"The magical girl is coming! Everyone run!"
"Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier!"
As soon as Jiang Si peeked out from the Thriller Paradise, she heard shouts all around her.
So he looked up and glanced up as well.
Tattoos, smoking, female armed forces with prosthetics, and even people chewing fruit and drinking alcohol—
However, everyone was wearing a layer of armor.
[WARNING: The criminals who vandalized the Thriller Paradise, your face, biometrics, game pod serial number, and neural link ID have been uploaded to the global wanted database.]
All the armored vehicles were flashing red, but they didn't rush to attack.
[Once marked as an "active element in riots," your assets will be automatically Freeze, and your account will be permanently locked; you will become a priority target for the Magical Girl Armed Forces, and the Magical Girls will no longer be your friends; your criminal record will be played on a loop through city public holographic screens, private neural network push advertisements, and community terminals until you are brought to trial----]
He was in what appeared to be the factory area of Chongxu. Although there weren't many residents, there were quite a few workers.
When the so-called magical girls arrived, the workers' faces showed fear, and they scattered and fled!
In the blink of an eye, only one person remained.
After Jiang Si jumped up from the entrance, she landed on the ground of Chongxu.
Su La whistled at Jiang Si: "Wuhu, is this your darling? She even asked me to take care of her. You two aren't having an affair, are you?"
Ignoring that question, Jiang Si simply asked Su La, who was smoking a cigarette beside her, "Are these magical girls?"
"Wow, what do you mean by these things? Possessing magic and power that surpasses everyone else! Upholding the dream and miracle of our Chongxu's existence, aren't they just genuine magical girls!"
Su La laughed as she opened her arms to welcome the group of girls clad in armor.
"Damn it, if it weren't for our great magical girl, how could this Chongxu have existed until now!"
Right, my dear magical girls!
Jiang Si simply touched the back of her head and scratched the back of her neck, as if there were some kind of brain-computer interface there, and muttered, "Where did this pack of stray dogs come from?"
"Holy shit." Su La dropped the cigarette from her mouth. "How can you be so rude? Would it kill you to speak normally? If you anger the great magical girl and she actually attacks, how am I supposed to explain to my darling? If I fail to kiss her, you're entirely responsible—"
Jiang Si looked up at the group of so-called magical girls in the sky.
Once the armored vehicles were deployed, the guns, cannons, and other equipment he had never seen before quickly locked onto him.
Magic-powered armor— Jiang Si was indeed very interested in this kind of thing.
The group of magical girls landed, and Jiang Si shook her hand.
Although the seed disappeared again, it was unclear whether Chongxu had analyzed the Mental Image Remnants or whether it was itself a huge Mental Image Domain. But it didn't matter; he was already used to this kind of thing and could recreate it himself at any time.
The light swept over the group of Magical Girl Armed Forces, totaling about 160 or so. It was probably a densely packed effect created using holographic projection, so it wouldn't be a big problem for him even if he didn't transform.
As the two armored magical girls bumped fists and then pulled open a giant screen, Jiang Si's muscles tensed to their limit, like springs ready to burst forth in the next second!
If it's time to fight, now is the time!
Do you want to buy insurance, dear?
The two armored magical girls flashed sweet, business-like smiles, instantly transforming from combatants into saleswomen.
"Gongrong Personal Travel Insurance: The Most Cost-Effective Insurance for Chongxu Risks, In Authoritative Collaboration with Golden Fortune Garden Bank. It covers nothing from the past, present, or future—but everything else!"
"Duster Riot Crime Lifetime Insurance: One contract, lifetime five-star VIP status. Cheers to every dangerous act you commit!"
The other armored magical girls immediately started playing the same advertisement nearby.
They even started a live broadcast, which was immediately relayed over the central sky of the city.
"Good morning, live stream! Following the explosion at Three-Star Mine due to improper mining practices, someone else is planning to burn down this city!"
"New opening! Guess how many insurance policies we can sell this time? Odds 1:1.4514, place your bets quickly before they expire!"
"Oh ho, some viewers in the live stream are asking how to buy insurance after getting a headshot?" Good question! "End-to-end debris recovery, buy first, die suddenly, AI automatically processes your claim, millions of Chongxu Coin minus fees, 100,000 in compensation directly transferred to your registered prosthetic body heir!"
"What? You're asking what if they're orphans, or their whole family is on the battlefield? Then forward this to your own backup."
Yes, clones! No review issues, face, DNA, and iris scans are all approved instantly! Limited to 800 units this time, we'll have another promotion next year! Go ahead and click the link! Scan the code to pay, and even Death God won't stop you from making money!
Flashing neon lights, huge QR codes, and music and advertisements played by those magical girl armor characters.
Many magical girls flew in the sky and took out compressed fireworks, preparing to celebrate the successful transaction.
Jiang Si silently stopped his charge and looked up at the group of Magical Girl Armed Forces who had transformed their identities in a second.
Su La rolled her eyes. "That's how those little bitches are, always talking about ads and loans. Oh my god, this city is full of people yelling about money, money, money, it's unbearable! Honey, let's set them on fire!"
However, Jiang Si asked curiously, "Are we still wanted? Is insurance useful?"
Su La was about to grab her gun, froze, and could only rub her forehead with the butt of the gun. "Hey, hey, hey, baby, I never told you about this kind of last-minute backstabbing and change of sides. What the hell are you doing? Can you even pay off your loan?"
"Don't worry!" The leading magical girl immediately Yanran and pulled the screen again.
So a huge list appeared in the city center. "We have VIP star-removal service! Just one phone call, not six million, not eight million, just three million, Duster Insurance will remove your five-star wanted level! Currently on promotion, what are you waiting for, everyone? Order now and get a reward!"
Su La took a deep drag of her cigarette, her tone somber, "They're going to make you a scapegoat for gold loan fraud, aren't they?"
"Now it's the big spender's time! Chaos Chain Weapons Shop's new package - buy two kinetic weapons and get one free! Open the menu, and family members who buy now will be automatically matched to the nearest drone delivery locker for pickup! What? Internet down? The explosion disrupted the local network! No problem! Family members who placed orders can pick them up directly at the FP warehouse, as long as they're still To Live! Three, two, one, the whole family connects!"
Jiang Si then asked, "Your armor is quite interesting."
The members of the Magical Girl Armed Forces's eyes lit up. "That's right, you have excellent taste! G6's latest artificial magical armor allows even ordinary people to become magical girls! Fulfilling the dreams of every girl and boy. You too can become a miracle! Although the loans are substantial, the income is also plentiful. Each of us in the Magical Girl Armed Forces only has twenty years left to pay off our loans."
"After securing the insurance and loan we recommended, the remaining money will be enough to buy a basic version to play around with, and I can also go to VA-11."
Let's go on a date at a midnight bar!
After saying that, the armed magical girl gave him a flirty wink.
The lively sounds of advertisements echoed through the city. Su La scratched the back of her neck, fiddling with her wound, and looked at Jiang Si, who seemed quite amused. "How so? You seem to really like this, Mr. Jing Bujue."
"Not bad."
Hearing Jiang Si's answer, Su Li sighed in disappointment, "Okay, okay, I knew it. It's only human nature. Who made these magical girls smoke, drink, gamble, get tattoos, go on strike, fight, steal, cheat, kill, step on heads for insurance fraud, crash cars, suffer from depression, and self-destruct? Yet they're still good girls, right? Their looks speak for themselves."
"But seriously, I'm so done with this. Why am I always the one getting played? Next time you like playing these kinds of games, can you please stop messing with other people? Calling me over here to watch you and those office bastards flirting around makes me want to throw up----"
Despite still having a lot to complain about, Jiang Si strode over to the nearest member of the Magical Girl Armed Forces.
"The sense of responsiveness will be greater when you actually start killing."
A frank and outspoken announcement.
However, the armed forces member still smiled brightly, "If combat requirements necessitate purchasing customized services—"
The fist pierced the opponent's head with swift and decisive blows, abruptly silencing the advertisement's audio.
"Like this."
Jiang Si turned her head, blood splattered all over her face, and calmly asked Su La, "What do you think?"
The entire Magical Girl Armed Forces unleashed their magic cannons in the next second!
Su La immediately collapsed to the ground.
The massive impact scattered the surrounding Magical Girl Armed Forces members. Amidst the thick smoke, the boy was unharmed, holding two severed heads in his hand, which he casually tossed aside.
With a slight bend, it shot out like a flea with a "bang"!
They slammed into a distant building, following the Magical Girl Armed Forces members who were flying overhead!
The live stream in the city center started to glitch and flashed a red alert!
All the Magical Girl Armed Forces swarmed forward, their magic cannons exploding in a chaotic barrage of fireworks that flooded the field of vision!
Amidst the shrill alarms and dust, Su La stood up.
She leisurely picked up the phone. "Hello, hello, this is the Nightwatchers's hotline. Yes, it's me, Su La. I'm requesting all the Nightwatchers on this floor to be mobilized—for what? Of course, to collect corpses, you idiot! Anyone's corpse will do. Also, we need to interfere with the company's surveillance."
She looked up at the ubiquitous security cameras, each one malfunctioning one by one. "Yes, that's it! Make sure they don't earn a single penny!"
Keke and the White Fox were among the first to enter Chongxu.
"Listen, Chongxu will design services based on each person's financial resources and repayment ability, so when purchasing a holographic helmet, you must hide your financial strength, otherwise you'll be bombarded with advertising and sales pitches!"
It was said that the suggestion came from someone who had entered the Holy Church earlier. However, Keke and the White Fox didn't have much money, so it was fine. Although it took some time to watch the CG and story after entering the game, they didn't encounter any major problems after clearing the beginner village dungeon and entered the Chongxu.
Some even lamented that the more money you spend on the game's introductory levels, the harder it gets, and the more ads there are; it seems like you're just wasting your money on the monsters.
However, once Coco entered the Chongxu Chongxu, Keke immediately discovered that there were attribute points available there as well. In the Chongxu, if you didn't spend money, Postnatal would be at a disadvantage compared to others, lacking a lot of attribute points.
The location they were teleported to also seemed to be related to their attribute points; they were in a relatively low-level civilian area.
Only then did they learn what Chongxu was really like.
Everything costs money!
They've only lived here for two days, and the various breakfast loans, rent payments, water loans, and other debts are already suffocating them!
Even breathing costs money!
Even accidentally taking the wrong turn could result in a fine and require you to take out a loan!
Keke originally planned to earn some money to send back to her older brother, but within days she was burdened with millions in debt.
I hope Chongxu can't find his way to my brother's place; if he finds out, he'll definitely beat me to death!
However, Keke and the White Fox aren't truly locals, and they still maintain contact with the Holy Church. Everyone is searching for a breakthrough in the Chongxu and can return at any time. As for the loan and such, they can just pretend they don't know anything about it.
Many people from the Old World in the Holy Church felt that To Live like this was not bad.
It's better than living in constant fear in the Old World.
The White Fox even found Miracle Seed among the items being sold in Chongxu.
Although she didn't know if it was real or even if it would work, White Fox still wanted to buy one to see for herself.
However, it's quite expensive, and it seems you can only buy it in more secluded places.
Keke was constantly exchanging information with other members of the Holy Church. Some of them had even gone to the Holy Church area, where she heard it was more prosperous and had a wider variety of goods for sale.
There are even entire undead worlds for sale.
Here, you can buy anything as long as you have money.
The difficulty is that money is hard to earn.
With the Witch Shion- sensei outside to keep her company, Coco wasn't worried about Keke to return. She was just wondering if she could earn some money to buy the World Origin.
Anyway, with so much debt, there's no need to worry. Just keep borrowing, maybe even buy a copy of the "Origin of the World" and run away.
Keke felt that getting a free portion of the world's essence in this godforsaken place didn't make her a bad person.
As arranged by Chongxu, the two of them were to work near the swimming pool on the top floor of a shopping mall. Next to it was an unknown dessert shop. They weren't supposed to have any work today; they were just there to familiarize themselves with the place.
When they tried to go back, they found the shopping mall was blocked off.
Then White Fox and Keke discovered that their loan debt had increased again because they were trapped in the building, and money would continue to be deducted after a certain period of time!
Both of them started to feel uneasy. If things continued like this, their credit scores would be too low, and forget about getting a loan; they'd have no choice but to run away!
"Is there a fight outside?"
"It seems the newcomers are causing trouble; the Magical Girl Armed Forces have already gone over there."
"That's just asking for death."
"How long will the lockdown last?"
Keke and the White Fox sat nervously on the edge of the glass, watching their account intently, while the chatter of the surrounding customers could be heard.
Both girls were somewhat surprised.
Magical Girl Armed Forces?
Although Chongxu produces magic, it is so oppressive that it hardly seems like a place where miracles can happen.
So, there's actually Magical Girl Armed Forces in Chongxu?
Keke even considered whether she could join to increase her income. She heard from people around her that the Magical Girl Armed Forces had a really high income, but their reputation didn't seem to be very good.
As a magical girl, how could she casually kill people, coerce, and deceive others into signing loan agreements?
I completely cannot understand why there would be such a magical girl.
Just as Keke was still hesitating about whether to go and check out the Magical Girl Armed Forces, a huge explosion in the distance made the entire building shake!
Everyone looked up at the building and saw thick black smoke billowing into the sky from the northern factory area, with what appeared to be fragments of armor and flesh scattered about – but they were too far away to see them.
"They can actually play for this long?"
"It's not a variety show?"
"Have mercy on me! Chongxu is killing me every time he appears on variety shows!"
Immediately afterwards, a figure crashed into the central building like a missile!
This time it was so close that, along with the central building, the glass curtain wall of the commercial building where Keke was located began to cascade down like a waterfall, and the sound of steel beams twisting and breaking was accompanied by falling debris!
The front exterior wall was concave and twisted inward, and the smoke and dust from the reinforced concrete rose like a mushroom cloud. The figure inside was clearly visible; it was a girl wearing armor.
"Captain of the Magical Girl Armed Forces!"
Someone recognized the girl embedded in the building wall and shouted.
The others were also somewhat surprised.
The attacker, like a meteor, flew in from afar and landed on the head of the armored girl—a boy.
Over a hundred high-rise buildings collapsed and compressed layer by layer under the impact of the boy, like cakes being flattened! The explosion of the armored vehicle caused another huge uproar in the ruins. The loud noise and tremors could be clearly felt even from the ground floor, which was dozens of meters away!
The light bulbs in the commercial building were broken, the lights flickered and went out, and the load-bearing walls were covered with spiderweb-like cracks!
The guests finally couldn't help but scream, but the security personnel quickly calmed them down and made them sit down against the wall.
The White Fox gripped her hand tightly, so tightly that it hurt Keke a little, but Keke didn't care. Both girls were staring intently at the boy who had crashed into the building.
"Elder brother?"
Who else could it be but Jiang Si, the person who nearly stomped the captain of the Magical Girl Armed Forces into the building?
Seeing the immense panic that had ensued, Keke help but stand up and say, "Everyone, it's alright, don't be afraid, he won't kill innocent people!"
"Sir, he's very gentle," the White Fox added. "He won't die."
The two girls spoke with great conviction, and the crowd, which had been crying and screaming in panic, quieted down a little.
Keke immediately added, "It's okay, everyone, don't be afraid. I'm a magical girl too, I'll protect you all!"
The building fell silent instantly.
Then everyone immediately and tacitly distanced themselves, their expressions a mixture of fear and disgust.
Keke and the White Fox looked at each other in bewilderment, but before they could investigate the reason, several angry shouts came from outside again!
Everyone looked out through the glass.
Several more members of the Magical Girl Armed Forces rushed towards the boy.
Jiang Si effortlessly weaved through the rain of magic cannons, then plunged one hand into a nearby office building that was over twenty stories high.
Uproot the entire building!
The entire underground level of the building was exposed, with broken pipes spewing out jets of water and flames of gas. In his hands, this million-ton reinforced concrete behemoth was nothing more than a javelin.
The boy then nonchalantly swung the building, sending the charging magical girl squad flying!
With this wave of his hand, one could vaguely see many people in the office building sliding down like ants, screaming, struggling and frantically flapping in the air, falling downwards!
Some flew straight out and crashed into other floors, or got caught on the exposed steel bars of the building!
A massive amount of rubble and concrete, fanned out, engulfed the people who had been thrown out, covering the entire three lanes below!
Inside the commercial building, the crowd that had just calmed down suddenly erupted into terrified screams again amidst the air conditioning!
Keke and the White Fox, who were being accused and scolded, stared blankly at the boy who was recklessly unleashing his power in the sky.
Keke was somewhat prepared for her brother's incredible strength.
However, to kill others so recklessly and carelessly—
Although she knew her brother was a member of the Witch Association, the shock of witnessing this scene still left Keke somewhat at a loss.
Shen Ying was somewhat bewildered.
Brother, how could he kill someone?
Immediately afterwards, sword energy began to appear around Jiang Si.
He stole the armor of a member of a magical girl armed squad, put it on, quickly deciphered it, and began to freely manipulate the magic within the armor.
The Filthy Magic Power was condensed into sword energy, and layers of sword marks appeared on the surrounding buildings. The sword energy swirled and roared, transforming into an unstoppable storm!
Bladestorm.
Everything was caught in this slicing storm. Asphalt, concrete, steel bars, glass, soil, pipes, wires—all were cut into uniformly sized cubic fragments.
The storm has blown all the way here.
Keke and the White Fox watched as the shopping mall was shattered and blown away in the Bladestorm, and then the people next to them turned into blood mist in the sword blades. Before the blood could even splatter, it was atomized by the sword energy and formed a layer of scarlet aerosol in the air!
Both of them nearly vomited from inhaling the sour, bloody smell.
Like a natural disaster, it trampled and ravaged everything around it.
"Ahem, hi, hi, good evening everyone. Hmm, is it evening now? I hope not, after all, I hate staying up late, my carefully maintained skin will suffer."
"Don't worry, Mr. Jing Bujue will give you the most perfect sleep. This is the beginning of Chongxu's change, and also the end of your decadent lives."
"Look at my lines! Oh, I can't believe it, I'm so damn artsy. Anyway, here's a song for you all, my favorite Serenade in G major. I know it's a bit highbrow, but I think it'll give you sweet dreams."
Goodnight everyone, love you all, Su La, mua.
Standing on the highest rooftop, as her favorite serenade played by Karl Marx began, her body involuntarily swayed to the graceful rhythm.
The chaotic and crumbling Chongxu lay beneath her feet.
The chaotic fire street, filled with smoke and dust, violently sent the stench of blood and various burnt smells across the sky.
All advertisements promoting the direct-operated loan rooms have been discontinued.
Su La took a deep breath, braving the howling wind, and opened her arms wide in ecstasy, bursting into wild laughter. "Damn it, now this is what it means to To Live!"