“Uh, does this mission even have any meaning?”
The eccentric known as Ji Ge repeatedly checked the operation briefing but still couldn’t make sense of it.
“Why is the company sending us to snatch a statue made of some ordinary stone?”
The team was slim—three lower-level freaks plus thirty combatants. The mission target was to seize the dog statue in front of Bamen Subway Station.
“Hah, a statue?”
The dinosaur freak assigned to the same mission speculated seriously.
“Maybe that statue hides some company’s secret weapon?”
Ji Ge scoffed at this assumption. “Haha~ Dino brother, if there really was something like that, they wouldn’t be sending just the three of us to snatch it.”
Ji Ge had a clear understanding of his own abilities.
In two and a half years on the job, he hadn’t completed a single mission independently.
Fortunately, there was the squid elder who had been in the industry over five years and hadn’t undergone a second transformation—he used to be the bottom of the barrel, so Ji Ge wasn’t the worst.
But recently, the squid elder experienced a huge upheaval in his life (or you could say a rebirth) and was dismissed. With his departure, the pressure of being the weakest fell squarely on Ji Ge.
Among the trio, the remaining sloth freak who rarely spoke and was busy on his phone finally spoke up.
“Probably just to hit the end-of-month KPI. Anyway, it’s not a tough job. The three of us just drive over and carry the statue away… Why even need combatants? More people would just get in the way.”
“But there’s a clear time requirement; the operation must start at exactly three o’clock… I don’t get it. Although the afternoon isn’t busy, wouldn’t night be more convenient?”
“Don’t bother with that. The execution department just needs to execute. Thinking is the strategy department’s job. Let’s get moving.”
The dinosaur guy struck a captain pose. Ji Ge and the sloth glanced at him and didn’t bother arguing—having a conspicuous teammate means getting beaten up less when facing heroes.
Ji Ge adjusted his suspenders and perked up. “It’s two o’clock, let’s go! The earlier we go, the earlier we finish, and the earlier we get off work!”
The three took the elevator down to the armory, registered, and picked up the vehicle and weapons for the mission.
“The combatant dispatch company will meet us on site. We just drive over.”
They requested a stretched van. The rear seats were folded flat to fit the statue they were to snatch.
But the driver’s seat was occupied by the sloth.
After final preparations, the vehicle was lifted by an elevator, and during the ascent, it received a new paint job, finally disguised as a moving company truck.
Hunched in the cramped cabin, the dinosaur raised his thick black eyebrows and asked,
“Sloth brother, are you sure you can drive okay?”
The execution department had the most freaks in Nightmare, but this dinosaur had been transferred from another team, so he wasn’t familiar with Ji Ge or the sloth.
People generally thought sloths had slow reflexes, obviously not suitable for driving—or even being a freak factor. Did this species have any advantage at all?
Ji Ge and the sloth were also unfamiliar with him. Looking at the tall, imposing T-Rex, who shared the same low-level freak rank, they figured he was all bark and no bite.
“No problem,” the sloth replied leisurely. “If you don’t believe me, ask Ji Ge. My driving skills are top-notch in this department.”
“Yeah, we usually call him… Lightning.” Ji Ge added.
The elevator reached the underground garage and lifted the rolling door. Before the dinosaur could mock the nickname “Lightning,” the van shot forward with a sudden burst.
“Hey, Nyx, can you hack into an ATM and withdraw money?”
[It’s possible, but you can’t do that. Nyx must remind you that your current identity is a popular hero. Even without transforming, you must set an example for the citizens.]
Waiting was boring, even making one overthink.
Central City in winter was always cold.
The Dome Administration, under the pretense of simulating Earth’s four seasons, heavily conserved energy in winter, so Central City’s temperature dropped significantly. It rarely snowed, but the cold was intense.
Clara huddled at the subway exit to shield herself from the wind but still stomped her feet on the spot, her face flushed red, frost-white breath drifting from her mouth.
“Is it close to zero degrees today?”
[Not that cold. Today’s temperature is between 3 and 9 degrees.] Nyx answered.
“It’s because you dressed me in such thin tights!”
Though she wore a thick down coat longer than her skirt and a scarf on her upper body, Clara’s lower half was clad only in a knee-length skirt and tights. Her slender calves contrasted starkly with the bulky top half, creating an oddly top-heavy but charming look.
Non-Tsumi book
Though this outfit looked cute, she only felt cold feet.
[Women always dress like this in winter. You have to learn to adapt.]
Nyx said this as Clara glanced at the pedestrians.
After all, Central City was the most modern metropolis, with a more open mindset than rural towns.
Even in winter, most women walking the streets wore skirts.
Not just knee-length skirts—some didn’t even wear tights, showing pale bare legs on the streets.
Before, Clara would have thought such street scenes were pleasing to the eye, but now she just felt cold watching it.
“Don’t girls get cold?”
[They keep warm where it can’t be seen—with heat patches or taking medications that generate internal warmth. For fashionable young women, nothing is more important than showing off their charm.]
Thinking about this, Lucia always wore pants. Even as her brother, Clara realized she’d never seen Lucia in a skirt.
Once things settled down, she’d drag Lucia out to buy some clothes.
With that thought, Clara checked the time.
“Two fifty. Ten minutes till operation starts. I should find a place to change—”
Just as she pondered going to the restroom, out of the corner of her eye she spotted a familiar figure.
Nan Gong Xiwang, dressed in a long trench coat, hurried into the subway from the opposite corridor. She carried a crossbody bag and a blood-stained manila folder.
It looked like manga manuscripts—Clara had seen similar folders in Nan Gong Xiwang’s bag before.
Was she going to collect manuscripts from the author as a publisher’s editor?
But, but… why was there blood on it?
Still, seeing Nan Gong Xiwang after a long time relieved Clara.
At least she was safe. She had worried she might have been caught up in some incident; turns out she was just busy being a corporate drone…
But this still didn’t explain why Nan Gong Xiwang ignored her.
Did she find Clara troublesome?
Or, after finding out that Magical Girl Clara was a promotional manga, had she lost interest because Clara had lied to her?
Though hesitant and afraid to know the answer, Clara decided to take this opportunity to catch up and ask…
[No, ask later.]
At that moment, a commotion erupted from the subway entrance.
A fleeing crowd surged into the station, mixed with a series of explosions.
[The ‘Nightmare’ Execution Department has begun their operation.]
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