Apocalypse, then transforming into a magical girl

Zhao Jia couldn't help but laugh out loud at the door.

"Hehe, you've finally met your match."

Inside the door, Xia Zhaozhao fell silent.

This time, their roles were reversed.

However, Xia Zhaozhao had already realized this trick—as long as she remained silent, Zhao Jia's one-sided mockery would quickly become boring due to the lack of feedback.

"Then you should rest well. I can go by myself. It shouldn't be a big deal."

Seeing that she wasn't responding, Zhao Jia also felt bored. After laughing, he prepared to turn around and leave. It seemed that Xia Zhaozhao really couldn't go to work today.

He went straight to Bai Shuyuan's room to discuss the details of the operation.

Bai Shuyuan was standing with her back to him in front of a huge table, seemingly calculating something.

She didn't turn around when she heard footsteps.

"Zhao Zhao can't come to work today, I'll go alone."

Zhao Jia cut to the chase and reported the unfortunate news.

Bai Shuyuan turned around and looked at him. His usually calm face remained expressionless.

But after spending this time together, Zhao Jia could intuitively tell that her silence at this moment represented "doubt".

"Her butt hurts," Zhao Jia stated the fact directly.

Upon hearing this, Bai Shuyuan simply nodded slightly, indicating that she understood.

She seemed completely uninterested in the reason.

However, just as Zhao Jia was about to approach her and have a detailed chat, he noticed that Bai Shuyuan had moved back a very subtle half-step, an action that was almost imperceptible.

"...It was from pedaling a bicycle." Zhao Jia felt a vein throb on his forehead.

"Yes," Bai Shuyuan explained calmly, "just kidding."

After saying that, she ignored the topic, took out a map, and introduced the next destination to Zhao Jia.

"The place we're going to is the crematorium."

"Crematorium?" Zhao Jia repeated, as if it were an ominous sign.

Bai Shuyuan's finger lightly traced the area on the map that represented the northern suburbs of the city, finally stopping at a location marked by a red circle.

"After the explosion at the Left Bank Interchange, my shortwave radio picked up an extremely weak signal. The source of the signal is right here."

"I suspect that the massive energy release alerted them to the presence of other survivors nearby," Bai Shuyuan said.

"Did you try to respond?" Zhao Jia asked.

"I've tried it." Bai Shuyuan nodded.

"However, the other party fell completely silent the moment I sent a response signal. No matter how I called, there was no response."

Zhao Jia's mind quickly began to race; this behavior pattern was very strange.

The signal was sent, but the communication was cut off the moment a response was received.

Either the other party is extremely wary and only wants to confirm whether there are other survivor groups, but dares not make in-depth contact because they cannot determine whether they are friend or foe.

Or perhaps they've encountered a major problem, losing the ability to maintain communication, or perhaps the signal itself has been cut off by something that doesn't want them to connect with the outside world.

"The other party is very cautious, or rather, they've run into big trouble," Zhao Jia offered his deduction.

"Both possibilities exist," Bai Shuyuan agreed. "But in any case, the value of a known survivor stronghold is self-evident. It's worth investigating."

"So, our goal this time is to go to the crematorium and see what's going on there?"

"Yes." Bai Shuyuan followed the elevated road on the map and planned a clear route.

"Start from here and head north. The route will pass through the areas around shopping malls and hospitals that we have already cleared. In theory, the first half of this road is relatively safe."

"Shrike is currently unable to move. I need to stay at the base to continue my research on improving Chlorella. Therefore, you may need to act alone this time."

It seems to be a solo, embedded reconnaissance operation. Without Xia Zhaozhao's loud and boisterous manner, this operation will probably have a bit of a post-apocalyptic feel, Zhao Jia thought.

"I understand, I'll go there now."

"One more thing," Bai Shuyuan said, looking at him. "This time, I suggest you bring a car along. There should be quite a few cars near the elevated road maintenance company."

"The crematorium is near the northernmost exit of the ring road, only a few kilometers from the hospital we already control. We can fly there after we get there."

Zhao Jia looked at Bai Shuyuan with a questioning gaze.

"Although magic is very useful," Bai Shuyuan seemed to see through his doubts, "in the apocalypse, driving skills are equally important."

"Moreover, it also allows us to investigate the road conditions of the elevated roads along the way and check for any serious structural damage."

That makes sense; magical girls are quite durable, but ordinary people aren't.

"Furthermore," Bai Shuyuan continued, "if the contact goes smoothly and the other party is friendly, perhaps we can establish a preliminary exchange of supplies. You can bring some things back with you."

That's a very practical suggestion. Zhao Jia thought for a moment and asked:

"What will you use to exchange it for?"

He didn't believe anyone would offer help for free in the apocalypse.

"Your ice cubes are a business with no initial investment."

That's true. In such an apocalyptic world, clean water is extremely valuable; it's practically a perfect example of getting something for nothing.

Then, she turned around, took out the refurbished revolver that Zhao Jia had once used, and handed it to Zhao Jia again.

"Take this with you."

Zhao Jia took the gun, and thinking of his own poor aiming skills in the mall, his lips twitched.

"You don't seem to like the magical girl form that's always keeping you safe," Bai Shuyuan said calmly.

"In that case, marksmanship is also very important. And your marksmanship still has a lot of room for improvement."

"..."

After saying goodbye to Bai Shuyuan, Zhao Jia flashed a green light and switched into her magical girl form.

She walked through the rain and finally landed lightly at the outpost of "Xinmao City Elevated Road Maintenance and Management Co., Ltd."

This is the first outpost they established after opening up the elevated road, and it's also the starting point of her business trip.

She was about to pick up her car and then headed north along the ring road.

Xiao Lü pondered what kind of vehicle she should drive. However, when she greeted the guards and stepped into the stronghold, the scene before her made her face instantly darken.

The garage was empty.

Square Face and his group of men, full of my scheming spirit, apparently took away every valuable item they could find on their way back to the mall.

In the most inconspicuous corner of the garage, two vehicles she knew all too well were parked all alone.

It was those two bread trucks that exuded the atmosphere of the wasteland.

Little Green fell silent.

She sighed, resignedly climbed in, and sat in the driver's seat.

Then, she stretched out her right foot and reached forward.

……

Out of reach.

She struggled to adjust the seat, moved her body forward with all her might, and stretched out her foot to reach the accelerator again.

Still can't reach it.

Her legs weren't long enough.

She took a deep breath, and a green light flashed around her again, and Zhao Jia reappeared in the same spot.

He awkwardly started the engine and shifted gears, and after a series of stalls and jerks, the wasteland vehicle, carrying his pent-up frustration, slowly drove north.