Miss Witch Doesn’t Want to Become a Songstress

After work, Hestia changed back into her ordinary school uniform, loosened the braided hairstyle Belphegor had done for her, and put her glasses back on before stepping into the descending elevator.

Looking at the reflection of her face in the glass, a familiar feeling returned to her body.

She raised her head to look at the top of the elevator, trying to peer through the walls and barriers to see the luxurious “Crystal Dream” above.

Everything that had happened today felt surreal.

“Like a dream,” Hestia murmured to herself, grateful for the day’s experiences yet also worried that if she didn’t work hard, she might lose this newfound happiness.

“Stay strong, Hestia,” she silently encouraged herself.

With mixed emotions, the gray-haired girl headed home.

…

Meanwhile, as many people in Arpeggio City were finishing work for the day, certain other places were just opening their doors.

On the 44th floor of Arpeggio City’s entertainment district stood the Sound of the Sea bathhouse.

The spacious plaza in front of the bathhouse was packed with vehicles. Many people, weary from a day of hard work, stepped out of their cars and entered the bustling mega bathhouse in groups.

After a day filled with accumulated fatigue and the smell of sweat, a comfortable hot bath was a rare and cherished pleasure. This was especially true in Arpeggio City, an industrial hub where many jobs required workers to wear thick protective suits. After a stifling day, unwinding in a bath was all the more appealing.

This bathhouse was the largest in the entire city, with multiple sections and floors catering to various spending levels. By paying a fee or purchasing an annual membership, patrons could enjoy daily access. Many even used the bathhouse as a place to continue discussing unfinished business from earlier in the day, their conversations accompanied by warm water soothing their bodies, chilled drinks, and delicious snacks. Everything seemed perfect in such a setting.

Though the average spending level at this massive bathhouse was far lower than at the Crystal Dream on the Apex Tower, it catered more to the general public’s habits and boasted significantly higher foot traffic. It generated substantial revenue every single day.

Where there are profits, there are those who grow envious—especially in a business with no technological barriers or unique operational strategies.

“Long, we’re here.”

A hovercar pulled up in the plaza in front of the bathhouse, and three men stepped out.

Qiao Long was wearing a carbon-colored short-sleeved shirt today. The high-strength yet comfortable fabric outlined his muscular frame, exuding an aura of raw power.

“What’s their stance?” he asked, peering through his sunglasses at the wide-open entrance. The lenses displayed scrolling data, capturing the faces of passersby and compiling their identities and income information.

“These people are loaded.”

“The owner of Sound of the Sea doesn’t want to give in. Not only have they hired a large security team, but they’ve also purchased quite a bit of equipment.”

“Planning to resist, huh?” Qiao Long chuckled coldly.

“Seems like it. They don’t want to share such a big profit pie.”

“That’s why hogging everything for yourself never ends well—especially in Arpeggio City.”

Qiao Long removed his sunglasses and handed them to a scrawny subordinate standing nearby.

“Let’s get to work.”

“Yes, Brother Long.”

The subordinate straightened up, nodded, and then turned around to signal the others behind him.

Not far from the three men, the trunk of a nearby car was opened, revealing a peculiar device. Its exterior resembled an engine, with a rotating circular outline, but upon closer inspection, it was clear this was no ordinary engine.

A subordinate wearing black sunglasses inserted an access card into the device to activate it, disengaged the safety lock, and pulled the handle.

A piercing, whistling roar erupted from the strange device. In the surrounding void, faint blue particles began to appear, steadily drawn into the device. This process continued for several seconds until it seemed the energy was compressed to its limit, then exploded outward.

A faint blue ripple, visible to the naked eye, expanded from the device, radiating outward. Wherever it reached, fluorescent lights shattered, hovercars powered down, and surveillance systems went offline. The surrounding area was plunged into darkness, and screams and cries erupted from the streets and the bathhouse.

“Move in!”

“We’ve only got 20 minutes—hurry!”

“Go!”

A group of prepared individuals leapt out of the cars, armed with various tools, and charged toward the chaotic bathhouse entrance. Though the dim light could have hindered their vision, their night-vision goggles allowed them to move without issue.

Watching as his subordinates stormed inside, Qiao Long leisurely approached the bathhouse’s now-chaotic front door.

“When will the police get here?” he asked the stocky man beside him.

“Before we got out of the car, I checked. They said initially, four riot suppression autonomous units from the area will respond. They can’t stop that. It’s up to us to handle.”

“And after that?”

“Once they receive reports and dispatch vehicles, they’ll use the signal and surveillance disruptions as an excuse to delay for ten minutes. Adding travel time, we’ve got just 20 minutes.”

“So we have to capture the boss of Sound of the Sea and either destroy or steal their main T3-grade AI system within 20 minutes?”

“Exactly, Brother Long.”

“They must think very highly of me,” Qiao Long chuckled, cracking his knuckles. Just then, the rapid sound of rotor blades echoed from the sky above.

Four large rotorcraft arrived, each equipped with armed riot suppression autonomous units.

[Analyzing on-site conditions…]

[Detected malicious high-energy electromagnetic pulse, causing damage to the Spinning Crystal Street No. 38 area…]

[Danger level upgraded by two tiers. Authorization to activate firing modules at 60% power granted…]
[Searching for suspects…]

In the near-darkness, four red warning lights lit up, spinning rapidly and issuing a blaring alert.

[All Federal residents on-site, cease movement, remain in place, and stay silent!]

[This is the Arpeggio City 44-H29 District Riot Suppression Autonomous Unit. Weapon modules have been activated. To avoid injury, do not engage in any actions deemed dangerous.]

The rotorcraft’s scanning lenses turned, focusing on the strange device in the car that had released the shockwave.

[Source of disruption identified. No personnel detected nearby, presumed fled…]

[Deploying fixed web control. Continuing target search…]

From one of the rotorcraft, a 2-meter-tall robot descended. It landed with a soft thud, bending slightly to absorb the impact, sending a faint tremor and a cloud of dust into the air. The robot then approached the now-defunct electromagnetic pulse device, its rectangular “head” focusing on it for a detailed scan.

[Recording fingerprints. Collecting residual traces. Cross-referencing with stellar network…]

[Identity confirmed. Commencing investigation…]

“Trouble, Brother Long! The riot suppression units seem to have found something!”

“Where are the guys who activated it? Didn’t I tell them to grab the machine and leave once it was done?”

“That was the plan, but it looks like they forgot!”

“Ugh!”

In the distance, the riot suppression robot abruptly raised its head, its indicator light shifting from yellow to red, triggering another wave of panicked screams across the plaza.

“Red! It’s turned red! The riot suppression units have been activated!” a man in a suit shouted in panic, leaning against a car.

“No, no, don’t! Who knows if I might get caught in the crossfire!”

[Target located: two individuals inside the building, one fleeing on foot.]

[Commencing pursuit.]

One of the three rotorcraft hovering above peeled off toward the street corner, while the other two descended to the ground, deploying their riot suppression units, which then charged into the bathhouse.

At the street corner, the rapidly spinning rotors carried the riot suppression unit closer to the fleeing man, blaring warnings as it approached.

[Stop! Stop immediately!]

[You have been classified as a high-priority suspect. If you continue fleeing, lethal force may be used, putting your life at risk.]

“No way! I don’t believe it! All I did was pull a lever—it’s not worth a death sentence. You stupid robot, stop scaring me!” The man shouted as he ran, ducking into narrow alleys and side streets.

[Suspect resisting capture, fleeing into a complex area. Threat level increased by three tiers. Weapons authorized.]

Whoosh!

A piercing, whistling sound cut through the darkness. A bright green beam briefly illuminated the alley before fading away.

A large dumpster in the alley was melted through, leaving a gaping hole big enough for a person to crawl through. The edges glowed red-hot, with molten metal dripping onto the ground, leaving a scorched trench in its wake.

“No, no!” The man was clearly panicked, scrambling on all fours as he tried to flee. Overhead, the rotorcraft’s sound grew louder and closer.

Whoosh!

Another whistling sound streaked through the night.

“Ahhh—!”

A terrified scream echoed through the alley, fading gradually until silence returned.

“I… I’m not dead?”

The man cautiously opened his eyes, seeing a tall and imposing figure standing in front of him. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burnt materials.

“Bro… Brother Long…” He recognized the man as his boss.

“Idiot! I told you not to run. If you’d just stayed put, the riot suppression units wouldn’t have killed you. At most, they’d send you to the station,” Qiao Long scolded, not looking back. His eyes remained fixed on the autonomous unit ahead.

“Now get out of here and stop holding me back.”

“Yes, I’ll go.” Finally regaining some composure, the man limped away toward the distance.

[Aiding a fugitive. Classified as an accomplice. Lethal force authorized.]

Whoosh!

Another laser beam fired, briefly lighting up the alley. When it faded, a dark red scorch mark had appeared on Qiao Long’s chest.

It was almost unimaginable—a shot capable of penetrating 20mm steel hadn’t pierced through this man’s body. Was it his seemingly thin carbon-colored T-shirt that had such incredible defensive properties?

“Ha! Is that all? Looks like the Federation’s riot robots aren’t so great after all. I’ve been way too cautious dealing with them before,” he said, shaking his hand. A faint pattern of dragon scales shimmered across his skin.

The Dragon Sequence transcendent path was renowned for its ferocity. Advanced practitioners could even transform into dragons, making them nearly unbeatable among their peers. However, its difficulty to master meant few chose this path.

Despite the scorch marks on his body, Qiao Long was relatively unharmed. For someone with the robust physique of the Dragon Sequence, minor injuries were trivial.

“I don’t have time to waste on this.” With that, he stomped the ground and leapt like an arrow, smashing the rotorcraft mid-air with a single kick.

The rotorcraft reeled from the blow, its rotors bending and breaking apart as components flew in every direction. The riot suppression unit it carried was ejected early, lunging at Qiao Long.

Green laser beams flickered intermittently, but most missed the black-haired youth as he dodged nimbly. Closing the distance, he shattered the core armor of the riot unit with a single punch, sending sparks flying.

Ripping apart the screeching front panel, Qiao Long yanked out the AI chip from the suppression unit. Then, with a powerful kick, he sent the remaining mechanical limbs flying and dashed toward the bathhouse.

Only 12 minutes left, he calculated silently.

Soon after, explosions and gunfire erupted from within the bathhouse. Glass shattered across multiple floors, accompanied by screams and cries echoing from inside.

Time ticked away. Ten minutes later, armored police vehicles equipped with heavy weaponry rolled into the plaza. Officers clad in white exoskeleton armor disembarked, finally bringing order to the chaos.

Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, the instigators of the commotion had already vanished without a trace.