Yet Theresa was standing right behind Himeko with her hands clasped behind her back. No matter how softly Himeko spoke, her orders could not possibly escape an S-rank Valkyrie's hearing.
Theresa kicked Himeko in the calf, her face stiff as she said:
"Don't spread rumors about this principal right in front of her! Hurry up and get out to work, and if I catch you maliciously spreading this kind of baseless talk again, I'll dock all your pay!"
Himeko remained unfazed, still wearing an improper, lazy smile as she waved and said:
"Yes, yes, the principal is right. Well, I'll go get to work first, and come back to bring you lunch at noon. Bye-bye, little one."
"Bye-bye, Himeko!"
Anqi said a proper farewell, watching Himeko's figure push open the door and leave, before turning her gaze toward Theresa in front of her.
Theresa had been observing Anqi's reaction from start to finish, and at this curled the corner of her mouth, speaking in a childish, pleasing loli voice:
"Heh-heh! It looks like you and Himeko are getting along quite well. From just now until now, your eyes have been glued to her. What's the matter, is this principal not cute enough for you?"
"..."
Anqi forked a piece of fruit, chewed, and stared blankly at Theresa without speaking.
Cute is cute of course, but I'm an autistic cat right now, I can't just talk to strangers casually, I have to act reserved!
Anqi righteously put on her cool mask in front of Theresa.
By the way, the fruit Big Sister Himeko cut is really sweet~~
Theresa twitched her eyebrows and had nothing to say, especially since she had already heard from Himeko that this child had a very strong sense of vigilance and there was nothing to be done about unfamiliarity. She pulled a comic book out from behind her and said:
"This principal passionately recommends, Honkai Legend: Great Adventure Part 6, a peak masterpiece with unrivaled plot depth and artistic level, whose popularity has not faded by a single bit even a decade after publication. Little one, accept it with gratitude and go read it. This is a rare author-signed commemorative collector's edition on the market, and I wouldn't give it to just anyone who asked!"
Theresa placed the comic book on the desk, then turned and walked back to her office chair with a confident smile.
Heh-heh! No one can resist the charm of Honkai Legend! Just wait and see, Himeko, this little one will soon become a fellow fan of this principal, and consequently my loyal follower!
Anqi tilted her head, not knowing what Theresa was up to. However, although she wasn't particularly interested in things like Honkai, she truly had no other way to pass the time right now, so she casually opened the comic, and while eating the fruit platter Himeko had cut for her, began to read it absentmindedly.
Time ticked away, and she flipped further and further into the comic book. Anqi had to admit that to rise up and become a legendary IP, Welt certainly had skill. Under the childish art style, the stories depicted were quite romantic and cute, carrying the purity and emotion that children loved...
Well, wait a minute, something seemed wrong.
Anqi's expression turned stern, and she turned her head toward the desk, only to see that Theresa's figure had long been obscured by a tall stack of documents, completely out of Anqi's field of vision.
"Himeko's reward..."
Anqi remembered Himeko's instructions before leaving, and her heart suddenly felt itchy.
Himeko's reward, though right now it should probably be a wholesome type, what if, right?
Anqi's eyes instantly turned sharp.
At that moment, Theresa was happily reading her comic.
Although work is important too, it makes no difference whether I finish a little earlier or a little later. I'll just read for an hour, for just an hour, it won't affect anything, right?
Flipping through the comic book, under the influence of a faint sense of guilt, Theresa was instead able to immerse herself even more deeply into the plot, intoxicated by the pleasure of slacking off and unable to extricate herself.
"Snap! Snap!"
Suddenly, the sharp senses of an S-rank Valkyrie made Theresa notice the sound of a camera coming from behind her.
With a happy smile of engrossed slacking still lingering at the corner of her mouth, Theresa turned her head, only to see Anqi sprawled atop the tall bookcase behind her like a small cat, her phone camera pointed right at Theresa while the screen's glow illuminated Anqi's expressionless little face.
"Cough! Cute little Anqi, what are you doing in such a high place? Hurry down, look, this principal just found the next volume of the comic and was planning to send it over to you."
Theresa stretched her mouth into a stiff smile.
Then...
"Ding-dong!"
Only a familiar sound was heard; it was Anqi's video message arriving on target.
Theresa's smile vanished.
Meanwhile, Anqi obediently felt her way down the bookcase, walked over to her original spot on the sofa, and sat down very, very obediently.
Chapter 20 Anqi's Survival Index Rises
"Theresa, slacking off in front of a child is no good, truly."
At lunchtime in the principal's office, Himeko spoke earnestly to Theresa, whose expression was stiff and whose gaze was wandering.
"I... I already said, I saw she was almost finished reading so I was just helping her find the next volume, I wasn't reading it myself!"
"Oh? Really?"
"Of course it's real, when has this principal ever lied to you?"
"Hehe, I don't believe it."
While feeding food into Anqi's obediently opened mouth, Himeko shot a playful look at Theresa.
Theresa's face flushed red with anger, yet she could find no retort.
After a moment, she could only storm furiously out of the office, escaping the awkward atmosphere of being caught red-handed.
"Hahaha!"
Himeko laughed merrily, laughing until her shoulders shook.
Because Theresa had perfected a technique of tearing up comic books at the speed of light, it had been a very long time since Himeko had caught her slacking with concrete evidence. Although everyone knew about the slacking most of the time, as long as there was no definitive proof, Theresa could brazenly act as though nothing had happened.
Yet this time, taking advantage of Theresa's unfamiliarity with and underestimation of Anqi, she had solidly captured the scene of her slacking off. Furthermore, with Anqi present as a junior, no matter how shameless Theresa was, she couldn't open her eyes and spout nonsense.
"Sigh, the unhealthy trend of slacking off has finally been suppressed for now. Though I don't know how much efficiency this will raise next, but... you did a great job, little Anqi!"
Himeko smiled warmly as she wiped the corner of Anqi's mouth, then pinched Anqi's little cheek with a deep sense of gratification.
Anqi scratched her head with her left hand, smiled reservedly, and then looked at the red-haired beauty before her with sparkling eyes.
"Himeko, reward!"
"Ah, that... I'm still preparing it, how about later?"
"Oh, okay."
Anqi blinked, understanding Himeko's busyness as St. Freya's second-in-command, and thus nodded sensibly.
Himeko guiltily tidied up the tableware. The reward was just something she had said off the top of her head and forgotten the moment she walked out the door—such a thing was simply impossible for Himeko to say to Anqi, who wore a look of eager anticipation.
St. Freya Anqi was temporarily out of commission; without using the Dominion Authority to repair it, her arm would take a month or two to fully heal. During this period, aside from theoretical courses, it would be difficult to provide any valuable gains.
On the other side, however, Young Lady Anqi's work was proceeding exceptionally smoothly.
"The scientific research ship from the South Seas will dock at the port for three days, and then head straight for the Arctic research station. It's very easy to sneak onto a big ship like that—whether as a worker or a luggage attachment, hitching a ride to the Arctic to set up a respawn point shouldn't present any difficulty."
"The flight times and schedules for the two recent international flights to North America and Europe have already been checked out. As for the other two, I can just play it by ear, and it will be easy to board them and then set up a save respawn point in the Western Hemisphere."
"Progress on the Shenzhou and Siberia sides is going very smoothly. I've perfectly hidden myself on the planes for both of those, and am expected to land successively tonight, then find places far away from society to dig a hole and hibernate."
"Ah, after tossing and turning for so many days, the perfect survival plan is finally moving forward again. It wasn't easy at all."
Sitting on the open-air balcony bathed in the setting sun, Anqi drank high-grade black tea and let out a tired yet relieved sigh.
Currently, aside from Young Lady Anqi, five other avatars had already been released from the theater, all traveling to various parts of the world through completely unrelated methods. Young Lady Anqi herself only provided some necessary intelligence, and all of it consisted of general information readily available once a certain social status and standing were reached, with no targeted gathering whatsoever, making it cautious to the extreme.
The plan of the Anqis was to send out a total of ten avatars externally.
Among them, five would head to regions like the Arctic, the Americas, Europe, and Asia to search for deserted wilderness areas to hibernate in. Although losing five thinking threads all at once was a pity, from a long-term perspective, these five fixed, dormant individuals would become an important guarantee for a desperate comeback during future crises. As long as they remained buried in the soil, Anqi would not truly die, so it was a necessary sacrifice.
The other five would seek gaps to integrate into society, and must possess a certain social status and influence to become the Anqis' intelligence, resource, and logistical support. However, there were no specific targets yet, so this was temporarily shelved. By the way, Young Lady Anqi was one of these five Anqis.
In any case, the Anqis' survival index was increasing at a speed visible to the naked eye, which was very reassuring.
Young Lady Anqi leaned against the soft chair, looked at the setting sun, and squinted her eyes with pleasure.
Afterward, she stood up, returned to her room to change into an exquisite and proper dark cyan dress, went outside, and got into the waiting luxury private car.
Tonight, that old man was going to introduce Anqi to his so-called backer. It was said that it was precisely by virtue of a friendly relationship with that big figure that he had managed to obtain an advanced Titan Robot as a personal bodyguard.
Yet the old man spoke in such a mysterious, roundabout way that he simply refused to reveal the big figure's name in advance.
If she hadn't already gotten involved with Anti-Entropy and didn't need to be cautious to the utmost for safety's sake, Anqi would have long since brainwashed this dark, cold-blooded old man and squeezed out all his intelligence.
"Director Cocolia, this is my daughter, the next successor of the Tachibana Family."
"Good day, esteemed adult."
Anqi lifted her skirt and curtsied with a proper smile.
Damn it!
I knew that anyone who could hang out with this kind of dark capitalist and even pull out a Titan for ordinary people to use had to be part of the Reformist Faction without a doubt!
I didn't expect Cocolia to show up in person.
Yet it also seemed reasonable.
Damn it!
After finishing her curtsy and straightening up again, the smile on Anqi's face became even more perfect and elegant.
On the huge screen in the underground conference room, wearing long boots and white legs, her hands crossed to cradle two full snowballs bulging out ready to pop, the woman as alluringly seductive as a golden-haired vixen—who else could it be if not Cocolia herself?
Cocolia in the screen lowered her head, seemingly sizing up Anqi's appearance. A moment later, she let out a soft, indifferent laugh and said:
"So, the upcoming business is going to start being taken over by her?"
"Precisely so, Director Cocolia. It's just that my daughter has only recently begun taking the reins, so if there are any oversights, I ask that you kindly bear with her, milady."
"Rest assured, I've been very satisfied with our cooperation all along. I trust the Tachibana family head's eye, and our upcoming cooperation will surely be very pleasant as well. If there's a chance to visit the Far East next time, we might as well sit down and have a good chat. A beauty as picturesque as your esteemed daughter probably makes people feel better just by seeing her, haha!"
"Director Cocolia flatters me. With that, this old man can finally set his mind at ease. Hahaha!"
The two of them chatted familiarly for a while, while Anqi continually listened with a smile, from time to time cooperating with charming giggles. The scene was harmonious for a time.
Yet Cocolia evidently did not have that much time to idle away with a minor supplier. After simply acknowledging Anqi's identity as successor, the call ended quickly.
Anqi subsequently accompanied the old man on a walk, following behind his wheelchair as she listened to him sigh and brag about various maneuvers during his rise to wealth. Black or white, pornography, gambling, drugs, organ trafficking... he seemed to have dabbled in many areas, or at least operated them, right up until the information age came rolling in, at which point he carried his accumulated capital to catch the fast train of technological development, also catching the high-speed rail of Anti-Entropy, galloping all the way, and even rushing into the Fortune Global 500 ranks with his affiliated enterprises at one point.
Listening to it all, Anqi found it quite boring; she had no intention of becoming a major capitalist. Instead, she thought that since the person behind the old man had been figured out, shouldn't she send him off to reunite with his proud predecessors a bit sooner?
Anqi stared with gloomy eyes at the old man's sparsely-haired head, ultimately deciding to endure it and not cause extra trouble.
To repeat the old adage: turtle, hunkering down like a turtle was the path to victory.
The old man had only a month or two of life left, and St. Freya Anqi would also take a month or two to recover. Calculated out, it was all the same; it seemed the Anqis could only obediently hunker down and lie low during this period.
Chapter 21 Anqi, Dependent on Himeko
In the Arctic, amid howling winds and a glacial snowfield, Anqi dressed in a thick scientific research cotton coat used one hand to block the biting wind, slowly walking forward while holding a sensitive compass. Only when the compass needle grew increasingly erratic did Anqi stop her footsteps, reach into the theater space, and take out a shovel.
"It seems we're getting close to the pole, I completely lost all sense of direction, but this should be remote enough, right?"
Anqi shook her head, brushed the ice and snow off her hood, swung her shovel, and with immense force forcefully shoveled out an underground cave in the ice.
She lay down inside.
"Well, I'm going to sleep first. Hopefully, there won't be a day when I need to wake up."
Anqi spoke thus, hearing the farewells and blessings of her other selves in her mind, gradually frozen and buried by the ice and snow, leaving no trace behind.
In the Americas, the vast and boundless western desert, a slender figure walked unhurriedly, a mysterious black cloak snapping loudly in the strong wind.
"Mhm, I completely lost track of the specific coordinates, but it's already extremely far from the city, I think that's enough."
Anqi spoke thus, finding a severely wind-eroded rock wall.
Then came digging a pit, entering the earth, burying herself, and finally cutting off her own consciousness.
Shenzhou, the Tibet Plateau.
The Bear Country, Siberia.
Europe, the East European Plain.
The three Anqis, separated by tens of thousands of miles, each found locations as remote and random as possible, concealed themselves, and fell into deep slumber.
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