“Every Numbered Monster has taken lives—it’s only a question of how many,” Pandora continued explaining.
“The higher their ranking, the more people they’ve killed, and the more Magic Girls who’ve died at their hands.”
Fortunately, you’re not some fool who dreams of coexisting with the monsters, so I don’t have to waste breath explaining how dangerous they are to humanity,” Pandora sighed.
“Otherwise, I’d have to rack my brains figuring out how to convince you.”
After hearing Pandora’s long explanation, Lu Ren fell silent.
If even a Nightmare Monster like that can kill Magic Girls, then those Numbered Monsters ranked even higher, with stronger abilities, must have killed far more.
In other words… countless Magic Girls, full of hope, have died tragic deaths at their hands, haven’t they?
At this thought, a burning rage flared up in Lu Ren’s heart.
He’d originally thought that as long as the monsters didn’t show themselves, he could let them be for a while, letting them live out of sight in the dark.
But now, it seemed he’d been far too soft-hearted.
Monsters like these—they all have to be wiped out before anyone can rest easy!
“…Why did your expression suddenly turn so terrifying? Whatever, let’s just say you want to avenge your seniors,” Pandora paused and quipped as she watched Lu Ren’s face turn fierce.
Upon hearing Pandora’s words, Lu Ren took a deep breath and looked at Pandora with anticipation, speaking up.
“Pandora, do you have any way for me to track that guy? Right now, I really want to show up in front of him and land a punch, send him straight to hell to atone for his crimes.”
“Nope. The Numbered Monster you ran into this time is quite tricky. Even if it uses its ability, it won’t emit any Magic Power for you to sense its location,” Pandora replied.
“But, I can help you remove the Mark on you—need a hand?”
“Is that so…”
Lu Ren mused for a moment, thought it over, then shook his head at Pandora and said,
“No need to remove the Mark. Tell me your idea instead.”
“Eh? But if you don’t remove the Mark, that guy can always track your location, you know?” Pandora reminded him.
“No, I don’t need it.” Lu Ren smiled. “I’d actually love for him to be able to find me at any time—this way I won’t have to worry he can’t track me down.”
“…Blazing Flame, are you thinking of using the Mark as bait?!” Pandora instantly grasped Lu Ren’s idea, startled.
“Congratulations, you guessed it.” Lu Ren nodded. “This guy doesn’t have a record of killing a Magic Girl head-on, does he?”
“As far as I know, he doesn’t…” Pandora drawled, sounding hesitant. “But even so, he’s taken lives. Can’t you consider a safer method?”
“I’d love to, but I can’t think of one for now, so I have to use this risky plan.” Lu Ren shrugged, looking unconcerned.
“But…”
“There’s nothing to worry about. The situation doesn’t allow me to hesitate any longer.” Lu Ren replied, “A City Branch lost hundreds of guns to this monster. If we don’t stop it soon, I suspect something big will happen.”
“…Alright then. Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t say more. Stay safe, Blazing Flame.”
After a long silence, Pandora finally gave up trying to dissuade Lu Ren.
She leaned on the table, looked up at Lu Ren, and offered her blessings.
Lu Ren nodded firmly in agreement, planning to discuss the timing with Sapphire and then set out together with Sapphire and Meteor to search for clues.
But just as Lu Ren was about to message in the chat app, Sapphire suddenly sent a new message.
Curious, Lu Ren clicked on it, only to find a short video brimming with provocation.
On a brightly lit street, someone was aiming a Gun at a Camera, wearing a mocking smile before suddenly pulling the trigger.
With a Gunshot, the footage on the Camera instantly turned black and white, leaving only the sound of the shot echoing in Lu Ren’s ears.
Below the video was a notification just sent by Sapphire.
“This is a video Director Xu just sent me. Everyone take a look.”
“Right now, someone’s already gotten their hands on the missing guns and fired in public.”
“I don’t think there’s anything left to say. Meteor, Blazing Flame, get ready for action.”
Staring at Sapphire’s new message, Lu Ren frowned, sensing that something was off.
The Branch just lost their guns, and now someone has found one and fired it right at the Camera?
Is it really such a coincidence?
Full of doubts, Lu Ren replayed the video several times.
After watching the contents repeatedly, Lu Ren noticed something strange.
Even though the man with the Gun in the video wore a doll Mask and was clad in a black robe,
If you looked closely, you’d notice his movements were extremely unnatural.
Whether it was raising his hand to aim at the Camera or pulling the trigger, every movement looked stiff.
It was as if… he was being controlled by something, which would explain the odd behavior.
Lu Ren considered this and shared his guess with Sapphire, seeking her opinion.
After a brief pause, Sapphire replied.
“Indeed, his movements are rigid. You can’t see any anger at all.”
“If I were to guess, I’d say the one who fired the Gun was probably Dreamwalking.”
Reading Sapphire’s analysis, Lu Ren took a deep breath, shocked by how serious the situation had become.
If the Nightmare Monster can control humans at will in their dreams, just how are they supposed to deal with this guy?
Such a powerful ability—does it really have no limits?
Although Lu Ren felt a bit perplexed, he didn’t voice his doubts. Instead, he chose to ask Sapphire about the arrangements for this operation before making further plans.
“Sapphire, did Director Xu set a deadline for solving the case? Is there an action plan?”
“No, Director Xu just said we should find the missing guns as soon as possible and try to avoid any accidents along the way,” Sapphire replied.
“Then… Sapphire, what do you think we need to do to ensure nothing goes wrong?” Lu Ren asked curiously.
“If we can get back all the missing guns in a single night, then there won’t be any casualties,” Sapphire gave a definite answer.
Looking at Sapphire’s timeline, Lu Ren fell silent for several seconds.
One night, huh…