Feeling the sudden weight on her shoulder, Kiana's expression changed instantly. Planting her right foot on the ground, she twisted her body sharply, jabbed her left elbow behind her, and her right hand shot up to grab at her shoulder.
This single, swift grappling move already demonstrated Kiana's combat proficiency as a B-rank Valkyrie.
Unfortunately, the person who dared to make a move on her was clearly fully confident in their own skills.
Sidestepping the Valkyrie's elbow strike with a slight turn of the body, the person changed their grab to a pat, landing a hand-chop along with their forearm on Kiana's back.
The fierce force knocked the girl's body off balance, but the person's other hand precisely caught the plate that fell from Kiana's hand. The food on it trembled for a moment but ultimately remained steady on the plate.
"Kiana, your awareness is too poor. This is Anti-Entropy's base of operations!"
"Ming Yu?!" Hearing this, Kiana quickly turned her head. What came into view was that familiar face, a smug, mischievous smile playing on his lips. "What are you doing here?"
Snatching her plate back, Kiana then noticed Hiyokumaru following behind Ming Yu. She immediately greeted the pink-haired girl, her smile growing even brighter.
Being able to meet an acquaintance in this unfamiliar place was, for Kiana, a joy akin to meeting an old friend in a foreign land.
Smiling at Kiana's cheerful face, Ming Yu also quickly greeted Fu Hua.
"We're here on a mission, of course, but it's about to wrap up." A gentle smile was on Ming Yu's face, but a bright light flashed in the depths of his eyes. "But you two, why have you appeared here?"
Although he had long known that Fu Hua and Kiana would follow the Gem of Serenity to Singapore, he could only feign ignorance at this moment.
After all, theoretically, he had no way of knowing this piece of information.
"We... are also on a mission..."
Glancing at the stern-faced Fu Hua, Kiana gave her answer.
Even though she knew it was a mission, Fu Hua had never told her the specific details.
"You just said this is Anti-Entropy's base?"
Her expression suddenly changed as Kiana finally registered the meaning behind Ming Yu's words.
The same Anti-Entropy that orchestrated the disaster in Nagazora and tried to capture Mei?
At this thought, the girl couldn't help but grit her teeth in resentment. She had not a shred of goodwill for that organization.
Seeing Kiana's reaction, the corner of Ming Yu's eye couldn't help but dart across Fu Hua's face, yet all he saw was that same unchanging calmness.
Telling Kiana a certain degree of the truth was something Ming Yu had planned long ago. He did not agree with Fu Hua's actions of concealing everything in the original timeline.
In her normal state, Fu Hua clearly didn't have the ability to solve everything, yet she still didn't tell Kiana the truth.
It could even be said that Fu Hua was at least largely responsible for Kiana being successfully ambushed by that ordinary person, Dr. Magi.
With the enemy unknown, Fu Hua promising to handle everything, and so much delicious food in front of her, one couldn't expect Kiana to have much vigilance.
From a conspiracy theorist's point of view, one could even believe that Fu Hua, as Otto's enforcer, had orchestrated Kiana's capture herself.
Putting others aside, Fu Hua had always kept her distance from K-423 and had never shown her much kindness.
And for the sake of Otto's experiment, Fu Hua indeed had a reason to do so.
But even after 'disrupting' Fu Hua's plan to some extent, Ming Yu didn't detect the slightest anomaly on the face of this forerunner, as if she didn't realize what Ming Yu had done at all.
Looking at Fu Hua's perpetually calm face, Ming Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Her attention fell on Ming Yu. Fu Hua's eyes suddenly moved, and she gave Hiyokumaru a look.
After glancing at the imposing Celestial, and then at Ming Yu who showed no objection, Hiyokumaru sighed softly, took Kiana aside, and started talking about girly secrets.
Although Kiana was somewhat concerned about the Anti-Entropy matter, looking at Hiyokumaru and Ming Yu, a strong fire of gossip ignited in her eyes, and she immediately threw Anti-Entropy to the back of her mind.
Anyway, with big shots like Ming Yu and Fu Hua around, the matter of Anti-Entropy wasn't her concern.
Seeing Kiana's meaningful gaze, a chill ran down Ming Yu's back, but he still forced himself to focus his attention on Fu Hua, ignoring that minor detail.
Having deliberately sent Kiana and the others away, Ming Yu also wanted to know what Fu Hua had to say.
"You're injured?"
Staring at Ming Yu's body, Fu Hua spoke first.
"Yeah, I ran into a woman who's good with claw-like weapons. She's very strong!"
Shrugging, Ming Yu had no intention of hiding anything. Although Kiana couldn't tell, Fu Hua, who also cultivated the Sword Heart, was extremely sensitive to a person's aura. Even after several days of recovery, the change in his breathing still revealed the fact that Ming Yu was injured.
"By the way, Class Monitor, does the name World Serpent ring a bell?"
Picking up a glass of lemonade from the table, Ming Yu took a small sip and asked Fu Hua.
In Ming Yu's memory, World Serpent was the only organization that dared to challenge both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy at the same time. Although he couldn't know the subsequent situation, the power of World Serpent was evident. Moreover, Schicksal's concealment of World Serpent also made him quite curious.
"..." Hearing Ming Yu's question, Fu Hua couldn't help but frown in thought. "It sounds a little familiar, but I can't remember anything about it anymore."
The hand holding the lemonade trembled suddenly, and the expression on Ming Yu's face froze.
For something to be vaguely familiar to Fu Hua yet forgotten, it must be something from a distant age. If World Serpent was also like that, then how long was its history? And how deep would its foundations be?
It's not that things that have lived longer are stronger, but rather that only things strong enough can withstand the baptism of the river of time.
Gently shaking his head to temporarily suppress his shock, Ming Yu made a mental note of World Serpent and began to steer the conversation toward this mission.
"Class Monitor's mission, do you need any help?"
When a Valkyrie is on a mission, unless it involves relevant personnel, they are not allowed to disclose mission intelligence.
Knowing this well, Ming Yu did not directly ask about the content of Fu Hua's mission, but instead tactfully expressed his opinion.
Although he had no doubt about Fu Hua's abilities, the Celestial, without using Fenghuang Down, was indeed no match for Welt's replica.
"No need, I can handle it myself. Your condition is not suitable for combat."
Without hesitation, Fu Hua immediately rejected Ming Yu's proposal. Even though Ming Yu, wielding two Divine Keys, would be an excellent asset, her dignity as a senior would not allow her to let the already injured Ming Yu participate in the battle. Besides, she was confident she could resolve everything.
Or perhaps, she simply didn't want Ming Yu to get involved in the matter of the Gem of Serenity, didn't want to drag Ming Yu into her and Otto's deal. Just as Ming Yu didn't want Kiana and the others to know about his relationship with Theresa.
"...Alright."
His clenched fist slowly relaxed. When he saw the determination in Fu Hua's eyes, Ming Yu knew what she meant, so there was no need to insist.
Even though he knew the outcome of Fu Hua's infiltration this time in advance, Ming Yu had no reason to change anything. What's more, he didn't want Anti-Entropy to be finished so quickly. The subsequent development of events was far more interesting than simply retrieving the Gem of Serenity.
After chatting with Fu Hua about some trivial matters, Ming Yu ended the conversation. Both of them had different missions to carry, and this was not a place for a long talk.
After bidding farewell to Fu Hua, Ming Yu turned and walked towards Hiyokumaru and the others not far away.
"Kiana, put those things down. How about I take you to eat something better? I hope your stomach can still handle it."
"Huh?" Hearing Ming Yu's words, Kiana's chewing slowed down a bit. "What's better to eat?"
His gaze swept over the prosperity outside the hotel, a playful curve appeared on Ming Yu's lips, and he slowly uttered two words:
"State banquet!"