Anomaly, Lost People, and Magical Girls

This is a story from the not-so-distant future—the latter half of the 21st century.

For over sixty years, technology, ideology, and entertainment had ceased to develop.

People lived lives no different from those in the 2020s—dull, uninteresting, and utterly unchanging.

Society was mired in this stagnation, unable to extricate itself.

Yet, global disasters and anomalous events increased year by year.

Finally, even beings of fantasy—magical girls—appeared.

On the afternoon of October 23rd, 2088, Bai Hai ambled through the city streets with a bag slung over his shoulder.

The camera in his hands clicked incessantly, capturing the surrounding streets, roads, and high-rises in one photo after another.

This was Xingchuan City, a famous tourist destination in the southern region.

Though not large, it had flourished rapidly thanks to its tourism industry.

Ordinarily, it would be teeming with sightseers and tour groups, so crowded one could barely move.

In Bai Hai’s lens, however, the streets were deserted.

The roads were sealed off by barricades.

The high-rises and shops had all pulled down their shutters and closed their doors.

Aside from the rustle of trash bags in the wind, the entire city seemed to be filled with nothing but a series of piercing, seemingly endless sirens—

Wooo—!

“Hey, do you have a death wish? Can’t you see the Level Three city-wide alert has been issued?”

A whistling police car screeched to a halt in front of Bai Hai.

A female officer stepped out of the car. Her face was fair, but her expression was one of extreme anxiety as she glared at him.

The speaker on the car’s roof was blaring an announcement—”Level Three city-wide alert, Level Three city-wide alert. All residents, please evacuate to a safe zone immediately. Secure your doors and cease all outdoor activities…”

Hearing this, Bai Hai expressionlessly held up his phone and pointed to a location on the map.

“I’m lost. Do you know which way this is?”

“Lost… Are you insane?!”

The policewoman’s elegant eyebrows shot up in anger.

If not for regulations and the special circumstances, she would have loved to beat this kid to a pulp.

She had thought he was a citizen who failed to evacuate in time, but it turned out to be a clueless idiot who was lost.

Because of him, she had already gotten an earful from her superior. There was no way she was getting her full salary this month!

Who in this day and age gets lost and wanders into a lockdown zone!

Just then, the walkie-talkie on the policewoman’s chest crackled with a series of urgent shouts.

Her face paled instantly. She looked toward another part of the city and shrieked in horror, “Oh no, it’s coming this way.”

Bai Hai raised his head.

Among the distant forest of steel, a black shadow streaked toward them at an incredible speed.

When he could see it clearly, he realized it was something that should be absolutely impossible in the material world—a giant eyeball, twenty meters in diameter and covered in tentacles!

The eyeball floated in mid-air, with slimy tentacles growing from its underside.

An unseen vocal organ was emitting a kind of piercing shriek.

Suddenly, its pitch-black pupil swiveled in one direction—straight toward Bai Hai and the policewoman!

“Get in!”

The policewoman grabbed Bai Hai, shoved him into the car, then jumped in and slammed the accelerator to the floor.

The blue and white police car shot forward just before the eyeball’s tentacle could strike.

Through the rearview mirror, they could see a grotesquely deep trench carved into the asphalt road behind them.

The policewoman took a sharp breath, steering with one hand while grabbing her walkie-talkie with the other.

“HQ, this is Unit 05. Anomaly No. 213 is in hot pursuit!”

The eyeball monster continued to chase the police car, lashing out with its tentacles and scarring the city’s black earth with one whip-like mark after another.

Thanks to the policewoman’s superb driving skills, the car dodged the attacks again and again.

Having witnessed all this, Bai Hai couldn’t help but let out a whistle.

“Nice driving. Did you used to deliver tofu pudding for your old man?”

“Don’t talk to me!”

Seemingly realizing that pursuit alone wouldn’t be enough to catch its prey, the eyeball let out a sharp shriek.

Its voice appeared to possess some kind of power, materializing into a sonic wave that struck the road ahead.

The policewoman slammed on the brakes, stopping the car just before it could plunge into the crater.

Her forehead was slick with cold sweat, but that didn’t mean they were safe.

In the rearview mirror, the giant black eyeball split open, revealing a maw of vicious teeth.

Its tentacles coiled tightly around the police car, dragging it back toward itself.

The policewoman’s face was ashen. She closed her eyes instinctively.

Bai Hai, however, remained as calm as ever, watching the rearview mirror.

For he saw that in the mirror, besides the approaching great abyss, there was also a dazzling, red-and-white beam of light shooting toward them!

“Magical Girl Ye Huasheng—is here!”

The red-and-white light slammed into the eyeball, sending it flying like a golf ball.

The policewoman opened her eyes to see a girlish figure slowly materializing from within the light—

Beneath a faintly glowing crown of thorns was shoulder-length hair veiled by a headscarf.

Her red-and-white eyes were exceptionally bright.

From her features, she looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old, and she seemed smaller than others her age.

So despite wearing a rather alluring red-and-white off-the-shoulder dress that made her fair skin shimmer, she still gave off the impression of a child.

The ornate outfit only made her look more delicate.

But more eye-catching than all of that was the magic wand in the girl’s hand.

It was about a meter long, entirely red, and topped with a brilliantly shining gemstone.

As the girl landed gently, wand in hand, her eyes were filled with an air of arrogance.

The magical girl named Ye Huasheng glanced down at the battered police car.

She then transformed back into a streak of light and shot toward the eyeball.

Her wand waved continuously, sending one powerful spell after another crashing into the eyeball’s body.

Instantly, its shrieks turned into agonized roars.

“So this is the legendary Anomaly, and the magical girl.”

Bai Hai stepped out of the car and gazed at the battle in the distance.

A girl and a monster, magic and tentacles—a scene that should only exist in fantasy games was now playing out in reality.

“That’s right. Magical girls. They appeared a year ago. Saviors who eliminate Anomalies and protect humanity,” the policewoman said in a low voice, clutching an arm she had scraped during the sudden stop. Her expression was complicated.

Anomaly.

That was the term for the eyeball monster, or rather, the general term for this class of indescribable monsters.

It meant “that which is outside the bounds of normalcy.”

It all began a year ago, on October 4th, 2087.

Anomaly No. 1 descended upon a coastal city.

It was a catastrophe.

No. 1 caused immense destruction in the city, and countless people died.

The city was filled with tears, pain, and struggle…

Faced with an enemy that defied common sense, the human military’s attacks were useless.

The weapons of science were shattered to pieces before the Anomaly, and all they could do was watch helplessly as it destroyed the entire city.

At that critical juncture, a magnificent girl stepped forward.

She appeared like a goddess at dawn.

The crowd looked up to her, witnessing how she used powerful and dazzling magic to utterly annihilate Anomaly No. 1 in an unbelievable fashion.

By the time people realized the crisis was over, she had already vanished beyond the horizon, bathed in the light of the rising sun.

Magical girl.

After this incident, many people began to call the mysterious girl by this name and eagerly discussed her origins, but it was destined to remain a mystery.

However, humanity did not find peace.

Soon, Anomaly No. 2, Anomaly No. 3, and then No. 4, No. 5… more and more Anomalies appeared one after another across the country.

It was then that people discovered with despair—Anomalies were not just monsters.

Anomalies were ever-changing, all-encompassing, and omnipresent.

So-called monsters were just one category among them.

They could be a bizarre weather phenomenon, or some kind of hidden rule.

Some existed in the microscopic world, while others lacked a physical form altogether.

Biomass types like Anomaly No. 1 were actually the easiest kind to deal with.

And the original magical girl never returned to save the world.

But more magical girls appeared.

Numerous magical girls with different characteristics, personalities, and forms came before the world.

Using powerful magic from different domains, they swiftly repelled the invasions of Anomalies, protected citizens, and saved cities.

People were grateful to them, worshipped them, and some even developed faith in them.

Yet, the girls never revealed their true identities.

After a battle, they would transform into a streak of light and fly into the sky, leaving the public with endless fantasies.

Now, a year has passed.

Humanity has long since adapted to coexisting with magical girls and Anomalies.

Governments everywhere have issued relevant emergency decrees, established safe shelters, published all research on Anomalies, and educated the public with related knowledge.

At the same time, they formed urban defense corps that used various new types of equipment to combat Anomalies.

The public also spontaneously established various related volunteer organizations and foundations to assist the magical girls and the government in the struggle for human survival.

It was a unique kind of peace.

Although Anomalies caused trouble every day, and people even died because of them, everyone firmly believed that as long as the magical girls were there, all difficulties would be overcome.

But was that truly the case?

‘Her attacks are weak, her evasions clumsy, her footwork is loose, and her reactions are slow.’

‘She has no decent combat awareness whatsoever, relying solely on wildly blasting away with so-called magic.’

‘More importantly…’

‘She’s actually fighting right in the middle of the city…’

With her magnificent dress and exquisite makeup, the girl waved her dazzling wand, unleashing one devastatingly powerful spell after another.

In contrast, her enemy was already on its last breath, hanging from the overpass ahead, letting out threatening roars…

[Go, magical girl! You’re so cool!]

[By the way, who is this one? I don’t think I’ve seen her before?]

[Maybe she’s a new magical girl. Her name’s not on the top pages of the rankings.]

[A new magical girl? She’s so cute…]

[I still think Morning Star is better. Morning Star is the eternal GOAT!]

The city had become a battlefield.

The magical girl and the monster exchanged terrifying attacks, sending rubble and flames everywhere.

But the people who had been hiding in fear before were now excitedly emerging from shelters and their homes.

They raised their phones and cameras, filming nonstop while chatting and laughing with those around them, engaged in spirited discussion.

For them, the scene before them was already a part of daily life.

Only the policewoman had a complex expression, staring intently at the battle and gripping her own arm tightly.

But just then, Bai Hai suddenly lunged at her!

“Hey, look out!”