Tokyo: Magical Girl Shatters My Dream of Going Public

Chapter 86 Let's begin... (5/5)

The first floor of the old shopping mall was dimly lit.

The researchers worked together to lift several heavy metal boxes to the central open space.

Sakurako gestured to open the box.

The lid was pried open, and the layers of cushioning material inside were peeled away.

The neatly folded white fabric underneath was revealed.

It was a pure white one-piece combat suit, the material shimmering with a subtle pearly luster, its lines perfectly conforming to the curves of the human body, exuding a futuristic feel.

External armor plates are placed in layers next to it.

The shoulder armor, chest armor, and leg armor are all sharply defined, with energy patterns shimmering at their joints, ready to be activated.

The weapon system consists of two slender energy rifles with pale blue light flowing through the transparent tubes inside the gun barrels. A slightly exaggerated box-shaped energy backpack is attached to the back, looking like a miniature rocket booster.

Equipment inventory complete.

Sakurako suddenly paused for a moment.

She blinked, her gaze quickly sweeping over the busy crowd around her.

Researchers, technicians, and armed personnel —

One is missing.

"By the way," she turned around and asked curiously, "Where's Xiaoying? Has anyone seen her?"

"Xiaoying?"

Upon hearing this name, the people around him were all stunned.

They looked at each other, then shook their heads blankly.

"Didn't notice————"

"Weren't you just here?"

"I didn't see it at all————"

Sakura frowned.

here we go again----

Just as she was about to send people to search separately.

Behind me, a thin, chilling voice, almost touching my ear, came: "Supervisor—I'm here."

Sakura's back stiffened, and she turned around abruptly.

A figure stood almost right behind her, so close that she could smell a faint scent emanating from the other person, a scent reminiscent of old books and dust.

That's Xiaoying.

She was short and thin, wearing a dark gray jumpsuit, looking like a faded shadow.

What's most eye-catching is his thick, long bangs that almost cover most of his face.

Her black hair fell straight down, revealing only her thin chin and an overly pale complexion.

Through the gaps in her bangs, her pupils resembled still, coiled circles, lacking focus, making it seem as if her gaze pierced through people when she looked at them.

"You—have you been here all this time?" Sakura asked instinctively.

"Hmm." Xiaoying's voice was flat and even. "I was sitting on the box behind the supervisor—"

"Always there."

Sakura tried hard to remember.

There really was a box behind me just now.

But she didn't notice at all that there was someone sitting on it.

It blends in silently, like part of the background.

A researcher nearby muttered quietly, "He's so inconspicuous—"

Sakura took a deep breath, suppressing her discomfort, and her tone became businesslike: "Kage, only you have a good fit for the prototype combat suit. I'm counting on you for tonight's operation."

"Yes." Xiaoying's reply was as short as a keystroke.

To prevent this "shadow team member" from disappearing from sight again, Sakura immediately decided: "You change into your combat suit now. Armed team, assist her with dressing."

Xiaoying didn't say anything and silently walked towards the open equipment box.

Several team members stepped forward to help, but their movements seemed somewhat restrained, as if they were touching a fragile item or a wisp of air.

Sakura watched as she took off her work clothes, revealing her extremely thin figure, and then the pure white combat suit gradually wrapped around her like a second skin.

The white sheen made her skin appear even paler, making her look like a porcelain doll that had just been unearthed.

But it certainly can't be called beautiful; in fact, you could say it's somewhat...

gloomy!

Xiaoying stood quietly, letting the armor plates snap together one by one. Her mosquito coil-like pupils peered through the gaps in her bangs, silently watching the giant, pulsating, deep purple cocoon in the center of the mall.

His eyes were devoid of any emotion.

Sakura looked away, but the tension in her heart tightened even more.

Tonight, will we rely on such "weapons" to face that thing?

On the first floor of the old shopping mall, preparations are ongoing in a tense but orderly manner.

Click.

The energy backpack on Xiaoying's back completed its final locking, and a light blue energy flow began to enter the combat suit through the pipes, emitting a low hum.

Sakura was checking the pre-battle checklist displayed on the tactical tablet, her fingertips quickly swiping across the various confirmation items.

Sudden.

"Sizzle—sizzle—"

A burst of ear-piercing electrical noise erupted from the walkie-talkie on her waist, followed by a rapid, distorted scream.

Judging from the sound, the breathing was extremely heavy, and you could even faintly hear the unsettling, sticky wriggling sounds in the background.

"The underground team is calling their supervisor!"

The correspondent's voice was extremely tense, and every word trembled.

Sakura grabbed the walkie-talkie: "Report the situation!"

"We were wrong—we were all wrong!" The other person's voice was almost torn apart by fear. "Underground—in the sewers—it's full of—it's full of tiny cocoons!"

The mall atrium suddenly fell silent.

All the researchers and team members who were busy working froze at the same time, and all looked at the walkie-talkie in Yingzi's hand.

"The quantity is impossible to estimate!"

The communicator's voice came through intermittently, with the echo of dripping liquid in the background and the rustling sound of something crawling deep inside the pipe.

"They are growing! They are connecting with each other! The assessment—the assessment was completely wrong! The threat level of E-121—is far higher than expected!"

The walkie-talkie slipped from Yingzi's hand for a moment, but she gripped it tightly again.

Her gaze unconsciously fell on the three-story-high giant cocoon in the center of the mall.

The deep purple energy pulse remained slow and heavy, like a sleeping heart.

But if you look underground—there's even more.

If they are truly "connected" —

Sakura closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, the last trace of hesitation in her eyes had been crushed.

"Underground team, retreat to the safe zone immediately. Repeat, please retreat immediately."

She raised her eyes and swept them over the pale-faced crowd: "The operation time is brought forward."

"All units, enter combat readiness."

"Now."

Everyone immediately began to act with great tension.

Sakura, taking a break from her busy schedule, quickly composed a very short message on her phone and clicked send.

Meanwhile.

On the roof of the old shopping mall, the last rays of the setting sun slanted across the mottled concrete.

Kurokawa activated the [Omnidirectional Invisibility Plugin], becoming like a ghost that blended into the air, silently overlooking the hurried movements of the SG squad below.

Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

He took out his phone.

The screen lights up, displaying a new message:

From: Sakura Content: Night Lord, please go to the supermarket near my house to buy sukiyaki ingredients. I'm in a real hurry.

The message was followed by a "please" emoji.

Kurokawa stared at the screen, stunned for half a second.

Then, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and he let out a low laugh that was almost helpless.

"At a time like this—you're still using this method to get rid of me."

He shook his head, a complex gentleness flashing in his eyes.

"So you saw me, Sakurako."

He knows her too well.

The so-called "buying hot pot ingredients" was nothing more than him immediately pushing the person away from the danger zone.

Just like when she was little, she would always say "Come with me to buy stationery," but it was actually just because he would pass by that alley where delinquents often gathered when he went home alone.

Kurokawa raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the pulsating, deep purple cocoon in the mall atrium below, and then over the tense formation of the SG team members.

He responded with an OK gesture, then silenced his phone and put it back in his pocket.

Then he pressed the headset and instructed Xun on the other end, "Start the operation. You're in charge over there."

The command was issued—

hum.

Several stealth drones hovering in different directions above the old shopping mall flashed simultaneously.

The [Magic Field Blocker] mounted on the belly of the aircraft was activated instantly.

A deep blue energy wave emanated from each device, intertwining and connecting in the air to quickly weave together an invisible, enormous light membrane.

The light film descended, like an inverted bowl, silently and completely enveloping the entire old shopping mall and the surrounding area within a hundred meters.

From now on.

Even if the inside were to explode, people outside would only perceive complete silence, with not a single ray of light or sound leaking out.

The last rays of twilight completely sank below the horizon.

The night spread out like ink.

Kurokawa took a deep breath and placed his right hand on his lower back.

Magic Battery activated.

The atomized magical energy penetrated his lungs and condensed into cold starlight deep within his pupils.

He took a step forward, stepping onto the edge of the roof.

Below is a vertical drop of tens of meters, and the old shopping mall is about to become a battlefield.

No hesitation.

Bend your knees and push off the ground.

The figure leaped off the roof.

The night wind tore at the hem of my clothes, and the rapidly descending air currents swept past my mask.

The seven-colored light in his eyes drew a brief but intense trail in the night.

Like a shooting star traveling in reverse, it plummeted straight into the abyss.

"Let's begin then..."

'