Backers' Full Mobilization Order
That wisp of lingering consciousness swayed in the rain, then scattered.
Ziwei hovered in midair, watching the last specks of ash get pounded into the sea. The surface closed over, leaving nothing behind.
"Master, the drones will arrive in twenty seconds. The people from the Technical Department are rushing over like they've gone mad."
"Clocking out."
Purple light skimmed the crest of the waves and vanished into the depths of the rain in the blink of an eye.
The next morning, the rain had passed, and the first light of dawn was faint.
The host of Xinghai City's morning news had two dark circles under his eyes, and he spoke so quickly that his words nearly blurred together.
"Attention, citizens. We now interrupt this broadcast for an emergency announcement."
"Last night at 11:47 p.m., the D-Rank Lord-Class Monster 'Rift-Splitting Dreadbeast' broke through the Cross-Sea Defense Line and attacked the Heavy Industry Base."
"At the critical moment, Magical Girl Ziwei appeared once more and slew it with a single strike. Reactor Three remained completely undamaged. No civilians died in this disaster, and losses were reduced to a historic low."
"The Monster Hunting Bureau has simultaneously released its Rift monitoring records: the monster began striking at the World Membrane three days ago. The cause of the disaster had nothing to do with any supernatural being. We urge all citizens not to believe or spread rumors."
Xingfuli Apartment, Room 703.
The television was on, but no one was watching it.
Su Xiaoxiao sat cross-legged on the sofa, half a slice of toast clenched between her teeth. Her fingers clattered across the tablet, and her twin ponytails trembled with her fury.
"I'm so pissed! I'm so pissed!"
On the screen, an account certified as a "veteran Monster-Hunting Expert" sat at number seven on the trending list. Its post title was long and obnoxious—
"Rational Discussion: Four Lord-Class Disasters in Ziwei's Month and a Half Since Her Arrival—Coincidence or Source of Disaster?"
"Xinghai City had enjoyed a hundred years of peace. The moment she arrived, Lord-Class Monsters started jumping into the city like dumplings into a pot. Is that normal?"
"High-level monsters pursue sources of highly concentrated magical power. That's basic Monster-Hunting knowledge. With all that magical power on her, she's the most conspicuous target in the entire city."
"Who'll pay for the one-kilometer-wide pit in the commercial district? The taxpayers filled it in while she dusted off her skirt and flew away."
"Either hand over your battle earnings to compensate the city, or please leave Xinghai City."
Hundreds of throwaway accounts swarmed the comments below, posting in neat formation without even bothering to change the copy.
"A target? Pay up?"
Su Xiaoxiao stuffed the rest of the toast into her mouth in one bite, puffing out her cheeks as her fingers flew.
"@All Members: Full Mobilization Order! Full Mobilization Order!"
"Received! President, what happened?"
"Someone was paid to smear Lady Ziwei! Three expert accounts, all backed by the same group of trolls, posted at the exact same minute!"
"I got someone to obtain the surviving footage from the base's surveillance system. The Rift had already been expanding for three days. The monster came first, and Lady Ziwei arrived afterward!"
"The official clarification report is up too. All the evidence is there!"
"We're splitting into three groups. Group One will repost the original report, Group Two will repost the full surveillance screenshots, and Group Three will charge into the comments with me!"
"Group Three in position! Keyboards charged!"
"Reporting to the president: I borrowed my mom's account too!"
"Good work! Remember the slogan—"
More than thirty thousand accounts poured out in full force.
Under every smear post, they built towering comment threads in perfect formation, starting at a thousand floors.
"How dare you smear Lady Ziwei? I'll follow the internet cable and send you straight to heaven!"
"How dare you smear Lady Ziwei? I'll follow the internet cable and send you straight to heaven!"
"How dare you smear Lady Ziwei? I'll follow the internet cable and send you straight to heaven!"
The post at number seven on the trending list was swarmed into deletion, with comments disabled, within half an hour.
The other two expert accounts held out for forty minutes before deleting themselves and fleeing.
North City, a rental house awaiting demolition.
Smoke swirled through the room. Old Cat and Rat stared at a table covered in transfer records, grinning so broadly that their teeth showed.
"The Golden Scale Society sure was generous with this job. Five hundred thousand just to buy three hundred posts from us."
"No kidding. Ziwei took down four Lord-Class Monsters in a month and a half, and the market price of high-level Abyssal Cores dropped by thirty percent. The Golden Scale Society had stockpiled two years' worth, and now it's all stuck in their hands."
"A few major battle teams chipped in too. That woman took all the Lord-Class bounties for herself, leaving them unable to drink even the soup."
"Keep smearing her. I've already thought of the next line: If she keeps fighting like this, even Xinghai City's housing prices will drop."
"We'll smear her until she dares not show her face, then force the authorities to recruit her. Only then will this deal be finished."
Rat had just been about to nod when he suddenly pricked up his ears.
"What was that?"
In the stairwell, footsteps came thick and fast, pressing toward their floor.
The two exchanged a glance, lunged for the rear window, and slid down a drainpipe into the back alley.
At the alley entrance, seven or eight burly men in martial arts uniforms stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the way.
The crew cut at their head rolled his wrists, his knuckles cracking loudly, while he carried a burlap sack in one hand.
"Running from something?"
"W-What are you people doing?!"
"Southern District Wild Monster Hunters' Fighting Group." The crew cut shook open the sack. "Heavy Industry Base Defense Corps Third Squad. Of the five who survived, one is my own younger brother."
"My brother said that without that purple light, he wouldn't have had even ashes left."
"As for how the authorities judge your paid posts, that's none of our business."
"But when it comes to following the internet cable, we'll take care of it for the netizens first."
Within minutes, two more burlap sacks appeared outside the Patrol Police Duty Room.
Printed sheets were pasted to the sacks, with transfer records, chat screenshots, and troll contracts neatly fastened in place.
There was also a line of large marker scrawl: "To those who smeared a lifesaver: please collect."
The patrol officers on duty circled the sacks twice, unable to squeeze out a single word for a long while.
The bedroom door of Room 703 opened.
Su Bai walked out yawning, his hair a bird's nest. He held a cheap razor that had cost 9.9 yuan, its blade scraping over his chin with a rasping sound.
"Big brother! You're awake!"
Su Xiaoxiao didn't even turn her head, holding the tablet high.
"Battle report! Total victory! Three smear accounts—two deleted themselves, and one ran away! The troll ringleader was bundled up and delivered to the Police Station by concerned citizens!"
"Oh." Su Bai answered vaguely. "Those concerned citizens sure are concerned."
"Of course! Our backers' group is full of talented people!"
She turned around, her eyes wide and round.
"Big brother, do you think Lady Ziwei saw all the comment threads we posted? Does she know that thirty thousand people across the city are fighting for her?"
The razor paused.
"She does." Su Bai shaved off the last bit of foam in the mirror. "She definitely saw it."
"Hehe." Su Xiaoxiao hugged the tablet and grinned foolishly, then suddenly straightened her face. "Oh, right. How late did you run deliveries last night? You look exhausted."
"The rain was too heavy, and there were a lot of orders."
"Oh... Then don't go out today. I'll cook noodles for you!"
"Has the sun risen in the west?"
"I'm in a good mood!"
She suddenly came over again and held out her hand.
"Big brother, can I have an advance of five hundred yuan for pocket money? Don't ask what it's for."
"Fan funds?"
"Justice funds!"
Su Bai wiped his hands, picked up his phone, and transferred her one thousand yuan.
"The extra five hundred is for a proper breakfast. Stop eating toast all the time."
"Long live Hajige!"
Su Xiaoxiao hopped back to the sofa, her fingers jabbing rapidly at the screen as she busied herself with some new grand undertaking.
Su Bai carried his soy milk to the dining table and watched the twin-tailed girl bouncing around. He nearly failed to suppress a laugh.
Being protected by others wasn't bad.
Being protected by his own sister was even better... No, even more enjoyable.
He tapped inside his mind.
"Kabi."
"Here, here!" Kabi's voice popped out, brimming with the excitement of someone who had counted money until his hands went numb.
"Master, wonderful news! In just this half-day, the Public Fund Pool has risen by another 4.3 million!"
"How did it rise?"
"The fans said that Lady Ziwei had suffered an injustice, so they paid money to calm her nerves!"
"Your sister led the charge with eight hundred yuan. She was the most enthusiastic contributor of them all."
Su Bai's hand stopped in midair as he held his soy milk. He glanced at the transfer record on his phone.
One thousand yuan, transferred five minutes ago.
Well, after going around in a circle, the money still came back home.
"By the way, Master, there's another important matter." Kabi's voice lowered slightly.
"Last night, when you went all out, the resonance of the purple-gold light spread throughout the city."
"At Xinghai City Girls' High School, Tianqiong University, and Linjiang Normal University, at least three girls with extremely strong obsessions sensed the Magical Waveform."
"What does 'sensed it' mean?"
"It means the seeds have fallen into the soil. At the fastest, three days; at the slowest, half a month. New Magical Girls will emerge."
"And, Master, all three of them are within the range of your and your sister's daily activities."
Su Bai said nothing.
Mint and Cherry had been recruited by him personally. They were obedient and easy to manage, and if anything went wrong, he could cover for them.
Wild ones were different.
If an unguided Magical Girl awakened in a bustling urban district, he didn't even dare imagine what kind of commotion she would cause or how many eyes she would attract.
He lowered his eyes and swallowed the last mouthful of soy milk, its warm sweetness sliding down his throat into his stomach.
Then he asked the question that had been circling in his mind for a long time.
"Back to the main issue."
"How many wild Magical Girls are still in Xinghai City who haven't been recruited by me?"