Chapter 63: Everyone Had Actually Already Made Their Peace

Later that evening, as the dusk deepened, the mission briefing was finally distributed. As everyone looked at their terminals, apart from Kexin and the others who were already aware of the details regarding the “Corpse Mother,” the rest of the group was filled with confusion. A few of them whispered to their companions, discussing the topic among themselves.

In truth, most of them still hadn’t figured out what was really happening.

Just a few minutes ago, Kexin had called everyone involved in the operation together under her own name. After all, she was technically the leader of the training team for this mission.

The meeting took place in a conference room on the second floor of the temporary guesthouse, a place Kexin hadn’t known existed. It was only because Qisi had asked the staff that they had found out about it. Normally, booking a conference room required a reservation, but because of the special status of the magical girls, some of these formalities could be overlooked.

Standing in front of everyone, Kexin subconsciously tugged at the hem of her uniform, quickly organizing her thoughts in her head. She was still thinking about how to explain the situation to the few who had only recently become magical girls.

“Captain Kexin,” a voice interrupted her thoughts. It was Xingge, raising her hand with a slight tremor in her voice. “What exactly is this mission about? Are we really going up against a D2-level anomaly?”

Her words fell into the room like a stone dropped into a calm pond, causing ripples of murmurs to spread across the group.

“Yeah, I’ve never heard of this before. A D2-level anomaly? Is this a joke?”

“We’re only C-rank magical girls. Shouldn’t we be assigned lower-level tasks?”

The voices came from two people from the Chifeng Branch of the Special Investigation Bureau—Su Xiaomu and Pu Jingqiu. Apart from surprise, it was clear they were also expressing dissatisfaction.

“Everyone, please calm down,” Kexin clapped her hands to silence the chatter, her voice clear and soothing like running water, cutting through the noise. Her gaze swept across the room as she noticed her fingertips slightly trembling. Speaking in front of so many people still made her nervous. “I’m sure you all know about the recent surge of anomaly-related incidents in Chifeng City. Magical girls from nearby Special Investigation Bureau branches and headquarters have been sent to assist. That includes our senior Alchemist and Puppeteer here.”

As she mentioned their names, the Alchemist, Gu Yanhun, with her light golden curls shimmering in the dim light, gracefully adjusted her seat. Sitting next to her, the Puppeteer, whose expression was as still as a doll carved from moonlight, didn’t react at all.

As expected, she had no response to Kexin’s words.

Su Xiaomu and Pu Jingqiu exchanged glances and nodded. They were local magical girls from Chifeng City and worked in the Chifeng Branch. Upon closer inspection, there were dark circles under their eyes, signs of their ongoing shifts. Though magical girls always appeared perfect when transformed, they still needed rest in their human form.

Seeing no one else speaking, Kexin continued, “During the investigation of these increased anomalies, we found suspicious signs of an anomaly in the area. Further evidence suggests that this anomaly is most likely the ‘Corpse Mother’—an entity that has caused disaster-level incidents in multiple locations in the past. There isn’t much information on this anomaly, so the Special Investigation Bureau has classified it as a D2-level threat. We believe it’s hiding in a nearby village. To avoid a larger-scale disaster, we must eliminate it as soon as possible.”

Kexin skipped many of the gory details, but the seriousness and severity of the situation were clear from the tightness of her face under the harsh light above her. She gave a quick but straightforward explanation of the events.

“So, are you saying this so-called training mission is just a cover?” Tang Yuan, always quick to pick up on details, noticed the implication in Kexin’s words. As soon as she spoke, the meeting room became so quiet that you could hear the hum of the air conditioning.

“Captain Xia, is this true?” Xingge’s amber eyes were fixed on Kexin, trying to get a clear answer from her.

“I think it would be better for Officer Guan to answer, but you probably know most of it, right?” Tang Yuan pushed further.

“It’s more or less the case…” Kexin’s voice became quieter.

She wasn’t good at handling situations like this, and now that she was being put on the spot, her ears felt like they were burning. She unconsciously fiddled with the hem of her uniform, unsure how to respond. She couldn’t deny it.

On the way here, she had already heard about Officer Guan’s true intentions. Although Kexin wasn’t thrilled about it, especially after hearing the name “Corpse Mother,” she had chosen to come here, and compared to others who were just learning the truth, Kexin’s situation was actually much better.

“Ugh, these newbies are really a handful.” Yan Luofi leaned toward Yuan Lingfeng, covering her mouth with her hand as she whispered in her ear.

“Bet the senior magical girls see you the same way.”

“What do you mean?”

“No meaning. Hehe.” Yuan Lingfeng nonchalantly turned her head, gazing elsewhere.

Yan Luofi frowned slightly, clenching her fists. After thinking for a moment, she made a decision and reached toward Yuan Lingfeng’s waist.

The sharp pain from the blue-haired girl’s waist made her gasp in surprise. She nearly blurted out, “What are you doing?”

When she turned to glare at Yan Luofi, she saw the other girl studying her with a thoughtful look, causing her to feel a chill run down her spine. She had to swallow her anger.

After all, they were in a meeting, and with so many juniors present, she had to set an example, so she kept quiet.

The playful banter came to an end, and Yan Luofi turned her attention back to Kexin. Despite being new to the Special Investigation Bureau, it was clear that Kexin had attracted attention and was being treated with high regard. What was it about her that stood out? She couldn’t possibly be the daughter of some political figure who had been parachuted in, could she?

That didn’t make sense. If that were the case, she wouldn’t be assigned to such a high-risk mission.

The projector whirred to life, and a 3D map was projected onto the table.

Kexin quickly manipulated the console to add more details, rendering the real-time updates.

The final result felt strangely familiar, as if the simulation environment from the training room earlier today was almost identical to this.

“This is Yunqi Village. We believe the target of this operation, the ‘Corpse Mother,’ is currently hiding there. According to intelligence reports, it is confirmed that there are no living people left in the village—everyone who was there has been killed by anomalies. As implied by the name ‘Corpse Mother,’ this anomaly has the ability to turn the dead into its puppets. In some cases, they act almost like zombies. The more troublesome part is that these puppets can evade most conventional detection methods, blending into crowds and expanding the puppet population unnoticed. By the time you realize it, it might be too late…”

After Kexin finished explaining the anomaly’s profile, Tang Yuan raised her hand. Once Kexin nodded to acknowledge her, she asked, “So, is it confirmed that the target of this anomaly is Muzu City?”

“Based on the current intelligence, it’s very likely. But for precaution, all nearby branches have been put on higher alert,” Kexin answered.

“So, we’re the only magical girls involved in this mission?” Tang Yuan asked. The higher alert level meant that magical girls would now be required to patrol daily, with no leave allowed in their designated zones.

“An A-rank magical girl will be providing support, but she hasn’t arrived yet. Until then, we’re on our own,” Kexin added.

At this point, it was clear to everyone what Kexin meant. The weight of the situation settled heavily on the room. They exchanged looks, their expressions filled with complexity.

But soon, everyone fell silent and turned their attention to Kexin.

“Today’s training was a simulation of a battle with the Corpse Mother. You’ve all experienced it firsthand. What the real situation will be like, we don’t know for sure. So—”

If anyone wanted to back out, now was the time.

Kexin had intended to say that. Even though she couldn’t change the higher-ups’ orders, as the on-site commander for the operation, she could arrange for people to stay in relatively safe locations as reserves.

Just as she was preparing her words, Tang Yuan stood up, pushing her chair back. “I understand. So, Captain Xia, what’s the battle plan?”

At that moment, the atmosphere in the room seemed to come alive, as if some magic had been cast.

“So, are we going to be air-dropped in? This’ll be my first time parachuting.”

“I wonder how different military transport planes are from passenger planes. I’m kind of excited.”

…

The magical girls began chatting excitedly, as if they were discussing some casual entertainment activity instead of a dangerous mission where they might not return alive.

“Huh?” Kexin had not expected this response at all.

“Is it not happening yet?” Tang Yuan tilted her head.

“Of course not, we’re still working out the details. That’s the purpose of gathering everyone here today.”

Looks like Kexin had overthought things.

Apart from her being reluctantly pulled into the magical girl world, the others who had joined the Special Investigation Bureau as special agents had done so willingly—many even had personal vendettas against the anomalies.

The danger of the battle wasn’t enough to scare them off.

Kexin wasn’t sure if this was good news or not. But at least, compared to speaking in front of others, she was better at making plans.

She quickly projected her plan onto the 3D map.

“First, we’ll take a special transport plane, parachute into the mountains, and to avoid alerting the anomaly, the Special Investigation Bureau has prepared a new type of parachute backpack that doesn’t require using our magical powers…”