"Finally done~"
Letting out a long sigh of relief, Ming Yu wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and said with emotion.
"Yeah, it's finally over."
Looking at the three red areas on the map, Higokumaru also breathed a sigh of relief.
"You've really worked hard this time. Once this is all over... I'll take you to have some fun in Shenzhou."
Seeing Higokumaru's pale face and somewhat ethereal form, Ming Yu couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, and his tone softened at once.
To calculate the location of Jiu You as quickly as possible, Ming Yu and Higokumaru had exhausted every ounce of their effort.
Faced with the massive amounts of data, Higokumaru used one calculation method after another, and only with the help of Ming Yu using Jizo Mitama to intrude and commandeer all the idle computers in the branch did they finally lock Jiu You down to three locations.
But even so, the enormous computational load still overwhelmed Higokumaru, causing her to expend a great deal of Honkai Energy, making it difficult for her to even maintain her physical form.
"Mm."
Hearing Ming Yu's words, Higokumaru responded softly. A strained smile appeared on her pale face, and a bit of light returned to her tired eyes.
Ming Yu gently stroked Higokumaru's soft, long pink hair, infusing a stream of Honkai Energy with a strong corrosive attribute into her body, alleviating the girl's fatigue.
"Go get some rest. Leave the rest to me."
Looking with pity at the frail girl before him, Ming Yu said in a gentle voice.
"Mmm~"
With a soft hum, Higokumaru closed her eyes, letting her body lean limply against Ming Yu.
Feeling the feather-light body in his arms and sensing the gradually stabilizing Honkai Energy fluctuations, Ming Yu sighed deeply.
As a pure creation of Honkai Energy, Higokumaru currently existed solely by relying on the special energy of Jizo Mitama. After exhausting her energy, her body's self-preservation instincts made her far more susceptible to falling into a coma than a normal human, in order to avoid unnecessary consumption.
So, feather-light was truly just that—feather-light. If the situation were any worse, Higokumaru would have to return to Jizo Mitama to avoid dissipating completely.
Walking slowly into the bedroom, Ming Yu carefully placed the girl in his arms onto the bed, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a precious work of art.
After a moment of thought, Ming Yu gently covered the girl with a thin blanket, carefully tucking in the corners.
Although Ming Yu knew very well that limited temperature changes meant little to a being like Higokumaru, he still chose to do it.
Just as he knew in his heart that the best course of action was to return Higokumaru to Jizo Mitama, yet he stubbornly refused.
He wanted Higokumaru to know that she was not an object, but a living being with an independent personality.
Straightening the girl's slightly messy hair, Ming Yu sighed softly.
This way, he owed Higokumaru even more. And this was a debt of gratitude he would find difficult to repay.
From beginning to end, Higokumaru had never asked him for anything; her only request was for Ming Yu to take her along on missions.
But as for repayment, could he really just assign her more missions?
Dettaching the long black sword from his waist, Ming Yu gently placed Jizo Mitama by the bedside. A red light flashed from Jizo Mitama, and the crimson, human-sized phantom of Mitama Demon Armor appeared beside it before fading into the void.
Staring at the girl's serene face, Ming Yu felt as though he had a thousand words to say, but when they reached his lips, they turned into a soft "good night."
After notifying Wei Ying to immediately gather the branch's leaders, Ming Yu took the marked map and strode out to face the battle that belonged to him.
What Ming Yu failed to notice was that after he left, a faint, barely-there smile appeared on the girl's face in the room, as if she were having a pleasant dream.
…
In the spacious conference room, Ming Yu sat at the head of the table, his gaze sweeping over the people from the branch.
Among the nine leaders of the branch, only one was male, perfectly illustrating the dominant position of women in Schicksal's Valkyrie forces.
"Ahem!"
Clearing his throat, Ming Yu waited for everyone's attention to focus on him before continuing, "I'm sure everyone present is already aware of my identity and purpose, but please allow me to introduce myself first."
Pausing for a moment, Ming Yu released his aura. A faint Honkai Energy filled the not-so-small conference room, and the heavy pressure made everyone's breathing hitch.
Seeing their reactions, Ming Yu nodded inwardly and instantly retracted his aura.
"I am Ming Yu, a member of the Far East Branch's Seventh Squad, an A-rank Valkyrie. I have been tasked by the branch chief to find the location of the Jiu You ruins, and I hope for your cooperation."
Saying this with a straight face, Ming Yu's intensely pressuring gaze lingered on everyone, observing their reactions.
Faced with such an imposing parachuted-in superior, no one answered for a moment, simply staring blankly at Ming Yu's expressionless face.
Even Wei Ying, who had met Ming Yu that morning, wore a look of surprise, unable to believe that the gentle man from earlier could be like this.
Seeing their expressions, Ming Yu suddenly burst into laughter, instantly switching to an affable expression and smiling, "The higher-ups are watching this mission closely. I hope everyone will bring their A-game so we can complete this mission together without any hiccups."
The atmosphere in the conference room immediately relaxed with Ming Yu's change in demeanor. Everyone came to their senses and expressed their agreement and support for Ming Yu.
In terms of status, Ming Yu was directly appointed by the branch, giving him the highest command authority over the local branch for the duration of the mission. They were naturally expected to support him.
In terms of strength, Ming Yu was not only a core member of an elite squad but also a warrior rated as A-rank, making him an undeniable powerhouse.
Both in reason and sentiment, they were all supposed to cooperate with Ming Yu's operation.
Although Ming Yu's display was a bit too forceful, his status was more than enough to back it up, so it wasn't considered a major issue.
Once the voices in the conference room quieted down a bit, Ming Yu turned his gaze to Wei Ying on his right and asked seriously, "As of now, how many fighter jets and warships can the branch mobilize?"
"Excluding those currently on missions or under maintenance, we can only mobilize six fighter jets and two warships."
Meeting Ming Yu's intense gaze, Wei Ying's pretty face flushed slightly. She pursed her lips and forced herself to say it.
For a branch, this level of combat strength was indeed astonishingly weak. For an A-rank Valkyrie with the authority to form squads and command battles, this number of forces was simply not worth mentioning.
But this was all the strength the Guangzhou Branch, situated in Shenzhou, had.
Seeing that Ming Yu didn't reply, Wei Ying thought he was dissatisfied with the answer and added, "If necessary, the branch can also request support from the Shenzhou government."
Hearing her words, Ming Yu gently shook his head and replied, "There's no need. this is enough. Notify them to prepare for combat. We move out at 0900 tomorrow morning."
"All of them?"
Wei Ying's eyes widened as she asked in surprise.
To this, Ming Yu just smiled faintly without answering. In his view, his order was already clear enough and needed no further explanation.
"But if it's just to search for Jiu You, there's no need to deploy all our forces, is there?"
one of the leaders suddenly pressed.
Indeed, if it was just about finding Jiu You's location, this amount of force seemed excessive. Normally, it would suffice to dispatch numerous small teams to investigate the suspected locations.
This approach of betting everything, it was less like searching for Jiu You and more like... a conquest!
Faced with this question, Ming Yu chuckled softly, fiddling with the holographic map in his hands, and said nonchalantly, "I've already found Jiu You's location."
"Besides, as long as we completely conquer Jiu You, won't the mission be complete?" Glancing at the branch members, a contemptuous smile touched the corner of Ming Yu's mouth.
His words were, indeed, flawless. Just as killing everyone you encounter is a form of perfect stealth, if they fought their way through Jiu You, wouldn't they then know its location?
Hearing Ming Yu's explanation, everyone's breath caught in their throats, and the looks they gave him instantly became complicated.
Completely ignoring their stares, Ming Yu handed the map to Wei Ying and instructed, "Arrange the itinerary according to the marked locations. I'll handle the main process myself. You just need to provide me with the necessary support."
Somewhat bewildered, Wei Ying took the map from Ming Yu and nodded blankly.
"If there are no objections, everyone is dismissed. Get the operation arranged as soon as possible."
After a pause, Ming Yu added in an extremely serious tone, "Remember, this is a classified mission. The official statement to the public will be that it's a military exercise!"
Although it was common for Schicksal to explore Honkai ruins, considering the special circumstances this time, a certain degree of secrecy was necessary. As for whether anyone would believe it, that was none of Ming Yu's concern.
After all, his mission was only to find Jiu You.