A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

"Mom."

When Ke Mingqing said that, Xi Ziyue froze slightly.

Her shock was obvious; the calm demeanor of the modern era's top magical girl was completely gone.

Xi Ziyue remained silent for a long moment. Reaching out with her hand that had frozen in midair, she picked up her teacup and took a sip in feigned composure. A moment later, she lifted her clear eyes to re-examine this seemingly unremarkable boy.

It was 9:30 AM on September 9th. Inside an empty, old classroom, the boy and girl sat in silent confrontation.

The reason for this current scene traced back to the morning of the previous day.

...

...

On the morning of September 8th, in the living room of the old building, Ke Linye, Xia Lingxue, and Ke Mingqing sat shoulder-to-shoulder on the sofa. The psychological thriller Obsession played on the television.

He added, "This is called making reasonable use of my network advantages."

"Setting aside whether calling someone 'Mom' counts as leveraging your network, our Blue Pigeon Boy is brewing up bad ideas again," Ke Linye said with a smile.

"How is this a bad idea?"

"Isn't it? If word gets out that China's hottest superhero has a fetish for calling people Mom, and the target is a nineteen-year-old magical girl, the internet will be flooded with memes."

"It doesn't matter. I stopped browsing the forums a long time ago."

Ke Mingqing sighed. "People online are already spreading rumors that I'm Clock Maker's illegitimate child, and saying that I have a thing going with Top Hero. They even Photoshopped a picture of me 'battling' Rain Crow and Clock Maker in bed. Do you have any idea how mentally destroyed I was when I saw that cursed image? If you ask me, the first step to being a public figure is staying off Weibo."

He paused and looked at his silent second sister. "What do you think, Sis?"

"What do I think?" Xia Lingxue said blankly. "I'd rather ask you—is having one mother at home not enough? You have to go outside and find another one?"

"No, no, no. I was asking about public figures staying off Weibo."

Xia Lingxue ignored him and continued her lecture. "Oh, right. Since they say an eldest brother is like a father, and your brother looks like a woman anyway, if you're really that desperate, you could acknowledge him as your mother."

She paused. "Then you'd have two mothers. Would you still need to seek one outside?"

Ke Mingqing fell silent.

"I don't have a problem with that."

Ke Linye was watching the television. Even though he hadn't really been listening to their conversation, he casually threw that response in.

Ke Mingqing was about to speak, but fell silent once more.

Xia Lingxue remained quiet for a moment, took a deep breath, and rubbed her temples.

"Also, haven't I told you that if you think Dad is Rain Crow, you need to show some proof? If you can't produce any, then stop making these boring jokes."

"Proof... I don't have any for now!" Ke Mingqing continued gently guiding them. "But haven't you guys noticed that ever since Dad went to the US, Rain Crow hasn't shown up these past few days?"

"It's possible Rain Crow just retired, since Clock Maker is already dead," Ke Linye said with a shrug.

Ke Mingqing was left speechless. A moment later, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Forget it, I can't talk to you guys. Anyway, I'll bring you proof that Dad is Rain Crow within the next few days. I want to be alone for a bit, so don't bother me."

With that, he got up from the sofa and went upstairs, striding with great purpose.

Xia Lingxue and Ke Linye raised their heads from the sofa in unison, silently watching his retreating back.

Even long after Ke Mingqing's figure disappeared, they didn't look away, frozen like a still photograph.

After a long while, Ke Linye suddenly pulled a novel from the bookshelf behind the sofa.

"Uh... Sis, what do you think? I do feel there's a high chance Dad is an Esper, but expecting me to believe he's Rain Crow is still too absurd."

"I don't know. Could things in this family get any messier?"

"I'd like to ask that too. Let's just hope we don't get a little witch joining the family in a few days. If that happens, we'll just have to become great demon lords and help her destroy the world."

"If you want to die, you can just say so. There's no need to make that kind of assumption."

"Never mind, never mind. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Sis."

As his voice faded, Ke Linye leaned the back of his head against the sofa and covered his face with the book in his hands, My Name Is Red. His other arm draped over the backrest.

He fell asleep silently just like that, looking as if the book had suffocated him.

This left Xia Lingxue alone, still hugging her shoulders and lost in solemn thought.

...

...

Time slipped by quietly. The sky darkened and brightened again. It was the early morning of the second day, and the moment Ke Mingqing opened his eyes, a system panel smacked him in the face.

[The current time is 07:00 on September 9th, Sunday morning. The time remaining for the "Exterminate Superhumans" mission is—110 days, 17 hours, and 0 minutes.]

[Good morning, Red Name Player under observation, Ke Mingqing—please maintain standard conduct for two more months. At that time, based on your contributions, the system will classify the "killing player Li Wei" incident as an accident and revoke your red name.]

"Here come the empty promises." Ke Mingqing yawned, slid the window open, and rested his head on the sill, closing his eyes to bask in the sun for a while.

Bright and early in the morning, he received a WeChat message from Xi Ziyue.

The message sent by the strongest magical girl of the current era was very brief.

She knew the staff at WeChat and seemed to have collaborated with them before, so when she sent messages, there was a custom border of a cartoon panda looking up and shaking a stalk of bamboo. Every time she sent a message, the panda would shake the bamboo once.

[Xi Ziyue: This is the address. It's rare for me to wake up early, so please do not be late. It is basic courtesy.]

[Ke Mingqing: Aren't you usually in the US?]

[Xi Ziyue: Yes.]

[Ke Mingqing: It's not morning in the US, yet you lied about waking up early to see me and even used that excuse to pressure me. As expected of my sister's master. Did she learn how to pressure people from you?]

Xi Ziyue was silent for a good while before she finally replied.

[Xi Ziyue: (Sticker: Panda innocently chewing bamboo)]

"Why does it feel like all magical girls are quirky weirdos in their own ways?"

Looking at the message, Ke Mingqing muttered softly to himself. He then pocketed his phone, quietly pushed the door open, and stepped out of the Xia-Ke family's old building into the oncoming morning breeze.

September in Leijing was gradually shifting into autumn, and the early morning wind was cold enough to make one shiver.

The uphill path was covered in fallen ginkgo and maple leaves. The wind swept up the remnants, blood red and golden yellow fluttering in the air like butterflies. Bare branches rustled in the wind, and sunlight that brought no warmth—but rather a hint of chill—filtered past the utility poles to spill over Ke Mingqing's head.

Ke Mingqing had put on a windbreaker before heading out today. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, he walked past unattended street vendor carts, heading straight down the long, empty street.

Following the address Xi Ziyue had sent over WeChat, he made his way to an abandoned elementary school in the Old Jingmai District. With a light tap of his foot, he leaped over the guardrail at the school gates.

Finally, he stopped in front of an empty classroom on the fifth floor of one of the academic buildings.

"Another place where a dream began..."

Ke Mingqing murmured softly.

He vaguely remembered that after he had transmigrated, the first time he saw "Magical Girl Ember" was right in this classroom. Back then, when the girl in the gothic dress turned her head and saw a white head behind the window, she was so scared her face turned as pale as White Jack.

Ke Mingqing shrugged his shoulders and yawned as he pushed the classroom door open.

He was greeted by the sight of an empty classroom, where over a dozen wooden desks had been pushed together to form a makeshift conference table.

Sunlight spilled in through the dust-covered windows. He pulled out a random chair, sat down, and sent Xi Ziyue a WeChat message.

[Ke Mingqing: Where are you?]

[Xi Ziyue: I'm here.]

A short while later, accompanied by a clattering rumble echoing through the air, a massive Spatial Rift suddenly opened in midair. Then, a dark green train locomotive pushed its way out of the rift.

Rows of pumpkin lanterns hung from the front of the train, radiating a warm, orange-yellow glow. The brightly lit train came to a halt, resting like a colossal beast crouching on the ground.

Following that, a figure opened the door to the driver's cabin and stepped out holding a teacup.

Ke Mingqing looked up and saw a young woman dressed in a light green qipao, wearing a bamboo hair ornament.

Her features were delicate and ethereal, her skin pale, and her dark, pristine hair draped over her shoulders. Her lively eyes seemed veiled by a layer of mist. She wore a blank expression, yet her pure and quiet aura easily reminded one of tender green bamboo swaying in the wind during the autumn equinox.

Xi Ziyue paused on the gangway ladder of the train and glanced toward Ke Mingqing, her footsteps suddenly halting.

The girl in the qipao remained silent for a short while before speaking at an unhurried pace, "I didn't expect your appearance..."

"What about my appearance?" Ke Mingqing kept his hands in his windbreaker pockets and tilted his head, curiously meeting her gaze.

"...To look even younger than I imagined."

With that said, Xi Ziyue politely averted her eyes. She sat down at the far end of the conference table and took the lid off her teacup.

"Mom," Ke Mingqing suddenly said.

It was such a matter-of-fact "Mom" that even the battle-hardened Xi Ziyue couldn't help but freeze slightly.

An absolute silence fell over the classroom. A moment later, the Spatial Rift abruptly closed, sucking the massive train locomotive back inside. The firelight of the lanterns vanished, leaving only the morning light to illuminate their faces.

She took a sip of tea. Only after a long while did she raise her eyes, suddenly summoning her magic card binder with blinding speed and crushing a Magic Card.

Ke Mingqing watched quietly as countless motes of faint blue light swept past his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"A Magic Card that can detect if a target has been possessed by something, or if they are under mind control." Xi Ziyue paused. "I'm very disappointed. It seems neither is the case."

"Oh."

"Excuse me, but why would you call me 'Mom'?"

"Everyone on the internet says Rain Crow is my godfather, and Little Red Riding Hood said you like my godfather. Doesn't that mean you want to be my mom?" Ke Mingqing tilted his head. "Did I misunderstand?"

Xi Ziyue remained silent for a moment. She sipped her tea and said evenly, "Admiring someone doesn't necessarily mean wanting to get close to them. Please distinguish between the two."

"Ah, got it. So what did you need me for?" Ke Mingqing yawned. "I'm the one who actually had to wake up early, okay? You flew in from another country and look perfectly energetic."

Xi Ziyue said, "Then I'll get straight to the point. Kiyono Sakura's corpse is a fake."

Ke Mingqing was slightly taken aback. "You mean..."

In that instant, his mind flashed back to that high noon.

During that brief moment when the sun was obscured by clouds, he had rummaged through the dim world to find that vase, only to discover a grotesque potted plant made of human flesh, bone, and a severed head.

"The corpse we found in the apartment was a magical construct made by a witch," Xi Ziyue said. "In the beginning, it did manage to maintain the illusion for a week, but early yesterday morning, the remains gradually dissolved back into magic."

"Which means the real Kiyono Sakura is still alive?"

"It's only a possibility." Xi Ziyue nodded. "Since the corpse was fake, the real Kiyono Sakura is still considered missing."

She paused for a moment before asking, "So I need to ask you, do you have any leads regarding this? After all, you were the last person to speak with Kiyono Sakura."

It took Ke Mingqing a good while to recover his wits. He spoke absentmindedly, "If Kiyono Sakura is still alive, I'll figure out a way to find her. We survived the battle over the Comet Fragments together, so we can be considered half-comrades at least."

Xi Ziyue looked at him quietly. After a moment, she looked away and put the lid back on her teacup.

"Is that so... alright. I believe you. Please ensure this information does not spread. If you find any clues regarding Kiyono Sakura later on, you can notify me immediately on WeChat."

"I know relations between the two countries are really tense right now because of this. I'll do my best to help if I can."

"Then, if there's nothing else, I will take my leave," Xi Ziyue said coolly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask, have we met somewhere before?"

"Perhaps..."

Xi Ziyue lowered her eyes slightly and spoke softly, "Your name is Ke Mingqing, correct?"

"Right."

Xi Ziyue looked up at him and suddenly changed the subject. "The Magical Girl Company over in Norway is still waiting for me in a meeting. The witches from the Terminal Tower are currently operating within Norway's borders, and there's no telling when they might come to China, so I have to go."

"Please, attend to your business."

Ke Mingqing hurriedly cupped his fists, bowed his head, and spoke with the exaggerated deference of a servant greeting their master.

He didn't know why, but whenever he saw Xi Ziyue's highly stereotypical Chinese outfit and bamboo hair ornament, he always felt an overwhelming urge to talk like that.

"Goodbye."

With that said, a Spatial Rift suddenly opened behind Xi Ziyue. Amidst a deafening roar, the dark green train came rushing straight at her.

In that moment, Ke Mingqing only saw the blazing headlights swallow Xi Ziyue's figure whole.

He merely blinked once, and the rift was already closed. The roaring sound and the massive dark green train had vanished without a trace, leaving no sign of anyone at the far end of the conference table.

"Why is everyone always so busy? Would it kill them to chat a bit more?"

Ke Mingqing shrugged, got up from his chair, and patted the dust off his jacket. In his mind, he pondered, 'Since Kiyono Sakura is still alive, there's only one person who might know where she is.'

At that thought, the grotesque face of the stick-figure girl surfaced in his mind.

Ke Mingqing's eyes flickered slightly as he stepped out of the empty classroom.

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