Apocalypse, then transforming into a magical girl

The next morning, Zhao Jia arrived at the door of the chairman's office that Xia Zhaozhao had chosen.

He knocked for a long time before Xia Zhaozhao's lazy reply came from inside.

"……Enter."

He pushed the door open and went in, with Sasha following beside him, curiously peeking out.

Xia Zhaozhao was sprawled out on the huge sofa in the executive's office, completely unladylike, clutching her slime pillow, with an Nintendo Switch and a bunch of snack wrappers lying around her.

Since confirming the diesel reserves last night and learning that the bank had solved its power problem with diesel generators, she happily moved all her belongings from the neighborhood over.

At this moment, her face was once again adorned with the familiar dark circles under her eyes, indicating that she had been playing games all night long.

"Speaking of which, this room is incredibly spacious!"

Xia Zhaozhao yawned and mumbled, "Once Xiaobai gets the local area network set up, Taozi, you, and I can play online together!"

"I have tons of games on my hard drive! I'll take you guys flying!"

Zhao Jia was speechless, thinking to himself that these two guys made up way too quickly.

"Alright, stop thinking about your stupid game," he interrupted impatiently. "Miss Bai has already cultivated a batch of the algae she brought back, and she wants us to go down and take a look."

"...I've always wanted to complain, your way of addressing me is too formal. We've been through thick and thin together."

Xia Zhaozhao grumbled, rubbed her sleepy eyes, slowly got up, stretched, and prepared to wash up.

Thanks to Xiao Lü's ice-making ability, and Bai Shuyuan's radical modifications to the bank's water supply lines, the team completely solved the water source problem.

Even washing up, which should have been a luxury in the post-apocalyptic world, is now just commonplace.

Xia Zhaozhao hummed a strange little tune as she entered the bathroom. When she came out, she started rummaging through drawers and cabinets in the room.

"What are you making a mess of?" Zhao Jia asked, seeing the mess she had made of the room.

Xia Zhaozhao lifted one bare foot and swung it in the air with an air of self-righteousness: "I'm missing a sock!"

She searched and searched but couldn't find it. Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she sneakily approached Zhao Jia.

Then, after thinking for a moment, she said in a tone that sounded like someone who had been through it all, feigning magnanimity but actually quite earnest, "Ahem! As I just said, we've been through thick and thin together."

"If you have any weird fetishes, you can just tell me. There's no need to be sneaky. It's just a sock, it's not like I can't give it to you..."

"Huh? What did you say?" Zhao Jia's eyelids twitched, completely unable to follow her train of thought.

"I mean, did you take my socks?"

Zhao Jia stared at her with the look of someone looking at an idiot for a full three seconds before taking a deep breath and deciding to have a serious talk with this person whose brain circuits were not working properly.

"First, I have no physical or psychological interest in your torn socks."

"Secondly, if we have to discuss socks, from an aesthetic point of view, I personally prefer white over-the-knee socks, but black is also acceptable."

Xia Zhaozhao was stunned by Zhao Jia's earnest declaration of his idealism. She stood there, completely at a loss for words, not knowing how to respond.

Several seconds passed before she finally had the strength to retort, "...You're actually starting to analyze this seriously?"

"You brought this up first," Zhao Jia said, mimicking Bai Shuyuan's composed demeanor. "I was simply stating the facts, clarifying the issue, and avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings."

Just as the two were staring at each other, the door to the room was gently pushed open, and Bai Shuyuan walked in.

"Is the argument over?" she asked calmly.

"Xiaobai, Xiaobai, he said he likes white over-the-knee socks!" Xia Zhaozhao immediately complained.

"...From a kinesiological perspective, this isn't an ideal choice. Studies of athletes have shown that compression socks that cover the calf muscles can improve athletic and even combat performance..."

"..."

"...So, Xiaobai, what are you wearing?"

Bai Shuyuan ignored the question and quickly changed the subject: "The chlorella has passed the toxicity test, and we can now proceed with the sensory evaluation."

"Hey! We're getting off-topic!" Xia Zhaozhao protested.

"Wait!" Zhao Jia suddenly pointed to one side of the room. "There's something moving there!"

"Wow! My socks have come to life!" Xia Zhaozhao exclaimed.

The sock scurried out from under the bed, wriggling around like a maggot, and quickly fled towards the door!

"Hmph, trying to escape!" Xia Zhaozhao's fighting instincts were instantly activated, and she rushed forward, chasing after her socks.

The sock darted left and right on the ground, while Xia Zhaozhao chased after it frantically, almost catching it several times, only to have it escape from a tricky angle each time.

Xia Zhaozhao was furious. A flash of white light appeared on her body, and she transformed instantly.

The next second, the magical girl Shrike appeared in the same spot, dressed in casual clothes.

She quickly took off her two slippers and held them in her hands.

The sock seemed startled by the sudden oppressive force.

It paused for a moment, then something suddenly popped out of the sock and wriggled around in place before the main body, along with the sock, began to flee at high speed.

"To survive by cutting off the tail?" Xia Zhaozhao exclaimed in surprise.

The slippers in her hand drew two straight lines in the air.

"Pfft!"

"Snapped!"

The wriggling object and the main body of the sock were hit precisely at almost the same time, instantly turning into a small puddle of black slime.

"It seems to be a small, harmless agglomerate that has learned the behavior patterns of a gecko," Bai Shuyuan analyzed.

"I think it looks a bit like a hermit crab... wait," Zhao Jia looked at Xia Zhaozhao, "...did you just throw your slipper with the power of a slug?"

"Of course!" Xia Zhaozhao said proudly, hands on her hips, her face saying, "Praise me!"

"That's all I'm capable of! I can wield anything that can barely be used as a weapon! Beer bottles, slippers, benches, anything!"

"To use anime jargon, this should be called 'A knight never dies unarmed!' Get it?"

Sasha walked over curiously, bent down and picked up the sock covered in black slime, and handed it to Xia Zhaozhao.

"I don't want it anymore—!" Xia Zhaozhao cried out in disgust.

Sasha nodded, seemingly understanding. She looked at the sock in her hand, then at the black slime on the ground, as if she had been inspired by something.

She thought for a moment, then reached out and cupped her head in her hands. With a "snap," she cleanly and neatly removed her head.

Then, she presented her head to Zhao Jia and Xia Zhaozhao.

"...They really do follow advice readily," Zhao Jia remarked.

"...Why is it the head?" Xia Zhaozhao asked, puzzled.

"...Probably because people don't have tails." Zhao Jia said speechlessly as he helped Sasha put her head back on.

Then he said, "Let's go try the staple food of the future."

Xia Zhaozhao realized there was delicious food, and ignoring everything that had happened before, she put her slippers back on and happily followed them out.