Intensity.
After summoning two vines, Lวye was clearly much more confidentโit seemed she was finally getting serious.
With a wave of her hand, she directed the two vines to launch toward Jinluan. They were a bit like whips, but moved a little slower.
Jinluan struck out with her knife, instantly slicing off a section of the first vine, then spun around and cut through a segment of the second.
But it was useless. The vines seemed to have endless lengthโcutting one piece made no difference.
The vines were still under Lวyeโs control; unbelievably, they could bend and twist, avoiding the knifeโs edge.
And that wasnโt allโLวyeโs whip struck as well, attacking from a different angle.
Counting the two vines, it was as if Lวye was wielding three whips at once, all attacking Jinluan simultaneously. Mathematically, it looked like three times the previous attack.
Realizing she was getting overwhelmed, Jinluan quickly tried to use her instant-movement to escape the area.
In the blink of an eye, she vanished.
However, she couldnโt rejoiceโjust one second after ending her instant-movement, her right foot felt something coil around it. It was the third vineโthere was a hidden one!
How could this be! Her instant-movement had actually been caught?!
Jinluan was shocked.
โDonโt underestimate me! Iโve spent two whole months studying your movement technique! I know your every move, clear as day~โ Lวyeโs words made Jinluan feel as if sheโd fallen into an ice cave.
She swung her knife, quickly slicing through the vine around her leg. That thing wasnโt a magic wandโit was easily cut.
But Lวyeโs whip was there too, wrapping tightly around Jinluanโs right handโthe one holding her knife.
Damn!
Just as she expected, she couldnโt shake off the whip, nor could she tear or cut through it. Once it wrapped her, she was done for.
After a brief struggle, her other hand was snared by a vine as well, and soon both legs were trapped.
She could no longer swing her knife to cut the vines or the whipโher hands were bound.
She hurriedly tried instant-movement again, but had barely shifted a meter before she was yanked back.
After all, it was only a dash-type movement skill, not real teleportationโit couldnโt pass through walls.
With her hands and feet bound, she had no way to escape.
She began to gather magic, charging up to use her Big Move.
Sensing the change in her magic, it was obvious she still wanted to attack.
Lวye was an expert at dealing with these stubborn magical girls. She swung her whip a few more times, forcing Jinluanโs hands behind her back and tying them tightly.
Now, Jinluan couldnโt make a moveโshe had no angle to attack from.
โDespicable thing.โ Jinluan cursed loudly. โAttacking a magical girl like thisโyou donโt even deserve to be one yourself.โ
Lวye didnโt care at all, rubbing her hands together, her face full of excitement.
She stroked Jinluanโs cheek, savoring the look of fear on her face.
And then, the paid content started.
Song Wuli glanced nervously aroundโno one was watching.
He scratched his butt; it felt a little itchy.
After a while, his waist got a bit sore. He stood up from his dormitory seat and walked around to stretch his muscles.
The newcomers, Chang Kaihuai and Chang Yong, were still working overtime, slowly adapting to the life of extra hours.
Old Song carried his water cup, sipping as he walked over to check on them.
โHowโs it going? Xiaochang, are you getting used to the work?โ Old Song looked genuinely concerned.
โUh, Team Leader Song? Itโs alright, Iโm getting used to it bit by bit.โ Xiaochang sipped his coffee too.
Old Song: โAny questions you donโt understand?โ
Xiaochang: โNot really, let me thinkโฆ Actually, there is one. For our companyโs Night Shift, can we have more variety? Sometimes I want something refreshing, like sweetโโ
Old Song: โAlright, Iโll talk to the company about it tomorrow.โ
He left them and went to check on the other newcomer, Chang Yong.
He asked the same question, and Chang Yong said he was pretty much used to things. Hearing Xiaochangโs opinion about Night Shift, Chang Yong also made a suggestionโhoping for more drinks on Night Shift. If they provided Red Bull or Nestlรฉ, that would be greatโitโd save him from buying them himself.
Old Song nodded and agreed to bring it up with the company tomorrow.
Returning to his dormitory seat, he continued working. Time crept toward 10 p.m.
The two newcomers said goodbye to Song Wuli and got off work.
He was still working, planning to stay overnight at the company to catch up on unfinished tasks.
After the layoffs in Team 2, there was little work allocated from the supervisorโmeant to help with the lack of manpower.
As a result, Team 2 had far fewer assignments than Team 1.
Song Wuli planned to work overtime to finish all their tasks. He couldnโt let Team 1 outdo them.
That day, he worked until midnight. The copywriting group was empty.
But over in the programming department, people were still working lateโbusy at this hour, too.
Impressiveโthey really were the backbone of the company.
Song Wuli made himself a bucket of instant noodles, scrolling through his phone to check the chat group.
Only Huanhong was chatting. Sheโd felt ashamed and then worked hard to redeem herself, exercising for most of the day.
That evening, sheโd worked out in the gym, running for an hour and then bench pressing for another.
After nightfall, she went outside to practice her magical girl powers, aiming to increase the strength and duration of her enhancement state.
After experiencing โintimate educationโ once, she was even more determined.
There were also a few pictures from Jinluan in the group. Sheโd investigated some religious organization symbols, found similar ones, and planned to ask those religious groups about them.
After that, there was no more news from Jinluan.
She was probably deep in her investigationโno time to chat with the girls.
Neither Song Wuli nor Huanhong thought much of it.
After finishing his noodles and browsing the news for a bit, Song Wuli was about to sleep.
Suddenly, his silver phone rangโa call was coming in.
It was Jinluan.
This wasnโt a good time to answer. Song Wuli let it ring, pretending the phone wasnโt nearby.
When the ringtone stopped, a while later, a message arrived.
He opened it.
[Iโm that doctor. Come over, Jinluanโs in trouble.]
Short and to the point.
Had Jinluan died?
Even though it was already late, Song Wuli sprang into action. He opened another cup of spicy beef noodles and took out the seasoning packet.
He went up to the rooftop and transformed, heading for the hospital.
This time, using a wind shield for speed, he reached the hospital in just one minute.
Descending from the rooftop, he ran into the old doctor in the corridor.
The old doctor didnโt expect Yinlin to arrive so quicklyโheโd thought Yinlin must have been nearby. Stunned for a moment, he hurriedly led Yinlin to the ward.
As they neared, Yinlin tore open the noodleโs seasoning packet, smeared some chili powder on her hand, and dabbed a bit around her eyes.
The spicy sensation hit instantly, and tears streamed down her face.
The old doctor opened the ward door just then. Yinlin walked in, her face full of tears.
Even if her parents had died, this was probably as much as she would have cried.
The old doctor was moved speechless, and closed the door, leaving them alone.
Looking at the familiar figure in the hospital bed, Yinlin was surprisedโJinluan wasnโt dead? All those tears for nothing?
And she didnโt look on the verge of death either. Surely she hadnโt been called to hear any last words.
So what was so urgent?
Jinluan was awake, her transformation undone. She turned her face away, burying her whole body under the quiltโonly her eyes were visible above the covers.
Yinlin guessed something and, crying, moved closer: โSister Jin, you scared me to death! I thought youโd died.โ
She wiped her tears, looking very worried.
Jinluan replied in a hoarse voice, โSorry, he stole my phone and sent the message. I didnโt want to tell you.โ
Yinlin: โWhatโs wrong? Are you feeling sick?โ
Jinluanโs voice was weak. โMm, itโs nothing major, just a little uncomfortable.โ
Yinlin was already at her side, quietly grabbed the quilt, and yanked it up.
โDonโt!โ Jinluan hadnโt expected it and had no chance to resist.
Naturally, Yinlin saw all the various marks on her body.
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