[Now you have to write a report.]
In the telepathy channel, Ning Rong’s usually cold voice was tinged with slight glee, clearly taking pleasure in Taotao’s misfortune.
[I…she…ε=(´ο｀*))) Sigh!]
Taotao was rendered speechless by Jiang Yin’s combo, left with nothing but a helpless sigh.
The Monster presence in the restroom was set up by her. If Jiang Yin had just reported it to Ning Rong and let her handle it, the whole affair could have been wrapped up quietly, with Taotao cleaning up before leaving.
But Jiang Yin chose to directly mark the suspicious location using the Bureau’s ‘Abnormal Events App.’ Even if the task would most likely be handled by the two Magical Girls closest to No.1 Middle School, going through official channels meant they now had to write a summary report for the archives.
Yet she couldn’t complain—Jiang Yin’s actions were completely by the book. She had aced this simple evaluation.
[Cheer up. At least we gained a reliable helper.]
Ning Rong consoled her with a laugh, but the pink twin-tailed Magical Girl standing atop a tall building only let out a small disgruntled snort.
[Let’s wait until she awakens. I don’t want to team up with a man.]
[Mm mm mm, fine, fine. Next month, I’ll arrange for Xiao Zi to be her partner. You’ll be the last. Is that okay?]
[…Fine.]
“You did a great job on the mission.”
Taotao never showed herself in front of Jiang Yin. Ning Rong acted as if nothing had happened, merely offering a smile of praise before continuing.
“Now we can go back and rest. The next patrol is at eight tonight, at Bar Street… If I’m not mistaken, you’re quite familiar with that area.”
“Familiar, yes…”
Jiang Yin looked at her own pale hand.
“But are you sure it’s okay for me to go looking like this?”
“Wouldn’t I be mistaken for a lost child?”
“We’ll change your clothes and put on some makeup. It’ll be fine. Trust us, we have experience.”
They drove the girl back to the Bureau.
As soon as they got out, Auntie Zhang—the lady in the red dress who greeted Jiang Yin on her first day—came over.
Judging by her expression, she was waiting for them.
“Rongrong…”
Her expression was complicated. She glanced at Jiang Yin, hesitated, and then held her tongue.
“I’ll head back then~ Auntie Zhang, Sister Ning, you two take your time talking.”
“Sorry, child, this matter is a bit early for you to hear.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay~”
Even within the Bureau, only a handful of Magical Girls and a few ordinary staff knew Jiang Yin’s former identity. Retired personnel like Auntie Zhang certainly didn’t.
They were probably discussing topics unsuitable for children…
The girl felt as restless as a cat, curiosity burning, but she couldn’t linger.
She went to the cafeteria for dinner, anxiously waiting for Ning Rong’s return.
It wasn’t until she’d finished two chicken legs and started burping that she saw Ning Rong hurrying back, looking visibly troubled.
“So? What did Auntie Zhang say?”
“Yesterday, a serious incident occurred in a neighborhood three blocks from the Bureau. This morning, Auntie Zhang and her people discovered traces of a Monster trying to approach the Bureau.”
“She suspects there’s a connection between the two events. There may be a High-Risk Monster hiding in our city.”
“A serious incident?”
Jiang Yin’s head filled with question marks.
“Are there still High-Risk Monsters bold enough to approach the Bureau?”
High-Risk Monsters referred to those above B-Class—beings with human-level intelligence and destructive power far beyond carbon-based lifeforms. In the city, only Magical Girls could really handle them.
After all, you can’t just bomb your own city with missiles, right?
Plus, against these Monsters—fast, agile, and possibly small—the military’s slower response isn’t very effective.
By the time a missile launch order arrives, the Monster could have already crossed dozens of kilometers to your position.
How do you fight that?
Only Magical Girls could handle such threats with minimal casualties.
“The details aren’t clear yet. It could be a false alarm, or there might really be a High-Risk Monster hiding here. Anyway, the Investigation Department is already on the move. Our patrols will be ramped up for the next few days. Be prepared.”
“Yesterday’s incident… was pretty tragic.”
“What do you mean?”
Ning Rong’s mood darkened further.
She looked at Jiang Yin and sighed softly.
“The victim was a sixteen-year-old girl. Her internal organs were hollowed out to make a human-skin doll, and there were signs of…”
“Ugh.”
Even Jiang Yin couldn’t help but click her tongue in disgust.
This kind of thing crossed the line for any normal person.
But right now, she was just an unawakened Magical Girl. Even if she was more mature than her peers, she was still a small bug easily crushed by a High-Risk Monster.
“Stay strong, Ning Rong.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll solve it as fast as possible. It’s up to the Investigation Department now.”
This was the standard Monster incident procedure: find a clue, let Investigators cast a wide net for more leads, then file a case and deploy Magical Girls.
It’s not that people didn’t want to improve efficiency by sending out Magical Girls immediately. Back when a certain Old Maozi hadn’t collapsed, that’s how they did it. The country also copied Big Brother’s approach at first.
And then?
Then, the Old Maozi’s system was exploited by an A-Class Monster known as ‘Eye of the Ghost Strategist.’
This Monster controlled countless low-level, harmless Monsters to create false traces throughout a city, exhausting the Magical Girls while leaving no real clues.
Misled, they even suspected a ‘Curse of Resentment Outbreak,’ requested reinforcements, and redeployed Magical Girl teams.
‘Eye of the Ghost Strategist’ trapped them in that city and then led a group of Monsters to break through the Joining Country’s defenses.
If not for the local troops’ desperate resistance—buying time for the Maozi’s Strategic Magical Girl to arrive on a White Swan—the entire country might have ceased to exist.
This case became widely circulated online.
Whenever people discussed increasing the burden or speeding up Magical Girl response, it was brought up for debate.
It just proves that the seemingly complicated rules and regulations still running in 2025 have real blood behind them.
Every field is like this, and Magical Girls are no exception.
There’s simply not enough manpower.
In most cities, assembling a team of Magical Girls isn’t easy. In some sparsely populated or border cities, support from other provinces is needed, so ensuring adequate rest for Magical Girls is essential.
Because only they can minimize Monster damage, much of the other work has to be handed to well-trained Investigators.