At the coastal pier of Guangzhou City, all sorts of boats were neatly docked on both sides. Many were modern yachts, but of course, the majority were still iron-hulled fishing boats...
Although it was only eight or nine in the morning, many fishing boats had already returned to shore from their catch... Shouts of hawking, accompanied by the unique salty tang of the sea, filled the fresh morning air...
"Why hasn't the navigation equipment been delivered yet..." Himeko raised her arm to look at the ladies' watch on her wrist and said with some impatience. They had been waiting for almost an hour...
"The Guangzhou garrison said they'll be here any minute. The reason it's slower this time is because the Far East Branch suddenly transported some new equipment over this morning. It was supposedly ordered by Principal Theresa..." Fu Hua put down her communicator, turned around, and explained to Himeko.
"Damn it, any minute, any minute... At this rate, it'll be noon by the time they arrive. Am I supposed to order takeout and eat here?!" Himeko said with a look of annoyance, feeling a fire of irritation rising in her...
"I hear the radish stew with beef brisket here is delicious, Himeko!" Upon hearing about lunch, Kiana immediately stopped looking around and raised her hand high to make a suggestion.
"...Shut up, Kiana..." Murata Himeko was on the verge of a breakdown. She suspected she was on a field trip, not a mission...
"I can take you there~" Raising her right hand, Muyue Rendong greeted Himeko quite naturally and said with a smile.
"Why are you still here?..." Himeko frowned, looking at Muyue Rendong who had somehow found them again. They had been able to take a car directly when they came out earlier and thought they had shaken the guy off, but he had still managed to follow them...
"As a manga artist, how could I possibly miss something so interesting?" Muyue Rendong said with a hearty laugh.
"I happen to have my own private yacht at this port! If you're willing to take me along, I'll lend it to you~" Muyue Rendong said with great confidence.
"..." Himeko bit her lip. Like a volcanic eruption, she reached out, grabbed Muyue's collar, and roared with wide eyes, "Don't joke around, do you have any idea what we're about to face?!"
'Jiuyou' was Chiyou's hiding place. Even thinking with their asses, they knew that place would definitely have residual Honkai energy, and there might even be all kinds of monsters. If an ordinary person were to enter a place like that, their body would definitely be eroded by Honkai energy, and they wouldn't survive for more than three days...
"Cough, cough... Sis, forget it, forget it..." Li Xuan quickly stepped in to mediate, advising her. He knew just how strong Himeko was as an A-Rank Valkyrie... If she got angry and accidentally beat Muyue to a pulp, it would be all over...
"Alright, Muyue..." Li Xuan pulled Himeko away, then tugged at Muyue Rendong's sleeve with a helpless expression and said seriously, "It's really dangerous where we're going this time... You should stop making trouble..."
"Don't worry...." Just as Muyue Rendong was about to continue, looking like he wouldn't give up...
"Wooo!~..." The sound of a ship's horn traveled from far across the sparkling sea. A large, cream-white vessel was rapidly approaching the pier... The 'Schicksal' logo on the side of its bow was clearly visible in the sunlight...
"Xuan-kun, our ship is here..." Yae Sakura stood beside Li Xuan, looking at the ship that had already docked at the port with some excitement. This was her first time on such a large vessel...
"...Uh..." Unlike the others' high spirits, Muyue Rendong's face was ashen at this moment...
The members of the 'Schicksal' garrison on the docked ship quickly jogged off the vessel and lined up neatly in front of Himeko, like soldiers awaiting inspection...
"Major Himeko... 'Schicksal' Guangzhou Garrison, Skylark Squad Captain Mu Jin, carrying the equipment prepared by Far East Headquarters—Commander-in-Chief Theresa, awaits Major Himeko's orders..." The black-haired woman in the lead bowed slightly, placing her right fist over her heart as she spoke.
Although she was the commander-in-chief of the Guangzhou garrison, this status was a whole level lower than Himeko's from the Far East Branch. She could even be considered a subordinate...
"Very good..." A smile appeared on Himeko's face. She felt that this was the best she had felt all day...
"Third Squad, listen to my command now..." Himeko's expression turned serious as she turned to face Kiana, Li Xuan, and the others, shouting, "Board the ship..."
"Oooh!~" Kiana, inexplicably fired up, scurried after Himeko like a little follower and ran onto the ship...
"Sigh~ Take care, bro. Let's hang out again next time we have a chance..." Li Xuan patted the shoulder of the dazed Muyue Rendong and spoke softly before turning to walk onto the ship. Although this bro seemed to like Himeko... from the looks of it, it was a lost cause... He might as well just give up...
"Second Lieutenant Mu Jin... what is the equipment that Principal Theresa prepared?" Himeko stood on the bow and asked Guangzhou's commanding officer, Mu Jin. This search for Jiuyou... was not just for herself, but would also be of great help to St. Freya High School's research on the [Honkai]... Theresa would definitely spare no expense...
"Three sets of specially customized Valkyrie armor, three Honkai weapons... and five sets of 'Deep Sea Diving Suit [Jiaosha]' specially developed by 'Schicksal'... as well as portable fruit-flavored nutrient supplements..." Second Lieutenant Mu Jin said seriously, but with each type of equipment she announced... a trace of envy couldn't help but show in the depths of her eyes... For her, a B-Rank Valkyrie, this equipment was simply a luxury version...
"And also, specially prepared for this mission—a 'Deep Sea Exploration Honkai energy detector'..." Second Lieutenant Mu Jin let out a soft breath, having finally listed everything...
"Haha, very good..." Himeko's mood instantly improved upon hearing about all the equipment; she was simply overjoyed... Three sets of Valkyrie armor, and custom-made at that, which could maximize a Valkyrie's attack power. As for the Honkai weapons, that went without saying. They would directly elevate the squad's combat effectiveness by a whole level...
"Set sail immediately... Begin searching for underwater Honkai energy fluctuations!" Himeko commanded, waving her hand in high spirits.
"Yes, Major Himeko!" Second Lieutenant Mu Jin said, saluting respectfully. However, just as she was about to command her members to set sail for the sea, a voice suddenly shouted from the port where the ship was docked...
"I'm a natural-born adventurer. Even if the red-haired big sister, Miss Himeko, doesn't take me, I'll secretly follow you in my yacht!" A man's voice, full of vigor, echoed from the pier across the entire area... The voice seemed to carry a firm conviction, and perhaps even a hint of resentment...
"..." The ship suddenly fell silent. The crowd's gazes, like sharks that had smelled blood, all vied to focus on a certain stunned redhead... Major Himeko...
"..." The atmosphere became a little awkward...
"Ahem... Major Himeko, if an ordinary person follows in a yacht... it might cause trouble..." Fu Hua pushed up her glasses and coughed lightly before speaking. After all, the Honkai energy detector would disturb any Honkai Beasts that might be in the sea. If a Honkai Beast attacked the yacht, or if some other accident caused civilian casualties, and a rather famous civilian at that... it would be a troublesome matter...
"Heh heh... Then let that guy come aboard..." Himeko said in a low voice, gritting her teeth with a ferocious expression.
"But..." Fu Hua still had some reservations. After all, this was a top-secret mission...
"It's fine... I'll make him keep his mouth shut properly..." Himeko suddenly put away her angry expression and spoke gently with a beaming smile... like a clear sky just before a sudden summer downpour...
...................
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pier...
"......" Xing. Ma'er bared her teeth as she looked at the sailing tool before her. She had an inexplicable urge to kill someone... and she particularly wanted to kill a middle-aged man...
"This is my boat?!" Xing. Ma'er was silent for a moment before speaking into the headset she was wearing.
"Bingo~" On the other end of the headset was the cheerful voice of a middle-aged man...
"Ham Ga Caan (Cantonese: Go die, whole family...)" Xing looked at the so-called 'sailing tool' in front of her, a man-sized, yellow rubber ducky... She enunciated each word clearly, speaking the local dialect she had just learned...
"Huh?!"
(End of this chapter)