Freeze All Things: Plasma Shadow Show! / Captain, I... No, You Don't Want To!

Ling Feng: "..." Compared to what you did, your words had absolutely no credibility, okay...

Skipping over the issue of the final password, the two continued onward. After passing through two more security checkpoints, they finally reached the storage area. This was where ME Company kept its belongings. Not only did it store its own items, but it also offered storage services for clients. Its security was no less formidable than a bank vault, and every storage compartment had a different password!

The storage area was a platform with a lifting mechanism in the middle. When retrieving or depositing something, all they had to do was enter the corresponding number and password into the platform computer, and the item would be transported out from the platform...

They entered the number, then the password. Soon after, a silver metal box was delivered from the platform. Mei gave Ling Feng a slight nod, and without hesitation, he picked up the metal box. The weight was fine, though it felt a little cold. Well, it was metal...

"We can leave now!"

With the gift in hand, Mei had no intention of lingering here any longer. Getting out of here quickly was the real priority!

And just like that, Ling Feng and Mei successfully retrieved the gift...

"Whew, that was so delicious. Can I have another one?" At the cold dessert shop, Kiana had already finished a parfait. The flavor and color were both top-notch. One cup simply did not feel like enough...

"Of course. Help yourself!"

Rita gave a slight nod. As an S-rank Valkyrie, she did not care about such a trivial matter. Besides, she was currently observing the surrounding environment...

There was a man who had entered a minute after the three of them did. He ordered a cola and an ice cream, then sat there blankly staring into space. Although everything looked natural, as a maid, Rita possessed exceptional observational skills. A maid had to learn to read people and situations, and from what she observed, that man might have been suspicious...

However, he had done nothing but sit there the entire time. He had not even glanced in their direction, nor had he made any other movements. Rita could not make an accurate judgment, so she could only wait quietly...

Before long, Bronya received a text from Mei. She lowered her head to glance at it, then said expressionlessly, "Kiana, Rita, the Captain and the others are already out. They told us to hurry back!"

"Eh? That fast?"

Kiana looked at the half-finished parfait on the table and hurriedly opened her mouth to stuff herself. She could not waste this, absolutely could not waste it. It was not often that she got to eat something like this...

Bronya was not in a hurry. She replied that they would be right there, then sat and waited for Idiot Kiana to finish eating. Rita was not in a hurry either. As a maid, learning to wait was a basic quality!

After Kiana finished eating, the three rose to leave the shop and head over to meet up with Ling Feng and Mei...

"Ah..."

As she passed the man, Rita suddenly slipped and bumped into him. She quickly got up and apologized, "Sorry, I'm terribly sorry for running into you. Are you all right?"

Rita asked in English...

"I'm fine!"

The man replied coldly in English, then continued staring blankly into space, clearly having no desire to pay attention to Rita...

"Thank you. Good luck to you!"

Rita smiled faintly before leaving the ice cream shop with Kiana and Bronya...

"Whew..."

As soon as the three left, the man immediately let out a sigh of relief. Looking closely, he was already drenched in sweat. As an intelligence operative, he could say this was one of the most thrilling missions he had ever carried out. Following and eavesdropping on an S-rank Valkyrie? Damn it, if he had been discovered, he probably would not even know how he died. After all, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy were hostile organizations!

Fortunately, his disguise had been flawless, and he had not been discovered in the end. When he got back, he would be able to brag to the others in the group. This guy had followed an S-rank Valkyrie before. Could any of them do that?

This time, although he had not heard any important intelligence, it seemed Lightning Mei had already obtained the item. He had to quickly report this news to the team leader...

Taking out his phone, the man prepared to send a text, and then...

"Hm?"

Suddenly, he felt as though his body was a little uncomfortable. He touched the area around his heart and found it ice-cold...

Half an hour later, the police arrived at the scene. According to the forensic examination, the man's cause of death was extremely strange. He was suspected of having died because his heart had frozen solid. Was it because of the ice cream? The shop owner was deeply distressed by this. Dying from eating ice cream? Damn it, this was the first time he had ever seen something like that...

Freezing All Things, Plasma Shadow Show!

"Is this box the gift? What kind of gift is it? Why don't we open it and take a look?"

After returning to Ling Feng and Mei, Kiana immediately spotted the silver metal box. It was not very large, but she was intensely curious. The moment she arrived, she fired off three questions in a row.

"Kiana, the box has a password too. We'll look at it after we get back."

Rita quietly stepped forward, brought her lips close to Kiana's ear, and smiled softly. "Besides, even if Mei knows the secret, such an important gift is best not opened in a public place. It would be bad if someone else saw it."

"Eh... What's wrong with taking a look..."

Kiana seemed a little unhappy. She had come all the way to Neon with such high expectations to look for the gift. They had finally found it, yet they would not even let her see it...

Ling Feng: "..." How had she even become friends with Mei? His feelings were complicated...

Mei: "..." How did I end up with a friend like this? Her feelings were complicated...

Bronya: "..." Idiot Kiana's intelligence was still as stable as ever, just like her grades...

"All right, Kiana. I'll show it to you after we get back..."

Ling Feng had no choice but to coax her. With a girl like Kiana, he could only coax her, never be harsh with her. Besides, being harsh with girls was not a good habit. "How about I take you all out again tonight? Didn't we still miss a lot of delicious food yesterday?"

"Mmm..."

Kiana put on a thoughtful expression, then suddenly nodded hard. "Mm, it's decided then. We'll look at it after we get back. Come on, let's go back now!"

Ling Feng: "..."

Taking the train and subway, the five returned to the hot spring inn from yesterday. Rita had already paid for the room repairs, then booked another suite next door. It was still far away from Mei and the others' room. For some reason, seeing this gave Ling Feng an ominous feeling...

In the living room, the four sat around the table. Rita sat beside Ling Feng with her black tea, waiting for Mei to unlock the gift.

There was a holographic projector on top of the box. With a light tap, ten numbered authorization buttons immediately appeared, along with two options: confirm and delete.

"Beep, beep, beep, beep..."

Mei entered the numerical password she knew one digit at a time, and then...

"Puff..."

The box suddenly opened, and a cloud of mist immediately poured out from within...

"Captain, please be careful..."

Rita hurriedly stepped in front of Ling Feng. That white mist could have been dangerous gas...

"Don't worry. Dad would never hurt me, and he wouldn't use this kind of method either."

Mei was quite calm. She remained somewhat vigilant, but she was not as tense as Rita. Slowly reaching out her hand, she immediately felt a bone-piercing chill. "This... should be mist caused by water vapor freezing at low temperatures."

After figuring out the cause of the mist, Mei no longer hesitated and directly opened the box...

Then, in the center of the box, a katana appeared. It had a grayish-blue hilt and a sky-blue blade from end to end. The hilt was around twenty centimeters long, while the blade was nearly two feet long. Blue light continued to bloom from the blade, making it look extraordinarily beautiful. Yes, this sword really could be described as beautiful...

"What a beautiful sword. It feels like a plasma blade."

Even Rita could not help praising it. As an S-rank Valkyrie, she had seen many weapons, but weapons as beautiful as this katana were extremely rare even for her. Based on appearance alone, this sword could definitely rank among the top three.

"So this is the gift? It feels like... your dad really dotes on you!"

Ling Feng was also a little tempted. Even ignoring its appearance, just by looking at the texture of the blade, he could instantly tell it was no ordinary item. It looked incredibly high-end and should suit Mei very well. It had both beauty and power.

"Mei, hurry up and try it..."

Kiana's eyes were also shining. Unfortunately, she did not know how to use swords, otherwise she would have wanted to pick it up and try it herself.

"Mm."

Mei did not hesitate either. She carefully reached out to touch the hilt. When the expected cold did not come, she relaxed and gripped it firmly, drawing the blade.

"Vwoom..."

As the katana moved, the surrounding air seemed to drop several degrees in an instant. In the blazing summer, the katana actually brought a trace of coolness.

But before Mei could properly experience the katana, the holographic projector on the box projected another holographic image. This time, it was Ryoma's face...

"My dear daughter, when you see this message, you should have already received this sword. This is the ultimate weapon your father forged with the efforts of his entire life. It is a katana created from plasma technology and Honkai energy technology. You can call it Plasma Shadow Show."

"However, Plasma Shadow Show does not possess the high temperatures of conventional plasma. On the contrary, it possesses absolute low temperatures. Press the switch, and it can transform plasma energy into cold air and release it, freezing the target. I call this move Absolute Zero. Although it is still far from true absolute zero, its energy is enough to freeze a Herrscher. Daughter, please give it to someone willing to protect you, and have him freeze you the moment you become a Herrscher!"

After saying that, the holographic image vanished...

Ling Feng: "..."

Mei: "..."

Ling Feng and Mei looked at each other, then both turned to look at Plasma Shadow Show in unspoken agreement...

Mei wanted to cry. She had been happy for so long, thinking it was her weapon, but... it was actually a weapon meant to restrain her. Dad, your way of loving your daughter was way too special. She was almost moved to tears...

"Ling Feng, here..."

Mei silently handed the katana to Ling Feng. Her meaning could not have been clearer. But it could also be put this way: she was giving him the sword, but he had to take on the corresponding responsibility—that was... protecting her...

"Uh..."

To be honest, Ling Feng felt a little awkward too. No matter how he looked at it, this sword should have been left for Mei to use, but it really was not. Father-in-law, your way of loving Mei was a little unusual...

"I think the Captain should accept it."

Rita smiled faintly. "After all, this is Mei's trust in you. And isn't the Captain's swordsmanship quite formidable as well? With Plasma Shadow Show, you should become much stronger. Sharing the Valkyries' burden is also one of a Captain's duties."

"Mm, that's right."

Mei nodded slightly as well, but she did not continue speaking. Everything she had wanted to say had already been said by Rita...

"No, Mei, you should keep it yourself."

Although both Rita and Mei said so, Ling Feng still chose to refuse. He smiled sincerely. "Mei, you need to understand something. You are Mei. You are a human, not a Herrscher. Don't always treat yourself as a Herrscher. Plasma Shadow Show is meant to seal a Herrscher, that's true, but can't you use it in your normal state too? So you should keep it. Chi You is enough for me. I can't handle two swords anyway."

Captain, I... No, You Don't Want To!

"This..."

Mei hesitated, because she truly liked this katana. She loved her father's gift, but... Plasma Shadow Show was also a weapon her father had given Ling Feng, and it was meant to restrain her Herrscher form. If she kept it herself, would that not cause it to lose the purpose her father had created it for?

"Don't hesitate, Mei. Just take it!"

Seeing Mei's hesitant expression, how could Ling Feng not understand what she was thinking? After all, she had always been very decisive. Yet this time, she seemed so hesitant. Did that not prove that she truly liked this sword?

Seeing that Mei was still hesitant, Ling Feng could only deliberately smile and say, "Mei, don't forget what happened last time. Even without Plasma Shadow Show, I can still bring you back when you become a Herrscher. Besides, I don't dislike that method at all..."

"Eh..."

Mei looked a little embarrassed. She could not help touching her lips, a faint blush appearing on her face as she softly said, "Then... I'll keep this sword for now. When... when you need it, I'll give it to you!"

"Mm-hm, then I'll leave this sword in Miss Mei's care!"

Seeing that Mei had finally accepted his suggestion, Ling Feng was also very happy, because he knew that Mei truly liked this sword. He did not mind taking what others valued, but he absolutely could not do that to his Mei. After all...

Mei was his, so did that not make Plasma Shadow Show his too? He wanted both Mei and the weapon. Also, it would have been great if yesterday's plan could have been carried out perfectly, but it had been interrupted by...

Ling Feng inadvertently glanced at Rita. Seeing his gaze, Rita looked slightly curious and tilted her head a few degrees to the right. She did not understand why Ling Feng was suddenly looking at her. Could it be that he wanted...

Rita wore a mischievous smile. Her lips moved slightly as she mouthed: Captain, I...

Ling Feng: "..." No, you don't...

Ling Feng quickly turned to look at Mei. Mei had already started playing with the katana, reaching out to touch the blade. Just as she had imagined, it was very cold. The temperature was probably below zero, but it would not instantly freeze the skin, so it did not feel unbearably cold!

The switch had been set on the hilt, but Mei did not dare press it randomly. If she damaged something at the inn, they would have to pay full compensation. Their funds could not be spent on something like that...

With all that back and forth, the afternoon was nearly over. So, with Kiana the foodie in tow, the five headed out shopping once again. They still had not finished trying yesterday's food, and Kiana had been thinking about it the whole time...

"My apologies, Lady Cocolia. Number Five has been eliminated. Rita did it, and Lightning Mei has also obtained the gift, but we do not know what the gift is!" They had switched to another maid café. It was still the same man, speaking with Cocolia again!

"Hmph, that damned maid is still as vicious as ever..."

Cocolia's voice was cold, but there was anger in it as well. "All right, your mission is temporarily canceled. You don't need to do anything. Just keep track of their location. The support troops will be ready by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

"Yes, ma'am."

The man hurriedly nodded in agreement. To be honest, S-rank Valkyries were truly not easy to deal with. His subordinate had not even had time to send out a distress signal before getting killed. What kind of monster was that maid?

After the call ended, the man let out a weary sigh. He truly could not understand why an S-rank Valkyrie was traveling with Mei and the others. Were S-rank Valkyries really that free? Or was she simply here on vacation?

Wait, vacation?

The man suddenly thought of something. If they were on vacation, then naturally they would go sightseeing. And if they were sightseeing, they could not possibly carry their weapons with them at all times, right? And that box—according to the report his subordinate had just sent, Mei had not brought the box out of the inn, so...

The man planned to gather his subordinates and prepare to act. Since they could not win in a direct confrontation, then he would play dirty. He would steal their weapons and gift and see how they fought then.

Even an S-rank Valkyrie's strength would be greatly reduced without her weapon. Would she still be a match for the mech troops then?