I'm a magical girl in the future

Chapter 177 We are the price.

In a small private room at a restaurant, Shen Zixin and He Yuran sat together, looking at Fuxin across from them with some confusion.

This morning, He Yuran received a heartwarming text message: "Are you free at noon? I'd like to invite you and Shen Zixin to lunch."

Although the two gladly accepted the invitation, they were still puzzled by Fu Xin's invitation.

"Don't be so nervous," said Fuxin, who was sitting across from them and wearing a white coat. She seemed to be the same Fuxin who regularly worked at Yuehua. "We all came from that lab, so we're practically 'family.' It's perfectly normal for us to have a meal together."

This reason sounds quite reasonable. Sharing that childhood of imprisonment, there is indeed a special bond between them.

Shen Zixin picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and at the same time, it reminded him of what he had talked about with Noah earlier. ["Fuxin—she's a member of 'Children of Dawn.' Well, not quite right. Calling her a member is a bit of an insult; she's the de facto leader. It's just that 'Children of Dawn' has a rather ambiguous hierarchy, so Fuxin's position is more like a leader."]

"The essence of this organization is to overthrow the current rule of the Civil Defense Bureau. Simply put, they are a group of rebels."

"Hmm? Should we keep our distance from her? I don't think it's necessary. She doesn't mean you any harm, just absolutely avoid actually joining their organization."

"At least she saved you when the future assassins attacked, and she also treated He Yuran's internal injuries. There's nothing wrong with your interactions as normal friends."

The leader of a revolutionary organization that intends to overthrow the existing order—even if she is his older sister who lived in the same laboratory as him during his childhood—he must be careful.

The first half of the dinner was quite harmonious. Fu Xin didn't show any hostility; she just listened with great interest as He Yu Ran recounted recent interesting events, occasionally chiming in with a few words. The three of them chatted and laughed together.

Their conversations mostly revolved around everyday matters, without any dangerous topics. However, Shen Zixin dared not relax her vigilance in the slightest.

Finally, after eating about halfway through, he put down his chopsticks and asked a question that seemed somewhat casual: "How much do you know about the person 'Compassion'?"

"Compassion?" He Yuran paused for a moment, then scratched her head. "It's just—just what's written in the books. What else could it be?"

Shen Zixin nodded in agreement, "Like Yu Ran, my understanding of her is basically all from history textbooks."

However, this stirred up quite a turmoil in Shen Zixin's heart.

How should I address "that person"?

[Theoretically, that was her mother.]

That night, when Noah confided everything to him, she also told him about this.

A legendary figure famous in books turns out to be his own mother?

To be honest, Shen Zixin didn't really feel the impact of this.

The figure of "mother" had never appeared in his life. Now, suddenly being told that he was actually the orphan of the previous ruler—aside from his genuine resentment towards Ci'ai for sending him to the laboratory, that was all he felt.

It could even be said that he harbored complete aversion towards this "mother" whom he had never met.

Previously, Shen Zixin thought that her loving mother had hypnotized her—but she never expected that her mother herself would send her into the laboratory.

"Oh? And what is your 'view' on compassion?" Fu Xin continued to press.

"My opinion—" He Yuran pondered for a moment, "is probably similar to the opinion in the history textbooks at school. A person who has both merits and demerits, but whose merits far outweigh his demerits."

Shen Zixin nodded as well.

This is indeed the official view in history textbooks.

In the Age of Compassion, human power was still fragmented. Under the threat of monstrous beasts, human habitats were constantly shrinking, almost to the point of crisis.

Then, compassion emerged, swiftly uniting all the divided forces. Under her leadership, all resources could finally be concentrated. The Civil Defense Bureau eradicated the hordes of monstrous beasts, expanded humanity's survival zone, and in one fell swoop, brought humanity from the brink of life and death into a golden age.

Even now, humanity is still enjoying the benefits she left behind.

The criticisms leveled against her mainly focus on the methods she used—dictatorship and brainwashing. In order to unify the power of all magical girls, she did indeed use some very harsh, even cruel, methods.

However, the official textbooks are generally positive in their assessment. They believe that in that particular historical period, a certain degree of "necessary evil" was understandable for the sake of human survival.

Prior to this, Shen Zixin's views were basically the same as those written in textbooks. However, although she spent her childhood in a laboratory, she never associated herself with being a "victim" of Ci'ai's care.

Once he understood this, Shen Zixin's mindset did indeed undergo a significant change. However, he didn't dwell on these things too much now. Compassion was a thing of the past, and Shen Zixin was at peace with the idea of ​​someone who had already passed away.

However, Shen Zixin already had a premonition that Fu Xin would suddenly bring up this topic.

As leaders of the "Children of Dawn," Fuxin's goal is to overthrow the Civil Defense Bureau. Therefore, as the creator and symbol of the Civil Defense Bureau's golden age, Compassion is inevitably the first thing they must reject.

However, Fu Xin unexpectedly nodded, "That's right. Compassion is indeed a person whose merits far outweigh her faults. She is truly great."

"The human race has been able to continue. If it weren't for the appearance of compassion, humanity would probably still be fighting for survival. She has allowed countless people to enjoy the hard-won era of peace we have now."

"Ah, the peace I'm talking about is relative. After all, before compassion, humanity was on the verge of survival. Now, at most, there are only a dozen or so monster attacks in the city each month, and we also have magical girls protecting us."

"Sacrificing a few people for the continuation of the race is indeed a negligible price to pay."

Shen Zixin was stunned—was she—affirming Ci'ai's merits?

However, he immediately patted his chest and lowered his head, his tone filled with anger and sadness.

"But her approach of sacrificing a portion of the population to save the whole—"

"We are the price to pay."