That cluster of Red Spider Lilies pierced Lu Yuan’s heart like a sharp sword in an instant.
Si An! It really was her! Not only was she in Tongmen, but she had also abducted Chen Lianxue!
But why did she target Chen Lianxue? Lu Yuan pondered; the two of them didn’t even know each other.
Could it be… Rose?!
Had they joined forces?!
The fear brought on by this realization surpassed even her anger. Lu Yuan’s heart suddenly contracted, nearly stopping its beat.
If it was Rose who suggested capturing Chen Lianxue…
… then what was their goal?
To retrieve their own abilities? Or—
A sudden thought exploded in Lu Yuan’s mind.
Qing! Rose’s true target could very well be Qing! She was alone at home right now!
Could this be a diversion, a lure to draw her away?!
***
“Lin Wan! Go home! Hurry!” Lu Yuan didn’t waste time explaining and abruptly turned to head toward Lin Wan.
Lin Wan immediately understood the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, she summoned her longsword again.
“Get on!” Lin Wan shouted.
Lu Yuan jumped onto the hovering sword blade, barely managing to keep her balance as they headed straight for home.
“At full speed!”
Lin Wan gritted her teeth and pushed her psychic power to the limit. The two longswords carried them like meteors streaking low across the sky, rushing recklessly toward the apartment building.
The wind howled past Lu Yuan’s ears, but she felt it was far too slow, painfully slow. Every second stretched out like an eternity.
Her eyes locked on the front, her mind flooded with images of Qing possibly in danger.
She would never allow that to happen.
Finally, the familiar apartment building appeared before her.
Lu Yuan didn’t wait for the longsword to come to a complete stop. When it was still about a meter above the ground, she jumped down, rolling on landing to absorb the impact, and dashed recklessly toward the front door.
She stabbed the key into the lock, practically bursting into the house.
“Qing!”
She frantically scanned the room.
In the living room, Qing was sitting quietly on the sofa, holding a manga book. Hearing the loud noise at the door, she looked up in surprise, her eyes filled with a trace of confusion as she gazed at the panting Lu Yuan.
Seeing Qing safe and sound at home, the tension in Lu Yuan’s heart finally relaxed. Her legs nearly gave out, almost causing her to collapse.
She rushed over and hugged Qing tightly, her arms trembling violently from the lingering fear.
Thank goodness…
… you’re okay… you’re okay…
She buried her face in Qing’s cool neck.
Though startled by Lu Yuan’s intense reaction, Qing clearly sensed her fierce fear and anxiety.
She put down the manga and quietly hugged Lu Yuan back, gently patting her on the back as if to soothe her.
Lin Wan, who had arrived right after, saw the scene inside and breathed a long sigh of relief, leaning against the door frame to steady her pounding heart.
***
There was no time for Lu Yuan to indulge in her emotions. She forced herself to calm down quickly, grasping Qing’s shoulders with both hands, looking her in the eyes with unprecedented seriousness:
“Qing, listen carefully. The situation is extremely dangerous right now. The people who hurt Lian Xue have come to Tongmen. Their target is very likely you. From now on, you must stay right by my side. Absolutely, absolutely do not leave my sight. Understand?”
Qing looked into Lu Yuan’s eyes, seeing the tension and determination she had never shown before. Though she didn’t fully understand what “bad people” meant, she nodded firmly and squeezed Lu Yuan’s hand in return, showing she understood through her actions.
After ensuring Qing was close and safe, Lu Yuan immediately pulled out her phone. Her fingers trembled slightly from nervousness as she quickly found Su Li’s number and dialed.
The strongest force in all of Tongmen City was Su Li. For Qing’s safety, Lu Yuan couldn’t rely on herself alone; she had to seek Su Li’s protection.
The call connected within seconds.
“Lu Yuan?” Su Li’s voice came through. They had just arrived in Tongmen City and were on their way to report to the Magical Girl Headquarters.
“Sister Su Li!” Lu Yuan’s speech was rapid. “Where are you?”
“I just returned to Tongmen. Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Si An is in Tongmen! And she abducted Chen Lianxue! We found a Red Spider Lily in the last place Lian Xue was possibly at. We have to rescue her.”
“Red Spider Lily…” Su Li closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “Got it. You first make sure Qing and yourself are safe. Head to Headquarters. I’ll meet you there immediately.”
“Okay!” Lu Yuan hung up.
***
Su Li sighed wearily, letting her weight sink into the cold seat back. She closed her eyes and rubbed her aching temples.
The continuous pressure and rush— even for her—were a heavy burden.
“Sister Su Li, from the sound of your voice, it seems we’re just out of the wolf’s den and into the tiger’s lair. No rest?” A voice came from the backseat. Aoi Hoshino leaned forward, her orange short hair brushing Su Li’s cheek as she rested her hands on the front seat’s back.
Su Li didn’t open her eyes. She exhaled heavily, speaking a few heavy words between her lips:
“Chen Lianxue was taken by Si An.”
The car instantly fell silent for a moment.
“That ghost just won’t go away.” Tian Aixing frowned, still staring at her tablet in the front passenger seat.
“Sigh…” Su Li sighed deeply.
Tian Aixing gestured for the driver to pull over.
The vehicle smoothly stopped by the roadside.
“Tian Aixing?” Su Li finally opened her eyes and looked at her, puzzled as Tian Aixing unbuckled her seatbelt. “It’s still twenty minutes to Headquarters. What’s up?”
Tian Aixing lifted a silver metal briefcase at her feet and opened the door.
“I’ve been away from Tongmen too long. I need to rescan the entire city. But there’s no time for me to slowly build a model with the Ability of the Underworld Serpent.” She stepped out, one foot already on the ground. “I’m going to take the ring expressway and scan around Tongmen from the outskirts. The accuracy will be a bit worse, but this is the fastest way to get a full city magic map right now. They definitely used magic to abduct the Magical Girl. I’ll try to track them.”
Su Li looked at the dark circles and exhausted look under Tian Aixing’s eyes with sympathy, but the situation was beyond anyone’s control. Rose and Si An appeared in Tongmen at the same time, and General Lingyan was missing. Every second was critical.
“… Okay.” Su Li gave a heavy nod and warned, “Be careful. Keep in contact at all times.”
“Understood!” Tian Aixing replied, closing the door and quickly walking toward the nearby high-speed rail entrance, her figure soon disappearing into the crowd.
The car started again, but the atmosphere grew even more somber.
Aoi Hoshino put away her joking expression, cracked her neck until her joints popped softly. “So… this means the operation has officially begun?”
“That’s right.” Su Li straightened up, forcibly suppressing her earlier fatigue, replaced by the calm and decisiveness of a commander.
“What’s the codename?” Aoi asked.
Su Li’s gaze drifted to the city scenes rushing past the window. After a brief silence, she spoke slowly, her voice clear and icy:
“Operation Broken Flower.”
The codename was clear in meaning: to break the Red Spider Lily that should never have appeared in Tongmen, bringing misfortune and chaos—and to rescue Chen Lianxue, who had been taken by it.