Nightfall.
Ningfeng Harbor, Seaside District residential building, 6th floor, Room A.
After finishing a day's work, Jin Yulu, Jin Ruochu, and Nan Zhiyi each lay sprawled on sofas eating snacks while watching TV, epitomizing laziness and comfort, showing not a trace of ladylike deanor.
Hibiscus glanced at the living room from the kitchen and sighed, nearly flinging the scrambled eggs from her wok.
Incomprehensible, truly incomprehensible. How could I not understand—what's so good about my place? At most slightly better than Jin Yulu's conditions, but how does it compare to Nan family's middle-class neighborhood? How does it compare to Jin Changfeng's mansion with pool, garage, and helipad directly under his daughter's na? A re 70 square ters and they don't even mind the cramped space.
Yet everyone preferred gathering in this seemingly cramped little room, practically becoming Five-Color Narcissus Company's "executive apartnt"—sounds quite bizarre.
Hibiscus carefully recalled the whole story's developnt, which was indeed quite amusing:
Initially, Jin Yulu, who'd moved out of Disaster Beast Counterasure Bureau military dormitories, temporarily had nowhere to stay and suggested crashing here.
She had no objections, everyone had no objections.
Then ca the Hermit Island strategy battle followed by the company's explosive growth phase. During this period, the four either camped rough or simply slept at the company. The so-called "company is my ho, making money depends on everyone" made the small bosses fully display their fighting spirit.
When production lines, investnt plans, and sales networks were roughly established and they could rest, Nan Zhiyi suddenly brought up sothing: Jin Yulu is still living at your place?
After Hibiscus answered truthfully, she matter-of-factly "temporarily moved in" using work busyness as an excuse.
Indeed hard to refuse—after all, after getting a large dividend payout, Uncle and Aunt Nan had started early retirent leisure life, moving to relatively safe inland rural areas on their daughter's suggestion. Ho should be quite lonely, so Nan Zhiyi was in the sa solitary living situation as herself. Since that was the case, the two could naturally share the sa roof—childhood friends for years with nothing to adjust to.
Jin Ruochu would run here every few days "for convenient work reporting," and over ti there was little difference from moving in.
This seaside district apartnt had practically beco Salvation Church headquarters.
Life was unpredictable.
Hibiscus couldn't have imagined that the house irresponsibly left to her by her parents would truly develop a family atmosphere, though the exhaustion remained the sa. Ever since their island wilderness survival, everyone praised her cooking skills to the skies, naturally making her the chef.
Actually, her companions weren't so oblivious as to not help at all, but the troubleso young lady's mishaps and Jin Yulu's clueless questions were truly ntally and physically exhausting...
Your not helping was the greatest help.
So Hibiscus drove the guests to the living room to watch TV while she alone prepared delicacies in the kitchen.
The girl actually enjoyed the present—harmonious atmosphere full of joy, small but exquisite rooms, friends' laughter and chatter. At least not as lonely as before.
Many magical girls' psychological problems could be solved simply by gathering together to chat—after all, they were social animals.
Though they seed to be around the sofa, only Jin Ruochu was eating chips while watching news without proper posture. Beside her, Nan Zhiyi was flipping through law textbooks—impressive that she could still rember to prepare for university finals in this situation. The ultimate winner had to be Jin Yulu, who occasionally picked up dumbbells to exercise... This scene had too many flaws to comnt on.
"Dinner's ready."
Monts later, Hibiscus poked her head out from the kitchen and called loudly, everyone responding to the news.
"This is our first ti all together eating at Dr. Mu's house—must have so ceremony." Jin Ruochu took out a bottle of fine wine from her exquisite leather bag: "I prepared Lafite Estate wine."
"I brought soup dumplings made at ho, just need reheating." Nan Zhiyi produced a small stear of dumplings.
Even more exaggerated was Jin Yulu actually bringing live fish, using magic power to kill and make sashimi on the spot. According to her, this was one of the few skills learned during external garrison rotation duties.
"...I get it now, you all ca prepared. No need next ti."
Hibiscus smiled and flicked her finger. Eight dishes and one soup floated to the living room following her steps—her telekinesis had slightly reached precision operation level during this ti.
All dishes served, ti to eat.
Jin Ruochu stretched and said: "No toasts, drinking ceremonies, or host-guest mutual flattery—such relaxed dining. Keep running business with those guys and I'll age 20 years."
"If negotiations work, negotiate. If not, just pat your butt and leave. Special dicines won't worry about sales anyway." Hibiscus asserted.
Her extrely confident, far-sighted judgnt was nothing new to her companions—worthy of being a far-seeing eagle, always divinely calculating and grasping the era's pulse.
Nan Zhiyi reminded: "There's sothing I need to ask. Our invested electronic information technology laboratories have bigger and bigger holes—high expenses, low returns. This line keeps losing money. When will it end? Honestly, if you weren't constantly concerned about it, I'd have cut the research projects long ago. So can it ever pay off? Otherwise I always feel like we're throwing money down a drain."
"I have complete materials, but so key steps need magical girls to maximize benefits. Once we handle the laboratory situation, we won't lack talent."
"So basically crush the enemy, right?" Jin Yulu asked.
Hibiscus nodded.
She'd made many preparations these days—Eagle Company surely had too. When the ti ca, only actions would speak.
"Speaking of talent, my dad always says the Changfeng Consortium's leadership lacks reliable people—personnel configuration isn't even as good as our company... I always found it strange, why does little Ningfeng Harbor have four strongest magic users of different systems? Simply talent clustering."
Jin Ruochu said proudly: "Must be my causal magic gathering everyone, plus Dr. Mu's connections, creating the Salvation Church."
Though knowing the girl was roundaboutly praising herself, everyone agreed with part of her viewpoint.
Made sense.
"In my view, what's truly strange is how you all understand managent?" Jin Yulu looked around with amazent: "Originally thought my officer experience was an advantage, but everyone's similar. The organizational brain actually got built first—supposedly the most difficult step was completed in advance."
If the military had more clear-headed people, she wouldn't have been forced to resign.
Nan Zhiyi disagreed: "Everyone also grew from small companies to today—you're ignoring your own capability improvent. Moreover, talent was never lacking. Emperor Gaozu relied on Pei County, Emperor Guangwu on Nanyang, Emperor Taizu on Fengyang... Good horses are common but good judges are rare. Without Hibiscus, I'd at most reach middle managent in a small company, might even die during a magical awakening. Individual struggle certainly depends on the historical process, but benefits more from noble guidance, right?"
Everyone looked aningfully at the silver-haired girl gnawing chicken legs, who wasn't listening at all but just kept urging everyone to eat.
Hibiscus pretended indifference to avoid deepening the topic.
Otherwise she'd always feel like she'd dragged everyone into this, especially feeling sowhat guilty about opening mid-ga instances to challenge bosses like Quincy ahead of schedule.
Nan Zhiyi saw through this, putting vegetables in the silver-haired girl's bowl: "Don't just eat at, have so lettuce."
She continued: "Actually I don't like studying—just didn't know other ways to improve life. As for class mobility and making big money, didn't even dare think about it. Now I control 500 million yuan worth of stocks, deciding the livelihood of tens of thousands in supply chains—this opportunity was given by Hibiscus."
"Don't exaggerate my help—you caught the task yourself."
Sensing Hibiscus's deflective atmosphere, Nan Zhiyi smiled. Maybe her expression was sowhat heavy—actually she wanted to say even buying her life with these things would be worth it.
Jin Yulu's eyes lit up: "Right, right, exactly like this. Isn't there a poem about repaying sothing with death..."
"It's 'Repay you with golden platform intent, lifting jade dragon to die for you.'"
After supplenting, Jin Ruochu rcilessly mocked this cultural desert behavior. As theoretically the highest educated, she had to ruthlessly humiliate the weak. Seeing this, Jin Yulu responded with a forehead flick, both playfully fighting quite harmoniously.
Hibiscus felt enormous pressure.
How did the conversation turn to who dies for whom? The Salvation Church wasn't a black-hearted company, much less seeking employee dedication—at most it counted as a magical girl association.
At this mont the TV screen switched: "Ergency news bulletin: preliminary investigation results for this morning's large-scale Edo terrorist attack. Councilman Shifang claims this is a Salvation Church conspiracy, thankfully he provided Eagle Company with extensive local magical power monitoring information."
Upon hearing this, the girls were stunned on the spot—chicken legs weren't fragrant, chopsticks dropped. What was happening?
Sitting at ho, bla falls from the sky.
Jin Ruochu quickly turned up the TV volu. The group didn't rush to comnt but gathered around the screen, listening intently to the whole story:
Damn dia! Such clickbait behavior—just quoting one councilman's remarks, actually creating conflict with other political enemies. Especially the involved Winter rcenary Company firmly insisted it was Eagle Company's doing. The people's eyes were sharp—everyone witnessed lawless behavior, moreover the attacked facility was a school, simply setting human moral civilization back a big step.
But opposition factions could always find peculiar angles, like the faction led by Councilman Shifang just now believing this move "eliminated Church influence" to return society a democratic environnt.
So that's how it was.
Too many interest activity groups flying Salvation Church banners had triggered backlash.
The magical girls before the TV looked at each other, thoroughly experiencing what "fans' behavior, stars pay the bill" ant—absolutely disgusting.
The best thod was letting it fernt—otherwise falling into self-proving traps ant eternal damnation. Another choice was eliminating problematic people.
Corporate managent experience had greatly improved Church founders' average intelligence floor. Having mixed in society more, many traps were obvious at first glance: just politicians taking advantage of issues to randomly assign bla. Getting anxious ant losing. So none of them proposed the naive behavior of "publicly clarifying."
Hibiscus was very satisfied with everyone's performance.
In the original storyline, magical girl groups repeatedly suffered public opinion pressure, partly related to constantly drilling into traps themselves—after all, they were too naive. The adult world you don't understand—authority figures' disregard wasn't a bad coping asure.
The news continued, reporting so disaster scenes—crying children, worried parents, ruined school buildings...
Surrounding this incident, "confird link to the Salvation Church!" and "no connection to the Church!" factions attacked each other verbally—too lazy to listen to such nonsense.
What mattered was: as long as you're strong enough, you beco a topic.
All three looked at the silver-haired girl, who calmly said: "What should co will co—I even think it's later than expected. The first step is public opinion testing, judging our reaction to decide whether to continue the pressure or let it go. Of course, even choosing the latter won't stop underhanded moves."
Jin Yulu made a throat-slitting gesture: "Whoever dares make noise pays the price."
"I can make that councilman ruined and unlucky, but need at least one direct visual contact."
Nan Zhiyi shook her head: "Future Salvation Church must establish absolute authority that can't be criticized, but not now—our power temporarily can't support such an aura."
"Just pawns pushed to the front to test our attitude with their lives. Continue observing before deciding punishnt." Hibiscus said quietly: "Rember the main contradiction—current priority is solving Eagle Company. Because they're kicking down doors while researching and sharing magical girl intelligence, must clean up quickly. Moreover, after this incident we must thoroughly, high-profile, and shockingly clean up enemies."
"Kill chickens to warn monkeys." Jin Yulu strongly agreed.
"Support."
The four briefly consulted, thinking it was harmless—actually the so-called Salvation Church you're desperately attacking isn't even built yet. Punching cotton.
They weren't types who cared about outside opinions anyway—achievents and strength brought unshakeable composure.
Saying being sared for no reason while remaining calm was impossible—actually everyone harbored anger, but Hibiscus's sea-stabilizing needle-like unwavering stance made the atmosphere tend toward calm. Enjoy the current delicacies, family.
Little did they know, having been imrsed in otherworld internet, she was long accustod to it. What era still played traditional dia? Hindered eloquence.
Hibiscus's steady fishing gave companions backbone support.
News continued playing lackluster information about the Edo terrorist incident, until the host's more resounding voice: "According to sources, Eagle Company has kidnapped a girl, tentatively called Minase by this station. A missing person notice has been issued—those with clues please contact the Winter Company president..."
A photo appeared on screen.
In the image, a sailor-uniford girl smiled making heart signs with both hands—youthful, cute, pure, with charm flowing from her brows stirring ripples in hearts.
Hibiscus put down chopsticks, frowning as she watched the report, hoping for more information, but it ended there.
Her unusual reaction imdiately drew companions' attention. Nan Zhiyi spoke first: "Is Minase the middle school little sister you ntioned saving during Edo battle?"
"Right, I once made this gesture to Kaori—should be information sent to , and connected to Pasha... Can't sit by and watch."
"Advance the plan." Jin Ruochu raised her hand proposing.
Jin Yulu looked unfriendly: "I hate rcenaries. Letting them run wild will eventually harm civilians."
The magical girls were already eager to fight. Hearing soone the boss knew was in danger, they imdiately couldn't sit still—regardless of what demons and monsters, deal with them.
Salvation Church's four founders needed only eye contact—having developed tacit understanding through many battles, they needed no extra words. Now everyone unanimously believed the plan should be advanced. There was no such thing as wars fought only after being prepared.
Seeing this, Hibiscus's eyes flickered, her gaze sweeping each person's face. Companions were both expectant and worried.
Understandable.
Eagle Company was famous for years with outstanding records and deep background. Historically responsible for North Arican war zones, they'd killed 27 Boss Disaster Beasts, 101 Vanguard Disaster Beasts, plus 3 cluster incidents, recapturing millions of human-controlled areas. Though Arica had the most rcenary companies—not all their credit—but undoubtedly they possessed powerful organization, firepower, with unfathomable foundations.
For years they'd been accused of manipulating politics and business, with intertwined connections unasurable by revenue alone. This guy had national machinery power behind it.
Fight they must, but impossible not to feel anxious.
Nan Zhiyi still worried, asking: "Could your ti magic prophecy have changed? Is advancing action wrong?"
Hibiscus smiled at everyone: "Don't mind it—actually when we act makes no difference, because General Quincy made full preparations waiting for people to take the bait, but we also have trump cards."
She got up, returning to her room carrying thick stacks of printing paper—without exception, extra large sheets.
Thud!
Placing them on the floor made them seem even heavier. Looking carefully included but wasn't limited to Eagle Company laboratory's architectural structure diagrams, water and electrical wiring diagrams, personnel ratios even down to specific weapons in armories, plus guard personnel's habitual tactics... All-encompassing, omniscient.
Before fighting they'd already stripped the enemy's underwear—if they knew this, they'd probably jump with rage.
Hibiscus glanced at her watch, adjusting countdown.
"Since you've seen key intelligence, must launch action within 48 hours, otherwise all previous efforts wasted. You must morize all materials then take the earliest flight to Los Angeles villa. I'll fly to Edo first, then arrive."
Jin Ruochu, with superior battle IQ who'd heard so secrets, was first to react: "Your statent—could you be avoiding Prophecy Books?"
Hibiscus didn't answer, as it would trigger knowledge poison. Silence was the answer.
Jin Yulu said dismissively: "So that thing really exists. Military controls so many cards yet hides them strictly while lending to private institutions—ridiculous."
"So things are more difficult." Nan Zhiyi's caution made her both wary and excited.
So-called fortune and misfortune interdependent.
If Salvation Church's big moves only knocked out a cannon fodder puppet, that would be laughable. Conversely, if human leadership placed various bets, gave resources, opened green lights, yet the boxer pushed out still lost in ring matches, that better proved the point.
With their intelligence they imdiately guessed this layer.
Hibiscus said quietly: "Not just Prophecy Books—relying on future vision alone is aningless. More terrifying than that is the ability to choose futures."
This statent made magical girls' scalps tingle with cold sweat. How could they get excited for half a minute then increase intensity? What are you saying? Such relics really exist!
"Don't worry, leave it to . You just act according to plan."
This seemingly sudden decision had actually been repeatedly deduced by Hibiscus and optics expert think tanks. You have your wall ladder, I have my Zhang Liang strategy—who fears whom? For this operation the Salvation Church had made extensive preparations, just inconvenient to reveal. Most importantly, several key pieces had assembled—including herself, all parties in play. Might as well clash with the supposedly invincible rcenary giant.
Though enemies seed more formidable upon evaluation, seeing Hibiscus confident gave the three more courage, turning to seriously study intelligence.
They split into two routes from here.
...
For Pasha, politicians firing at Salvation Church from afar for no reason were simply outrageous—making her hard-earned goodwill nearly disappear. At this mont the nun sighed with hand to forehead in her office, the loss report in her hand crumpled.
Then she looked at the female secretary before her: "Councilman Shifang still won't retract accusations against the Church?"
"Not only that—informants say in his upcoming second press conference speech draft he'll also declare them illegal activity groups, even advocating arresting all related persons."
"A good dog found a good master for backing."
"Should we kill him?" A nun clone volunteered: "Like when Holy Relics demonstrated power to humans years ago."
"I indeed think so—perfect for warning others by making an example. But tis have changed after all—we must fulfill agreents, otherwise everything becos chaos."
"No way to stop it?"
Two Pasha clones looked at each other then shook heads. However, she was never the type to wait passively—should at least personally attend to apply pressure, otherwise press conferences would beco increasingly arrogant.
Actually, the clone's thoughts represented her own thoughts too? Solving problematic people was often easy, but solving thods mattered more—Holy Relics couldn't do it.
Unless creating shocking assassination while completely clearing herself.
But impossible.
Pasha took out Minase Kaori's photo from her chest cleavage, with a shrunken, extrely withered snow woman lying on it—probably could be blown away by a breeze.
If it were Hundred Demons Night Parade magic, it should easily assassinate targets without leaving traces. This was also one reason she protected that girl, but sudden changes occurred. The demon might be part of clues, but unfortunately she couldn't control magic power for precise transmission—didn't know how long the little one could persist.
"...Forget it, let's go to the press conference site."
Pasha and her secretary went to the hotel hosting the press conference. Reporters had already set up caras, noisy and bustling with constant shutter sounds—a perfect stage for perforrs seeking to gain reputation.
She cast sharp gazes, but the councilman pretended not to see and avoided them—obviously not intending to listen to persuasion.
Too late, because Eagle Company's local representative was whispering with him.
Sure enough, the press conference was full of "Church maliciously manipulating elections," "an uncontrolled force harming society," "why attracting Eagle Company targeting," "find reasons from yourself"—too classic. Victim-blaming theory, right?
Boring to the extre.
Pasha burned with anger—not because the other party attacked organizations she favored, but because her words actually didn't work? This was a very dangerous political signal!
Just as the nun calculated how to design counterattacks, she had a mont of confusion—a ntal relic adapter actually lost perception instantly.
She was surprised to discover that sohow her vision lost color, all phenona still, the world frozen!
Behind her leaned a silver-haired girl.
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