"Captain, we have arrived."
A soft call by his ear broke Ming Yu's wandering thoughts, pulling him back to the present reality.
"...Oh, thank you for your hard work, Senior Ximei."
Turning his gaze to the driver's seat beside him, Ming Yu revealed a gentle smile and spoke to the Valkyrie dressed in a semi-formal military uniform.
As a logistics Valkyrie, Ximei's B-rank rating was a testament to her seniority and ability. If not for Hiyokumaru, no one would have been able to compete with her for the position of vice-captain.
As far as Ming Yu knew, before being transferred to the Inverse Feather Squad, Ximei was indeed the vice-captain of a Valkyrie squad.
From vice-captain of an ordinary squad to an ordinary member of an elite squad, it's hard to say whether it's a promotion or a demotion. But as the person whose rating and rank were second only to Ming Yu's, her prestige within the Inverse Feather Squad was extremely high.
In terms of interpersonal skills, Ximei's experience was undoubtedly extremely rich. She had been responsible for most of the liaison work with Singapore these past few days. Hiyokumaru was only responsible for personnel arrangements, and often even had to consult this senior.
On this point, Ming Yu couldn't be of much help either. After all, his skill points for the past year had all been invested in combat; he was completely clueless about these things.
"You're too kind, Captain. It's all part of my duty."
In response to Ming Yu's praise, Ximei also offered the same smile, without a hint of a senior's arrogance.
Years of experience told her that although the Ming Yu before her was young and respected her, if she were to really put on airs, she would be a fool.
At the very least, if Ming Yu insisted on removing her from the squad, he could do it. Squad matters, in principle, were something that not even the branch head had the right to interfere with.
A person who could achieve an A-rank Valkyrie rating in one year and even become a hot candidate for the fourth S-rank Valkyrie was someone who couldn't be taken too seriously. No wonder Lady Himeko asked me to...
A friendly light shone in her smiling eyes. Ximei deftly unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the car door, and stepped out first.
After giving a heads-up to Hiyokumaru and Kiana, Ming Yu also opened his door and got out. Although waiting for someone to open the door for him would seem more stylish, he wasn't in the habit of being waited on.
After getting out of the car, Ming Yu stepped onto the long red carpet. Ximei followed on his left, while Hiyokumaru and Kiana were on his right.
Lining both sides of the carpet were the Valkyries of the Inverse Feather Squad who had arrived beforehand. They were either young and tender girls in the bloom of their youth, or mature women with a touch of experience from their prime years.
But at this moment, their impeccable military uniforms exuded a compelling heroic spirit, like a sharp sword revealing its edge.
"Salute!"
Following a loud command from the leading Valkyrie, the Valkyries of the Inverse Feather Squad clicked their heels together and gave a crisp military salute, their gazes fixed straight ahead, awaiting their commander's inspection.
Feeling the conviction of the Valkyries, a gratified smile couldn't help but appear on Ming Yu's lips. How could one not want to protect people like this?
Walking unhurriedly on the red carpet, Ming Yu's gaze was fixed on the end of the passage. There, the people of Singapore were awaiting their arrival.
Looking at Ming Yu's profile, feeling the solemn atmosphere pervading the scene, a serious expression also appeared on Hiyokumaru's face.
The black, waist-cinching long dress outlined the girl's exquisite figure. Her fair skin was even more dazzling in the night, and her long, sakura-colored hair was tied into a neat ponytail, with a few strands falling across her face, adding a touch of charm.
With a gentle yet serious smile on her delicate face, Hiyokumaru nodded to the Valkyries on both sides while keeping close to Ming Yu's side.
Feeling the sharp spirit of the Valkyries, Kiana couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.
I thought we were just coming for a meal. Why does it seem like we're about to do something big?
Walking behind Hiyokumaru with her head held high and chest out, Kiana's steps also became more solemn.
Although a cheongsam was somewhat odd for this occasion, and her Western features made the outfit look a bit out of place, the girl's outstanding beauty still managed to pull it off.
I'm just here to eat, I'm just here to eat...
Muttering this repeatedly in her heart, Kiana walked behind Hiyokumaru with her eyelids slightly lowered.
Looking at the two girls following behind Ming Yu, Ximei couldn't help but frown secretly.
She had no particular opinion of Hiyokumaru. On the contrary, for this diligent and studious junior, Ximei was quite happy to see her grow.
After learning about the relationship between Hiyokumaru and Ming Yu, she no longer held any hope for the position of vice-captain. Although Ming Yu was clearly practicing nepotism, she had no excuse to object until Hiyokumaru made a major mistake.
In the Inverse Feather Squad, their fates were intertwined with Ming Yu's. As long as it could put Ming Yu at ease, she didn't mind this nominal title. What's more, she also bore a special mission given by Lady Himeko, so she wouldn't squabble with a young girl.
But for Kiana, this girl who had suddenly appeared, Ximei felt no fondness.
Originally, she was already treading on thin ice in her dealings with Singapore, worried they would side with Anti-Entropy. Even though Ming Yu had assured her that Singapore had no other choice, she still trusted her own experience.
Kiana was, after all, brought here by Ming Yu. While she wouldn't openly disrespect him, it was impossible for her to show any goodwill towards Kiana.
As an elite of the Far East Branch, she had her own pride.
Even if rumors said that this person with the same surname as the Kaslana family had some talent in combat, Ximei wouldn't look at her any differently because of it. With Ming Yu as a precedent, it was enough to make most so-called "geniuses" pale in comparison.
With their own thoughts, the four of them slowly walked down the long red carpet. The Valkyries standing at attention also fell in behind them in pairs after Ming Yu and his group passed, their movements still just as uniform.
The passage was quite long. Besides the Valkyries of the Inverse Feather Squad, there was another team standing guard.
On their camouflage military uniforms was the insignia of Singapore. Although they were also heroic-looking young girls, their spirit and energy were a notch below that of the Inverse Feather Squad.
Even though this team was by no means weak, in front of the elites of the Far East Branch, they were still far from enough.
Whether it was the veteran Valkyries or the newcomers from St. Freya, those who could enter the Inverse Feather Squad were the best of the best. After all, this was an elite squad, and Theresa couldn't possibly be perfunctory.
In St. Freya, even if some outstanding graduates were recruited by other branches, many still chose Ming Yu's squad.
With their shared experience of studying at St. Freya, coupled with the rumors circulating within Schicksal about him being the fourth candidate for S-rank Valkyrie, Ming Yu's popularity in St. Freya had risen to an extremely high level.
Even now that he appeared at St. Freya with extreme rarity, the legends (gossip) about him had never disappeared.
When passing in front of the Singaporean team, the members of the Far East Branch held their heads even higher, their sharp aura becoming even more imposing.
Walking slowly to the end of the red carpet, Ming Yu stopped in front of the Singaporean delegation. The Valkyries behind him also came to a halt in unison, their impressive momentum shuddering with their movements.
His gaze drifted past Mo Xi, who was wearing a long dress, and landed on the middle-aged man at the forefront.
Even though he was wearing a well-tailored suit, the middle-aged man's square face still bore marks as if carved by a knife and axe, clearly a man who had also been tempered by long battles.
"A pleasure to meet you."
With a confident smile on his lips, Ming Yu extended his right hand.
"We have been eagerly awaiting your arrival for a long time."
With a smile that came from the bottom of his heart, the middle-aged man also extended his hand.