Chapter 61: The Holographic Training Room

With a mind full of questions, Ke Xin eventually succumbed to sleep and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, it was already the next morning.

Glancing at the time and realizing she hadn’t overslept, Ke Xin exhaled in relief and mechanically got out of bed. Her mind hadn’t fully woken yet, but she was already dressed. Rubbing her eyes, she walked to the bathroom and quickly finished her morning routine as usual.

Just as Ke Xin opened the door to leave, she suddenly remembered something and quickly stepped back a few paces, looking at the lump of a blanket. She smiled helplessly.

“Senpai, it’s time to get up.”

As expected, Luo Anying remained motionless, lost in her own dreams.

A gentle reminder didn’t work, so Ke Xin had no choice but to get closer and pat Luo Anying’s body through the blanket.

Following Agent Guan’s instructions, the selected magical girls were to gather after breakfast and follow Agent Guan to the day’s training site. Since it was a place they had never been to, missing the assembly would be troublesome.

“Hmm?”

Seeing a reaction from her senpai, Ke Xin pressed a bit harder: “It’s already 7:30. We need to assemble by 8:00.”

“Got it.” With that, Luo Anying extended a hand from under the blanket toward the door. “You go ahead. Don’t worry about me.”

“So I’ll head downstairs first?” Ke Xin hesitated for a few seconds.

In combat, nobody would question her abilities, but when it came to daily life, Ke Xin always felt Luo senpai’s self-care skills were lacking.

But the other had said so, so what could she do?

At the dining hall, Ke Xin’s gaze swept across the room and immediately saw Qi Si waving at her.

“Good morning, Ke Xin. You look tired. Did something happen last night?”

Ke Xin immediately understood the hint and her smile turned into an expression of exasperation: “Shouldn’t you be worrying about today’s mission instead of me?”

“There’s nothing to worry about. The Bureau’s arrangements are thorough.” Qi Si peeled a boiled egg and shoved it directly into her mouth in just a few bites.

Ke Xin found this way of eating almost shocking.

“What are you looking at? Aren’t you eating?” Qi Si used her fork to spear a sausage from Ke Xin’s plate and quickly popped it into her mouth, keeping an eye on Ke Xin’s reaction.

But Ke Xin didn’t react at all.

“Not very hungry.”

Although she hadn’t eaten anything since last night, Ke Xin didn’t feel hungry. Maybe all magical girls were like this.

“Don’t be like that. You’re not in trouble, right? Or do you have some insider information?”

“If only there were. Then things would be less troublesome.” Ke Xin thought. If someone could provide a bit more intel, this operation could be more precise.

“Don’t overthink it. Fighting monsters is our duty. No matter what, we’ll show them what the Black Hand is.” Qi Si then snatched a steamed bun from Ke Xin’s plate.

“Targeting my breakfast now, huh?” Ke Xin laughed bitterly and grabbed a bun herself, since not eating in the dining hall would be too conspicuous.

At that moment, Ke Xin noticed two more approaching.

“Can we sit here?” Yan Luofi asked, carrying a tray, followed by Yuan Lingfeng.

The seated girls shifted slightly toward the window, making space.

“Dream Yao said today’s training is holographic simulation. Do you know what that is?” Yan Luofi asked eagerly.

Since it was only a briefing, there wasn’t much explanation, but Ke Xin didn’t pay it much mind.

“Not sure. Maybe it’s a holographic model of a monster for explanation?” Ke Xin looked out the window. The view of the airstrip was covered by dense forest—hidden using holographic camouflage technology.

This allowed the mountain-based military base to evade satellite reconnaissance; other countries probably didn’t know it existed.

But such technology could likely only project static images, perhaps with simple motion. At least, that’s what Ke Xin thought. But for this “Corpse Mother” monster, was it necessary? The data available was very limited; even a PowerPoint would suffice.

Or maybe there was information that could only be revealed in special circumstances.

Ke Xin couldn’t help but think conspiratorially.

“Thinking too much won’t help. You’ll see for yourself when we get there,” Qi Si said, finishing the milk in her cup, wiping her mouth with a napkin, and looking at Ke Xin and Yan Luofi. “Overthinking isn’t good.”

“Exactly.” Yuan Lingfeng nodded in agreement.

“I envy people with such carefree hearts.”

“Same here.”

At that moment, the two pink-themed magical girls reached a silent consensus, confirming their understanding through a glance.

Soon, Bai Xihan and others arrived at the dining hall. Since there wasn’t enough space at this table, they greeted everyone briefly and sat elsewhere.

As 8:00 approached, everyone finished eating. Just as Ke Xin was about to get up, Agent Guan’s voice approached.

“I’ve told you, today is important. Don’t take it lightly.”

“But… so sleepy…”

From a distance, everyone saw Agent Guan dragging Luo Anying by the collar from the elevator, like she was being pulled along.

Ke Xin shook her head. As expected, she couldn’t leave her senpai alone.

After giving Luo Anying some bread and milk, Agent Guan gathered the magical girls for the mission. Due to the confidential nature, no details were shared at this point. Once everyone had assembled, they departed.

Outside the guesthouse, a large bus, similar to a public transport vehicle, awaited. After picking up Ke Xin and the others, the doors closed, and they departed.

The bus left the special section of the Bureau and entered the air force base. After about twenty minutes, it stopped in front of a building that looked like a warehouse.

But it was clearly no ordinary warehouse—otherwise, armored vehicles wouldn’t be stationed outside.

“Hello, we are from the Bureau requesting access to the holographic training room.” Agent Guan led the way, and a lieutenant saluted her.

After confirming her credentials, the lieutenant guided them through a hidden door into the warehouse. Ke Xin noticed that beyond the door was a narrow corridor leading to an extremely wide space. The walls and floor were black, yet there was no darkness; the source of light was invisible.

Everyone was speechless, including Agent Guan—it was her first time seeing it.

“Agent Guan, please follow me to the control room.”

“Understood.”

They left through another small door. Once closed, the door blended seamlessly with the wall.

While everyone was curious, Agent Guan’s voice came through their earpieces:

“Attention, all personnel. We will begin the pre-training test. Set your transformation devices to training mode.”

Ke Xin raised her hand and pressed the rarely-used button on her device.

A holographic projection screen appeared, showing settings for their magical girl battle suits.

Switching to training mode limited their magical output, turning attacks non-lethal to prevent unnecessary injury.

“Team B set to training mode,” Bai Xihan reported as temporary team leader.

“Team C set to training mode,” Qi Si reported.

Ke Xin noticed all eyes were on her—she was the leader of Team A.

She quickly confirmed with her team members, especially Luo Anying, who required attention.

“Team A, all members set to training mode.”

In the control room, multiple screens displayed different angles of the training room. Once all teams were ready, Agent Guan nodded to the lieutenant.

The holographic system activated. Suddenly, the black walls disappeared. The ceiling became a blue sky, the ground soft soil.

“This is incredible. And it’s not even powered by magic,” Bai Xihan marveled, poking a finger into the soil, leaving a small hole.

Next to her, Gu Yanhan, who often participated in support missions, felt no magical anomaly in the new environment.

“How is this even possible?” Yan Luofi squatted and pulled a grass blade from the soil, seeing its roots covered in dirt.

“It’s like a sci-fi holodeck,” Ke Xin thought, recalling movies where immersive simulations are created.

“But if it’s just for scenery, it’s not really training,” Bai Xihan noted.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Ke Xin said.

As soon as she spoke, the floor trembled.

“An earthquake?” Nekozaki reacted, confused since earthquakes were rare here.

“Not likely,” Ke Xin observed cracks spreading across a nearby mound. The ground bulged violently, as if something below was tearing through.

Soil slid away, revealing a giant segmented insect-like creature with metallic shell-like plates. Six legs dug into the ground; its tail arched, venom glands swelling. The air reeked of decay, like a rusty steam engine breathing.

If this was holographic, it was astonishingly realistic.

“Isn’t this the scorpion we fought before?” Qi Si recalled the battle.

The details differed slightly, but the resemblance was uncanny.

“Maybe it’s more than just a model.”

The scorpion raised its tail. Ke Xin shouted:

“Shields up, spread out!”

Venomous needles fired like machine guns, corroding the unprotected ground instantly. The magical girls’ counterattacks quickly “defeated” it, and the giant body dissipated into particles.

Agent Guan’s voice came again: “Good. You’re familiar with today’s training. Now for the main exercise.”

“Ah?” Ke Xin twitched—such a realistic simulation was only the test?

Without rest, the surroundings shifted rapidly, turning into a steep hill covered with dense forest. It felt like they had been transported into an unknown wilderness.