NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10 - Seven-Winged Eye
Chapter 10: Seven-Winged Eye
Above the river, a deformed monster is wreaking havoc along the banks.
Its black body is a roughly two-meter-diameter spherical mass, and at the center of the mass is a giant eye occupying most of its body. The strange eye emits a light that disturbs the minds of onlookers.
Above the giant eye’s eye sockets are seven wings, but these seven wings are not symmetrically arranged; instead, they grow in a wild, irregular manner, differing in size and lacking any pattern. This non-biological structure adds an extra layer of eeriness to the monster.
“Roar!”
Although it lacks vocal organs, people hear the monster’s “roar.”
It flaps its bizarre wings, creating a violent wind that sweeps through the entire dock, overturning nearby boats into the water. Fortunately, the humans in this area have been evacuated by soldiers, and the monster only damages the surrounding buildings.
The military has its own set of experiences in dealing with monsters.
“Prepare, fire!”
On the other side of the dock, a group of soldiers, under the commander’s instructions, launches a coordinated attack against the monster.
A hail of bullets rains down on the monster, and the kinetic energy of the bullets causes the monster to experience a brief moment of stiffness. However, the protective membrane, invisible to the eye, appears around it, shielding it from all harm.
This ability, known to humans as the “Barrier,” can resist damage from modern human weapons. The principle is temporarily unclear, but almost every monster possesses this ability.
However, for the soldiers, this is sufficient.
“Good, continue the fire! Delay the monster’s progress until the magical girls arrive!”
The commander encourages his subordinates.
The sound of bullets being fired is incessant.
Then, the commander takes out his dedicated walkie-talkie and, with a stern tone, questions the other side.
“Communications Department! When will the magical girls arrive?”
After a burst of interference, a female voice from the walkie-talkie responds.
“We’ve contacted Hou Entertainment’s business center, and they are dispatching magical girls.”
“Too slow! Can’t you get magical girls from other entertainment companies to arrive more quickly?!”
The commander remains dissatisfied with the communication department’s reply.
“Well, um… we can’t do that. Other entertainment companies have refused to dispatch magical girls.”
The female voice sounds somewhat helpless.
“You know, there’s an agreement between entertainment companies. They won’t break their long-standing agreement for a single incident.”
“Damn!”
The commander is infuriated by the response.
“What kind of ridiculous agreement is that? ‘A single incident’? Do you know how many people might sacrifice their lives due to this ‘single incident’?”
The female voice falls silent.
The commander also knows that the fault lies not with her; he simply cannot control himself.
He takes a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
“I understand. We will hold out until the reinforcements arrive.”
After a burst of interference, the communication on the walkie-talkie ends.
The commander then mutters to the silent machine in his hand:
“Indeed, the structure of magical girls needs to be reformed!”
…
…
At this moment, the belated magical girl finally appears.
A light-yellow, note-shaped light wave flies towards the monster, penetrating its barrier and sending the monster flying into the center of the river!
The soldiers, who have been firing continuously, finally breathe a sigh of relief. They see a light-yellow girl appearing in the sky, with an unmanned aerial vehicle carrying a camera hovering behind her.
“The melodious notes play a healing melody. Magical girl Bao Xiang, reporting in!”
She waves a staff-like microphone, striking her classic pose. Behind Bao Xiang, the drone focuses on her for a close-up shot.
“It’s a magical girl!”
“The magical girl has finally arrived!”
“Go for it! Magical girl!”
The people below cheer for the magical girl.
“Bao Xiang, the monster on the opposite side is the Seven-Winged Eye, dark attribute, and its weakness is the eye.”
The producer’s voice comes through the earphones.
Each entertainment company has its own database of monster information, which provides data and weaknesses for most monsters.
“I understand.”
Bao Xiang nods.
Splash!
The black eyeball flew out of the river.
“Explosive Melody!”
Bao Xiang swung her long-handled microphone, and musical note-shaped light waves in a pale yellow color automatically emerged at the microphone’s head. They quickly shot towards the monster again, but this time, they targeted the weak point—the eye!
Boom!
The light waves exploded in a burst of black smoke around the monster.
In the nick of time, the monster shielded its vulnerable parts with its wings, but its deformed body was already on the verge of collapse.
(“I can win. I’m already in the top 100 magical girls. A monster of this level won’t be my match!”)
Bao Xiang is currently ranked 89th on the “Popularity Chart,” and being able to break into the top 100 is a testament to Hou Entertainment’s strength.
However—
Just as Bao Xiang was getting excited about the impending victory,
“You fool! What are you doing?!”
A harsh rebuke came through her headphones.
“Producer, I—”
Her words were interrupted.
“I’ve never seen someone as stupid as you! Fortunately, your attack didn’t directly kill the monster. What would we broadcast after this if it did?!”
After the excitement, the voice in her headphones turned cold again.
“I’ve said it before, follow all my instructions. You wouldn’t want to face being blacklisted, would you?”
“I-I understand.”
Bao Xiang nodded meekly.
“Be more natural; you’re still live on the scene. Don’t let the audience notice.”
Bao Xiang forced a stiff smile towards the camera.
“Yes, just like that. Then, act as if you’re losing and let the monster injure you a few times.”
The producer casually gave instructions through the headphones.
“This…”
The producer showed no concern for Bao Xiang’s thoughts.
“It’s better if it damages your clothing in private areas; the effect will be better.”
The producer’s words were quite explicit.
“I…”
Bao Xiang didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
However, the eyeball monster on the other side paid no attention to Bao Xiang’s hesitation! While she was still dazed, the monster had already recovered from the previous attack and, opening its seven wings, was flying towards Bao Xiang!
The wings, sharp as steel knives, grazed Bao Xiang, who couldn’t dodge in time. In addition to slicing off the sleeve on her left shoulder, it left a bloody mark.
“Yes! Well done! Just like that!”
The producer’s excited praise came through the headphones.
But Bao Xiang didn’t feel happy at all. The injury just now was not intentional on her part, and she indeed had not reacted to the previous attack. It was also her first time getting hurt in a real battle, and she realized for the first time—getting hurt is so painful.
However, the producer obviously didn’t know or care about her thoughts.
“Continue. Now, pretend to be losing and shift towards where there are more people. Let the audience on-site feel your battle—go to the school! Yes! The school is perfect! It’s the closest place now!”