Meanwhile, Li Xinghe had just put on a stylish T-shirt and was getting ready to leave. He’d finished cooking a whole table of dishes girls were sure to love and covered them with a warming lid. Now all he had to do was wait for his little sister to come home and enjoy a few bites of hot food.
Summer insects chirped all around, as if they were holding a grand concert. Even here in the city, plenty of bugs whose names no one knew were singing their hearts out. Moonlight sprinkled down from the starry sky, falling across the rooftops and the heat rising from the pavement. A cool breeze swept toward passersby, bringing a welcome chill. It tousled the hair of a girl out for a walk, sending it flying in every direction, while her fragrance lingered for the people passing by. Beneath the glow of streetlights and car headlights, Li Xinghe opened the car door, got in, and prepared to set off to pick up his little sister.
Humming a cheerful tune, Li Xinghe set the car’s air conditioning to a comfortable twenty-three degrees. The day’s heat had completely faded by now. The Idol Agency was more than twenty minutes away by car, but fortunately the roads weren’t too crowded. He sped along the broad avenue, remembering to check the time: there were still more than forty minutes until eight.
White Xiaoxiao grew more and more nervous as she waited by the entrance. The time had gone from 7:40 to 7:50. She took a small mirror from her handbag and gave herself a careful once-over. After making sure nothing looked out of place, she patted her chest and reminded herself not to be nervous. Just relax.
Just then, the phone in her pocket vibrated. To make sure she’d get news about monsters as soon as it came in, White Xiaoxiao had pinned the Magical Girl squad’s group chat to the top of her list. Anxiously, she pulled out her phone and checked what the others had said. They usually only tagged everyone when it was an emergency.
“Special situation, special situation! That B-Rank monster—the black lizard that flew out to sea—is back! All squads, prepare for battle immediately!”
Captain Qu Mengting opened a voice channel. White Xiaoxiao immediately forgot all about the brother she was supposed to be waiting for and ran back into the agency to prepare for battle.
By the time she reached the basement’s first floor, the four who’d already left had somehow hurried back, using spatial magic to teleport to the second floor.
“I can’t believe that monster’s back. What’s going on?”
Lu Wanxin and Cai Mengmeng had waited and waited for the brother White Xiaoxiao mentioned, but he never showed up, so they’d simply gone home. They hadn’t expected Captain Mengting to notify everyone just a few minutes later that the monster they’d been keeping an eye on for the past two days had come back from the sea.
Lu Wanxin had just been about to take off her clothes and shower, and couldn’t help grumbling to herself. Did this monster have to show up right now? Couldn’t it let people get some rest at night?
Of course, she could only keep that thought to herself. Monsters weren’t going to warn Magical Girls when they planned to attack people.
Lu Wanxin’s long black hair was pinned up behind her head, securely held in place by a gold hairpin set with sparkling crystals. She had changed out of her loose T-shirt and into her blue Magical Girl battle dress. The bodice accentuated her full, upright bust, the magically conjured fabric highlighting her curves and the deep cleavage that inevitably drew the gaze of onlookers. Her bare shoulders were as smooth and alluring as white jade. The lower half was a simple short skirt trimmed with layers of lace. Her two straight legs were clad in thigh-high stockings worn on one side, the tops slightly digging into her flesh and secured by white garters. She completed the outfit with a pair of fantastical blue shoes, each adorned with dazzling star-shaped crystals that refracted an enchanting glow under the light.
Flashes of white light swept through the room. Everyone stood ready for battle in their magical gear.
White Xiaoxiao’s short black hair turned pink, and her appearance changed from that of a girl to a much younger-looking one.
Her height shrank from 1.6 meters to around 1.4 meters. The pink dress she wore also changed completely, turning a deep red shade close to black. The blue butterfly hair clip on her head was about the only thing that stayed the same.
Unless someone knew her extremely well, they’d hardly connect this transformed version of herself with the original White Xiaoxiao. Her build, face, and clothes had all changed dramatically. The blue butterfly hair clip was one of the few familiar details.
“Wanxin and Xiaoxiao, support us from behind the Returning Sea Demon Lizard. Zi Lan and Zi Xuan, attack from the front. Mengmeng, protect the nearby buildings and evacuate the residents.”
Qu Mengting issued orders at once, quickly assigning a task to each of the five. A tiny magic circle lit up on the back of her left hand, relaying the message clearly. Since magical interference blocked electronic signals, the Magical Girl squad used their phones for all other communication outside of battle.
In fact, if they ran into a monster that knew how to cut off magical connections, neither phones nor tiny communication magic circles would be any use.
B-Rank monsters didn’t have that kind of intelligence yet. They were incredibly destructive, but at their core, they were just beasts that had suddenly gained immense power. They had little sense and did nothing but rampage.
“Understood!”
The five, already geared up inside the magic circle on the first floor, were sent out in a flash of light. As they teleported through the air, each of them took up her assigned role.
Since it was night, White Xiaoxiao first used magic to enhance her night vision. She couldn’t spot the monster anywhere in sight, so she activated her wide-range magical perception. It spread rapidly like ripples on water.
“There it is. About eight kilometers away.”
After pinpointing the monster’s location, White Xiaoxiao spoke through the magic circle glowing on the back of her left hand.
“Codename Pink Jade has confirmed the target’s location. Twelve kilometers from the base, thirty-two degrees southeast. Activate the barrier.”
Each Magical Girl chose a codename for use around ordinary people. The name couldn’t have any connection to or repeat her real name.
White Xiaoxiao’s codename was Pink Jade. She’d chosen it based on the color of her hair after transforming.
Lu Wanxin’s codename sounded much nicer: Jade Light.
After confirming that Pink Jade’s report was accurate, Qu Mengting activated the alarm throughout the surrounding fifty-kilometer radius. It could be heard clearly by everyone, even at night.
Once she’d covered all the buildings in Tianhai City with defensive barriers, Qu Mengting watched the images on the monitor and waited to issue her orders.
“Emergency alert! Emergency alert! All residents who can hear this announcement, proceed immediately to the nearest shelter! All residents who can hear this announcement, proceed immediately to the nearest shelter! All…”
The announcement repeated the warning three times in a row, then played again every minute, urging people to hurry to safety without pause.
The shelters were built from special materials that could withstand attacks from A-Rank monsters for a short time. With a barrier added, they’d be even stronger. That was why Qu Mengting had told everyone to flee to the shelters.
As Qu Mengting watched the red dots on the radar move toward the underground shelters, her concern eased a little.
Time passed quickly. Within five minutes, Cai Mengmeng sent back a message.
“Codename Mianmian has successfully evacuated all residents to a safe area. Awaiting orders to attack.”
