Lobotomy?
Blazing Flame remembered that notorious surgery caused all sorts of problems for patients, turning them into hollow, mindless shells.
If that was the case…
“Sapphire, is there any chance Jia Yi could regain his former personality?” Blazing Flame asked.
“Impossible. The effects of any forbidden substance are irreversible. His brain has already been damaged. Unless the pharmacist who administered the drugs reappears, there’s no way to save him with current medical technology,” Sapphire replied.
“Is there really no possibility for treatment?”
“No. I’ve asked the doctors. He’s beyond help. Once he wakes up, he’ll probably spend the rest of his life in a psychiatric hospital,” Sapphire answered again.
“What a pity. With his talent, he should have had a brilliant future.”
Seeing Jia Yi’s fate, Blazing Flame sighed regretfully.
He was such a talented graduate student, yet because he touched forbidden substances, he ended up a complete lunatic.
Forbidden substances really are destructive.
“The world is unpredictable. Even geniuses can become mad.”
“I need to follow up on this case. Contact me if anything important comes up.”
“Alright, I’m heading out now.”
After sending the message, Sapphire stopped posting anything else about the missing persons case in the group chat.
It seemed she was truly continuing to gather more information about the case.
Imagining Sapphire going back and forth between various departments, Blazing Flame couldn’t help but sincerely admire her.
“Sapphire really is dedicated. No wonder she’s the most popular Magic Girl in City A.”
“Having a Magic Girl like that around is truly reassuring.”
“Hm? This song is…”
Hearing the familiar melody from the website backstage, Blazing Flame switched to the video site where she had earlier played a song, leaned back in her chair, and stared at the video playing on her computer.
On screen, a white-haired, red-eyed girl in a gorgeous gown bounced across the stage, occasionally flashing a smile and making heart gestures toward the audience, single-handedly pumping the atmosphere to the highest level and fully immersing every spectator.
Without exaggeration, this was the best concert Blazing Flame had ever seen.
“This is… Baixue from City D?”
Blazing Flame watched the video a moment longer and quickly recognized the white-haired, red-eyed girl.
She was the superstar of City D, a legendary Magic Girl—Baixue.
Even to this day, Baixue remains the most popular Magic Girl, bar none.
If there were a popularity ranking for all Magic Girls ever, Baixue would take first place without question; the others would be fighting for second and third.
The video was probably from Baixue’s last concert before announcing her retirement as an idol.
According to online reports, that concert earned nearly sixty million.
Sixty million…
Hmm…
According to Sapphire, she earned twenty thousand a month.
If she worked steadily for two hundred and fifty years, her total salary would only match the income from one Baixue concert!
“No, no, what am I thinking?”
Blazing Flame stood up and stretched, forcing herself to stop thinking about money.
It was already impressive that she earned twenty thousand before even graduating university—there was no need to chase money beyond her comprehension.
Since debut, Baixue hadn’t lost a single battle and had never let a citizen be harmed by monsters in front of her—she was basically City D’s guardian deity.
And Baixue was diligent; after fighting monsters, she still rushed to concerts, never making ticket holders wait long…
“…Huh?”
Blazing Flame suddenly recalled something strange.
She remembered that when Magic Girls were still allowed to be idols, a few Magic Girls in City D juggled fighting monsters and holding concerts.
Though not as famous as Baixue and earning less, they still had a decent income.
But strangely, Blazing Flame recalled that these Magic Girls sometimes sold out their concert tickets but didn’t actually appear at the concerts.
One of them had been absent from a concert and had since disappeared without a trace—no one knew if she was alive or dead.
“How did Baixue manage to handle both without any delays…?”
Blazing Flame thought for a long time but didn’t come up with a concrete answer.
However, since it didn’t concern her much, she soon dropped the question and went back to doing what interested her.
…..
After the missing persons case in City A was closed, Lu Ren returned to his peaceful life.
He woke up early and went to bed early every day, attended classes on time, and played ranked matches with Xu Wenxing in the evenings, acting as the big brother while teasing Xu about his poor gameplay, living quite comfortably.
No monsters, no strange Magical Power Sources, and no thorny cases needing his help.
Enjoying this peaceful life almost moved Lu Ren to tears.
Meanwhile, at a quiet military base on the other side of City A.
Director Xu sat in his office, glancing over the work evaluations from higher-ups in his hand, then at the banners of honor sent by the public to the three Magic Girls in his department, grinning almost wildly.
Because the three Magic Girls in his department had successfully solved this socially impactful missing persons case, the higher authorities generously granted the City A Monster Response Department more subsidies.
With additional funds, the researchers wouldn’t have to keep whining about lack of money every day.
Since the case was solved in time without casualties, and thanks to his mediation, the City A Law Enforcement Department also escaped any penalties and even received certain rewards.
Thinking about this, Director Xu felt elated.
Just by lowering himself to plead with a Magic Girl much younger than him, he solved a pile of problems and even earned a chance for promotion!
He’d been in City A for decades without a single change in rank.
Never expected that by volunteering for the Monster Response Department—a position everyone used to despise—he’d climb steadily upward.
Now, he was the highest-ranking official in the City A Monster Response Department. Anything beyond that…
Director Xu drew a cold breath and quickly shook his head to calm himself, not thinking about impossible things.
Better to finish his current tasks first.
“Hm? What’s this?”
When Director Xu flipped to the last blank page of the superior’s report, he noticed words had been printed there at some unknown time.
“Comrade Xu Panfeng is hereby commended for his strong sense of responsibility to social security and rich grassroots work experience. Through solid effort, outstanding judgment, and excellent planning, he resolved a case with significant social impact, providing an important exemplary model for City A’s societal security.
Currently, City A faces economic downward pressure and needs to discover new consumption growth points. The special talents in your department enjoy a healthy public image and are deeply trusted by the people. We hope you will focus on the bigger picture, explore possibilities for high value-added activities, and provide new momentum for City A’s economic growth.”