Su Tianqing went to great lengths to create a transformation scene for Iris, one grand enough to accommodate Star Shadow.
First, she used up a redemption slot from the secret codex shop, then she set up an ambush to ensnare Hyacinth, and then she had no choice but to deal with Nightingale, whom Ben Hu had personally trained.
She even had to appease her villainous teammates, ensuring they had fun and didn't get bored.
“And I had to travel thousands of miles to activate a teleportation spell to come to Shan City, just to find a world-rare Razor Freak…”
“Tsk tsk, if there were a villain organization, they’d definitely have to name Ben Hu as the ‘Annual Advanced’ one.”
Su Tianqing muttered softly, looking up at the Black Wolf Monster, who was currently wrestling with the Razor Freak.
This was at the entrance of a mall in Shan City.
Ten minutes ago, she had used a teleportation spell to come here and stake out, just in time to catch the Razor Freak erupting from the sewer, preparing to attack the mall.
Then, she cosplayed as a righteous Magic Girl.
“Empty Monster Capsule,” Su Tianqing looked down at the small item in her hand.
This was an item bought yesterday from the secret codex’s hidden shop page; although its description was forgotten, it was actually quite a cheap item.
A cheap consumable, 10 empty capsules for a total of 100 divine code stone.
The secret codex said it could capture wild Monsters that had never been seen before, and then she could use summoning magic to summon them in batches. Was it a different kind of Pokémon Pokedex collection? Su Tianqing wondered.
“Clack clack clack clack…”
“Clang! Boom!!”
The Razor Freak’s blades whistled as they swung through the air, but the Black Wolf Monster steadily caught the enormous razor, then backhanded it, sending the Monster, who was several times taller than her, sprawling to the ground!
After a shattering sound, the Monster lay prone, firmly pinned down by the Black Wolf Monster, unable to move.
The surrounding crowd, who hadn't had time to evacuate, immediately cheered loudly when they saw the Monster subdued, even shouting things like “Fox Fox, I love you so much!”
Su Tianqing felt a bit strange, but hearing the fans' shouts, she still politely smiled and waved in the direction of the cheers.
Look, this is Ben Hu’s popularity! Even in Shan City, there are wild Fox fans!
It wasn't until Golden Fox put the Razor Freak into a Monster Capsule that the atmosphere at the scene finally calmed down considerably.
And those few magic trails in the sky also caught Su Tianqing’s attention.
The orange-clad girl leading them stopped in mid-air, looked down, and circled around, not seeing any trace of the Monster, but she did see Golden Fox looking up at the sky.
The little Fox Fox wagged her tail and greeted the girl in the air.
“Hmm? You are… Xin Yuehu?”
Qiugui said doubtfully, not daring to descend immediately.
She had long heard that Xin Yuehu was a villainous Magic Girl active in Rong City, and she didn't expect her to appear in Shan City. Was she coincidentally traveling to Shan City? But there were still some days until the winter break, could it be that she…
“Good evening, Miss Qiugui.”
Su Tianqing smiled and greeted the orange Magic Girl.
Qiugui didn't dare to respond for a moment, but looking at her junior companions who had arrived behind her, she still mustered the courage to return Xin Yuehu’s greeting.
“Good evening, Miss Xin Yuehu. Aren't you in Rong City? Why did you suddenly come to…?”
“Because a very rare Monster appeared in Shan City, so Ben Hu specially came to collect it.”
“Ah, it’s already so late, goodbye, Miss Qiugui~ If there’s a chance, we’ll meet again next time~”
After saying that, without waiting for Qiugui to react, Xin Yuehu flicked her tail and disappeared without a trace.
Qiugui remained bewildered for a long time until her companion behind her poked her, and she finally snapped out of her daze.
“Qiugui? What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly freeze?”
“Ah? No, nothing, I was just a little curious.”
“Is it because of that child Xin Yuehu?”
Another companion chimed in, saying,
“Xin Yuehu is quite cute.”
“She calls herself a villain, though. If you insist on saying that…”
“But she also protected the citizens just now, didn’t she?”
Qiugui was speechless, silently looking at the traces of the fierce battle on the ground, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
…That little Fox Fox, she really seems quite cute.
…
“Task Completed: Monster Reserve”
“Reward: 500 divine code stone, Monster Type Unlocked”
Completed!
In the evening, Golden Fox leaned against the headboard, flipping through the secret codex in her hand, excitedly wagging her tail.
New Monster type! Razor Freak!
From the records she had found on the Hero Association’s backend server, this Monster had only appeared a few times, but without exception, each time it caused significant casualties and destruction.
Including today, if she hadn't staked out in advance, the damage caused by this wild Monster would definitely not have been small.
“Is it because this guy is very powerful? I don’t really feel anything.”
Su Tianqing pondered as she flipped through the newly updated introduction page in the Monster Pokedex.
Because its body was covered in razors, its destructive power was similar to the Black Wolf Monster, but its speed, strength, and resilience were completely crushed. If they were to fight one-on-one, it would definitely not be a match for the Black Wolf Monster.
To summarize—in Ben Hu’s hands, it could only be considered a T2-level little guy, not a main force.
But for Iris, the Razor Freak might touch upon that hidden memory deep within her heart, and perhaps provide a certain degree of impetus for her to awaken Star Shadow.
This way, all the prerequisite tasks for Iris were completed.
“In any case, today I’ll adjust the configuration of this Razor Freak, and then figure out a way to…”
Before she finished speaking, the phone suddenly rang by her pillow.
Su Tianqing tilted her head in confusion.
It was already half past ten; who would be calling her? It couldn't be Xiao Yu, could it?
Golden Fox picked up her phone and focused on the contact displayed on the screen.
Contact: Hua Ling.
What? Hua Ling?
Su Tianqing was startled, and quickly answered the phone.
“Hello, Hua Ling Meimei, is there something wrong so late?”
Su Tianqing asked tentatively.
But there was a long silence on the other end of the line, and then the girl’s soft voice slowly came through:
“Tianqing Jie… I’m sorry for calling you so late… Did I disturb your rest?”
“It’s fine, I haven’t slept yet. Is there something you need, Hua Ling Meimei?”
“…………”
Again, a long silence.
The girl on the other end of the phone seemed to be hesitating about something. After a long while, she finally said softly:
“Tianqing Jie, can we talk?”
“Of course, we can. Should we talk on the phone? Or use video call?”
“…I’m at the entrance of Rongcheng Medical College, Tianqing Jie.”
Su Tianqing froze abruptly.
Golden Fox practically flipped out of bed, rushed to the living room window, and looked out from the street-facing window towards the medical college gate in the distance.
On the deserted street late at night, a girl with a haggard expression stood prominently.
—Hua Ling.