Chapter 244: The Strange Gray Crystal

Silvery-white hair fell softly over her shoulders, like cherry blossoms stirred by a spring breeze—light, almost translucent.

Her petite body stood quietly in the center of the simulation room, her slender limbs like tender bamboo shoots after rain—delicate, fragile.

In this city, no one could easily take their eyes off a magical girl—especially when she was in full transformation.

A body reconstructed by high-tier spiritual energy was simply too perfect, granting the girl an arrogance that seemed to transcend the mundane world.

That kind of beauty, beyond dimensions, was itself a form of oppression upon mortal senses.

But how many magical girls could possess this kind of detached, icy beauty?

That’s right—

“Gulp…”

Outside the observation window, Manager Qian unconsciously held his breath, his throat bobbing nervously.

He keenly sensed it—

Lin Yu… had changed.

It wasn’t just the slightly lighter hair color, nor the subtly more youthful curves.

It was her presence.

Like a lone datura blooming proudly in the wilderness—simply existing without adornment, yet its dangerous fragrance drifted for miles, ensnaring the souls of every passerby.

Before, that child had treated transformation like a costume she was forced to wear.

But now, “Gray Crystal” felt like a truly living magical girl.

So beautiful.

So eerie.

Like a gemstone soaked in forbidden blood.

In the hierarchy of magical girls, beauty had always been one of the sharpest weapons.

“ROAR—!”

But contaminants had no understanding of aesthetics.

They were remnants of chaos—embodiments of primal death and destruction.

With a bone-chilling howl, Blood Bodhi’s withered, grotesque form became a dark red blur, tearing through the air with a stench of blood as it lunged wildly for the girl’s throat.

“Shh—”

The girl raised a slender finger, gently pressing it against her petal-soft lips.

Silence.

The violent charge froze midair—

as if it had heard an irresistible command.

She lifted her head slightly. Disheveled strands of hair obscured the upper half of her face, casting deep shadows, while only her pale violet eyes shone in the dim simulation room—impossible to look away from.

“A pure heart. Bond link. Xiao Bai… transform.”

Her voice was soft—but no longer a hesitant request.

It was a command from above.

Though it differed from the standard activation phrase designed by Dr. Mei, in this moment, her will became the highest authority in the space.

“Beep—!”

The white doll on her shoulder instantly disintegrated. Silver-white liquid metal flowed like mercury, expanding into a massive floating mech that hovered protectively behind her.

She slowly raised her right hand, palm facing upward.

An immense amount of spiritual energy condensed instantly into a cherry-pink sphere.

The density of the energy was so high that even the surrounding space visibly warped and distorted.

“Boom—!”

There was no earth-shattering explosion—only a short, compressed burst of sound.

No suspense whatsoever.

Even a B-class contaminant like Blood Bodhi could not leave behind a single trace under such pure and terrifying spiritual energy.

“Test complete.”

The simulated environment dissolved instantly, replaced by cold alloy walls and empty silence.

A massive holographic results screen unfolded silently before Lin Yu.

【Overall Rating: S】

【Time: 1 minute 03 seconds】

【Damage Taken: 0%】

Unlike Manager Qian—who stood behind the console, stunned speechless—

Lin Yu, standing in the center, appeared utterly calm.

She casually raised her hand and lightly brushed her shoulder, as if dusting off a fallen petal.

“Xiao Bai, return to your cute form.”

Her soft, sweet voice fell.

The heavy mech behind her instantly liquefied and reshaped, shrinking back into a snow-white bunny plush that obediently lay at her feet.

“Gu~gu~”

For some reason, the AI that used to show constant disdain toward the “useless middle-aged man Lin Yu” no longer displayed even a hint of tsundere attitude.

Like an utterly devoted pet, it rubbed its fluffy head affectionately against the girl’s thigh, clad in black over-the-knee socks, making soft, clingy sounds.

“Hehe…”

Lin Yu let out a pleased chuckle.

She bent down naturally, scooped the little white fluff into her arms, and gently stroked its soft fur with slender fingers before walking out of the simulation room with calm, graceful steps.

“Holy shit! Xiao Lin! That was insane!”

The moment the heavy pressure door opened, Manager Qian nearly jumped in excitement. He pointed at the glaring new record on the screen, practically spitting as he spoke:

“I knew it! My judgment was spot on! Hahaha! One minute! You crushed a B-class contaminant in just one minute! That’s a record, you know that?!”

He stepped forward, gesturing wildly.

“After all this time, someone finally broke that ice-face’s record!”

“The last genius who could kill a B-class contaminant as a C-rank magical girl was that little monster Ye Ye Ying!”

“But even she took a full thirty minutes back then, exhausting all her trump cards to barely win! And you—one minute?! Speedrun?! What kind of cheat are you using?!”

Lin Yu showed none of her usual smug excitement.

“No cheats or anything, Manager Qian.”

She tilted her head slightly.

Her waterfall-like silver-gray hair slid along her pale ear as sunlight poured down, casting a dreamlike glow over her delicate face.

“It’s just that before, my thoughts weren’t clear.”

“Now… all the distracting thoughts in my heart have been cleaned out. My mind is clear, so naturally I can fully unleash the power of [Emptiness].”

“There’s such a… mindset-based explanation?”

Manager Qian froze for a moment, then stroked his round chin and nodded thoughtfully.

“Well, looks like I’m outdated. Still don’t fully understand you magical girls’ power system… I’ll have to read a few more cutting-edge papers from the tech department later.”

“So, Manager Qian—since I passed the test, can I officially return to duty now?”

Lin Yu blinked, a hint of eagerness in her tone.

“Oh my, Xiao Lin, what’s gotten into you today? Why so proactive all of a sudden?”

Qian laughed.

“Being dedicated and hardworking is great! But no need to rush, right? The company just resumed after the holidays—people are still mentally at the mahjong table. You just recovered, so take it easy. There’ll be plenty of missions piling up for you soon—you’ll have your hands full then!”

“Okay~”

Lin Yu responded obediently.

She lowered her head, idly stroking Xiao Bai in her arms, a sweet, adorable smile curving her lips.

Looking at that smile, Manager Qian suddenly felt a moment of unease.

This Xiao Lin… today… felt strange.

Not just her soft, girlish tone—

even that slightly naive, cute demeanor felt… unnervingly natural.

“Ahem…”

Manager Qian cleared his throat awkwardly, suppressing the strange feeling.

“Well, Xiao Lin, why don’t you go rest at your desk? Or grab a drink in the break room?”

“No, the desk feels cold and boring.”

Lin Yu thought for a moment.

“Is Senior Li Qing at the company today?”

“She is. Came early to the logistics department asking for new snacks.”

“Then I’ll go hang out with Li Qing and the others.”

“Hang out?”

Qian raised an eyebrow.

“Well… not exactly. I just want to chat with her.”

Lin Yu pressed her lips together slightly, her eyes shifting as she put on a thoughtful, charming expression.

“I remember… Senior Li Qing has a lot of cute, stylish clothes in her wardrobe~ I want to ask her for some fashion advice~”

“—Huh?”

At that moment, Manager Qian’s smile completely froze.

He subconsciously licked his dry lips, swallowing hard, an indescribable feeling rising within him.

“Xiao Lin… are you… maybe…”

He hesitated.

“I mean… every time after a simulation or mission, weren’t you always eager to cancel your transformation? Why does it seem like today—you have no intention of reverting at all?”

“Why would I revert, Manager Qian?”

Lin Yu frowned slightly.

“Ah? Why—well…”

Qian was completely thrown off by her matter-of-fact response.

“Those disgusting contaminants are bound to appear again anyway. Staying like this means I can jump into battle anytime—and my spiritual energy flows more smoothly.”

“And as a magical girl, maintaining this form for long periods should help improve soul synchronization, right?”

“Other seniors can’t do it because their ‘Soul Anchoring Index’ can’t handle it. But I’m different—I have the special [Emptiness] constitution. I don’t have to worry about that kind of mental contamination at all.”

“But… but your original body is a man!”

Manager Qian finally blurted out the core issue.

“Maintaining a high-dimensional spiritual body for too long will assimilate your original self! It can even affect your cognition and physical structure!”

“It will assimilate a bit, sure—but so what?”

Lin Yu tilted her head slightly, her tone light—almost pleased.

“I actually think that’s pretty nice.”

“You know what my original male body was like—a useless shut-in nobody wanted. If assimilation makes me a bit prettier, more popular like this… isn’t that a good thing?”

“…”

Manager Qian opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He’s gone mad.

This kid… has definitely gone mad.

“So, basically…”

Lin Yu raised a slender finger and lightly tapped her chest, speaking with conviction:

“If staying like this makes me stronger, then that’s the right choice, isn’t it? As a high-paid magical girl, that’s just basic professionalism.”

“Before, I always felt ashamed, always wanted to run away and revert. That was completely irresponsible.”

“I won’t run away anymore! Don’t worry, Manager Qian—from now on, I’ll completely… play the role of [Gray Crystal] properly.”

Manager Qian stared blankly at the radiant girl before him.

Suddenly, the air around him felt cold.

He didn’t know what to say.

What could he even say?

She herself didn’t think anything was wrong.

…Sigh.

He forced a smile.

“If that’s… how you see it…”

“Then… that’s for the best.”