“Wow, Invading Tumbleweed!”
Lin Xing tried to chase after the tumbleweed, but a gust of wind mixed with yellow sand blew past.
She had to close her eyes, and when she opened them, the tumbleweed was gone.
“I thought this plant mostly invades the northern part of Beijing Province? Since when has it spread to Zhonghe Province?”
“Kong Ling, you really don’t pay attention to the changes in the world at all. Half of Beijing Province has already become desertified, and it’s long been affecting our Zhonghe Province,” Ying Xian said.
Above them.
“I see… this is really shocking. Jing’an City is still quite green.”
Kong Ling and the others entered from the east side of the city, specifically at an abandoned chemical factory.
Inside the factory, various rusted steel pipes were crumbling apart, and stepping on them felt like the whole structure might collapse.
“There are so many ants here. Kong Ling, senior, let’s get out of here quickly,” Lin Xing said, brushing her uniform, afraid that ants might stick to her.
“Our primary objective should be the Main Urban District. There are several high-rises there, the terrain is very advantageous, and the enemy will definitely want to seize the initiative,” Ying Xian told Kong Ling.
“You’re right, but first, we need to make a combat plan.”
Kong Ling gathered the squad members together.
“We’ve already divided the roles at the camp. I’ll repeat it once more.”
“Xiao Si will act alone. She’s our sniper, tasked with reaching advantageous sniper positions first to provide support.”
Xiao Si materialized an exaggeratedly large Magical Sniper Rifle etched with intricate magic runes.
“Wow, you really are a sniper!” Lin Xing exclaimed, curiously examining the rifle. “I’ve seen snipers in the army before, and they look so cool! Xiao Si, you’re awesome.”
“Am… am I really that cool?” Xiao Si stammered.
Xiao Si was very short—the smallest in the team—which made her suitable for the sniper role, but her sniper rifle was even taller than she was.
“Ye Liu, you’re the scout. Use your abilities to move to the very front of the team and scout for us.”
“Understood!” Ye Liu saluted.
Unlike the other Magical Girls, Ye Liu didn’t wear a skirt; she had on athletic shorts and short hair, which made her movements much more agile.
“Lin Xing and Li Jing, you two will act together. Your combat skills are relatively weak, so you’ll support us from the rear.”
“Why? I can fire Magic Cannon too! Just like Chen Lisi!” Lin Xing protested.
“Can your Magic Cannon compare to the specialized Chen Lisi? I remember you fought her before, and you got totally crushed,” Ying Xian said.
“Ying Xian, that was just an off day for me!”
Kong Ling cut in impatiently, “Enough, enough. Lin Xing, I’m the team leader. Obey the plan. Your abilities are important to us, but you can’t participate in frontline combat.”
Lin Xing had no choice but to hold back and step aside.
Li Jing didn’t object much; she knew her basic abilities were weaker and didn’t say anything.
“Next, Ying Xian and I will act…”
Ying Xian suddenly interrupted, “There are three newcomers from out of province. Their abilities are unknown, so be especially careful.”
“We don’t have any intel advantage. Of course, our primary targets are two people—Bai Lingluo and Chen Lisi. They’re experienced veterans.”
“Bai Lingluo specializes in close combat, excelling in intense melee battles. Chen Lisi is a long-range type who can fire powerful Magic Cannons. If we defeat these two, the rest will be much easier to handle.”
“Hey, Ying Xian, how can you interrupt me like that?” Kong Ling complained about being cut off.
But she followed up on Ying Xian’s words, “Since we don’t know the capabilities of the other three, we must avoid direct confrontations and split up the team to prevent being picked off one by one.”
In the command room, Porcelain Moon, Lei Mang, and Lan Xi watched the exercise through drones.
“Miss Porcelain Moon, which side do you think has the better chance of winning?” Lei Mang asked.
“On paper, definitely B Team, where Bai Lingluo and Chen Lisi are, because of those two experienced veterans.”
“But since they’re fighting other Magical Girls, all of whom are essentially novices, and this is the first time domestically that Magical Girls are considered the simulated enemy in training, it’s hard to say which side has the upper hand,” Porcelain Moon replied.
“I actually think A Team has the advantage.”
“Oh? Why do you say that?”
“Although A Team’s raw power is weaker on paper, their abilities are oriented toward human combat. Whether it’s Ye Liu’s Invisibility Ability, Ying Xian’s Assassination Ability, or Xiao Si’s sniping skills, these are less effective against beasts but extremely deadly against human targets.”
“Moreover, Lin Xing’s Space Teleportation is a trump card that might catch B Team off guard.”
Porcelain Moon pondered. She agreed.
While B Team’s abilities like Chen Lisi’s, Tian Lan’s, and Miao Ke’er’s destructive or functional powers were strong, they were ineffective against highly mobile Magical Girls.
Those girls could simply fly lightly out of the way of any Magic Cannon. Especially now that Magic Cannon power had been reduced, with little splash or impact. In that sense, B Team was too cumbersome.
But these were all just guesses. The outcome depended on the actual battle conditions.
Lin Shuqing was the first to reach the Main Urban District.
The streets were filled with piles of abandoned cars, creating a low maze. She chose to move crouched, simultaneously using her abilities to scout the surrounding area.
On both sides of the street stood many tall buildings. Their crevices were caked with yellow mud, and their glass windows were covered with dust, making it impossible to see inside.
They resembled ancient tombstones standing tall through the years.
“Report: No enemy traces detected on the west side of the Main Urban District for now.”
“You climb that high-rise with a garden on top… What? You don’t know which one? Okay, it should be the one on your left. Be careful and watch out for enemy snipers.”
“Understood.”
Lin Shuqing quickly ascended the stairs and within minutes reached the top of a building over a hundred meters tall.
Some Magical Girls could move at extremely high speeds under magic infusion, akin to flying, but this also consumed a lot of magic power.
The rooftop did indeed have a garden and even a swimming pool, but the pool was filled with mud and sand. The so-called garden had no flowers, only dust covering the flowerbeds.
From this height, with no obstacles to block her, Lin Shuqing could extend her consciousness projection to its maximum range.
Standing atop the high-rise, she began to radiate her awareness.
Her consciousness soared into the sky, searching for any moving targets.
Behind one of the buildings, she spotted a figure clinging to the wall and moving.
Just as Lin Shuqing’s consciousness approached to observe more closely, the figure vanished into thin air.