[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-off-the-clock-then-a-magical-girl":3,"chapter-off-the-clock-then-a-magical-girl-off-the-clock-then-a-magical-girl-chapter-17":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Off the Clock, Then a Magical Girl",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2349937,4594,"Chapter 17: Magical Girl Little Jin","off-the-clock-then-a-magical-girl-chapter-17",17,"\u003Cp>By the time Cui Que arrived at the scene, the area where the Remnant Beast was located had already been cordoned off; citizens who had intended to pass through were evacuated, and the ordinary civilians within the zone were also being guided out by official personnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because it was midday and the Remnant Beast had appeared at a crossroads, very few people were harmed in the initial moments, and most were able to escape in time; thus, the mood of the crowd at the scene remained relatively stable, and no riots had broken out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Que did not linger by the cordon for long; once she confirmed that the Extraordinary Strategy Bureau was already taking action, she pushed off with her heels, dashed out through a gap between the nearby buildings, and flew toward the location of the Remnant Beast, which was also the center of this area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon arriving at the scene, she discovered that she was actually the only one who had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was to be expected; her speed at full flight was certainly faster than the other two, and the distance from the incident site was not far, so it was perfectly normal for her to arrive first given they had all departed at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Its form hasn't solidified yet; it's just a little guy at the Egg-grade.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Landing by the roadside, Cui Que gazed at the Remnant Beast, which was shaped like a giant, egg-like lump of flesh; it was currently throwing a tantrum because it could not find prey, wantonly destroying the surrounding buildings. She raised her hand, and the magic wand she had been holding floated up:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Magic Construct precipitation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the words fell, the magic wand transformed into scattered particles of residual light, and a small, ornately decorated pair of tailoring scissors appeared in Cui Que's hand, while azure magic particles gathered around her body, surrounded by cold-glowing threads that leaked a hint of danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Cui Que's field of vision, the surrounding space had long been filled with blue magic threads, and the Remnant Beast in the center of the area was like prey that had fallen into a spiderweb, truly unable to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She extended her hand, placed her thumb and ring finger on two of the threads, and slowly hooked her fingers in the same direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she hooked the lines, the web of magic threads around the Remnant Beast tightened accordingly; in almost the span of a single breath, its space for movement was completely restricted, and soon, it was thoroughly bound in place by the threads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Remnant Beast, feeling its movement restricted, did not realize it had been captured; even though its body could no longer move, it continued to struggle in vain and let out earth-shaking roars, attempting to intimidate Cui Que not far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The airflow brought about by the Remnant Beast's roaring whipped up a gale, catching Cui Que's sleeves from over ten meters away; even at this distance, one could smell a thick, fishy stench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Que remained expressionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to her usual practice, once the Remnant Beast was restricted, she would move directly to slay it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time was different; she merely bound the Remnant Beast and, as if she had finished her work, stood by the roadside with one hand on her hip, waiting quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was waiting for Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both were novice magical girls who needed sufficient actual combat to accumulate experience, and such an Egg-grade Remnant Beast was undoubtedly a high-quality punching bag: for one, it moved slowly, and for another, its attacks were not that lethal to magical girls. Even if some unexpected situation occurred, with Cui Que there to protect them, nothing major would go wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, she did not intend to kill this Remnant Beast herself; she only intended to stop it from destroying public buildings and let the two newcomers practice on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, accompanied by a pale purple rainbow light, a figure flew rapidly from the horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The purple rainbow light plummeted straight toward the location of the Remnant Beast and Cui Que, and after landing at high speed, it splashed out ripples of violet magic like water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person stood up from the shimmering light, shook her head to smooth out the hair sticking to her face, and then looked at Cui Que with a smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah, I'm here! Using magic body-cushioning is really fast, little senior!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The 'little' is unnecessary.\" Cui Que drooped her eyelids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person who arrived was Xia Liang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore a violet-mallow waist-cinching western-style skirt with wavy lace, a separate pale yellow shawl-collar top, and a half-open vest that was also primarily pale violet. Added to the giant bow on her chest, her transformed outfit gave an impression that was both mysterious and bright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hair, which had also turned purple, was slightly curled at the ends, forming an inward curl that defied gravity; on her head was a violet-mallow soft hat wrapped with a yellow ribbon, and hanging from her earlobes were a pair of crescent-shaped earrings, making her look quite gorgeous and fashionable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Xia Liang's appearance after transforming into a magical girl, which could be said to fit her magical girl codename—Little Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A magical girl's attire reflects the personality of the one who transforms, so Xia Liang's outfit was the most mature in style among the three, even though she was actually the youngest in age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the girl who had landed, Cui Que remained calm on the surface, but inwardly she was amazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she first found Xia Liang, she had a premonition that this child would likely have astonishing talent, but the level she was showing now still exceeded her expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"magic body-cushioning\" she mentioned was a technique Cui Que had only proposed during yesterday's lesson, which allowed a magical girl to land at maximum speed without needing to decelerate after flying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a girl who had been afraid of flying just a few days ago, she had quickly adapted to using magic to fly and had even gone a step further to master an advanced technique, her progress in just a few days surpassing Lin Xiaolu. Xia Liang could be called a natural-born magical girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To have mastered body-cushioning so quickly, well done.\" Thus, Cui Que did not hesitate to offer praise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hehe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pleased by the praise, Xia Liang squinted happily, ran to Cui Que's side with small steps, looked at the Remnant Beast bound not far away, and said with a hint of wonder in her tone: \"Is that the Remnant Beast?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eh—so that's what it looks like up close; it's so big and disgusting!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said \"disgusting,\" but what showed on her face was pure curiosity: \"But why isn't it moving? Little senior, did you take it out?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I already said not to add that 'little'.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Que corrected her with some helplessness, but she did not force the issue, instead lightly flicking her finger in the void to make several blue magic threads appear one by one: \"Be careful, that Remnant Beast is still alive; it's not moving because I've already bound it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Liang's attention was immediately drawn to these magic threads, and she leaned in with wide eyes: \"So pretty! Is this the magic construct you mentioned, little senior? Are these musical strings?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My magic constructs are threads and scissors.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Que did not hide this: \"Don't get too close; these threads can bind enemies, but they can also become extremely sharp, and I don't want to accidentally hurt you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is this you caring about me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a hint of teasing in the smile on her face, but she still obediently stepped back two paces; Xia Liang seemed to be in a good mood: \"Even though you look cold, little senior, you are actually quite delicate on the inside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't say such mushy things when there's no need.\" Cui Que remained expressionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\"You over there, even though we've only known each other for a few days, don't act so intimate behind people's backs!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the two were talking, a shout suddenly came from mid-air; Cui Que and Xia Liang looked up following the sound and saw a pale blue rainbow light falling from the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been nearly ten minutes since Cui Que subdued this Remnant Beast, and Lin Xiaolu had finally arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>",1402,"2026-06-21T02:45:47.620Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","b80375c299af1136e7d15d7eedd8f3e5af058047a82e0452b910218044388661","off-the-clock-then-a-magical-girl-chapter-18","off-the-clock-then-a-magical-girl-chapter-16",364,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foff-the-clock-then-a-magical-girl-cover.jpg"]