Yue Ling’s Gambit

A short while before…

As dawn was still breaking, the diligent operative Yue Ling had already arrived on a street in this district, deployed by her organization’s transport device, to begin her search for the magical girls. Donning her mask and sunglasses, Yue Ling strode quickly down the street, hands tucked into her pockets, her gaze constantly sweeping her surroundings for any trace of the three magical girls.

In that moment, she appeared every inch the suspicious character from a suspense film.

‘Hmm… while my attire certainly makes me look suspicious, the outdoor temperature isn’t particularly high right now. So, dressing warmly seems perfectly reasonable, doesn’t it? As for why I’m only wearing shorts on my lower half… come on, it’s a magical girl thing, don’t overthink it~ But then again… I have no idea where those magical girls actually go to school…’

After aimlessly wandering the streets for a while, the realization suddenly struck Yue Ling.

‘Judging by their appearances… they must be in high school, right? But there are quite a few high schools in this area; I can’t possibly check them all one by one. Besides… they wouldn’t just let me in. What should I do? Hmm… ah! I’ve got it! If I just cause some destruction, lure them out, then hide in the shadows and observe the direction they leave in, wouldn’t I roughly pinpoint their school’s location? With my abilities, I can easily accomplish this without revealing myself. That way, even if they rush over, they won’t discover who was responsible.’

‘Before I came down, I checked the time. It’s a weekday, and at this hour… they’re most likely still at home. While I’m unsure what time high school classes start in this world, it shouldn’t be too different from my original one. Yes… this plan will work!’

Yue Ling was exceedingly pleased with her plan, so much so that she imagined if she were in an adult visual novel world, she would undoubtedly be the kind of cunning villain who could toy with the heroine until she was a mere rag doll.

However, she quickly realized another problem…

‘This appears to be a residential area… causing significant damage without harming anyone will be quite difficult. After all, I don’t currently possess the ‘Deep Dish’ device that Maositog used to have, which could identify which buildings are occupied and which are empty.’

‘Hiss… what to do? Oh!’

Just as Yue Ling closed her eyes in thought, she abruptly collided with a lamppost in front of her, eliciting a sharp clang.

‘Ugh… that smarts a bit… Damn this lamppost, why is it placed right here? Just you wait, I’ll…’

As Yue Ling was about to vent her frustration by slicing the lamppost in half, she suddenly noticed a colossal golden bull statue standing prominently a few hundred meters across the street. Judging by its height… it must have been nearly sixty meters tall.

‘Typically, places with such enormous statues are either tourist attractions or public squares. Since this is an urban area… it’s likely the latter. If it’s a square, at this hour, there shouldn’t be many people, if any at all. I can easily pull them away with my threads. Yes… I know what to do now.’

“Magical Girl Akahoshi, appearing on the scene! You detestable Shadowy Entities, how dare you… huh?”

Magical Girl Akahoshi arrived at Golden Bull Plaza with fervent enthusiasm, fully intending to deliver a decisive blow to the unrepentant Shadowy Entities and the Sinister Cadre. However, she was met with a startling sight: not a single Shadowy Entity was present in the entire plaza. Moreover… the only thing damaged was the plaza’s iconic golden bull statue; the large shopping mall nearby and the surrounding small shops remained completely untouched.

“What’s going on? Where’s the Sinister Cadre?”

As Akahoshi scanned her surroundings, meticulously searching for any trace of the Sinister Cadre and the Shadowy Entities, Magical Girl Biyu also hurried to the scene.

“Akahoshi… you flew… so fast…” Magical Girl Biyu muttered softly from behind her.

“Hehe, I was mainly worried those guys would destroy even more places if I arrived late, so I unconsciously sped up. Oh, Biyu, help me search as well; let’s see where the enemy is hiding.”

“Huh? They… aren’t here?”

Magical Girl Biyu appeared quite surprised, for it was customary that whenever they arrived at a damaged location, the Sinister Cadre and their Shadowy Entities would be conspicuously present—so obvious, in fact, that it was impossible to overlook them, let alone search for them.

“I’m not sure either, but look!” Akahoshi pointed at the fragments of the golden bull statue scattered on the ground. “Those pieces look like they were deliberately cut. If it were construction… they couldn’t have cleared out so quickly. It must be the Sinister Cadre or the Shadowy Entities. They’re probably hiding somewhere right now, Biyu. Let’s split up and search.”

“Understood.”

The two exchanged glances, nodded, and then went their separate ways to search for any signs of the enemy. Given the early hour, the plaza was not yet crowded. However, neither of them knew where the enemy was, forcing them to search every corner. As time wore on, the once-deserted plaza began to fill with people, growing steadily livelier. With the increasing crowd, locating the enemy became far more challenging. Moreover… if the enemy truly was here, any confrontation would undoubtedly endanger innocent civilians.

With no other option, Akahoshi reluctantly suspended her search and instructed Minita to inform Biyu to regroup with her.

“So, Biyu, did you find any trace of the enemy on your side?”

“No… what about you, Akahoshi?”

“I didn’t find anything either… How strange. Did the enemy just dislike this golden bull statue and specifically come to destroy it? Or… did you make a mistake, Minita?”

“Impossible,” Minita unequivocally refuted Akahoshi’s suggestion. “I distinctly sensed the presence of a Sinister Cadre here at the time; it has simply vanished now for reasons unknown.”

“Hmm… could they have hidden themselves in an unusually concealed spot?”

“Um… Akahoshi…”

Magical Girl Biyu tugged at Akahoshi’s sleeve, her expression somewhat uneasy.

“What is it, Biyu? Did you discover something?”

“No… I just checked the time… first period is almost over…”

“First period is almost over?! Biyu, are you absolutely sure you didn’t misread the time?” Hearing this news, Akahoshi reacted as if she’d received an electric shock, frantically shaking Biyu.

Biyu, already soft-spoken and physically frail, was so violently jostled by Akahoshi that her brains felt scrambled, and she could only stammer incoherently, unable to form a complete sentence. Akahoshi’s agitation stemmed from a simple, yet dire, reason: if she accumulated any more absences, she would likely face disciplinary action! This semester, due to the increased frequency of enemy attacks, she had often excused herself mid-class to transform in the restroom, consequently missing a significant number of lessons.

Observing Biyu’s dazed, nearly unconscious state, Minita sighed with resignation. She flew over, grabbed Akahoshi by the back of her collar, and with a forceful tug, pulled her away.

“Alright, there’s no need to worry so much. Taratas and I will collectively resolve your problems when the time comes.”

“Huh? Really? Minita, you actually have that kind of ability?”

Upon hearing that Minita could resolve her disciplinary issues, Akahoshi immediately looked at Minita as if she were a savior.

“After all, we are the ones who granted you your powers, so it’s only right that we handle the aftermath of such matters.”

“In that case… we can continue our search for the enemy’s traces.”

“There’s no need,” Minita countered.

“Huh? Why not?”

“From my perspective, the enemy might be trying to divert our attention. Deliberately dismantling only the golden bull statue without damaging anything else suggests their sole purpose… was to lure us here. After drawing us in, they made no further moves, and their presence vanished. Thus, I suspect… they are likely employing the tactic of ‘luring the tiger out of its mountain lair’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘diào hǔ lí shān,’ meaning to lure an opponent away from their stronghold to attack them elsewhere).’

“Luring the tiger out of its mountain lair? So, you’re saying the enemy is very likely causing destruction elsewhere!”

“Precisely. However, we don’t currently know where they intend to strike next. To avoid ‘beating the grass to startle the snake’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘dǎ cǎo jīng shé,’ meaning to act rashly and alert the enemy), it would be best to return for now.”

“Understood… we’ll do as you say, Minita.”

Akahoshi agreed, while Biyu, who had just barely recovered, also nodded, affirming Minita’s conjecture.

Having reached a consensus, the two magical girls transformed into blurs of light, too swift for ordinary eyes to follow, and teleported back to their school’s location.

“They flew off in that direction…”

Perched on a small hill within the city, Yue Ling quietly observed the magical girls’ departure through a pair of binoculars. After her observation, she lowered the binoculars, pulled out a phone, opened the map, and cross-referenced the direction they had taken.

‘In this area, in that direction… there seems to be only one high school… a high school named Mingtu High. Heh heh, in that case, I can stake out that spot later to see if they’re actually attending that school.’

As for the origin of Yue Ling’s phone and binoculars… one only needed to glance behind her. Lying bound and gagged behind Yue Ling was a man whose gear suggested he was an adventure enthusiast. The binoculars and phone in Yue Ling’s hands… were, without a doubt, stripped from him. Of course, Yue Ling had merely knocked him unconscious; after all, she wasn’t capable of murder.