Is a gift a weapon?

A few minutes later, with a heart heavy with unease, Ran Jiuyi—now in her Magical Girl form—rushed toward the Dispatch Center.

Ever since Cheng Ya mentioned preparing “gifts” for her new friends, Jiuyi’s anxiety had been borderline uncontrollable. Meng Shan and the “three little ones” were simply too weak. While Meng Shan possessed formidable combat experience and tactical prowess, physically he was just an ordinary human; a slightly potent trap could end him. As for the trio, they were little more than novices with magical titles.

The more she ruminated, the worse it felt. If Cheng Ya wanted to assert dominance by making an example out of them…

Dammit, please let them be okay!

Entering her Ascension Form, Jiuyi blitzed toward the Dispatch Center. Within minutes, the building loomed in her sights, along with three massive, glaringly obvious orange shipping containers parked right next to it.

Meng Shan and the girls had already been circling the containers for some time.

“Dahan-ge, should we just open them?” Bai He’an asked, watching Meng Shan pace around the steel boxes for the umpteenth time.

“No,” Meng Shan refused immediately. “These things appeared out of nowhere. It’s suspicious. To be safe, we wait for A-Jiu to get back.”

Hearing the new nickname, Jiang Yunshu’s ears perked up. “Ooh, ‘A-Jiu’? Since when did Sister Ran become ‘A-Jiu’ to you, Dahan-ge? Did you two have some ‘hush-hush’ deal last night? You know, the kind of ‘under-the-covers’ deal people say feels really good?”

Before Meng Shan could retort, Bai He’an cut in: “Don’t talk nonsense! Dahan-ge isn’t that kind of shady guy. He wouldn’t do anything unseemly.”

“Hey, Dahan-ge might not, but who knows about Sister Ran? What if she took a sudden interest in him…”

“…You!”

“Alright, settle down, both of you,” Meng Shan intervened. “A-Jiu and I just talked about our plans for the future. By the way, she’s agreed to stay.”

“!” x3

“Really?” Jiang Yunshu asked, beaming. “Sister Ran is actually staying?”

Meng Shan smiled. “It’s true. I spent quite a while convincing her last night. It was a tough process, but she finally said yes.”

“That’s wonderful!” Yi Ziling was equally thrilled. “With Sister Ran here, we won’t have to be afraid even if more enemies like Ken the Werewolf show up.”

Bai He’an pouted slightly. “Sister Ran is strong, but we shouldn’t rely on her for everything. Don’t forget, we’re Magical Girls too.”

Meng Shan patted He’an on the head. “Well said. If you keep moving forward, one day you’ll be just as strong as she is.”

“True,” Ran Jiuyi’s voice rang out nearby. “But that requires long, grueling training, massive combat experience, and proper guidance.”

“?” x3

The trio only just noticed that Jiuyi, now out of her transformation, was standing right beside them.

“Sister Ran? When did you get here?” Jiang Yunshu asked in surprise.

“I’ve been here since you started debating whether to open the containers,” Jiuyi explained leisurely. “I have to say, your perception is lacking. I walked right up to you without using a drop of mana, and you didn’t notice a thing.”

Yi Ziling noticed something else. “Sister Ran, why is your head wrapped in such thick bandages? Are you hurt?”

“Oh, this?” Jiuyi pointed to the heavy gauze around her skull. “I got bored while I was listening to you guys chat, so I wrapped them on for fun. It’s nothing major.”

Nothing major? Meng Shan cast a skeptical glance at her.

He had just caught a glimpse of her—she had been manually shoving the slightly loose right side of her head back into place before securing it with the bandages. There was no doubt that Jiuyi had struck a deal with Cheng Ya during her absence. And these containers? They had Cheng Ya’s fingerprints all over them.

“By the way, Dahan knew I was here the whole time,” Jiuyi said, shifting the focus. “This devious old man just didn’t tell you because he wanted to give you a scare.”

Her attempt at a subject change was clunky, but Meng Shan played along. “I prefer to call it a ‘surprise.’ Since you’re here, tell us—can we open these?”

“Probably.” Jiuyi nodded after a moment. “Cheng Ya sent these. She called them ‘gifts,’ specifically the kind of gifts you guys need right now.”

“Gifts we need? What kind of gift fills three whole shipping containers?” Yi Ziling wondered.

“Stop asking and just look. If Sister Ran says it’s okay, let’s open them.”

With that, Bai He’an transformed. Using her enhanced strength, she easily wrenched open the doors of the first container.

“Let’s see what’s inside… huh? What are these?”

The group peered inside. The container was packed to the brim with various high-tech instruments of unknown purpose.

“Now this is the good stuff.”

Unlike the confused girls, Meng Shan stepped inside with visible excitement, inspecting the devices.

“You recognize this gear?” Jiuyi asked.

“Of course. Most of this is Institute tech. When I was in the service, these things saved my life more than once. For example…”

Meng Shan pulled a thin filament from a small box. “This is a listening device designed by the Institute. It activates when it receives a specific radio wave. No power source, no metal, undetectable by almost any conventional method. It’s a top-tier bug.”

He then picked up a plain-looking metal bracelet. “This is a high-intensity magnetic tether. You use it to scale metal walls or as temporary high-security handcuffs.”

“And these—”

“Stop, stop,” Jiuyi interrupted his exhibition. “Bottom line: any traps?”

“None. This box is full of practical ‘toys.’ If there were a trap, I’d spot it in a heartbeat.” Meng Shan stepped out and stood before the next container. “I’d wager the others are safe too.”

He was right. The second container was an arsenal, filled with rows upon rows of various firearms.

“Oh hell yes. Jackpot.”

Meng Shan picked up a handgun, checked the chamber, and pulled the trigger on an empty mag.

Ping—

The crisp sound and the perfectly balanced weight told him everything he needed to know. This wasn’t standard military surplus; this was master-tuned, top-of-the-line hardware straight off the production line. And there was a whole container of it.

“Alright, quit romancing your new gun. There’s still one more.”

At Jiuyi’s voice, Meng Shan reluctantly put the weapon down. It had been a long time since he’d handled quality like this.

Jiuyi opened the final container herself. “Okay, let’s see what’s in the last one.”

“…What the?”

Inside were three meticulously wrapped small boxes. Atop them lay an envelope. Behind those boxes sat a massive iron crate that took up nearly the entire interior space of the container.

“What is this? A container inside a container?”

Muttering at the absurdity, Jiuyi picked up the envelope. On the front, it read: ‘A letter to Ran Jiuyi and her friends, from Ran Jiuyi’s bestie, Cheng Ya.’

Jiuyi briefly considered incinerating it on the spot. Instead, she sighed and tore it open.

“Hi there, Jiuyi. If you’re reading this, you probably have no clue what these boxes are for.

Allow me to enlighten you. The three small boxes are gifts for the three little Magical Girls. They aren’t expensive, but I think they’ll like them.

The big crate in the back is a maintenance and resupply platform, plus a brand-new set of A3-series Power Armor. You might not know the specs, but it’s the upgraded version of that suit Meng Shan bought recently.

According to my colleagues, this model is a massive leap forward. Optimized OS, better base stats, and a ‘Hacking Mode’ that can bypass most low-to-mid security networks.

The platform behind it is for repairs; just deploy it manually when needed. It’s ‘idiot-proof’—even you should be able to figure it out.

Consider these three containers my gift to your friends. Hope you like them.

Oh, one last thing: I’m leaving my contact info. Call me if you need anything.”

The group sat in a circle after reading the letter. Yi Ziling looked up curiously. “Sister Ran, has Sister Cheng Ya become your best friend now?”

Jiuyi denied it instantly. “Absolutely not. I don’t think we’ll ever be friends in this lifetime.”

“Then why send all this?”

“Just think of it as… hazard pay,” Jiuyi grumbled.