Stupid people always do the unexpected.

Ran Jiuyi inquired, “What method did he use to smuggle himself in? Does he have a forged identity? Or perhaps a fixed contact point with you?”

“We brought him in by truck back then. Our gang smuggles contraband all the time; with a little grease for the customs’ palms, bringing him in wasn’t difficult.”

The boss shook his head at this point. “But that’s all I know. Once he entered the city, he vanished, leaving only five vials of serum on the truck. I knew he was bad news, so I specifically told my boys not to care about what he does or where he goes.”

Ken the Werewolf spent five vials just for a small favor like this?

Jiuyi sensed something was off. If it were her, she’d likely give only one vial—or none at all. Being this generous meant Ken was either a fool or he simply didn’t value the serum.

“A wise move,” Jiuyi remarked. “Many monsters don’t give a damn about human lives. If you knew something you weren’t supposed to, they would likely kill you all just to keep their secrets.”

“Haha.” The boss let out a bitter laugh, finally asking the question he was terrified to pose: “And what about us? We know you were here, we’ve seen your face, and we’ve talked this much with you. Are you going to kill us?”

Jiuyi countered, “Have you seen me? Do you know what I did here?”

Years of experience in the underworld made the boss understand instantly. “Understood, understood. Nothing happened tonight. My brothers saw nothing, and we know nothing about any serum.”

Jiuyi smiled. “Good. At least you’re not an idiot in that regard.”

However, just as Jiuyi was about to leave, the thug she had first knocked unconscious woke up. He held up his phone, which was already on a call. “Boss! I’ve called the Monster Emergency Line! The Magical Girls will be here soon!”

“HUH?!” This was the boss, nearly exploding with rage at his own subordinate.

“Huh?” This was Ran Jiuyi, genuinely stunned that someone could be this stupid.

“Huh…” This was the thug, realization finally dawning on him as he realized what he had done.

“The biggest mistake of my life was taking you in as my lackey! You’re going to be the death of me! When normal people see a monster, they call the Magical Girls, but you’re a goddamn gangster! Do you even have a brain in that skull of yours?!”

The boss was in a state of pure fury. He knew his subordinate was dim, but he hadn’t expected this level of idiocy. “The Magical Girls are on their way, and most of my men are lying flat on the ground. What do we do now? Tell me, or I swear I’ll beat you to death myself!”

Under the boss’s berating, the thug knelt on the ground, slapping his own face repeatedly. “It’s my fault, it’s all my fault…”

Watching this chaotic scene, Ran Jiuyi found it somewhat amusing and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Heh, you guys actually have a talent for comedy.”

Sensing that Jiuyi didn’t seem angry, the boss rushed to her as if she were a savior. “Miss, do you have any way to solve this? Please, help us out!”

Jiuyi’s answer was a cold splash of water. “There’s no way, forget it. The two hulks I took down are proof enough that supernatural forces appeared here. The government takes illegal supernatural activity very seriously; there’s virtually no way to fake your way out of this.”

“Besides, you guys do illegal stuff all the time, don’t you? I could tell by your arrogance earlier. Once this breaks, they’ll definitely investigate your background. Even if you hide this incident, you won’t hide your past. Long story short, jail time is inevitable.”

Then, Jiuyi’s tone shifted. “But since your comedy routine was decent, I’ll give you a way that might actually reduce your sentence by about eighty percent.”

The thugs asked helplessly, “What way? What is it?”

Jiuyi didn’t keep them in suspense. “It’s simple. First, remember this: the guy who gave you the serum and made the deal is ‘Ken the Werewolf.’ Say that everything you did tonight was under Ken’s coercion—pin all the blame on him. As for me? You don’t even know my name, and I don’t plan on telling you. I trust you know what to do. With luck, you might shave a few years off. It’s up to you.”

“I see.” The boss looked dejected. “There’s no dodging today’s mess. I guess we’ll do as you say.”

“That’s the spirit.” Jiuyi smiled. Although there were some variables, everything was still within controllable limits. By leaking Ken’s name and stirring up some trouble herself later, the city would surely tighten its security. It wouldn’t be so easy for Ken to escape then. Perhaps the government would even send more Magical Girls as reinforcements, which would muddy the waters further and make it easier for her to find him.

“Oh, they’re here? A bit slower than I expected.”

In the sky, a bright pink trail was hurtling toward Jiuyi’s location.

“Only one? I’m being underestimated. But that’s normal—this is one of the cities with the least monster activity. I suppose the Magical Girls here haven’t faced a real enemy in a while.”

She tossed the briefcase aside, knocked out the remaining conscious thugs, and stood leisurely in place, quietly waiting for the arriving Magical Girl.

The pink trail stopped in front of Jiuyi, and Jiang Yunshu, wearing a pale pink Lolita-style dress, appeared.

“Did you do all this?!” Yunshu glared at Jiuyi, looking at the unconscious men scattered around.

Jiuyi shrugged. “No need to be so angry. None of them are dead, just unconscious. Get them to a hospital in time, and they’ll be fine. Though, those two hulks in the back are dead as doornails. Their brains have physically turned into mush.”

Hearing Jiuyi’s casual tone, Yunshu blinked, then quickly apologized. “Sorry, I misunderstood you. Looking at you, I thought you were a Villain Executive. I am the Magical Girl, ‘Blooming Sakura.’ And you are?”

“What a cute girl,” Jiuyi smiled. “I like that you didn’t label me a villain just because of my looks. So, I’ll be blunt: I am exactly what you said—a Villain Executive. You can call me ‘Bi.’ And for the record, I did everything here. So, what’s your next move? Are you going to attack me?”

“What?!”

Yunshu finally realized she had been played. She moved to attack but suddenly realized that many “innocent” civilians were lying around. Was this ‘Bi’ person intentionally provoking her here because she knew Yunshu couldn’t let loose?

“Afraid to hurt the ‘innocent’ bystanders, so you won’t attack?” Jiuyi kicked a nearby unconscious thug. “You don’t need to worry about them. These guys are scum who’ve committed plenty of crimes. It doesn’t matter if a few die.”

The fire in Yunshu’s eyes burned hotter, but just as she was about to speak, a voice came through her earpiece. “Don’t let her provoke you, Jiang Yunshu. She’s trying to disrupt your judgment.”

It was Meng Shan. Having just gotten off work, he was back at his post because of this emergency, back to working overtime. He was observing everything through a micro-camera on Yunshu’s shoulder, communicating with her via the headset.

“I’m currently searching her data; no results yet. The best course of action is to maintain the current standoff and wait for Bai He’an and Yi Ziling.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Yunshu felt much more at ease, her expression softening slightly.

However, this change was caught by Jiuyi. Combined with Yunshu’s sudden silence, the experienced Jiuyi knew that the girl was likely consulting with her support.

They’re probably looking up my file and discussing a strategy, Jiuyi thought. She didn’t want to linger. She had too little intel on the local Magical Girls, and she couldn’t move freely in a built-up area. First, she needed to move the fight to a wider space and cut their communication.

Cutting communication was simple. All Magical Girls used Mana as their power source. When Mana was released violently—such as during high-speed movement—it created interference with other forms of energy, be it supernatural forces or wireless signals.

“I’m actually quite pressed for time. Let’s chat more when we have the chance.”

As the words left her mouth, Jiuyi fled toward the city’s outskirts at a staggering speed.

“Don’t you run!” Without a second thought, Jiang Yunshu gave chase.

Jiuyi’s behavior sent a chill of unease through Meng Shan’s heart. “Wait! This could be a trap!”

“I can’t wait! Bi is too fast! If I don’t chase her now, she’ll get away!”

“Jiang Yunshu, wait! Something’s not right—”

The connection cut out. It was the signal interference caused by the violent release of Mana.

As Yunshu’s position changed, Bai He’an and Yi Ziling followed suit, chasing after her. After multiple failed attempts to reconnect, Meng Shan found himself unable to contact any of the three.

The unease in Meng Shan’s heart intensified. Currently, aside from the Magical Girls, there were no other forces in the city capable of handling a monster. As a low-activity zone, City D had no military garrison. The local police were few, lacked reliable heavy weaponry, and even if they had it, Meng Shan didn’t have the authority to command them.

Rationally, the best move was to wait for the results of the battle. But Meng Shan couldn’t convince himself to sit still while knowing the girls were likely walking into a trap.

What a goddamn mess.

Steeling his resolve, Meng Shan hopped into his car and sped toward the last known signal from Yunshu. He could only pray that things wouldn’t take a turn for the worst—and that if they did, the weapons equipped in his vehicle would be of some use.