Chapter 32: Blond-haired, double-gunned, monkey-like liquor!

Lin Qingya and Xia Momo ducked into a blind alley corner to speed toward their mission site, activating their transformations.

Two beams of contrasting light flashed—the soft white glow intertwining with vibrant pink, enveloping them both.

As the radiance faded, Magical Girl Baixue and Weire were back online.

…

Gan City suburbs, the abandoned vegetable greenhouse.

The place was long deserted, tattered plastic sheeting rattling in the wind with a “swish-swish” hush, the air thick with the odd stench of rotting plants.

Baixue and Weire stood before the dilapidated structure, both staring in a daze at the desolate sight.

“This spot… is way too rundown,” Weire said, pinching her nose in disgust. “Task has us reinforcing soil here? What, is there gold or diamonds buried in it?”

She scanned around—the only clear path was the dirt road underfoot; everywhere else sprouted waist-high weeds.

Lin Qingya blinked, a murmur of doubt rising in her heart.

Did a godforsaken place like this really need magical girls to “reinforce the soil”?

It sounded suspicious no matter how she spun it…

And… this location gave her a bad vibe, a vague oppression weighing on her chest.

“Whatever—let’s knock it out quick and grab some grub!” Weire clapped her hands. “Come on, Baixue—let’s make it snappy!”

“Mmm.” Lin Qingya nodded.

“Alright! Then let’s—” Weire started to say “get to work,” but the words caught in her throat.

Her eyes locked onto the pair of gently twitching cat ears atop Baixue’s head.

Those ears… no, she had to pet them first!

“Baixue, hold up!” Weire called suddenly.

Lin Qingya, mid-step into the greenhouse, paused and turned back in confusion.

The next instant, a pair of warm hands cupped her cat ears.

“Waaah! This texture! This fluffiness!”

Weire let out a total creep’s squeal of delight, her hands kneading Lin Qingya’s cat ears with reckless abandon.

“Amazing! It’s like heaven!”

Lin Qingya froze solid, a bizarre tingle shooting from her scalp, making her quiver faintly.

Wh-what’s going on?!

“M-Momo-sis…” she said helplessly.

But Xia Momo, fully lost in petting bliss, tuned her out completely.

After thoroughly rubbing the ears to her heart’s content, her mischievous paws reached for the restless white cat tail swaying behind Lin Qingya.

“Heh heh heh… lemme pet the tail too…”

Weire snatched the soft appendage, stroking it from base to tip.

“Waaah! So soft and silky! I wanna do this every day!”

Weire’s face beamed with utter satisfaction, bubbling over with joy.

She had zero resistance to fluffy cuteness!

Black lines slid down Lin Qingya’s forehead.

She got it now—Xia Momo was straight-up treating her like a pet cat!

One thought dominated her mind—regret, massive regret.

If she’d known catgirls got the full immersive petting treatment from Xia Momo…

She should’ve gone with Xingcui-jie instead!

Now, mission not even started, and she’d already been groomed like a housecat…

As Xia Momo reveled in her fun, Lin Qingya’s keen nose suddenly caught a faint, off scent.

Hm? This smell…?

She sniffed delicately, a familiar cloying sweetness riding the breeze into her nostrils.

Blood.

Faint, masked by dirt and decaying plants, but unmistakable.

Lin Qingya froze, even ignoring the odd tug at her tail’s base from Xia Momo.

This scent…

It instantly recalled the wetland park cement-hauling nightmare, a foreboding chill rising in her gut.

Last time, the task had them unwittingly aid a killer in sealing dismembered remains into the foundation.

So this time?

Reinforcing soil in an abandoned greenhouse… blood scent…

Keywords linked in her mind, birthing a horrifying guess that chilled her to the bone.

Could it… be the same again?

This recycled trick was tireless—another unwitting body-burial assist?

Why?

Why did magical girl missions always tie into covering up evil?

Surface-level shiny city-building, but underneath, burying unspeakable filth.

Magical girls… weren’t they guardians of love and justice?

Who pulled the strings? What was their endgame?

Lin Qingya’s thoughts grew icier, a chill surging from her soles to her crown. She even forgot to fend off Xia Momo’s tail-tormenting hand…

…

Meanwhile, Gan City’s eastern Jinmao Commercial Building.

The underground garage was dim and empty, silent save for Su Xingcui and Yang Yuxin’s faint footsteps echoing in the vast space.

They’d scoured the tasked area—no local magical girl, not even a soul in sight.

“Weird—the task said meet here?” Yang Yuxin muttered softly, her voice echoing faintly.

She edged closer to Su Xingcui instinctively. “Xingcui-jie, it’s… like no one’s here?”

Su Xingcui’s brows furrowed—she sensed something amiss.

The pinpointed spot was here. The garage was barren, and the whole Jinmao Building reeked of near-abandonment.

“Exchange learning” in a dump like this?

Too fishy.

“Yuxin, stay alert,” Su Xingcui warned calmly. “Transform first.”

“Okay!”

They shifted swiftly—Linglan and Xinlu on guard.

Linglan gripped her crystal staff, while emerald musical-note shields orbited Xinlu.

Moments after, a blinding golden beam lanced from the shadows, spearing straight for Linglan’s heart!

“Watch out!”

Xinlu shoved Linglan aside quick.

The golden shot grazed Linglan’s shoulder, slamming into a rear concrete pillar with a charred crater.

Hearts pounding, they whipped toward the source.

A figure emerged slowly from the dark corner.

An unfamiliar magical girl.

Golden waist-length hair gleamed, her golden battle dress hugging an attractive figure.

Most striking: her weapon—a gleaming gold gun-like magitool, barrel smoking faintly.

Another similar gun holstered at her waist.

Before Linglan or Xinlu could question, she raised her gun again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

This time, a barrage!

Golden magic bullets arced oddly in flight, tracking them, sealing every escape from multiple angles!

“Crystal Arrows!”

Linglan barked, thrusting her staff forward. Crystalline arrows materialized, intercepting the incoming rounds precisely.

Clink clink clang—

Bullets met arrows mid-air in a flurry of crisp chimes and sparkling bursts.

…

In the hotel room.

Song thrashed happily on the bed, plotting the night market feast.

“Little Bai, look! Bursting chicken cutlet! And this grilled cold noodles! Waaah, I want it all!”

Bai Wanting sat on the sofa, smiling at her phone, chiming in: “Sounds good—let’s hit ’em all tonight, Song-jie.”

Her eyes stayed on the screen, but her mind wandered far.

She closed them, attuning to the purple-red heart mark she’d etched on Lin Qingya, sinking her awareness into the girl’s magical core.

Through this “love sigil,” she could track Lin Qingya’s position anytime, anywhere.

Progress sat at a mere 3%—at 100%, she could dominate her with a thought, no matter the distance.

But when the read pinged clear in her mind, Bai Wanting’s brows knit tight.

Suburbs… abandoned greenhouse…

What?

Why was her little Qingya in such a remote, desolate spot?

A thread of unease began to coil in her chest…