Chapter 32: The Witch’s Mark and a Secret Unveiled

[Breaking News: Attack Incident in a District of Tiangong City, Casualties Include a Student and a High-Level Ability User]

The very first thing to appear on her phone the next morning was this piece of news.

“I can’t believe even a high-level ability user was attacked, and the assailant actually managed to escape completely unscathed.”

Lin Xi scrolled through her phone, reading the news, all while savoring the breakfast Bai Li had meticulously prepared.

Though she wasn’t typically one to follow the news, as a member of the Weichangzhe Organization, it was essential for her to keep abreast of basic information.

She paid particular attention to matters concerning public safety and other ability users.

“[The Unmoving Shield of Tiangong], that’s a senior figure from the Tiangong City branch of the Weichangzhe Organization; while not quite at the branch chief’s level, she hails from the same era and lived through the monster tide long ago.”

A monster tide, as the name suggested, was an event where, for various reasons, hordes of monsters banded together to attack human settlements, typically numbering in the hundreds or more.

Such high-level incidents necessitated the deployment of ability users from across the entire city, and even from other cities; yet, despite these efforts, casualties were inevitable due to the sheer number and power of the monsters.

Occasionally, a few individual monsters would even manage to sneak through defenses, infiltrating cities to wreak havoc—a disaster that, once it occurred, almost certainly guaranteed sacrifices.

However, during the monster tide decades ago, the “Shield of Tiangong” alone managed to reduce casualties to less than a tenth of the average, with not a single monster successfully escaping.

In terms of contributions to protecting civilians, her achievements even surpassed Yu Menghua, who had eliminated the most monsters.

As for why, after so many years, those individuals still appeared to be in their teens or early twenties, it was primarily due to the influence of their abilities.

Current findings indicated that once one’s strength reached a certain level, their lifespan would extend, and their appearance would remain youthful.

This held true for cultivators, mages, system users, mechanics, and virtually all other types of ability users, which explained the persistent rumors of “humanity’s last line of defense” continuing to live to this day.

“Speaking of which, to be able to defeat someone so powerful, the assailant’s strength must be immense, right? But why didn’t they do anything else, just break the person’s legs, meow?”

Ruth, pressing her paw pad against the phone, was also reading the news.

Her focus, however, was on why only this particular act had been committed.

Typically, an attack implied a lethal blow or at least a beating to the brink of death.

Yet, this time, it was merely broken legs—and not even violently severed limbs, but simply fractured bones.

Such injuries could be healed in mere minutes by someone with a healing ability.

The sheer convenience of healing abilities meant that many who didn’t naturally possess them still chose to learn a few healing spells as a precaution, making a bone fracture truly a minor injury.

‘It’s probably just like a scrape, isn’t it? At most, they’ll need some rest just to be safe.’

“And this title, ‘Witch,’ it’s like the opposite of a magical girl, meow.”

Ruth pointed to a section of the news article that contained an interview with the victim.

[I never imagined! There’s always someone stronger, and I was actually defeated. That powerful Witch, I will certainly defeat you in the future and return the humiliation of this defeat!]

Leaving aside the chuunibyou (TL Note: A Japanese slang term for adolescents who have delusions of grandeur, believing they have hidden powers or knowledge.) aspect for a moment, the main point was her mention of the word “Witch.”

It was important to note that while the concept of witches did exist in this world, often appearing as elements in various works, and some magic-wielding ability users even referred to themselves as witches,

However, as an *ability user type*, “Witch” had never been officially recorded.

Shen Jingbing’s personality and conduct were well-known to her fans, who understood that her use of the term wasn’t a metaphor or mere description, but rather an assertion that “Witches” truly existed.

Related discussion threads had already surpassed a thousand posts, and the numbers were still climbing.

“Hmm… could there be some reason? Like a desire for revenge or something similar.”

Lin Xi also saw the part Ruth had indicated, and then began to ponder the question Ruth had just raised.

“We can talk about that later; for now, just focus on eating properly.”

Bai Li popped a dumpling into Lin Xi’s mouth, and the latter, after savoring its taste, broke into a blissful smile, completely forgetting their earlier conversation.

Watching Lin Xi, Bai Li, the instigator of the attack, merely suppressed her outward emotions to the extreme, reveling in and mentally recording the sight of Lin Xi enjoying her cooking.

In truth, she had never intended to kill anyone; she merely wanted to teach a lesson, aiming for an injury that would confine them to a hospital bed for a month or so.

After all, that person had been disrespectful to her Xi Xi, not only aspiring to defeat Lin Xi but also putting Lin Xi in danger.

Such overly inflated behavior absolutely had to be corrected.

As for the means of correction, it was naturally a severe beating, designed to make them realize their mistakes.

However, thanks to the fact that the person had only gone as far as viewing Lin Xi as a rival and hadn’t actually done anything truly harmful, Bai Li had chosen not to eliminate her outright and permanently.

Furthermore, that final, seemingly meaningless counterattack against her had, surprisingly, served a purpose, at least allowing Bai Li to glimpse a certain possibility.

If she let them off, the outcome might actually be better for Lin Xi; therefore, Bai Li had deliberately avoided using excessive force, as traumatizing them would be counterproductive.

Yet, she wasn’t quite ready for Lin Xi to know about these actions, which was why she had forcefully ended the conversation with a dumpling just now.

‘Xiao Bai trying so hard to hide things from me, not wanting me to find out, is also rather cute.’

—Little did Bai Li know, Lin Xi had long since been aware of her actions, as she mused inwardly.

Honestly, upon seeing the word “Witch” and connecting it to Bai Li’s sudden departure last night, with the timings aligning perfectly, Lin Xi had deduced that Bai Li was indeed the assailant in the attack.

As for how Lin Xi managed to discern her identity despite the cognitive interference—barring a direct dispelling or transformation right before the other person’s eyes—it was likely because Lin Xi’s keen sensitivity towards Bai Li had already surpassed this layer of mental obstruction.

Regarding the reason for the attack, she naturally had some inkling, having seen those gazes—a mix of admiration, hatred, and jealousy—many times before.

While Bai Li was usually the primary recipient of such looks, Lin Xi herself wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with them.

However, in Lin Xi’s estimation, that classmate was simply someone unwilling to concede defeat, even possessing a certain sense of justice, though their path had perhaps veered slightly off course.

In such a situation, Lin Xi wouldn’t have minded helping to guide them back, but Bai Li had already taken care of it.

‘Alas, the inequality of ability talents truly harms people, though there’s no good way to balance it.’