Lu Yuan strolled down the street, with Lin Wan and Chen Lianxue trailing behind her.
The three of them were carrying out their routine patrol. Although disasters rarely appeared within Tongmen City itself, the recent Rose invasion had left behind many glass bottles containing stored calamities, like time bombs that would sporadically explode and cause chaos. To minimize casualties, the Magical Girls had to patrol daily.
This was their first mission without Captain Su Li leading them, and they hadn’t transformed.
After all, transforming might cause a commotion, practically turning the spot into an idol meet-and-greet.
Lu Yuan looked down at the Transformation Crystal in her palm. Tian Aixing had once told her that the Magical Girl’s Transformation Crystal held the heart of the Magical Girl—it was filled with her emotions and magic power. It had to be carefully guarded, or if stolen, she’d be no more than a puppet.
“Lu Qian”… why does it matter?
“Lu Yuan, I think that milk tea shop looks suspicious.” Lin Wan spoke up from just behind Lu Yuan’s side, trying hard to appear reliable as she glanced toward the milk tea store by the street.
They had been walking for three hours; exhaustion was beginning to set in.
“Lin Wan…” Lu Yuan had no energy left to retort. “How is it suspicious? Are you suspecting that their ‘Pupu Mie Mie’ is so good it’s been poisoned by calamity and slipped into their Bobo milk tea?”
“Exactly! I think we should buy a cup and try it.” Lin Wan nodded seriously.
Chen Lianxue, clutching her rabbit plush, walked a little behind them with her eyes closed, fully focused on maintaining the Detection Barrier.
She was invisible—a power unique to her among the trio—so she was the only one capable of using magic and transforming normally.
“Within a radius of 100 meters… life energy readings stable. No abnormal magic power fluctuations…” she reported softly like a human radar.
Their teamwork was still somewhat clumsy. Lu Yuan’s commands were delayed by a beat, Lin Wan’s attention wandered easily, and Chen Lianxue remained mostly silent as she continuously output detection magic.
***
Suddenly—
“Bang! Crash—!”
Not far ahead, accompanied by the sharp sound of breaking glass and the terrified screams of the crowd, chaos erupted.
“Enemy attack!” Lu Yuan reacted instantly. Amidst the chaos, she transformed. The Black Long Spear immediately materialized in her hand. “Lianxue! Location! Lin Wan, prepare to control!”
“At one o’clock! Fifty meters! Next to the plaza statue! Magic power readings spiking sharply! It’s… a B-class Disaster!” Chen Lianxue reported urgently. In their shared detection vision, a red energy mass representing chaotic magic was rapidly expanding.
A massive millipede-like Disaster appeared out of thin air, wielding scythe-like limbs as it began attacking the stunned pedestrians.
“Protect the civilians! Lin Wan, restrain it!” Lu Yuan commanded sharply, raising her spear to aim.
“Leave it to me!” Lin Wan thrust both hands forward. An invisible telekinetic field instantly enveloped the Disaster’s body, attempting to forcibly suppress its movements, briefly stalling it.
But the Disaster’s strength was beyond imagination. It violently struggled, causing Lin Wan to grunt, sweat beading on her forehead. “Lu Yuan! This thing’s so strong!”
“Bang!”
Lu Yuan calmly pulled the trigger. A bullet pierced the frantically spinning eye of the Disaster, spraying viscous fluid.
The Disaster roared in pain, thrashing even more wildly.
“Its core is in the lower abdomen!” Chen Lianxue immediately pinpointed the weak spot.
“Lin Wan! Lift it up!”
“I’m trying!” Lin Wan gritted her teeth, her cheeks flushed.
With raw telekinesis, she roughly heaved one side of the Disaster’s massive body, exposing its soft belly.
“Now!” Chen Lianxue shouted.
Lu Yuan’s eyes narrowed as she calmly took aim. In her vision, the Disaster’s weak spot was clearly marked, as if she had X-ray sight.
She adjusted her gun’s aim slightly. The sniper scope popped up, and she fired two precise shots in quick succession.
“Bang! Bang!”
Both bullets drilled straight into the core of the Disaster.
The monster froze, let out a pitiful wail, then its enormous body began to collapse and dissolve, turning into black ashes that drifted into the air.
The battle ended swiftly, but the three girls were all slightly out of breath.
***
Lu Yuan’s palm was sweaty around the spear grip. Chen Lianxue’s face was pale as she ceased detection, exiting invisibility and looking a bit drained.
The shaken citizens nearby began to gather, voices filled with relief and thanks.
“Oh my god, it’s Miss Lu Yuan again!”
“Miss Lu Yuan, I’m your fan!!”
Lu Yuan was surrounded by enthusiastic fans, feeling a little awkward.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Everyone, stay safe!” Lin Wan hurried forward, awkwardly trying to calm the crowd with a hint of pride on her face.
Look! That’s my Lu Yuan!
She thought to herself, like a kid bragging about her toy to classmates.
Lu Yuan, however, remained alert, scanning the surroundings. Though she’d lowered her spear, she hadn’t fully disarmed. “Lianxue, scan again. Confirm no residue or abnormalities.”
“Yes, Captain.” Chen Lianxue closed her eyes and sensed again. “Area is safe… Disaster magic power readings have completely disappeared.”
Only then did Lu Yuan relax slightly. She walked to the spot where the Disaster had appeared, crouching down to notice shards of glass etched with rose patterns on the ground, her brow tightening.
“Again with this stuff…”
Although Tian Aixing said Rose was no longer in Tongmen City, its shadow seemed never to have left.
“Captain! The civilians are calmed down here! Should we report to Headquarters and continue patrol?” Lin Wan jogged over, excitement from the mission’s completion showing on her face, but seeing Lu Yuan’s serious expression, she toned down.
“Mm.” Lu Yuan stood and carefully bagged the shards as evidence. “Notify Logistics Department to handle the scene, and we…”
Before she finished, her gaze accidentally caught a black car driving away at the street corner.
The window was tinted dark, but at the rear passenger window, a face briefly flashed—pale teal hair and a pair of light green eyes seemingly fixed intently on her.
That look… carried an inexplicable familiarity.
Lu Yuan’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively stepped forward.
“Captain? What’s wrong?” Chen Lianxue noticed her odd reaction and followed her gaze, but only saw the tail end of an ordinary car merging into traffic and disappearing around the corner.
“…Nothing.” Lu Yuan shook her head, suppressing the strange feeling. Probably just nerves and fatigue making her imagine things. “Maybe it was a trick of the light. Let’s go, next area.”
She turned and led the team onward, attributing the fleeting glimpse to exhaustion and over-alertness.
***
Inside that black car—
“That scared me to death… didn’t expect to actually encounter a Disaster! Miss Qing, are you okay? Not hurt, right?” Liu Zhe drove, still shaken, glancing at the backseat through the rearview mirror.
In the rear, Qing’s entire face was pressed against the cold window glass, eyes fixed on the increasingly distant figure of Lu Yuan dressed in black combat gear.
Only after Lu Yuan’s silhouette vanished at the horizon, blending into the blurry cityscape, did Qing slowly sit upright.
Liu Zhe received no reply and looked again in the mirror. The unusually beautiful girl kept her head lowered, pale teal hair obscuring her profile. Her hands rested on her lap, fingers lightly gripping her T-shirt.
Liu Zhe assumed Qing was just scared, especially after such danger. She appeared fragile, so he softened his tone to comfort her: “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. It’s all over now! See? There are Magical Girls protecting us! Ah, these times… but don’t worry, once we get to the company, you’ll be absolutely safe!”
Qing remained silent.
Liu Zhe’s reassurances, the passing scenery outside, the soft music inside the car… all seemed cut off from her mind.
She wanted to get closer.
Wanted to observe.
Wanted to understand.
Why was her shot so resolute?
Why would she protect others?
That feeling called “responsibility” or “love”—what exactly was it?
The window reflected her face, those pale green eyes full of confusion.
From the moment she could remember, the first person she saw was Lu Yuan at the cemetery. The overwhelming emotions radiating from Lu Yuan piqued her curiosity. So she transformed into Lu Qian’s form, attempting to approach Lu Yuan.
Qing wanted to see what kinds of emotions were stored inside Lu Yuan’s crystal, so she tried to get close at Lu Yuan’s house, but failed.
Now, she had missed another chance.
But she would choose to create the next opportunity.
Qing lifted her eyes slightly, glancing at Liu Zhe still babbling about how safe the company was.
A preliminary plan began to take shape in her mind.
She wanted to understand everything about Lu Yuan… and if possible, to wrap Lu Yuan entirely within her own body, using her slender tentacles to carefully touch every inch of her skin.