Castle, Fourth Floor.
Many women dressed in elegant gowns moved gracefully through the room, their lively figures creating a refreshing and pleasant atmosphere.
Under the soft glow of the lights, fine wine, exquisite food, beautiful scenery, and beautiful women blended perfectly.
The lively scene maintained its elegance, while the piano music gently dispersed the chatter, silencing the crowd’s noise.
“Is it good?”
Sitting in a corner, Luo Shiyun raised her fork and fed a soft, delicious piece of cake to her wife.
“Mmm! So rich!”
Although it was the same restaurant, the same chef, and even the same seat, for some reason, Yijinmo always felt that the cake Miss Luo fed her tasted sweeter and better.
Perhaps it was just a psychological effect.
Speaking of which…
Where had Miss Alice gone?
She couldn’t still be at home—ah no, she must be behind the wall, right?
Just as Yijinmo swallowed the little cake in her mouth and was about to ask, a sudden noise shattered the quiet of the banquet.
“Boom! Boom!!”
“What’s going on?!”
The crowd, previously filled with cheerful chatter, immediately froze and looked around in panic… Soon enough, they noticed something unusual outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
At a secluded side door, fierce red flames were burning everything around, thick smoke billowing upward, stretching all the way to the horizon.
Before the crowd could react further, the sound of footsteps cut through their panic.
“Please remain calm, everyone.”
“This is an entertainment event prepared by our company. There is no danger; everything is under complete control.”
The voice belonged to a woman with short white hair.
Half of her face was covered by a mask, and she wore a white lab coat typical of a scientist… yet her demeanor carried the unmistakable aura of someone in a position of authority.
Yijinmo frowned slightly as she appraised the woman.
She felt like she had seen this person somewhere before… but couldn’t quite recall where.
If only there were clearer distinguishing features, it would be much easier to place her.
“Who are you?”
Facing the crowd’s questions, the woman calmly spread her arms and performed a formal bow.
“I am the Chief Scientist of Thunder God Corporation. You may call me Doctor Wang.”
“I have been commissioned by the board to introduce to you our company’s most outstanding product.”
“What nonsense is this? Wasn’t the meeting supposed to start after the banquet? What are you trying to pull by doing this now?!”
“A little surprise. Because I believe that if we show you the charm of this product before the meeting begins, the meeting itself will be much easier.”
In the face of doubt and unrest, Doctor Wang merely smiled faintly, a flicker of disdain passing through her eyes.
If she could, she would rather not deal with these ignorant laypeople.
But unfortunately, without their financial support, her research would hardly continue.
“Surprise? This is more like a scare! Setting fires in the middle of the night—what kind of surprise is that? You even soaked my dress with wine!”
“No need to worry, madam.”
“You’ll soon understand that this product is far more valuable than a dress.”
Saying so, Doctor Wang gave a subtle glance to someone behind her.
Someone then handed her a rather heavy-looking terminal.
At the same time, a large screen descended in the center of the banquet hall. Everyone’s gaze naturally fell on it.
The screen displayed live footage from the direction of the side door.
Scorching flames were raging uncontrollably, and a black figure was silently advancing through the blaze.
Without a doubt, this woman was a strange person… but what was even stranger was the fully enclosed helmet she wore on her head.
“The Flame Monster, real name Zhou Wei, is an ordinary employee of a financial company. A few days ago, she was corrupted by exposure to dark energy and became a monster. Before causing destruction, she was defeated by the magical girl, Thorned Rose, who arrived on the scene.”
“During the battle, the prefrontal cortex of her brain was destroyed by Thorned Rose, essentially stripping her of physiological functions.”
“After that, we saved her and gave her a new job and mission.”
On the screen, Zhou Wei slowly raised her head.
Her vacant eyes looked through the visor of her helmet toward the audience beyond the screen.
At the same time, another golden figure appeared at the other end of the footage.
“Haha, I never thought monsters would show up in a place like this… Hey, what’s that thing on your head? Is it some new trend?”
“Thorned Rose, a level 4 magical girl, first appeared in Jiangnan City six months ago, previously active mostly in the Western Continent.”
“Facing her in actual combat is undoubtedly the best test for our company’s product.”
Doctor Wang showed a trace of surprise on her face.
According to her original plan, the magical girl from the Association was supposed to appear.
The company had even already made arrangements with relevant personnel.
But unexpectedly, Thorned Rose showed up halfway through.
Well, it was for the best. Real combat carried far more weight than a prearranged exhibition match.
Compared to the tense but expectant audience in the banquet hall, Alice’s expression was far more serious.
The monster before her was only about level 3. Although the flames were fierce, it wouldn’t break through to level 4. She was confident she could handle it on her own.
The problem was… this monster gave her a strange feeling.
It was as if she wasn’t really facing a living person…
Narrowing her eyes, Alice assumed a fighting stance.
No need to worry about anything else for now.
First, she would fight this monster. As for the ordinary people on the ground, Alice had already evacuated them.
The entire side door area had become her stage.
The evening sunset had completely vanished, and as the city was swallowed by a sea of lights, the battle quietly erupted here.
The flames surged forward in fury, trying to engulf the golden magical girl into their core, but they couldn’t catch up to Alice’s agile movements.
Like other magical girls, Thorned Rose had her own unique traits… but these were not strange magical weapons or powerful special skills.
Instead, it was her superhuman physical prowess.
“Hyaa!!”
Dodging the burning flames, Alice seized the opening and dashed forward.
The gust from her swift movement even extinguished the nearby fire. In a flash, she reached Zhou Wei.
“Take my Magic Face-Breaking Fist!!”
A fierce uppercut struck toward the woman’s helmet.
Within her soft pink fist was the terrifying power to smash through a wall.
Alice had been a magical girl for several years but had rarely used her full strength.
After all, her destructive power was overwhelming—every battle left chaos in its wake, comparable to some level 5s. Back home, technicians once estimated that if she gave it her all, one punch could even bring down a building.
But just as her fist was about to land on the woman’s face, her opponent suddenly leaned backward at an incredible angle, evading the crushing blow.
Not only that, a wave of scorching heat surged forward, engulfing Alice entirely in the blink of an eye.
“Remote control.”
“The helmet on the Flame Monster’s head is the key to our product—the Controllable Monster System.”
“It emits a unique current that stimulates the monster’s brain waves, allowing control over her… and even enabling her to surpass her limits and unleash strength far beyond her own when necessary.”
Doctor Wang raised the terminal in her hand toward the audience.
The one fighting alongside Thorned Rose… was not Zhou Wei herself, but the doctor here in the banquet hall.
“…Isn’t this too cruel? Using monsters as tools…”
“That’s not quite right. Let me correct you, miss. Our company does not treat them as mere tools or puppets. On the contrary, we offer these monsters extremely generous treatment.”
“For example, this Flame Monster’s mother suffered greatly from illness, with astronomical yearly medical expenses. But after joining Thunder God Corporation, all her medical and rehabilitation costs have been covered by the company.”
“If that’s the case, can you still say we treat them as tools or puppets? What about all the workers in the world?”
“Their treatment probably isn’t as good as these ‘puppets.’”
No one dared to argue.
The scene before them greatly satisfied Doctor Wang.
“Now, is there anyone who wants to try?”
“How does it feel to control a monster and defeat a magical girl?”
Humans were a naturally timid species, often filled with fear toward unknown powers.
Especially monsters and magical girls… The former, needless to say, and the latter, not as obedient as the military or police.
This sentiment was amplified among the elite.
They could use magical girls’ power to eliminate monsters, or weave beautiful lies to mislead naïve magical girls.
But no matter what, none was as effective or straightforward as directly controlling this power.
And Doctor Wang’s research struck right at the heart of this desire.
“…I’ll go!”
Just as the crowd hesitated, the woman whose dress had been soaked earlier stood up and took the terminal from Doctor Wang’s hand.
“…What do I do?”
“It’s simple—just operate it like a video game. If you can’t win, press the big red button at the bottom to release your abilities.”
“Then, you will achieve victory.”
As those on stage spoke, Yijinmo’s gaze darkened.
No matter how grand the rhetoric, it could not change their sinful reality… turning monsters into weapons.
Truly… unforgivable.
Yet she could not rashly intervene to stop these bastards.
The hidden Thorned Rose, like a Damocles sword, hung heavily over her head.
With her current strength, merely protecting herself was already difficult enough.
While she hesitated, a hand covered her own now slightly cold hand.
Raising her head, she met Luo Shiyun’s deep, ocean-blue eyes.
Looking into her eyes, Yijinmo’s heart gradually calmed, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
“Don’t worry. I’m here.”
That voice was like a drop of clear water falling on a lake, soothing the girl’s anxious feelings.
“…Okay.”
Though it felt somewhat absurd, Yijinmo still trusted this young lady she had only known for three days.