The sun was setting in the west, and the cold wind howled.
Su Li flew over the rooftops of one residential building after another, her silver-white hair whipping wildly in the gale.
In one hand, she tightly gripped the Scythe, her gaze locked unblinkingly on the abandoned factory shrouded in darkness in the distance.
That had to be it.
Behind her, a yellow figure followed closely.
Aoi Hoshino trailed right behind, her short orange hair tousled by their high-speed movement. She had a lollipop in her mouth and carried nothing in her hands.
“Beep beep.” Su Li’s Communicator rang.
“Captain Su Li, according to the magic tracking, the signal is definitely coming from that factory,” Tian Aixing’s voice crackled with static through the device. “But… something’s strange.”
“What’s strange?” Su Li slammed on the brakes, her white high heels scraping the surface as she stopped.
The destination was right in front of her—a factory long abandoned by a construction company in Tongmen City.
The rusted iron roof, shattered glass windows, and walls battered as if by trucks—all looked completely ordinary.
“The signal strength fluctuates wildly, as if something’s interfering with it,” Tian Aixing frowned. “Also… besides Lu Yuan and Lin Wan, there are magical residues from at least five other Magical Girls inside.”
Su Li’s fingers tightened slightly.
Five…
All recently missing.
“Tian Aixing, I need the internal layout of the factory,” Su Li said coldly.
“Understood. Hold on, I’m about to link you into the Ming Snake’s visual feed,” Tian Aixing replied.
Aoi Hoshino made a “Uwaa” expression. “Tian Ai, it always feels weird letting you in like this. Can’t you not come in?”
“Cut the nonsense. I’m coming in,” Tian Aixing said.
Su Li calmly stared down at the factory, and the next moment, the scene in front of her suddenly fractured.
Three new feeds forcibly connected to her optic nerves.
The first was a top-down view of the factory through the ventilation ducts; the iron-gray corridors spread out like a spiderweb.
The second glided along the floor, capturing several fully armed guards patrolling back and forth.
The third hovered above a dimly lit prison cell, clearly showing Lu Yuan and Lin Wan leaning against each other.
“Found them.” Su Li unconsciously gripped the Scythe tighter.
“There are guards… Where did she get these people?” Aoi Hoshino asked.
“They’re fallen Magical Girls under her control, not many. You can handle them,” Tian Aixing explained. “Remember, don’t kill. Bring them back—I’ll try to save them.”
“Understood,” Su Li said.
Following the Ming Snake’s vision, Su Li silently memorized the entire factory’s layout.
Suddenly, one of the snakes’ perspectives shook violently.
The image showed a pair of black high heels, then the hem of a skirt falling.
Su Li’s pupils constricted sharply. She would never forget that face—the tear-shaped gem beneath the eyes gleaming hauntingly in the snake’s view.
“Oh my, looks like I’ve found a little mouse,” Rose’s fingertips pinched the Ming Snake’s critical point, smiling into the snake’s eyes.
“Can we communicate, Tian Aixing?” Su Li asked, wanting to talk to Rose.
“Hold on, I’m giving you permission… Now you can.”
Su Li took a deep breath and spoke.
“Rose, surrender.”
Rose was stunned; she hadn’t expected Su Li to be so straightforward.
“You want me to surrender right away? A bit disrespectful, aren’t you, Captain?”
“Surrender now, and I can try to negotiate a fixed term sentence for you.”
“A fixed term sentence? That’s under Human Law?” Rose suddenly laughed. “Don’t make me laugh, Captain. Do you know who we are?”
“We’re Magical Girls.”
“Exactly! We’re Magical Girls! People with supernatural powers! We can control everything! Why do you still listen to humans?” Rose brought the Ming Snake closer, as if to devour it.
“Because we are human, not lunatics,” Su Li answered. “The connections between people are what we protect.”
“Huh? Connections? What are you, playing some kiddie fantasy…”
“Stop.” Su Li cut Rose off coldly.
Rose was struck dumb by the sudden rebuke.
“I don’t have time to argue with you—you’re not worthy of hearing it,” Su Li said.
“I…?” Rose laughed as if she’d accepted something. “Fine.”
The feed abruptly cut off.
“The connection was severed,” Tian Aixing’s voice came through the Communicator. “But the other two feeds are still active… Interesting, she deliberately let the one capturing the prison cell go.”
“Looks like Rose is waiting for us,” Aoi Hoshino said, stepping beside Su Li. “This is her trap.”
Su Li gazed down at the factory beneath her feet, silent for a moment.
“Should we retreat, Captain?” Aoi Hoshino asked.
Rose clearly anticipated their arrival. Charging straight in like this probably meant there were plenty of nasty surprises waiting.
“No, no retreat.”
Without hesitation, Su Li leapt from the rooftop.
The wind screamed past her ears as she flipped midair and landed steadily.
The tail of her Scythe plunged deep into the ground, the shock force crushing a deep pit into the concrete beneath her feet.
Aoi Hoshino followed closely, landing lightly nearby, the stick of her lollipop still in her mouth. She pulled the Crystal hanging around her neck, swung it, and suddenly a giant hammer, almost larger than herself, materialized in her hands.
She twirled the hammer nimbly as if it weighed nothing, then adjusted her stance comfortably.
“Looks like we’re about to have a big fight,” Aoi Hoshino said.
“Tian Aixing.” Su Li pressed the Communicator with one hand.
“I’m here.”
“Negotiations failed. Prepare to breach.”
***
Lu Yuan licked her cracked lips, her throat feeling as if filled with sand.
Rose had been nowhere to be seen since she last humiliated them. No more supplies had come, and without water or food, Lu Yuan and Lin Wan were starving to death.
The air inside the prison cage was stifling and damp, mixed with rust and blood.
Lin Wan leaned on her shoulder, breathing weakly, her blue hair clinging to her pale cheeks.
“Hey, don’t sleep,” Lu Yuan gently nudged her with her shoulder. “Hold on a little longer.”
Lin Wan forced her eyes open, offering a faint smile. “…You’ve said that three times already.”
Lu Yuan said nothing, her gaze dropping to the Crystal on her chest.
She remembered that it was clear and flawless when she first transformed, but after her rebirth, dark fibrous specks floated inside it.
Lu Yuan didn’t know what that meant, but she sensed it was bad.
And the ability to Rewind Thirty Seconds hadn’t triggered since her capture. She felt death must be the trigger.
But she dared not test it—for one, she wasn’t brave enough to commit suicide; two, she couldn’t guarantee every death would reset.
Better to be cautious.
Suddenly, the entire cage shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling, and faint explosions echoed in the distance.
Lin Wan weakly asked, “Did you hear that? What’s that sound?”
Lu Yuan pricked up her ears.
“Bang!”
“Crack!”
And… the sound of metal snapping?
Her heartbeat suddenly quickened.
“It’s a rescue!” Lu Yuan said excitedly. “Su Li and the others are here!”