Chapter 77: Hearing (1)

“…Return to your original world and go back to being a ‘normal person’ who runs around paying rent and bills.”

For a split second, Lin Yu almost blurted out the two words he’d been holding back for so long—

“Great! Please!”

It sounded perfect.

It meant he no longer had to shoulder that five-million breach-of-contract penalty. No more humiliating skirts. No more facing monsters that could shatter a person’s sanity.

He could reclaim his identity as “Lin Yu.”
He could go back to that world where, though he was poor, at least everything was… normal.

A 40k-a-month salary?
To hell with it.
What good was money if you might die tomorrow?

The thought struck him like a lifeline, flooding him with a brief, precious sense of release.

But—
Only for a moment.

The words “Alright, I accept” froze in his throat like a fish trapped in ice, refusing to come out.

Because scene after scene—none of which he invited—began flashing uncontrollably through his mind.

He saw it.

He saw Yano Hotaru after the bloodbath in Station B7—her body soft and cold like a shattered butterfly in his arms.

He saw Chen Bing’s stern gaze every time she slammed him into the ground during training.

He saw Li Qing at the celebration banquet, clinging to him in excitement over the 100,000-yuan reward, rubbing against him like a joyful little animal.

He saw Luo Shaotian, legs already broken, dragging himself across the floor… then leaping from the third-floor platform without hesitation—just to protect him. A silhouette like a monument.

He saw Su Xiaoli.
He saw Manager Qian.
He saw his sister…

And finally, everything stopped—

At his mother’s face on the video call after he moved into his new home.
A face wrinkled by age, glowing with happiness and pride.

“My son has finally made something of himself!”

Her voice echoed in Lin Yu’s heart.

A “normal person” again?

What would that mean?

It meant going back to that moldy rental box in the Hive District, curling up like trash, bowing to life just to save a few hundred yuan on rent.
It meant lying to his family because he had nothing real to say.

It meant being… a useless failure again.

And being a “magical girl”?

Yes, it was dangerous.
Yes, it was humiliating.
Yes, it made him neither man nor woman.

But this damned job—

For the first time, gave him the dignity of paying rent on time.

For the first time, gave him the power to protect others.

For the first time, gave him the capital to make his family proud.

He… couldn’t give that up.

“…I don’t accept.”

Lin Yu slowly raised his head.
His eyes—scattered from the shock—steadied and focused once more.

“Oh?”

The man with the heavy eyebrows let out a faint, mocking chuckle.

Looks like you still don’t understand your situation.

He didn’t push the issue. Instead, he spoke in an official, businesslike tone:

“Your contamination assessment must be conducted by a specialist team from headquarters. It will take approximately two to three days. During this period, for safety reasons, all your transformation devices will be held in our custody. You will remain inside a designated residence and are not permitted to leave.”

Lin Yu’s face darkened completely.

He glared at the man, voice low and clipped:

“Can I understand this as… you’re detaining me?”

“You can think of it that way.”

The man shrugged casually, as if discussing lunch.

“On what grounds?!”

The anger Lin Yu had been suppressing finally detonated.

He shot to his feet.
The metal restraints clanged violently against the table.

“What law did I break?! On what basis do you detain me?!”

“This.”

The man pointed at the Gray Crystal brooch, its surface stained by purple nebula contamination.

His smile turned cold.

“This is about the safety of all Xinhai City. An unstable factor who has been exposed to S-rank deep contamination—like you—if you lose control in the city, who will be responsible for the consequences?”

“I’m contaminated?”

Lin Yu laughed—
A hollow, broken, bitter laugh.

“Of course I’m f*cking contaminated! The moment I stepped into this so-called ‘model city,’ I was already contaminated!”

“Why do you think I signed that s*ave contract? Because I like wearing skirts? Because I dreamed of becoming a magical girl since childhood? Go f*ck yourself!”

He slammed the table.
The restraints rattled again.

“It’s because this city reeks of greed!
From top to bottom, inside and out—everything is a festering stench of profit!
It forces everyone to grind themselves down, to exploit themselves, to sell their time and dignity until nothing’s left!
It turns people into machines!”

“You’re right… I’m contaminated.”

“But not by that monster ‘Myriad Transformations Demon Lord.’
I was contaminated by this city.
By you—those lofty officials who will never understand why we struggle!”

Silence slammed down on the interrogation room.

The quiet man by the door frowned, as though wanting to intervene.

But the heavy-browed man raised a hand, stopping him.

He wasn’t angry.
In fact, Lin Yu’s proletariat-fury-filled outburst seemed to amuse him.

He leaned back, arms folded, eyeing the bristling “little wildcat” in front of him.

“What’s wrong?”
He sneered.

“You not convinced?”

“You’re damn right I’m not!”

Lin Yu’s chest rose and fell violently.

“Good.”

The man’s smile sharpened—cold, dripping with the pleasure of holding power.

“In that case, in my report to the specialist team, I will formally recommend classifying you as ‘irreversibly deep-contaminated,’ and suggest immediate execution of a top-level purification protocol.”

He paused—

Then added with cruel casualness:

“Though… that was my plan from the beginning.”

The final verdict, delivered like a weather report—

Extinguished every flame in Lin Yu’s chest.

All his anger, his resistance, his unwillingness—

Collapsed into a crushing helplessness.

He suddenly felt ridiculous.

Ridiculous for thinking he could argue against “the rules” themselves.

Slowly, he sat back down.

This time, he slouched against the cold metal chair in complete relaxation.

The redness on his face faded.
In its place was a calm, almost relieved smile.

“Fine.”

His voice was indifferent—
Like a gambler who had lost everything.

“Let me die, then. The company’s ten-million life insurance payout will go to my parents. At least… at least it’ll repay them for raising me.”

That was his final weapon.
His last compromise.

Exchanging his death for his family’s peace.

Perhaps that was all this “failure” could offer the world.

Just then—

The interrogation room was pierced by a sudden vibration.

“Bzzz—Bzzz—”

A secure call.

The heavy-browed man clicked his tongue, annoyed, and answered.

“Hello? What—”

The annoyance shifted—
To surprise.
Then to an odd expression.

“Hmm? Already? That fast…”

“…Understood.”

“…I’ll bring him now.”

He hung up, staring at Lin Yu with a probing, inexplicable gaze.

“You…”

He snorted.

“…have good luck.”

He stood, gathered the evidence into a document bag, and motioned with his chin.

“Come with me.”

“Where?”

Lin Yu asked instinctively.

“Heh.”

The man let out a cold, irritated laugh—his plans obviously disrupted.

“Didn’t you just say you were unconvinced?”

“Good. Someone important wants to see you. They’re giving you… a chance to defend yourself.”

The heavy door swung open again.

This time, the silent man unfastened Lin Yu’s restraints and escorted him out.

The metal corridor stretched endlessly, lit by pale lights that warped their shadows into strange, shifting shapes.

Finally, they stopped before a door thicker than the interrogation room’s.

The man entered a long code.

“Go in.”

He pushed the door open, voice emotionless.

Lin Yu took a deep breath and stepped inside.

It looked more like a high-level conference room than a hearing chamber.

A massive oval table.
A few chairs.
Nothing else.

But the moment he walked in, he recognized several faces.

Su Xiaoli, seated beside his assigned chair—also restrained.
Her transformation undone, she wore her usual shrine-maiden-style outfit.
But she looked exhausted, her normally playful eyes now icy and guarded.
Clearly she’d been interrogated just as long.

Her gaze flickered when she saw him, but she said nothing.

Manager Qian stood in the corner like a student awaiting punishment, sweating profusely, wringing his handkerchief, eyes darting nervously between Lin Yu and the one-way glass ahead.

Lin Yu was seated beside Su Xiaoli.

In front of him—

A massive pane of reinforced one-way bulletproof glass.

Behind it sat five indistinct silhouettes—blurry, but radiating authority.

(…So these are the “important people,” huh?)

The room’s speakers clicked on.

A calm, steady voice came from behind the glass:

“Executioner ‘Gray Crystal’ of Dawn Labor Services Co., and operative ‘Nine-Tails.’
I am the acting chair of this Special Asset Risk Evaluation Committee.”

A brief pause.

“The hearing will now begin.
First—codename ‘Gray Crystal.’
Please give your statement regarding your ‘loss of control’ during the Gamma District incident, and your mental stability after experiencing deep contamination by the S-rank entity [Myriad Transformations Demon Lord.]”