Chapter 10: TS Magical Girl, Date with Good Brothers!

A year ago, before starting school, Lin Feng had to tilt his head slightly to meet Dongfang Cheng’s impatient eyes.

Back then, Dongfang Cheng, nearly one meter ninety and muscular, stood like a silent, oppressive wall.

But now, Ah Cheng was no taller than Lin Feng, who was just over one meter sixty.

Could someone in the organization have targeted him for experiments?

Lin Feng stole two more glances at his best friend walking beside him.

His facial features didn’t seem as sharp anymore.

His profile used to be hard-edged, like a tough-guy manga character, but now there was an indescribable softness.

He’d never say that to his face, though, unless he wanted a ten-day stay in the orthopedic ward.

Still, Dongfang Cheng’s fierce aura, like a drawn sword ready to strike, had noticeably softened.

Take the last time they changed in the activity room or their recent chat on the road.

Sure, Ah Cheng still had that conversation-killing impatience, but Lin Feng thought it over—his friend wasn’t as quick to throw punches anymore.

So weird.

“Could there really be ghosts messing with my friend in secret?”

Lin Feng’s mind wandered, amusing himself, oblivious to the electric pole looming on the sidewalk ahead.

“Tsk, watch the road!”

In a flash, Dongfang Cheng grabbed Lin Feng’s arm, yanking him aside.

Lin Feng stumbled, nearly crashing into a trash can.

Clutching his chest, he caught his breath and looked up to see Ah Cheng smirking.

“What would you do without me, you rich bstard?

You don’t even know where you’re going.

Either graduate and check into a nursing home with a caregiver or speed through life.”

“Get lost,” Lin Feng shot back, unfazed.

“When I graduate and start my company, I’ll hire you first.

I’ll make you work overtime daily to teach you the dangers of the capital market.”

“You’re so dumb, and you want to start a company?”

Dongfang Cheng laughed, his eyes curving slightly.

“Wait till you actually start one, and don’t cry to me to clean up your mess.”

Lin Feng grinned back.

The sunlight hit their shoulders, their shadows stretching long, as if nothing had changed.

“—By the way, Ah Cheng, where are we now?”

“Aren’t you leading the way?”

“You walked so fast, I thought you had a destination.”

Lin Feng scratched his head, embarrassed.

“…I’m calling you Stupid Dog Rich Man from now on.”

Dongfang Cheng rolled his eyes, jabbing Lin Feng’s side with his elbow.

“Ow! Why’d you hit my kidney?

You gonna take care of me if you cripple me?”

“I told you to hire a nurse, hire a nurse!”

The meat sizzled on the charcoal grill, its aroma filling the air.

After getting their clothes altered, the two sat by the window in a barbecue restaurant.

Piles of meat plates and side dishes stacked before them, the vibe relaxed.

“Hey, Ah Cheng.”

Lin Feng leaned in mysteriously, lowering his voice.

“If you don’t wanna hear it, get out.”

Dongfang Cheng didn’t look up, carefully flipping thin meat slices with curled edges on the grill with tongs.

He had no interest in the magical girl fanboy across from him, ready to launch into a fervent rant.

“Hey! Telling me to leave before I even say anything? Too much!”

Lin Feng protested.

“Are we brothers or not?”

“If it’s not about magical girls, I’m listening.”

Dongfang Cheng grabbed a piece of grilled Wagyu beef, dipped it in sauce, and popped it in his mouth.

Lin Feng scratched his brow awkwardly, chuckling.

“I just can’t find anyone else to geek out with!

Besides, didn’t you say last time Miss Zero was beautiful?

That means deep down, you’ve got what it takes to join our Knights of Zero!

Come on, Ah Cheng, make the biggest choice of your life!

Join us to protect the best Miss Zero in the world!”

“Goddamn Knights, you’re way too obsessed…”

Dongfang Cheng mumbled through a mouthful of beef, then paused.

“Wait, who’s Zero?”

He looked up, clearly confused.

“It’s Little Black!”

Lin Feng slapped his thigh, excited.

“Didn’t you see that viral livestream clip?

Last time in Xishan District, after she crushed that ferocious werewolf, a bold streamer asked her name.

She turned, cool as ice, and said ‘Zero.’

That name fits her vibe perfectly—so badass.

Now everyone online calls her ‘Zero’ or ‘Zero-sama.’”

Dongfang Cheng, now known as “Zero” online, zoned out.

Zero?

Did he say a name that night?

Wait, could he have misheard “Lin” when he accidentally called out for Lin Feng?

“Ah Cheng, Ah Cheng! The meat’s burning!

We just ordered the premium dragon cut!”

Lin Feng’s shout snapped Dongfang Cheng back.

Reflexively, he gripped the tongs—a faint crack made his teeth ache as the stainless steel bent in his hand.

The charred beef smoked on the grill, the warped tongs dangling awkwardly in the air.

Lin Feng stared at the bent tongs, then at Dongfang Cheng, who’d just come to.

They locked eyes across the barbecue table, the air frozen.

Dongfang Cheng cleared his throat, tossing the ruined tongs aside.

“I’m just amazed at how bored you all are.

One word, and you spin it into a whole thing.

Even forming a knight order? So lame.”

“Besides, that… what’s her name… Zero, she’s not even a real magical girl, right?

The other five might be unreliable sometimes, but at least their outfits and fighting styles scream magical girl.

Zero? No magic, just brutal fighting.

Not girly at all.

How do you even like that type?”

Dongfang Cheng tried to squash Lin Feng’s obsession with “Zero.”

What a joke!

He didn’t want his best friend fangirling over him.

Too embarrassing, even if it was his transformed self.

“Hey, Ah Cheng, that’s not fair!”

Lin Feng jumped in.

“Can you call what a beautiful girl does violent?

It’s heroic!

She saved people!

A girl stepping up in a crisis to save citizens, with magic or fists, is a great, respectable magical girl!”

“Your thinking’s so shallow!

Ah Cheng, I bet you act uninterested but are secretly a hardcore magical girl purist, biased against new physical-based magical girls!”

“A goddamn physical-based magical girl… Aren’t physics and magic opposites?”

Dongfang Cheng’s forehead twitched, done with the topic.

“Waiter,” he called, pointing at the grill.

“This pan’s burnt. Replace it.”

“Right away!” the waiter replied, swapping the tray skillfully.

“Oh, and,” Dongfang Cheng added, “two more ice beers.”

The waiter paused, looking uneasy.

“Sorry, you look like high schoolers.

Our policy doesn’t allow serving alcohol to students…”

“We’re adults.

If anyone asks, talk to him.”

Dongfang Cheng pointed at Lin Feng, who covered his face with a wry smile and nodded.

“Uh… okay, one moment.”

The waiter, intimidated by his confidence, hesitated but hurried off.

A new grill pan, a pile of meat, and an ice bucket with beers arrived.

The two hungry teens paused their magical girl debate for a barbecue battle.

After a few beers and meat, the mood lightened.

Lin Feng glanced at Dongfang Cheng, focused on a thick beef tongue slice.

He hesitated, then set down his chopsticks and asked out of nowhere, “Ah Cheng, what’s a magical girl to you?”

“Hm? Girls who use magic, wear colorful skirts, and fight monsters everywhere.”

Dongfang Cheng stayed calm, but inwardly he was on edge.

Why’s this idiot stuck on weird topics today?

First Zero, now defining magical girls… Does he know Zero is me?

No way, impossible.

His guess was right—Lin Feng hadn’t connected those dots.

The philosophical question came from Lin Feng’s low alcohol tolerance.

One beer, and his mind wandered wildly.

“No, that’s not it.”

Lin Feng shook his head, trying to clear it, his tongue slurring.

“I mean, why do they exist?

Ah Cheng, aren’t you… hic… ever curious?”

Dongfang Cheng rolled his eyes.

He’d worried for nothing.

This guy was just drunk, spouting nonsense.

“When Ouroboros first showed up in Duhuang City decades ago, the government was helpless.

Then magical girls appeared soon after.

Probably some symbiotic link, if they’re not the same group.

So, magical girls are… chosen by fate?

Pretty girls representing love and justice.

Sounds like a light novel cliché.”

“Ouroboros… they’re not good guys!”

“No sht, why else call them an evil organization?”

Seeing Lin Feng suddenly riled up, Dongfang Cheng didn’t bother continuing.

Better to shove more barbecue in his mouth.

His budget couldn’t afford places like this.

But in the relaxed vibe, a quiet bitterness stirred in Lin Feng’s heart.

He knew his best friend too well.

Dongfang Cheng might seem like a delinquent, but he hated true evil more than anyone.

If he learned his trusted friend was an Ouroboros higher-up… Lin Feng knew their friendship would shatter instantly.

That was the one thing he couldn’t let happen.

For his only close friend, this secret had to stay buried.

Why Lin Feng joined Ouroboros was a long story.

His parents, top entrepreneurs in Super Asia, ran vast business empires, traveling globally, rarely home.

From a young age, Lin Feng’s intelligence outshone his peers.

His thinking and interests clashed with other kids, leaving him ostracized, except by Dongfang Cheng, who settled disputes with fists.

So, Lin Feng’s glamorous but lonely childhood was mostly spent with his grandfather, aside from occasional brawls with Dongfang Cheng.

His grandpa, a scruffy old man, was like Doraemon, pulling magical inventions from his lab filled with odd parts.

A toy watch that transformed into a gauntlet with a mini electromagnetic cannon.

Sunglasses that let him see through things, like cards in teddy bear packaging.

A water gun-shaped toy that shot real flames.

These quirky gadgets made Lin Feng’s childhood less dull.

But at twelve, his ever-smiling grandpa, who crafted these toys, vanished without warning.

Left behind: a lab stuffed with parts and blueprints, an encrypted database Lin Feng still couldn’t fully crack, a worn Ouroboros senior researcher badge, and a menacing dark purple prototype armor, “Ashura,” tucked deep in the lab under dustproof cloth.

To uncover his grandpa’s disappearance, young Lin Feng used the badge’s info and database clues to join Ouroboros, the world’s symbol of evil and chaos.

With his prodigious talent and tech decades ahead, he rose from a nobody researcher to a senior one in five years, one of Ouroboros’s youngest core tech minds.

He learned his grandpa left a mysterious system, sealed by the Queen as a top secret, inaccessible even to him as a “technician” or “Shura.”

In five years with Ouroboros, Lin Feng swore on his armor he’d never taken an innocent life or joined their cruel experiments.

But as a top R&D expert, his weapons, armor, and gear had become Ouroboros’s claws, harming innocents and magical girls.

His indirect sins were likely countless.

If he could, he’d choose heaven over hell.

Across the barbecue table sat a genius from an evil organization and Duhuang City’s strongest magical girl.

Neither knew the other’s secret, but fate’s gears were quietly turning.

Sunlight slanted through the window.

The city outside seemed peaceful, but their quiet days were nearing an end.