Apocalypse, then transforming into a magical girl

As they neared home, Little Green's flight swayed slightly.

"...So this is what it feels like to be short of magic." Although she was a little tired, there was a hint of novelty in her words.

Continuing to fly would have been manageable, but it would have put unnecessary strain on her mental health. Fortunately, she was not far from home, so she made an emergency landing on the elevated road below and prepared to walk back.

"Oh no, Little Green crashed... Don't worry, it's nothing serious, she'll be fine after a good night's sleep." Xia Zhaozhao comforted her, though her tone was flippant, her eyes secretly glancing at Little Green. Seeing that she was indeed alright, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

The elevated road hangs high in the air, with little standing water and few vehicles, only damp wind and light rain.

Outside the guardrails on both sides of the elevated road in Xinmao City, there used to be a variety of roses planted, from Xizi Misty Rain and Lady Charlotte to Laughing Georgia, with all kinds of varieties blooming in succession, from early spring to late autumn.

This is the season for Mrs. Charlotte's roses, whose blossoms always display a rich salmon color. Little Green remembers that when looking out from the car, the view up close resembled layers of shattered brocade, while in the distance it looked like scattered clouds of mist—quite beautiful.

But the previous crimson downpour had overturned everything. All the roses along the roadside had withered, their petals and branches turning an eerie, oily black, and they lay limply beside the railing.

Looking at the desolate scene, Xiao Lü felt a sense of oppression and sighed. Xia Zhaozhao, however, was completely oblivious, striding along and curiously looking around.

"The rain wasn't heavy, there weren't any monsters, and I don't think there were any Maybachs either. This viaduct doesn't look authentic at all," Xia Zhaozhao complained.

"We don't have a Maybach, but we do have a Dongfeng Citroën. I think it's about the same. Take it or leave it," Xiao Lü replied casually, pointing to a fairly well-maintained old car in front of her.

However, the owner of the vehicle had turned into a monster and had forgotten how to open the door. Upon seeing the two people, he kept scratching at the windshield.

"...The difference is quite significant." Xia Zhaozhao pouted, feeling that walking like this was too boring, so she simply stuffed the machete, walkie-talkie and revolver in her hand into Xiao Lü's arms.

Then, with a light leap, she jumped onto the metal railing in the middle of the overpass.

She spread her arms, carefully maintaining her balance, and wobbled as she walked along the railing. The hem of her disposable raincoat billowed slightly in the wind, making her look just like a toddler learning to walk.

Xiao Lü reluctantly put away Xia Zhaozhao's wood-chopping knife, her gaze falling on the revolver. It was something Xia Zhaozhao had specifically asked Bai Shuyuan for before they left.

Although the gun looks worn and aged, no one would doubt the reliability of this classic firearm.

"...I'm telling you, this thing is useless against those monsters, and you don't need a gun, right? Why would you want this thing?" Xiao Lü sighed and asked Xia Zhaozhao, who was happily swinging on the railing.

"It's nothing, it's nothing, I was just curious. Anyway, Xiaobai didn't mind." Xia Zhaozhao waved her hand casually, not caring at all.

"Besides, aren't you also very interested? I can hear you chuckling to yourself." She chuckled slyly, glancing at Little Green, who was rubbing the cylinder of a pistol with her thumb.

"To be honest, it's not that useful. But what's the big deal? I have plenty of useless things at home, one more won't make a difference. If we're talking about something truly useful, it's still those lithium batteries."

As Xia Zhaozhao spoke, she recalled the scene of carrying a huge number of lithium batteries to blow up the monsters in the bank, and her eyes were full of evil smiles.

"Hehe, that pile of batteries is much more interesting than this. It's like a giant firecracker, especially the scene of a bunch of batteries exploding together. It's so legendary. I'm thinking of finding a few more electric bikes to dismantle and steal more of these."

"Be careful not to play with fire and wet the bed," Little Green blurted out abruptly.

"It doesn't matter, I'll pee on your sofa anyway." Xia Zhaozhao didn't care at all.

"..." Xiao Lü was speechless. She turned her head slightly to the side and looked at the current situation in Xinmao City, no longer paying attention to this idiot.

It's probably evening now, and the sunlight filtering through the thick reddish-gray clouds has noticeably decreased, but visibility has actually improved quite a bit since the rain has lessened.

Her gaze pierced through the heavy rain, looking into the distance, where she keenly caught a vague outline.

"It's a Ferris wheel," she murmured to herself. "I went there a few times when I was little."

Upon hearing this, Xia Zhaozhao turned her head and looked in that direction: "Wow—you can actually see that far!"

She recalled haltingly, "That amusement park, when I was little, I would be taken there every time I finished an exam, as long as my grades were decent. Until one time, I secretly unbuckled my seatbelt on a roller coaster, and I got a beating. After that, I was never taken there again. I was so angry, so angry! They beat me so badly..."

"Speaking of which, Little Green, we don't have anything planned for tomorrow, so why don't we just go over and take a look?" She looked at Little Green, her starry eyes full of "play with me, play with me, play with me" signals, "Anyway..."

"Anyway, tomorrow's your birthday?"

"Anyway, tomorrow's my birthday... Huh? You actually remembered?"

"You told me this when we first met yesterday. I'm not as forgetful as you," Xiao Lü said quietly, gaining a new understanding of her lack of awareness of potential problems.

"In this situation, you're still thinking about where to go tomorrow... You're really carefree." Ignoring her "thank you for the compliment" expression, Xiao Lü added, "The disaster has just begun, there must be many urgent things to do, right? Like gathering more resources..."

"That would be so boring. The world is already in such a mess anyway, so cheer up! If we run out of food, we can go ask Xiaobai or those five good buddies for help... They can't possibly refuse to help us, right?"

"Besides, even if we need to find resources, the amusement park is just as good. There's a huge shopping mall right next to it, isn't there? There must be plenty of stuff inside... It's decided! Tomorrow we'll fly to the top of the Ferris wheel and ride it, then go explore the mall!"

After saying that, she jumped down from the guardrail in the middle of the overpass, grabbed Xiao Lü's arm, and shook it vigorously until Xiao Lü reluctantly agreed to her request.

"It's not entirely impossible. But the fact that you're even thinking about going out to play is surprising. I thought you were the type who only wanted to stay home and play video games."

"Sigh, playing games is indeed quite fun, but we only have a small bunch of power banks right now, so it's better to conserve power. We can play when we feel the urge," she explained helplessly, shrugging her shoulders.

"That's true, but it's true that the real world isn't as fun as games. Paradise is in games, where it's incredibly exciting, and you can experience whatever you want... A life that's too bland for too long can drown you." Xia Zhaozhao sighed with emotion.

"...Right now, there's certainly plenty of water, but it's not exactly bland. Besides, since you're shameless enough to mooch off other people's food, why don't you go mooch off Bai Shuyuan's electricity too?"

"Oh dear, tomorrow is a special case!" Xia Zhaozhao said with a hint of coquetry. "After all, it's my coming-of-age ceremony, so it has to have some sense of ritual to create something memorable for the future—if we can both live to see that day."

"So stop complaining, come with me, come with me~"

"I didn't refuse."

"Yay—Little Green is so great!"