Chapter 108: Murder

E District, Deep Port.

Cold night rain, mixed with the ocean’s characteristic salty tang, silently washed everything clean.

In the distance, the container terminal glowed like a sleepless city.

Massive gantry cranes moved slowly within the curtain of rain, letting out deep, mournful groans.

“Zzzla—”

On the rooftop, an old flickering signboard with loose wiring spat a few sparks into the rain, its erratic light illuminating the four figures standing beneath it—bright one moment, dark the next.

Lin Yuxi instinctively pulled her uniform tighter.

Even though the winter uniform was warm enough, the sensitive body of a young girl would still make some annoying reactions under the teasing of cold wind.

She actually missed the dinner gathering from earlier.

Just three hours ago, she’d been sitting in a warm private room, listening to Yano Hotaru’s explanation while devouring A5 wagyu.

And now, she was standing atop this abandoned office building.

Under her feet was the slick concrete rooftop, and in her ears was the howling cold night wind.

“To be honest, I still feel a little out of it…”

“Look down.”

A cold voice pulled her back from her brief daze.

At some point, Yano Hotaru had already walked to the edge of the rooftop.

Her black dress fluttered sharply in the wind, as if it were going to merge with the deep, heavy night itself.

She pointed toward the noisiest cluster of lights below.

Lin Yuxi followed the direction of her finger.

There lay a massive complex of modern warehouse buildings—so large it looked like dozens of football fields stitched together.

On the outer wall shaped like a giant gate, a sign hung prominently.

“E District Deep Port International Seafood Wholesale Market,”

Beside it was a blue tuna-shaped logo.

Even at such a late hour, the place was brightly lit, almost like a public square.

Lines of refrigerated transport trucks queued before offloading bays, while workers in uniforms directed the machines unloading cargo.

“Next batch! Move it! Don’t block the route of the unmanned forklift over there!”

“The tuna for Cold Storage No. 3 has to be delivered to the Sea God’s Crown Hotel tonight! If you delay even one minute, forget about this month’s bonus!”

Another cold voice yanked her back again from her drifting thoughts.

The hydraulic hiss of machinery, the beeping of reversing alarms, the curses of workers…

Mixed with the roar of diesel engines and the salty scent of seawater, it all blended into a lively floating world.

Li Qing had somehow come up beside her and whispered into Lin Yu’s ear:

“See that, senpai? On the surface, this is XinHai City’s largest seafood distribution hub, supplying over seventy percent of the city’s seafood. But…”

“Down there is actually the Akagi Gang’s largest Subspace Dust distribution point and underground weapon-modification workshop.”

“Inside those refrigerated trucks going in and out… besides fresh seafood, they’re also hiding Dust.”

“And beneath this market, in the underground level—originally an underground parking lot—they’ve converted it into a factory. Rumor says they make all sorts of bizarre killing machines down there!”

Yano Hotaru nodded slightly—an acknowledgment of Li Qing’s explanation—then continued:

“Gray Crystal, the Zero Division’s report and evaluation on you: the conclusion is safe.”

“From a procedural standpoint, the collar around your neck has already been removed. The company should be restoring all of your field assignments immediately.”

“But data is still just data. The company needs to see your state under real high-pressure conditions. They must confirm whether, when facing high concentrations of Subspace Dust, your psyche will show fluctuations like last time.”

Yano Hotaru’s gaze swept over the bustling market below, her voice turning colder.

“Fortunately, the company recently detected the movements of the Akagi Gang’s Western Hall Master— the Wrench. Tonight, he’ll personally oversee a new batch being stored here.”

“So, Manager Qian and Director Bai have unanimously decided to make this purification mission your final test before returning to the battlefield.”

“This is for your sake… and for ours. For everyone who needs a teammate.”

Lin Yu was silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

“…I understand.”

She knew this was a hurdle she had to cross.

Yano Hotaru continued:

“Then your mission tonight is simple.”

“—Infiltrate, locate the Wrench’s position… and kill him.”

Hearing that command, Lin Yu’s heartbeat skipped a half-beat, but she wasn’t really surprised.

Back when she signed the contract, in the papers Manager Qian gave her, the words “High-Risk Human Targets” were written very clearly.

She’d been dealing with sticky, disgusting monsters until now. Switching to cleaning out human garbage… well, that counted as a kind of business expansion.

Saying she wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

They were living people, not video game mobs where you just pull a trigger and it’s done.

She felt her palms getting a bit sweaty. She’d never been this nervous killing a chicken.

The last time she killed Wu Jianguo, she’d been running on pure emotion. If she had to do it again, she wasn’t sure she’d be that decisive.

But…

Nerves were nerves. Work was work.

She recalled her official contract—forty thousand a month.

For that kind of salary, killing a gang boss? If Manager Qian told her to blow up the Municipal Administrative Committee building, she might first ask how much the mission bonus was.

In short, just do it.

“Senpai, I have another question…”

Looking down at the ant-nest-like sprawl of buildings and the endless stream of workers going in and out, Lin Yu frowned.

There were as many people as garbage down there. If I get spotted while infiltrating…

“It’s fine.”

Chen Bing patted her shoulder and reminded her:

“During infiltration, if you’re discovered, the operations manual authorizes you—under the premise of ensuring your own safety—to conduct unrestricted ‘physical purification’ on any Akagi Gang members who try to stop you.”

…So that’s how it is.

Lin Yu still felt uneasy. If it really went like Chen Bing said…

How many people would she have to kill to get to that Wrench?

If she killed them all, wouldn’t her contamination level rise again?

Eh…

Something feels wrong.

Why am I becoming so…

“Senpai!”

Li Qing’s voice suddenly snapped Lin Yu out of her spiraling thoughts.

She playfully patted Lin Yu’s shoulder and encouraged her with a cheerful grin:

“Don’t worry! You’re a bona fide Class C magical girl now! That forty-thousand salary isn’t for nothing! I believe in you—you’ll be totally fine!”

“That’s right.”

Chen Bing stepped forward as well, nodding slightly.

“To have survived this long as a magical girl, you’re definitely stronger than you think.”

“Trust your training. Trust your judgment.”

“Even though in my eyes you’re still a rookie… I don’t think you’ll die here.”

Her teammates’ encouragement washed over Lin Yu like a warm current.

Looking back at her life all these years, it seemed that only after becoming a magical girl had she ever felt this kind of warmth.

She took a deep breath, just about to say something—

“Those words are meaningless.”

A cold silhouette stepped in front of her.

It was Yano Hotaru.

At some point she had walked back from the roof’s edge. Rain soaked her silk-like black hair, making it cling to her expressionless, exquisitely carved face.

Those deep, bottomless, icy blue eyes stared directly into Lin Yu’s.

“Gratitude, promises, and other unrealistic things… on the battlefield, they’re the first things to get you killed.”

Yano Hotaru’s voice was soft, nearly swallowed by the wind and rain, yet it drilled sharply into Lin Yu’s ears.

She slowly raised a hand, pressing a slender finger lightly against Lin Yu’s heart—still beating wildly beneath her ribs.

The cold touch made Lin Yu’s breath hitch.

“Now. Answer my final question.”

Yano Hotaru’s gaze was as sharp as a blade.

“—Are you prepared to kill?”

There was no verbal answer.

Lin Yu simply raised her hand and gently pressed the irregular hexagonal crystal brooch on her chest.

The next second, gentle yet unwavering pink light tore through the rain-soaked night!

When the light faded, the silver-haired, heterochromatic-eyed magical girl—Gray Crystal—was already standing quietly there.

With her actions, she had given the perfect answer.