The connection to the Security Administration Police Station’s internet let eX-0281 see the usual information about a person and some.

Name: Josephine Bouchard

Josephine Bouchard (maiden name: Riese) is an A-class nature mage who lives in a small town, Purity Grove, which is dependent on her [Purifier Net].

Though she makes claims of nonviolence, she is connected to various documented eco-terrorists. Purity Grove is a suspected cell in this insidious hub.

Josephine Bouchard is currently held at the Security Administration Police Station of the north sector, in custody under the Grandesia Power Company on B5, Unit 12.

Her husband is Richard Bouchard. Together, they have an adopted daughter named Charlotte.

Just like the Disco Menace, Victoria Carabotta, there was a scary amount of detail to be had on the life of Josephine Bouchard. He only skimmed through the paragraphs for the critical pieces of information that he needed.

eX-0281 could feel his eyes light up as they flicked over her location. I was right! Of course they would put her here.

Incredibly prideful, he gave himself a pat on the back. His decision to bring those looters down here with the eco-terrorists had been a good one. Briefly, he thought of all the paperwork that had been forwarded to him. When he got back to safety, he should probably explain their relative innocence in all this.

For now, eX-0281 had to restrain himself from cheering and headed over to the indicated jail cell.

A group of three people clustered around a single, feminine finger in a semicircle. Crouched on one knee, the woman regarded everybody with her warm, caring eyes. Her hand was extended towards a gruff-looking man. A green glow illuminated his skin as the woman cast a [Cure] spell.

Some moments passed as eX-0281 quietly observed the nature mage tending to the injured. A shred of happiness lifted in his heart, glad that he could save a kind-hearted person. Even though they were not related by blood, Charlotte seemed to resemble her mom a lot.

His tail lifted with a grin because it was time to bust her out of here.

A deep, growling sound came from his throat as he cleared it. "Josephine Bouchard, we have received new directions regarding your confinement."

The woman got up and gave a polite, shallow bow to him.

eX-0281 unlocked the door with a careful eye on all the other prisoners. While he had been expecting the ragtag group to try something as soon as he had opened the door, they all stayed back and permitted Mrs. Bouchard to leave on her own.

"Josie," the man spoke up, "if you ever need assistance down the line, you know who to ask."

"Shut up," a nasally teenage boy said, "you're just going to incriminate her."

"I'm just offering to repay the debt—"

The teenager had chartreuse-colored streaks through his black hair. With a roll of his eyes, he said in a disinterested way, "We would have to get out of here first. The rigged legal system and pricy corporate lawyers are gonna make sure that never happens. Ha."

"Nonsense! This is not the end of us," the man said in a heroic tone, "just like how this ain't the end of the environment!"

The group within the cell must have deemed that a good speech because some snapping fingers circled him, including the emo-looking kid.

eX-0281 had to stifle a laugh. If only he had not seen the outside world for himself, he would have found them comical.

"Oh no," Josie said with a timid wave of her hands. "There was never any debt. I would heal anybody who was injured. It's simply the right thing to do."

"The offer still stands. Good luck," the man said in a final farewell.

Before they settled in for the long wait for their trials, eX-0281 piped up. "Actually, maybe there is a way you can repay her right now."

Before the idea had fully formed, he analyzed the group of prisoners. First, the datasheet for their apparent leader came up.

Name: Cassius Hoffman [Human]

Vitality: 98%

Discrete Parts: None

Mana Reserves: 50 Mu

Element: Thunder

While another thunder mage would not hurt things, eX-0281 doubted that he had anything on the Disco Menace. His mana reserves were low anyway.

The information for the emo boy soon followed.

Name: Zeke Klossner [Human]

Vitality: 99%

Discrete Parts: None

Mana Reserves: 20 Mu

Element: Nature

If the group had required Mrs. Bouchard to heal them, then eX-0281 assumed that he must not be particularly powerful. Even then, the boy had clearly spent his mana reserves just like Cassius.

Two women also resided in the cell, quieter than Cassius and Zeke. Only one joined the two men in gathering around Mrs. Bouchard. That lady came up as just a regular human—nothing special about her, not even a scratch to her vitality.

Name: Miranda Markwardt [Human]

Vitality: 100%

Discrete Parts: None

Mana Reserves: 0 Mu

Element: None

In contrast, the second woman looked the most promising out of the entire group. She had relegated herself to the corner of their cell, casting her icy gaze towards the cinder blocks.

Name: Amaya Silver [Human]

Vitality: 78%

Discrete Parts: None

Mana Reserves: 300 Mu

Element: Ice

Her hunkered shoulders and glowering eyes made her appear rather off putting. Though she had no association with the shadow element, a dark energy seemed to surround her.

Warning! Predicted species was human. (Confidence Interval: 65%)

That number began to drop as a more advanced [Scan] took place.

"What?" eX-0281 breathed. While he knew that other shifter species existed, it was rare for one to nearly trick the real-time battle assistant. His heart rate picked up, watching those numbers plummet.

Warning! The subject is unlikely human. (Confidence Interval: 35%)

The woman, Amaya, seemed to shake from head to toe as she sat by her lonesome in the corner. Her teeth gnawed at the nail of her thumb, biting it down to blood.

After some additional processing, a new notification popped onto the screen.

Updating information for Amaya Silver….

Name: Amaya Silver [Lycan Shifter (Human Form)]

A containment order has been issued for the infected subject.

"Dang it," eX-0281 said. Glancing around hastily, he was at least grateful that no alarms started to blare or lights started to flash. The fifth underground floor of the police station stayed as quiet and peaceful as it was before.

Still, somebody had been alerted about the lycanthrope's presence. This was what he got for observing the prisoners. Moral of the story: do not throw a [Scan] on everything.

As he began to panic, he tried to think of how he could use the new complication to his advantage.

The quarantine order on a lycanthrope probably involved an isolated cell with silver bars. Lycanthrophy was not particularly contagious outside of a blood ritual, so the security administration might not even take care of it for the next hour.

The real reason why they were dangerous: their shifted forms.

The available forms of a lycan depend on the individual shifter, but they are generally classified into three types: human form, partial wolf form, and berserker form.

Some lycans, particularly the young or newly transformed ones, have difficulty controlling when they shift. Heavily influenced by the moon cycle, lycans may be forced to take on their partial wolf form or their berserker form against their will.

The berserker form is as dangerous as it sounds. Even the most restrained lycan shifters have difficulty controlling themselves in their complete, monstrous form….

Many more passages were available on lycan shifters in the database, but eX-0281 did not need to know anything else at the present moment. Everything that he needed to know was right in front of him.

Amaya's haphazard appearance indicated how she was definitely slipping into an addled state of mind. She could be the key to a successful escape.

Standing with Mrs. Bouchard outside of the cell, eX-0281 quickly requested approval. "Disco, would eco-terrorists make for a good diversion for us to get out of here?"

"Damn right they would! Now you're thinking." The Disco Menace laughed heartily as she remarked, "Take a couple phony eco-terrorists down there. Leave scott-free with the real terrorists. Way to give them the runaround! I love it."

"Do you still approve if I tell you one of them's a werewolf?"

The eyes of the prisoners flicked between each other before they all stared at Amaya in the corner.

"You're still one of us, Amaya," Cassius said at once.

"Can you give me your blood?" Zeke asked, the closest thing to joy creeping into the emo boy's voice.

"Oh, honey," Mrs. Bouchard said, the only one who actually moved closer to Amaya. "There's no reason to refuse a [Cure] spell because of that. You might feel better at your full health—"

"Please stop!" Amaya cried. "Just leave me alone." Her fingers tugged down at her human ears, and her eyes squeezed shut to the world. "Everything's… too much right now. I just don't… wanna hurt you guys."

The lycan shifter was definitely close to snapping into one of her other forms.

An even more joyous laugh came from the Disco Menace from the other end. "A werewolf? Bet! Just don't let Josie get hurt. You better be prepared to take out the wolf if it turns on you."

eX-0281 did not worry about that right now, too busy focusing on the very next step ahead of them. His plan was a go! When he turned back to the other prisoners, everyone had gotten on their feet with a fiery look in their eyes.

As soon as they got back upstairs, these four fellows would cause a perfect distraction.