Chapter 30: The Return of the Gem

Yeqiu City, Wancheng District Police Station.

The police chief gazed at the interrogation room monitor with a pained expression. A vicious homicide had occurred in his jurisdiction just days ago, and now, the "Wicked Witch of Silver Lake Barbecue" incident had erupted. It seemed that bad news arrived in waves, never coming alone.

The only silver lining was that this matter involved other departments. If it were a case involving ordinary citizens, they would have to handle it entirely on their own, but since it involved magical girls, their role was merely to provide support, significantly reducing their burden of responsibility.

Inside the interrogation room:

Bai Yuze stared at the red characters on the wall that read "Confession brings leniency, resistance brings severity," then glanced at the magical girl in rose-colored attire sitting before him. No matter how he looked at her, the entire scene felt surreal.

"Name?"
"Bai Yuze."
"Age?"
"24."
"Gender?"
"Male."
"Before you lost consciousness, do you remember anything?"

"After finishing the barbecue, my sister said she was thirsty and asked me to buy her a drink. I hadn't walked more than a few steps when I felt a wave of dizziness and lost consciousness completely. By the way, how is my sister? Is she alright?"

Watching Bai Yuze’s genuinely worried expression, Xia Qing bit her lip and asked again, "Are you sure you don't remember what happened?"

"I really don't. Apart from my mouth being a bit swollen, my head aches, as if someone beat me up."

Xia Qing’s lips curled, and she said softly, "Fine then. Your sister is fine. My companion is questioning her in the next room. Pfft—once we verify that the information is correct, we will send you both home."

Hearing a faint giggle, Bai Yuze looked up and asked, "Are you laughing?"

Xia Qing looked away, struggling to keep from looking at him, and said with a stern expression, "No. I have undergone professional training; I never laugh, no matter what!"

"Nonsense. Your face is twitching; you’re still trying to say you aren't laughing."

"I just thought of something funny, I couldn't help it," Xia Qing argued.

Bai Yuze turned his head and pointed at the recording officer behind her, who was laughing uncontrollably. "What about her? Did you both think of something funny?"

"Pfft—"

At that, Xia Qing could no longer hold it in. The rose-colored magical girl abandoned all pretense of dignity, clutching her stomach and laughing hysterically. "Pfft—haha, I can't take it! Hahaha, how did you even get beaten like this? Those two symmetrical black eyes look just like a panda at the zoo! Hahahaha!"

***

In the room next door:

The environment where Bai Youqing was kept was much better. She lay on a sofa, with two bottles of strawberry-flavored nutritional drinks on the table. After such a fright, she felt she needed at least two bottles to soothe her body and mind.

*Creak.*

The girl looked up and saw a cold-faced magical girl in azure-blue robes. Her doe-like eyes instantly welled up with crystalline tears, and she reached out to hug the magical girl.

"Sister Han Xue, why are you here? I missed you so much!"

"..."

Han Xue remained silent, watching her quietly. The atmosphere of sisterly affection grew heavy; the air in the room seemed to be sucked away, creating a vacuum where all speech lost its sound, leaving only endless silence.

"Sister Han Xue, this really isn't my fault! On Saturday, I took my shut-in brother out to see the light and air out his 'loser' vibe, and we just happened to wander into the park that Sister Yuyi forbade us from entering. You can't blame me for that!!"

Bai Youqing grabbed Han Xue’s smooth, fair arms and wailed, "I am truly innocent, Lady Han Xue!"

Even Han Xue’s icy face couldn't help but twitch.

"Sister Yuyi isn't blaming you; she just wants to understand the specifics of what happened today."

"I went to a beef noodle shop with my brother for breakfast, took two apples, and later helped my brother buy some clothes..."

"Stop. Focus on what happened right before you lost consciousness." Han Xue’s face turned as dark as coal. If she let her keep rambling like that, no one would be getting home today.

Bai Youqing looked unsatisfied. "Fine... after we finished the Ferris wheel, I wanted to leave that place of trouble quickly. Then, the park called me saying I had won a prize and could eat for free at the Silver Lake Barbecue. I checked the map, and it was just outside the park, so my brother and I went. While we were eating, a cloud of black mist suddenly burst out. When I looked closer, the Abyss Monster appeared... and then Violet appeared and saved me."

Han Xue listened silently, not interrupting this time. After a long while, Bai Youqing looked at her pitifully. "By the way, how is my brother?"

"He woke up faster than you; Xia Qing is questioning him now. However..."

Bai Youqing was just about to pat her chest in relief when she saw the hesitation on Han Xue’s face. She was nearly scared to death.

"What’s wrong with him? Is he paralyzed? It doesn't matter, I can take care of him for the rest of his life!"

Han Xue’s face twitched. "It’s not as serious as you think. He’s just slightly disfigured."

Bai Youqing finally exhaled and patted her chest, relieved. How could she not be? She was the one who had beaten him herself.

"You scared me! I thought something terrible happened. By the way, Sister Han Xue, I want to be involved in this case too. More people means more strength, right?"

Han Xue glanced at a text message her captain had just sent and shook her head. Some things needed to be accepted slowly; one cannot rush growth.

"Xia Qing and I will handle this. Don't overthink it. Today was just a general inquiry. You’ll likely have to go see Sister Yuyi tomorrow. Take care of yourself."

"Oh, okay..."

Han Xue pulled a ring engraved with a green gemstone from her magical space and handed it to Bai Youqing. "Don't be so gloomy. Sister Yuyi asked me to give this to you. She’s already replenished the holy power inside, but she emphasized: do not use it unless absolutely necessary, otherwise, it will easily attract the attention and attacks of Calamity Beasts and witches."

Bai Youqing took the Star of Green Ivy, feeling a mix of regret and surprise. She had hoped that as a victim and witness, she could join in on the action, but it seemed that was impossible now. Still, touching the ring in her hand made her feel a bit better.

***

In the treatment room, the Sakura Magical Girl looked at the girl lying on the hospital bed with worry and heartache. If she had known that coming to Yeqiu City would lead to such things, she would never have brought them here.

"Senior Sakura, how are the two sisters doing?" Xia Qing walked out of the interrogation room and headed straight to the treatment room. She had learned a general summary of the events from the others who had regained consciousness. If it were her, she wouldn't be feeling any better either.

"Sigh, Xiao Qin is doing alright; she managed to pull herself together quickly. She thinks the main problem was her own lack of strength and that she needs more training. She even went to visit the other victims who were frightened. But Xiao Yi... she isn't doing well. Since waking up, she has become silent and withdrawn..."

"Those people who helped the evildoer deserve to be executed." Xia Qing felt a surge of fury upon hearing this. If she had known how things were developing, she would have taken the chance to give those animals a sound beating before the special task force arrived.

***

At a parking spot not far from the police station, Peng Liang got into a black business sedan. Several intelligence reports were neatly placed on the seat. Peng Liang flipped through them; they matched the information he had seen at the station.

A woman in a pale yellow dress leaned against his shoulder, looking left and right. After a while, seemingly bored, she yawned and leaned back.

In the car, Peng Liang was already used to this. He spoke slowly, "What kind of person do you think Brother Ze is?"

"A 24-year-old male teacher at Yeqiu City No. 1 High School, has a good reputation in the neighborhood, and volunteers at nursing homes in his spare time. He’s also your good friend. What? Thinking of recruiting him?"

Peng Liang smiled bitterly and shook his head. "If he could be recruited, I would have done it long ago. The problem is, he doesn't want to join."

"Then why are you talking about this?" The woman in the elegant dress rolled her eyes. A moment later, her eyes lit up as she picked up Bai Youqing’s identification file. "Are you trying to use this to pull him in?"

"Half right. Since the Black Card incident, the magical girls in Yeqiu City and our Security Bureau have been at odds. I want the two siblings to act as a lubricant between our departments."

"That will be difficult. Speaking as a former A-rank certified magical girl squad leader, I can tell you that the old woman at the Bureau of Adjudication will never work with the Security Bureau on missions again. But it’s fine; if you need help, I can use my connections."

The woman curled into Peng Liang’s arms and encouraged him. "By the way, let’s go hiking at Yangshan next Saturday. We haven't been in a long time."

Peng Liang stroked her hair, a bitter look flashing in his eyes. "Xiao Lu, how about Sunday? I have to work overtime on Saturday."

"Overtime? I bet you're going on a date with that vixen!" The woman named Xiao Lu looked up and said coldly.

"You have to give me some time. Don't worry, I will give you both an answer by the end of this summer vacation."

"Fine. There is one month left until the end of summer. If it’s not resolved by then, it’s either her or me."

"Is there really no other outcome?"

"Yes, there is one other outcome. It just depends on who is lucky enough to be the first one to walk away holding your head."

As soon as those words were spoken, Peng Liang felt a chill on his neck. "Do you watch anime too?"

"I didn't used to, but my best friend recommended *School Days* to me. I thought it was quite good."

Peng Liang: "..."

After dropping his girlfriend off at home, Peng Liang sat in his car, let out a long sigh, and dialed Bai Yuze’s number.

"Hello, Brother Bai!"