Chapter 72: Heavenly Fox Kagura

【Ten Minutes Before the γ-Zone Anomaly】

A droplet of water rolled down the bamboo shishiodoshi, falling into the stone basin below with a clear, delicate tok.

In the silence, the sound echoed softly, as if it could cleanse the mind.

This was the deepest level of Ruikang Biotech’s underground research facility — a place utterly unlike the cold metal-and-glass architecture outside.

This was Dr. Evelyn Reed’s private Japanese tea room.

Simple. Elegant.
White oak flooring.
A single hanging scroll depicting tranquil mountains.
And a set of antique teaware worth more than most labs.

The air was filled with the fresh fragrance of premium gyokuro tea. The faint gurgle of boiling water being poured into a purple clay pot interwove with it, creating an almost luxurious tranquility.

Lin Xue sat to one side of the tea table.
With careful, graceful movements — all drilled into her by Dr. Reed herself — she poured the first brew of tea into the two celadon cups set before their guests.

But if one looked closely, one would notice that her fingertips, as they held the porcelain, trembled ever so slightly.

Her gaze drifted — uncontrollably — toward the large suspended holographic screen in the corner.

The screen displayed, from multiple angles, a grey-haired girl in a hoodie, cautiously navigating a complicated maze of pipes and machinery.

Walking ahead of the girl… was the elite researcher named Lu Ze.

“Whew…”

At the head of the table, Dr. Evelyn Reed gently blew on her tea. Her golden hair shimmered like silk beneath the soft lights.

With an elegant and kind smile, she addressed the guest seated across from her:

“Miss Su, the new recruit from your company… is quite interesting.”

“Right? Right?”

The person called “Miss Su” was none other than the adorable senior with long ash-blond curls — Su Xiaoli.

She wore casual clothing with shrine maiden elements, but sat cross-legged like a lazy cat, hugging her tea cup with both hands.

“Our little Gray Crystal-chan is still a bit inexperienced, but she’s very flexible and adaptable~! Our manager and director have high hopes for her, you know!”

She sipped the tea, letting out a satisfied sigh.

“Aahh, as expected of Dr. Reed’s tea — miles better than the instant tea sludge in our company’s break room.”

“As long as you enjoy it,”
Dr. Reed smiled, though her eyes never left the holographic screen.

“But honestly, this is my first time seeing your company take an ordinary ‘full-time assessment’ so seriously. This joint evaluation is less like a test… and more like fulfilling our curiosity.”

“What can we do~?”

Su Xiaoli shrugged exaggeratedly, pulling a helpless face.

“Those muscleheads in C-Zone only know how to solve problems using fists and explosions. They don’t understand delicate work at all. The Mirror Man remnants fall under our Tzeentch-aligned specialty. Tasks requiring brain cells should be handled by our department. So the responsibility of babysitting little Gray Crystal-chan naturally fell on me, her loving mama~”

Their conversation sounded lighthearted, as if chatting about a casual training drill.

Because yes — to them — it was just a drill.

Before the assessment even began, Dawn Company and Ruikang Biotech had already reached an agreement:

Ruikang would provide the site and “controlled” pollutant samples, cooperating with Dawn to run this internal evaluation.

Everything — risks, resources, potential losses — was cleanly spelled out in a thick contract.

Both sides benefited.
Dawn’s magical girl operatives gained real combat experience.
Ruikang gained valuable combat data for future research.

“…About Lu Ze.”

Dr. Reed shifted the topic with feigned casualness.

“What is your side planning to do with him? After all, he is one of our important researchers.”

“No worries, Doctor,”

Su Xiaoli instantly switched into her “professional mode,” smiling sweetly but speaking with absolute authority.

“Our company’s principle is to eliminate the pollutant completely while preserving the host’s life whenever possible. Of course, memory modification and psychological aftercare will follow the standard pricing listed in the contract~”

“Hehe. What a sly little fox.”

Dr. Reed chuckled behind her sleeve as she sipped her tea.

But she did not tell Su Xiaoli the truth:

She didn’t care about Lu Ze at all.

He was a genius, yes —
But in the field of scientific research, geniuses were about as common as dust.

Every year, countless students begged to become her disciples.
The queue of people pulling strings to meet her stretched all the way to France.

Genius wasn’t a privilege —
It was just her minimum requirement.

Besides, she had long noticed Lu Ze’s abnormalities.

The boy’s ambition was too large.
His research direction conflicted with her own.
And frankly… his taste was awful.

Rather than wasting resources saving a future threat, it was more efficient to use him as a perfect disposable “bait” to sell Dawn Company a favor — and conveniently remove a rival without lifting a finger.

Science was never a pristine ivory tower.

“Doctor…”

Lin Xue finally couldn’t hold it in.

Her voice trembled ever so slightly.

“Miss Gray Crystal… she’ll be okay, right? That area… I checked the data… It’s the core of γ-Zone. It’s unstable.”

Her heartbeat raced.

She had only learned about the partnership between Dr. Reed and Dawn Company yesterday.

When she saw the codename “Gray Crystal” in the documents, a chilling unease gripped her heart.

She remembered visiting her brother’s shabby rental home…

That weird girl called Lulu…
Those perfectly timed replies…

(Could it be her…?)
(Could that ‘Gray Crystal’ magical girl…)
(…be my brother?)

The thought had kept her awake all night.

She couldn’t imagine her unemployed, gaming-addicted, perpetually broke older brother wearing a frilly skirt and fighting monsters.

But reason whispered that the probability was not zero.

Which was why she begged to observe the joint evaluation today.

She wanted to see it with her own eyes.

“Don’t worry, little Xue,”
Dr. Reed said soothingly, as if calming a pet.

“Everything is under control. It’s only a C-class pollutant. Even if they fight intensely, the damages won’t exceed seven figures. Besides…”

She glanced at Su Xiaoli.

“We have a professional examiner watching over her, don’t we?”

“Of course!”

Su Xiaoli thumped her chest confidently.

“Sister Lin Xue, rest easy! I’m a professional~ My Concept Contract Armament specializes in handling these situations!”

“And for this test, I even gave this kid extra special training last night!”

“As long as Gray Crystal-chan follows the script and leads that Lu Ze guy to the designated location, the rest will—”

BZZT—!!

Her words were sliced apart by a violent burst of static.

The holographic screen twisted, flickering wildly.

Then—

In a shower of white static—

It went completely dark.

Only a few cold, red characters remained:

【SIGNAL LOST】

The tea room froze.

“…Eh?”

Su Xiaoli’s playful smile turned to stone.

“What’s going on?”

For the first time, Dr. Reed’s brow furrowed.
Her flawless composure cracked.

“The backup line! Switch to the backup channel!”

Lin Xue’s heart nearly stopped.

She stared desperately at the dark screen, as if she could force it to reveal the truth.

A cold tide of dread surged from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head.

“No good… Doctor, all monitoring lines have been severed!”

Su Xiaoli rapidly operated her wrist terminal — her expression turning darker with each passing second.

“It’s not just the video! Gray Crystal’s vitals, psionic output, even the Contract Bracelet position signal… all gone!”

“Impossible!”

Dr. Reed’s voice sharpened — a first.

“The Y-Zone communication line is an isolated physical system. Unless—”

—Unless something inside had released an energy output far beyond all protocols and cut off the entire zone.

Su Xiaoli stood abruptly.

The lazy, cute demeanor was gone.

What replaced it was the razor-sharp focus of a B-class elite magical girl.

“…Situation has exceeded projections. Doctor, I’m entering the field. Now.”

“Wait,”
Dr. Reed attempted to stop her.

“According to the contract—”

“The contract didn’t say my examinee would vanish into thin air.”

Su Xiaoli’s interruption was cold as a blade.

“And I have a very… very bad feeling.”

She turned toward the shoji door painted with a dry landscape motif.

“Um… Miss Su!”

Lin Xue shot up too quickly, knocking over her tea cup.

Boiling tea splashed across her hand — she didn’t feel a thing.

“Please… Gray Crystal… she won’t be hurt, right?”

Her voice cracked with pleading.

Su Xiaoli paused.

She didn’t look back.

Instead, she slowly lifted her right hand — holding a small brass bell between two fingers.

“Sister Lin Xue,”
her voice was no longer lazy or girlish, but calm and crystalline,

“In our line of work, there is no such thing as ‘should.’ Safety isn’t obtained by praying.”

The little brass bell trembled.

Ding—

“—It’s something we seize for ourselves.”

HUM—!!

A warm golden wave of psionic light burst outward from her!

Not blinding —
but divine.
Commanding.

The golden radiance filled the tea room.
Even the faint fragrance of tea seemed gilded by her power.

Dr. Reed instinctively narrowed her eyes.
Lin Xue stared, breathless, stunned.

Su Xiaoli slowly closed her eyes.

Her voice deepened into a ritualistic, enchanting chant:

“—In the name of contract, grant me eyes that pierce all illusion…
Grant me the myriad faces that toy with the hearts of men.”

She snapped her eyes open.

Twin golden flames blazed within her irises.
Nine fox tails flickered in the depths of her pupils.

“Concept Contract Armament Release—【Heavenly Fox Kagura】!”

—Transformation Start!—

Golden light erupted!

Her casual miko-style outfit dissolved into photons.

Reforming into divine splendor—

A fitted, pure-white off-shoulder top materialized, its wide sleeves flowing like a crane’s wings, embroidered with intricate gold cloud patterns.

A crimson high-waisted pleated mini-skirt spun into existence, adorned with ancient runes of wisdom and change.

A golden sash cinched her slender waist, hung with tiny bells that chimed with each breath.

Her ash-blond hair lifted weightlessly, strands taking on a sacred golden sheen.

Furry fox ears emerged among her locks, twitching sharply.

And behind her—

Nine enormous, golden, semi-transparent fox tails
unfurled like a burning halo.

Each tail’s tip burned with golden flame, illuminating her like a descending deity.

When the light faded—

The lazy girl from moments ago vanished.

Standing in her place was a figure radiating holy divinity and seductive mystique:

A true B-class magical warrior.

【Nine-Tails】

She turned to the stunned Lin Xue.

Her adorable face now held a smile that was confident — and overwhelmingly powerful.

“Don’t worry,”
she said, her voice carrying absolute certainty.

“Your little sister here will bring our cute Gray Crystal-chan back from hell itself —
without a single hair missing❤.”