Chapter 13: A Plan Interrupted

Lu Chen steadied the administrator’s shoulder, his gaze still fixed on the young woman.

“What about you?”

With half the smoke already dissipated, the colossal serpent’s approaching form gradually came into view.

Ling Wei, having discreetly confirmed the small key she had just ‘borrowed’ from the administrator, offered the young man a faint smile before speaking:

“Someone needs to hold it back. I’ll be fine.”

Lu Chen’s eyes flickered, and he gently bit his pallid lower lip.

This was the expression he always wore whenever he tried to persuade others with specious arguments.

“Let’s go together; fighting it here is not a good idea. You must understand—”

“Please, I’m counting on you.”

“…I understand.”

Lu Chen mumbled his agreement, his throat working with palpable difficulty.

He cast a deep, lingering glance at the young woman, then turned and fled towards the warehouse door, cradling the administrator.

No sooner had the young man gripped the iron door’s handle than several golden spears burst through the smoke, hurtling towards his back.

Without even a backward glance, the young woman raised her right hand, and scorching white flames erupted from the ground behind Lu Chen, forging a vast, trembling shield of fire that intercepted and melted most of the incoming deadly projectiles.

The young man dared not tarry, clinging tightly to the injured person as he seized the opening and rushed straight out of the warehouse.

“Boom!”

****

Yet, one golden spear, gleaming with exceptional brilliance, pierced the wall of fire unscathed, striking the large door with terrifying force and warping even the supposedly indestructible doorframe.

Moreover, after impact, it continued to writhe and expand, unfurling like a crumpled piece of paper.

In mere moments, the entire entrance was completely sealed by metal, leaving not a single gap.

Had Ling Wei not subtly altered the trajectory of this deadly weapon, it would have, even through the door, crushed Lu Chen and the administrator into pulp with its shockwave.

As the young woman scrutinized the marks left by the golden spear, a grating hiss rapidly drew near.

She turned her head to see the colossal serpent slithering out of the smoke.

With every inch it advanced, everything it touched was imbued with a golden hue.

By the time this monstrous serpent reached her, half the warehouse walls and floor were already coated in a shimmering layer of metal.

The young woman surveyed the opulent, golden hall, her expression (feigned) grave as she stated:

“…You can freely generate Frostflame Steel and forge it into weapons?”

Upon hearing this question, a gleam of satisfaction surfaced in the serpent’s vertical pupils.

It regretfully shook its head slightly and replied:

“You flatter me, it is far from free. To generate even an inch of Frostflame Steel, I must expend ten times the magic required for ordinary gold and silver.

“See, I toiled for quite some time just to forge this paltry amount, not even enough to construct a villa for my master… It’s merely sufficient to reinforce this warehouse and utterly seal off any escape route for a pathetic little worm like you.”

As it spoke, it lowered its massive body, casting a shadow over the young woman, its condescending expression akin to gazing upon fish on a chopping block.

“Well, Fireworks? Are you pleased with this coffin?”

The young woman let out a faint sigh.

Miss Xia Shi is a pure mage; her physical strength, at best, is negligible, certainly not enough to break through walls plated with Frostflame Steel and escape.

Ling Wei had originally intended to put on a show of fighting before finding an opportunity to flee, but it now seemed she would have to exert considerably more effort.

She leaned forward slightly, her right hand gently pressing against her side, as a dazzling, burning longblade materialized in her grasp.

Then, the young woman lifted her serene eyes, gazing directly at the encroaching colossal serpent.

“Extremely satisfied. Your body is far too immense; it would be difficult to find any other suitable coffin.”

“…Excellent, keep screaming! It’s only amusing to kill when there’s a struggle right to the end!”

With a short, sharp hiss, the coiled body of the colossal serpent sprang forth.

Its enormous, unparalleled head shattered the air as it hurtled directly towards the young woman’s slender form.

The young woman, instead of retreating, stepped forward, twisting her body and swinging her arm.

The fiercely burning fire-blade instantly expanded and warped, striking the serpent’s head with the force of a collapsing mountain.

Flames clashed with metal, and a scorching shockwave reverberated outwards, while dazzling light and intense heat overwhelmed Chrysomallos’s senses.

“It’s useless!”

It roared, lashing its heavy serpent tail against the ground, and using the momentum, it burst out of the flames with a hiss, intending to crush Fireworks into ashes with its full weight—only to futilely collide with an empty wall.

“Over here, you idiot.”

The young woman’s cold provocation rang out, and the colossal serpent irritably turned its gaze, finding her already borne aloft by flames a short distance away, countless bright white fire-arrows nocked in her hand.

The arrows shot forth like a torrential downpour, all striking the serpent’s head with unerring accuracy—and, as before, raising a dense cloud of smoke that spread throughout the warehouse, once again plunging the monster into disorienting chaos.

“Boring, useless, shameless tricks! You claim to be the strongest of the modern era, yet all you do is scurry and set off fireworks!”

The colossal serpent shrieked in impotent rage, simultaneously firing golden spears indiscriminately.

Ling Wei, deflecting the attacks, moved swiftly by memory, darting to a corner of the warehouse.

She ignited a flame at her fingertips to dispel the smoke, then cast her eyes to the ground, where she indeed saw what she had anticipated.

They were two floor tiles marked with footprints—or rather, devices equipped with teleportation magic.

To facilitate the entry and exit of staff and the transport of large quantities of goods, the warehouse contained such direct teleportation portals to the outside, accessible only to internal and external administrators.

Therefore, while it might sound a bit simplistic, leaving the warehouse didn’t necessarily require physically walking out.

There were two tiles in total: one for entry, and one for exit.

The young woman stepped onto the exit tile, awaiting the iron lock to emerge from the ground as it had before.

However, after several seconds, the tile remained unresponsive.

Ling Wei frowned, concentrating her senses to meticulously perceive the situation beneath the tile, and discovered the crux of the issue.

The iron lock for authentication had been utterly pulverized. It was completely impossible to activate.

****

Simultaneously, Chrysomallos dispersed the thick smoke, slithered closer to the young woman, and, with an air of responsibility, began to explain:

“Pitiful, pathetic Fireworks… You lack the courage for a direct confrontation with me, only thinking of using a teleporter to escape when I reveal an opening. Did you truly believe I wouldn’t anticipate such ridiculous little schemes?

“Before I even launched my attack, I had already severed all paths of egress!

“This is your terminus, your ultimate demise… This place leads nowhere but to hell.”

Upon hearing these words, the young woman, who had always maintained a strong and aloof demeanor, finally revealed a look of despair, her delicate face draining of all color.

Her shoulders trembled as she futilely conjured fire-arrows, but even the flames themselves became suddenly unstable, struggling to take form.

The colossal serpent, while leering down at the young woman, contentedly gathered its power.

A golden spear gradually coalesced, radiating an unprecedented aura of danger.

“Ah… ah…!”

Ling Wei feigned two cries of despair as encouragement, all the while subtly shifting her feet, moving into a more advantageous position.

She always had two plans for everything; this time was no exception.

Just moments ago, when Chrysomallos was wildly flinging golden spears, she had deftly deflected them all to the same spot on the wall.

Frostflame Steel was merely heat-resistant; its hardness and toughness were not particularly outstanding.

After enduring such a concentrated barrage of attacks, that section was already precarious, liable to be torn apart like a napkin at any moment.

If she could just guide this crawling creature to fire one more powerful golden spear at that spot, it would undoubtedly create an opening, allowing Ling Wei to escape.

Furthermore, once the ordeal was over and the logistics department of the New Dawn Group investigated the scene, they would only conclude that “the Golden Serpent, having lost its temper, rampaged wildly and inadvertently breached the warehouse, thus allowing Fireworks to find an opportunity to escape.”

Ling Wei would not reveal the slightest flaw in her plan.

The young woman mentally reviewed her plan, and while preparing to propel herself away with flames, she dramatically slumped to the ground, her legs giving way in feigned despair.

‘Come on, hit me, hit me right in the face! This angle is perfect!’

“…Prepare to die.”

Following a low growl, the spears around the colossal serpent blossomed like flower buds, poised to strike.

The power of this strike was clearly different from before; it would likely shatter numerous artifacts and create a cascade of flying debris.

‘Well, getting hit by debris doesn’t really matter.’

‘For an ordinary human, it would likely be a fatal wound, but Xia Shi is a magical girl, after all; she can withstand such injuries.’

The young woman narrowed her eyes mischievously, ready to conjure fire and dodge.

Suddenly, the adjacent floor tile flashed with light, indicating Lu Chen had teleported into the warehouse.

Ling Wei, observing this half-piece of Silvermoon Heart that had willingly walked into a trap, let out a genuinely startled cry.

“What in the actual f—”

Before the young woman could finish speaking, Lu Chen had already rushed forward, pushing aside the one who seemingly had plunged into despair and even cursed aloud.

At the same instant, the golden spear shot forth, hurtling directly towards the young man’s nape.