Zhonghe Province’s capital, Jing’an City.
After a heavy rain, the sky had cleared.
The streets were once again crowded, the bustling traffic flowing as usual.
Millions lived in this city, the largest in the North China Plain, with countless skyscrapers standing tall at its center.
The beast disasters over the past twenty years hadn’t caused much damage; instead, the city had only grown more prosperous.
Among these buildings stood one especially notable structure—it was located at the heart of the city, soaring into the clouds as the tallest building around.
At its peak was an open platform, equipped with three or four helicopter pads. In the middle of this platform stood a massive signal tower, its top flashing with a red light.
The center.
This building was the Magic Administration Bureau Headquarters of Zhonghe Province, responsible for dispatching Magical Girls to handle aberrant beast disasters throughout the province. It was a national-level command center.
From the 129th floor of the headquarters, one could overlook the entirety of Jing’an City—a truly magnificent sight.
The city’s main arteries looked like blood vessels from this height, flowing with multicolored lights; some skyscrapers had LED billboards, resembling gray giants holding signs; airships floated lazily in the sky, banners advertising real estate dangling from their sides—perhaps the most leisurely thing in this city.
The city was humanity’s proudest creation, the crystallization of social progress, and home to millions.
At this moment, Ma Xinyin stood before the glass window, gazing out at the bustling city below.
“Time waits for no one. I can barely keep up with this city’s pace anymore,” Ma Xinyin murmured to herself, staring at her reflection in the glass.
Faint wrinkles marred her face, filling her with a bittersweet mix of resentment and sorrow.
She was the director of the Magic Administration Bureau of Zhonghe Province, having held the position for twelve years.
The Bureau had been established in response to the beast disasters, so most of the staff were relatively young—only deepening her anxiety about her own age.
“I really envy those Magical Girls. Even when they grow old, they can still transform into youthful girls. Who could resist the allure of eternal youth?”
“Ever since my daughter became a Magical Girl, I feel a pang of jealousy every time I see her. Well, women are just like that—prone to jealousy.”
Footsteps approached.
Ma Xinyin knew who it was; very few had the authority to enter her office unannounced.
“Director, the task you assigned me has been completed.”
Luo Xi reported from behind her.
Luo Xi, currently the only S-Class Magical Girl in Zhonghe Province.
“I see. Report your findings.”
“At present, numerous new traces of Small Extradimensional Beasts have been found in Zhonghe Province and neighboring provinces, but no clear pattern has been identified.”
“The most recent case appeared near Xinping’an Village in He Ping County.”
“I know. The person involved is your brother, right?” Ma Xinyin glanced at the report on her desk.
“Yes.” Luo Xi’s eyes momentarily drifted away when she heard the word “brother.”
“Are you two not on good terms?”
“Director, that’s irrelevant to the mission.” Luo Xi showed no emotion. Whenever her brother was mentioned, she sealed off her heart, unwilling to touch that subject.
“Alright, alright.”
“I actually suspected this early on. It’s a sign of a new wave of beast disasters approaching, but it’s too soon to draw a definitive conclusion.”
Luo Xi explained.
“Why do you say that? From the many recent cases, it looks like only a temporary surge of beast activity. Humans haven’t yet discovered any regular patterns or where they’re coming from.”
Luo Xi took a small file from the pocket of her skirt.
“Luo Xi, you weren’t wearing these clothes when you left earlier, right? Did you change?”
Ma Xinyin noticed Luo Xi’s outfit made her look much younger, intensifying Ma Xinyin’s jealousy.
“I went home midway.”
Luo Xi handed the file to Ma Xinyin.
“Director, please take a look at this.”
It was a photo of an aberrant beast hive; on the back was a note indicating the location—Shanglin County, Zhonghe Province, in a mountainous area.
“Beasts spontaneously form hives where they reproduce and even evolve; this is internationally recognized intelligence.”
“Inside the hive, there’s a division of labor: producers, soldiers, and rulers. Producers and soldiers differentiate from a type of Primal Magical Beast, samples of which humans rarely control.
“Once these beasts reach a certain scale, if left unchecked, they can rapidly form large aberrant beast armies. Over time, some powerful individuals evolve into even more dangerous rulers,” Luo Xi explained.
“This photo was taken just a few days ago. Over 300 Primal Magical Beasts were found in this cave. Unfortunately, once discovered, they self-destruct, so no valuable specimens were obtained.”
“Over 300 Primal Magical Beasts… Why didn’t this report immediately appear on my desk?” Ma Xinyin was annoyed; this was no small matter.
“Because… the military discovered it first. Their radar detected the beasts’ traces, and they sealed off the site in advance, ordering confidentiality. You know—I’m also under military command.”
“So you’re telling me this intelligence came from military orders?”
“That’s right.”
Ma Xinyin sighed. The Magic Administration Bureau was constantly constrained by the military.
“This is a sign that a new wave of beast disasters is coming. If the structured aberrant beast hives aren’t destroyed immediately, the consequences could be unimaginable,” Luo Xi said.
“Tell me, how much else is the military hiding from me?” Ma Xinyin glared at her, fury sharp enough to pierce Luo Xi.
But Luo Xi remained unmoved.
“Sorry, Director, I’m not a core figure in the military—just a weapon they use. I can’t access classified information.”
“I only know about this hive because I took part in its extermination. Beyond that, I know nothing.”
“Alright, alright. It looks like we’ll need to strengthen the Magical Girl Squads’ patrols and investigations moving forward.”
Ma Xinyin sat down and signed a document her assistant had just brought over.
“There’s one more thing: regarding training for new Magical Girls, I have a group of promising recruits. I want you to be their instructor.”
“The investigations and exterminations can be handled by other A-Class Magical Girls. What do you think?”
“Sorry, Director, I’ve been invited to attend the International Exhibition in Donghai City recently. I probably won’t have time for the foreseeable future.”
“That exhibition, huh? Well, no choice then. I’ll have to find someone else. Alright, that’s all. You should go rest.”
Ma Xinyin gestured for her to leave.
Honestly, Luo Xi was still too difficult for her to handle. After all, she was Zhonghe Province’s strongest fighter—the rarity naturally made her hard to control, and Luo Xi valued her freedom too much.
Ma Xinyin missed her old comrades.
She walked to a corner of the wall and tapped a certain spot several times. Suddenly, a file cabinet materialized out of thin air, clearly the work of magic.
Human research into Magical Girls had never ceased. Their power came from the Magical Core, an entity generated by every Magical Girl and independent of the girl herself.
Humans had studied the core’s structure in depth; some magical spells could be completed independently of the girl through this core.
Ma Xinyin searched through the cabinet.
“Number 54…”
She opened the target file and pulled out a dossier. The yellow folder was stamped “Top Secret.”
“Heh, who doesn’t have secrets?”
She opened the folder to find a densely written document.
On February 16, 2018, in some part of Zhonghe Province, abnormal magical traces were detected for the first time, clearly documented.
After that, these traces appeared in many places across the country, shown on a nationwide map with clear markings.
Today was August 27, 2018—meaning the source of these traces had been active for over six months. Interestingly, the new aberrant beasts had also appeared gradually over the past six months.
It was still unclear whether this was an organized conspiracy. The Magic Administration Bureau’s Information Department worked around the clock, collecting intelligence on these traces nationwide.
The Zhonghe Province Bureau was the largest branch in the country, so its intelligence department had the highest investigative authority.
The latest magical traces appeared within Zhonghe Province, which was also the area with the densest concentration. Ma Xinyin suspected Zhonghe was their primary strategic target.
But currently, Zhonghe Province lacked S-Class Magical Girls, and Luo Xi, under her command, lacked much combat experience.
The new generation of Magical Girls hadn’t yet formed an effective force. Ma Xinyin was worried, but she still held an ace up her sleeve—known only to a select few.