In a small alley not far from the café, a golden wormhole suddenly opened, and two figures tumbled out. They were, of course, Ming Yu and Hiyokumaru.
"That was too reckless. Big Bro Yu, you need to take care of your own body too!"
Seeing Ming Yu's face suddenly turn pale, Hiyokumaru quickly supported him, frowning and pouting as she spoke, her tone full of complaint.
Leaning against the wall with one hand and placing the other on the girl's fragrant shoulder, Ming Yu took a few breaths to regulate the somewhat chaotic Honkai Energy in his body before giving Hiyokumaru a bitter smile.
"I cannot show weakness in front of Singapore."
Although Ming Yu had spoken with immense arrogance just now, he was well aware that Schicksal's current combat strength in Singapore consisted of him alone.
As for Wraith, since she claimed not to be skilled in combat, Ming Yu naturally wouldn't include her in the combat roster.
The fact that Singapore had approached him so quickly, besides inquiring about yesterday's battle, might well have been a way of probing him. Even if he didn't proactively display some power, some 'accidents' would surely have occurred later.
Scenarios like gangsters robbing the store were a well-worn cliché; it was all too easy for a national government to pull some strings on its own turf.
For that disappearance just now, Ming Yu had secretly used the powers of the Herrscher of Wind and the Herrscher of the Void within the Dustless Sword, barely managing to achieve a visual disappearance.
Although it sounded simple, to do it without Mo Xi noticing still took Ming Yu quite a bit of effort and energy.
If Ming Yu were at full strength, he naturally wouldn't need to consider this small expenditure. But with his currently heavily injured body, it was a bit of a strain, especially since he needed the Dustless Sword to suppress his injuries.
Mystery and unknown power were the labels he left for Singapore. Until they found a way to deal with him, this sword of Damocles would hang over Singapore, a constant warning to those in power.
"The Honkai is already so powerful, why can't humanity just unite?"
Biting her lip, Hiyokumaru sighed softly.
Hiyokumaru, who had lived through the era of Fire Moth, found it somewhat difficult to understand the divided state of humanity in the current era.
Although there were internal factional divisions among humans in the Previous Era, they were generally united in their fight against the Honkai. In comparison, the humans of the current era were far too scattered.
Not only were there the two major divisions of Anti-Entropy and Schicksal, but even the neutral countries and organizations had their own agendas, making it difficult to unite them.
If the world's leaders could restrain their selfish desires and devote their power to fighting the Honkai, humanity's strength against the Honkai would undoubtedly be much greater.
And the stronger the civilization, the less pressure Ming Yu would have to bear as an individual, and he wouldn't have to push himself so hard.
Somewhat surprised, he glanced at Hiyokumaru. Ming Yu, who had always lived within the conventional concept of nations, couldn't understand this way of thinking.
"People will always have selfish desires. For a collective of interests like a nation, watching from the sidelines and diverting disaster elsewhere is the norm." Shaking his head, Ming Yu let out a long sigh. "So-called unity is just a matter of mutual interest."
There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. This was a true reflection of the existence of nations.
Ming Yu didn't quite agree with the current divided state of humanity, but he had never thought about how to change it.
Unlike his original world, the Honkai had always been the constant enemy of this world. In the face of this common, powerful foe, there was a certain basis for human unity.
But if you were to ask Ming Yu what to do specifically, he would be at a complete loss.
He knew his own abilities; politics was not something he could handle. If not for a series of coincidences, he wouldn't have even bothered with this Singapore affair. Isn't it nice to just lie back and win?
Listening to Ming Yu's lament, although Hiyokumaru still found it somewhat hard to accept, she didn't say anything more. For a girl who had lived in the era of Fire Moth, the very concept of a 'nation' was unfamiliar.
The gaps in time and space were enough to form an insurmountable generation gap. Such an argument was meaningless; true consensus could never be reached.
Perhaps the only thing they had in common was that neither of them belonged to this world. One was in terms of space, the other in terms of time.
"Next, I'll have to trouble you for a bit."
Summoning Jizo Mitama, Ming Yu looked at Hiyokumaru apologetically.
Limited by his injuries, Ming Yu's teleportation didn't cover a great distance. To disappear from under Singapore's surveillance, changing the number of people was the best disguise.
Moreover, even in this Honkai world with its wide variety of hair colors, Hiyokumaru's head of pink hair was still incredibly conspicuous.
"It's nothing, as long as Big Bro Yu..."
With a gentle smile, Hiyokumaru shook her head lightly, her form instantly turning into a streak of pink light and disappearing into the Key of Corruption.
Staring blankly as the long black sword vanished in his hand, Ming Yu turned his coat inside out as a slight disguise and walked out.
He looked up at the news reports on the public screen about the president's assassination attempt; the killer's true identity was still under urgent investigation.
With a cold snort, Ming Yu then disappeared into the crowd.
...
Singapore, Queen's Hotel.
Looking at the dazzling array of delicacies before her, smelling the tempting aroma wafting through the air, the white-haired girl's index finger twitched, and it took all of her willpower to barely restrain herself from pouncing on them.
She glanced over at the woman in a green cheongsam beside her, and seeing no objection, the white-haired girl finally relaxed and quickly reached for the delicious food on the dining table.
Although her resistance to delicious food had always been zero, she still remembered that she was here on a mission. Acting without the captain's permission was a major taboo.
"Delicious, this is great too..." While marveling at the deliciousness of the food, the white-haired girl's blue eyes suddenly shifted, and she asked her companion indistinctly, "By the way, Class Monitor, why did you choose me as your partner?"
Without a doubt, the two who appeared here were Kiana and Fu Hua.
Although Kiana was very confident in her own strength and felt that she would sooner or later become an S-rank Valkyrie, she also knew that in Fu Hua's mundane eyes, she was definitely not as reliable as those top students.
Watching Kiana's non-stop chewing, Fu Hua sighed inwardly and pushed up the red glasses on the bridge of her nose. "It is my duty as the Class Monitor to pay attention to every student's academic performance. If I remember correctly, Kiana, you should be in great need of internship credits, right?"
It should have been a question, but Fu Hua's tone was full of certainty. She was well aware of Kiana's grades.
Hearing Fu Hua's words, Kiana's movements instantly froze, and her blue eyes suddenly dimmed as if she had suffered a huge blow. But immediately after, Kiana started chewing her food with even greater vigor, clearly turning her grief and indignation into appetite.
"By the way, what's the mission content this time?"
Her gaze drifted to the food on the table as Kiana wisely avoided the topic of grades.
"The mission content..." A flash of guilt crossed Fu Hua's eyes, but it was gone in an instant, and she had already returned to her usual self. "It's just an ordinary intelligence gathering mission. I can come by myself. It's enough for you to wait for me here, Kiana."
Upon hearing this, Kiana's gaze immediately turned back to Fu Hua's face.
Seeing the confidence and determination in those eyes, Kiana was taken aback for a moment, and the words of refusal she had intended to say never left her mouth.
Just as Kiana was about to nod in agreement, a hand silently reached out towards the girl's shoulder.