Yunjing City Center, penthouse apartment.
The bustling city outside the window remained unchanged, but the cold glass barrier failed to dissipate the heavy, oppressive atmosphere inside the room.
“Cough…!”
Rose abruptly spat out a mouthful of dark red blood, which splattered onto the expensive marble floor. She staggered a step, bracing one hand against the cold floor-to-ceiling window to barely keep herself upright.
This was the backlash from completely destroying her Mimetic Avatar, but this time it was much worse than the last time in Tongmen City.
Because this time, she had sent out an A-rank Mimetic Calamity. She had fewer than ten disasters of this caliber in total, so the backlash from having such a powerful avatar destroyed was even more severe.
“Ugh…” She gritted her teeth, pressing her other hand against the wound. Magic Power struggled to surge through her, but the healing process was agonizingly slow, each bit of recovery accompanied by stabbing pain.
She slowly slid down to the floor, leaning her back against the cold glass, tilting her head back. Sweat soaked the strands of hair on her forehead, and her breathing was rapid and unsteady.
She had failed.
Not only had she failed to capture Lu Yuan and Qing, but her meticulously crafted Mimetic Avatar—one possessing seventy percent of her strength—had been utterly destroyed.
And the one who had done all this… was Lu Yuan?!
That Lu Yuan? The novice who, just a month ago, she had toyed with effortlessly in the palm of her hand?!
Rose recalled the battle at the subway station again.
That was no rookie. It was more like a seasoned killer, tempered through countless bloodbaths, a hunter who knew everything about her.
How had she done it?
Rose mulled this over as she treated her wound. Many of her attacks were so precise that even Su Li might not have dodged them, yet Lu Yuan had done it flawlessly, as if she knew exactly what she was going to do in advance.
“Foresight…?”
Rose murmured, disbelief filling her dark purple eyes.
Only one who could glimpse fragments of the future could avoid every risk so perfectly, seize every fleeting flaw with such precision, and even be willing to self-harm to guarantee the final decisive blow landed.
She hadn’t suddenly gotten stronger overnight; she was… cheating!
“Heh… hehe…” Rose suddenly chuckled lowly.
She reassessed all the information she had on Lu Yuan.
Could it be that the seemingly reckless, no-regrets style was because she had already known the outcome?
If Lu Yuan truly possessed this ability, her threat level would rise exponentially. She was no longer a rookie to be toyed with at will but an unpredictable variable.
“Lu Yuan…” Rose whispered the name, her fingertip digging painfully into her palm from clenching so hard. The wound that had just stopped bleeding throbbed again.
The disdain and mockery vanished completely from her eyes. She had to reevaluate this opponent.
A Magical Girl with foresight—the potential for growth and destruction was immeasurable. Today she destroyed one of Rose’s avatars; what about tomorrow?
Before she fully matures, no matter the cost… she must be completely destroyed.
Rose struggled to her feet and walked over to the row of containers imprisoning her failed Mimetic Calamities. Her gaze was icy.
She needed a plan. A flawless plan.
***
Yunjing City Magical Girl Headquarters, underground exit.
A sleek white Masarati smoothly slid into a reserved parking spot. The hiss of air pressure sounded lightly as the door swung upwards.
Captain Su Li unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out decisively, walking around the front of the car to open the rear door.
“Get out.” Su Li reached a hand into the car.
In the back seat sat the tiny figure of Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan hesitated for a moment before gently placing her black lace-gloved hand in Su Li’s.
Lowering her head, she climbed out of the car. Her black battle suit was torn in many places and stained with dried blood. A faint daze from the battle lingered in her expression.
“I’m fine…” Lu Yuan tried to insist she didn’t need support, but her trembling legs betrayed her weakness.
Suddenly, Lu Yuan felt the ground disappear beneath her, a sensation of weightlessness washing over her.
“Whoa! Sister Su Li, what are you doing?!”
Lu Yuan cried out in surprise, seeing Su Li’s arm slip under her knees while the other wrapped firmly around her back, lifting her into a classic princess carry.
“Still stubborn,” Su Li smiled gently, looking down at Lu Yuan in her arms. “How can this be ‘fine’?”
Lu Yuan’s face instantly flushed deep red, her entire body stiffening in Su Li’s soft embrace, her mind going blank.
She could smell the faint fragrance from Su Li’s body.
Su Li seemed oblivious to her embarrassment and carried Lu Yuan toward the Yunjing Headquarters medical ward without another word.
Along the way, many Staff members caught sight of Su Li carrying Lu Yuan. They were initially stunned but quickly greeted Captain Su.
“Captain Su Li, thank you for your hard work.”
“Mm.”
Lu Yuan awkwardly met the curious gazes of the Staff, wishing she could hide herself completely in Su Li’s arms.
***
A moment later, inside the medical ward of Yunjing Magical Girl Headquarters.
“Rest well here. Someone will come by to give you a thorough examination.” Su Li laid Lu Yuan gently on a soft hospital bed and tucked the covers over her.
“Okay.” Lu Yuan weakly responded. The last time someone had tucked her in like this was her mother.
At that moment, a soft knock came at the door, which then opened.
The visitor was dressed in a crisp military uniform, standing tall and imposing, her aura strong yet restrained. Her fiery red hair like the sun marked her identity—Commander Lingyan.
“General.” Su Li immediately straightened up and saluted respectfully.
Lingyan nodded slightly, her sharp eagle-like eyes locking onto Lu Yuan on the bed, as if they could pierce through her heart.
“How’s your recovery?” she asked.
“Recovery?” Lu Yuan scratched her head, a bit embarrassed. “I’m actually not really injured.”
“Not injured…” Lingyan was silent for a moment. “Then let me get straight to the point. Lu Yuan, according to the residual Magic Power analysis at the scene and Su Li’s report, the target you single-handedly eliminated was rated as an A-grade Mimetic Calamity, and it was a clone personally controlled by the fugitive Magical Girl, Rose.”
She leaned forward slightly, bringing with her an invisible pressure. “Tell me, how did you do it? With your current power level, this task is nearly impossible.”
Here it came—the core question.
Lu Yuan’s heart tightened sharply. She took a deep breath, organized her thoughts, and decided to be honest.
This time, she wanted to confess her ability to Headquarters. After all, it was too strange to keep hidden.
“General, I… I actually…” she began to explain, “I can… I can…”
Her words caught in her throat.
It was as if an irresistible force suddenly strangled her vocal cords. Lu Yuan struggled to say the four words “Death Rewind,” but her lips moved without producing any relevant sound.
She couldn’t say it.
“What can you do?” Lingyan’s gaze sharpened with scrutiny.
“I… I think… sometimes… I can sense… what’s going to happen next…”
She spoke vaguely, weak and uncertain.
Both Lingyan and Su Li frowned slightly.
“Foresight?” Lingyan pressed. “To what extent? What details?”
“No… it’s not foresight…” Lu Yuan was swept by waves of helplessness and fear.
Seeing her babbling, Lingyan’s scrutinizing eyes gradually shifted to deep contemplation.
She had seen many Magical Girls with all kinds of peculiar abilities, but none were rendered speechless like this. What was wrong with this child?
Su Li looked at Lu Yuan’s struggling state and couldn’t help but say, “General, she may still need rest. She just went through a fierce battle, her mind and Magic Power both…”
Lingyan raised a hand to stop Su Li and gave Lu Yuan one last look.
“Since it can’t be explained, there may be limitations or costs,” Lingyan’s voice returned to calm. “Rest well. This time, you’ve earned credit. But Headquarters will continue monitoring the unexplained parts.”
She did not push further and turned to leave the ward, leaving behind a heavy silence.
Su Li stared at the exhausted, defeated, and frightened Lu Yuan lying on the bed. After a moment of silence, she simply patted her on the head.
“Don’t think too much. Rest first.” Her voice softened. “When you’re ready, maybe you can tell me another way.”
“Mm…” Lu Yuan answered quietly.
***
When her emotions relaxed, her mind finally had room to think about other things.
So much had happened recently. The pain of dying repeatedly almost numbed her brain. But there was still one person she cared about deeply…
Qing.
After throwing Qing into the subway, she had headed toward the airport, but Liu Zhe wasn’t there. Where was Qing now?
Qing had been manipulated by Rose to stab herself. Now, as a news figure, if the police or Magical Girls caught her, her identity as a Calamity would be exposed—and that would be the end.
Lu Yuan looked at Su Li’s departing back.
She had to find Qing before them.