Chapter 62: The Plan Changes

The formal training began after the test ended. The forest environment surrounding everyone was actually a simulation of the mountains near Yunxi Village. According to the plan set by the higher-ups, after the task force arrived at the landing point, they needed to approach a vantage point near the village on foot.

Since the details about the Corpse Mother were unclear, the higher-ups wanted to prioritize gathering more intelligence and avoid acting rashly. If a dozen or so magical girls used their magic to fly, it would very likely alert the Corpse Mother.

However, in Kexin’s view, with such a massive blockade around Yunxi Village, it wasn’t just about alerting the Corpse Mother—there were probably already plenty of discussions about this online.

At first, Kexin had no decision-making power over the action plan and could only follow the required procedures.

For example, in one scenario, when the task force reached the high ground, they were already discovered by the monsters, who had set up traps in advance. A large number of anomalies appeared, and the battle broke out instantly.

Although they successfully eliminated these anomalies without casualties, the system judged that the monsters had used the opportunity to break through the blockade and disappeared.

Or, after carefully entering the village, although they hadn’t alerted the Corpse Mother, the battle to defeat the enemies caused the Corpse Mother’s stats to exceed the ability of most magical girls to handle. Several, including Qisi, were judged to have lost combat capability. In a real fight, they would most likely have already died.

Even though it was just training, the realistic combat made sweat run down everyone’s face.

“Was it really necessary to set the monsters’ attack power this high?” When the training simulation shut down and the surroundings turned pitch black, Qisi plopped onto the floor. Thinking back to the previous situation, she shuddered and couldn’t help complaining.

A single strike had shattered Qisi’s fully maintained shield. Even though her internal evaluation in the Special Investigation Bureau rated her as C, in actual combat against Delta-level monsters, she had never felt so powerless.

Kexin’s situation wasn’t much better. In training, her magic reserves were deliberately limited. Using her usual combat methods, she would always exhaust her magic first and get kicked away by the holographic simulated anomalies.

Even though they were projections, the touch of these holograms was real; striking them with melee weapons provided actual feedback.

More than being tired, Kexin felt frustrated. The sense of being restricted and powerless was unpleasant.

There was no choice—the training mode stats were preset and could not be adjusted based on each person’s actual capabilities.

Adjusting her breathing, Kexin glanced at the others. Veterans like Yan Luofi seemed fine, but within her own team, Maoqi, Tang Yuan, and Chu Xueqing were clearly exhausted. Maoqi was even lying on the ground, unable to get up.

If training alone caused such despair, it was hard to imagine what would happen when the real operation began.

“Can we really carry out the mission with just us?” Kexin couldn’t help doubting herself, completely lacking confidence.

The door to the control room opened, and Officer Guan appeared before them. “Don’t complain. Our knowledge about this monster is limited, so the training has to consider the most extreme situations. Listen up—today’s training ends here. Gather up, get on the bus, and you’re dismissed.”

Hearing they could rest, Maoqi instantly seemed to regain all her energy and bounced back to life.

However, Officer Guan wasn’t done speaking. After the others left the training room, Kexin and her group were called back.

“We just received a request from the capital. It seems the President is very interested in what’s happening here. He wants the Special Investigation Bureau to act immediately. He wants the mission report by tomorrow night, so we probably won’t have much training time. Moreover, it’s too late to bring in reinforcements from elsewhere.”

“Tomorrow?” Kexin’s voice betrayed her shock. She knew time was tight, but she still felt surprised. Why didn’t the President handle this personally?

With such little time, the teams had almost no coordination. Just avoiding friendly fire in battle would already be difficult.

“Time is tight,” Luo Anying said solemnly.

Kexin could understand that they had no other choice; otherwise, they wouldn’t have come in the first place. Still, taking action tomorrow felt rushed.

She wondered if the President had lost his mind. Recalling the current President’s image, she realized she barely remembered him. Politics wasn’t her concern; she only occasionally saw him in the news. She only remembered that he won the election with 70% of the vote—the highest among recent presidents.

“The President believes that if the monsters are left unchecked, the likelihood of accidents will increase, possibly leading to irreparable consequences.”

“Easy for him to say. No reinforcements means we’re relying solely on Muzhou Headquarters?” Yan Luofi frowned. She wasn’t happy about the President’s words or the lack of support, but her main concern was reinforcement.

Magical girls make up a small proportion of the population, but given the East Asian Federation’s size and population, there were still enough to mobilize when necessary.

But currently, it didn’t seem to be that kind of moment.

Officer Guan nodded, adding a worse truth: “Not even all of them. Headquarters judged that the monsters’ destination is Muzhou, so the most important thing now is to strengthen defense there.”

“So we’re not even considered important?” Kexin said what she was thinking. She also imagined an even harsher possibility: their team, with uneven combat abilities, was being sent in first mainly as a “firepower scout” to gather intelligence on the monsters in real combat.

Any casualties would be expected and acceptable.

These politicians really didn’t regard them as human. Kexin kept her thoughts to herself. They were Special Investigation Bureau agents; obeying orders was their duty.

“I’ve secured the maximum resources possible,” Officer Guan acknowledged Kexin’s conclusion.

Even from the perspective of someone eager to defeat the Corpse Mother, the situation seemed harsh, even cruel—especially for high school girls only in their teens.

After her words, everyone lowered their heads, silently understanding the implications.

On the way back to the lodge, the unaware members still marveled at the holographic simulation system, while Kexin’s group remained speechless.

Before leaving, Officer Guan made one last announcement: “Tomorrow morning, the operation will proceed according to Scenario 3. Mission briefings will be sent to everyone’s devices.”

After saying this, she turned, the hem of her uniform tracing a neat arc. Her shoes clicked crisply on the floor as she entered the elevator, her figure soon obscured by the automatically closing metal doors.

“Mengyao… she didn’t mean it. There’s nothing she could do,” Qisi murmured, looking at the elevator with a mixture of helplessness and concern.

“Who does?”