Chapter 28: The Spoils of War and a Prisoner’s Plea

The abandoned, dilapidated building, which had served as the Dark Organization’s base until just yesterday, still housed a considerable amount of large furniture and equipment that had yet to be moved. It retained enough semblance of being in use to make it an ideal, discreet location for a temporary meeting.

“Yay! Mission accomplished, and we get ice cream! Ling Xing, we’re simply brilliant!”

Dal excitedly leaped from the small tricycle, yet she refrained from any grand gestures. Cradling a high-end ice cream cone with utmost care, she delicately extended her small tongue, lapping at it with the gentle precision of a kitten. Her youthful face was alight with an expression of pure, ethereal bliss. For the Dark Organization’s two newest members, such a delicacy was an unimaginable luxury, far beyond their wildest dreams given the organization’s current financial standing.

“It’s true, Ling Xing, you’re incredibly capable, but why am I the one lugging all these boxes back alone? Am I destined to be the grunt of the operation…?”

Just yesterday, a series of chaotic events had been set in motion by her box-carrying duties. Now, having defected from the Magical Girl organization to the Dark Organization, she found herself burdened with the same menial task. It seemed her fate as a box-lugging grunt remained stubbornly unaltered!

Having somewhat acclimated to the Dark Organization’s peculiar rhythm, Chao Wu angrily let the box in her hands drop to the ground with a resounding thud. She cast an envious glance at Dal, whose face was still a picture of pure enjoyment, before turning her gaze to Ling Xing.

“But *you* were the one who boasted about your physical prowess, weren’t you? Skillfully deploying a subordinate’s abilities is a mark of an elite combatant, you know! If you’re so eager, why don’t you strive to become an elite combatant yourself!”

Ling Xing, having just concluded her phone call, planted one hand on her hip with an air of absolute righteousness, casually tossing the phone back to Chao Wu. Her chin was held so high, it almost seemed to scrape the ceiling.

‘This was exhilarating! How many years had passed since she last had subordinates to command? The sheer pleasure of delegating arduous physical tasks to others was utterly divine!’

“It’s not that I’m complaining about such minor details… but next time, could you perhaps refrain from keeping us completely out of the loop regarding tactical plans? We are, after all, members of the Dark Organization, aren’t we?”

Chao Wu sighed.

While Ling Xing was undeniably formidable, her penchant for tackling problems solo left Chao Wu, who was perpetually kept in the dark, in a constant state of unease. In less than half a day, Chao Wu felt as though she had already endured several harrowing rollercoaster rides. The sheer overstimulation had left her feeling somewhat numb to everything. If she were to somehow transport her current, detached self back to yesterday, she likely wouldn’t have given a single thought to Ling Xing’s assault.

“While I’m content to be assigned any task as a subordinate, I truly wish to be privy to the actual plans. Otherwise, I’m constantly plagued by anxious apprehension…”

Chao Wu was about to launch into another string of complaints, but as her words hung in the air, the diminutive young executive, Dal, blinked her large eyes and trotted over to stand before her.

“It’s quite alright, Combatant Chao Wu! Just trust Ling Xing; she’ll resolve everything! Here, this is your reward for your efforts!”

Dal licked the lingering sweetness from the corner of her lips, then, with a visibly reluctant expression, offered the carefully licked ice cream cone to Chao Wu’s mouth. ‘Of course, an executive must reward their subordinates! Missing out on ice cream was a minor concern; being an incompetent executive, however, was a grave offense!’

The young girl, in her innocence, truly believed Chao Wu’s discontent stemmed from this triviality. She stood on tiptoes, peering up at Chao Wu with hopeful eyes, convinced that a taste of ice cream would mend any rift between Chao Wu and Ling Xing.

This gesture effectively stifled whatever Chao Wu had been about to say. Seizing the opportune moment, Ling Xing casually steered the conversation away from the touchy subject.

“Well, I’d certainly like to, but plans rarely keep pace with the unexpected. I’m a master of improvisation, you see. It’s utterly unrealistic to expect me to predict every single event before an operation and then recount it to you in painstaking detail, wouldn’t you agree—?”

‘This was a lie.’

At the very least, Ling Xing had been fully aware of the ring’s tracking capabilities from the outset. While she couldn’t predict the exact unfolding of events, Ling Xing genuinely preferred not to divulge too much information to them. Dal, despite her diminutive stature, had already shouldered the burden of the organization’s operational costs, and the ‘foolish magical girl’ — Chao Wu — was still reeling from her shattered dreams, attempting to maintain a facade of composure. There was simply no need to subject either of them to the additional pressure of strategic decisions.

Ling Xing watched Chao Wu, who was utterly flustered by Dal’s innocent kindness. After much gentle persuasion, she finally managed to coax Dal into the inner room to continue enjoying her ice cream, leaving Chao Wu alone. A faint smile touched Ling Xing’s lips.

“Hah—as for you, stu… *ahem*, Combatant Chao Wu, what exactly is the situation with that machine?”

‘Employing the imposing aura of an elite combatant! At moments like these, it was imperative to forcefully pivot to serious matters, interrupting the girl and ensuring she forgot the previous, inconvenient topic!’

And just as Ling Xing had anticipated, the ‘foolish magical girl’ seemed utterly oblivious to the conversation that had just been cut short. The moment ‘serious business’ was mentioned, her expression instantly sobered.

“That machine… well, it said quite a lot. If I had to summarize, um, Aido… simply put…”

The girl faltered, struggling to articulate her summary.

—Her explanation was too convoluted, a haphazard blend of the ‘foolish girl’s’ characteristic confusions, conjectures, and descriptions devoid of any clear focus. Consequently, Ling Xing simply produced a small notebook, diligently summarizing and distilling the crucial points from the girl’s rambling account.

Ultimately, she dedicated a fresh page in the Book of Hatred for a concise record.

“Simply put, this is an awakening device designed to allow suitable individuals to awaken as containers capable of housing Magical Girl crystals. Once awakened, the subject, acting as a container, can theoretically synchronize with multiple Magical Girl crystals, simultaneously wielding various Magical Girl powers without the usual limitations inherent to standard Magical Girls.”

“As it functions solely as a container, it doesn’t qualify as a true Magical Girl in the traditional sense, and thus cannot generate its own magic. It still requires other Magical Girls, or individuals who have lost their crystals but retain their Magical Girl aptitude, to supply the necessary magical energy, hmm…”

Connecting her own recent experiences, Ling Xing drew a clear line between the machine’s explanation and her personal journey. This was a phenomenon Ling Xing had already encountered firsthand, but now, it was being formally confirmed and further elucidated.

“Ideally, the source of replenishment should be the crystal’s original wielder. Additionally, the more intense the emotional bond between the original wielder and the container, the greater the power the crystal will unleash.”

‘How utterly idealistic.’

Magical Girls, capable of influencing reality and combat prowess solely through something as intangible as emotion. No matter how many times she reviewed the related information, the concept of Magical Girls struck her as profoundly unscientific. ‘Unlike the Dark Organization, which truly waged war with science and physics!’

Ling Xing, a Magical Girl herself, unconsciously twirled her pen between her fingers before bringing it to a halt.

“Is that all for now?”

“Yes, the experimental reports within the machine stated there were no precedents of natural humans meeting the eligibility criteria. Previous subjects were all costly, mindless artificial constructs that quickly became obsolete, thus no further research was conducted.”

While it seemed she had gained considerable insight, paradoxically, nothing felt truly altered. It merely served to put a definitive seal on what she had largely pieced together herself. As an awakening device, it now held little significance for Ling Xing. Its sole remaining function was to collect her experimental data. Therefore, its failure to be retrieved wasn’t a significant cause for regret.

“That’s enough. At least we’re not completely ignorant.”

“Hmm, and according to this information, Ling Xing…”

“I know.”

She closed the book. Ling Xing interrupted Chao Wu once more. ‘She was the elite combatant, a member of an evil organization. If villainy was to be enacted, how could she allow this ‘foolish girl’ to be the one to utter it aloud?’

Walking over to the box Chao Wu had discarded, Ling Xing nudged it with her foot, then tore away the seal, revealing its contents. Within the confines of the box, retrieved from the Magical Girl organization, lay the spoils of their mission: a young girl named Hane.

Her hands were firmly bound behind her with tape, while her slender legs were cinched together and pressed tightly against her chest. The girl’s lithe form was contorted into a position where her cheeks nearly touched her knees, a posture barely sufficient to forcibly cram her already petite frame into the small cardboard box. At first glance, a distinct sense of depravity arose, as if a beautiful girl had been reduced to a mere tool to be used at one’s whim. While Ling Xing would never actually treat her as such, it did not diminish the unsettling visual.

Despite her predicament, the girl’s expression betrayed no overt emotions like anger or embarrassment. The girl appeared to be awake, yet she merely stared impassively at Ling Xing, as if the person trussed up and confined like an inanimate object were not herself, her gaze fixed intently on Ling Xing’s face.

“Capturing me was a grave error, Ling Xing. A miniature bomb is implanted within my brain. The Young Lady merely needs to press a remote, and both you and your organization will be blown to smithereens.”

“Kill me now, before anything can unfold, before the Young Lady even learns of my capture.”