novelraw Chapter 9 Morning News
Chapter 9 Morning News
Saturday arrived as scheduled.
Gu Bai gradually woke up in the slightly restless morning light. His sleep quality last night was not good at all, probably because he had witnessed too much commotion in District 047 yesterday evening.
I got up and went into the bathroom, mechanically brushing my teeth while casually turning on the smart screen on the vanity mirror.
[Get the latest news first! Xiaoyue brings you the daily report!]
[It is reported that three gray-bronze-level monsters appeared simultaneously in the 047 Calamity Zone yesterday. Our reporter conducted an exclusive interview with the magical girls who were on the front lines that day. Let's see what they have to say—]
On the screen, the host, Xiaoyue, with her crescent-shaped ahoge (a single strand of hair sticking up) on her head, energetically cut to the interview footage.
"Thanks to the daily cultivation and efficient dispatching of Qixin Academy, we have successfully eliminated the monsters and ensured the safety of the neighborhood. Thank you for your support. Regarding the unusual situation of three monsters appearing simultaneously, Qixin will conduct a thorough investigation. We urge the public not to believe or spread rumors and to patiently await further official announcements."
In the picture, Xia Zhi is wearing an orange combat suit, standing upright, and facing the camera with an impeccable, formulaic smile.
"It's such a flawless official PR statement," Gu Bai thought to himself.
"Resolved."
The scene then shifts to winter jasmine.
The reporter awkwardly added in a voice-over that the magical girl seemed to be in a hurry, leaving behind only those three cold words before turning and leaving.
Next up is the main event.
On the screen appeared Tao Zhuo, covered in the sticky blood of a strange beast, vigorously wiping his face with a towel.
"Huh? It's my turn now. Oh right, actually, there's also our team leader for the day—a super amazing magical girl led and guided us. She just left, and she hasn't even treated me to dinner yet. Wait... Hey! Cut this part out! This part absolutely cannot be recorded!"
["Considering that the person involved might just be being modest, our reporter ultimately decided to broadcast this segment as it is. As for who this 'super powerful magical girl' is, our station will continue to follow up—Xiaoyue looks forward to everyone's enthusiastic attention♡"]
Gu Bai spat out the foam in his mouth expressionlessly and reached out to turn off the screen.
The restroom returned to silence. After yesterday's battle, Gu Bai chose to leave first to avoid trouble, and sure enough, there were still troublesome things to do later, such as interviews.
After washing his face and drying it with a towel, Gu Bai picked up his phone, which was lying next to the sink. There were two unread messages on his WeChat.
The first message was sent by Dongchun in the early hours of last night:
Teacher, you were looking at me then, weren't you?
Gu Bai stared at the line of text but did not reply immediately.
The words were spoken plainly and the meaning was clear.
She realized that she could still keep up with her gaze even during the time acceleration. Honestly, was it necessary to reply?
The second message, from Tao Zhuo, was posted at 7:30 this morning:
[Teacher!! See you in District 047 at 10 AM!!! Don't be late!!!]
Three exclamation marks are enough to convey, even through the screen, her despair at the prospect of facing ruins.
Gu Bai opened the Qixin APP and casually booked today's "Flexible Supervision Duty" in District 047 through the teacher backend.
Just as Gu Bai was about to exit the interface, his phone vibrated.
He glanced down at the screen; it was a notification from the Qixin app, a payment notification, the tone as friendly as ever.
[Prayer Battle Results - 047 Calamity Zone - This mission is complete ✓]
[Main Force Participation Record: Winter Camellia (5-star, On Duty), Peach Blossom (4-star, Cooperative), Summer Weaver (5-star, Support) Beast Cores have been recovered. Copper metal will be converted to the corresponding account within 24 hours. Please refer to today's exchange rate.♡]
[Friendly Reminder: An additional monster appeared during this mission, which is an abnormal situation. We sincerely thank all the magical girls for their hard work. The high-pressure compensation will be issued within one to two business days, and the specific amount will be subject to the actual amount received.]
Gu Bai turned off the screen and put it back in his pocket.
He planned to have breakfast first before setting off. It was the weekend, and Xiao Qi's cleaning robot was on vacation. The scene of the magical girls manually sweeping the streets was worth seeing.
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The old-established rice noodle roll shops on the street open early, with their roller shutters half-closed. White steam wafts out from the stacked bamboo steamers, carrying the fragrance of rice milk, but it probably dissipates after drifting into the air.
Gu Bai found a corner seat and ordered a shrimp rice noodle roll. While waiting for the food, he idly glanced around.
There were seven or eight people scattered around the shop. At the next table, two middle-aged men who looked like factory workers from the surrounding area were looking down at their phones, engrossed in conversation.
"Did you see what happened with 047 yesterday? Three of them appeared at the same time, and they were all gray-bronze. What's going on? Could the witch be starting her invasion?"
"Hehe, what could be the situation? The wolf story about 'The Witch is Coming' has been going on for ages. It's probably just Qi Xin rehashing it herself. Look at how fast the merchandise from the Calamity Zone is selling. Those bronze beast merchandise items actually sell pretty well, you know?"
"This... will work?"
Gu Bai picked up the hot soy milk the shopkeeper brought, took a sip, and didn't interrupt.
When the rice noodle rolls were served, he lowered his head and began to eat.
At the table by the window sat three girls around Tao Zhuo's age. One of them, wearing a hoodie with a chibi-style graphic of a certain five-star magical girl, was frantically showing something to the other two on her phone.
"What...what did you say?"
"What else can I say? Yesterday, 'Prayer for Hearts' updated to the back-to-school version at midnight, and the event gacha pool was updated with the 'Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter' four-piece set. What's even more outrageous is that they actually re-run the 'Heart Magical Girl' special gacha pool!"
"Did you smoke?"
"Uh, I didn't smoke. I'm short on money; I just used up my allowance."
"What did you touch? Stocks? Or magical girl coins?"
The girl in the hoodie sighed and slammed her phone back onto the table: "30x leverage on Zhenyue Coin, and it's completely wiped out."
"Sigh, who can argue with that?" another short-haired girl chimed in, glancing around as if sharing some incredible inside information. "Actually... I think that day when Zhenyue fought the golden beast, it was all a sham!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" The guy in the hoodie immediately perked up. "I also think it's strange. A normal six-star character can handle a gold-tier monster, but she struggles even with a silver one. It's so suspicious! We kindly supported her as family, and she just betrayed us like this!"
"Exactly! They talk a good game on the surface, but they can't even handle a Silver Beast properly. How can they advocate protecting humanity like this? It's truly speechless!"
The third girl, who hadn't said much until now, looked up, leaned closer mysteriously, and lowered her voice:
"Alright, stop complaining. Let me tell you something that can make you money. You know what? Starting today, the magical girl cards you pull from the [Heart of Greed Rewards] event can be officially listed for sale on the Heart of Greed secondary market. I researched it all night and found that the expected return on some pulls is still positive. Pulling now is definitely a win-win situation!"
The other two men's eyes lit up instantly, as if they had spotted the next gold mine.
Gu Bai listened quietly, then buried his head and finished the last bite of shrimp rice noodle roll.
He wiped his mouth with a tissue, pushed the empty bowl aside, and picked up his phone again.
On the WeChat interface, Dongchun's tentative message was still waiting for a reply.
Gu Bai thought for a moment, tapped the screen a few times casually, and finally replied with only a few words:
It's nothing, just like Tao Zhuo.
Click send, then get up and go to the cashier to pay.
The three girls at the table behind me were still enthusiastically discussing the "positive expected value" of gacha pulls, their tone filled with blind certainty and fervor, exactly like when Tao Zhu patted his chest and told him he was a "crypto trading genius".
This is a world created by prayer.
Later generations stared fervently at the gold coins in the abyss, but no one cared about the bloodshed of their predecessors who were in the abyss.
Gu Bai pushed open the shop door and walked out.
As I passed the roller shutter door, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
Dongchun replied instantly: 【No, you're different】
That's a tricky guy.
Gu Bai smiled, tucked his phone deeper into his pocket, glanced at the rising sun, and started walking towards the 047 Disaster Zone.