A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

”A’Qing, Xiaoli—what are you two talking about?”

Ke Mingwei’s deep voice drifted in from the hallway. The sudden sound struck like a bolt of lightning, instantly interrupting the conversation in the bedroom.

For a moment, the siblings were silent as a winter cicada, neither saying a word.

Xia Zili slowly raised her head and stared at the doorframe, a slight frown on her face. Ke Mingqing, however, raised an eyebrow. His eyes lit up slightly as he turned to look into her eyes.

”No.”

Seemingly realizing what he was thinking, Xia Zili raised her right hand and clamped her palm over his mouth.

Ke Mingqing froze for a second before swatting her hand away, sputtering, ”Pfft, pfft, pfft.” He lowered his voice, his expression animated. ”Why not? It’s the perfect opportunity now that Dad is here! Let’s just lay our cards on the table. Who knows, maybe he can bring the Roundtable Heroes over as backup. Those witches ain’t shit!”

Xia Zili hesitated for a moment, but still shook her head.

”But I don’t want Dad to know—”

”Oh, come on, sis, why are you being so stubborn?”At this, Ke Mingqing sighed. ”Take a page out of White Jack’s book. Whenever he runs into a tough spot, he just calls for backup. White Jack knows how to handle people way better than you do.”

”I said no, and I mean no.” Xia Zili shrugged. ”Also, haven’t you noticed you’re starting to sound more and more like White Jack? No wonder people suspect you two are close.”

Ke Mingqing rolled his eyes. ’Do I even need to try?’ he thought. ’If White Jack himself were here, he’d have to pay me tuition. In a White Jack impersonation contest, he’d only come in second.’

”Why the hell not?”

He hung his head, letting out a long, lifeless sigh. Then he turned and stared fixedly at her. ”We’re about to die, and you’re still worrying about all this?”

”But have you ever thought—”

”Thought about what?”

”What if I really become a witch one day? Letting Dad watch me transform with his own eyes, watching his own daughter go insane and tear through the world, being treated like a monster by everyone—”

Xia Zili paused before asking softly, ”Don’t you think that’s cruel?”

Ke Mingqing was stunned.

The young girl’s eyes were cast downward, her cheeks bathed in a hazy interplay of light and shadow. The curtains billowed up in the morning breeze and fell back down, scattering erratic patches of light across the floor, making it look as though a white whale were swimming through the shadows.

After a long moment, Ke Mingqing finally looked away from her face. He lowered his head and said softly, ”I think... finding out your daughter became a witch when you were completely kept in the dark would be even crueler.”

”—Why?”

”Because then Dad would spend the rest of his life regretting that he didn’t notice sooner, that he didn’t do something in time. Wouldn’t that be agonizing for him too?”

Xia Zili fell silent.

The siblings sat by the window in a daze, neither speaking for a long time. Eventually, Ke Mingqing shrugged and said casually, ”Alright, fine—since you’re being so stubborn, I’ll just have to give Dad a different excuse.”

”What crazy idea are you cooking up now?” Xia Zili asked softly.

”Doesn’t everyone out there think the magical girl Ember is my girlfriend? Even though she technically is,” Ke Mingqing said. ”It wouldn’t be too much to ask Dad to help me look after my girlfriend, right?”

Before Xia Zili could react, he pushed himself up from the windowsill, slipped on his slippers, and scurried out of the room.

A second later, Xia Zili’s head snapped up, staring blankly at his retreating back.

She watched as Ke Mingqing turned the knob and cracked the door open. He poked his head out, waving at Ke Mingwei, who was standing outside. ”Dad, I need to talk to you.”

”About what?”

”It’s private superhero business. We can’t let my little muggle sister hear it. Ugh, damn muggles, stupid muggles. Ordinary people will never understand the private matters between us father and son.”

Ke Mingqing spoke in an exaggerated, sarcastic tone. He paused for a moment, glancing back at Xia Zili, before leaning in and whispering into Ke Mingwei’s ear, ”So, let’s talk outside.”

Ke Mingwei frowned. ”Fine, but don’t talk about your sister like that.”

”I’ll say what I want.”

”If your sister actually awakened an ability, or became a magical girl or something, I don’t think this family would ever have a moment’s peace.”

”You’re totally right, Dad.”

Ke Mingqing gave him a thumbs up, and Ke Mingwei said no more.

The old man glanced at Xia Zili through the crack in the door before pulling it shut. He and Ke Mingqing leaned against the wall in the hallway. Ke Mingwei pulled a cigarette out of the pack in his uniform pocket.

Ke Mingqing thought for a moment before speaking. ”It’s like this. You know about the Witch Cult ’Terminus Tower,’ right?”

”I do,” Ke Mingwei said slowly. ”The Superhero Roundtable Council has given the witch organization ’Terminus Tower’ a very high threat rating. It’s one of the few groups marked as a Special-Rank combat force.”

He paused, then emphasized, ”But traditionally, hunting witches has always been a magical girl’s job. So, unless it’s absolutely necessary, we usually don’t break the rules and intervene recklessly.”

”Since you know about them, that makes this easier.” Ke Mingqing shrugged. ”It seems those witches have targeted my girlfriend.”

”That Japanese transfer student?” Ke Mingwei frowned, the words slipping out almost instinctively.

Ke Mingqing froze, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

He fought the urge to grimace. ”No, we broke up ages ago. I mean my new girlfriend.”

Ke Mingwei thought for a second before offering another name: ”The magical girl Ember?”

Ke Mingwei believed his daughter was just an ordinary person, so he didn’t bother lowering his voice while talking to Ke Mingqing.

Inside the bedroom, Xia Zili heard the entire conversation loud and clear. Her face instantly flushed bright red.

Ke Mingqing gave a dry laugh. ”Damn, Dad, you really are a master detective. Calling you the ’Phantom Cop’ doesn’t do you justice.” He suddenly shifted his tone. ”Yeah, it’s her.”

”Why would she be targeted?”

”I don’t know. All I know is that if something happens to her, I’m dying with her.” Ke Mingqing shoved his hands into his pockets.

Xia Zili’s jaw dropped in disbelief. ’You’re seriously going there, bro?’ she thought.

Out in the hallway, Ke Mingwei also fell into a frowning silence for a moment, the cigarette bobbing slightly between his lips.

”You little punk—” he muttered, his voice low.

”I’m serious,” Ke Mingqing said earnestly, keeping his eyes on the floor.

Ke Mingwei turned to look at him and let out a soft sigh around his cigarette. ”A magical girl who has killed someone has a chance of becoming a witch. That’s probably why your girlfriend is being targeted.”

”I know.”

”Those witches are far too dangerous. In all likelihood, there’s nothing you can do to help her.”

”Yeah, I know my own limits too,” Ke Mingqing said expressionlessly. ”So if those witches really do attack, could you pull some strings and get the Roundtable to send backup?”

”The Roundtable Heroes have their own duties to attend to. Unless it’s the kind of threat that endangers the entire world—” Ke Mingwei began, but was cut off.

”I know, I know. The Roundtable Heroes aren’t just on call,” Ke Mingqing interrupted. ”But when Terminus Tower attacks Leijing, if even one of them is there, our odds of winning will be way higher.”

He thought for a moment before adding, ”Even if you can’t get Zeus, the Officer Girl should work, right? Isn’t she into you?”

”We’ll talk about it if that day actually comes,” Ke Mingwei said, taking a drag of his cigarette. Smoke curled around his fingers.

Ke Mingqing shook his head and cut him off. ”No, that day is coming soon. We need to be prepared early.”

Inside the bedroom, Xia Zili sat with her head bowed in a long silence. Finally, she took a deep breath, stood up from the edge of the windowsill, and walked out of the room step by step.

At that moment, Ke Mingwei and Ke Mingqing were still leaning against the wall chatting, when a sudden bang echoed beside them. It was Xia Zili slamming the bedroom door open.

The father and son blinked in surprise, slowly turning their heads to look at her cold, sharp profile. An autumn breeze swept down from the rooftop, whipping up her hair. A single maple leaf fluttered in the wind.

’Are you about to blow your cover?’ Ke Mingqing thought to himself. ’Well, whatever. I was planning on dropping hints to Dad about your identity anyway, so this saves me the trouble.’

”Li, what’s wrong?” Ke Mingwei asked casually.

Xia Zili kept her head down and didn’t answer. Her pitch-black hair fell over her eyes, completely hiding her expression.

Ke Mingwei furrowed his brow and took a quiet drag of his cigarette. His youngest daughter throwing sudden fits was nothing new.

”Watch closely.”

Xia Zili suddenly said. The next moment, a hazy halo of light enveloped her body like a cocoon. Ke Mingwei’s eyes widened slightly.

With a crack, the cocoon of light instantly shattered. Then, a young girl wearing a gothic dress and clutching a pitch-black umbrella slowly appeared before them.

A ripple of grayish-blue magic washed outward, slightly lifting the girl’s skirt and hair. The gray ribbon atop her head swayed gently in the faint breeze.

Ke Mingwei stood frozen in place. The cigarette hanging from his lips slowly tipped downward before dropping to the floor with a soft tap, scattering ash across the ground.

”Come on, Dad, could you be a little more hygienic? If Mom sees that, she’s going to nag us again—”

Ke Mingqing sighed. He leaned over, picked up the cigarette butt from the floor, and let out a burst of pitch-black lightning from his fingertips, instantly obliterating the entire cigarette.

A moment later, the magical girl Ember slowly raised her head. Her clear eyes, shining like an aurora, met Ke Mingwei’s gaze.

In the absolute silence, father and daughter stood there, quietly staring at each other.