A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

That night, a figure walked along an empty coastal highway in Leijing. He pulled off his blue Bird Beak Helmet and took a deep breath.

A cool sea breeze blew in, gently ruffling the boy's sweat-drenched hair.

A moment later, he slowly raised his eyes toward a seaside villa in the distance.

Inside the villa, the living room was dead silent.

Kuroki Hitomi sat silently on the sofa, her head bowed in a daze. The crystal chandelier overhead cast the dimmest of warm glows, while the intertwined sounds of cicadas and crashing waves drifted in through the window.

A moment later, she heard the sudden chime of the doorbell. She immediately rose from the sofa and hurried to the front door.

Opening it, she looked up and studied Ke Mingqing, who was still clad in his Blue Pigeon Battle Suit.

The girl's eyes gave a faint tremble. Her gaze fixed on the wound on his face and didn't move again.

Since the incident had reached a temporary conclusion, Ke Mingqing had deactivated the disguise from his Disguiser Talent. He no longer looked like White Jack, appearing before Kuroki Hitomi in his true form.

The wound was deep, nearly down to the bone. Since he hadn't treated it immediately, it looked especially grisly now—a dark, bloody red that had almost turned into a mangled patch of torn flesh.

Kuroki Hitomi stared at the horrific injury, and for some reason, she remained silent for a long time.

Ke Mingqing was mentally organizing his words, considering how to explain the Comet Fragments incident to her. He could hardly just say, "We're supposed to be partners in crime, but I didn't tell you a thing."

Neither of them spoke. They could only hear the crashing of the waves as the ocean swelled, its surface reflecting the starlight.

After a moment, Ke Mingqing slowly lifted his head. He seemed a little unnerved by her stare, so he tilted his head and asked, "Can you not look at me with that expression? It's just a minor scratch."

Kuroki Hitomi stayed quiet for a moment before looking away from the wound on his face. Lowering her head slightly, she murmured, "Come in..."

Ke Mingqing nodded with a small grunt of affirmation. Tucking that suffocating Bird Beak Helmet under his arm, he stepped into the villa.

Kuroki Hitomi shut the door, then led him up the spiral staircase.

She reached the second floor first and entered the bedroom. Ke Mingqing hesitated for a second before following her inside.

He raised his eyes and scanned the space. The bedroom was unexpectedly plain. The walls were covered in cartoon stickers and the doodles she drew when she was bored, such as a cartoon sketch of Blue Pigeon.

There was also a drawing of a boy in a classroom, resting his chin on his hand and gazing out the window as the wind ruffled his bangs.

The bedroom looked exactly like a little girl's room. It was hard to imagine its owner was the daughter of a wealthy family, as there wasn't a single hint of luxurious decoration inside.

Kuroki Hitomi closed the door. She sat on the bed without a word and withdrew a C Rank item from her inventory: the Permanent Fast-Acting Medical Cotton Swab. Soon, a medicine vial with a cotton swab sticking out of it appeared in her hand.

Ke Mingqing had come looking for her specifically because he knew she had this item.

He couldn't possibly go home with this gash on his face. If his second sister and older brother started asking questions, they would never stop.

Now was not the time to confess his identity as Blue Pigeon to them. Otherwise, with the methods those two control freaks used, how could they ever allow him to get involved in the Clock Maker incident? He knew that much for certain.

"Uh... should I crouch down?" Ke Mingqing glanced at the swab in Kuroki Hitomi's hand and sat down on the bed.

Kuroki Hitomi said nothing. She simply placed the swab back into the vial first, then freed up a pale, slender hand to lightly pat her thigh.

Seeing this, Ke Mingqing understood what she meant. He froze for a moment before trying to decline.

"Chief, maybe I should just crouch."

Kuroki Hitomi shook her head.

The tear-moled girl did not look pleased. It seemed she was still brooding over Ke Mingqing hiding his injury from her.

Ke Mingqing sighed, then obediently shifted his body and lay down on his side on the bed.

He hesitated for a moment before resting his head on her lap.

For some reason, he suddenly thought of his childhood in the orphanage, when the nurses would clean his ears.

Kuroki Hitomi must remember those times too, right? The children there had their ears cleaned by the nurses once a month. For many of them, it was their most enjoyable time... because it felt just like having a mother by their side.

Kuroki Hitomi said nothing. Picking up the swab with lowered eyes, she quietly and earnestly applied the medicine to his cheek.

This entire night spent clashing with Death Crow had dragged on like an eternity... Ke Mingqing's mind was already exhausted, so as he breathed in the scent lingering at his nose and felt the soothing coolness of the swab, he unwittingly closed his heavy eyelids.

The bedroom's balcony door was open, and the rhythmic rustle of the ocean waves drifted in from outside.

A moment later, Ke Mingqing suddenly remembered something. He opened his eyes and said, "By the way, I might have to spend the night at your place."

Kuroki Hitomi froze for a moment, looking down into his eyes.

Ke Mingqing averted his gaze. "Even though the wound will be healed... going back now and running into my sister and brother would definitely be awkward. It'd be bad if I accidentally let something slip."

He paused, then added, "Besides, their minds are probably still busy thinking about my little sister and third sister's—" Before he could finish his explanation, Kuroki Hitomi suddenly pressed an index finger to his lips, cutting him off.

Looking at the tear-moled girl's finger, Ke Mingqing froze for a moment. He tilted his head back slightly from her lap, quietly observing her expression.

"I know... you don't need to explain it to me."

As she spoke, Kuroki Hitomi dipped the swab back into the faintly red medicine, continuing to treat the wound on his cheek.

"So I can sleep at your place, then?"

"Yeah."

Ke Mingqing fell silent for a short while before closing his eyes once more. The bedroom was quiet. Outside the balcony, a cluster of pale green fireflies drifted across the beach.

A moment later, a soft voice rang out in the bedroom.

"Do you still remember when we were kids?"

"You mean back at the orphanage?"

"Yeah."

"It's dangerous for players to discuss their past lives, you know. If anyone heard us or recorded it, we'd be finished."

"There's no one else in my house. You still haven't answered me."

"Well... I actually remembered everything quite suddenly a while back. Expecting me to remember everything from when I was eight in crystal-clear detail is too hard."

"Then do you remember..."

"What?"

"When you wrote me a note, telling me to wake up early and run to the orphanage's back door with you. Then you told me we were partners in crime... You took me with you as you climbed the gate and snuck out. That was the first time I ever left the orphanage."

"Oh, when you brought it up before, I was actually thinking the word 'partners in crime' was super edgy—you Japanese girls really are something... Then I later recalled that I was the one who said it to you in the first place... I hadn't come to my senses yet back then. I probably just saw the word in some book, thought it was cool, and blurted it out to you."

"We went to the library to read, visited the aquarium, and finally ate at McDonald's."

"Sounds like I was pretty bad back then. Good thing I didn't take you anywhere weird."

"You wouldn't."

"Really?"

Kuroki Hitomi gave a faint smile. She rarely smiled, and even when she did, it usually went unnoticed. But with Ke Mingqing resting on her lap, he could see the subtle arc of her lips perfectly when he looked up.

They said no more. Ke Mingqing zoned out as he listened to the waves and watched the sea in the night, while Kuroki Hitomi quietly finished applying the medicine to his face.

"Thank you."

A moment later, she whispered, "You took me away that day... and later on, you even gave up your chance at adoption for me."

But her words went unanswered. Having finished applying his medicine, she looked down to find a peaceful, sleeping face. Bathed in the pure, pale moonlight, the boy's breathing was steady and even.

Kuroki Hitomi froze for a moment, looking as if she wanted to say, If you're like this, how am I supposed to sleep later?

But she didn't disturb him. She simply set the medicine vial on the bedside table, reached out, and gently stroked his hair.

After a while, the tear-moled girl leaned over the bedside table. Crossing her arms to make a pillow, she rested her cheek on her forearms and lowered her gaze to watch the boy sleeping in her lap.

Drowsiness slowly washed over her. She tilted her head and checked the clock on the wall; it was already two in the morning. Yielding to exhaustion, she slowly closed her heavy eyes.

The girl fell asleep on the table.

...

...

Meanwhile, back in the Old Jingmai District, inside the Xia-Ke family household.

Two figures stood in the second-floor hallway. The lighting was unusually dim; only a jack-o'-lantern left over from last Halloween hung below the ceiling, casting a faint orange glow.

By now, Ke Linye and Xia Lingxue had already changed back into their everyday loungewear.

The two of them leaned against the wall in silence.

Right beside them were Xia Zili and Xia Ningzhi's bedrooms. The two sisters were sleeping soundly in their respective beds, and their injuries had already fully healed.

A moment later, a faint murmur of conversation drifted out into the hallway.

"Was Ah Zhi really just out for a walk with you when she got dragged into this?"

"Yeah."

Ke Linye shot her a sidelong glance. "Forget it. We'll just go with that."

Xia Lingxue said nothing, silently gazing out at the night sky above the balcony. The evening breeze gently fluttered her bangs.

Ke Linye leaned against the wall in silence for a while before speaking up to break it:

"But still... I just can't quite believe it."

"Can't believe what?" Xia Lingxue asked.

"That Little Li actually hid this from us and became a magical girl," Ke Linye said with utmost seriousness. "Do you think that's even possible?"

Xia Lingxue looked at him. "Is it really so strange that it happened?"

Ke Linye tilted his head, his black earring swaying gently. "Of course it's strange. With such a wonderful older brother like me around, for her to actually have secrets she can't share—don't you think that's completely bizarre?"

He looked up at the ceiling and scratched his chin, murmuring in bewilderment, "Logically speaking, she should have come to me first the moment she became a magical girl, right? For example, asking me, 'Brother, Brother, I've become a magical girl! Should I join that scam of a Magical Girl Company?'"

Xia Lingxue fell silent for a moment, then let out a low sigh.

"You really have absolutely zero self-awareness."

"Do I?" Ke Linye said casually. "My dear little sister, after you awakened your ability back then, didn't you tell me about it right away?"

"That was only because you happened to walk in on me, okay?" Xia Lingxue retorted.

Ke Linye was quiet for a moment before suddenly letting out a low chuckle:

"Was it really just a coincidence?"

Xia Lingxue froze, and after a moment, she turned to look at his face. "You had already found out?"

Ke Linye simply curled his lips into a faint smile, saying nothing.

Xia Lingxue lowered her head in thought for a moment. Saying nothing, she tore the wrapper off a lollipop and put it in her mouth.

Ke Linye glanced down at his phone screen and suddenly spoke up, "Oh, right. Even though we brought Ah Zhi and Little Li back safely, we still have one serious issue to deal with."

"Tell me," Xia Lingxue replied.

Ke Linye was quiet for a moment before saying seriously, "It's like this. I just knocked on Ah Qing's bedroom door and realized he's not home."

"Oh, there's no need to worry about him."

Xia Lingxue said expressionlessly. Taking the phone tucked under her arm, she turned the screen toward Linye. "He said he went to hang out at his girlfriend's place. He also said he might stay the night there, and that we shouldn't look for him if he doesn't come back."

Ke Linye turned his head, looking at the group chat messages on the screen. A flash of confusion crossed his clear eyes.

After a long pause, he slowly asked, "My dear sister, I have a question. Why is it that we're clearly in the same group chat, yet I didn't see the message he sent?"

"Do you want to know?" Xia Lingxue suddenly gave a cold laugh. The laugh was dripping with naked mockery.

"I kind of don't want to know."

"It's because Ah Qing blocked you."

"...Oh."

Ke Linye fell silent for a moment, tilting his head as his black earring swayed gently.

"Why aren't you talking?" Xia Lingxue asked expressionlessly.

"It's nothing. My pride is just a little wounded."

Ke Linye leaned his back against the wall, putting his phone away and stuffing his hands into his pockets.

The two shared a moment of silence. Turning back to the balcony, they watched a silver-white iron dragon of a train roar across a distant elevated bridge.

As the night wind blew in, Xia Lingxue suddenly spoke in a low voice. "Since Little Li is a magical girl... then back then, I..."

She had originally wanted to bring up the Witchification incident to Ke Linye, but she stopped herself.

Because Xia Lingxue knew that Ember hadn't truly undergone Witchification. Everyone knew that once someone turned into a witch, they could never revert to their original form.

But Xia Zili was different. She hadn't stayed in that state, instead reverting back to her original appearance—which meant that whatever Xia Lingxue had seen at the port wasn't actually her Witchified form. But if not that, then what was it?

Xia Lingxue decided to wait until she figured this all out before sharing her conclusions with Ke Linye.

Otherwise, if this homicidal maniac believed his sister had truly become a witch, he might lose his mind and smash up the Magical Girl Company directly.

Just as she was thinking this, Ke Linye suddenly asked in an eerie tone, "You were going to ask who Blue Pigeon is, right?"

Xia Lingxue didn't understand what he meant by this. She turned back to Ke Linye, waiting for his explanation.

Ke Linye's face was expressionless. He pulled out his phone again, opened Twitter, and tapped to play a video he had just found.

In the video, the magical girl Ember was holding an umbrella in one hand while wrapping her other arm around Blue Pigeon's waist. She lowered her gaze slightly, locking eyes with him on the training ground.

The referee's loud voice rang out: "This is... Ember and Blue Pigeon are actually embracing?"

[Kskbl: Are these two having a secret romance?]

[Yan Yu: Damn, this is too blatant.]

[Big Mouth Pigeon: Taking a step back here, couldn't it just be that Blue Pigeon is really strong and forced Ember into making that move?]

Watching the video and the barrage of comments floating across the top of the screen, Xia Lingxue's eyes grew slightly cold. She crunched down and shattered the lollipop in her mouth without even realizing it.

"Great... Now I want to know who Blue Pigeon is."

"It's fine. I'll definitely find some time later to track this Blue Pigeon down and have a friendly chat with him," Ke Linye said with a faint smile, putting his phone away.

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