A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

The G2135 high-speed train streaked through the night.

Red Lotus flew parallel to one of the cars on her Wind and Fire Wheels, gazing down at the stark white figure inside.

White Jack took off his top hat, flipped it over, and dropped the doll ”Mio” inside. With a flourish of his hand, like a performing magician, the noisy little doll vanished without a trace.

He put the hat back on and lifted his hollow, eerie gaze to meet Red Lotus’s eyes.

”You mentioned my sister got wrapped up in something dangerous. What did you mean?” she asked.

”Don’t be in such a rush for the answer. Why don’t we enjoy the scenery first?” he said. ”This is a pretty good time for it. If you miss tonight, you’ll have to wait until next year.”

Red Lotus frowned. ”What are you talking about?”

”Just wait a moment.”

”You don’t actually think I have time to chat with you, do you?”

Red Lotus held her Fire-Tipped Spear, her voice dropping a few degrees colder.

White Jack stepped onto the window sill, slipped out of the car, and leaped lightly onto the silver-white roof of the train.

The stark white figure stood silently atop the speeding train.

”One minute.”

As he spoke, he pulled out his Tracking Sunglasses, tilted his head, and glanced at the city map projected across the lenses.

The biggest perk of these sunglasses was that even without the tracking function, they still worked as a real-time map.

Even in a completely unfamiliar environment, a user could rely on the map to check the surrounding terrain and special locations.

Right now, the red dot representing the G2135 train flew across the display, steadily approaching the city center. Because of the crime on board, the rail company would probably force the train to a halt any minute.

Red Lotus had no idea what this freak was trying to pull, but it was only one minute. She could afford to wait.

The Wind and Fire Wheels under her feet stopped spinning and dissolved. Her feet settled onto the train, and she stood a short distance from White Jack.

”One minute,” she said. ”If I find out you’re bluffing, you know what’s going to happen to you.”

”Of course. How could I ever be that kind of guy?” White Jack grinned.

Silence settled between them, broken only by the howling night wind.

”Tell me, who are you really?” she asked.

”You’ll find out someday. It isn’t time to take off the mask yet,” he said.

Red Lotus crossed her arms, her fingers lightly tapping her sleeve.

”A minute is too long. Can’t you find something to talk about?”

”Then why don’t you guess what present I prepared for you?” White Jack tilted his head.

Red Lotus frowned in thought for a moment, then shook her head.

”I can’t guess.”

”Ten,” White Jack began counting down to himself, humming the numbers like a song. ”Nine—eight—seven—six—

Five—four—three—two—”

The train surged forward like a colossal beast of white steel, tearing over the elevated tracks. At that moment, it burst into the most bustling district of the city, and from the distant night sky came the sharp shriek of a detonation.

Red Lotus paused, lifting her eyes toward the horizon.

Amidst the brilliantly lit metropolis, a beam of fire shot straight into the heavens and shattered over the highest point of the skyline. It exploded into a shower of dazzling sparks that blossomed outward, illuminating almost the entire night sky.

”Zero.” White Jack looked up as well.

One after another, streaks of fire soared toward the clouds and burst apart. The fireworks took different shapes—sometimes lilies, sometimes chrysanthemums, sometimes roses.

Bang!

Bang, bang!

Bang, bang, bang!

Amidst the deafening explosions, the girl stared blankly upward, her pupils lit by the fireworks.

”This is the gift I prepared for you—to celebrate you finishing high school,” White Jack said. ”Miss Red Lotus, you really are endearing, hiding all your grief and sorrow deep inside. Don’t you think you’re being too hard on yourself for a girl your age? Opening up and sharing your troubles with the people around you every once in a while isn’t a bad habit—”

He paused. ”Though you people really don’t have a single romantic cell in your bodies. To think you didn’t even check the news—it said there would be a grand fireworks display in the city center at eight o’clock tonight.”

The night wind caught Red Lotus’s tied-up hair. She stayed silent for a long time before asking, ”Are you this smooth-talking with my sister, too?”

Through her mask, the girl fixed him with a cold stare.

”Oh, no, this wouldn’t work on your sister at all,” White Jack said, shaking his head. ”With her temper, the second I asked her to wait here for a minute, she’d have put two bullets in my head.”

”Fair point.” She blinked, then let out a soft chuckle.

”Right?” White Jack sighed.

Red Lotus let out a breath, watching the distant fireworks blossom in the wind.

”When you told me my sister was the magical girl Ember, I didn’t believe you at first. But after I followed her that day, I realized it was true. I should thank you, or I’d still be completely in the dark.”

She thought for a moment, then asked, ”By the way, what were you two talking about in that alleyway that day?”

”Well, you see, Miss Ember and I actually have an illegitimate child together, and we were discussing how to divide our assets—” White Jack raised a finger, muttering to himself.

Before he could finish, she leveled the Fire-Tipped Spear and pressed the tip against his throat. He shrugged, dipped his head, and changed his tune: ”Does an older sister like you know that one day, she might fall and turn into a witch?”

”You mentioned that.”

”Right. She’s killed people. There’s no turning back for her now,” White Jack said slowly. ”Historically, very few magical girls manage to stay pure after taking a life. Their end is most likely turning into a witch.”

He paused. ”Imagine it—betrayed and hunted by all your magical girl peers, tied to a cross and burned alive like a witch from the old days. That is everything your sister is about to face.”

Red Lotus fell silent for a moment, then murmured, ”It doesn’t matter. When that time comes, I’ll take her away.”

”Where?”

”I’m not sure myself.” Red Lotus lowered her gaze. ”Maybe we’ll find somewhere remote to live in seclusion, or maybe take an aimless trip around the world.”

She paused, laughing at herself. ”You were right before. One big lunatic and one little lunatic—we belong together. It’s fine if we bring Little Li along when the time comes. At least if the two of us are together, it won’t be too lonely.”

White Jack clicked his tongue. ”Is it because you know you’re on the verge of losing control, so you don’t want to hurt the people around you?”

Red Lotus lowered her Fire-Tipped Spear and looked up at the distant fireworks.

”I was already planning to leave this city—to get far away from everyone and go somewhere remote where nobody knows me,” she said softly. ”I actually really like Norway. I saw a place online called Rjukan. The town is completely surrounded by mountains, and the sun only reaches it for a month or two out of the year. So the townsfolk built a massive mirror on the mountain peak to reflect sunlight down into the town. I think a place like that would be nice.”

White Jack considered it for a moment, then asked a cruel question: ”But what if, after you arrive in an unfamiliar city, you lose control—cause destruction, and kill innocent people?”

”Then we leave, find another place, and keep drifting,” the girl said quietly. ”Sounds selfish, right? Causing a disaster and running away from responsibility. But I just want to live.”

Who doesn’t just want to live, sis? Ke Mingqing thought, glancing at the countdown timer hovering above his head.

White Jack stayed silent for a moment, then murmured thoughtfully, ”I see. So when are you planning to leave?”

”I originally planned to leave after my brother’s birthday,” Red Lotus said. ”But I’ve changed my mind. I want to stay here for a while longer.”

”Is it because you have me?”

She paused, then laughed. ”Stop being so full of yourself. What do you think you are?”

White Jack took no offense. ”Fair enough. Then what makes you want to stay?”

The silver-white train sped out of the city center. That brilliant display of fireworks drifted further and further away, shrinking into tiny specks of light before fading from her eyes.

The night enveloped their figures once more. It was pitch black all around, with only a faint smear of moonlight shining down.

”There’s still one thing I’ve never been able to figure out.”

”Could you describe the specific situation?”

”I forgot something—something that happened when I was very young. I’ve always wanted to get to the bottom of it,” Red Lotus said quietly. ”It’s what actually happened on the day I became a mythic vessel.”

White Jack raised an eyebrow. ”When was the day you were chosen by the gods?”

”Ten years ago,” Red Lotus said. ”It’s strange, though. I don’t have a single memory of that day.”

She paused. ”Since you’re so smart and know so much, could you help me figure it out?”

”Ten years ago is too far back. Forgive me—” White Jack started, but suddenly thought of something and paused.

He scratched his head. ”Oh, maybe I really do know what happened that day. But don’t be in a hurry—let Mr. White Jack verify the situation first. I’ll tell you someday.”

Red Lotus said, ”You sound awfully guilty right now.”

”Well, Mr. Jack never tells people things unless he’s certain.”

”Even though you spout endless nonsense all day—”

”No, I am a man who values honesty.”

Red Lotus let out a long breath. ”Getting back to business—what exactly happened to my sister?”

”Miss Ember? She recently got dragged into a very dangerous incident,” White Jack said, deliberately keeping her in suspense. ”This incident has to do with the fragments of the Tiamat Comet that humanity excavated for the first time, and a robber gang known as ’Death Crow.’”

Red Lotus furrowed her brows. She paused for a moment, and only after a long silence did she turn her head to ask, ”Death Crow—as in the rumored strongest thief gang in the world?”

White Jack nodded and proudly put his hands on his hips, thinking to himself: Didn’t see that coming, did you? I’m a member of the strongest thief gang in the world now, too.

”Now that I’ve said this much, you should be able to guess what’s going to happen next,” he said faintly.

”It’s a mission from the Magical Girl Company, isn’t it?”

”Exactly.”

Red Lotus thought it over. ”If I come clean with Little Li right now and talk to her about this, do you think she’d give up the mission?”

”I don’t think so. She’s a very stubborn person,” White Jack said, shaking his head. ”After being left out in the cold by the Magical Girl Company for so long, she finally got assigned a relatively important mission. Of course she won’t pass up an opportunity like this.”

”True,” Red Lotus murmured. ”Then I’ll just follow her in secret. I might not be able to beat the other side, but getting her out of there will be easy enough.”

She glanced sideways at him, asking suspiciously, ”Come to think of it, why do you know the movements of a thief organization like that?”

She found it hard to believe that an SS-class criminal syndicate—one said to stand on equal footing with the big three of the magical girl world—would have any intersection with an obscure nobody like White Jack.

”Because I have an informant planted in their ranks,” White Jack shrugged. ”You know how it is—I’m a nobody everywhere I go, but my network of connections is exceptionally wide. Being good in a fight doesn’t mean crap; if you want to make it out here, you need influence and backing.”

”Can I trust you?”

”I don’t think you can. I don’t even trust myself,” White Jack said. ”I’m a fickle kind of guy—constantly bouncing from one idea to a completely different one the next second.”

”How do I contact you from now on?”

”I’ll text you when I’m free. We can meet at Viaduct 0 regularly,” White Jack said. ”If you have any questions, just ask. I can give you the answers to most problems.”

”Why are you helping me?”

”Because I’m your friend. Uh—do you consider me a friend?” White Jack poked his right index finger with his left, mumbling the question like a bashful little boy.

”I don’t want to be your friend. You’re way too ugly.”

White Jack’s head drooped. He sighed, his eyes going hollow and vacant. ”I’ve turned dark. I’m going to destroy the world immediately.”

”But you can be my trash can. You can listen to what’s on my mind every now and then.”

White Jack blinked, then slowly lifted his head. ”Treating a supervillain like a trash can isn’t a very smart decision.”

”A supervillain? A villain who protects the passengers on a train?”

”Correction: those passengers were dead before I got here. I just hated the look of that leopard,” White Jack said. ”So I think it’s too early for you to start trusting me.”

”Who knows? I just feel like you remind me of someone around me, but I can’t put my finger on who,” Red Lotus said thoughtfully. ”Weird, isn’t it?”

White Jack laughed and put his hands on his hips. ”Don’t try probing me. I’m not going to let the cat out of the bag.”

Red Lotus turned her head, staring at him without blinking. ”So you’re admitting you’re someone around me?”

”Oh—good heavens, I should get going. Chatting any longer is going to turn out badly.” White Jack shook his head, muttering to himself in a rambling stream of words.

He took two steps forward, turned around, and leaned backward. Like a weightless paper doll caught by the evening wind, he drifted toward the illuminated city, slowly dissolving in midair. Like melting snow, or a puff of white smoke, he faded away into the wind.

The sky above Lijing was dead silent, the cold night wind sweeping past Red Lotus.

”What a weird guy—”

Xia Ningzhi muttered under her breath, though for some reason her heart felt lighter than it had in a long time. The fireworks show, along with the rare chance to pour her thoughts out to someone, left her feeling unburdened.

It felt like ages since she had been this relaxed.

After a moment, she walked swiftly to the edge of the train and leaped into the air. The Wind and Fire Wheels flashed across the night sky, streaking toward her in a trail of sparks to catch her.

Just as Red Lotus was about to ride her Wind and Fire Wheels away, a faint stir came from that lingering patch of smoke, and a ghostly voice rang out: ”By the way—Miss Red Lotus, I mentioned once that every time I see you, I can tell you a secret.”

Red Lotus glanced sideways, casting an amused, mocking look at the dispersing white smoke. ”Oh? And what secret do you have to tell me this time? I’m all ears.”

”I can tell you, but I have one condition.”

”What condition?”

”Next time you come see me, could you take off your mask?”

Red Lotus froze. ”Does it make a difference? Didn’t you figure out who I am ages ago?”

”Friends should be honest and face each other openly.”

”Then take your own mask off.”

”No, I’m making a trade with you. If you don’t agree, I won’t tell you the secret.”

Red Lotus hesitated. ”Fine. Let me hear what this secret of yours is.”

”I hope you won’t go back on your word.”

”Of course not. I, the Third Prince Nezha, have always kept my promises.”

”What about Xia Ningzhi?”

Hearing her own name from his mouth, Xia Ningzhi froze for a moment before curling her lips into a smile. ”Xia Ningzhi lies every now and then, but she’s honest most of the time.”

”Good. Then I believe you.”

”Speak. What’s your secret?”

”The secret is—maybe you shouldn’t only care about your sister. When you have the time, how about taking a closer look at your brother, too?” White Jack said faintly. ”Perhaps, without you even noticing it, some kind of unknown change has happened to him as well.”

The words faded, and the air fell back into dead silence. The silver-white train rumbled down the rails, racing off toward the horizon.

Xia Ningzhi froze, the profile of Ke Mingqing’s face surfacing in her mind.

A long moment passed. By the time she turned to look back, that trail of smoke had vanished without a trace, and the train had plunged deep into the endless night.