A Thousand-Person Ruler's Personal Opinion Chapter 12

Anqi lowered her head in a gesture of submission, but this only served to more clearly reveal the sexy, elegant curve of her collarbone and neck, like a harmless and beautiful white swan.

"Crick-crack!"

Then, the sound of mechanical transformation echoed once more.

Anqi looked up and saw the giant mecha lower its arms. From its limbs, it began to slowly become invisible, eventually disappearing before her eyes.

In its place, a slowly approaching electric wheelchair appeared. Seated in it was an old man with thinning hair, exuding a strong aura of approaching death. Numerous tubes ran from the elder's body and arms, connecting to the highly technological wheelchair, as if he were relying on the device to sustain his life.

Anqi had already absorbed the residual memories of the young lady's body and naturally recognized the old man.

"Greetings, my dear Father."

Anqi curtsied again, lifting her skirt, and said respectfully.

The old man removed his oxygen mask, exhaled lightly, and gazed at Anqi, speaking slowly in a frail, aged voice:

"Dignified, elegant, fearless in the face of crisis, and able to calmly fight for survival amidst an unknown danger… You are very good!"

"It is all due to your excellent guidance, Father. I could not have achieved this without your deep affection and cultivation."

"Heh heh! The person I initially favored was actually your eldest brother. He had the shrewdness and depth to meticulously cultivate an image of generosity and honesty, hiding his fangs in the shadows… But it seems the one who hid the deepest was you, like a venomous snake. You didn't even reveal a flaw to me until it was time to hunt."

The old man showed signs of fatigue, sighing with a touch of melancholy.

Anqi smiled, but inwardly rolled her eyes.

Of course, he couldn't see any flaws because the original young lady was truly arrogant yet foolishly naive, only realizing the vast gap between herself and her two brothers on her deathbed.

If Anqi hadn't taken over the young lady's identity midway, the victor now would undoubtedly have been the elder brother the old man favored.

"However, after consecutively eliminating your eldest and second brothers, you immediately and impatiently turned your fangs on me. Should I say you were too hasty, or incredibly audacious?"

"Oh dear! Father, you misunderstand me. How could I dare disrespect you? I believe it must have been my two brothers who misbehaved. You mustn't wrongly accuse your filial and obedient daughter!"

"Why the rush? After getting rid of your two brothers, wouldn't you be the sole candidate?"

"Father, I already told you about that…"

"Tell me the truth!"

As soon as the old man finished speaking, the silhouette of the Titan mecha reappeared faintly behind him.

Anqi's smile vanished, her innocent and harmless expression gradually turning cold. She said, "Father, your thinking is rather traditional, and I have never been entirely certain of your attitude towards your daughter inheriting the family business. Moreover, who knows if you've hidden several blood relatives for me in secret? One must be thorough; any hesitation could lead to utter defeat… Father, this is what you taught us, and I deeply agree."

"Hmph!"

The old man snorted disdainfully.

Then, he surveyed Anqi, who was like an ice beauty, and sighed, "Although this is highly disrespectful, this ruthlessness and decisiveness are indeed very much like me… You can rest assured. My time is indeed short; even Anti-Entropy's technology cannot prolong my life further, nor can I cultivate another successor who can compare to you."

"Thank you for your acknowledgment, Father."

Anqi took a deep breath, clasped her hands together, and slowly bowed, expressing her excitement and joy with the traditional etiquette of this country.

This display clearly pleased the old man, so without waiting for Anqi to "naturally" ask her questions, he began to explain on his own: "This world is far from as simple as you imagine. There is power that far surpasses national technology and weaponry, extraordinary abilities that can annihilate entire units single-handedly, and terrifying monsters that breed in the darkness… Come with me. Next, you will understand the truth of the world and the true foundation of our Tachibana family. You are now qualified."

"Yes! Father!"

Anqi quickly walked to the old man's side, even solicitously holding his wheelchair, which didn't need pushing, and followed him towards the depths of the villa estate.

Chapter Eighteen: That's It?

Young Lady Anqi witnessed the so-called foundation of the Tachibana family and saw off the old man with a face full of emotion and reverence.

Afterward, Young Lady Anqi's expression instantly became blank, filled with a sense of disappointment as if life had lost its meaning.

At the same time, the Anqis in the theater sat opposite each other, all speechless.

"That's it? After all that build-up, the old man only had that?"

"He's just a component supplier for Anti-Entropy. I thought he was some kind of Executor!"

"Wow! I was so startled, but it turns out it's just like this?"

From an ordinary person's perspective, anything related to Honkai is mysterious and incredibly dangerous. Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are behemoths that can change the global landscape in an instant—so, being connected to Anti-Entropy, from an ordinary person's viewpoint, seems like a really impressive thing.

But for the Anqis, this trivial truth could not compensate for the heart-stopping shock they felt when the Titan appeared!

"I really don't know if this is lucky or unlucky. I thought she was just a regular young lady with no connection to Honkai!"

"Now, as the heir to the family business, we've directly entered Anti-Entropy's field of vision. While they won't pay us excessive attention, world tours are definitely out of the question!"

"Not necessarily. We can still come up with excuses, like inspecting branch companies."

"Besides, does the young lady really have to deploy clones all over the world? With the wealth and resources we currently possess, it's more than enough to easily send the clones away. As long as the plan is meticulous enough, there shouldn't be any problems… right?"

The Anqis were becoming uncertain.

After all, stumbling upon the young lady's cold corpse on the road could lead to a connection with Anti-Entropy.

Regarding their luck, the Anqis were truly unsure.

After a lively discussion, the Anqis decided to continue deploying clones and advance the plan to create revival archives. Following that, they would dedicate themselves to open-book study in theoretical and physical training classes.

St. Freya Academy. Anqi awoke after a night of deep sleep.

She then saw her arm suspended in mid-air, fixed with a splint and thick bandages.

"You're awake? Does it still hurt? Drink some water first, Bronya will go call the doctor."

Bronya, with her bouncing twin pigtails, walked out of the infirmary. The metal exoskeleton supporting her lower limbs made heavy, solid clanking sounds as it met the ground.

Anqi scratched her head, synchronizing the information from her clones and the Young Lady from the theater during her unconsciousness. Then, using her mobile left hand, she propped herself up to sit, drank water, and quietly waited for the doctor to arrive.

"The bad news is that your arm muscles have suffered extensive tearing, and your bones have traces of fragmentation due to the Honkai Energy outburst. The good news is that your physique is quite good, and your adaptability to Honkai Energy is very high. Therefore, the surgery and medication were very effective, and your recovery speed will be relatively fast."

"Come back for a follow-up check-up one week after your discharge. If there are no complications, the bandages can be removed in a month, and you should make a full recovery in about two months."

The doctor, with a smile, announced the results and casually ruffled Anqi's hair.

Anqi remained silent.

However, Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Himeko, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, surrounded the doctor and thanked her profusely, unable to hide their excitement and gratitude.

After politely seeing the doctor out, Himeko closed the door, strode over to Anqi, rolled up her sleeve, and unceremoniously delivered a chop to Anqi's head.

"Ow..."

"You know it hurts? I heard everything from Fu Hua! You little brat, you've gotten quite capable, haven't you? You just learned basic combat techniques and you're already developing your own Honkai Energy moves, confidently planning to use them in a duel? You can't even walk properly yet and you want to fly, huh? Who gave you the courage, you little punk!"

Himeko's anger grew with each word, so she delivered a few more chops to Anqi's head, continuing with fierce indignation:

"Do you know that developing your own combat style is something that at least battle-hardened S-rank Valkyries are qualified to consider! You're just a little kid who's been in the academy for a week, this is utter recklessness!"

"Ow..."

"Serves you right for hurting!"

Himeko slammed Anqi's head hard.

The next second, she suddenly pulled Anqi into a tight embrace, stroking the top of her head. Her booming voice instantly softened, filled with deep concern.

"You scared me half to death, little Anqi."

Himeko sighed wearily, faint dark circles visible around her eyes from staying up all night.

Anqi was practically brought into the academy by her, and she depended on her deeply. In Himeko's eyes, Anqi was already like a junior member of her family, and she had the obligation and responsibility to care for her.

When Himeko heard that Anqi had an accident in the duel arena, with blood reportedly staining a large portion of the ground, she nearly had a heart attack.

Now, seeing Anqi awake and the outcome being much better than expected, Himeko felt a mix of joy and anger, like seeing her own child roll around in the mud, covered in dirt, but happily returning home... no, it was ten times more infuriating than that.

In short, it was that feeling of wanting to hit her but feeling heartache, and not hitting her but being so angry it hurt her liver.

"How are you feeling now? Are you hungry? We brought breakfast, eat a little first."

Himeko beckoned, signaling Raiden Mei to spread out the food container on the nearby table. The aroma of food quickly filled the air, dispelling the lingering scent of disinfectant.

Himeko glanced at Anqi's pitifully meek posture as she endured the scolding, then at her right arm still suspended in the air. She sighed again, helplessly picking up her fork and knife.

Himeko: "Here, open your mouth, ah~"

Anqi: "Ah~~"

Himeko: "Honestly, haven't we come full circle? After you fainted from refusing to eat, I didn't expect to be feeding you again so soon, and probably for many days. I'm telling you, you should be grateful, you know, even my father never received this kind of treatment! Open your mouth, ah~"

Anqi: "Ah~~"

Himeko: "It's only at times like this that you're still cute. You won't be attending practical classes while you recover. Forget about those reckless moves of yours. If you truly want to learn something advanced, I'll help you find a way once you've proven yourself. Do you understand? If you do, open your mouth, ah~"

Anqi: "Ah~~"

The morning sunlight also streamed in through the window, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air, creating a sense of peace and reassurance.

Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya watched Himeko feeding Anqi. The mature and beautiful red-haired woman and the obedient and adorable little girl—this scene couldn't help but evoke a sense of genuine envy in them.

On one hand, Himeko had never taken care of them with such gentleness and closeness; on the other hand, this starkly contrasting scene made it hard not to think of a mother and child.

However, their memories of their own mothers were far from perfect!

"So nice," Kiana murmured softly, then took a deep breath, suppressing an inexplicable urge to shed tears.

"Let's go out and handle Anqi's discharge procedures. Keep it down, don't disturb them," Raiden Mei whispered, placing a finger to her lips and speaking softly to the other two.

They both nodded in unison and then exited the infirmary, leaving the space to Anqi and, in their eyes, to Himeko, whom Anqi trusted and depended on the most.

Chapter Nineteen: A Well-Behaved Anqi

After being discharged and returning home, Anqi, with her right arm in a sling, received meticulous care from Himeko.

Although Anqi knew that this injury was purely the result of her own cleverness and desire to show off her talent, and because she knew she wouldn't die, she had subconsciously let go of many inhibitions and stepped right into a dangerous situation.

But in Himeko's eyes, this was her failure as a mentor. She hadn't made Anqi understand the dangers of Honkai Energy, and this was a deficiency in her guidance and education.

The next morning, after patiently finishing feeding Anqi, Himeko tidied her skirt, helped her put on her white shoes, and led her to the Headmaster's office.

After leaving, Anqi clutched Himeko's clothes with her good left hand. The more she recalled Himeko's thoughtful care, the more guilty and ashamed she felt.

"Himeko QAQ..."

Anqi looked up from behind, her eyes brimming with tears as she gazed at Himeko's silky, wine-red hair.

Himeko heard her and glanced back before Himeko couldn't help but pat Anqi's head.

"What are you doing?"

It was the first time Himeko had seen Anqi looking teary-eyed. Sensing Anqi's regret, Himeko's heart softened, and in her relief, she felt that the fatigue from the past two sleepless nights was nothing.

"Himeko, I'm sorry. I'll be good to you from now on!"

Anqi said with a determined look, her delicate brows furrowed.

'Sister Himeko, even though I've had to hide so many things and lied to you several times, I'll definitely make it up to you doubly in the future. You have to believe me, I'm so sorry!'

Anqi and the others vowed in their hearts.

Himeko's face was filled with an irrepressible smile as she ruffled Anqi's little head.

"Little brat..."

Himeko said with a fond scolding, then took Anqi's left hand and led her all the way to the Headmaster's office.

"Here, you were discharged from the hospital last night, so you don't have to attend classes for these two days. No one will be home during the day, so you'll stay with the Headmaster for now. She has plenty of food, as well as comics and a game console, which is perfect for a little rascal like you."

Himeko gently pushed Anqi onto the sofa and then, as if no one else was around, took out fruit and a knife from the refrigerator in the corner. With a "swish, swish, swish," she sliced up a fruit platter and placed it in front of Anqi.

"On a side note, the Headmaster likes to slack off and read comics during office hours. So, I have a mission for you. If you find her slacking off midway, remember to notify me. I'll give you a reward, little Anqi~"

Himeko leaned close to Anqi's ear and whispered with a smile.

Her warm breath tickled Anqi's sensitive ear, making her blush before she obediently nodded.