Unable to hold on any longer, most people found somewhere to rest. Some dozed off at their desks, while others made makeshift beds on the office floor. This early morning was destined to keep countless people awake, and even the experts who had tried to flee earlier were too embarrassed to leave again and came back to work.
Other departments were also demolishing, clearing hazards, or removing debris. Huang Yi pushed through the exhaustion until he simply couldn’t anymore, and rested his head for a while. Nearly the entire fire department had been deployed to dig out the affected citizens.
He opened his eyes to daylight, and rain falling outside.
Still drowsy, Huang Yi walked out and found his car in the parking lot.
He pulled the door open with his right hand, got in, started the engine, and left the area.
At the checkpoint, he used his right hand to pull the card from the compartment to the left of the steering wheel and handed it to the guard outside.
The guard checked it and let him through.
He continued driving away, staring at the rain outside, lost in thought.
The farther he drove, the worse the destruction of the streets became.
This was the destructive power of Demonic Creatures—with just a moment of carelessness, the City could be leveled.
While waiting at a red light, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.
It was the Contract Beast, Old Wang.
It hopped onto the hood of the car again, but he couldn’t deal with it now because this was an intersection with cameras watching.
Huang Yi drove a bit further, then turned into an empty alley, parked, and pushed the door open with his right hand.
Old Wang understood his intention and got into the car.
“You’re soaked, way too dirty. Don’t come up here.”
Huang Yi was disgusted, but still found something to lay down as padding. Old Wang hopped onto the seat and crouched on the bag in the passenger seat.
“You’re pretty cold, you know.”
Huang Yi took out a bottle of water and drank, replying:
“You too. Inside and out, you’re just a beast.”
Old Wang:
“Human, based on the current context, are you insulting me right now?”
Huang Yi:
“Talk. What do you want.”
Still ice cold.
Old Wang groomed its soaked fur with its claws:
“Why didn’t you Transform? If you had, the current situation wouldn’t have happened.”
Huang Yi’s gaze passed through the alley and landed on a collapsed building in the distance.
He responded with silence. Old Wang continued:
“If you had Transformed earlier, you could have saved many Human lives and salvaged a lot of property.”
Huang Yi couldn’t help but answer:
“I don’t want to die yet. I don’t want to be expendable.”
Old Wang:
“Then why do you keep the Magic Wand by your side?”
Huang Yi:
“I don’t want anyone else to see this thing.”
With that, he pulled the Magic Wand out from a hidden spot in the car. It was filled with an ancient aura, covered in traces of use.
“Let me ask you this—this is the Magic Wand’s base form. When a Magical Girl Transforms, the Magic Wand becomes their exclusive weapon, right?”
Huang Yi had a fairly deep understanding of Magical Girls.
“Yes.” Old Wang admitted.
“Can’t a Magical Girl know what her weapon is in advance?”
“No.”
“So, a Magical Girl who Transforms with this Magic Wand and rushes into battle with only one chance—she needs to quickly master her Magic Wand, quickly learn Magic, and fight the enemy under those conditions. Is that what you mean?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you think that’s pure expendability? Isn’t that just walking to your death?”
“But it also gives you Humans a chance to save the world.”
Old Wang didn’t deny it.
Huang Yi didn’t deny it either.
His right hand rested on the steering wheel, growing anxious.
After a long silence, he asked another question:
“Men can become Magical Girls too, right?”
Old Wang answered:
“Very rare. Almost impossible.”
Huang Yi:
“The probability isn’t zero. Besides me, there are other Magical Girls whose True Form is male?”
Old Wang still didn’t deny it:
“Yes. Aren’t you all currently conducting an Investigation?”
Huang Yi:
“Investigating the True Forms of Magical Girls is something I’m forced into as well. Is this the real reason you came to me? You’re here for this?”
Old Wang hopped from the passenger seat to the center console, still dripping wet, looking at Huang Yi at eye level.
“Human, I have a proposal: strengthen the political status of Magical Girls. Let Magical Girls lead Humanity. That way, internal conflict can be reduced, and we can focus on fighting Demonic Creatures.”
Hearing this, Huang Yi was stunned for a moment, then tentatively asked:
“Did another Magical Girl ask you to relay this?”
Old Wang admitted:
“Yes.”
Another silence followed. Having nothing more to say, Old Wang prepared to leave. Huang Yi suddenly revealed a piece of intelligence:
“Oh, by the way, tell them that our Investigation Team is planning to look into students who’ve taken leave from School, and also check the attendance of working professionals, to find… Yin Lin’s True Form.”
Old Wang:
“Alright, I’ll relay the message.”
Watching Old Wang’s departing figure, Huang Yi ran his hand over the Magic Wand covered in countless marks.
At the Hospital, Huan Hong and Jin Luan were recovering from their injuries there. Yin Lin didn’t plan to stay hospitalized, claiming she had something important to do and couldn’t be admitted.
The Elder Physician tried to persuade her for a long time but failed, so he had to let her leave—but they reached an agreement that she would return to the Hospital for regular checkups.
That was the hard condition set by the Elder Physician and Xia Shiyao for letting her leave, and she had no choice but to accept.
Getting home was also troublesome. The Metro was suspended, and most Didi Chuzuche services were shut down.
She had no choice but to fly home using her Magical Girl body.
She checked the work Group and saw a message from the Supervisor.
[Due to the City being attacked by a Cadre-level Demonic Creature, the damage to the city is severe, and going outside carries extreme danger to life. Official Announcement: everyone is asked not to go home after work tonight. Please stay at the Company to avoid being late tomorrow. If you have already gone home, please leave a few hours early to avoid delays caused by unexpected dangers on the way.]
[Copywriting Team 2 Qian Dehao: Received]
[Copywriting Team 2 Chang Yong: Received]
[Copywriting Team 2 Chang Kaihuai: Received]
Yin Lin let out a sigh and also replied with “Received.”
She wasn’t sighing because of work matters, but because she was relieved that her home was still intact, untouched by the Demonic Creature’s fist wind.
Around her, other people’s houses had shattered windows and damaged walls.
After confirming no one was nearby, Yin Lin quietly slipped back into her home.
Footsteps came from the bathroom.
“Damn, there’s a burglar in the house!”
Just as she was about to cancel her Magical Girl Transformation State, she suddenly heard a sound nearby.
Yin Lin’s body reacted on reflex, instantly casting a Magic Shield.
But something absurd happened—the Magic Shield was dispelled in an instant by something.
The next second, something touched her neck, accompanied by crackling sounds like a stun device. Her mind went blank, and she lost consciousness as she collapsed.
She snapped her eyes open!
The familiar ceiling—it was her own home, and she hadn’t been kidnapped.
Her body still ached terribly, the lingering wounds from her battle with the Demonic Creature.
She looked around and saw no outsiders.
She was lying properly in her bed, but her clothes had been stripped off.
A note sat on the bedside table.
[That Gemstone is the extremely precious Creation Artifact known as the Time Stone. I’ve already hidden it on you—it’s very safe. This isn’t a perfect solution, but I only fear the Tentacle Monster.]
Who did this? What does this mean?
Yin Lin quickly searched around. The Time Stone was indeed no longer in her Magical Girl Uniform placed by the bedside.
She picked up the note again and read: Hidden on you.
Huh? On me?
She frantically felt her hair—nothing.
Then her neck—nothing.
She was completely naked, no clothes, no pockets. How the hell did someone hide a Time Stone that big on her body?
Suddenly, she remembered the last line of the note: I only fear the Tentacle Monster.
Wait… that bastard who left this note—did he really hide the Time Stone there?