The Rock Johnson

On the dim mountain road, streetlights stood in loose rows.

He Zunyi and Ma Guohao walked side by side along the winding slope.

The Holy Cathedral was located high in the mountains above Tianshui City.

Getting from there to the city center took considerable time.

The nuns believed that only by staying far away from the secular world could they better hear God’s voice.

The girl brushed aside a few strands of hair that had fallen by her ear.

She turned to look at Ma Guohao, who was clearly embarrassed, and burst out laughing.

“I really didn’t expect the son of the richest family to turn into a monster.”

“I don’t know how it happened either.”

Ma Guohao scratched his head.

“I went home one night and woke up like this.”

“But you, Miss Xia.”

“After something like that happened to you, you’re not worried at all?”

From Red, Ma Guohao had learned that the “Xia Yuhe” walking beside him had been kidnapped the day before and had nearly been assaulted.

Yet when he met her that afternoon, she’d been smiling foolishly on the road, hopping around like nothing had happened.

Something about her mental state felt… off.

Red had worried she might be targeted again before the kidnappers were caught, so she asked Ma Guohao to escort her home and keep an eye on her.

“So what?”

Xia Yuhe snorted.

“I wasn’t raised to be scared.”

“Yeah, but—wait.”

“Hide.”

Ma Guohao stopped mid-sentence.

He abruptly turned and raised an energy cannon toward the darkness.

He Zunyi was still wondering what could make him so tense when—

A massive boulder appeared in midair.

Like a meteor, it came crashing down toward them.

“Shit!”

He Zunyi looked around desperately.

There was nowhere to take cover.

She had no choice but to duck behind Ma Guohao, clutching his clothes tightly so the impact wouldn’t send her flying.

She knew perfectly well that with her speed, she wouldn’t get far even if she ran.

Ma Guohao felt conflicted.

Honestly, he would’ve preferred Xia Yuhe to run as far away as possible.

He couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t drag others into this.

And with her here, she’d only get in the way.

Sparks flared at the cannon’s muzzle.

Target distance: 80.

As the boulder drew closer, the odds of a clean hit rose sharply.

At 50.

The reticle aligned perfectly.

Fire.

A glowing sphere shot from Ma Guohao’s right arm.

It struck the boulder instantly.

A massive explosion erupted midair.

The boulder shattered.

The blast wave jolted the scattered mountain lodgings awake.

People thought a terrorist attack had begun.

Rock fragments rained everywhere.

Smoke and sparks scattered across the forest and road, releasing waves of heat.

The summer air was dry.

It hadn’t rained in days.

Wherever the flaming debris fell, the forest below ignited.

Normally, one would worry about a spreading wildfire.

But Ma Guohao was worried about something else.

“So this is how heroes fight?”

“That was awesome.”

Reliving the moment, Ma Guohao couldn’t help but feel pleased.

Not only had he shown off in front of a beautiful girl, he also genuinely felt strong.

“What the hell is this…”

He Zunyi was losing her mind.

That kind of firepower—wasn’t that Giant Rock Johnson?!

Was this level of force really necessary just to capture me?

Did the boss value this infiltration plan that much?

Giant Rock Johnson was a high-tier combatant in the organization’s second echelon.

His defining trait was overwhelming strength, with a body as dense and hard as stone.

He excelled in close combat.

But his most absurd feature was his boulder-throwing attacks.

He fought like a living siege engine.

Ma Guohao stared into the distance.

Based on the trajectory of the boulder, he began estimating the attacker’s position.

During monsterization, his entire body had once turned mechanical.

Though stabilized now, he could still reconfigure parts as needed.

Like now.

His eyes restructured themselves into something like night-vision binoculars.

After scanning the area, he spotted a rocky figure on a distant cliff.

It was continuously forming boulders and hurling them their way.

Ma Guohao raised his cannon and aimed.

“What are you doing?!”

“Run already!”

He Zunyi grabbed Ma Guohao’s left arm and yanked him out of his aiming stance.

She couldn’t see into the darkness.

But the falling boulders were becoming very real.

Only then did Ma Guohao realize the situation had worsened.

More boulders fell.

Like artillery rain.

There were too many.

He couldn’t intercept them all.

He was confident he could escape with Xia Yuhe unharmed.

But if even one boulder hit the mountainside residences…

That would be disastrous.

Unable to solve everything perfectly, he chose what he could do.

He grabbed He Zunyi’s hand.

And ran.

Even while fleeing, he stayed alert.

Watching every boulder that might hit them.

Just as he prepared to fire defensively—

A voice echoed from the sky.

A familiar one.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this much commotion.”

As the voice spoke, red feathers drifted into view.

They scattered among the falling boulders, floating gently like mayflies.

The boulders slowed.

Slower.

Until they froze in midair.

Time itself seemed paused.

As Ma Guohao stared in disbelief, a figure descended onto one of the suspended boulders.

The very one he had targeted earlier.

She wore a red dress.

A pair of broad wings glowed softly on her back, tinged with gentle pink light.

She held a long staff in her hands.

Her high ponytail swayed behind her.

It was Magical Girl Red.

Ma Guohao lowered his cannon.

Looking at the frozen boulders.

Then at Red flying toward them.

He couldn’t help but admire her.

“So you can do it like that?”

“I’ve never seen that form before.”

He Zunyi muttered.

Red had planned to leave things to Ma Guohao, let White handle patrols, and take the day off.

But shortly after they left, she heard an explosion.

She rushed out and saw this scene.

This was far beyond something she could safely leave to others.

Standing atop the boulder, Red spotted the attacker on the cliff.

Giant Rock Johnson.

Seeing her didn’t frighten him.

It thrilled him.

Not all monsters feared Red.

Especially those who thought highly of themselves.

The more other monsters hyped her up, the more eager they were to challenge her.

The rock man continued forming boulders midair, hurling them without stopping.

If Red flew over, the frozen rocks would fall.

If she didn’t, the attack would continue.

She could handle it alone.

But she wanted to preserve information.

“Ma Guohao.”

“Ever wanted to fly?”

“If I get the chance.”

“I’d like to try.”

“Good.”

“I’ll send you over to deal with that monster.”

“I’ll handle things here.”