This is an era where humanity stands on the edge of a precipice.
Scientists once said the greenhouse effect might cause human extinction; they also said nuclear war might be the end.
As it turns out, the most likely cause of human extinction is the Abominations.
The Human Alliance must maintain not only basic resources but also spiritual needs.
Among these various needs, timber remains a top priority.
The Forest Farm outside Next-Day City bears the burden of the city’s timber supply.
Normally, no one is stationed here. In this era, “human ore” (labor) is a precious resource.
Fire prevention in the forest is usually handled remotely by drones; living souls are never sent to patrol.
Because Abominations are frequently spotted here, it is naturally a terrible place for a meeting—or a deal.
Green Field carried the suitcase along the forest path, heading deeper.
She didn’t sense any Abominations; the nearest source of mana was Yin Lin, radiating from inside the suitcase. After walking for half a minute, she finally saw someone.
A figure in a brown robe was waiting on the road, looking exactly as Green Field had described—faceless and unidentifiable. As she approached, the man moved to meet her. Without a word, he reached out his hand toward Green Field.
Green Field stood motionless. “Sending a third-rate character to meet me and expecting me to hand over the goods? What do you take me for?” Her voice dripped with anger. It sounded authentic, not at all like an act.
The brown-robed man said haughtily, “It is your honor to deliver the goods. Do you dare defy the Star-Summoning Society?”
Green Field: “What does ‘defy’ mean?”
The man grew angry: “It means being disobedient!”
Green Field: “And why should I listen to you? What are you supposed to be?”
Her cold indifference toward humans was written all over her face, unmasked and blunt. The man’s hand was hidden in his robe, clutching something, hinting at a move. “Anyone who insults the Society is as good as dead,” he hissed with a dark, sinister edge.
Suddenly, he seemed to receive a transmission. His attitude softened as he repeatedly acknowledged the person on the other end. Once the communication ended, he relayed a new command: “Our Society’s Elder will meet with you, but on one condition: you must kill the Magical Girl, Yin Lin, right here in front of me.”
His tone was absolute, leaving no room for negotiation. Green Field tried to push back with a few words, but the man remained resolute, repeating the demand like a broken record. Inside the suitcase, Yin Lin quickly tucked away her phone and resumed her act of being unconscious.
Half a minute later, Green Field actually set the suitcase down and unzipped it. The man watched, doing nothing. Green Field stared at the Yin Lin inside the box, hesitation flickering.
The brown-robed man urged, “Think of your future. As long as you cooperate with us, we can provide you with countless Magical Girls to toy with. You can play with them however you like. What are you waiting for?”
Green Field: “Why do you want to kill her?”
The man: “Classified.”
Green Field: “Why cooperate with me? Why not someone else?”
The man: “Classified. Once you’ve done it, you can ask the Elder yourself.”
Green Field hesitated for a moment longer. Finally, she placed her hands around Yin Lin’s neck, slowly increasing the pressure. Yin Lin started to panic. She couldn’t tell if Green Field was still acting; as her throat was squeezed, breathing became increasingly difficult. She felt Green Field’s fingers twitch a few times, seemingly sending a coded signal.
Yin Lin received the signal, but she had no idea what it meant. She had to continue pretending to be unconscious while simultaneously acting out the gasping movements of someone being strangled.
What they didn’t know was that Huang Yi was about to die of anxiety.
The combined IQ of these two sisters couldn’t even match half a Zhuge Liang; it was truly “the wisdom of mortals.”
You, Green Field, have held a core belief of not killing Magical Girls for years—it’s etched into your very bones. And now you’re going to kill the Yin Lin you care so much about for a verbal promise from the Star-Summoning Society? Do you really think an organization that hides so perfectly within human society would fall for such a clumsy ruse?
The acting head of the Countermeasure Center immediately issued orders for the Special Task Force to prepare for combat, ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Back in the forest, Green Field was still choking Yin Lin, whose face was already beginning to change color. They both thought their acting was top-tier.
The brown-robed man received another command, nodded, and said, “Enough. Let go. Follow me.”
Green Field released her grip and exhaled in relief. She stuffed Yin Lin back into the suitcase and continued dragging it along. They followed the path for a while before turning off into a dense thicket. After two minutes of walking, they reached their destination.
The brown-robed man stopped and turned to look at her. “According to our data, the Magical Girl ‘Green Field’ is someone who absolutely never kills her own kind. Your hobby for tormenting other Magical Girls is both twisted and pure. Our Elder believes that you would never betray your core conviction. In other words, the moment you laid hands on Yin Lin, we knew you were acting. Regardless of your goal, you are no longer trustworthy.”
As soon as he finished speaking, two more figures emerged from behind the trees, wielding strange firearms. Two shells glowing with a dark, eerie light were fired directly at Green Field.
Green Field noticed the shift in his tone and immediately deployed her magic shield, her whip lashing out as she entered a defensive stance. She dodged one shell, but the other hit its mark.
The mana she sensed from the shell hadn’t seemed particularly high, but upon impact, it unleashed a violent explosion of magic. A single shot shattered her shield and wounded her, the force of the blast throwing her to the ground.
How is this possible? What is that weapon? How is it so powerful?
Stunned, Green Field rolled a few times and immediately took to the sky, using her superior speed to weave through the subsequent volleys of dark shells.
Meanwhile, inside the suitcase, Yin Lin realized a fierce battle had broken out. She struggled to get out, only to find the suitcase was “the real deal.” It wasn’t a prop; it was a high-quality, reinforced container sturdy enough to serve as a prison. With her current strength, she couldn’t force her way out.
Oh my god, did Green Field take the “fake” kidnapping too far? Is she really trying to keep me locked in here?
Fortunately, a tiny gap had been left in the zipper. She struggled to move her arms, poking her fingers through the gap, trying desperately to pull the zipper open.
Outside, the battle raged. Green Field pushed her flight speed to the limit, dodging shells, but she took another hit. Her uniform was torn open, and new wounds opened up on her already unhealed body.
She lashed out with a lightning-fast whip strike reinforced with magic. It hit the brown-robed man squarely, but he didn’t go down. He seemed to take the blow with his bare body—an attack that could slice a car in two only caused him a minor injury.
“We need to move! The situation is critical!” Inside the Countermeasure Center, Huang Yi was nervously demanding they launch the strike.
“Don’t rush. Wait a bit longer. If we appear now, we’ll scare away the big fish,” the acting head decided to remain still, continuing to “fish” for the organization behind them.