“So you still have to continue your visits this afternoon. I thought you’d be able to stay with me the whole time.”
Anpelin let out a soft sigh, a trace of disappointment appearing on her face.
“Anyway, it’s not like we can see each other every day.”
Yu Hua stepped out from under Anpelin’s parasol, waving goodbye to her.
“See you tomorrow.”
“That’s true, I won’t hold you up then…”
Anpelin also waved goodbye, but just before leaving, she asked a bit reluctantly, “Hey, want to take me along too? Maybe I could help.”
“With you like this during the day, you have trouble even going outside. How could you follow me around everywhere? Besides, if we run into that Disseminator, I wouldn’t be able to protect you.”
Yu Hua pointed at the parasol above Anpelin’s head.
“Seems like… you’re right. Well, I won’t hold you back, just be careful.”
Anpelin was very agreeable, turning obediently to leave.
Yu Hua waved her off, watching as she hurried back into the shadows of the Dormitory Building under her parasol, then finally turned away himself.
He found a deserted corner, transformed back into Shui Hua, lifted off on magical power, and continued the unfinished rounds.
However, the rest of the visits yielded little progress.
The remaining Vampire Meme holders were all vague about the cause of their own abnormality, and none of them had any impression of the Disseminator.
After all that running around, his interview notes were full, but he was still empty-handed.
This outcome was within Shui Hua’s expectations.
After all, there had been no news of the Disseminator before; for the Disseminator to have remained hidden this long, they must be very skilled at concealment.
“Maybe the problem is with the direction of the investigation… but there doesn’t seem to be any better plan for now.”
Shui Hua rubbed his brow, muttering to himself.
Seeing that night was falling and still nothing substantial had been achieved, Shui Hua didn’t bother going back to the Magical Girl Department to report.
He simply uploaded his visit notes to the group chat, then flew straight back to the school, intending to clock out early.
Walking back to the Dormitory Building, he arrived at his dorm room door and heard a commotion inside, along with the sound of books falling.
Yu Hua couldn’t imagine what could cause such a ruckus, so he called out, “Why’s it so lively in here? What are you all doing…”
Then he saw Liu Shixing pinning Wang Zeqi down, the two of them tangled together, almost about to kiss.
“Oh man, I didn’t see anything, just go on.”
Yu Hua instinctively thought he’d walked in on something outrageous.
Covering his eyes, he quickly slammed the door shut.
“Yu Hua, why are you leaving? Teammate, hey, teammate, help me out here!”
Wang Zeqi’s panicked cries for help came from inside.
Hearing his roommate’s cry for help, Yu Hua realized things weren’t as he’d thought.
He hurriedly opened the door, finally seeing the whole picture—Wang Zeqi was struggling to push Liu Shixing away.
For some reason, Liu Shixing had grown fangs, his eyes were blood-red, and he’d lost all reason, frantically trying to bite Wang Zeqi’s neck.
Yu Hua rushed forward to pull them apart, but he was still a step too late.
Wang Zeqi’s strength gave out, his hands pushing at Liu Shixing’s arms went limp, and Liu Shixing sank his fangs deep into his neck without hesitation.
“Ah!”
Wang Zeqi let out a bloodcurdling scream.
By the time Yu Hua managed to pull Liu Shixing off, perhaps having tasted blood, Liu Shixing’s manic state eased slightly.
Once separated, he collapsed to the floor, eyes vacant.
Wang Zeqi, meanwhile, was still shaken, clutching his neck and retreating again and again as blood streamed between his fingers.
“What just happened?”
Yu Hua quickly pulled out some tissues to press against Wang Zeqi’s wound, his gaze falling on Liu Shixing.
“I don’t know either. We were about to go to the cafeteria when suddenly Xiao Liu just snapped and pounced on me… and the rest, you saw yourself…”
“I’ll help you to the School Hospital to get your wound treated.”
Wang Zeqi’s blood had quickly soaked the tissue, making Yu Hua worry.
“It’s nothing… I’m fine, just bleeding a bit…”
Wang Zeqi grimaced in pain but was more concerned about his roommate.
“Check on Xiao Liu first, what’s wrong with him?”
Yu Hua looked at Liu Shixing, dazed and drooling fangs, his eyes blood-red.
Even without transforming, Yu Hua could tell at a glance:
“He’s probably been mutated by the Vampire Meme.”
“Huh, how did I not notice? He’s… always seemed normal.”
“I don’t know either. Let’s contact the Ability Bureau.”
But Yu Hua actually had his suspicions—he immediately thought of the Disseminator.
So instead of calling the official Ability Bureau hotline, he messaged Liu Jin, telling her to hurry back to the dorm.
Liu Jin must have been nearby; just a few minutes after the message, she appeared on the dormitory windowsill, leaping in with a grand air, her gaze swiftly sweeping over the chaotic scene before settling on the dazed Liu Shixing.
She hurried over, crouched down to check Liu Shixing’s condition, golden magic glowing at her fingertips.
“Yes, he’s definitely been mutated by the Vampire Meme.”
Liu Jin was sensitive to Yu Hua’s identity, but paid no attention to her own.
Yu Hua shot her several looks, signaling her to mind the situation and her disguise.
She finally remembered to present herself properly and produced her Work ID.
“Hello, I’m Magical Girl Liu Jin. I just received a report, so I rushed over.”
“Is he going to be all right?”
Wang Zeqi’s concern for his roommate far outweighed any surprise at seeing Liu Jin, and he asked anxiously.
“He’ll be fine… but he’s already been mutated, so he needs to go register with the Meme Bureau…”
“He won’t turn into an Abnormal, will he?”
Although the chance was low, it wasn’t impossible.
Wang Zeqi looked at Liu Shixing as if he were about to be wheeled into surgery.
“The odds aren’t high, but we’ll have to wait for the test results.”
Liu Jin crouched and slung the unconscious Liu Shixing onto her back.
Golden threads of magical energy coiled from her fingers to secure him by the waist so he wouldn’t fall.
“I’ll take him to the Ability Bureau.”
Liu Jin didn’t linger, turning into a streak of golden light and disappearing into the sky.
The dorm room fell silent, leaving only the two still-shaken boys sitting where they were.
“Hiss… Xiao Liu isn’t really in trouble, is he?”
Once the adrenaline wore off, the pain from Wang Zeqi’s neck wound made him gasp.
“Look on the bright side. Maybe he has good Ability Adaptation and will become a hero.”
Yu Hua was even more worried than Wang Zeqi, because this was likely the Disseminator’s doing—meaning the danger wasn’t just the risk of becoming an Abnormal—but he still tried to say something comforting.
“Haha, in that case, no need to look for a job.”
Wang Zeqi forced a laugh.