"Amber said that headquarters never issued an order to the Oceanic Branch to halt the experiment."
"Then the situation is even worse than either of us thought." Himeko could not help but feel a headache coming on.
Ever since the North American Branch rebelled, the Oceanic Branch had become an important branch for curbing Anti-Entropy's development. Thanks to Australia's natural advantages, it was also responsible for supplying headquarters with many mineral resources and developing the relevant technologies.
It was just that no one had expected the Oceanic Branch, which should have been utterly loyal to headquarters, to be infiltrated by so many moles.
At this point, they still did not know the importance of the Gem of Desire, but they had keenly realized that their most important task now was to protect Wendy.
Theresa said, "Himeko, find an island and make an emergency landing first. The Hyperion can deal with these small fry easily. Wait for me—I'll be there soon."
The Hyperion was, after all, a Floating Battleship built with the highest level of Schicksal technology. It was practically a flying aircraft carrier.
Unless Anti-Entropy deployed its Titan Corps directly, it truly would not be a match for the Hyperion.
"That's our only option."
Himeko ended the call, feeling an even stronger headache.
Wendy, who was beside her, suddenly spoke. "Ms. Himeko, an emergency landing will be troublesome. Without the aircraft's defensive shield, we'll be fish on the chopping block."
Although Wendy had not participated in frontline combat or training during this period, her foundations were solid.
She said, "And I don't know if you've noticed, but although our cabin is damaged, the enemy hasn't increased their firepower. They're giving us time to choose."
Himeko's eyes swept across the radar display.
There were too many enemies. That was all she could think.
When they had first encountered the enemy, Himeko had thought they were only a few blind little punks. Yet no one had expected the other side to bring in aircraft numbering as many as an entire nation's air force.
No matter how skilled Himeko was at flying, she could not keep making limit-dodges in the air forever.
She said, "In this situation, there's no other choice but an emergency landing. We can't exactly crash into the ocean."
Himeko naturally knew that an emergency landing was extremely dangerous.
But if they did not land, they would fall into the sea.
"No, I'm not against making an emergency landing. I mean, perhaps we can use a method like this to create a relatively safe opportunity for ourselves."
"Ms. Himeko, there should be spare parachutes on the aircraft, right?"
Himeko answered, "Every aircraft is equipped with at least ten parachutes. Why?"
"Then please listen to me from here on out."
Traveling between Australia and the Far East required crossing the entire Pacific Ocean.
A chase was unfolding in the stratosphere above the sea.
Just as Wendy had said, after noticing that the aircraft was damaged, the enemy had not increased their firepower. It seemed they wanted to capture Wendy alive.
Faced with this situation, Chen Ran could do nothing but blame himself.
Unless he chose to die again and turned back time by an hour.
He only felt powerless.
Although the system had rewarded him with Valkyrie combat techniques, combat techniques were only combat techniques. They had not given him a stronger physique.
Yet Wendy, the enemy's target, showed not the slightest fear.
She had Chen Ran find heavy objects inside the cabin and tie three parachutes to them.
"If my guess is correct, they want a living Wendy." Wendy paused before saying, "It's nighttime now. If we throw down parachutes, people will definitely assume someone has jumped."
"So this will draw away some of the enemy."
Because it was dark, the enemy could only see parachutes descending. They could not gamble on whether the targets beneath them were real, and had to go capture them.
Himeko, who was piloting the aircraft, spoke up. "I've found an island."
Wendy's eyes turned sharp. "Release them!"
Chen Ran opened the cabin door, then pushed the supplies tied to the parachutes downward.
Sure enough, when the parachutes opened in midair, quite a few aircraft stopped pursuing them.
They had successfully deceived the enemy tactically.
Himeko narrowed her eyes slightly. "It worked?"
"There are still a lot of enemies."
Wendy said calmly, "Next, we jump."
Himeko's gaze sharpened. "Not waiting for the third batch? They don't know how many parachutes we have."
"Tricking them once is enough. More than once, and this aircraft will be marked."
Wendy said, "When we jump, don't open the parachutes too quickly. That would be too obvious."
Himeko nodded. "Got it."
Even though Wendy's legs were disabled, her mind was not dull.
Himeko began setting the aircraft's next flight path and searching for another island.
Chen Ran silently fastened Wendy's parachute for her.
"Sorry, I didn't know we'd run into something like this. I thought finding the Far East Branch would be enough." He spoke with a guilty expression. "Instead, I dragged you into danger."
"You don't need to apologize."
Wendy instead took his hand, looked at him, and said with a bright smile, "On the contrary, I'm happy."
"I thought you had really given up on me," she said softly.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Wendy took a deep breath and said, "Chen Ran, after this is over, let's go soak in hot springs together."
"Sure."
Chen Ran smiled. "Then it's a promise."
"Mm."
About ten minutes later, Himeko spoke. "I found another island. Get ready."
Chen Ran directly picked Wendy up and opened the cabin door.
Himeko quickly came over as well, bringing her Greatsword of Sunfire with her.
"I'll leave Wendy to you. It's inconvenient for me with a weapon in my hands," she said to Chen Ran.
Chen Ran gave an OK gesture.
His physique was at least above that of an ordinary person, and he easily picked Wendy up.
They each had a parachute pack on their backs.
"Then we're jumping," Chen Ran said.
The girl wrapped her arms around Chen Ran's waist, without the slightest fear in her eyes.
Instead, a trace of fervor flashed through them.
"Jump. I'll protect you," Wendy said.
Chen Ran did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Of course I'm the one protecting you!"
The Answer Is That I Like You
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
It was Chen Ran's first time experiencing something this thrilling.
Even in Flame-Chaser, he had never learned how to parachute.
Let alone parachuting while holding a girl.
Although he wore goggles, watching himself plummet rapidly toward the ground made his center of gravity feel constantly unbalanced.
He absolutely did not want to experience this a second time.
Wendy, held in Chen Ran's arms, was not afraid. On the contrary, if Chen Ran could see her, he would find her eyes beneath the goggles filled with a gentle smile.
Even now, though Chen Ran was screaming in fear, he still held onto her tightly.
This was the first time Wendy had felt protected. Though the person protecting her was weak, and occasionally childish and mischievous, she could feel that warm heart.
She suddenly felt that this was not so bad.
Although fate's cruelty had taken away her legs, she could still enjoy the tenderness of being loved.
"Chen Ran."
Amid Chen Ran's screams, she said softly, "If we both survive, let's date."
The wind scattered her words.
The boy and girl continued falling rapidly.
Chen Ran had grown tired of screaming as well.
Wendy suddenly said, "Open the parachute!"
The enormous parachute opened, and their descent began to slow.
Then a powerful gust blew in, pushing them away from their original island.
Chen Ran looked at the seawater below and sighed. "This is bad. How do you steer a parachute? I don't know how!"
Once someone was in the air, they were basically at the mercy of fate.
"Now, there's good news and bad news."
On an unfamiliar island, Chen Ran pushed aside the parachute, removed one of its ropes, and tied Wendy to his back.
He said, "The good news is that the enemy didn't spot us. The bad news is that we got separated from Himeko."
Under the nearly boundless night sky, an unfamiliar island was an extremely dangerous place.
No one knew whether there would be strange venomous insects or snakes here.
Chen Ran's breathing was slightly ragged. Wendy lay on his back and said softly, "The darkness is our best cover. The enemy must have intelligence that Ms. Himeko is an A-rank Valkyrie. Coupled with how much they value me, they won't act rashly."
They did not expect to deceive the enemy with parachutes alone. That would be an insult to their intelligence.
However, Wendy's goal was to use the cover of night to buy time.
"As long as Principal Theresa arrives before dawn, we'll have succeeded."
She said, "From now on, we need to avoid making noise or using light sources. We need to prevent the enemy from making an emergency landing on this island and searching for us too."
Wendy might not have had much experience in this area, but the knowledge stored in her mind was sufficient.
Chen Ran nodded.
He carefully observed his surroundings.
There was no moon tonight, and the stars were not very bright either. He was not blind right now, but he might as well have been half-blind.
He could only walk cautiously, searching for somewhere to hide.
"I hope Himeko isn't too far from us," Chen Ran said quietly.
Wendy said nothing.
Because her body had already been tied to Chen Ran, she could only lie quietly on his back. There was too little light here, so the girl could see very little as well.
It was like playing a pixel game.
Listening to Chen Ran's footsteps and breathing, she suddenly asked, "Can I ask you a question?"
Before you continue