“Help is on the way.”
Huan Hong was already used to this, so she immediately took off toward the explosion to provide backup. Yin Lin was startled—she wasn’t accustomed to such sudden loud noises.
No matter how low her combat power was, she was now the most proactive one.
Yin Lin followed right away.
Seeking efficiency, Jin Luan had other considerations. She snapped a photo and sent it to Wan Zi, then activated a video call between them. She hung her phone like a law enforcement recorder, allowing Wan Zi to see the scene at the site.
“Why are you here of all places? Didn’t you just finish fighting in the dungeon? Your mana must be nearly spent. Why aren’t you heading back? What are you still doing here?”
Instead of asking about the explosion first, Wan Zi focused on something else.
Her voice remained calm, unshaken even by the massive blast that had just killed hundreds.
Jin Luan slowly flew toward the scene, shouting against the wind as she replied, “We received a tip-off that the urban area was likely to be attacked this morning, so we stayed here on standby.”
Wan Zi was silent for a few seconds, observing the explosion site.
Then she said, “If I told you that this explosion was set off by your informant, would you believe it?”
Jin Luan: “Even if we’re allies, saying that pisses me off. Do you think my informant would help me on one hand and kill people on the other? What would be the point?”
She looked at the blast point from a distance, her telescope sweeping across the underground, revealing a scene of hell on earth.
The industrial zone below had been attacked, and they couldn’t spare any hands.
“Let me guess—in one minute, your informant will tell you that they’ve gone elsewhere, so you need to go down through that hole to provide support.”
Wan Zi spoke like a prophet.
Not even a minute passed; half a minute later, a message came from Huang Yi.
It was almost exactly as Wan Zi had predicted. The Eastern Alliance had defended the power plant, but the enemy suddenly struck the agricultural zone, far from the power plant.
The explosion just now was caused by the enemy.
The Eastern Alliance couldn’t redeploy to that area, nor would they defend the agricultural zone—they had to hold the vital power plant.
So they hoped the Magical Girls would handle the trouble in the agricultural zone. All they had to do was descend through the hole.
After receiving the message, Jin Luan was stunned for a moment, then finally relayed it to Wan Zi.
But Wan Zi didn’t mock her.
Instead, she took back her earlier words.
“I was half-joking just now. I don’t believe your informant would do something like this. It’s just that the enemy’s intelligence is on par with an ordinary human’s—they knew where you’d be guarding, so they struck another equally important location, which is the explosion you’re seeing now.”
What she meant was simple.
The Eastern Alliance knew the enemy would attack the power plant. The enemy also knew that the Alliance was aware of the attack on the power plant, so they switched to hitting the agricultural zone instead.
If Yin Lin hadn’t destroyed the teleportation gate, the enemy would have used it to surprise attack the power plant—or strike densely populated surface areas and destroy the city.
The teleportation gate was destroyed, and the plan changed. Wan Zi believed that was why the agricultural zone was attacked.
Jin Luan was nearly at the scene and saw that Huan Hong and Yin Lin had already descended.
Wan Zi added, “Your informant had you wait here as a contingency, roughly guessing that this place might also be attacked. That way, you’d be able to arrive at the fastest speed.”
Jin Luan asked in confusion, “But I didn’t sense any mana. Neither did Yin Lin.”
Wan Zi: “Then you need to think—under what circumstances could the enemy be causing destruction below without you sensing it?”
Jin Luan: “Humans?”
Wan Zi didn’t reply.
She was drinking tea.
Below, Huan Hong had already reached the street and was conducting rescue operations.
The area had turned into a vast expanse of rubble. Countless particles of dust floated in the sky, covering the ground in a gray coat.
Many people were wailing in agony—those crushed by collapsed buildings.
Some had half their bodies exposed; others were left with only half.
They cried out, “Help me…”
Their voices were low and weak, not the energetic, spirited cries seen in movies. The desperate citizens sounded utterly drained.
In the distance, some residents were fleeing, keeping a far distance. A few wanted to help, but the sheriff who had rushed over stopped them.
They couldn’t control the Magical Girls, so they let Huan Hong and Yin Lin dig people out.
Huan Hong applied the technique she’d just learned, using her magic wand to assist, working together to move heavy bricks and stones weighing hundreds of pounds, rescuing those trapped underneath.
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
The citizen limped away.
Yin Lin, meanwhile, encountered someone grabbing her ankle with a hand.
That was the best-case scenario. Most people weren’t so lucky.
“Please… save me… I’m in so much pain…”
The person’s lower body was flattened; their abdominal contents were spilling out.
A few seconds later, the grip on their hand weakened.
By the time Yin Lin called for the sheriff, the person had stopped breathing.
The death of a person at a macro level hadn’t affected Yin Lin much.
For example, when the news reported someone dying somewhere, she couldn’t empathize.
But now, seeing an ordinary person die horribly at her feet—the impact hit her like a freight train.
She couldn’t help but dry heave, even though there was nothing in her stomach.
It wasn’t until Jin Luan came down and patted her shoulder, telling her to leave, that she moved.
There was something Yin Lin could do: go below and deal with the instigator.
Just then, a familiar figure appeared—Liang Tai, the live streamer who had been out gathering material in the early morning.
He was bold, breaking through the sheriff’s cordon and heading toward them.
Many spectators followed him, rushing to the rubble despite the sheriff’s attempts to stop them.
But this time, they weren’t here for photos or autographs—they were here to help with the rescue.
One person couldn’t move a stone, so several worked together to lift the bricks and free those buried underneath.
Some experienced citizens walked around, marking spots where people might be trapped and coordinating rescue efforts based on urgency.
“You two go down. I’ll help out here.”
Huan Hong urged them on.
She apparently didn’t plan on descending.
Yin Lin didn’t insist. She took off and flew with Jin Luan toward the hundred-meter-deep pit.
If they encountered a tough demonic creature, Yin Lin would have to handle it—she was indispensable now.
If they faced a human enemy, then Jin Luan, who was on the wanted list, would take over.
“Do you sense anything?”
Jin Luan’s knife was already drawn, her nerves taut.
“No.”
After Yin Lin replied, Jin Luan sent a message, presumably to Huang Yi.
“Be careful. If I were a member of the Star Summoning Society, I’d know you’d be lured down here.”
Wan Zi’s voice came through the phone, cutting in again.
She continued, “Human enemies have one trait that demonic creatures lack: they can hide in the city. They could even be among those citizens you just saw, reporting your every move. In other words, if there are enemies below, they’ll have a plan to deal with you. You’d better be careful.”