novelraw Chapter 175: The Reaper’s Plaything
Chapter 175: The Reaper’s Plaything
"Old world?"
Hearing Jiang Si's words, Silver Lotus, who was driving, sounded a bit puzzled, "How do you know about the old world?"
"Shion."
"Oh."
For a moment she lost her mood, and even offering to let Jiang Si look at her love letter felt hard to say out loud.
Even with Keke’s help, whenever Silver Lotus thought about the girlfriend behind Jiang Si, she felt powerless.
Especially when details slipped out of Jiang Si’s tone occasionally, she estimated their relationship had long since surpassed her imagination.
"Do you have a driver’s license?"
Watching Silver Lotus start the car, Jiang Si buckled his seatbelt and asked.
After all, this person was even a bit smaller than his transformed Shion, and he doubted whether she could reach the gas and brake pedals.The car’s seat was clearly adjusted to suit Silver Lotus’s height;
when she sat down she was level with him.
Could her feet reach the pedals?
He did know there were pedal extensions for drivers with leg disabilities that mounted onto the pedals, so the question arose.
Was Silver Lotus disabled?
From the outside, the car looked like an eight-year-old kid was driving.
Silver Lotus gripped the steering wheel in a way that made it seem like the wheel’s returning torque during turns could fling her off.
Jiang Si thought such a driver was dangerous;
controlling a car seemed difficult.
Driving schools probably banned learners of that height, right?
"I’m a Magical Girl with the Disaster Control Bureau." Silver Lotus answered honestly, "Privileges. This car belongs to my sister, and my sister doesn’t have a license either.
What does that whole attitude of 'my sister does this so it’s fine for me' mean?
Even if you drag your sister into it, both of you are breaking the rules.
Are privileges meant to be used like this? What if you hit someone?
Evil privilege class ignoring public safety…
Silver Lotus stepped on the gas and the car leapt forward wildly.
That small body seemed to have endless energy in the car.
Jiang Si finally realized why Yumo couldn’t beat her.
If it came to driving, Yumo would lose badly.
Although she drove fast, Silver Lotus was actually steady, especially once on the road—her weaving between vehicles was skillful and precise.
Clearly an experienced driver.
"There are traffic police up ahead." Jiang Si warned, "If you don’t have a license, take a detour."
Silver Lotus immediately pulled out another ID, "I have a Magical Girl certificate, this thing is more useful than a driver’s license."
.....
As they passed, sure enough the traffic cops glanced over, saluted, and didn’t bother her.
Jiang Si watched Silver Lotus drive off smoothly and felt a bit awed.
So Magical Girls had so many privileges.
Although Azure Cloud Sect treated its members well in many ways, compared to the Disaster Control Bureau, it still fell short on these perks.
Now that they were cooperating with the Disaster Control Bureau, he wondered if he could get some privileges later.
Mainly, he wanted a Magical Girl certificate.
No need to take a driving test.
His father here had taught him to drive when he was a kid and later nagged him constantly, hoping he’d get a license.
Because that father—always calling him buddy—was lazy;
once he got behind the wheel he would instantly enter a carefree driving mode for twenty minutes whether he had rested well or not.
So according to his father, having a son like Jiang Si was to lighten his burden.
He hoped Jiang Si would learn to drive soon so the family wouldn’t always rely on him.
So the whole family wouldn’t be led straight to the afterlife when they went out.
Although the man was dead now, Jiang Si had promised to get a license back then;
he’d been busy and had little time, but he hadn’t planned to break his promise.
After all, a man’s promise must not be betrayed;
Jiang Si was a man among men...
If he could get a Magical Girl certificate, he wouldn’t need to spend time on a driving test...
"Hey, Jiang Si, during the Beihai fight the other day, where did you go?"
Silver Lotus weighed her words, "It was so dangerous then…"
"I was at Azure Cloud Sect."
"Oh..."
Taking a deep breath, Silver Lotus felt she wouldn’t get a clear answer this way, so she asked, "I think I saw you."
"When?"
"The calamity dragon." Silver Lotus turned her head to look at Jiang Si, "Before it appeared, a figure was punched into the air by the Magical Girl Killer, and the figure was wearing clothes exactly like yours."
The big truck ahead suddenly braked;
a piercing horn blared across the road.
One driver jumped out cursing and started arguing with the truck driver, road rage on full display.
Silver Lotus slammed on the brakes too, leaving some distance from the truck, fingers tapping the wheel, "The next day when I saw you you were wearing different clothes. I remember you don’t change clothes much."
"You remember clearly."
Silver Lotus felt awkward and murmured, "Keke said so."
Vehicles behind began honking;
curses floated over, "Driver? Is this driverless?"
The smell of hot asphalt mixed with burning rubber under the sun;
Silver Lotus rolled up her window.
"I gave my clothes to Shion." Jiang Si in the passenger seat said casually, "So I changed."
Silver Lotus paused, unsure whether to feel relieved that the explanation was clear or a sting of jealousy.
Swapping clothes with someone... in what situation would people swap clothes?
"No, can’t panic, it was just a technical clothing swap…."
Silver Lotus tapped the wheel, a bit restless for reasons she didn’t understand. "Right, right, that letter, did you bring it?"
"I did."
"Actually my sister was the first to chicken out and told me to write it and give it to you to express my feelings." Silver Lotus thought a moment and added, "Though later it was Keke who kept encouraging me."
Thinking of Keke eased some of that anxiousness.
"You can look."
Saying that, Jiang Si nodded and reached to take the challenge letter out.
He planned to read it now, he had nothing else to do.
They still had to wait until they reached the Disaster Control Bureau for intelligence on the Curse Realm;
according to Bingtang, the Bureau had plenty of old world information.
Incubators were useful for that.
Although he didn’t know these little things’ true purpose, they were dependable when it came to old world matters.
Silver Lotus beside him saw him open the envelope and her heart sped up.
Suppressing her embarrassment, she didn’t stop him.
If she stopped him now, who knew when he would open it next time!
She had secretly drawn a little heart on the pink envelope, but Jiang Si didn’t look—he tore it open directly.
The heart was torn to pieces.
Though a bit disappointing, Silver Lotus quickly looked away and stopped watching Jiang Si.
Her mind churned with all kinds of thoughts.
Will Jiang Si reject me after he reads it?
If he rejects me, what should I do? Keep shamelessly pursuing him?
Wouldn’t that be too embarrassing? Would Keke still support me? If he rejects me, maybe give up?
What if he agrees? If he agrees, then he wouldn’t be able to break up with Shion, right...
Wouldn’t I just become the other woman? The kind of villainess in TV dramas who seduces someone into cheating—changing my Magical Outfit to match Shion’s style, then while Shion’s away, Keke sneaks me into Jiang Si’s room and...
Then my sister cuts the power, and at night when Jiang Si comes back, in the moonlight he compliments me...
Then Shion finds out, beats me up, and kicks me out of her life.
Jiang Si would be reluctant but couldn’t defy Miss Shion—after all, who could beat her—and would sheepishly break up with me and throw me out.
Next would be an unexpected pregnancy, and the child avenges me...
A whole series of dramatic scenes flashed through her mind, and in her distraction she didn’t notice when the arguing drivers scuffled and someone’s phone got smashed.
The phone hit the ground and was clearly damaged;
the truck driver cursed and tried to hit the other driver, who dove back into his car and, taking advantage of the traffic light, drove over the phone.
The phone bounced and wedged precisely into a narrow gap between the truck’s rear axle and a loose steel plate spring hanger.
When the truck driver got back in and started the engine, the vibration and the lodged phone slowly pried out the metal pin that secured the last layer of steel rebar!
As the truck moved forward, that pin silently fell out.
When Silver Lotus was about to start her car, several ten-meter-long threaded steel rebars slid slowly out of the back of the truck!
Silver Lotus’s pupils shrank;
she barely managed to shout, "Watch out!"
Jiang Si, who had just read the first line on the envelope and was skimming for the word "challenge," looked up and saw a rebar like a spear slam into the small car’s hood with inertia!
With scraping and piercing screeches, more rebars surged from the truck’s rear—not sliding now, but violently whipping and stabbing!
In an instant the windshield shattered;
six or seven rebars rammed into the small car from the front and pierced out the back, threading the entire vehicle!
Traffic police rushed over, forcing the big truck to a stop, while others on motorbikes dispersed the crowd and shouted, "Is anyone alive?"
When they looked closely, their eyes widened.
Of the six rebars that fell, four had pierced through the car, but two hadn’t.
Those two were aimed straight at the head of the person in the passenger seat.
They even stabbed the passenger’s eyes.
But the traffic cop holding the radio calmly took the two rebars out from the passenger’s eye sockets.
The pupils seemed slightly depressed but he blinked and the eyeballs popped back out and restored.
Rather oddly, the two rebars showed a faint bending trend...
The cop dropped his radio and sat there stunned, pointing at him on the motorcycle, "Y-you, you..."
Jiang Si gave him a sharp glance, impatient, "It was just some eye exercises, what’s the fuss."
Before the cop could speak, a small hand stuck out of the driver’s side of the next car, still clutching a Miracle Seed;
the small driver struggled out from under the steering wheel.
The cop’s eyes widened further;
he looked at Jiang Si, then at the small driver, "Do you—do you have a license?"
Silver Lotus pulled out her Magical Girl certificate and flashed it;
the cop immediately quieted.
Luckily she was short. In the emergency she had tried to reach for the Miracle Seed;
her body slipped and she tumbled down...
Several rebars had pierced through her car, penetrating the entire vehicle.
Climbing out shaken, Silver Lotus naturally noticed Jiang Si’s condition.
Her expression became complicated.
From the first time they went together to the Disaster Control Bureau and she saw Jiang Si bounce tens of meters, she had already guessed.
His physique was not ordinary.
But Jiang Si hadn’t been this terrifying back then.
When he fell later, you could see he had limits.
Somewhere along the way his flesh had become increasingly non-human...
These straight, piercing rebars—even those aimed at soft eyeballs—did nothing, and the rebars seemed slightly bent.
If that were a human body, who would believe it?
The nearby cops panicked and called others over;
the front cop kept berating the truck driver and confiscated his license, saying he’d have to go to the station.
The truck driver kept crying and pleading he had no choice because of his livelihood.
When the cops dragged him to the shredded small car, the truck driver finally went silent.
When Jiang Si and Silver Lotus stepped out of the car, someone behind called, "Jiang Si!"
Turning, Jiang Si saw Teacher Zhang sitting in a military vehicle close by;
Teacher Zhang didn’t dare get out or even look directly at Jiang Si.
They were not far from the school, and with the college entrance exam over, the timing was coincidental.
Silver Lotus immediately stepped in front of Jiang Si, ready to fend off conversation, when Teacher Zhang timidly asked, "Are you okay?"
He had seen the rebar smash into the car and then watched Jiang Si walk out unharmed, so he naturally had to ask.
Jiang Si nodded without answering him.
Soon a tow truck came and hauled away the wreck.
Silver Lotus chatted with the traffic cops a bit;
as a Magical Girl captain with the Disaster Control Bureau she had privileges.
The cops were respectful and patient.
Silver Lotus got a little impatient and threw a minor tantrum;
the cops could only smile wryly and explain helplessly.
Jiang Si sighed.
Today wasn’t going smoothly, he thought.
He reached for the warm black-gold card from Prince Little Friend.
The gloom vanished instantly.
The effect of the favorability talisman was always astonishing.
"Silver Lotus, how long more? If it’s too long I’ll go ahead."
"Almost, almost, wait a second and we’re done!"
She stretched and walked toward the roadside.
The roadside had a high-rise under renovation;
during the fight with the Magical Girl Killer the area had been mostly ruined.
The high-rise was complete and being decorated;
something was on the balcony.
Jiang Si sent the Curse Realm’s intel to Bingtang.
He also told Bingtang about meeting Prince Little Friend.
He kept silent about the black-gold card.
It wasn’t key intel anyway;
Bingtang could chase Curse Realm leads. Although he planned to go to the Disaster Control Bureau, Jincha might not be willing to share information.
He wondered when he could go to the Central Bureau to participate in the Mental Landscape trials, his Purple Mansion...
A creaking sound came from above.
Jiang Si glanced up.
A huge, heavy steel plate swayed in a gust of wind and fell.
Boom!
All the drivers looked up.
Teacher Zhang even jumped out and looked at the building under renovation, then at the unscathed Jiang Si, and shouted, "Jiang Si!"
Many drivers got out to watch.
Silver Lotus ran over and the traffic cops followed.
But then two more large steel plates fell, forcing people to keep their distance!
Teacher Zhang immediately grabbed the construction site manager nearby by the collar: "What kind of illegal construction is this! You people are endangering lives—these illegal fixtures hit a student, do you know that? How do you manage construction safety? People died! You’re finished! You’ve killed people!"
He shouted and fumbled with his phone to call the police.
As the dust cleared, a couple of steel plates flew out with a "woosh."
The innermost thick steel plate had twisted and deformed into a human shape...
Jiang Si removed the deformed plate that had hit him, twisted his neck, and looked at everyone who exhaled in relief, "I'm fine, not heavy."
Teacher Zhang’s phone dropped to the ground;
his eyes widened.
A cop coughed and waved away dust, looking at the unharmed Jiang Si and then at Silver Lotus, "Is this related to the Disaster Control Bureau’s Magical Girl personnel? Your brother?"
Such superhuman physique could only come from Magical Girl-related personnel.
But this was too extraordinary.
"No, not brother, a good friend." Silver Lotus corrected quietly then forced a smile, "Sort of. His sister is indeed a Magical Girl."
Magical Girl-related personnel shouldn’t have this level of physicality.
Even a Magical Girl transforming wouldn’t survive such an impact in human form!
Keke, your friend really is a monster...
But why did Lian get into trouble—something didn’t add up.
Everyone scanned the surroundings, trying to find if Mirror Beasts were causing it.
There was another sound from the floors above;
something else seemed about to fall.
Silver Lotus immediately grabbed Jiang Si’s hand and pulled him away.
A cop waved his arms to disperse the crowd.
Teacher Zhang wanted to say more but was pushed back by the cop;
after retrieving his phone he sat back in his car continuing to make complaint calls—these illegal constructions could not be tolerated!
"This is weird, like something’s targeting us."
Silver Lotus lowered her voice.
Jiang Si only nodded, "The reaper’s here."
"What’s that thing?"
"Have you not seen The Infinite Terror?"
"No."
"It uses small coincidences to manufacture kills." Jiang Si waved his hand, "A playful, humorous reaper, a little genius at setting up traps."
Silver Lotus listened half-understanding but said nothing, only wanting to pull Jiang Si away from the danger.
Then a hook fell with a gust of wind.
Silver Lotus transformed instantly and tried to scoop Jiang Si away, but when she grabbed him she found she couldn’t lift him!
Jiang Si hadn’t expected her sudden embrace either and for a moment didn’t struggle;
he couldn’t take off either.
He relaxed and withdrew his internal energy so Silver Lotus could pick him up and leave without arousing suspicion.
But Silver Lotus misjudged her strength;
as the Magical Girl captain, one slip and she tumbled holding him...
Jiang Si was speechless.
Even a clumsy one wouldn’t be that clumsy, would they? You’re a Blooming-tier Magical Girl!
He could only watch as Silver Lotus fell but kept enough balance to avoid crushing her.
If he hadn’t toned down his strength, he might have forced her to revert from transformation.
A huge hook then slammed onto his back;
Jiang Si’s muscles bulged like a ghostly ridge and the iron hook hit with a thunk!
It scraped across his back with sparks flying.
It looked like metal scraping metal!
The nearby cops were stunned, forgetting to help—superhumans didn’t need help anyway.
Silver Lotus, having fallen, felt a chill. A terrifying image flashed in her mind of Jiang Si with a giant iron hook through his back.
Then she saw the exaggerated hook slide off Jiang Si’s back, sparks flying.
That image shattered;
Silver Lotus, already numb, felt no real shock.
She was only mortified that after transforming she had fallen and failed to protect Jiang Si!
She looked up;
Jiang Si was propping himself up on the ground very close, so close she could feel his breath.
Just a strand of hair across her forehead made her blush.
I’m becoming the other woman...
Her heartbeat raced, especially as the hook had ripped Jiang Si’s clothes and exposed his sturdy, steel-like chest, heat radiating, nearly pressing against her.
Silver Lotus felt breathless.
There was a faint scent of sweat, but not unpleasant.
Her heart pounded so loud she feared Jiang Si could hear it...
At that hazy moment, a pendant fell from Jiang Si’s neck,
and struck her forehead.
In an instant Silver Lotus sobered.
It was a purple—
Miracle Seed.
The two of them met each other’s eyes and quiet settled between them.