The Attack

“Ugh, I’m so booooored.”

Inside the Dispatch Center, a restless Jiang Yunshu was swaying back and forth on the sofa, looking completely listless.

Nine days had passed since Meng Shan first briefed the “Little Trio” about Ken the Werewolf.

“If you’re bored, spend more time thinking about the combat strategies Brother Dashan gave us,” said Bai He’an, who was nearby, engrossed in a thick volume of books. “Weren’t you just complaining about being worked to death a while ago? You’ve only been free for two days and you already can’t take it?”

Jiang Yunshu scratched her head. “The contrast is just too big! Last week was hectic as hell; I spent all day practicing combat and memorizing Dashan’s tactical plans. These past two days have been dead silent. We’re just sitting here doing nothing, waiting around.”

Yi Ziling, who had been silently watching the city through the window, spoke up: “Be patient, Yunshu. There’s no other way. Ken the Werewolf could appear at any moment, so we have to stay ready at all times.”

“I know, I know. I’m just bored out of my mind.” Jiang Yunshu looked up at the ceiling helplessly. “Seriously, waiting like this is worse than having him just show up right now.”

The moment the words left her mouth, a piercing alarm blared through the room.

Accompanied by the siren, Meng Shan’s voice crackled through the trio’s communicators: “Ken the Werewolf has appeared. I’ve sent the coordinates to you. It’s not far from the Dispatch Center; you can reach it quickly.”

Bai He’an and Yi Ziling turned their gazes toward Jiang Yunshu. Under their combined stare, Jiang Yunshu helplessly raised her hands: “I’m a jinx. I’m never making ‘death flag’ comments ever again.”

On a street not far away, Ken the Werewolf was clutching a mangled corpse, feasting voraciously.

Even though the alarm had been raised the instant he appeared, many civilians had failed to evacuate in time.

These unlucky stragglers had become Ken’s meal. In just a few minutes, over a dozen people had lost their lives to his fangs.

By the time Ken the Werewolf had finished devouring the corpse in his hands, the trio finally arrived on the scene.

Seeing the bones and remains scattered across the ground, the three girls couldn’t help but feel a surge of panic. This was the first time they had ever witnessed such a gruesome scene.

Fortunately, having been Magical Girls for half a year, they had seen similar—though less extreme—scenes before. After a brief moment of shock, they quickly steadied their minds and exchanged looks.

From each other’s eyes, they understood their shared resolve: they could not allow this man-eating monster to continue hurting people.

Noticing the trio’s arrival, Ken the Werewolf split his muzzle into a wide, savage grin and laughed wildly. “Hahahaha! Perfect. I just finished my snack, and here you are, delivering yourselves to my door. Saves me the time of hunting you down.”

Bai He’an shouted sternly, “Is that so? You sound like you’ve already won, but the reality won’t go your way. As long as the three of us are here, we won’t let you run wild anymore!”

“You only say that because you have no idea how powerful I’ve become.”

With a casual flick of his wrist, Ken threw the remains of the corpse. The scattered bones punched straight through a nearby building like bullets.

“See that? With power like this, you Magical Girls are beneath contempt!”

The trio was shaken by this display of raw power. That single casual movement surpassed the strength of Ran Jiu’yi, whom they had fought previously.

Of course, that was Ran Jiu’yi without the enhancement of the Eclipse Needle.

At that moment, Meng Shan’s voice came through their earpieces: “Stay calm. Although his strength is greater than estimated, it is still within the acceptable range of our plan.”

“However, we cannot fight here. The potential for collateral damage and casualties is too high. You need to lure him to a deserted location.”

On a skyscraper several kilometers away, Meng Shan—having switched his exoskeleton armor to stealth mode—was monitoring Ken’s every move through a mounted sniper scope.

“He seems capable of communication and is very arrogant, possessing absolute confidence in his strength. Start there. Find a way to manipulate him verbally and lead him to the abandoned factory district on the outskirts of the city.”

Hearing this, the trio looked at the 5-meter-tall werewolf who looked like he could swallow them in one bite, and they swallowed hard in unison.

The murderous aura radiating from the enemy triggered their instincts, telling them that this guy was on a completely different level from the “small fry” monsters they had faced before.

Talking to this guy? That sounded like a high-difficulty task.

But there was no time for second-guessing. Ken the Werewolf began to raise his claws as if he were about to pounce at any second.

Jiang Yunshu spoke up hurriedly, “Wait! Can we change locations? If we fight here, the city will be badly damaged.”

“Why should I listen to you?” Ken showed no sign of compliance. “To the current me, you Magical Girls—and those powerless wastes—are nothing but ants. Why should I listen to what an ant says?”

“Because you are very strong,” Yi Ziling interjected. The atmosphere suddenly went dead silent.

Ken stared down at Yi Ziling. “What did you say? Say it again.”

Being glared at by a apex predator, Yi Ziling shrank back and said timidly, “Because… because you are so strong… you… you wouldn’t mind a small request from us…”

Ken the Werewolf continued, “Say it one more time.”

Bai He’an answered for Yi Ziling: “Because you are strong. A powerhouse like you surely wouldn’t bother nitpicking a request from weaklings like us to move to a venue where you can better showcase your true power.”

“I am strong… I am strong… Hahahaha!” Ken burst into laughter. “Well said! I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll grant your request. You can die a little later. Lead the way!”

The trio didn’t dare hesitate. They quickly led the way, guiding Ken toward the abandoned factory district.

Seeing the first step of the plan go smoothly, Meng Shan finally exhaled and relaxed his finger on the trigger. Had Ken shown even a hint of aggression just now, Meng Shan would have fired without hesitation.

Taking a few deep breaths to recover from the long period of holding his breath, Meng Shan hurried toward the trio’s location.

It didn’t take long for the trio and Ken the Werewolf to reach the factory district.

As soon as they stopped, Meng Shan’s voice came through again: “I still need a bit of time to get into position. Find a way to stall him.”

Stall him even longer?! The trio felt their heads spinning.

During the journey there, they could feel that Ken’s patience was already wearing thin.

Now, he was constantly grinding his teeth, his bloodshot eyes never leaving the girls for a second.

“Flatter him. Then ask him about his past glorious achievements.”

“?” X3 (The trio responded in confusion).

By analyzing Ken’s speech, expressions, and actions, Meng Shan had reached a conclusion: Ken was extremely conceited and had a fragile ego, likely due to a severe lack of respect from others in his past.

For a character like this, as long as you provide enough “respect,” they won’t attack immediately.

Meng Shan didn’t have time to explain: “Do it, now.”

Out of sheer trust in Meng Shan, Bai He’an quickly said to Ken, “Respected Mr. Ken, would you please tell us about your past glorious achievements?”

“You know of me.” The tactic worked instantly. Ken’s violent aura began to subside. “And you want to know about my past?”

“Yes, yes!” Jiang Yunshu nodded vigorously, her eyes wide with faked sincerity. “Your name is legendary; we’ve all heard of it. But we don’t know the stories of your past. Would you be so kind as to tell us?”

Ken’s eyebrows shot up. Ever since Cheng Ya created him, everyone he met looked down on him. It had been an eternity since he’d heard words of such reverence.

These three little brats know their place, he thought. In that case, I’ll let them live a few minutes longer.

“Since you three are somewhat interesting, I suppose I’ll tell you…”

Despite facing a lethal enemy, the trio actually pricked up their ears; after all, the backstory of a werewolf was genuinely intriguing.

“I am in position. Upon hearing the gunshot, act according to Combat Strategy No. 3.”

Unfortunately, Meng Shan’s voice cut their curiosity short, forcing their focus back to the battle.

Meng Shan had already set up on a high-rise several kilometers away. Distributed across different floors of the building, over a dozen automatic firearms of varying calibers and ammunition types had been calibrated under his control, all aimed at the still-talking Ken.

“Countdown: Three… Two…”

As Meng Shan counted down, the girls clenched their hands, their expressions turning tense. These abnormal movements alerted Ken.

“You lot—”

But it was too late.

“One.”

As the countdown ended, all the firearms around Meng Shan opened fire simultaneously. A dense barrage of lead instantly struck different parts of Ken’s body.

Although the majority of the attacks failed to penetrate Ken’s formidable natural defense, two large-caliber armor-piercing rounds successfully hit home, leaving bloody holes of varying sizes.

This forced Ken’s attention away from the trio for a split second, turning it toward Meng Shan’s direction.

Seizing the window, Jiang Yunshu exerted her maximum speed to cast Butterfly Realm Illusion. Falling petals rapidly covered the entire factory district.

Meanwhile, Meng Shan had already vacated his original position before the firing stopped. Under the cover of stealth mode, he moved toward his next pre-prepared firing point.

Due to a moment of carelessness, Ken the Werewolf lost track of both the trio and Meng Shan. He let out a furious roar: “You despicable humans! You dare play petty tricks on me?! I’ll find you soon, and I’ll make sure you die in agony!”

Ken wasn’t bluffing. In his view, maintaining an illusion covering the entire district would drain a massive amount of magic. The trio and Meng Shan couldn’t hide for long.

Furthermore, the damage from the ambush was already vanishing under his potent regenerative abilities.

However, this was enough. It was enough for Meng Shan to proceed to the next phase.

“Bai He’an, use weapons with power equivalent to an autocannon or higher. Rotary machine guns are useless against him.”

“Everyone, split up according to the pre-arranged plan. The target’s defense is higher than expected and he possesses self-healing; a one-shot kill is unlikely. This will be a battle of attrition.”