Qingmei wasn't by his side, which gave him far more room to maneuver.
Abyssal Echo's BOSS had clearly warned the cadres to reduce incidents and avoid causing trouble in crowded places or areas with lots of property whenever possible.
Such as exhibitions, malls, and busy downtown districts.
Zhao Xueshan had been unable to launch any attacks recently because she was improving her mech.
Karina was busy recruiting personnel. Whenever she had free time, she went scavenging for magical girl merchandise, so she wouldn't be attacking either.
The other two ministers had been sent to other cities to handle secret missions.
And Ye Qing was out shopping with Qingmei.
None of the five cadres had any reason to launch an attack.
Didn't the cadres know they needed weekends off too?
Ye Qing wanted to see which blind fool was causing trouble.
They'd better not let him find out who they were, or he'd definitely make things difficult for them at Yuanhui Base!
Ye Qing lowered his head and ran toward the mall exit. Suddenly, a huge rock grazed past him.
Bang.
He stopped in an instant and stared blankly at the rubble that had smashed a small crater into the ground ahead of him. His cheek seemed to sting with burning pain.
Crackling sounds rang out beside his ears, and even the floor trembled. Ye Qing turned around.
An entity he couldn't tell was a mech or an alien race was frantically tearing apart the mall entrance.
Not Abyss Return?
The organization would never allow anyone to cause destruction before civilians had been evacuated!
Someone was causing trouble under Abyss Return's name!
Ye Qing's pupils widened slightly. Fear immediately surged through him, only to be replaced by anxious thoughts the next moment.
If it wasn't Abyss Return... Yuyan was in trouble!
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
If I ran away now, would Yuyan come to harm?
Ye Qing thought uneasily. Images from yesterday flashed through his mind as his hand slowly paused above his chest.
A transparent, diamond-shaped gemstone emerged from within his body, its touch cold and hard.
Should he transform?
After transforming, his true nature, his reversed gender—everything about it was so unfamiliar that it frightened him.
He couldn't stand before everyone in a body unlike either of his two lives and put on some grand display of power.
He couldn't save the people, save the world, then bask in the worship and praise of all mankind.
The question circled endlessly through Ye Qing's mind.
What if they find out I'm male? What if they find out about my life...
But if he didn't do it, the ordinary people in the mall would suffer, and Ye Yuyan might meet with disaster too.
Perhaps he didn't need to think so much about it.
I'm not becoming a magical girl anyway.
It would only be for a moment. It wouldn't matter, and his male identity wouldn't be exposed.
Having made up his mind, Ye Qing looked around and darted into the mall restroom.
Just for a moment. Just for a moment would be enough...
Ye Qing gently stroked the precious Heartglow Stone in his right hand, let out a long breath, and a blinding white light enveloped his entire body.
"Magical Girl, Transform!"
Two Giant Orcs that had completely lost their minds, together with a large mech that felt no pain, were recklessly destroying the surrounding buildings.
A figure clad entirely in a black robe, their appearance obscured, stood atop a distant high-rise and watched what was happening outside the mall.
"This cooperation with Abyss Return is actually about capturing magical girls alive." The black-robed figure spoke in a deep male voice.
"We'll have to make good use of these lowly ordinary humans, so those magical girls will hesitate to act.
There are currently ten magical girls active in Bailan City. According to intelligence, another six have recently gone to support other cities.
The Regional Guardian is too busy with her duties, while the remaining three are merely impulsive, reckless, simple, and weak newcomers."
Even magical girls would need quite some time to get here.
By deliberately controlling the destruction caused by the orcs and mech, as long as things didn't get too out of hand, the Magical Girl Association likely wouldn't send any powerful magical girls.
The new generation of magical girls needed experience too.
"Oh? A magical girl I've never seen before?"
From afar, the black-robed figure spotted a magical girl floating before the orcs and mech. Her unfamiliar face had never appeared in the organization's intelligence.
"She's appeared in her Normal State, and no magical girl has introduced her. Looks like she's part of the new generation." The black-robed figure let out a strange laugh, seemingly certain of victory.
"Looks like this cooperation with Abyss Return will proceed smoothly after all. Heh heh heh..."
Boom!
Before the laughter could end, a crisp explosive impact rang through the sky.
The unfamiliar magical girl had punched the giant mech supporting Abyss Return cleanly in half, sending its severed body crashing into the rubble.
That's right—she was Ye Qing, whose magical girl name was Qingyin!
She clenched her fist, feeling the surging power she had never experienced before. Her cold face stared indifferently at the ruined mech.
"An outdated mech Minister Zhao phased out four months ago? So this really was Abyss Return's doing?"
"No. She's been wholly focused on developing a new mech capable of instantly defeating and capturing magical girls."
"So there was a traitor in Abyss Return? Don't they know they're not allowed to attack property or civilians? Damned traitor."
Tarnishing Abyss Return's name and betraying Abyss Return's creed were unforgivable to Qingyin, who loved Abyss Return and relied on it for confidence and livelihood.
She would never allow anyone to smear the organization!
Her logic was simple.
If someone did evil under Abyss Return's name, the public would condemn Abyss Return, and one day the magical girls would launch an all-out assault.
Abyss Return would inevitably fall, the base would be destroyed, the organization would collapse, and she would lose her job.
She could now clearly feel the rage inside her.
It was ten times—no, even nine times—greater than the anger she had felt when her day off was interrupted.
Anyone who wanted to make her lose her job had to die!
"You dared to do something like this. You must have prepared yourselves to die, right?"
Qingyin maintained the image of an intellectual and gentle woman. With her expressionless face, she looked like a scholar calmly considering things.
Yet she pressed her finger joints, displaying a violent manner utterly unlike her appearance.
"Roar!"
The mindless orc roared and charged at the magical girl. Just as the orc, as tall as a one-story building, was about to swing its fist, the magical girl vanished from before its eyes.
Having suddenly lost its target, the orc showed humanlike confusion and blankly scratched its head.
Qingyin flew above it and looked down. Using the momentum, she suddenly dove toward the orc, her anti-gravity skirt firmly fixed around her waist.
Her foot landed solidly on its head, smashing it into the ground with a thunderous crash. The orc fainted on the spot, and that was the end of it.
"One left." Qingyin looked at the last orc, which ignored her completely and remained intent on destruction.
Whoosh!
A small syringe filled with an unknown black liquid shot through the air and pierced the remaining orc's body.
The orc's eyes turned red. Its fur stood on end, becoming tough and sharp, while even its color darkened to black.
"Minister Qi's Orc Frenzy Potion?"
Qingyin covered her forehead. Even in her magical girl form, where she was comparatively indifferent toward emotions, she couldn't help feeling troubled.
"An improved version? It seems to be that inferior version that causes death.
Minister Qi was away on a business trip to another city. I didn't expect to see traces of her here too. This is terrible."
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