I dug up the magical girl's corpse.

Chapter 60 Star of Hope

"Um?"

Chen Mu instantly lost all sleepiness and straightened his back with renewed vigor.

She couldn't help but wipe her glasses and look ahead again.

Indeed, there is an elf here.

It was an exceptionally cute creature, about the size of a palm, with a round body covered in fluffy, snow-white fur. Two crystal-clear, ruby-like eyes occupied nearly half of its small face, reflecting Chen Mu's slightly disheveled figure. Above its eyes were small, pointed, furry ears standing upright on its head.

It trailed a huge white tail behind it, swaying gently, looking like a plush toy that had suddenly been brought to life.

"You are... what was it again?" Chen Mu was dumbfounded. She didn't expect to encounter such a classic scene from a magical girl anime.

It floated in the air, radiating a soft, milky-white halo, standing out starkly from the dark, dirty clutter, like a ray of heavenly light piercing into hell.

"I am the angel of hope, and you seem to be in a state of despair."

"Girl, sign a contract with me and become the Witch of Hope."

It repeated itself, as if giving a mechanical answer.

The sound was soft and lovely, but it didn't open its mouth; the sound came from its abdomen.

At this moment, Chen Mu seemed to no longer hear the banging of the zombies at the door. His expression turned serious as he asked the angel:

"If I sign a contract with you, will you give me the power to break through this desperate situation?"

[Angels of Hope] have finally given a different answer:

"Of course, the light of hope will pierce the darkness, and no evil spirit can resist such a power."

"it is good."

This answer gave Chen Mu his last bit of confidence.

The contract must be accepted; there's no way to refuse.

It's better than dying here.

With power, we can break through this desperate situation.

Didn't I come here for power?

She brushed the dust off her knees, supported herself as she stood up. Although she was still very tired, she felt encouraged and incredibly determined.

Looking at the angel before her, she felt more than ever before that it was all fate's arrangement, that it was all destined that they would meet here.

"I..." Chen Mu took a deep breath and answered, "I'll take it—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

Her lips were pressed against a tiny finger.

It resembled a "shh" gesture.

That shut her down what she was about to say.

To Chen Mu's astonishment, a familiar figure appeared in the air. The petite body and long, jet-black hair belonged to the little girl, Xiao Ying!

She was wearing a hospital gown, and I don't know why she suddenly appeared here. Her expression was gentle, and she smiled with her eyes narrowed, making her seem like a mother for some reason.

It wasn't one of the infected zombies, nor did it make any aggressive moves towards Chen Mu; instead, it slowly walked over.

The little girl walked up to the "Angel of Hope," grabbed its body with one hand, and its head with the other.

Twist it.

Click.

Blood splattered everywhere, covering Chen Mu's face.

The "Angel of Hope" had its neck broken before it could even utter a single word.

With that gentle expression, Xiao Ying made such a cruel move, yet she did not change her divine, maternal demeanor; she remained incredibly warm.

She threw the fairy's corpse on the ground and wiped her blood-covered hands.

"No, I can't accept this. I told my sister that angels are familiars, dangerous beings, and hooks for witches. I absolutely cannot agree to their contracts."

"……ah!"

Chen Mu suddenly realized what was happening!

She belatedly clutched her chest, backing away as her exhaustion and sweat resurfaced, pulling her back to reality, leaving her breathless.

What just happened? She couldn't quite recall it. Was she being controlled? She felt she could control her actions, but her thoughts were monotonous, with no real process of thinking.

I simply listened to the story told by that "Angel of Hope" and then believed it.

What kind of force can influence a person's mind? Or does it limit a person's thinking to a certain aspect, preventing them from thinking about other things?

Chen Mu's mind was in complete chaos. She couldn't sort out her thoughts and felt like she was still in a daze, half-asleep.

"I almost agreed to that contract?"

"How could that be? I knew beforehand that it was dangerous."

"Xiaoying told me. Oh, right, Xiaoying!"

She suddenly looked up, and thankfully, the little girl in front of her hadn't disappeared.

Xiao Ying remained standing in that beam of light, smiling as she looked at her.

"Xiao Ying? Why are you here? Are you a character I've created, or do you really exist? Are the 'witch' and 'angel' you mentioned real, or special powers unique to this world? How do you know information I don't know? Who are you? Are you here to help me, or do you have some other purpose in mind?"

Chen Mu bombarded her with a series of questions, not because she was too eager, but because she had too many questions that needed to be answered.

Unfortunately, Xiaoying seemed to ignore these questions and offered no answers.

She just walked over slowly.

"Sister, I really enjoy listening to your stories."

"Ah... um?"

Chen Mu was stunned. She didn't know what to do and watched the girl approach step by step.

Until Xiaoying smiled and stretched out her hands, making a "big" shape.

Chen Mu then understood, hesitated for a moment, and reached out to slowly pull the girl into his arms.

The warm touch is not a virtual fantasy, but a real feeling.

Xiaoying closed her eyes and whispered in her ear, "Sister's story sounds very interesting. Whether it's the world of magical girls or your encounter with that girl, I really like this story. Although I don't like the tragic ending, sister, you will save her, right? That's enough. I've been imprisoned here for so long, and I hope someone will come and save me."

"Xiao Ying..."

Chen Mu frowned. Although there were still many things she didn't understand, she didn't want to ask them now.

She felt a surge of emotions welling up with the physical contact, which she could not suppress.

"They took away my power, and I can't leave here either; that's the rule. But your story, sister, has given me a lot of imagination and many sights I've never seen before."

Xiao Ying showed no sadness, only a smile as she slowly said, "So, you can't fall here."

boom!

The heartwarming scene remained, but time in the outside world did not stop. The door to the storage room finally gave way to the zombies' smashing and was forced open.

Door handles, crowbars, and even the metal cabinet were pushed open, and terrifying zombies rushed in, jostling each other, accompanied by hoarse screams.

"Ughhhhhh!!"

They were about to surround the two girls.

"Sister, you said that to become a magical girl, you need a 'Heart Seed' to absorb magic power and transform, right?"

Xiao Ying seemed oblivious to these sights and continued speaking calmly.

She placed her small hand against Chen Mu's chest and immediately felt a burning sensation that penetrated through his clothes, reached his skin, and even... penetrated deep inside.

"I will be your heart, and take me to see more stories."

"……I see."

At this moment, Chen Mu had no more hesitation or confusion.

Even as the zombies' claws were about to pounce on her, she calmly uttered those words, and a storm of wind and intense light erupted around her!

"A star fell to earth."