Luo Zhizhou aimed at an Aberrant Beast and pulled the trigger.
The Type 89 Heavy Machine Gun fired 12.7mm caliber rounds that easily tore through the beast’s body.
Only after the core of one Aberrant Beast was shattered did Luo Zhizhou release the trigger and search for the next target—he repeated this process mechanically.
Beside him, Xu Tianhao operated an identical machine gun, though Luo Zhizhou doubted whether his current state allowed him to use it effectively.
Soldier-class Aberrant Beasts couldn’t withstand gunfire; getting hit meant death.
Knight-class beasts were the main force of attack and could endure prolonged bullet impacts.
But the firepower of seven men was nowhere near enough to hold back a Beast Tide of two hundred creatures. Many Aberrant Beasts were closing in on the position.
“Try this!” Ma Gaoxian kept throwing hand grenades toward the front of the position.
Explosions erupted immediately, blowing the head off one Aberrant Beast, which landed smoking right in front of Ma Gaoxian.
“They’re about to charge!” Wang Zhiyi said fearfully.
“Are the grenades you collected just decorations? Throw them at the front line, don’t miss!” Zeng Tianle scolded.
Wang Zhiyi complied, opening the ammunition box filled exclusively with hand grenades.
“This stuff’s great… Aberrant Beasts, die!” Wang Zhiyi followed Ma Gaoxian’s example, tossing grenades toward the front line.
“Two Baron-level, at the one o’clock direction, three hundred meters!” Jiang Lianxi reported to Zeng Tianle, who operated the mortar.
Zeng Tianle quickly calculated the firing parameters, loaded a shell into the tube, and fired.
The shell struck precisely at the crown of a Baron-level beast’s head—the weakest point in its defense—blowing it into pieces.
“I’ll take care of the other one!” Liu Lancheng said, shouldering a rocket launcher.
He aimed at the remaining Baron-level beast and pulled the trigger.
The beast met the same fate, split into two segments.
“Cough, cough…” The bunker was filled with a foul smell of gunpowder, making Luo Zhizhou choke and lose focus.
“Be careful, that looks like a Count-class.” Xu Tianhao said.
At the sound of “Count-class,” Luo Zhizhou snapped back to attention and carefully observed the battlefield.
Sure enough, a gigantic figure was slowly approaching…
***
“We’re done for. There’s a Count-class coming from the ten o’clock direction,” Luo Zhizhou said into the radio.
“Liu Lancheng, any rockets left?” Zeng Tianle asked.
“Out of ammo. I was pretty accurate, five shots took down five Baron-level beasts; maybe I can get a first-class merit. As for the Count-class? Just waiting to die.”
Even the usually strong-willed Liu Lancheng was ready to give up.
After all, a Count-class Aberrant Beast wasn’t something a handful of soldiers could defeat.
“One shot from its Magic Cannon and this whole position will be blown to hell,” Ma Gaoxian said, firing continuously.
“What do we do? Just wait to die?” Wang Zhiyi said unwillingly.
A few Soldier-class Aberrant Beasts rapidly approached him but were cut down by his sweeping gunfire.
The Count-class beast was as tall as a building, casting a massive shadow over the defensive position under the dim sunlight piercing the thick clouds…
Luo Zhizhou fired bullets at the Count-class’s head, but the shots bounced off its armored shell.
“It’s useless… that thing can withstand hits from a tank’s main cannon.” Xu Tianhao told him.
The Count-class Aberrant Beast’s body suddenly began to swell, its black skin glowing with iridescent colors, standing out in this gray world.
“It’s about to fire its Magic Cannon! Zeng Tianle, find any remaining rocket launchers—quick, stop its Magic Cannon!” Liu Lancheng shouted as he darted through the trenches.
He encountered a Knight-class Aberrant Beast around a corner, unflinching, and decisively fired at its head.
After emptying one magazine, he swiftly reloaded and continued firing until the beast’s core was destroyed.
Zeng Tianle held his gun with both hands, relentlessly pushing back the attacking Aberrant Beasts.
“How do you expect me to find one? They’re everywhere!”
The Count-class Aberrant Beast’s colorful body inflated to its maximum and then stopped, as if frozen in place.
“Damn it, it’s firing its Magic Cannon! Everyone, hit the deck!!!” Ma Gaoxian shouted, his voice mixed with the roars of the beasts.
A thunderous explosion and shockwaves followed.
The feeling of death had never been closer to Luo Zhizhou.
Under the Magic Cannon’s strike, Luo Zhizhou felt blinded, unable to see any objects.
The world was reduced to a single color, a single sensation.
Luo Xi… I’m sorry…
A blinding white.
In truth, he never expected to survive.
Then, she appeared.
She was the angel of the sacred covenant—the Virgin Mary.
Like something stepping out from scripture, otherworldly and flawless.
In that moment, all things sacred and noble lost meaning before her.
She was holiness and nobility incarnate, the embodiment of all mercy and love in the universe, the epitome of all that was beautiful.
She descended before him, bringing with her a shard of heavenly light.
She was beautiful and fragile, standing out in this dull world with naked vulnerability.
The girl activated a Magic Barrier, blocking the Magic Cannon.
Her small frame looked so fragile against the charged particle beam.
Yet, she gritted her teeth and endured, shielding the position behind her from the devastating Magic Cannon.
“Is that… a Magical Girl!?” Luo Zhizhou exclaimed.
“Weren’t they already evacuated?” Ma Gaoxian crawled out from the underground tunnel.
The girl looked somewhat weak, and several Knight-class Aberrant Beasts rushed toward her.
“Forget everything else, help her!” Zeng Tianle shouted, emerging from the trench to cover the girl.
The squad members quickly converged on the Magical Girl.
“Damn Aberrant Beasts, try my Magic Cannon!” The white-haired girl spread her arms, forming a magical circle, charging and firing a white Magic Cannon.
The Magical Girl’s Magic Cannon was more dazzling than the Aberrant Beast’s, but generally less powerful.
Her attack only tore part of the Count-class beast’s body apart; its core remained unscathed.
“Be careful, young lady, it hasn’t lost its offensive capability yet,” Liu Lancheng warned, forming a defensive line alongside the others near the girl.
Luo Zhizhou hurried over, carrying Xu Tianhao and dragging his machine gun.
“I know. You all handle the smaller Aberrant Beasts first. Leave this Count-class to me.” The girl said before flying into the sky.
“She can fly, so we don’t need to cover her! We really don’t need to!” Ma Gaoxian said with some disbelief.
Liu Lancheng took a rocket launcher that Wang Zhiyi found and said, “Stop talking nonsense and make sure we stay safe first.”
The white-haired girl circled the partially destroyed Count-class Aberrant Beast, repeatedly firing small spells to weaken its defenses.
“Good opportunity! It’s showing a weak spot.” Liu Lancheng lifted his rocket launcher and aimed.
A dog-type Aberrant Beast leapt toward the squad, interrupting Liu Lancheng’s aim.
“Someone kill that dog!”
Ma Gaoxian fed a hand grenade to the dog-like Aberrant Beast, which thought it was a treat and swallowed it whole.
“Little doggy, don’t get in the way—go play somewhere else.”
The grenade exploded inside the Aberrant Beast, tearing it apart.
“Too bad Aberrant Beasts aren’t edible; maybe today we could have had roasted dog meat.” Ma Gaoxian sighed.
“Why can’t we eat Aberrant Beasts?” Wang Zhiyi asked as he opened the ammunition box to distribute magazines.
“Because Aberrant Beasts are silicon-based lifeforms. Humans can’t eat metal or stone,” Xu Tianhao explained.
Xu Tianhao, unable to stand, sat on a portable stool, leaning against Luo Zhizhou as he fired his gun.
With no Aberrant Beast interference, Liu Lancheng completed his aim and fired an armor-piercing bullet, hitting the Count-class’s weak spot.
It collapsed, exposing its vulnerable belly.
The white-haired girl saw the perfect chance and swiftly fired another Magic Cannon, killing the Count-class Aberrant Beast.
The remaining scattered Aberrant Beasts were no match and were wiped out.
The white-haired girl landed and approached the squad.
“Miss, on behalf of the 163rd Division 2nd Battalion, thank you. Without you, we wouldn’t have held on.” Zeng Tianle said gratefully.
“You’re truly our savior. But why are you still here? Wasn’t the Magical Girl Squad withdrawn?” Liu Lancheng asked.
The girl’s face showed sorrow before resolutely replying, “I disobeyed the evacuation order. I didn’t want to retreat.”
“Because behind this position is my hometown.”
Ma Gaoxian sensed her thoughts and comforted her, “Child, I understand how you feel. Though disobeying orders isn’t right, I respect you. Come, sit and rest a bit.”
“Okay.”
The others returned to their posts to keep watch.
Luo Zhizhou was curious about this girl. Since childhood, he’d been fascinated by Magical Girls but had never been so close to one.
He secretly approached her resting spot.
At a distance suitable for conversation, he struggled internally before mustering the courage to say, “Miss Magical Girl, hello… may I ask your name?”
“My name is Bai Lingyi, B-Class Magical Girl.”
“Uh, I’m Luo Zhizhou, machine gunner.”
The girl smiled at him, a beautiful smile that nearly melted Luo Zhizhou’s heart.
“What’s the matter? Did you need something?”
“No… I was just curious. Aren’t you afraid of dying? So many terrifying Aberrant Beasts. One slip and…” Luo Zhizhou was just making conversation, but the topic deeply touched Bai Lingyi.
“I am scared, but without me, you all would be killed. Plus, the railway behind this position transports lots of disaster relief supplies. I can’t just leave. I want to protect the people—that’s why I stay here.”
She looked up at the dull sky, which hadn’t brightened for days.
“Well then, Mr. Luo Zhizhou, why did you join the army? Soldiers like you have a higher casualty rate, yet you ask me such questions.”
“Ah, I… I’m here for my family, especially my sister. Aberrant Beasts destroyed my home… to make sure my family has food and clothes, I enlisted. Also, the Aberrant Beasts killed my mother, and I want revenge, so I… came.”
Luo Zhizhou stammered, rarely speaking to girls and feeling shy.
Bai Lingyi moved closer, grasping his hand, leaving Luo Zhizhou a bit flustered.
“Mr. Luo Zhizhou, one day, I might be killed by Aberrant Beasts. When that day comes, please avenge me, then bury and hide my body. I don’t want my father to see me dead.”
“But according to regulations, Magical Girl bodies require special handling because they’re radioactive…” Luo Zhizhou hesitated, unable to meet her gaze.
“As long as the Magical Core is taken out before I die, it won’t be a problem—if I can remove it. If I can’t, I’ll have to rely on you to get it out for me.”
Bai Lingyi’s other hand rested against Luo Zhizhou’s back.
Her words shocked him, and he hurriedly said, “That’s impossible… Miss Bai Lingyi, you won’t die. Don’t be so pessimistic. If we hold on a little longer, reinforcements will arrive.”
“Of course, I mean if.”
Bai Lingyi smiled again—a smile like a star shining in the dark night, illuminating the shadows in Luo Zhizhou’s heart.
Lighting up some things he wished not to face.
“Hey, you two, the battlefield’s no place for love talks.”
Ma Gaoxian appeared at the worst moment.
“Little Luo, you’re something else—already won the beauty’s heart?”
“Ma Ge, it’s not what you think…”
Seeing Ma Gaoxian approach, Bai Lingyi pressed even closer to Luo Zhizhou, nearly pressing against him.
“Miss Bai Lingyi, what do you mean by this?!”
“Idiot, I’m teasing you, haha.”
Bai Lingyi finally let go of him.
Ma Gaoxian gave Luo Zhizhou a knowing look, barely containing a laugh as he whispered, “You’re awesome. When’s the wedding? I want to attend.”
“Get lost…” Luo Zhizhou retorted.
“Well then, you two, I’ll patrol ahead. Stay safe and watch out for sneaky Aberrant Beasts.”
Bai Lingyi turned and flew toward the dark sky.
Luo Zhizhou felt an indescribable emptiness, still feeling the warmth of her touch on his hand.
If only that day could repeat forever…