Chapter 15: Awakening in the Wardrobe

CRASH—

A heavy military boot slammed the door open.

A blinding red laser beam cut through the chaotic clutter, meticulously searching for any object capable of movement.

Anything caught in its relentless glow would undoubtedly be torn to shreds.

Yet, there was nothing.

From the doorway, all that could be seen was a chaotic jumble of discarded items, musical instruments, and scattered boxes and cabinets.

“…Room 4. No resistance encountered.”

“Commence search.”

“Yes, sir!”

The crimson laser dropped to the floor.

Heavy footsteps echoed as they moved from the doorway into the room’s depths.

With the windows completely blocked by debris, this solitary entrance served as the room’s only point of entry and exit, leaving no other escape.

Thus, Chao Wu had nowhere to flee.

Instead, she was…

Crammed alongside Ling Xing inside a wardrobe tucked away in the room’s corner.

The space, barely enough for a single person, was impossibly forced to accommodate two young girls.

Short, ragged breaths filled the silence.

Warm, soft breaths brushed against Chao Wu’s cheek, painting a faint blush across her beautiful, delicate features.

Confined within the minuscule space, the two were pressed intimately together, Chao Wu holding Ling Xing in a tight embrace.

‘It’s no use, we’ll be found…’

Even with her consciousness fading, Ling Xing’s instincts remained acutely precise.

Her warm, moist whisper, as she gently nipped Chao Wu’s earlobe, conveyed an undeniably accurate conclusion.

The wardrobe, barely containing the two girls, couldn’t even shut its doors completely.

Through the narrow gap in the wardrobe doors, the girl could even glimpse the fully armed intruders within the room.

A member of the Magic-Tech Squad, clad in bulletproof gear and armed with a rifle, strode with heavy steps, their gaze sweeping around—

The crimson dot, a stark symbol of their watchful gaze, had already swept over the wardrobe’s slight opening multiple times.

Discovery was merely a matter of time.

Once exposed, they would be utterly incapable of resistance.

Beads of sweat trickled down Chao Wu’s forehead, soaking into her skin.

“Ling Xing… don’t look at them, look at me…”

If the situation was beyond salvage, then there was no point in watching it unfold.

Within their embrace, Chao Wu’s hand gently caressed Ling Xing’s delicate face, compelling her hazy eyes to meet her own.

A faint, crystalline sheen coated her tender skin, highlighting its already flushed hue.

“Trust me, Ling Xing… gaze at me, feel me, understand me, embrace me…”

The girl’s voice was barely a whisper, thin as a mosquito’s hum.

Yet, in their intimate embrace, both could hear it with perfect clarity.

CLANG—

As the girl’s soft words hung in the air, a wooden crate on the other side of the room was violently smashed open by a Magic-Tech Squad member.

Debris scattered everywhere, left unheeded.

It was a rudimentary method of elimination: dismantle, inspect, and destroy any suspicious object.

Inevitably, the wardrobe sheltering the two girls would be no exception.

Soon, they would be…

“I trust you.”

She offered no response to the impending catastrophe.

Without a flicker of hesitation, even amidst her fading consciousness, Ling Xing offered the girl a gentle smile.

Smiling, she closed her eyes and lightly wrapped her arms around Chao Wu’s waist.

“Thank you. Then… take everything from me.”

A word of thanks, and then.

The girl cupped Ling Xing’s soft, delicate face and gently pressed a kiss upon it.

****

‘—”Chao Wu, you mustn’t learn from those bad children, alright? Girls should be pure, and know their limits.”‘

‘ “Don’t worry, Chao Wu is a good child; she never gives us any trouble. Why would we need to worry about such things?”‘

‘…I’m sorry.’

‘Father, Mother.’

‘I… I think I’ve become a bad child.’

Their hearts intertwined.

Their thoughts converged.

Magic, imbued with Chao Wu’s thoughts and emotions, surged into Ling Xing’s body.

The sorrow of setbacks, the euphoria of triumph, the chasm of ideals, and…

Even knowing that ideals were but fleeting dreams, the unwavering resolve to dedicate everything to them.

All these emotions, much like their intertwined embrace, wove together in a spiraling dance.

The tether of their connected thoughts gently pulled and anchored Ling Xing’s drifting consciousness.

As her consciousness drifted, for a fleeting moment, it seemed to break free from the body’s confines, allowing her to glimpse scenes that no mortal eye could perceive.

Ling Xing saw it, she truly saw it.

Chao Wu’s cherished captain, Qi Teng Shen Xue, stood within the towering spire of the Magical Girl organization, her gaze subtly lifting as if sensing something profound.

Within the cold storage, a peculiar machine emitted a flat, mechanical pronouncement: [Qualified Ling Xing has established synchronization with Magical Girl Chao Wu.]

In the principal’s office, the aristocratic girl stood with one hand on her hip, scoffing coldly before slamming the door shut, utterly dismissing the Magic-Tech Squad who had arrived with such elaborate efforts.

Beside her, an attendant silently counted the contents of a wallet, casting a discreet glance towards the direction of Ling Xing’s room before quietly trailing the aristocratic girl out of the campus.

In that single instant, countless individuals grasped the profound outcome.

No longer was it a forced transformation, powered by another’s crystal; this was a genuine connection of hearts, an alignment of beliefs, an inheritance of the girl’s will, forging a true Magical Girl.

The intensely powerful aura and fluctuations emanating from the truly awakened Magical Girl made everyone connected within the city acutely aware of what had just transpired.

Except for… the Magic-Tech Squad, who remained blissfully ignorant of everything, even kept in the dark about their impending retreat, utterly discarded as mere cannon fodder by the young lady.

Her thoughts, returning from their distant journey, settled back into Ling Xing, who then opened her eyes.

It was like awakening from a long, vivid dream, its intricate details still lingering faintly in her memory.

She reached out, her fingers gently tracing the hair of the girl who still held her in a tight embrace.

“You foolish Magical Girl, you didn’t need to go through all this trouble… Well, whatever. Who am I to complain? I’m an elite combatant, after all. I suppose I’ll reluctantly acknowledge your quick thinking for now—”

“I’m not a Magical Girl anymore. Can’t you just call me by my name properly?”

“Hmm… Well, regardless, you did very well, Chao Wu. As for the rest—”

[Room 4! Surveillance footage shows the target last entered Room 4! All units, converge and immediately unleash fire on Room 4, quickly!]

The communicator suddenly blared to life.

Ling Xing’s return to full awareness was punctuated by a torrent of urgent shouts.

The Magic-Tech Squad members, completely oblivious, continued their diligent search for any trace of the two girls.

Click—

The subtle click of a safety being disengaged was so starkly clear it seemed to detonate right beside their ears.

There was no longer any need for a search; with the target confirmed to be present, a direct sweep of gunfire was the immediate course of action.

The Magic-Tech Squad member within the room raised their assault rifle.

The targeting laser swept relentlessly across the room’s interior.

‘Would the specialized rifle, capable of piercing walls, cause unintended casualties? Would the escalating gunfire incite widespread panic? Had the target, perhaps, already found a way to escape?’

None of it mattered! The Magic-Tech Squad had no need to ponder such trivialities; all that mattered was to fire, fire, fire!

A finger tightened on the trigger.

Click…

Instead of the anticipated gunshot, what echoed was merely the soft click of a dry-firing hammer.

Confused, their gaze dropped.

Instinctively, they prepared to pull the trigger once more.

Only then did they realize.

The crimson dot, which should have been fixed on their target, was now…

Shining conspicuously between their own legs.

BANG—

“GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!”

[Room 4? Room 4!? What happened! Respond, respond!]

The communicator continued its futile cries.

The one meant to answer could only wail in agony, writhing painfully on the floor.

The one who could respond, however, was none other than…

“Oh, members of the Magic-Tech Squad, you all seemed rather arrogant when I wasn’t at my best, didn’t you?”

Ling Xing casually lifted her foot, her long boot pressing down on the chest of the wailing Magic-Tech Squad member. With a faint smile, she addressed the communicator on the other side, though her voice betrayed not a hint of genuine amusement.