254. First Encounter with Wendy
Bronya woke up shortly after.
"Bronya, are you alright?" Yun Ling asked apologetically.
He felt he must have given her too much work, which caused her to faint.
"I'm fine, just a little dizzy," Bronya said softly.
Yun Ling's eyes widened slightly. That tone... was a little too gentle, wasn't it? It was the first time he'd heard Bronya speak to him so gently.
Was she really tired?
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to be so tired that you fainted. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask," Yun Ling said earnestly.
Come to think of it, this seemed to be the second time he'd accidentally taken Bronya to the infirmary...
"No need, it's not your fault, it's just my own problem," Bronya shook her head.
Although she was indeed very exhausted, it shouldn't have caused her to faint.
She had fainted because she was too emotionally overwhelmed.
When her inner confirmation was fulfilled, her first feeling wasn't joy, but panic.
Whether Yun Ling was a reincarnated individual remained a mystery.
But whether he came here to fill a ten-year void or was truly reborn, it wasn't good news for Bronya.
The former meant Yun Ling might suddenly return one day and die.
The latter had already revealed the outcome: the original plot had been thrown into chaos.
Kiana and Mei had fallen in love with Yun Ling, and there was even a previously unseen Herrscher, Yuna; Fu Hua had become a teacher; Lin Chaoyu had been resurrected...
It was bizarre, incredibly bizarre.
She still had things she needed to do. If the plot was in disarray, how could she save Seele, adrift in the Sea of Quanta?
Unable to determine the outcome, Bronya could only prepare for the worst. Her first priority was to prevent Yun Ling from returning to that world, thus preventing his death.
"Bronya, Bronya? What's wrong? What are you thinking about so intently?" Yun Ling waved in front of her.
"?" Bronya snapped out of her reverie, looking at Yun Ling somewhat dazedly.
"Want an apple? I peeled it for you." Yun Ling handed her the snow-white fruit.
"…Thank you." Bronya took it and ate it in small bites.
Bronya quickly left the infirmary and returned to her studies.
However, her gaze kept lingering on Yun Ling, intentionally or unintentionally. After seeing the design blueprint of the Heavy Bunny again, she knew that it was no accident.
Because it contained design elements unique to Seele.
This further convinced Bronya that Yun Ling definitely had memories of the BRN team era.
While Bronya was pondering how to obtain information about Yun Ling's past, Yun Ling went on a mission with Himeko.
Bronya's gaze suddenly fell on the paramecium.
She had heard Yun Ling mention things before; perhaps she could provide some clues?
...
Oceania branch, senior... that must be Wendy, right?
Yun Ling had been planning to contact Wendy for a while, so this was a good opportunity.
Since only Yun Ling and Himeko were going, they couldn't take the Hyperion.
The Hyperion was, after all, a battleship-level weapon, and each use required considerable manpower and resources.
It was only permitted to be used in critical situations.
"How was your first mission?" Himeko asked Yun Ling beside her.
"I wouldn't say I was excited, but I wouldn't say I was indifferent either... Hmm, looking forward to it?" Yun Ling pondered his current feelings.
"Such a brat's talk, pretending to be mature won't attract girls," Himeko chuckled, covering her mouth.
"It's okay, as long as I can attract Sister Himeko, isn't she smiling happily?" Yun Ling waved his hand dismissively.
"You brat..." Himeko ruffled his hair roughly, always seizing the opportunity to tease and flirt with her.
"I'm not a brat anymore, I'm two months older than Kiana."
Yun Ling rolled his eyes but didn't struggle, letting Himeko ruffle his hair into a mess.
"Then aren't you still a brat? A mere little brat, dreaming of building a harem?"
Himeko chuckled, calculating his age—only fifteen, or sixteen by the traditional Shenzhou age reckoning— and her age was almost twice his.
"One day I'll let you meet the big brat!" Yun Ling glared at Himeko defiantly.
Himeko paused for a moment, then gripped Yun Ling's neck tightly.
"You little brat, are you telling me dirty jokes?!"
"I was wrong, I was wrong... Sister... please spare me." Yun Ling nearly suffocated from Himeko's grip.
"Okay, okay, don't learn that." Himeko finally released Yun Ling.
"Sister Himeko, I'm already sixteen. In some countries, I'm already of legal marriage age." Yun Ling's lips twitched slightly.
"You still have the nerve to say that?" Himeko twisted Yun Ling's ear, her face showing a mixture of exasperation and anger.
"We're here, we're here!" Yun Ling hurriedly pointed down; they had arrived at their destination.
"I'll let you off this time. I'll settle this score with you next time." "Himeko snorted coldly.
As the spaceship's hatch opened, Yun Ling was kicked out by Himeko, appearing before the Valkyries in a dramatic, backside-landing pose.
They stared at the scene awkwardly, somewhat at a loss.
"Sorry, I'm a few minutes late." Himeko slowly descended the steps.
"Teacher Himeko! Long time no see." A gentle voice rang out.
Short, black-on-the-outside, green-on-the-inside hair curled slightly outwards, with a single tuft of hair sticking up on her head. Her blue irises radiated a gentle aura, giving off a sense of approachability.
She wore a white scarf around her neck and a white dress with a long, tattered white hem hanging down her back.
She wore a black corset and arm warmers, with a decorative green windmill at her waist, giving her an immediate, refreshing, youthful appearance.
"Excuse me, are you alright?" Wendy reached out to help Yun Ling up, but Himeko interrupted her.
"Don't worry about him, he's tough as nails."
Wendy carefully withdrew her hand, but her eyes remained fixed on Yun Ling, seemingly checking for injuries.
"Ouch, I think I twisted my back." Yun Ling clutched his back, feigning pain.
"Are you alright, classmate?! Let me help you!" Wendy immediately stepped forward to support Yun Ling.
Holding Wendy's soft, warm hand, Yun Ling felt a refreshing coolness wash over him, as if all his fatigue had vanished.
"If you keep pretending, you'll be going home alone." Himeko saw right through Yun Ling's little scheme.
"Ahem..." Yun Ling immediately stood up, coughing lightly to cover his embarrassment.
"Hi everyone, I'm Yun Ling, a student at St. Freya Academy. Nice to meet you all." Yun Ling gave a brief self-introduction.
"I am Wendy, an A-rank Valkyrie from the Oceania branch, and also the captain of this special operations team from the Oceania branch. Nice to meet you."
Wendy didn't seem to care about Yun Ling's earlier deception and responded gently.
No wonder Bronya always thought of Seele when she saw Wendy; their personalities were quite similar.
She seemed somewhat weak, but was surprisingly strong; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to become a team captain.
As expected of someone with the best chance of becoming an S-rank Valkyrie?
"By the way, what is our mission objective this time?"
He'd been so busy flirting with Himeko on the way that he'd forgotten they were on a mission.
"Hmm? Our mission objective is to retrieve the stolen Desire Gem or 'Herrscher of the Wind' core."
Although Wendy was a little confused, she still kindly explained to Yun Ling.
...