to search everywhere, and more castles were crossed out on the map.
"This area has been searched, next we can switch to another place."
Mabel drew an X on the map and was about to decide the next direction to go when she suddenly heard the Cube Poppet say:
"Hmm? Are those people below acting a bit strange?"
Peter the Second glanced down and frowned, "Indeed."
On the road below, there was a convoy of more than ten large trucks, all parked by the roadside.
The people in this country usually wouldn't start working so early. If there were emergencies making them rush out at dawn, resting by the roadside now was also not usual.
Additionally, there were soldiers in black keeping watch by the cars, with radar-like machines on each vehicle's hood slowly rotating.
"What's strange about it? What's strange about it?" The unseen cloak shouted, unable to sense so far away, "Tell me."
"Wait, I'll lower you down and you'll know!" The broom said, dipping forward for a dive.
"Hold on!" The Cube Poppet stopped it, "The instruments below give me a dangerous feeling, don't get too close."
"It's... it's those people!" Mabel's eyes widened, her voice trembling, "I recognize their clothes!"
The Cube Poppet's eyeballs rotated 180 degrees backward, seeing Mabel's body trembling, even beginning to emit dangerous black mist.
"Calm down, Mabel." It said, "Our goal is to rescue the master. You need to control your emotions, otherwise, you'll turn into an uncontrolled Obscurus."
"I... understand." Mabel took deep breaths, trying to stay calm, "They must have some purpose being here. I'll go and investigate."
Her body slid down and she fell directly off the broom, wrapped in her cloak, which flapped like wings.
In mid-air, the girl's figure turned into a ball of black mist, falling like a waterfall to the ground in the pre-dawn darkness, soon gathering back into human form.
Her pupils turned white, eyes flickering with dangerous light. But then, the cloak fell onto her shoulders, pulling up its hood by itself.
"Be careful." The cloak whispered sneakily, "I've made us invisible, approach slowly. Or ask that Cube guy for a bottle of Life and Death Potion, to have more confidence when making a move."
It sounded even more eager for revenge than Mabel.
Mabel grabbed the edge of the cloak, unable to suppress a smile, finally calming down, and ran lightly toward the direction.
A young man was holding a box-like object, fiddling with the knobs, and palm-sized screen displayed green lines and numbers.
"No mistake." The young man said to the person next to him, "Magnetic field values are abnormal, very consistent with results after magic interference."
Another person with high cheekbones nodded slightly, "Satellites also detected frequent disappearances nearby. Apparently, this is where those people are based."
"But..." a short, chubby bald man beside them said, "Isn't that place just the ruins of a Viking Era castle? I heard there are only a few walls and weeds left, even local villagers' children don't want to play there."
"That's precisely why it's possibly a wizard's place." The high-cheekboned man said, "Those secretive folks always hide their residences."
The young man silently nodded in agreement.
The high-cheekboned person walked towards the vehicles, "Prepare, once they give the order, we'll attack immediately!"
Mabel blinked, turned, and swiftly ran back to the Cube Poppet and others.
The young man suddenly let out a soft "Hmm?"
"What's the matter?" The bald man asked.
"The values just fluctuated, maybe a magical creature passed by us."
The young man said, turning to look around.
The cloak's protection was thorough; he saw nothing, and neither did the bald man.
"What was it?" The bald man asked.
"Not sure... could be a ghost or an invisible creature of some kind."
The young man guessed, longing and wistfully saying, "I really want to know what this world looks like through a wizard's eyes."
"Doesn't matter what it looks like, firepower will make them submit." The bald man said indifferently.
"What if it doesn't work?" The young man asked.
"Then the firepower isn't strong enough!" The bald man said decisively, and emphatically pounded his fist.
...
"Cough, cough!"
Grindelwald suddenly lowered his head, coughing twice and blood trickling from his mouth. The spell he was about to strike at Dumbledore deflected significantly, shattering a distant tree.
Dumbledore, however, did not seize the opportunity to attack. His Magic Wand pointed straight at Grindelwald, yet the glow at its tip slowly dimmed.
"What are you hesitating for, Dumbledore?" Grindelwald raised his eyes, smiling with mockery, "Afraid to kill me? Or is the greatest wizard of all time unable to cast the Killing Curse?"