52: Chapter 52 The Vice Commander Wants to Transform into a Magical Girl?

—Su Bai!! Run!!!

Chairman Lin's voice exploded.

But Su Bai didn't run.

It wasn't because he was brave.

It was because he couldn't move.

The mental pressure of a Rank Nine against a Rank One.

Even breathing was a luxury.

[Su Bai, your heart rate has exceeded one hundred and eighty beats per minute. It is recommended to immediately—]

Kyubey's voice rang out in his mind.

But Su Bai could no longer hear clearly.

Because he saw a vision—from within that constantly shifting dark shadow, a backward-bending hand with an unnatural number of joints reached out, slowly stretching toward him.

And then—

Boom!!!

The temperature of the entire building suddenly skyrocketed.

It wasn't fire magic. It was something more direct, more unreasonable—a pure, high-density flame that seemed capable of burning through matter itself.

A massive throne condensed from blazing flames smashed straight down onto the Shadow Demon's head.

————!!

That wasn't a sound.

It was the vacuum boom produced when the air was instantly vaporized.

The Shadow Demon let out a wail that no one had ever heard before, sounding as if it came from another dimension—and then its entire body was forcibly pressed from a state of probability back into a physical state.

That seemingly unstoppable hand of the abyss stopped less than half a meter away from Su Bai.

It wasn't because it didn't want to move.

It was because it couldn't move.

Beneath the throne, amidst the flames.

A woman sat there with her legs crossed.

She was in her early thirties, with dark red hair loosely tied into a low ponytail. A military coat was casually draped over her shoulders, and the top two buttons of her shirt were undone. Her ankle rested on her knee, and her combat boots were unlaced.

Her right hand supported her chin, while her left hand rested casually on the armrest.

Everything about her—from her posture to her expression, to her burning amber eyes—

Exuded an air of natural, unquestionable, and overwhelming dominance.

The Deputy Commander of the 3rd Army Group.

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan.

Mid-tier Rank Nine.

"Yo."

She spoke.

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word felt like a branding iron searing into everyone's eardrums.

"A little assassin. Quite a lively scene."

The Shadow Demon struggled violently under the suppression of the Flame Throne, the black mist composing its body evaporating at a visible rate in the high heat.

[Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan—! How are you—!?]

"How am I here?"

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan tilted her head, the heel of her combat boot lightly tapping against the edge of the armrest.

"Just passing by. And I happened to see a cockroach trying to step on my designated recruit."

She leaned forward.

Her hands rested on her knees.

Her amber eyes shone terrifyingly bright in the reflection of the fire.

"Shadow Demon—right? Ranked third, specializing in assassinations. You've killed four of our Rank Nines over the past twenty years."

She smiled.

"Now, make that five."

[—You wouldn't dare!! Once the Shadow Demon Core shatters, the entire Jinghai—]

"The entire Jinghai?" Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan interrupted him. "You are currently pinned under my throne. Your body is locked down by my mana field. Space is isolated by my barrier. Your probability state transfer radius is less than half a meter. You can't even self-detonate—do you believe I can make sure not even a speck of dust from you explodes?"

The Shadow Demon fell silent.

It wasn't because it was convinced.

It was because it realized—what Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan said was true.

Its probability state transfer was completely locked down by the mana field of the Flame Throne.

"L-Lady Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan!!"

Chairman Lin's voice rang out from by the wall. He was still in a posture protecting Lin Xiao, the blood on the corner of his mouth not yet dry, but his voice was already filled with the ecstasy of surviving a disaster.

"To think Lady Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan would grace us with her presence in person!! The Lin family can never repay this debt in this lifetime!!"

And then, he—

Knelt.

It wasn't the kind of kneeling from before when he knelt to Su Bai, which said "I can throw away my dignity for business."

It was a genuine, weak-kneed kneel, born of utter exhaustion after being pulled back from the gates of hell.

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan didn't even spare him a glance.

"Get up. Don't embarrass me in front of outsiders."

"Yes, yes!!"

Chairman Lin scrambled to his feet. His movements were so swift that they reminded Su Bai of the scene where Zhao Dahai bounced up from the ground on the day of the Monthly Exam.

Meanwhile, the "outsiders" on the other side—

Li Chengyuan's face had already turned white.

Not just pale, but the kind of deathly white when all the blood drains from the skin back to the heart before preparing to flee. Abyss energy surged behind him, and he posed as if ready to activate a high-tier card and strike at any moment. But his fingers—Su Bai noticed—were trembling.

"How could the military..."

Li Haoran didn't say a word.

But his dust coat was finally blown back—not by the wind, but by the residual heat radiating from Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan's Flame Throne.

He looked at Su Bai.

And then looked back at Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan.

The elegant composure on his face cracked for the first time.

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan also glanced at Li Chengyuan and his son—the glance was brief, as if she were looking at trash on the side of the road.

"I'll deal with you two later."

Then she turned her head. Her amber gaze fell upon Su Bai, sizing him up from head to toe, left to right.

Being stared at with that kind of gaze made Su Bai feel like a piece of merchandise displayed on an auction block.

"So you're Su Bai."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

"Yes."

"You look pretty average."

"..."

"But you've got quite some skill."

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan jumped down from the Flame Throne, her combat boots making no sound as they hit the ground. She was about half a head taller than Su Bai, but when she stood less than a step away from him, that height difference was completely overshadowed by an invisible aura—making one feel not that she was looking down at you, but that you couldn't help but want to look up at her.

"Listen up, kid. I am Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan of the 3rd Army Group. My troops are stationed at the Abyss Front year-round, and our monthly casualty rate is the lowest in the entire army. And my secret to leading troops—"

She reached out and poked the card pocket on Su Bai's chest.

"—is to always get my hands on the fiercest weapons before my soldiers do."

"And that cat card in your hand—"

She stepped a bit closer.

"—is exactly what I want most right now."

Su Bai took half a step back.

"Deputy... Commander Xiao. Do you want me to sign a contract with the military?"

"Not sign a contract."

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan raised a finger and wagged it.

"Enlist."

"?"

"Direct enlistment. You'll be under the 3rd Army Group. I'll personally guarantee you the rank of Lieutenant Colonel."

"I'm a student."

"Drop out. I'll handle the paperwork for you."

"—I have an active contract." Su Bai pointed to the contract on the table.

"The Lin family, right?" Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan glanced at Chairman Lin. "Has the contract been signed?"

"Not yet—"

"Then there is no contract."

Chairman Lin opened his mouth. Then, he made a decision that perfectly fit his persona as a businessman—he shut his mouth.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait—!!!"

A voice came from the end of the hallway, panting heavily as if they had run a long distance.

Director He Jin leaned against the doorframe, bending over to catch his breath. His glasses had slipped to the tip of his nose, his briefcase hung crookedly on his arm, and half the hem of his military shirt was untucked from his pants.

"Deputy Commander Xiao!! You promised you were only coming to evaluate him!! Evaluate!! Not to directly recruit him!! This is against regulations!! Against regulations!! The Military Discipline Department—"

"The Military Discipline Department can't control me."

"But the General Headquarters can!! And this card hasn't even undergone standard testing yet!! It only has experimental data from a puppet clone!! You cannot directly make procurement decisions within the military using external data!! There is a procedural—"

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan raised a hand.

Director He Jin's mouth was sealed by a thin film of flame.

"Be quiet. I'm discussing serious business."

Director He Jin winked frantically.

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan turned back around and looked at Su Bai again.

"Anyway, those are the terms. Lieutenant Colonel rank. Monthly salary? Name your price. Materials? The military warehouse's inventory is more than three times that of the Lin family's supply chain. As for your cat—"

She paused, suddenly flashing a smile that sent a shiver down Su Bai's spine.

"I actually want to try it out myself."

"...Try what?"

"Being a Magical Girl."