Special Mission Support Personnel

But no one knew why such an intimate relationship could still be separated by fifty thousand years.

Had someone from fifty thousand years ago gone to fifty thousand years later, or had someone from fifty thousand years later gone back fifty thousand years? Even World Serpent wanted to know the answer.

Under Wendy's astonished gaze, a passage appeared in the lower levels of Shencheng Pharmaceuticals.

Raven introduced it. "This is a stable Quantum Leap passage. The technology comes from fifty thousand years ago, and it leads directly to headquarters. It's very stable, so don't worry."

Wendy did not make a big fuss over it.

This era already had stable Quantum Leap technology. Anti-Entropy had Quantum Leap Titans, while Schicksal could use quantum passages to transport Valkyrie Armor.

Still, this was the first time she had seen one used to establish a passage that humans could travel through together.

She composed herself, watched Jackal walk through first, then followed as the second.

Raven was the last to enter.

Shencheng Pharmaceuticals's operations had not yet begun at this point, so she did not need to remain here. Running a business was not something Raven excelled at anyway.

When Wendy arrived at World Serpent headquarters, she immediately determined that it was not on land. More precisely, it was beneath the ground.

More precisely, this place seemed to lie within a Subspace Layer between the earth and space.

No wonder Schicksal knew nothing about this organization.

As long as an area was covered by satellites, Schicksal could determine its location. But with quantum passages and bases within the Subspace Layer, it was only natural that Schicksal could not track World Serpent's activities.

Wendy, however, did not care about any of that.

She looked at Raven. "Can you explain now? What kind of people are your organization—and him?"

Raven raised an eyebrow. "It's troublesome to explain, but simply put, our Sovereign is a pioneer of this era, and World Serpent is an organization that fights the Honkai."

"And the person you care about... he was the Sovereign's comrade from the previous era. He has already perished in the battle against Finality."

"The reason we sought you out was only because we hoped you could clear up our doubts. But judging from your reaction, the problem may not be with you, but with the Sovereign's former friend."

The Pre-Civilization Era had left behind many technologies.

Whether it was the Ark capable of voyaging across the sea of stars, stigmata that engraved memories, Soul Steel that recorded information, or modification surgeries that fused with Honkai...

But none of them involved time.

That was a realm mortals still could not touch. It was not as though people of the Pre-Civilization Era had never considered reversing time to change a tragedy that was destined to happen.

But now, World Serpent had learned that someone who should have died fifty thousand years ago had appeared fifty thousand years later.

Anything involving time could easily alter the fate of those in the future.

Perhaps...

Kevin had already begun to suspect that Chen Ran had not truly died, but was instead constantly adjusting time and influencing every moment of the future and present.

Wendy took a deep breath. "I want to know more, not just hear a few pieces of information. Why were all traces of him completely erased in this era? And why is there this photograph?"

There were too many truths she wanted to learn.

"Fine."

Jackal said flatly, "Although the Sovereign has not returned, he instructed me that you are qualified to enter that place ahead of schedule."

"Tch. Though I think it would be better if you handed over your Herrscher Core."

Clearly, Jackal had an issue with Wendy.

She made no effort to hide it.

Kevin had already awakened at this point, but he was trapped deep within the Sea of Quantum. He needed a high concentration of Honkai energy to replenish his strength and prepare to break free from that sea.

A Herrscher Core was indeed the best option.

Wendy ignored Jackal's sarcastic remarks.

"Natasha, the newcomer is yours," Jackal said directly.

Raven clicked her tongue. "You always hand the dangerous jobs to me. I really don't want to go into that place again."

Though she said that, she still led Wendy into a corridor.

There was a door in the corridor, and she activated the device.

"Go in. The Elysian Realm—a place you are destined not to like," Raven said in assessment.

Chapter 48: Special Mission Support Personnel

Chen Ran did not immediately investigate Cocolia. Instead, he first chose to adapt to life in the Far East.

He was a teacher at Chiyou Academy and could not give up that identity for the moment. He had no source of intelligence, so he had to make use of the identity he currently had.

Of course, most importantly, he needed an intelligence support operative.

Without intelligence, acting blindly was foolish.

Raiden Mei, however, had considerable objections to Chen Ran's actions.

She was frantic over Raiden Ryoma's situation. If Chen Ran had not repeatedly reassured her that nothing would happen, she would likely have gone to ME Company long ago.

She endured it at Chiyou Academy for three days.

Three days later, Chen Ran found Raiden Mei.

"Alright, I've secured intelligence support from headquarters. I'm going to pick someone up shortly. Come with me."

He had only used "Kiana might run into trouble" as an excuse, yet he had not expected headquarters to send assistance so quickly.

Raiden Mei nodded expressionlessly.

During this period, she had endured plenty of snide remarks and mockery at Chiyou Academy, but none of that mattered.

As long as her father could clear his name sooner, it would all be worth it.

Chen Ran rented a car.

As a Schicksal agent, he naturally had an operational budget for such expenses.

Raiden Mei instinctively sat in the back seat, and Chen Ran did not stop her. He was not someone who cared much about status, and since Raiden Mei was used to sitting in the back, she could sit there.

He introduced things calmly. "The organization I belong to is called Schicksal. It has corresponding branches all over the world. Your father, meanwhile, is part of Anti-Entropy, an organization opposed to Schicksal. Of course, although they are rivals, both organizations share the same goal: defeating the Honkai..."

As the young man spoke, it felt as though a magnificent and mysterious door had opened before the girl.

At that moment, his communicator began flashing.

Chen Ran did not hesitate and accepted the call.

The virtual communication screen that appeared in the air brought a trace of surprise to Mei's eyes, while the girl behind the screen happened to see Raiden Mei as well.

Yet she merely smiled slightly. "This must be Miss Raiden Mei, whom Agent Chen mentioned. Hello, I'm Rita, the commander of this operation."

Raiden Mei's expression tightened. Her instincts told her this woman was dangerous.

Chen Ran pretended to be alarmed. "Miss Rita, I never expected you to issue the orders personally. May I ask what instructions our superiors have conveyed?"

"For this operation, that person must participate as well."

Rita directly issued the highest-level order.

Surprise appeared in Chen Ran's eyes, and he asked, "In that case, I can't guarantee I can make it happen. To be honest, I can't even guarantee her safety."

"Do not worry. She has the means to protect herself."

The person Rita referred to was naturally Kiana.

Clearly, Otto was no longer satisfied with the Sirin Plan remaining at a standstill. He intended to take things further.

Chen Ran hesitated slightly. "Then may I ask about the identity of the person supporting this mission?"

Rita paused before saying, "I've sent you the files."

Only after the communicator disconnected did Chen Ran unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

Raiden Mei asked in confusion, "You seem afraid."

"Not really." He said, "I'm just an ordinary wage slave. I get nervous whenever I see someone with a higher rank than mine. It's an office worker's instinct."

Raiden Mei could not help frowning. "She looks very young."

"She actually is very young, but that doesn't stop my legs from turning to jelly whenever I see her."

"Then who is the person she was referring to?"

"You'll find out."

Chen Ran said, "Let's go. We'll pick someone up first."

"Anti-Entropy operatives have appeared in Changkong City and intend to trigger a large-scale Honkai eruption. Your task this time is to assist the intelligence personnel in stopping them."

Outside Schicksal's private airfield leading to Changkong City, a young girl wore a solemn expression.

Until the car in front of her honked its horn.

"Hello, Wendy."

Chen Ran rolled down the window. "Let's get along well from here on out."

When Chen Ran learned that the person assigned to assist him this time was actually Wendy, he nearly lost his composure. For a moment, he even suspected that this was the system's malicious intent.

But on second thought, the system probably had no interest in putting effort into something like this. It also fit the logic of the situation.

Changkong City faced a Honkai crisis, so the nearest Far East Branch would naturally send personnel as support.

Himeko and Theresa had to handle the Far East Branch's teaching duties, and Anti-Entropy likely had intelligence on both of them. Therefore, the Far East Branch needed to send a Valkyrie whom Anti-Entropy most likely did not know, but who could provide substantial help during the mission.

That left only Wendy.

Wendy would graduate from St. Freya in 2014 after advancing to an A-rank Valkyrie. It was now nearing the end of 2013, and her strength had likewise reached A-rank Valkyrie standards, though she had not yet undergone the assessment.

Even though the girl was only thirteen years old.

Raiden Mei's eyes held a trace of surprise. "A child?"

The girl's face was full of confidence. "I may be a child, but I've already completed many missions independently fighting the Honkai. I'll definitely succeed in this mission too."

Seeing this, Chen Ran could not help feeling emotional.

The unexperimented-on Wendy and the Wendy of later days were worlds apart in personality.

The girl before him was lively, energetic, and confident—nothing like the gloomy figure he had first met.

He restrained his emotions and said with a faint smile, "My name is Chen Ran, and this is Raiden Mei. Let's go. I still need to meet one last person."

Since Rita had specifically emphasized that person.

Then he had no choice but to bring Kiana along as well.

Meanwhile, at Chiyou Academy.

Kiana, whom Rita had specifically named, was still sleeping soundly.

Both the teachers and students could not help shaking their heads when they saw her.

If she had not been admitted through a special recruitment program, the teacher at the front would have scolded her long ago. But he had no mood to scold her now.

Raiden Ryoma, Chiyou Academy's largest shareholder, had been taken away. What worried him was whether next month's salary would be paid in full.

Humans truly were realistic creatures. As the teacher looked at Kiana, his eyes could not help showing a trace of envy.

He could not help sighing. "If someone could live like little Kiana, they probably wouldn't have any worries at all."

Naturally, Kiana did not hear those words.