Chapter 6: Investigation

Another routine patrol day.

The moon was out.

The Fourth Magical Girl Patrol Squad of Zhonghe Province was currently flying at high speed about a hundred meters above He Ping County. Each squad consisted of three Magical Girls.

“Why do we A-class have to do such boring chores?” Kong Ling, the squad leader, sighed. She had been on patrol for over an hour straight.

“It’s clearly a peaceful era now, so why do they still make such a big deal out of it? There haven’t been any Large Extradimensional Beasts either.”

“I just want to go home and sleep,” Ying Xian yawned as she turned her head while following behind Kong Ling.

At the end of the squad, Miao Ke’er also agreed, “All day doing these dull activities… Ugh, I still have a few fan meet-ups I haven’t attended.”

The three of them flew listlessly along the predetermined route assigned by the organization.

“These rural areas are utterly boring, dirty, and poor. How could anyone want to live in such places?”

Kong Ling glanced occasionally at the scenery below, but she didn’t seem fond of the rustic charm of He Ping County.

“There aren’t many people living in rural areas anyway. Those who do are probably just some countryside bumpkins farming the land, never seen a big city, and without any ambition—just clinging to their small plots,” Ying Xian said.

“By the way, there’s a place in He Ping County called Xinping’an Village. Why is it marked with a Red Priority Marking on the map?” Miao Ke’er asked in confusion.

The Red Priority Marking is usually reserved for military key sites and is the highest level of marking.

Ying Xian projected a holographic map in front of her. “But why is there no nearby troop presence? That area looks so empty, just a small village.” This was clearly beyond her understanding.

“Maybe there’s a secret underground base. Even with our clearance, we’re not authorized to know,” Kong Ling said; she was the squad leader.

Kong Ling’s phone in her waist pouch buzzed.

She took it out, “Huh? The organization just gave us a temporary mission. The location is in neighboring Baiyun County, and they want us to investigate a certain place.”

“Could it be the trail of some Small Extradimensional Beasts?” Ying Xian guessed.

“Let’s hurry and get this done. I want to clock out early,” Miao Ke’er stretched lazily.

The three flew for several minutes and arrived at the mission site.

It was a ruin, near a construction site, but no workers were present—only some cargo trucks and construction vehicles remained.

They landed in front of the ruins and saw that it was a small town destroyed by an Extradimensional Beast and had been abandoned for years.

Moss covered the broken walls, and weeds sprouted among huge scattered stones.

“This is the place we’re investigating? It’s so eerie,” Miao Ke’er gripped her Magical Rod tightly, clearly uneasy about such an empty place.

“Silence often signals danger. It’s best to stay prepared for enemy attacks at any time,” Ying Xian said calmly. She was not flustered; her regular training had taught her how to handle such situations.

Kong Ling took a small purple orb from her modest waist pouch. “Time for this to shine!” She tossed the orb into the air, where it hovered.

It was a small Drone capable of scouting the surroundings, but it drew power from the Magical Girl’s own magical energy, so only Magical Girls could operate it.

The orb flew deep into the ruins, sending scanned data back to Kong Ling’s phone. Kong Ling projected the data onto the ground.

“Looks like there’s no obvious sign of Extradimensional Beasts so far,” Kong Ling analyzed the data.

Ying Xian cautioned, “Don’t be careless. Some special Extradimensional Beasts can hide their aura.”

She had learned in the High-level Magical Girl Training Course that there were Hunter-type Beasts capable of infrared and optical stealth, specialized in lurking in shadows to hunt passing enemies.

Miao Ke’er glanced nervously around, worried about the possibility of an ambush.

Soon, the orb returned.

“Seems like we didn’t get any useful data. Shall we continue deeper? There’s a giant building inside the ruins with even deeper structures,” Kong Ling reported to headquarters.

Headquarters responded to proceed but instructed them to retreat and report immediately if they encountered any Extradimensional Beasts.

Kong Ling said, “There’s a large supermarket in the center of this dilapidated town. The drone lost signal inside due to the complex structure. Our next step is to enter and investigate.”

She spoke to her teammates.

“Oh no! If I’d known, I’d have taken the day off,” Miao Ke’er lamented, holding her forehead.

“You fool, Miao Ke’er, if anything happens I’ll protect you,” Kong Ling patted her head reassuringly.

“Let’s keep moving and finish the mission quickly,” Ying Xian led the way.

As they delved deeper into the ruins, the streets were littered with debris, and every few steps they had to tread carefully to avoid falling.

They passed a small shop, the shelves completely emptied, covered in spider webs.

Abandoned apartment buildings loomed with open windows, hollow and creepy.

There wasn’t even a single small animal around—no sign of life anywhere.

They reached the large supermarket Kong Ling mentioned. The sign read: Mu Di Supermarket.

“That name sounds just like ‘graveyard supermarket,’ the person who named it must have a wicked sense of humor,” Ying Xian joked.

“Ying Xian! Stop, you’re scaring me,” Miao Ke’er clung to Kong Ling.

“Alright, alright. You’re an A-class Magical Girl—what are you afraid of? Most Extradimensional Beasts couldn’t even defeat you,” Kong Ling gently pushed Miao Ke’er away, but the latter stuck close again, leaving Kong Ling helpless.

They entered the supermarket. Many shopping carts blocked the entrance, which was dark and lacked any lighting.

The supermarket had three floors: groceries on the first floor, electronics on the second, and food on the third. Kong Ling checked the map at the entrance; apparently, there was also an underground parking lot.

“We’ll start from the first floor and work our way up. The parking lot will be last,” Kong Ling said.

Ying Xian flew over the blocked entrance, raising her Magical Rod to illuminate the area. “Quiet, don’t make too much noise,” she instructed.

Kong Ling grabbed Miao Ke’er and followed Ying Xian’s pace.

“It looks like this town was evacuated in a hurry. Many goods in this supermarket were never moved,” Ying Xian whispered, pointing at a row of electric mosquito swatters on the shelves.

“Kong Ling, you always complain about mosquitoes at home. Take some of these; the packaging is still brand new.”

“That’s enough, Ying Xian. Don’t get distracted during the mission, especially in a place like this,” Kong Ling warned.

“No need to tell me. My abilities let me detect enemy movements even in complex environments. You don’t need to worry, squad leader,” Ying Xian said as she moved forward.

After circling around, they nearly finished searching the first floor without finding anything unusual, except for a skeleton that startled Miao Ke’er.

Luckily, Kong Ling covered her mouth in time to prevent any screams.

The three took the fire escape up to the second floor.

Rows of home appliances were displayed, but most were rusty and damaged.

“What a pity,” Kong Ling said, looking at the appliances. She had spent a lot of money buying new ones when she moved.

“The valuable stuff must have been taken,” Ying Xian said as she walked into the computer section, which was empty.

She found a small cardboard box in a corner and opened it to reveal an intact RAM stick, which she quietly pocketed.

“No one wants this old junk anyway, might as well take it,” she muttered.

Besides piles of obsolete industrial products and some industrial waste that no one wanted, they found nothing else.

The trio proceeded upstairs.

***

As soon as they opened the door, a strong stench hit them.

“Gross, I’m not going in,” Miao Ke’er retreated, covering her nose.

“Yeah, it smells awful, and who knows if there’s toxic gas. Let’s not go in yet,” Kong Ling said, also covering her nose.

“Let’s use the drone. At this distance, the signal should be strong,” Ying Xian suggested, turning away to avoid the stench.

“The drone can only scan about half of this floor. I’ll try it,” Kong Ling said, tossing the drone inside.

The drone flew into the darkness.

Data came streaming back, revealing the layout inside, though some parts remained unscanned.

“Hm… no signs of Extradimensional Beasts either,” Kong Ling was about to recall the drone when something unexpected happened.

The drone lost signal.

“What’s going on? Ying Xian, do you sense anything?” Kong Ling asked anxiously.

“No… maybe,” Ying Xian hesitated. There were some faint anomalies, but too weak to determine if they were caused by a breeze.

“We’ll have to abandon investigating the third floor for now and wait for specialists to come,” Kong Ling decided.

“Let’s get out of this haunted place quickly,” Miao Ke’er urged, clutching Kong Ling’s shoulder.

“There’s still one more place we haven’t checked yet.”