Chapter 42: The Iceberg Goddess’s Secret Awakening

“Wonderful! The Captain has recovered!” Gu Qianqian exclaimed, her eyes welling up as she gazed at Tian Lanxing’s figure.

Just moments before, she had genuinely believed they were all doomed to perish there.

Tian Lanxing nodded, his form blurring as he reappeared beside Xia Xingyan.

The two little ones followed suit.

“Captain, she should be alright, shouldn’t she?” Gu Qianqian asked, a note of worry in her voice as she looked at the unconscious magical girl on the ground.

“What’s this senior’s codename? Why have I never seen her before?” Lin Xiaolu wondered aloud, curiously examining the other girl.

Both of them were filled with gratitude and curiosity towards this powerful magical girl who had suddenly appeared and risked her life to save their Captain.

“She’s…” Tian Lanxing was racking his brain for an explanation when Xia Xingyan, lying on the ground, suddenly let out a muffled groan. Her magical attire dissolved into countless specks of starlight, returning her to her original appearance.

The air instantly fell silent.

Gu Qianqian and Lin Xiaolu’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

“The Student Council President?!”

“Senior Xia Xingyan?!”

They exclaimed in unison, their faces a mask of utter bewilderment.

‘What in the world is going on?’

Gu Qianqian’s mind completely crashed.

The mysterious magical girl who had risked her life to save the Captain was actually the school’s renowned Iceberg Goddess?

‘How did she skip class and end up on Golden Island as well?’

Tian Lanxing looked at his daughter’s utterly dumbfounded expression, a wave of speechlessness washing over him.

‘I can’t exactly tell them that their flawless Student Council President is actually a stalker who orchestrated this entire trip just to reel me in, can I?’

He cleared his throat, forced to bite the bullet and offer a strained explanation. “Who knew she would suddenly awaken as a magical girl and save me? Ultimately, this encounter was purely a coincidence.”

Gu Qianqian’s mouth dropped even wider. “But who gets so powerful right after awakening? She must be cheating!”

“I have no idea,” Tian Lanxing said, spreading his hands. “Perhaps she’s a genius.”

He himself didn’t understand what had happened, making it impossible for him to answer Gu Qianqian.

Just then, three streaks of light sliced across the sky, landing steadily amidst the ruins of the plaza.

They were comprised of one Heavenly Star-level and two Bright Star-level magical girls.

Leading them was a magical girl with neat, short hair. She surveyed her surroundings, sensing the utterly pure star energy in the air, and found herself utterly stunned.

“This… the battle is already over?”

The magical girl beside her also wore a look of disbelief. “Didn’t the intel say a Level Five Witch? Has she already been dealt with?”

They had expected a fierce battle today, even mentally preparing themselves to sacrifice their lives.

Yet, the scene before them, apart from the widespread wreckage, contained not even a trace of the Void’s corrupting aura.

At that moment, their gazes converged, as if by unspoken agreement, on the silver-haired figure.

“Look! It’s Tian Lanxing!”

The short-haired girl’s voice was tinged with fanaticism.

He simply stood there silently, as though he were the sole source of light beneath the night sky.

Gu Qing paid no mind to the excitement of these newcomers; his attention was entirely focused on Gu Qianqian and Lin Xiaolu.

“Do you two need some of my star energy to recover?”

“No, no, we’re fine! There’s no serious harm at all,” Gu Qianqian quickly waved her hand, with Lin Xiaolu nodding in agreement beside her.

The looks they cast at Tian Lanxing were so fervent they seemed to spark with fire.

That was a Level Five Witch, plus a cadre from the Successors of Dawn!

And the outcome?

The senior transformed back, and in less than a minute, both major bosses had simply vanished into thin air!

‘Is this the power of a legend? It’s utterly absurd!’

Just then, more GSA combat team members arrived by helicopter, swiftly cordoning off the area and commencing cleanup operations.

Qin Lan, clad in a black combat suit and long boots, strode quickly through the crowd, surrounded by a retinue of people.

Her gaze immediately found Gu Qing amidst the throng, and she walked straight through the crowd, grabbing his arm and pulling him aside.

“Come with me.”

Once they reached a secluded corner, Qin Lan scrutinized him from head to toe, a playful smile curving her lips.

“Oh, back to normal, are we? I thought that tsundere young lady was your true form.”

At the mention of it, Gu Qing’s face darkened considerably.

“Shut your mouth! Do you think I *wanted* to turn into that monstrous apparition?!”

Even now, the memory sent shivers down his spine; he wished he could claw that entire experience out of his mind.

“Alright, alright, I know you feel wronged.” Qin Lan waved a dismissive hand, her expression turning serious. “Let’s talk business. What exactly happened with that Witch just now? My people reported it was Xiangyanghua?”

“That’s right.” Gu Qing nodded, his face grim. “It was her.”

“That’s impossible,” Qin Lan flatly denied. “I’ve reviewed Xiangyanghua’s file. She was a magical girl who came from Yunshan City to assist back then. She was confirmed killed in action during the ‘Skyfire’ Invasion seventeen years ago, with no remains found.”

“But I couldn’t be mistaken,” Gu Qing’s voice was heavy. “That face, I’ll never forget it for as long as I live.”

Qin Lan fell silent.

She knew Gu Qing’s combat instincts were infallible.

“Could it be that she didn’t actually die back then, but was captured by the Successors of Dawn and then transformed into a Witch?” Qin Lan offered the most logical conjecture.

“It doesn’t seem like it,” Gu Qing, however, shook his head.

He recalled the recent battle, his brows furrowed in thought.

“The aura of death around her was too profound; she didn’t seem like a living person at all. I’ve dealt with Witches before; no matter how negative or deranged their emotions, they still possess a soul. But Xiangyanghua… she felt like a mere puppet on strings.”

“A puppet on strings?”

“Yes,” Gu Qing confirmed. “During the battle, the Black-robed cadre was primarily directing her actions. Her own desire to attack wasn’t strong; it was as if she were merely carrying out orders.”

This was the most perplexing aspect. Why would a Witch require direction to function normally?

Both fell into deep thought, yet no answer presented itself.

Just then, a GSA team member rushed over.

“Commander Qin Lan, a report!”

“Speak.”

“We conducted an initial star energy scan on the newly awakened magical girl, and the results are somewhat peculiar.”

The team member’s expression was strange.

“Her star energy level is only at an apprentice level. We had her attempt to transform again, but she was completely unable to replicate her previous Heavenly Star-level power.”

“What?” Qin Lan and Gu Qing simultaneously froze in surprise.

Qin Lan recovered first. “In other words, her Heavenly Star-level strength from earlier was only temporary?”

“Yes, that is our hypothesis.”

Gu Qing was utterly baffled.

“Awakening directly to Heavenly Star-level, fighting a battle, and then plummeting back to apprentice level? What kind of situation is this?”

“I don’t know either.” Qin Lan rubbed her throbbing temples. “The exact details will have to wait until we return to headquarters and let those old fogeys in the R&D Department finish their examination.”

Gu Qing remained silent.

He watched Xia Xingyan, who was being lifted onto a stretcher by medical personnel nearby, his emotions a complicated tangle.

‘What exactly does this girl think of me?’

‘She’s probably just a slightly crazed fan, right?’