A dazzling white light flashed by, followed by a damp sea breeze.
When everyone opened their eyes, they were immediately startled by the scene before them. Even Mayumi Saegusa, who had been here before, showed surprise on her face.
Unlike the previous times, this time Mayumi Saegusa saw more than just the research ship. The surrounding ships, fully armed, were unlike anything she had ever seen before.
Since the birth of mages, the focus of military forces around the world has gradually shifted away from large-scale strategic armaments. Now, countries are paying more attention to the establishment of forces centered around mages, and are less concerned about the development of traditional military equipment.
However, the type of the dozen or so destroyers in front of her was one that Mayumi Saegusa had never seen before. Although she couldn't yet assess the combat capabilities of these warships, she was genuinely taken aback.
Lina shared the same sentiment. As Sirius, the captain of the US military's so-called strongest magic-wielding unit "STARS," she was someone who was often surrounded by military equipment. Even she felt a sense of unease when she saw the dozen or so destroyers in front of her.
"Brother, where are we? Are we on the open sea?" Although she was startled by the warship in front of her, since Yunyi had brought them here, Kasumi Saegusa quickly recovered from her surprise. She tugged at Yunyi's sleeve and asked in confusion.
"We are indeed on the open sea, now we should be in the Pacific Ocean. As for where this is, you can think of this as my home. Come on, I'll take you inside first." Yunyi ruffled Kasumi Saegusa's hair and beckoned the others to head towards the cabin.
Yunyi led everyone to a reception room inside the ship. After everyone was seated, he spoke, "You all know to some extent about the situation in Japan. We definitely won't be able to go back for the time being. As for what will happen next, that depends on how things develop. For now, you can stay on the ship. This is my mother's research ship. Don't wander around outside the research labs; you're free to go wherever you want."
Kasumi Saegusa and Izumi Saegusa nodded in agreement, while Lina gave a slightly dissatisfied snort. After arriving here, Yunyi released her from control. However, having regained her freedom, she had no way to escape from this environment, so she might as well stay here obediently.
Just as Kasumi Saegusa and Izumi Saegusa were curiously about asking something, the cabin door suddenly opened. Shen Yi led Chen Mei in slowly. Upon seeing so many people in the reception room, Shen Yi couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly. Chen Mei, standing behind her, raised her hand to lightly cover her red lips, feigning surprise.
"Mom!" Seeing the subtle change in Shen Yi's expression, Yunyi called out subconsciously. However, he was met with a disapproving glare from Shen Yi.
" Sister Yi." Mayumi Saegusa was quite well-behaved, getting up to greet Shen Yi and quietly calling to her two younger sisters.
Shen Yi nodded expressionlessly to the three of them, gesturing for them to sit down before turning her gaze to Lina.
Lina felt uneasy under Shen Yi's gaze. But before she could introduce herself, Shen Yi's eyes shifted to Yunyi: "This is the Sirius you were talking about? Such a young girl?"
Yunyi nodded. "Yes, isn't it incredible?"
"I just think you were really useless back then. If it weren't for your... field, when you were her age, you'd only be fit to be a background character." Shen Yi pouted slightly.
Yunyi was rebuked by Shen Yi, and a helpless look appeared on his face. However, seeing the increasing changes in his mother's expression, a feeling of joy welled up inside him.
"Alright, everyone, sit down. Since you're here, settle in first. Xiao Mei, help them make arrangements," Shen Yi instructed Chen Mei, while also exchanging pleasantries.
After Shen Yi sat down, her gaze fell on the two little ones sitting next to Mayumi Saegusa. Seeing their somewhat reserved appearance, Shen Yi's indifferent expression softened a little.
"These must be Saegusa's twins, right? They're quite pretty. Why did you bring them along this time?"
Shen Yi's question made Mayumi Saegusa's heart tighten. Just as she was pondering how to answer, Yunyi had already given his answer.
"They didn't want to go back to the Saegusa Family, so they came along."
Hearing Yunyi's words, Shen Yi immediately rolled her eyes. In the few minutes since she came in, the two nervous little ones had glanced at Yunyi several times. This behavior was completely subconscious. They wouldn't do this if they didn't trust someone very much.
Their older sister was also present. However, the two little ones kept glancing towards Yunyi, the meaning of which was quite obvious. Unfortunately, their son didn't seem to notice.
If Yunyi weren't her son, Shen Yi would probably really ask, "How did you even find a girlfriend?" Fortunately, although Shen Yi didn't like Yunyi, he was still her son, so she still had to give him face.
Besides, Shen Yi quite liked the two little ones; they huddled there timidly like two little quails, which was quite cute.
"They're here, so you don't need to worry about their safety. You can decide how to handle things afterward yourself. The fleet will set sail tomorrow, so please convey the next steps to Xiao Mei. My research here has reached a critical stage, so please try not to disturb me unless necessary," Shen Yi instructed Yunyi.
"Over there, Girl Snow has almost finished preparations. However, there's considerable opposition, and the scale of the unrest might be larger than expected. I'm worried that Girl Snow might not be able to control it alone. If you don't have anything else to do, you should go back and help her. As for Sirius, I don't need her to follow me around here. Let her follow you for now, and she can come with me after I return to China."