Yunjing City Center, the top-floor apartment of a skyscraper.
Beyond the massive floor-to-ceiling windows stretched the dazzling night view of Yunjing—endless streams of cars, flickering neon lights. From here, overlooking the entire city, it felt as if she had the bustling metropolis beneath her feet.
Inside, the minimalist decor featured sharp lines and a monochrome palette of black and white. The expensive premium materials and smart home devices all underscored the absolute comfort of this space.
This was Rose’s hideout in Yunjing.
But rather than a mere hideout, it was more like the residence of a discerning, wealthy elite.
Rose stood by the window, holding a glass of red wine, yet she had no intention of tasting it.
***
In a corner of the spacious living room behind her, a makeshift laboratory stood out like a sore thumb. Several specially made transparent containment pods housed constantly writhing, shape-shifting slimes.
These were her current most successful Mimetic Disaster experimental subjects. They could simulate forms and even carry out simple commands, but they were always barely satisfactory, lacking a certain… spark.
Their transformations were stiff, mechanical.
Rose’s thoughts drifted back to the hotel room from not long ago.
***
That individual called “Qing”… the very first subject she had abandoned back in Tongmen City.
She could clearly feel that Qing had already achieved a preliminary stage of true mimetic evolution.
“Emotion…”
Indeed, Qing had developed genuine human emotions.
Rose murmured softly.
No matter how she adjusted these experimental subjects in her hands, they remained like exquisite dolls—forever incapable of generating truly independent and rich emotions.
The crafting process of Transformation Crystals for Magical Girls was not difficult; Rose had completely mastered it. She had been experimenting, trying to get Mimetic Disasters to mimic humans who could activate the crystals for their own use. That way, she wouldn’t have to risk hunting down Magical Girls herself.
Yet she had never succeeded.
The very first and most essential prerequisite for becoming a Magical Girl was possessing pure, untainted emotion. Emotion was the ignition source driving that Miracle Power.
But she had never been able to manually produce a qualified “base body” with pure emotions.
And now, a perfect template had appeared on its own.
Qing—the accidental creation, the failed product she had discarded—had naturally evolved genuine emotion after breaking free from her control.
Not because of commands, not out of survival instinct, but from some deeper, internal drive that Rose could not comprehend.
A “concern” for another being.
The greatest miracle was born from a failed abandonment.
What was it called…? An unintended sapling growing into a lush tree?
***
She turned away, her gaze sweeping over the containment pods where the slimes fumbled futilely through their transformations, her eyes filled with disgust and impatience.
“Trash.” she whispered reproachfully.
Compared to Qing, these were nothing but useless globs of slime.
If… if she could unravel the secret behind Qing’s emergence of emotion, if she could learn how to replicate this “evolution”… then she could mass-produce Mimetic Disasters with rich emotions, stable and controllable.
They would no longer be soulless puppets, but the perfect, customizable base bodies.
At that time, she would forge an army composed entirely of “Magical Girls” who obeyed her without question—a force strong enough to overturn the existing order and grant her absolute power!
Qing would no longer be just an interesting experimental subject or an asset to be reclaimed.
She was the key.
The only key to unlocking the door to a brand new world.
Rose drained the wine in her glass—a thirst for limitless power and an unshakable determination.
“Qing… I will find you… and take everything from you.” She spoke to the nightscape of Yunjing outside the window, as if declaring to that escaped perfect creation.
Now, Qing had become her top priority, and Lu Yuan had already fallen to a mere subordinate role.
She could sense Qing’s magical power source. There was no way Qing could slip out of her grasp now.
***
But… for the moment, there was still one matter to handle first.
She had seen Su Li in the closing news reports of the incident.
Since Su Li had also come to Yunjing… naturally, the person troubling her the most would come too.
Rose’s eyes narrowed slightly, her fingertips tapping lightly against the cold glass of the window.
“Tian Aixing…” she murmured the name.
In Tongmen City, it was precisely the almost citywide magical power sensing network that had forced her to flee like a beaten dog.
Now in Yunjing, though she cleverly hid herself amid the city’s vastness and population, the last time she used magic to probe and attempt to capture Lu Yuan, it had undoubtedly cast a stone into the calm lake.
The ripples might be faint, but it was difficult to guarantee that Tian Aixing—the watcher—would not notice.
Once Tian Aixing locked down the general area, combined with Su Li and her team’s swift action, it would be only a matter of time before this carefully crafted hideout was exposed.
With her injuries not fully healed and an insufficient number of Mimetic Disasters under her control, a frontal confrontation was out of the question.
Moreover, this was no longer Tongmen City—it was Yunjing, where “General” Ling Yan’s presence could not be ignored.
The pinnacle of Magical Girls… a presence she had pursued for so many years.
She knew very well just how powerful Ling Yan was.
***
She needed… a variable. Something strong and reckless enough to attract and tie down most of the Magical Girls’ firepower.
An image immediately surfaced in her mind.
A woman sitting on a high railing, playing a violin, a butterfly resting on her hair’s edge.
“Chaos Witch, Si An…”
Rose smiled.
A being likewise hunted by Magical Girl Headquarters, whose abilities were mysterious and unpredictable, and whose behavior was wildly unrestrained.
Perfect.
Si An’s power was music, a distortion of reality, creating large-scale chaos—and chaos was the greatest enemy of order.
Also, based on the scattered intelligence leaked from Headquarters and the video analysis of that live attack, Si An’s style was very different from her own.
Rose preferred to operate quietly and efficiently, but Si An… Rose couldn’t even figure out what purpose she had in causing all this turmoil.
Purely from analysis, it seemed she did it just for fun?
Perhaps… Rose mused, they could strike a deal—have Si An stir up the waters of Yunjing, blinding those pesky eyes for a time.
She needed Si An’s chaotic symphony to be her best cover.
And how to find Si An? That was no problem for Rose.
She sensed Si An’s power must have been acquired recently. Strong, yes, but also recklessly overconfident to dare provoke Ling Yan.
Such behavior was not something a cautious person would do.
Surviving even one encounter with General Ling Yan was lucky; this naive, chuunibyou-type was easy to manipulate.
Rose turned, casually tossing the empty wine glass aside.
She would join forces with Si An… no, more accurately, use her.
She believed that for Si An, an offer promising greater chaos and amusement would be an irresistible temptation.
***
Rose looked once more at the bustling traffic of Yunjing below the window, a smile curling at her lips.
Because she had always kept a low profile, Si An probably had no idea someone like her was still active in Yunjing.
“It’s time to say hello to her…” Rose whispered.
Since Si An liked the spotlight, she would arrange a grand stage for her in Yunjing.
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