Apocalypse, then transforming into a magical girl

"Um... since universities are so scary, do we really have to go?" Xia Zhaozhao asked, arms crossed, her voice unusually hesitant.

"It's not that we absolutely have to go." Bai Shuyuan calmly looked at the two people in front of her. "But that kind of gene-edited Chlorella is the best solution that I can currently deduce for achieving large-scale, sustainable food self-sufficiency in the shortest amount of time."

"More importantly, Xinmao University isn't far from here as the crow flies. And based on my previous observations, the cognitive interference field generated in that area seems to be slowly expanding outwards."

"In other words, we either have to kill that guy or pack our bags and run away..." Xia Zhaozhao nodded and began to think seriously.

Xiao Lü continued, "In the early stages of the disaster... we encountered similar monsters that could cause severe mental pollution. And since a similar situation has also occurred at Xinmao University..."

"This means that such events are not isolated incidents, but rather the norm in the world today."

Xiao Lü took a deep breath: "So, I think we can't hide and run away forever. As long as we want to survive in this world, we may face beings like this many more times in the future."

Bai Shuyuan nodded slightly: "Yes. However, we don't necessarily have to have a direct confrontation with it."

"If we can avoid direct contact with the monsters inside the university during this operation, in the process of obtaining Chlorella and the seed bank, then evacuating first is a rational choice."

"Huh? Didn't you just say that the field would slowly expand outwards?" Xia Zhaozhao tilted her head in confusion.

Bai Shuyuan casually dropped a bombshell: "No problem. I have some preliminary ideas on how to acquire a sufficient number of individual thermobaric bombs and carry out a saturation bombing of Xinmao University."

"Stop! Stop! No way!" Xia Zhaozhao immediately bristled upon hearing this, waving her fists in fierce protest.

"That...that's my university! Even if I skip class every day for ages, even if I don't know almost any of those professors and classmates, we can't just let it blow up like this, right? Or...should we try to fix it ourselves?"

"I didn't realize you were so attached to your university... all the time, without having to attend classes, take exams, or do homework," Xiao Lü teased.

"Yes, yes! This is my deepest and purest love for my alma mater!" Xia Zhaozhao said proudly.

"Well then," Bai Shuyuan interrupted their pointless conversation, pointing to the makeshift Molotov cocktails already prepared in the corner of the room, "we need to take some of this napalm."

"My remaining heavy firepower, including that anti-materiel rifle, will be stored here temporarily. In situations where visual information is extremely unreliable, those weapons will become a burden."

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The group hurried across the flooded streets and flew towards Xinmao University.

Soon, the group saw the large red characters "Xinmao University" on the huge archway at the school gate, and landed on a higher, dry spot.

"As we said before," Bai Shuyuan's voice came from under the raincoat hood, "my vision will be almost completely impaired in the area ahead. From now on, I will need your guidance."

Xiao Lü nodded without saying anything more, but simply reached out and gently grasped Bai Shuyuan's slightly cool wrist.

"Wow, a little green guide dog!"

"...When are you going to stop using this lousy joke?" Little Green said, annoyed.

Xia Zhaozhao snorted smugly, ignoring her, and walked ahead with great interest, unaffected by the strange scene Bai Shuyuan had described earlier.

As she strode forward, she began to launch into a long-winded account of her lackluster college life (she hardly ever attended any classes), interspersed with complaints about certain bizarre professors and courses that "took attendance every class" and "exams covered the entire book."

"...And also, don't let my appearance fool you, I actually got into the top program here back in the day!" she said with a hint of pride.

"What's the top-tier major here?" Xiao Lü asked cooperatively.

"Hmph, you'll be shocked when I tell you! Xinmao University has three trump cards, which are—"

"Civil engineering, chemical engineering, biology! And I got into civil engineering, which has the highest cutoff score... Why are you looking at me like that?"

"...It's nothing. I just suddenly feel that the world has collapsed like this, and it doesn't seem to be entirely a bad thing for you." Xiao Lü suddenly felt sorry for her.

"ha?"

"It's nothing," Xiao Lü changed the subject. "I think this place looks pretty much the same as the places we've seen before."

"Yeah, yeah, it doesn't seem to be anything special, and it's pretty much the same as I remember it..." Xia Zhaozhao muttered to herself as she continued walking forward.

However, when she led the two of them through the huge archway and into the university campus, all the whispers stopped abruptly.

Instead, there was an incredulous astonishment.

"Huh? The sun?" Xia Zhaozhao stared in disbelief.

A ray of sunlight, so warm it seemed unreal, unexpectedly pierced through the sky that should have been completely obscured by scarlet clouds, and gently fell on the three people's raincoats.

Xiao Lü and Xia Zhaozhao raised their heads stiffly and blankly almost simultaneously.

Looking up through the transparent brim of their hats, all the colors in their field of vision were so highly saturated that they seemed almost unreal, yet they didn't feel jarring. The two even felt that these colors were how they were meant to be.

The sun, high in the sky, shone with an extremely vibrant luster, almost like a giant, bright red tomato.

The blue of the sky was so pure it was almost frightening. It was a kind of illusory blue sky that only existed in Impressionist paintings, or that would flash through one's mind in a fleeting moment, filtered through layers of memory.

Even the pervasive dampness has vanished without a trace.

If it weren't for the clear "tap tap tap" sound still emanating from the surface of the raincoat, Xiao Lü and Xia Zhaozhao would almost have thought that the apocalypse was over and the world had returned to normal.

"Just as you said, it's a...deceptive world." Little Green struggled to pull her gaze away from that illusory clear sky.

"This is... too realistic! I feel like the humidity has returned to normal!" Xia Zhaozhao pinched her cheek.

Bai Shuyuan, who had been holding Xiao Lü's wrist tightly, slightly opened her closed eyes.

After her retina caught sight of that eerie, deep blue sky, she immediately closed her eyes tightly again.

She stretched out her free hand and gently rubbed her temples with her fingertips to relieve the discomfort caused by the flood of information.

After several seconds, seemingly having finished analyzing the information she had seen, she finally spoke slowly: "That's right. It matches the information I sensed during my last investigation. Human senses... are indeed quite easily deceived and manipulated."

"What does this mean?" Xia Zhaozhao asked, somewhat puzzled.

"To give a perhaps imperfect example, have you ever heard of a clinical symptom called 'blindness'?"