At a hidden military base in Guangzhou, a silver-white aircraft from the Far East slowly decelerated and landed, the deafening roar of its engines gradually subsiding.
As the cabin door opened, a young man and a young woman in white military uniforms stepped out. From the few people standing in front of the tarmac, a woman in a dark green military uniform stepped forward, gave a standard military salute, and said loudly, "Captain Wei Ying of the Guangzhou Branch, Far East Branch, awaiting the officer's instructions!"
Quickly sizing up the valiant-looking Valkyrie, Ming Yu returned the salute and said, "Captain Ming Yu of the Seventh Squad, Far East Branch."
Although he had already passed the promotion exam and become an A-rank Valkyrie, making it unlikely that he would return to the Seventh Squad, his identity was still a member of the Seventh Squad until new orders were issued.
Although he often disliked this kind of formal introduction, this occasion was clearly not the place to be casual. Moreover, this was often the simplest and most efficient way of introduction; the identity of an elite squad was enough to show his importance.
Next, Ming Yu pointed to the girl beside him and introduced, "This is my aide, Higokumaru."
Hearing Ming Yu's words, Higokumaru also hurriedly saluted Wei Ying.
Likewise, the woman in the military uniform returned the same salute with a serious expression, then pointed to the people behind her and introduced them to Ming Yu one by one.
Although in terms of age, excluding the unspeakable Higokumaru, Ming Yu was the youngest one present, Wei Ying showed no signs of looking down on him.
Regardless of his appearance, Ming Yu's A-rank Valkyrie status on the documents could not be faked. And within the entire Far East Branch, the number of A-rank Valkyries was only a handful, with both their strength and status being at the upper echelons of Schicksal.
As a mere B-rank Valkyrie of a branch, Wei Ying obviously had no intention of testing Ming Yu's mettle, even though some A-rank Valkyries were indeed a bit inflated.
Seeing that the people from the Guangzhou branch didn't try to intimidate him right from the start, Ming Yu also breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
He was well aware of his own abilities. Although he was so-so in combat, he was not the type to be good at handling complex interpersonal relationships. If the people from the Guangzhou branch deliberately tried to trip him up, it would be very troublesome for him.
In name, Ming Yu temporarily had command of the branch. But, that was only in name.
After all, he had no foundation in this place, completely in the dark, and was not even good at commanding battles. Even though he had witnessed Ajifu's methods in the Seventh Squad, operating it himself and observing were two different things.
Without the assistance of these people, it would undoubtedly be much more difficult for him to achieve his goals.
After Wei Ying finished her introductions, Ming Yu nodded with a smile and said, "You should all be clear about this mission, right?"
Although it was a question, Ming Yu's tone was as if he was stating an obvious fact.
From the moment the order was given, the person in charge of the handover should know what they should do. This was the most basic quality.
If Wei Ying and the others answered no, then either their professional quality was worrying, or they were trying to intimidate Ming Yu. Whatever the reason, it meant that Ming Yu's mission could end early.
Hearing Ming Yu's question, Wei Ying nodded and said solemnly, "Understood! The items you requested have also been prepared."
Although when she first received the order from the Far East Branch, Wei Ying found it hard to understand.
After all, missions like searching for Jiu You were generally carried out by logistics Valkyries in charge of intelligence. Even exploring ruins was mostly done by B-rank Valkyries.
Only when the items in the ruins were precious enough and the danger level reached a certain level would A-rank Valkyries take over to deal with enemies that only they could handle.
But this time, with only some vague information, the branch directly dispatched an A-rank Valkyrie. In Wei Ying's long career, this was a rare occurrence.
But surprise was surprise, Wei Ying still seriously completed her part of the task, providing solid support for the branch's upcoming operation, such as the data Ming Yu had requested on Honkai events in Guangzhou over the past thousand years.
Looking at the Valkyrie in front of him with satisfaction, a slight smile appeared on Ming Yu's lips, and he said in a gentle but firm tone, "Then I'll have to trouble you to send those things to my room later."
"I understand." Hearing the unyielding tone in Ming Yu's words, Wei Ying did not object. This was not an unreasonable matter in itself, although the amount of data was a bit terrifying.
After a moment of hesitation, Wei Ying asked tentatively, "Does the officer wish to meet with the other leaders of the branch first?"
Procedurally, Ming Yu would definitely have to meet with the leaders of the branch to discuss how the subsequent missions would proceed. But the timing of this meeting was not mandatory and could be decided by the parties involved.
After a moment of contemplation, Ming Yu shook his head and said slowly, "It's not necessary at the moment. I need to look at that data first."
Although searching for Jiu You was related to the Honkai, it should essentially be considered archaeology. Although Schicksal was professional in this field, with its standards being top-notch in the world, Ming Yu was extremely unskilled in it.
If he didn't even understand the basic situation, Ming Yu had no right to express any opinion on this mission, and the meeting with the branch leaders would just be an embarrassment.
Even though he should be considered the highest-ranking person in this branch in name, and his orders should be carried out, the ones who truly held power were still the leaders of the branch itself.
Without their cooperation, Ming Yu couldn't even move a single person.
Therefore, the trip to Jiu You would be a complex event for Ming Yu, not as simple as seeing a Honkai Beast and drawing his sword.
Hearing Ming Yu's words, Wei Ying considered for a moment and then agreed. In any case, understanding the intelligence before taking action was a commendable behavior.
Compared to rushing in at the slightest disagreement, this Ming Yu was undoubtedly more reassuring, and it also dispelled some of the doubts Wei Ying had in her mind due to Ming Yu's age.
"In that case, I will take you two to your quarters for this period of time first." As she spoke, Wei Ying walked towards the depths of the branch first.
Exchanging a glance, Ming Yu and Higokumaru also followed.
Due to the time-sensitive nature of the mission, they naturally had no reason to leave this base and stay in Guangzhou city. At least until the mission came to a temporary end, they had no time to run around Guangzhou.
As Wei Ying led the way, this base also slowly revealed its face to the two of them.