Anqi the Grudge-Holder / The Beginning of the Dreamscape

She had no choice but to continue reading with a serious and attentive attitude.

"... Speaking of which, I'm starting to suspect that Instructor Irene, who assessed me before, might have taken money from my family. I even asked my mother, but her reply was full of questions about whether I'd eaten enough and whether I was healthy; she wouldn't address this issue at all. It's getting increasingly suspicious..."

Wait a minute, what did Anna say?

Durandal has even more questions now.

In short, there is a suspected case of Valkyrie embezzlement during the level assessment. Let's make a note of this and see what happens next.

However, it seems that there's not much nutrition left after that.

Most of her posts consist of her descriptions of the people at the Anti-Entropy base, including praise and criticism, her experiences with construction site cleaning, and reviews of the latest clothing and jewelry.

After reading the entire text, Durandal was still unable to make sense of it, so she read it a second and a third time.

Later, she finally understood the purpose of the letter.

"Well done! Valkyrie Irene, you dared to accept bribes and engage in favoritism during the assessment process. You are incredibly audacious and your crimes are unforgivable!"

There's no mistake, this must be Anna's whistleblower letter!

As expected of Anna, the pride of the Saniyat Family! Even in the midst of a perilous enemy camp, she didn't forget to report the Valkyrie's corruption to headquarters. She's so upright!

Durandal picked up the letter of complaint with emotion, then stood up and stormed toward Otto's office.

"Anna, I will not let you down. I will definitely restore order to the Schicksal!"

Chapter 157 Anqi, the Vengeful One

"What did you just say? Repeat it again?"

Otto, who was handling official business, made no attempt to hide his bewilderment.

What does it mean that Anna, who was captured by Anti-Entropy, wrote you a letter of complaint from thousands of miles away, accusing the examiner who promoted her to A-level of accepting bribes from the Saniyat Family?

Even someone as intelligent as Otto couldn't help but experience a momentary mental lapse at this point.

"Your Grace, I mean Anna ..."

"Stop, I understand, you don't need to say anything. Amber, what do you think?"

If someone else had interrupted his train of thought with such nonsensical remarks, Otto would have definitely tried to teach them a lesson.

But Durandal is special. Even setting aside her irreplaceable combat value, she is still a child he raised himself, making her practically a junior.

So Otto could only suppress his urge to complain and skillfully shift the blame onto Amber.

Amber frowned slightly, then shook her head firmly, saying:

"Such a thing is impossible. The rank assessment process is one of the main mechanisms for maintaining the Valkyrie Legion's combat effectiveness, and every step of the process is subject to comprehensive oversight. I think there must be some mistake somewhere."

"Your Grace, Amber, I am aware of this situation as well. Anna did not provide any concrete evidence, nor did I directly accuse Irene of embezzlement. What I mean is— Schicksal has not conducted a systematic internal review for several years, and perhaps now is the right time."

Durandal revealed her true purpose.

Despite her straightforwardness, Durandal wasn't without brains; on the way here, she realized that Anna's guess was unfounded.

But instead of turning back, she realized the laxity of the internal review process at Schicksal, so she decided to take this opportunity to launch a large-scale disciplinary crackdown.

Amber thought for a moment, nodded in agreement, and looked at Otto, asking for his opinion.

Otto rested his head on his hand, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.

"You have a point. In that case, you take the lead. Pick a few trustworthy people, bring Rita along, and investigate disciplinary issues from the past few years. One month should be enough, right?"

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

"Oh, and also, bring Yae Sakura along. Amber said she's a quick learner and has been able to help with some simple tasks lately. Let's see if she can be of any help and show her around."

"Sakura? Good. She can't possibly have any vested interests with anyone at headquarters. At least she's someone I can completely trust."

Durandal seemed to be deep in thought.

Soon, he left full of fighting spirit, carrying the task he had given himself.

Only then did Otto, with a hint of schadenfreude, say:

"Hopefully, Rita, who has only been resting for a couple of days, won't kick the kid in the butt."

"You know perfectly well that Lady Rita can do nothing about Durandal; she can only force a smile and earnestly help."

"Then it's none of my business. It's not like I brought it up myself."

Otto spread his hands, smiling broadly.

What could be more gratifying than seeing your subordinates, who had just taken a break, forced to work overtime again when you're already busy?

Speaking of which, besides mentioning discipline, Durandal seemed to have something else to say just now, right?

What is it?

Otto blinked blankly, then gave up on investigating further.

"Anyway, I can't remember, it probably isn't anything important. By the way, Amber, where were we?"

"Dr. Maki has been acting strangely lately. According to his colleagues, he seems to be in poor mental condition. Do you think we should force him to take a break? Or at least strengthen the monitoring measures?"

"No, let him be."

Otto finally remembered Maki's face, especially the look of regret, pain, and sorrow on her old face when her granddaughter was melted by the power of the Gem of Serenity in the experimental chamber.

However, he can only remember it now; Otto estimates that he will completely forget it in a few days.

A hint of mockery flashed in Otto's eyes as he sneered:

"Hmph! He keeps talking about sacrificing honor, deceiving one Valkyrie after another into paying for his arrogance and failure with his life. What nonsense! Even I..."

Even I, Otto, know that I am a wicked maggot, deserving to be torn to pieces, ground to dust, and left to be infamous for eternity.

But what is Maki? She uses the lives of Valkyrie to satisfy her vanity without restraint. What, can't she do the same for her own granddaughter? Wasn't it supposed to be for humanity, for civilization, for glory?

Then, with this "righteous" resolve, go to hell before me!

"Maggie's in trouble. Stan's been secretly watching her; he suspects she's about to defect."

'Keep an eye on him; the next scene will rely on him as a catalyst.'

The Gem of Serenity is heavy enough to summon several of Anqi's powerful clones.

But Anqi still needs to think about how to act in a way that will achieve the desired effect.

However, there's no need to rush. Her thought processes have now reached over seven hundred, and her combat strength, roughly calculated, is already unmatched in the world. Apart from the Night Demon Kevin, whose potential is immeasurable, it seems there's no one on this planet who can threaten her.

Thinking about this, Anqi, sitting in the helicopter flying back to St. Freya, couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

Yes, looking back, I realize I've become so amazing without even realizing it!

Put your hands on your waist first!

Amidst the whistling of the helicopter, the star-shaped outline of the St. Freya Academy came into view. The exquisite and orderly man-made structures were embedded in the rolling waves of the sea, and no matter how many times you looked at them, they would always seem magical.

As expected, when Anqi got off the helicopter, she saw the beautiful woman with flowing red hair on the edge of the helipad.

"Himeko!"

Forget everything else, just rush over and give her a good hug!

Anqi stepped into that indescribably soft space, as she had wished. The pleasant scent and Himeko's gentle embrace made Anqi feel at ease.

Himeko skillfully stroked Anqi's golden hair with a doting and gentle smile.

"Welcome home. Is everything alright?"

"Smoothly!"

"That's good. I knew you'd be fine."

Himeko said with a smile, letting Anqi hold her arm tightly as she led her home.

On the way, Himeko inquired about Anqi's performance during the mission, then patted Anqi's head and teased her:

"Tachibana Yuki tattled on us! You little rascal, you really are as vengeful as ever!"

"Snort!"

Anqi gave a soft, coquettish hum, pouting, showing no intention of explaining anything.

Don't try to reason with her about being tolerant and generous! You have to understand that given Anqi's situation in this world, she's an orphan, completely alone, and her mind and body are on the verge of collapse from all the blows—if there hadn't been this time travel, the outcome of the bullying would have been obvious.

You've already threatened my life, so as Anqi, is it okay for me to retaliate by causing your family to collapse?

"I just hold grudges, is that wrong?"

"Did I say I was going to teach you a lesson? I meant it's good that you're smart enough to know to find Tachibana Yuki and resolve the issue tactfully. That's commendable!"

"Won't Himeko think I'm a bad person?"

"It's just an eye for an eye. Even if you don't retaliate this time, I'll find a time to teach you a lesson."

Himeko patted Anqi's head, her bright, wine-red eyes sparkling with tenderness—a sign of her concern for Anqi.

What kind of scumbags are these, daring to bully my little Anqi? They've got some nerve!

Valkyrie are human too; they can hold grudges and protect their own.

At least that's the Himeko.

Anqi listened obediently, then reached out and hugged Himeko's waist, saying happily:

"Himeko is the best! I love Himeko the most!"

"Of course! If I'm not good to you, who else would I be good to? But you must remember, you are now Valkyrie, and it's absolutely forbidden to lay a hand on ordinary people! From now on, just like this time, always remember this rule, understand?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Okay, I'm relieved."

Seeing Anqi's obedient and well-behaved appearance, Himeko finally put her worries to rest.

"Holding grudges is fine, as long as you follow the rules and don't go astray, you'll still be a qualified Valkyrie. That's all I ask of you. As for the rest, I believe you can do it all, and you'll definitely be better than me!"

"Hehehe, Himeko, praise me more, I like to hear it!"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't be like Kiana! She always takes advantage of compliments like that!"

"That's different! Kiana is all smiles and takes advantage of everyone, while I just like hearing Himeko praise me!"

Anqi raised her head, her bright purple eyes blinking gently as she gazed at Himeko with tender affection.

Faced with those clear eyes filled with affection, Himeko's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Then she tapped Anqi on the head in an annoyed manner.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Why?"

In short, say as little as possible!

"Oh..."

Anqi replied sullenly, knowing that Himeko still didn't want to face her own feelings, which inevitably made her feel a little frustrated.

Himeko secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself. A myriad of worries and dilemmas swirled in her mind; she truly couldn't accept it. She hoped that Anqi would change for the better when she grew up; that would be for the best.

Besides, my time is running out.

Recalling the doctor's warnings during the last physical examination, Himeko stroked Anqi's soft face, feeling a pang of bitterness and reluctance.

Chapter 158 The Beginning of the Dreamscape

After a lively dinner and a wonderful bath, the girls under Himeko's roof stayed in the living room, enjoying their last moments of leisure before falling asleep.

The loose or cool pajamas revealed their dewy skin, the snow-white hues complementing each other, and the girls' subtle fragrances intertwined, making the light in the hall seem softer and more enchanting.

Kiana, with her arm around Anqi, sat on the sofa, her hands skillfully and lovingly caressing Angie's face, chin, neck, and hair, her cat-petting skill experience bar constantly increasing by +1+1+1.

"Yoshi yoshi yoshi! So good, so good, so good~"

"Ah~ a little lower, yes, um~~"

Anqi nestled softly against Kiana's chest, her eyes alluring, and soft murmurs escaping her lips.