“Captain Su Li! There are too many of them! And they’re trying to push us in different directions!” Lin Wan’s voice was urgent.
She maneuvered the Flying Sword with swift flips and turns, but the tentacles seemed endless, surging from all sides and severely limiting her mobility, trying to separate her from the vehicles below.
Su Li quickly scanned the battlefield. The individual strength of these Calamities didn’t seem very high, but their sheer numbers and coordinated movements clearly indicated careful planning and command.
Their goal was to delay and disperse, not to kill immediately.
“We can’t get stuck here!” Su Li decided instantly.
She glanced at Lin Wan, who was struggling to hold her position atop the car, then at Aoi Hoshino in the front passenger seat, and made a swift decision.
“Aoi!” Su Li called out. “You stay and clear these obstacles, relieve pressure on Lin Wan, and hold this intersection to prevent more ambushes or interference from behind! Can you handle that?”
At Su Li’s words, Aoi Hoshino’s usually lazy eyes lit up instantly, like a hunting dog finally given orders.
She pushed open the car door.
“I’ve been itching for this! Don’t worry, Captain Su, leave these trash mobs to me!”
She leapt out of the car and raised her Transformation Crystal high in the air.
“Transform!”
A dazzling light flashed, and Aoi Hoshino completed her transformation.
She landed steadily, slamming her massive war hammer heavily on the ground with a muffled thud.
Electric arcs sparked at the impact point, temporarily driving back several nearby tentacles.
“Lin Wan! Lower your altitude! Captain Su Li, find the chance to break through!” Aoi Hoshino shouted, sliding back just in time to dodge a tentacle’s sneak attack, her orange hair flying.
Without another word, she swung the giant hammer with both hands, her petite frame unleashing astonishing power!
“BOOM!!!”
A heavy blow wrapped in lightning crashed onto the ground. Instantly, a powerful shockwave mixed with rampant electricity exploded forward in a fan shape from the hammer’s impact point!
A huge cluster of tentacles shattered under the thunderous strike, and Aoi Hoshino forcibly tore open a massive gap in the dense assault.
“Now’s our chance!”
Su Li seized the moment, slamming on the gas. The Maserati’s engine roared as it sped through the brief opening Aoi Hoshino created!
Lin Wan immediately lowered her Flying Sword, skimming close to the car roof, and followed through the blockade.
“I’ve got this area covered! You go!” Aoi Hoshino said firmly, her back facing them as she charged toward the regrouping Calamities.
Lightning flashed repeatedly, intercepting all the tentacles attempting to pursue.
Su Li watched through the rearview mirror as Aoi Hoshino was gradually swallowed by the encroaching darkness, but every flash of lightning revealed a corner of that darkness forcibly torn apart.
To say she wasn’t worried would be a lie, but at this point, all she could do was trust Aoi Hoshino.
“Lin Wan, stay close! Accelerate!” Su Li suppressed her anxiety.
The white sports car and the low-flying sword sped up, putting the fierce thunder and roars behind them farther and farther away.
Behind them, Aoi Hoshino’s battle was only just beginning.
She was determined to single-handedly pin down this tidal wave of Calamity on this very road.
***
The white Maserati screeched to a halt in front of the locked gates of the amusement park.
The car still bore scratches from the tentacles just now. Lu Yuan and Lin Wan landed on Flying Swords beside the car, vigilantly scanning the eerily silent surroundings.
Su Li pressed the communicator button. “Tian Aixing, we’ve reached the main gate. Report the internal magical power distribution. Prioritize marking possible locations of Rose and Si An, and also the life signal of Lian Xue.”
A faint electrical static crackled through the communicator, then Tian Aixing’s voice came through.
“Received, Captain Su. My Star Serpent is constructing an internal model of the amusement park… The magical power is very chaotic, with many interference sources, seemingly deliberately arranged.”
Tian Aixing’s analysis was focused but her voice carried a trace of fatigue. “I need more time for a deep scan to strip away these interferences and pinpoint locations accurately.”
“Wait… The haunted house area seems to have abnormal magical power. Let me scan it…”
Suddenly, the communicator was hit with violent shaking and static.
“Clang! Zzzz–!”
It sounded like the train carriage Tian Aixing was on suffered a strong impact or shock.
Then came short, panicked screams from the crowd and a muffled grunt of Tian Aixing being attacked.
“Tian Aixing? What happened?” Su Li’s heart sank, her voice urgent.
Lin Wan immediately tensed, placing a hand on her Bluetooth earpiece, making sure it wasn’t signal interference causing the noise.
But the chaotic sounds from the communicator were distinct.
Objects dropping, passengers shouting… pure chaos.
“Tian Aixing! Answer me! Tian Aixing!” Su Li shouted into the communicator.
“Shi Ping!”
It sounded like the communicator had been dropped somewhere. After a loud crash, the signal was forcibly cut off, leaving only silence.
“Tian Aixing!” Lin Wan tried to reconnect but to no avail.
“She’s been attacked.” Su Li clenched her fists.
Quickly, she switched to the Magical Girl Headquarters’ exclusive channel, preparing to report the situation.
Although she was the highest-ranking official in Tongmen City, she couldn’t directly deploy Magical Girls without going through Headquarters.
“Captain Su Li, this is Operator Xiao Lin at Headquarters. May I ask…”
Su Li cut Xiao Lin off immediately, no time to waste.
“Headquarters! This is Su Li! Tian Aixing was attacked on the city loop high-speed train, communication cut! Immediately locate her exact carriage and dispatch the nearest forces to assist! Repeat, Tian Aixing is under attack, urgent assistance needed!”
“Understood!” Xiao Lin responded promptly, cutting off the line to contact nearby Magical Girls.
Su Li took a deep breath. After issuing the order, she slowly raised her head and looked toward the terrifyingly silent amusement park gate.
“Is this a lure… or a warning?” Su Li pondered Rose’s strategy. “They know we’re relying on Tian Aixing’s scans.”
Without Tian Aixing’s real-time intel, the amusement park instantly transformed from a target to be investigated into a completely unknown dark labyrinth full of traps.
And their teammates—one just covering their rear, the other’s fate unknown somewhere—were missing.
The pressure surged exponentially.
The pitch-black amusement park gate, like a giant beast’s mouth, silently awaited their decision.
***
“Captain Su Li…” Lin Wan spoke softly.
She was uneasy—no, very uneasy.
There were six members in the Nightingale and Starlit Glass squads, but now only she and Captain Su Li remained at the final mission site. Why… their numbers kept dwindling. Was Rose deliberately manipulating things?
“It’s okay.” Su Li smiled gently at Lin Wan. “I’m here.”
Lin Wan looked at Su Li’s smile and exhaled in relief.
Yeah, with Captain Su Li here, everything would be fine.