[CH.51] The Looming Crisis

In order to repay the debt, I became a magical girl

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[CH.51] The Looming Crisis

Inside a secret building controlled by the city's mafia, the muffled sounds of a beating emanated from a dimly lit and cramped room.

Three gangsters, stripped to their waists, hung from the ceiling, while three others stood nearby, inflicting the punishment. The beaten thugs were battered and bruised, blood oozing from their skin where it had split open, staining the ground below and splattering on the rough walls.

A middle-aged bald mob boss reclined in a chair, sipping a drink with an air of satisfaction, enjoying the gruesome sight of the three being beaten.

Perhaps having had their fill of the spectacle, the head thug clapped his hands to halt the beating.

"You three are beyond useless. I gave you one simple task – capture a boy. Not only did you fail to complete the mission, but you also wrecked the damn car, which belongs to the gang! You think you can afford to compensate for damaging the gang's property?"

The three being beaten were the same trio who had been sent to capture Han Huayang earlier. According to their accounts, they had managed to catch the target, but Han Huayang had proven to be quite a handful.

"Do you honestly believe I'll buy into your nonsense, huh?"

The bald mob boss smashed his drink bottle on the head of one of the thugs, the shattered glass embedding itself in the man's face, leaving numerous small lacerations.

"You're telling me you couldn't even handle one scrawny kid? Three against one, and you got your asses handed to you! Do you even know how to do your job? You can't even handle a simple task, and you want to call yourselves mafia? Spend the rest of your lives as lowlifes!"

One of the trio slowly spoke up, "We couldn't catch him... Boss Biao couldn't be able to handle it either. That guy's really strong... We're telling the truth—"

"Damn it!" The bald mob boss kicked the speaking thug in the gut. "Boss Biao, my ass! Wang Biao is just a regular debt collector. Even if you're the worst member of the gang, you're still a member. You think you can call him 'Boss Biao' in front of me? Go eat shit!"

Debt collectors may have some connection to the mafia but aren't full-fledged members. In a city devoid of shadows, the survival of the mafia depends on the presence of debt collectors.

Mafia organizations offer loans in various forms, and debt collectors are responsible for recovering the debts. To the mafia, debt collectors are essentially their debt subcontractors and are nothing to be concerned about.

Debt collectors try to maintain a legitimate appearance and avoid engaging in criminal activities. When dealing with individuals who can't repay their debts, debt collectors are only responsible for locating the target's whereabouts. The actual abduction and enforcement are carried out by members within the mafia.

"Wang Biao couldn't handle it because he's just lousy. He's the one who lost face. The three of you, on the other hand, were driving a car that belongs to the gang, and you're the ones who disgraced the gang!"

The bald mob boss spat onto the thugs' wounds.

"I'll give you one more chance. You have three days to bring that damn kid worth five million to me. If I don't see that kid by then, I'll send all three of you to the warehouse!"

With that, the bald mob boss turned and left the room.

---

In the corridor, a young thug with numerous earrings in his casual attire sat sullenly on the floor. If Han Huayang were here, he would recognize that they had crossed paths.

This young thug had been part of a group that harassed Han Huayang when he was dressed as a girl on the street. Han Huayang had been surrounded by the gang, and it was only when his senior arrived and broke up the confrontation that he avoided being taken somewhere unknown.

The young thug's name was Liu Liang, and he was the son of the bald mob boss, Liu Qifang.

Seeing his father come out, Liu Liang immediately approached him.

"Dad, can't you really help me with that thing we talked about before?"

"Hmph! Help you get a girlfriend? Do you have any shame left? There are so many well-trained women in the warehouse, and you have to pick that one?"

"Dad, it's different this time. You haven't seen that short-haired girl. She's a rare seductive beauty, an absolute gem among mortals. As long as you help me find her, I promise that within one night—"

"Stop talking," Liu Qifang interrupted his son's clamoring. "Let's not discuss anything outside the rules. We, as the mafia, adhere to the rules on the streets. It's not about doing whatever you want. We only deal with people who owe debts. If that girl you're looking for doesn't have any debt issues, the gang has no reason to abduct her."

Liu Qifang solemnly patted his son Liu Liang's shoulder, leaving a blood-red handprint on his son's clothes. He said with great seriousness, "Stick to the principles, and the cops will turn a blind eye. Think back to when your old man and I first founded the gang. It was a time of bloodshed, and chaos was everywhere. If it weren't for your old man..."

"Dad, spare me the same old story. You keep repeating it."

Liu Liang pushed his father's hand away.

"In this day and age, principles won't put food on the table. It's the shameless ones who make money. I just want a girl, Dad, so help me find her."

"Why are you so disobedient? Do you think I don't know about your preferences? Even if I find that girl for you, won't you get bored of her in a few days? Those you've played with are practically dead, and we can't sell them in the warehouse. Do you have any idea how much money I've lost because of that?"

"I didn't like them before, and besides, those girls didn't react after a day or two. It's just a casual affair. This time, I genuinely like that girl, and I must sleep with her."

Regardless of everything else, the latter half of that sentence was indeed Liu Liang's most genuine thought.

"Besides, I think that girl is the true identity of the magical girl, Alice. My 'instinct' senses it. That Alice and the short-haired girl share the same aura. I've never had a magical girl before—"

"Shh, shh, shh! Don't say that."

Liu Qifang hastily covered his son's mouth and pulled Liu Liang into a corner, looking around in fear.

"Son, are you really saying that the girl you're looking for is a magical girl?"

"Of course, that girl attracts me just like Alice does. It's a... um, a very strong urge. Although watching Alice-chan's videos afterward didn't give me the same feeling, I can guarantee that the short-haired girl is Alice-chan. As long as you can help me—"

"You idiot!"

Liu Qifang slapped Liu Liang. The blow left Liu Liang somewhat dazed, and he touched his face, not fully coming to his senses.

"Magical girls are the last thing we, the mafia, should ever touch. Don't even think about it!"

In a city with magical girls, there is no room for "shadows." Pure and beautiful girls are the city's light, capable of dispelling all darkness.

Dark and sinister elements cannot approach the bright and shining magical girls. Their existence is something no mafia should ever get involved with. Anyone who attempts to harm a magical girl will undoubtedly face severe retaliation.

After all, all magical girls belong to the Alliance... and the higher-ups of the Alliance are...

Liu Qifang squeezed Liu Liang's shoulder tightly, stroking the blood-red handprint on his son's face. He relaxed his tone and said, "However, if you really want to have a go with a magical girl for a few days, it's not entirely impossible. But you must understand the principles."

Liu Liang was a bit bewildered after being slapped by his father. If getting involved with a magical girl was something he shouldn't even consider, why was his father now saying it could be done?

"What principles?"

"You absolutely must not invoke the gang's name. It's a personal matter for you, completely unrelated to the gang. Even if you know she's a magical girl, don't tell anyone. Treat her as you would any regular girl, capture her, and train her like any regular girl. If you're held accountable later, I might be able to save your life."

Liu Qifang lowered his voice at the end and pulled out a tattered handwritten business card from his pocket.

"This debt collector is quite famous. I've heard he can perceive the 'scent' others leave behind. He's best at finding people and is one of the most outstanding hounds in the gang. His name is Wang Biao, and you can seek his help regarding the short-haired girl. Also, my son, if you really manage to get a magical girl..."

Liu Qifang bent his neck, rubbed his shiny scalp with his hand, and chuckled mischievously.

"At that time, let Dad have some fun too."

"Of course, but it also depends on whether that girl can last until then. If she goes bad too quickly, it might not be as much fun."

Clearly, Liu Liang just wanted to mess with Han Huayang. When he previously told his father that he liked that girl, it was simply a physical attraction. And his father, Liu Qifang, as a mafia boss, considered the "principles" he spoke of to be nothing more than a wallpaper covering the real desires.

Under the thirst for desire, boundaries can be lowered again and again, and issues of principles can be circumvented in some way.

As long as no one finds out, it's not a problem.

Principles and norms? Go to hell!

However, what Liu Qifang, who made this decision, didn't realize was that by abandoning the fundamental principles of mafia survival, the gang he had built would collapse overnight.

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