Chapter 168: One Million

The image rewound rapidly, finally freezing on a bedraggled figure.

“Heh… figures. A cockroach, huh?”
Li Qing looked at the half-human, half-spider monster fleeing in panic on the screen and couldn’t help sighing.
“To think he still managed to slip away.”

“Q-Qing-jie… what do we do now?”
Lin Yu stood to the side, tightly hugging 【Xiao Bai】, which had already degenerated back into its initial form.

The little thing had lost every trace of its former ferocity.
Its eyes were dull and lifeless, its head drooping limply.
No matter how Lin Yu poked at it, there was no response at all, like a toy with its batteries removed.

“Don’t panic, senior. The sky hasn’t fallen yet.”
Li Qing glanced at the time on her wristband, her tone noticeably calmer.
“According to my estimates, our backup will arrive in about twenty minutes.”

“During this twenty-minute window, I’ll be responsible for sealing off the entire exhibition center and doing the initial cleanup.”
“For example, hacking and wiping all the surveillance backups, to prevent R-rated footage like ‘magical girls battling shapeshifting monsters’ from leaking out…”
“Then, before the visitors wake up, I’ll have to deal with the body parts and bloodstains.”

At this point, she paused, her gaze turning sharp.
“These are dirty, tiring jobs, but I can handle them alone, since there’s no need for combat. However…”

Her eyes moved past Lin Yu and lingered meaningfully on the tall man before shifting back to Lin Yu’s face.
“Letting that one fish that slipped through the net run around outside is very dangerous.”
“After all, that guy has already been turned into a Fallen by the Abyss Gospel Society. There’s no telling when he might go berserk and start causing trouble.”

Li Qing raised her hand and traced several red trajectories on the virtual map, pushing it toward Lin Yu.
“Based on its escape path and the extent of its injuries, I’ve inferred a likely route.”

“Go, senior.”
She winked at Lin Yu, and in that instant, she seemed to turn back into that sly little fox again.
“Wish you success in your purge~”

After leaving the exhibition hall, the torrential rain not only failed to let up, it fell even harder.
Luo Shaotian’s car was like a lone boat, cutting through the rain curtain as it traveled along the empty streets.

Inside the car, the heater was turned up high—almost stifling.
Yet Lin Yu still felt cold.

She curled up in the corner of the back seat, with 【Xiao Bai】 placed beside her.
The windshield wipers swung tirelessly back and forth, the monotonous “scrape, scrape” becoming the only background sound in the cabin.

Through the fogged-up windows, Lin Yu stared at the blurred cityscape outside,
but her mind was a tangled mess.

Lies.
More lies.

To patch up this colossal lie, she was like a clumsy mason, constantly using new lies to plug the holes left by the old ones.
But paper could never wrap up fire forever.

Looking at the silent back of the man driving in front, a strong sense of confusion and fear surged in Lin Yu’s heart.
Lin Yu was Lulu, Lulu was Lin Yu, and this body was that of a magical girl…
Could this absurd secret really be hidden for a lifetime?

What if… she confessed right now?

Tell him the truth.
Tell him there was no “girlfriend.”
Tell him that the so-called “sense of immorality” never existed at all.

If that were the case, wouldn’t this guy be freed from that suffocating sense of guilt?

But if she really said it…
That…

The man in the driver’s seat suddenly broke the silence.

His voice was a little hoarse, carrying a faint, barely perceptible tremor.
“Your… that little rabbit of yours. Can it still be fixed?”

“Huh? Oh… you mean Xiao Bai?”
Lin Yu snapped back to her senses and subconsciously touched the cold metal lump beside her, speaking lightly on purpose.
“It should be fine. This thing’s made of liquid memory metal—it’s tough as hell. Take it back to the company, reset it at the factory, and it should be hopping around again.”

“Is that so… that’s good.”
Luo Shaotian seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
“If there’s a repair fee… I could—”

“It’s fine, you don’t need to pay.”
Lin Yu waved her hand, cutting him off.
“This is normal mission-related battle damage. The company reimburses it in full. Our line of work is dangerous, sure, but the benefits are top-notch.”

“I see… your company is pretty humane, then.”

“Of course. Though it’s still not as good as you civil servants—you get to eat and drink on public funds and all that.”

“Actually… it’s not as great as you think. The regulations have been strict these past few years. It’s mostly just flashy on the surface.”

“Oh, come on. If there were really no benefits, why would millions of people cram their heads into the civil service exams every year? Isn’t it all for the job security and the perks?”

“…Maybe. But…”
Luo Shaotian’s fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning pale.

He looked deeply at the girl in the back seat through the rearview mirror, his gaze complex and profound.
“Listening to your tone… it sounds like everyone makes choices just for money.”
“Money… is it really that important?”

“Huh? Do you even need to ask that?”
Lin Yu snorted, hiding behind the mask of a “gold-digging girl,” and spoke in a matter-of-fact, even slightly cutting tone.
“Officer Luo, you don’t seriously think I became a magical girl for ‘love and justice,’ do you? Please. What era do you think this is?”

She spread her hands, deliberately striking a vulgar pose.
“Of course it’s for the money! Besides money, what other reason would make a girl in her prime risk her life?”

“I won’t deny that there are noble saints in this world, but I’m obviously not one of them.”
“As for me, I’m just a pure vulgarian—or, you could say… a gold digger?”
“As long as the money’s good, I’ll do anything… of course, as long as it doesn’t cross my bottom line.”

After saying all that, Lin Yu viciously despised herself in her heart.
To make him give up, she really was willing to slap any disgusting persona onto herself…

Purely vulgar?

“Heh, suits who I am now.”

The car fell into a deathly silence.

Luo Shaotian didn’t reply.
His Adam’s apple bobbed once.

“…A-Yu, is Lin Yu very rich?” He suddenly asked a completely out-of-the-blue question.

Wh-what? Lin Yu froze.

“I mean… Lin Yu.”

Luo Shaotian’s voice sank, carrying a suppressed gloom.

“Your current boyfriend… that man named Lin Yu. Is he very rich?”

“Uh…” The question hit like a straight punch, knocking Lin Yu completely off balance.

She flusteredly avoided the gaze in the rearview mirror and stammered, “He… he doesn’t have much money. Just an ordinary wage s*ave…”

“If he doesn’t have money…” Luo Shaotian’s tone suddenly turned aggressive.
“Then why do you like him?”
“Why would you agree to be the girlfriend of a poor guy like that?”

“Since you’re a gold digger who’ll do anything for money…”
“Then what can he possibly give you?”

“T-that’s none of your business?!” Lin Yu snapped, embarrassed and angry.
“This is my private matter! Just focus on driving!”

Screech—
The sound of tires grinding against the road.

The speed didn’t slow,
but the hands on the steering wheel looked as if they were about to crush the leather ring.

Luo Shaotian took a deep breath.
He stared straight ahead into the rain-filled fog, as if he had made some all-or-nothing decision.

“…Lulu.”
“If everything you said just now was truly from your heart.”
“If you really… will do anything as long as there’s money.”

His voice became unnervingly calm—calm to the point of being frightening. “Then… I have a proposal.”

“Huh? What proposal?” A bad feeling rose in Lin Yu’s chest.

“One million.” Luo Shaotian spat out the number, slamming it heavily into the cabin.

“Huh?!” Lin Yu thought she had misheard.

“Be my girlfriend.”
“I’ll give you… one million.”