48: Chapter 48 Magical Girl Army

Phantom Sovereign sighed softly.

Armored Mage Emperor Lu Chen began drinking his fourth glass of water.

Qi Yuan put his glasses back on, took them off, and put them back on again.

"So—"

Qi Yuan spoke, his voice very soft.

"This path won't work either."

"Mm."

Li Qingyue remained leaning against the window.

Her expression hadn't changed, but her fingers tapped lightly against the windowsill; that was her habitual action when she was thinking.

"However, he mentioned one thing. It's worth noting."

"What?"

"A nationwide broadcast. Thirteen million viewers."

Li Qingyue turned around.

In those crimson eyes, the playfulness from before was gone.

"That kid's life is now more sought-after than a 9th-tier Supreme."

She paused.

"What are the scum of the Abyss doing right now?"

The moment her voice fell, everyone frowned slightly.

Li Qingyue had hit the nail on the head. If they were the Abyss, seeing that the card Su Bai created actually had such an effect, they would certainly stop at nothing to assassinate Su Bai.

Armored Mage Emperor Lu Chen said immediately, "For now, there hasn't been much movement from the Abyss, but we need to be careful. The birth of a Rank 1 Rainbow Card will inevitably trigger the Abyss's covetousness; assassination is inevitable."

"Will a Rank 9 monster appear?"

Phantom Sovereign asked in a deep voice.

"Impossible."

Qi Yuan said immediately, "The barrier deployed by the military is still above the city. No matter what, a Rank 9 monster cannot enter. Even if they force their way in through sacrificial methods, they will still have their power reduced. The only thing we need to strategize about is how many personnel we need to assign to protect Su Bai?"

Currently, humanity was facing a severe shortage of manpower. Not only were Rank 9 powerhouses rare, but most were incredibly busy on a daily basis, and it was impossible for them to follow Su Bai around at all times—nor was it necessary.

Furthermore, it wasn't just Rank 9s; Rank 8s, Rank 7s, and even Rank 6s... every rank had its own matters to attend to. If they provided too much protection for Su Bai, it would be making a mountain out of a molehill.

Li Qingyue thought for a moment and said, "No matter. I have some free time lately, so leave Su Bai to me. I'm considering bringing him into the Sanctuary as a personal disciple."

"A personal disciple?"

Everyone was stunned. Didn't a busy person like Li Qingyue never take on apprentices? What was this about a personal disciple?

"Is there something fishy about that card of his?"

Phantom Sovereign asked blankly. According to conventional thinking, for a Rank 1 student to create a Rainbow Card, one could figure out with their toes that it certainly wasn't the student's original work; perhaps he had obtained some ancient inheritance.

...Could it be that Li Qingyue had her eye on that kid's ancient inheritance? Did that inheritance have such great magical power?

Everyone clearly thought of this as well and looked at Li Qingyue one after another.

Li Qingyue naturally understood what they meant and said with a faint smile, "Not at all. That child said his card was original."

"Impossible!"

Everyone immediately retorted.

A Rank 1 student creating an original Rainbow Card?

What a joke; then what were they, this group of Divine Forgers, doing?

Theoretically, this was completely impossible!

"I also think it's unlikely, but it's still worth asking about."

...

At the same time.

Western Theater.

3rd Army Group Headquarters.

On the projection crystal, the Monthly Exam recording had just finished playing the final frame—the Magical Girl-transformed Blood Abyss Prisoner sliced through the void with one cut, and Li Qingyue had blood spilling from the corner of her lips.

Twelve pairs of eyes in the conference room stared at the frozen image.

It was quiet for a full ten seconds.

Then—

"Holy crap!"

A burly man with a crew cut sitting in the corner was the first to explode, "That cat really turns people into a Magical Girl?! And it hit Li Qingyue head-on?! A Rank 1 card?! A Rank 1 card hit a 9th-tier Supreme?! Am I dreaming? Old Liu, pinch me—"

"Don't pinch me. I'm fucking trying to confirm if I'm dreaming too."

"If this thing could be mass-produced—"

"What if it could be mass-produced? You'd turn into a woman?"

"I—"

The burly man shut his mouth.

Every man was imagining that scene. Extra weight on their chest where it shouldn't be, their voice becoming thin, their waist narrowing, their chin becoming sharp, and then standing on the front line wearing a pink puffy skirt.

A single expression appeared on every man's face—that extremely complex and subtle expression, somewhere between horror and resistance.

"Ahem."

The Corps Commander sitting in the main seat cleared his throat. He was in his fifties, with a square face and stubble shaved to a bluish-grey. The four stars on his epaulets reflected a cold, hard luster under the lights.

"Everyone, calm down! The actual effect of this card still needs—"

"What the fuck else does it need?!"

A voice exploded from the end of the long table.

Everyone turned their heads.

It was a woman.

In her early thirties, tall, with long dark red hair tied casually into a low ponytail, and a few stray locks scattered around her ears. Her military jacket was draped over her shoulders, the sleeves swaying emptily. The top two buttons of her uniform shirt underneath were undone. Her ankle was resting on her knee, and the laces of her military boots were untied.

Her whole demeanor, from her posture to her expression to those overly bright amber eyes, exuded one word: unruly.

3rd Army Group Deputy Commander, Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan!

Mid-Rank 9. She entered Rank 8 at twenty-three and sat in the Deputy Commander position at thirty-one—this promotion speed was phenomenal in the military. It wasn't because of strong connections; it was because she could fight, she could fight too well. Military reports wrote that she always charged at the very front of the entire regiment, her troops' combat casualty rate was consistently the lowest in the entire army, and her enemy kill count was consistently the highest in the entire army. When someone asked her the secret to leading troops, she said—

"Run faster than your soldiers. Fight harder than your soldiers. Then it won't be your soldiers who die."

At this moment, this Deputy Commander who ran faster than her soldiers and fought harder than them jumped up from her chair.

Her military boots stepped onto the tabletop, causing the projection crystal to shake twice.

"What are you big men all frowning for?"

She slammed her hands on the table.

She leaned forward.

Her amber eyes were burning with fanaticism.

"You've all seen the effect of this card—immortal body, independent spellcasting, and combat power jumping up by one and a half ranks! What's the price? Isn't it just turning into a woman! Do you have any idea what this means?"

No one answered.

"It means. We can build a—Full! Member! Magical Girl! Legion!"

The voice exploded in the conference room.

The echo bounced between the walls several times before dissipating.

Then—

"What?"

The first word from the burly staff officer was squeezed out of his throat.

"You heard me."

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan ignored him.

"An endless legion that doesn't fear death, pain, or fatigue, with infinite physical regeneration, and can fight without using cards. A thirty-seven percent casualty rate on the front line? That was in the past. After Magical Girl transformation—the casualty rate drops to zero. Because every soldier who falls will stand back up after one minute."

Her speaking speed became faster and faster.

"How much does a Kyubey Card cost to make? Two million and fifty thousand! Even lower after mass production! We currently have to pay six hundred thousand to equip one heavy shield guard with a set of standard Rank 3 armor. Armor breaks, but a soul gem is much more durable; if this thing breaks, the person dies, and we don't have to spend extra money. Can you do the math on this?"

"Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan."

A staff officer wearing glasses in the corner slowly raised his hand; his name was Director He Jin.

Director He Jin pushed up his glasses.

"I have a few questions."