Bumpy. The floor trembled as the truck engine rattled on with a steady clatter, never ceasing.
“This person, a magical girl from the mainland?”
“Brought by the Deputy Governor. I heard she’s an S-Class, incredible.”
“S-Class? That means she’s on the same level as the Governor? I don’t see anything special about this young lady, though she is quite pretty.”
“What’s the matter, Old Chen? You want to marry her?”
“Get outta here, stop talking nonsense.”
***
Cold. Snowflakes melted on her face, chilling the sleeping girl so much she shivered, instinctively curling tighter.
“Winter’s coming soon. The Meteorological Bureau said a cold front’s on its way. These past few days have been freezing.”
“Stepping out of the shelter feels like getting slashed across the face. Better put another padded coat on this girl.”
“It’ll be warmer once we get into the Central District.”
Suddenly, the bumping stopped, and a low growl of a Wild Strange Beast came from beside them.
“Hey, this little one’s grown so much! A few days ago it was just a tiny thing. Hey, can you see me?”
“Stop messing with it, it doesn’t have eyes yet. Give it a few more days, once its eyes grow in, maybe it can help pull loads.”
***
After a short break, the truck started again, slowly moving along the muddy road covered in snow.
Thick dark clouds blocked the sunlight. Flocks of wild geese flew through, their southward migration around October underway.
Along the way, they occasionally passed rabbits scurrying across the dirt path, avoiding Wild Strange Beasts chasing them.
The beasts here wouldn’t attack humans, so the truck passed without concern.
In the distance, a snowy curtain rose over a thousand meters high. The low howling of the wind sounded like a train roaring closer.
“The white-furred wind’s coming from behind! Driver, speed up!”
Skin previously exposed to the cold outdoors finally touched the warm kang stove inside. Ciyue felt incomparable comfort and could finally sleep well.
“This person’s name is… Ciyue? Hmm, let me check the records. From Zhonghe Province on the mainland… S, S, S-Class!?”
“How did Sister Xingluo manage to capture an S-Class magical girl? As expected of our role model. Han, let’s hold a celebration banquet! Welcome Sister Xingluo back in triumph!”
Rubbing her eyes, Ciyue was disturbed from peaceful sleep by a loud female voice.
“This has to be broadcast citywide! No, province-wide! Quickly report to the Central Radio Station, our hero has returned!”
Ciyue rolled over, trying to cover her ears, but the loud voice was piercing beyond her efforts…
“Damn… can a person get some decent sleep?” Ciyue got up, complaining.
“Hm?”
The unfamiliar surroundings made Ciyue’s mind freeze.
She was locked in a windowless room, the only light coming from a glass pane in the door.
The loud voice was coming from outside.
Her bed was warm underneath—definitely a kang stove. She had seen this kind of stove in local guesthouses while fighting in northern Jing Province. Usually only found in northern homes.
Also, she was wearing a thick padded coat—someone must have put it on her.
“No, where’s my Magic Heart…”
Only then did Ciyue realize her Magic Heart had been removed. From faint sensations, it should be several kilometers away.
Fortunately, even without the Magic Heart, she could still use this body, or else transforming back to a male form would have been a disaster.
She walked to the door and saw the source of the voice—a girl wearing a mink coat and a military cotton hat.
The girl held a black slab, speaking into it. From Ciyue’s knowledge, that black slab must be a mobile phone from last century—the “big brother.”
No wonder the girl spoke so loudly.
“Where is this?”
Ciyue began thinking about her situation.
Her last memory was being trapped in Sister Xingluo’s special dreamscape, then opening her eyes here.
Judging by the kang stove and the girl’s clothing, this had to be somewhere in the north, inside an Underground Air-Raid Shelter.
“Sister Xingluo’s almost at our town? Han, bring more people and turn on the town loudspeakers! Let everyone welcome Sister Xingluo!”
Xingluo? Ciyue heard a familiar name.
She knew she had been captured—and taken to the enemy’s headquarters…
Ciyue tried to open the door but found it locked.
She was getting hungry…
“Should I ask the enemy for help?” Ciyue thought.
***
Her stomach grumbled… after all, filling the stomach is more important than pride.
“Fine, might as well be shameless.”
She knocked hard on the door.
“Hey! Miss, can you hear me?”
The girl turned around.
“Ah, the captive’s awake. Han, I’m hanging up first. I’ll call you if there’s anything.”
The girl with the military hat came to the door.
Afraid she might refuse, Ciyue put on a weary look and tried to evoke sympathy, pleading, “Um… sister, can you please give me something to eat? I’m really hungry.”
The girl hesitated, “But I don’t have permission to let you out. Sister Xingluo told me to watch you closely. If you run off, I’ll be in trouble.”
“But I’m really so hungry I might faint. What should I do…” Ciyue began to act pitiful.
The last time she’d done this was ten years ago during military training, when she tried to soften the squad leader to ease his scolding.
“What to do… should I let her out?” The girl hesitated.
“D-Don’t worry! I won’t run away, I’m really starving!”
Hearing Ciyue’s pitiful plea, the girl finally softened.
“Alright, come with me.”
She opened the door, letting Ciyue out of the dark room. Before her was a long corridor with many dim yellow lights overhead.
Judging by this, it was a tunnel inside the Underground Air-Raid Shelter, cluttered with household items like basins and brooms blocking the way.
“Ugh, it’s such a mess here, no one cleans up. I really should call on those big bosses to take care of this!”
Under the dim light, she glanced into a nearby room full of signs of life—likely a dormitory or similar.
The girl held Ciyue’s hand, leading her to the tunnel’s end and pushing open a heavy door. Warm air rushed out.
Outside was an underground street with people passing by, all wearing work uniforms. The style was something Ciyue had only seen in last century’s documentaries; she half thought she’d traveled through time.
“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Zhang Pei. No need for weird nicknames, just call me by my real name.”
“Uh, Sister Zhang Pei, where is this place?”
“This is Wudong Town, my hometown and the place I govern. Oh, I forgot—you’re from the mainland, right? This is Northern East, Shishan County, Liaobei Province. Our Wudong Town is the largest town in Shishan County. Not many people live elsewhere in the county, so everyone listens to us.”
“I see…”
***
The two walked down the center of the street. Everyone around treated Zhang Pei with great respect. She greeted people warmly, stopping occasionally to exchange friendly words.
But there was one exception—a man holding a bottle of liquor, staggering drunk toward Zhang Pei.
“Dashan, you’re drinking again! Hand over the bottle! Drinking isn’t allowed here!”
The man named Dashan leaned on Zhang Pei’s shoulder and took another swig.
“Just… no! This stuff from the Maozi*… it’s really strong!”
Zhang Pei snatched the bottle away and pushed him hard. He collapsed to the ground, and she had to call someone to carry him off.
“That good-for-nothing really embarrasses us Northern East folks… Dashan is one of the few stubborn ones, always guzzling horse urine. He needs a lesson sooner or later! Let’s go, don’t mind him.”
They continued on to the work area.
A boiler-like object caught Ciyue’s attention—it should be for steel refining, with pipes and conveyor belts nearby.
Ciyue judged this to be an underground Steel Factory, and the people in matching uniforms were workers.
It was break time, so no one was working.
***
They left that area and arrived at their destination: a spacious hall with forty or fifty long tables. This was likely the factory’s collective cafeteria.
“What do you want to eat?”
Looking at the few staff still at the counter—most were about to finish their shifts—Ciyue asked, “Uh, do you have noodles?”
“Alright, make it a spicy noodle bowl!” Zhang Pei ordered the chef directly.
Although the cafeteria was nearly closed, Zhang Pei’s words carried weight. The kitchen started bustling again.
Ciyue wasn’t much of a fan of spicy food, but hunger made anything acceptable.
Soon Zhang Pei brought over the spicy noodles.
“Thank you, Sister Zhang.”
“No problem. When you’re hungry, you’ve got to eat well. Only after you’re full do you have the strength to work.”
Ciyue slurped the noodles. She had to admit, they had a nice chew, and the spicy sauce wasn’t too overwhelming—just right for flavoring.
Not like that one time she tried Tianfu Hotpot and got overwhelmed by the heat, leaving her with a lifelong aversion to chili.
“How’s the taste?”
“Better than I expected.”
It didn’t take long to finish the bowl. Once done, Zhang Pei took her elsewhere.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Our welcome party! To welcome Sister Xingluo back—she’s a great hero to all of Northern East!”
“I’m probably not really suitable for that…” Ciyue said awkwardly, but Zhang Pei ignored her and held her hand firmly to keep her from wandering off.
(Note: “Maozi” is a derogatory nickname for Russians in this context, retained for accuracy.)