“I know better than anyone… Qianqian is already dead.”
“She died in the ruins that day, in my arms.”
Lu Yuan said calmly, pressing the muzzle of her gun forward once more.
“Sister…”
The figure of “Lu Qian” repeated that word over and over again.
Lu Yuan didn’t understand why this monster had taken this form, and it didn’t seem to show any aggression.
Somehow, Lu Yuan couldn’t bring herself to hate this creature.
“Who exactly are you?” Lu Yuan pressed.
But then she shook her head. This fake Lu Qian only spoke the word “sister,” making it nearly impossible to pry any information from it.
***
Lu Yuan sized up the monster. It looked like a Mimetic Disaster.
But if it was a Disaster… logically, it should have a strong urge to attack.
Ever since the first Disaster appeared, people had studied them thoroughly. These creatures didn’t need to feed on humans, yet they possessed destructive instincts far beyond ordinary beasts. It was likely due to their lack of intelligence—they acted purely on instinct, causing massive damage the moment they appeared.
But… this fake Lu Qian in front of her… why was it so calm? It seemed only interested in her Transformation Crystal, not at all like a Disaster… Could it be someone from Rose?
“Lu Yuan! Don’t give it to her!!!”
With a loud bang, the apartment door was flung open, revealing Su Li standing in the doorway, her white hair slightly disheveled from the rush.
Su Li’s Scythe had already materialized, radiating a chilling cold. Behind her were the breathless Lin Wan and the pale-faced Chen Lianxue.
“That’s not your sister…” Su Li froze. “Huh?”
Before her stood Lu Yuan, fully transformed, with the “Lu Qian” held at gunpoint.
“Sister Su Li…” Lu Yuan scratched her cheek with a finger, the muzzle of the gun tilting slightly downward. “I actually already know.”
***
But just as Lu Yuan’s gaze shifted to Su Li, and her guard momentarily lowered by a fraction of a second…
An anomaly erupted.
The body of the “Lu Qian” at gunpoint suddenly dissolved, no longer human in form, instantly becoming a rapidly flowing pool of deep blue liquid, slime-like, which slapped down onto the floor with a “plop.”
It gave no one any time to react. Upon landing, it shot like a blue lightning bolt skimming the floor toward the bathroom!
“Wha—?!” Lu Yuan spun around sharply, only to see a blue streak slip through the gap under the bathroom door and vanish.
“Damn it!” Su Li reacted quickly, swinging her Scythe in a cold arc, sending a chill that instantly froze the door gap.
Crack! The doorframe and floor were coated in thick ice.
But it was too late—the slime had already disappeared.
Lin Wan took a sharp step forward and yanked open the bathroom door.
Inside, there was nothing but a slightly swaying showerhead, the window tightly shut, and a faint sound of water draining from the bathtub.
“It escaped through the drain!” Lin Wan slammed her fist against the doorframe in frustration.
“Lian Xue!” Su Li looked toward Chen Lianxue.
When Chen Lianxue became a Magical Girl, Headquarters had already tested her. She wasn’t an offensive type, but more of an information-oriented Magical Girl like Tian Aixing.
“Yes!” Chen Lianxue nodded.
She placed her Transformation Crystal on the floor. Within her field of vision, she could sense everything within a hundred meters centered on the crystal.
Chen Lianxue tensely scanned the surroundings: “The Magic Power source… has disappeared.”
***
It got away.
Su Li walked over to the sink, touching the cold faucet with her fingertips, frowning deeply.
“Ran? A Disaster actually ran away?”
A creature that always fought by instinct… this was the first time Su Li had seen a Disaster retreat.
She looked at Lu Yuan, her eyes complicated. “Are you okay? Did it…?”
“I’m fine.” Lu Yuan shook her head. The gun in her hand dissipated into points of light and reformed back into a crystal.
She stared at the empty bathroom, her brow furrowed. “But it’s very strange… it didn’t seem to intend to attack me.”
Lu Yuan recalled those blue eyes that only repeated “sister.” A subtle, indescribable sense of discord arose in her heart.
Though it asked Lu Yuan for the crystal, she hadn’t seen greed in those eyes. On the contrary, Lu Yuan sensed a hint of reverence.
Su Li was silent for a moment, then stepped in front of Lu Yuan and lightly flicked her forehead.
“Ow!” Lu Yuan covered her forehead.
“Next time, no more going alone!” Su Li’s tone was stern and unyielding, but there was a trace of lingering fear beneath it. “What if it wasn’t without attack intent, just waiting for a better opportunity?”
Lu Yuan, feeling guilty, lowered her head. “Sorry…”
Lin Wan came closer, hands on hips. “Exactly! You scared us to death! If you’re going to run off, at least take us with you!”
“I’ll contact Tian Aixing first. She can pinpoint the Disaster’s location precisely. We absolutely can’t let this Disaster roam freely in the city.”
Just as Su Li pulled out her phone to call Tian Aixing, she noticed several missed calls from Yun Jing Headquarters.
Yun Jing’s… calls?
Su Li was puzzled. It had probably been three years since Headquarters had actively contacted her. Why were they calling now?
She decided to return those calls later. Right now, contacting Tian Aixing was more urgent.
“Beep… beep… beep…” The call connected, and Tian Aixing answered, “Hello?”
“Tian Aixing, help me locate where that B-level Disaster escaped to,” Su Li said.
“A B-level Disaster? Didn’t you guys already kill it?”
“Killed…?”
“Over here, its Magic Power source has already disappeared… You didn’t finish it off?”
“It ran.”
Tian Aixing was silent.
Her detection wasn’t all-encompassing; she could only sense Magic Power when it was emitted. She found Rose because Rose was using magic, but Disasters generally lacked intelligence and didn’t hide their Magic Power, so Tian Aixing had never failed to locate them before.
In other words, the Residual Beast of that B-level Disaster ran and is now undetectable because it concealed its Magic Power—it has intelligence.
A Disaster with intelligence upgrades its disaster rating by one level, which is a very dangerous sign.
“Alert all Magical Girls in the city to be more vigilant. Also… issue a Reward Notice and mobilize all citizens to search,” Su Li ordered after a moment of thought.
“Understood.” Tian Aixing replied. “By the way, Captain Su Li, did you receive any messages from Yun Jing Headquarters?”
***
“Yes, but I haven’t had time to call back.”
“Headquarters wants us to go to Yun Jing by tomorrow. They said it’s something important.”
“Tomorrow? So urgent? But we have other emergencies right now.” Su Li frowned.
A new intelligent Disaster just appeared, and she’s being pulled out of Tongmen City? This was unreasonable.
“The meeting will last about a week, and… ‘The General’ said this is an order, not a request,” Tian Aixing sounded troubled as well. “We have no choice but to comply.”
“Alright.” Su Li sighed, rubbing her temples.
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