A Midnight Order and Hidden Threats

Ming Yu pressed the doorbell in front of Qing Shui Ling Yin’s studio. The heavy alloy door swung open in response.

While Ming Yu had been testing her psychic abilities, Qing Shui Ling Yin had swiftly tidied her room. She had even taken the time to wash and groom herself meticulously, hoping to leave a good impression on Ming Yu.

Behind the door, she was drying her damp hair with a towel. Water droplets still clung to her long eyelashes, creating a delicate, misty veil over her obsidian-like eyes.

“Ming Yu, you’re here~”

“Mm-hm.”

Ming Yu responded softly, stepping into Qing Shui Ling Yin’s private studio and surveying her surroundings.

The space was expansive, yet it seemed rather cluttered. The workbenches were stacked high with antiquated blueprints and drafts, while beneath them lay piles of golden scales, debris, and electronic components. Insulated wires snaked across the floor, omnipresent.

Despite the chaotic appearance of the work area, the living quarters on the other side were impeccably organized. A clear boundary distinctly separated the two zones.

This wasn’t Ming Yu’s first visit, yet she still wandered around curiously. She had a distinct feeling that the room’s layout differed slightly from her previous visit.

Approaching a workbench, she casually picked up a stack of intricate design manuscripts, their edges already yellowed with age. She flipped through them for a while.

On one particular blueprint, a carrier-based fighter jet was depicted in the upper left corner, while a sky-patrolling mech occupied the upper right. Two distinct lines extended from these images, converging to point towards a dual-mode vehicle in the center.

“Viking Fighter… I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before.”

Ming Yu mused for a moment, finding the name on the blueprint quite familiar.

Beside her, Qing Shui Ling Yin smiled and leaned closer, gesturing towards a simulated model on the table. Though usually reserved, an inexplicable urge welled within her to show Ming Yu her prototype.

A powerful desire to share her research achievements with Ming Yu surged through her.

“This is a hybrid combat machine that served over three hundred years ago, during the Interstellar Wars…”

“During the ‘Stargate Battle,’ as recorded in the UN’s concise history, the Viking Fighter made its debut and played a crucial role, successfully turning the tide of the war…”

“However, this blueprint is incomplete, and the technology for manufacturing Viking Fighters has long been lost. Nevertheless, it has provided me with a wealth of inspiration.”

Qing Shui Ling Yin seemed quite excited, her eyes sparkling like a child holding a report card, eager for praise.

Though Ming Yu didn’t quite understand everything, she could discern that Qing Shui Ling Yin was genuinely happy.

Thus, Qing Shui Ling Yin spoke to her heart’s content. Ming Yu, a diligent listener, nodded and smiled occasionally in acknowledgment, patiently absorbing her words even when she couldn’t fully grasp their meaning.

Night deepened as this atmosphere enveloped them.

Noticing that it was nearly time to rest, Ming Yu, who had been patiently listening moments before, gently interrupted the eloquent Qing Shui Ling Yin with a smile.

“Qing Shui, it’s time to rest. We can continue tomorrow, alright?”

“…Alright.”

“Good girl, go to sleep.”

Ming Yu patted her head contentedly, despite Qing Shui Ling Yin being slightly taller than herself.

Watching Qing Shui Ling Yin burrow under the covers, and only after confirming she had closed her eyes and fallen asleep, did Ming Yu finally let out a long sigh. She sat on the edge of the bed, feeling a touch of helplessness, and casually scanned the room.

Only then did she remove her black mask, revealing her exquisite, flawless face to the air.

Normally, when she feigned being a master of few words, her two fangs wouldn’t show and startle anyone. However, they would invariably be revealed the moment she spoke.

While she believed Qing Shui Ling Yin might not mind, she still chose to conceal them, avoiding any chance of frightening the other woman.

Ming Yu stretched her waist, intending to make do with the lounge chair for the night, when suddenly the earpiece in her pocket began to beep insistently.

She clutched her pocket, as if trying to forcibly suppress the sound, and quickly rose.

She had only acquired this device yesterday. Who would be calling her at such an hour?

‘Could it be Little Nightingale?’

Ming Yu swiftly moved to the balcony, ensuring the sensor door behind her had closed before retrieving the device, clipping it to her ear, and answering the call.

The moment the connection was established, a stern, questioning voice echoed from the other end.

“Silver Kite, this is Fujiwara Tachima. By my authority as the Vice Chairman of the Association, I now order you to immediately proceed to the front lines. This is an order!”

On the boundless ocean, Fujiwara Tachima’s expression was fraught with anxiety. He had no time for pleasantries; his sole desire was to dispatch that dangerous woman immediately, lest she uncover the truth of Fujiwara Yūkawa’s plot against her.

He continually reassured himself that Silver Kite had only just returned to Pharos and surely wouldn’t have had time to investigate the matter.

Even if she harbored suspicions about Fujiwara Yūkawa, all evidence had been meticulously erased, including the A-rank hunter they had used as a pawn.

Without proof, even if the Enforcement Department and the Judiciary Department feared her power, they couldn’t possibly convict a Vice-Director of the Enforcement Bureau, or approve Fujiwara Yūkawa’s arrest, indictment, or trial based on mere suspicion.

As these thoughts settled, Fujiwara Tachima’s anxious heart slowly eased. Confidence gradually built within him, and his stern tone betrayed no hint of panic.

Hearing Fujiwara Tachima’s blustering, Ming Yu let out a sneer.

“What are you laughing at? Is my order amusing?”

‘It’s not funny. I just thought of something amusing.’

Ming Yu’s lips quirked, momentarily suppressing her drowsiness. She decided to listen to Fujiwara Tachima’s barking before bed, curious to see what ‘pearls of wisdom’ such a ‘dog’ might utter.

‘Don’t be so hasty. Straighten that tongue of yours before you speak, instead of just yapping like an imbecile.’

She held no politeness whatsoever for anyone from the Fujiwara family.

‘Birds of a feather, why waste words?’

Ming Yu let out a small yawn, then leaned on the balcony railing, blinking her eyes with keen interest.

On the other end of the line, Fujiwara Tachima was fuming, his head practically steaming with rage as if his hair might ignite at any second. He furiously slammed his arm onto the desk, sending scattered items clattering to the floor.

‘This Silver Kite, truly a disciple of Bing Chen. Her ability to infuriate is no less, indeed, she surpasses her master.’

Outside the door, Seti and Jiang Chen were discussing serious matters as they passed by. The commotion from within caught their attention, causing them to unconsciously slow their pace.

Fujiwara Tachima’s face was contorted in a grimace, veins bulging on his forehead as he roared:

“Silver Kite! Who do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like that?!”

“Let me tell you, don’t imagine your A-rank hunter status makes you untouchable!”

“I thought you truly had no attachments. Ha, I never expected you to have a hidden beauty. That genuinely surprises me.”

“You wouldn’t want anything to happen to that blonde girl, would you?”

Fujiwara Tachima’s eyes were dark and sinister as he let out a chilling laugh.

After learning of Silver Kite’s return from the branch, he had expended considerable effort and resources to gain access to surveillance cameras. His sole purpose was to uncover this A-rank hunter’s weakness.

His conjecture had proven correct.