The Choice of Two

After today, I probably won’t be able to come inside again.

You Dong stared at the distant office building, cigarette dangling from his lips. Ash drifted into the air, vanishing like memories.

Five PM—quitting time. Another day over.

He’d worked here diligently for five years. Once, he firmly believed the next five, ten—even twenty—would unfold here too. Rising through the ranks, maybe even becoming director, shining within these walls.

In short: months ago, You Dong couldn’t have dreamed he’d end this employment with a clean resignation.

“I thought I’d moved past those emotions… guess I overestimated myself.”

The thought slipped out, followed by a self-mocking chuckle.

“Hehehe…”

An unpleasant laugh cut through his thoughts.

You Dong turned. A white beckoning cat sat neatly on the car hood, eyes narrowed into slits—glinting with an eerie light.

“Being a full-time magical girl isn’t so bad, right? Now you can better protect your precious niece, huh?”

Lao Lin spoke, extending his chubby paw—asking for a smoke.

You Dong pulled out his heavy, soul-gem-filled cigarette case and offered one. But halfway through, he suddenly jerked his hand back—like remembering something.

“What about that thing I asked you to handle?” he asked instead.

“In the car.”

Inside the vehicle, they completed their transaction in silence. You Dong received several papers; Lao Lin lit his cigarette, exhaling blissfully.

You Dong flipped through the documents. Soon, a strange term caught his eye:

“Synthetic Aberration—Chimera Beast.”

“Yeah. Chimera Beast,” Lao Lin confirmed.

“The giant octopus those kids fought at FanDou Paradise? That was it.”

“You’re saying that day’s octopus… was actually manufactured?”

Pondering the word “synthetic,” You Dong settled on “manufactured.”

“Exactly. Heilou used Bai Mian—aka Nightmare Li—as the core to activate it.”

“The Chimera Beast is an artificial weapon. It needs a magical entity—a magical girl or aberration—installed as its core to supply magic continuously. That’s why Bai Mian was ‘spat out’ after the octopus was defeated. As for Heilou’s goal… I think this was just a test. To see if her Chimera Beast could start properly.”

“I see.”

You Dong nodded. Then, a question arose:

“If this aberration was man-made… who created it?”

He flipped the few pages three or four times—no mention of origin. So he asked directly:

“Who made this thing—”

But he stopped himself mid-sentence.

He wasn’t naturally suspicious—could even be called naive.

Yet after learning Heilou’s tragedy, he didn’t trust Lao Lin—or the Magical Kingdom he served. He felt hostility toward them.

Because he couldn’t accept the Magical Kingdom using immature technology on teenage girls.

These documents were clearly edited—core details like “purpose” deliberately omitted.

You Dong suspected Lao Lin was hiding something.

And if so, the hidden information must be damaging to him—or his organization.

With that suspicion, You Dong formed a hypothesis.

To test it, he casually said:

“So the enemy got their hands on this… Looks like your Magical Kingdom isn’t as united as you claim.”

“Hehe.”

Lao Lin chuckled awkwardly.

“You don’t need to fish for info, You Dong. You think the Chimera Beast was our creation, right?”

“I think it’s exactly the kind of thing you’d make,” You Dong shot back coldly.

“You’re right.”

Lao Lin nodded, openly admitting: “Both the Chimera Beast and magical girls were solutions proposed by the Magical Kingdom to combat rampant aberrations.”

“And since magical girls proved superior, they became the standard. The Chimera Beast? Only a small batch of prototypes were made before being shelved—never mentioned again.”

“I see.” You Dong nodded, then shifted tone—sharp as a blade.

“First Heilou’s generation of magical girls… now synthetic aberrations. Honestly, I feel you’re the real mastermind behind everything?”

“Ahh, do you hate us that much?” Lao Lin sighed, shrugging with feigned hurt.

“At the problem-solving level, hatred or liking doesn’t matter. I’m just evaluating whether cooperating with you is necessary.” You Dong tossed the papers onto the passenger seat.

“With only this intel… I can’t find Heilou or the Sky Being.”

He deliberately acted dissatisfied—prodding Lao Lin to reveal more. And sure enough, Lao Lin took the bait.

“This was just the prelude. The real important stuff… I’m about to tell you now.”

“About how Heilou got the Chimera Beast… I’ve got some leads…”

Ten minutes later, the meeting ended. The driver’s door of the Clover opened.

If a passerby had witnessed this, they’d be baffled. Moments ago, a tall, suited young man entered the car.

Now, a petite girl with a blue bob and home clothes hopped out.

Feet planted firmly on the ground, Tidal waved at Lao Lin—asking him to park the car while she began her mission.

[Rust Lake Town Second Smelting Plant Cultural Center (Former Workers’ Gymnasium)]

This address in her phone’s notes was her destination. According to Lao Lin, going there might lead her to clues about Heilou and the Sky Being.

One last time, she looked back at the place she’d once worked.

A dizzying haze washed over her.

—Her thirty years as an ordinary person… felt like a dream.

And the moment she chose to resign—this dream collapsed.

From now on, she would fight as a magical girl.

The truth she had to know… protecting You Xi… these were her duties.

Thinking this, the girl raised her head to the sky.

Years ago, disaster replayed across the heavens.

A white passenger plane burned, exploded, disintegrated before her eyes.

Fiery debris painted the sky a terrifying crimson.

“Sister…”

She reached toward the explosion.

Then—instantly—the vision vanished. The sky returned to blue.

For several seconds, Chen Xi hesitated, finger hovering over the call button.

Finally, she tossed her phone onto the bed, frustrated.

She’d wanted to call Tidal.

But knowing it was nighttime—and Tidal might be on a mission—she couldn’t bring herself to disturb her.

She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, pulled open the heavy curtains, and gazed at the city lights.

Powered endlessly, the metropolis glowed like a sea of radiant fish—like blood flowing through Shangjing’s massive body, day and night.

The night view was dazzling. But look closer—countless dark corners remained untouched by light.

There, perhaps only emptiness and silence… or perhaps evil festered unseen.

“Aberrations…”

Whispering the word, Chen Xi naturally thought of Tidal.

As a protector of the city, Tidal was likely deep in some darkness now—battling all manner of monsters.

Combat meant danger. Danger meant pain. Death.

Unwanted images flooded her mind. Anxiety gnawed at her.

In that moment, she felt like an ancient wife—alone at home, counting days until her soldier husband returned safely.

I wish I could become a magical girl too…

Recently, the desire grew stronger.

Chen Xi didn’t want to be just a bystander. She wanted to stand beside the one she loved.

On one hand, it was natural—to share the same battlefield. On the other… if she became a magical girl, wouldn’t she get to spend more time with Tidal?

But it was just a fantasy.

Magical girl recruitment was supposedly strict—mostly underage students. They were sensitive to ambient magic.

As for You Dong becoming a magical girl at thirty, male—rumor said he was a prodigy, force-fed by Lao Lin.

Chen Xi only half-believed it. But You Dong did become Tidal—that fact proved he was “special.”

So what about her?

Subconsciously, Chen Xi studied her reflection in the glass.

Appearance-wise, she was attractive. But hair color, pajamas—too plain. No magical girl flair.

To add elements, she struck a pose—one hand on hip, one pointing skyward—declaring loudly:

“Magical Girl—Transform!”

Silence. No petals. No sparkles. Nothing.

……

Hands pressed against the glass, Chen Xi stared into the distance.

Loneliness and bitterness filled her chest. The night view no longer reflected in her eyes.

“Ugh. So boring.”

……

Later, Chen Xi flopped back onto the bed, aimlessly scrolling her phone.

Haven’t checked forums today. The pile of new posts could keep her busy until sleep claimed her… Not comforting, but genuinely something she looked forward to.

[Post-Magical Girl Theory—How I Became a Magical Girl at 27]

“Seriously!?”

Seeing the title, Chen Xi shot upright.

Halfway through reading, disappointment hit—probably just a course-selling scam. Comments were all newly registered Level-1 accounts shilling it.

Still, half-sneering, half-curious, she kept scrolling.

Surprisingly, the course wasn’t some obvious online scam—it had a physical location.

“Old folks’ health supplements dying out? Now MLMs sell courses?”

But when she saw the price—her breath caught.

The course had free trials. But full enrollment? 120,000 yuan.

Now that was interesting.

Human psychology was strange. If it cost a few hundred, she’d laugh it off.

But such an insane price tag made her hesitate—uncertain, suspicious.

She read on: “Magical Kingdom-certified instructor teaching live,” “insider leaks from Magic Alliance: mass adult recruitment! Increase adult magical girls to 30%+ within a year!”

……

Image after document piled up—Chen Xi felt dazed.

She still believed it was fake—scam, fraud, cult. 99.9% certain.

But that 0.1% hope crawled under her skin—itching, relentless.

“Maybe I’ll check it out? Trial’s free anyway…”

The moment she thought it, Chen Xi laughed at her own insanity.

But reason aside—her desire to stand beside her beloved overwhelmed her.

She scrolled to the post’s end, noting the contact info and address:

Rust Lake Town Second Smelting Plant Cultural Center (Former Workers’ Gymnasium)

“Never heard of this place… Should I really go?”

Burdened by fear of the unknown, shame at her irrationality, and a sliver of desperate hope—Chen Xi’s eyelids grew heavy… until she fell asleep.