Luo Zhizhou hurriedly picked up the wig and beard from the ground and fixed them back in place.
“Um, can you forget what just happened…” Luo Zhizhou said awkwardly.
“Uncle Luo, why are you dressed like a beggar?”
“Can I not say?”
“Hmm…… Everyone has their privacy. Uncle, I understand. If you don’t want to say, I won’t ask.”
“You just called me ‘Mister’ a moment ago, now it’s ‘Uncle’ again?”
“That’s just because calling you ‘Uncle’ feels closer~”
Luo Zhizhou was a bit conflicted; he wasn’t sure if Yuying had anything to do with the mission target.
“I heard you live around here. Is that true?” Luo Zhizhou asked her.
“Not exactly. I actually rent a room in the city for work. Uncle Luo, you heard, I have a seriously ill father I need to take care of… so I go back every day to visit him.”
“I see. Are you managing okay now? Your father’s medical expenses must be a lot. What about your mother?”
“My mother… she’s already passed away. I’m the only one supporting my father now. I work every day just to save up for his medical bills, and the basic monthly medication costs several thousand… I don’t know what to do…” Yuying lowered her head, looking dejected.
Luo Zhizhou couldn’t bear to see such a cute and lively girl so downhearted.
He said, “How about this? I can cover your monthly medication costs. Just give me your bank account number, and I’ll transfer some money to you every month.”
“Thank you so much! Without you, I really don’t know what I’d do…”
Hearing Luo Zhizhou’s words, Yuying hugged him, not caring about the dirty bits on his clothes.
“Can you take me to your home? I don’t want anything else, just want to see where you live.”
“Sure, if Uncle doesn’t mind, you can stay too. I just happen to be back home today; I took a few days off to take care of my dad.”
Yuying led Luo Zhizhou to her home.
It was a purple apartment building. Entering the door, darkness enveloped the hallway.
Shadows covered the corridor, and the mud-yellow, pockmarked walls were covered with various graffiti advertisements. This apartment was already over thirty years old.
“There’s no elevator here. Ugh, climbing up and down stairs is always such a hassle,” Yuying complained.
Her home was on the seventh floor—a height that let her see the sun. But at this moment, the sun was just setting, and the sharp edges of distant buildings cut the sunlight, leaving behind shadows.
Yuying opened the security door. Luo Zhizhou peered inside—a neat and tidy space, the floor exceptionally clean, contrasting with the dusty apartment building.
Luo Zhizhou felt awkward wearing those dirty shoes inside, so he took them off and stepped in barefoot. Seeing this, Yuying handed him a pair of slippers.
Yuying’s home was cramped, with only two rooms. The kitchen connected to the living room, and there was a small, poor-looking bathroom next to the balcony.
Looking around, the plain furniture looked quite old.
Luo Zhizhou sat down. The wooden table before him was scratched all over, with a sharp chipped corner wrapped in tape.
“Hey, you have one of those box TVs too?”
Finally, Luo Zhizhou saw something familiar.
“That thing broke years ago. It’s older than me; since I can remember, that TV only ever lit up twice.”
“I know how to fix these, but the wiring inside is probably all worn out. Parts like these are hard to find nowadays.”
“Uncle, no need to bother with that junk. Selling it at the market wouldn’t get much anyway…”
Yuying placed the groceries in the kitchen.
Luo Zhizhou noticed a door was closed.
“My dad’s sleeping in there.”
“What’s that medicine?” Luo Zhizhou pointed to several medicine boxes on a cabinet.
“Digoxin.”
“That’s for treating…”
“Heart failure.”
“Is that your father’s illness?”
“Yes. The doctor said my dad used to overwork himself, putting too much strain on his heart, leading to chronic heart failure.” Yuying’s gaze furtively shifted toward the closed door.
“This illness needs early treatment. Otherwise, the longer it drags on, the higher the costs.”
“Yes, I’m saving money for it… I’ve saved over twenty thousand already.”
“You’re an apprentice-level magic girl, right? Saving that much can’t be easy. How old are you?”
“Sixteen. To be honest, it took me over a year to save those twenty thousand…”
Such a responsible, good girl. Luo Zhizhou liked her very much.
“You’ve been an apprentice for over a year?”
“The examiner said my skills aren’t enough, so they won’t promote me. Even though I took down a Knight-Class Aberrant Beast all by myself! It’s just that my training scores aren’t high enough.”
Indeed, some magical girls lack natural talent and remain apprentices or reserves for life.
Their salaries are so low they might be better off working in a factory—at least without risking their lives. But for Yuying’s age, factory work was too harsh.
“You’re really pitiful. I’ll transfer fifty thousand to you in one go. Use it sparingly, and you won’t have to worry about your father’s illness anymore.”
“Ah? How can I… I have nothing to trade with you. Accepting such a large sum makes me uncomfortable…”
“No worries. That’s just my salary for one and a half months. If you want to treat it like a trade, then tell me some information.” Luo Zhizhou got straight to the point.
“What information…? I’m just an apprentice magic girl. I don’t know anything. Uncle Luo, are you here for intelligence?” Yuying scratched her head in confusion.
“Have you seen any other magical girls around here?”
“Magical girls? I’m the only one, I think. Which girl would want to live in a place like this?”
“In that case, have you seen anything like aberrant beasts or other strange phenomena?”
“Of course no aberrant beasts. As for strange phenomena… let me think. Hey! There actually was something!”
“Tell me!”
“A few days ago, I was out shopping nearby. I got lost while wandering around! Mind you, I’ve lived in this area for over ten years; how could I get lost?”
“When I was completely baffled, a girl wearing a strange mask appeared behind me.”
“She said, ‘Poor child, do you want to take revenge on those who trapped you in such a state?’” Yuying mimicked the girl’s tone.
“I answered, ‘Who hurt my parents?’ The girl suddenly went crazy and shouted loudly, ‘It’s the bosses of the Shengli Group! The rich people standing at the top of this City of Decay! They manipulate prices, harvest people like you, exploit laborers, and break countless families like yours—all for their greed.’”
Yuying gestured vividly, reenacting the girl’s passionate expression.
“I said, ‘I don’t understand.’ She looked angry and said I’d understand later, then disappeared, leaving a sentence etched in my mind—saying that when I understood, I should find her…”
“I woke up then, realizing it was all a dream. I was lying in front of a small workshop, something called the Letian Workshop. Thinking back, it really is strange.”
Letian Workshop sounded like Luo Zhizhou’s next investigation spot.
“Good. You’ve given me very important information. Thank you, Miss Yu. Give me your bank account number, and here’s my Weixin. If you have any trouble, contact me.”
“Okay.”
Yuying gave her bank account number and added Luo Zhizhou on Weixin.
“I have urgent business. I’m leaving now, Miss Yuying. Until next time!”
“Eh? Aren’t you staying for dinner? I was going to make extra dishes…”
“Next time, then.”
Luo Zhizhou left, closing the door behind him.
Yuying was left alone, deep in thought.
“Mr. Luo Zhizhou… thank you.” She silently shed tears.
She opened the tightly closed door. Her father was lying in bed asleep. She sat beside him, crying and smiling at the same time.
“Dad, we’re saved.”