You?!

Manila, afternoon, 3:04 PM.

Location: National Central University of the Philippines.

This was a world-renowned university, but its official history wasn't long, established only a little over a decade ago. However, its predecessors, the University of the Philippines and the Central University of the Philippines, were both prestigious institutions with centuries of history.

From that perspective, calling it a long-standing institution wouldn't be entirely wrong.

In 2001, these two universities suddenly announced their merger without warning. This news had caused quite a stir in the international education community, but it turned out not to be an April Fool's joke.

They truly merged, forming the present-day National Central University of the Philippines.

Not only that, but it quickly rose to become an internationally renowned university, possessing high academic achievements in chemical engineering, biology, medicine, and other fields…

"Sigh…" Jell put down the document she was halfway through reading, casually closing it and placing it to one side. She couldn't help but rub her temples with a headache, lost in thought.

"Captain… are we really going to search inside this university?" A Valkyrie team member leaned forward from the back seat, hesitantly asking, still finding it hard to believe. "This is a school with nearly fifty thousand people! How could there be a Honkai beast here?"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance at the grand gate in the distance again. Through the car window, they could clearly see the imposing gate, the gilded characters carved on the ancient and solid stone bricks proudly proclaiming its existence.

Young students flowed in and out at the entrance, forming a bustling stream. Security guards sat leisurely in the foyer, sipping refreshing drinks while observing everyone passing by.

And further away were the various high-rise buildings, hidden among lush tropical plants, only revealing a corner or two for outsiders to admire. The summer breeze blew, and the greenery formed rolling waves, further setting off the motionless buildings.

The Valkyries were captivated by the beauty of the place, but still found it hard to believe. If there truly were a Honkai beast here, wouldn't this place have already become a hell filled with death and roars?

"Um, Captain…" another more lively Valkyrie chimed in, "Did you see that we've been working non-stop these past few days, so you just came up with a random excuse to bring us here for sightseeing and relaxation?"

The team members started to chatter excitedly. Jell glanced at their faces and couldn't help but smile wryly. "Sigh… I wish that were the case…"

After speaking, she turned to "Yuno," who was sitting silently in the passenger seat, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Yuno, are you sure the clue you sensed is here?"

Early this morning, this usually taciturn "Yuno" approached her, saying that she had found another clue through communicating with plants.

The reason for saying "another" was because such things had happened several times in the past few days.

Each time, Yuno suddenly told her, "I've found a possible clue," so Jell, not daring to neglect it, immediately summoned all members of the Snow Lotus Squad, fully armed, to the hidden location, enduring the unpleasant smell emanating from the surrounding sewers, kicking open the rusty door…

…only to find a group of startled criminals.

Criminals: Σ( ° △ °|||)

Valkyries: (•ิ_•ิ)

Faced with this situation, the Valkyries couldn't help but exchange glances, then collectively looked towards their captain.

What could Captain Jell do? Contact the police, of course.

Half an hour later, several police cars arrived with cheerful sirens. The police officers, filled with the joy of "unexpected achievements," happily stuffed the criminals into the police cars like sardines while repeatedly thanking and praising the Valkyries who had given them such a great gift.

Before parting, each Valkyrie was given a large bouquet of snacks and fruits, a thank-you gift from the police officers, who had inquired and learned that girls liked this sort of thing.

So, the Valkyries exchanged glances again, momentarily unsure whether they had just wasted a trip, or had a bountiful harvest.

Jell could only smile wryly, glance at "Yuno," and announce the end of the operation with complex emotions.

As for Otto, hidden deep within "Yuno's" consciousness, he was equally perplexed. He had instructed the virtual personality to do this because he received intelligence from "He Kun," stating that it was the suspected hiding place of a secret organization.

So, "Yuno" led Jell and the Snow Lotus Squad there, only to discover it was a wild goose chase.

"In a sense, He Kun's intelligence wasn't wrong, since it was indeed a secret underground organization…"

Otto magnanimously forgave his "subordinate," believing that his work was proceeding exceptionally well and greatly anticipating his next performance.

Immediately afterward, as soon as Jell and the others returned to their base, Otto received new intelligence from Lin Wei, providing a new location.

So, the Valkyries, who had just put down their snacks and fruits, hurriedly set out again; half an hour later, they returned to base with another pile of new snacks and fruits. Because this time, they assisted the police in busting a drug trafficking organization…

Just like that, once, twice, thrice, until…

"Captain, let's take a break… I really can't… hic… eat anymore…" In the evening, a team member complained to the captain, rubbing her bulging stomach.

"Who told you to eat so much?" Jell said exasperatedly.

"Because the fridge is full!" The Valkyrie team member pointed to the mountain of fruits and snacks piled up in the corner, arguing reasonably, "It's so hot, if we don't eat them, they'll all go bad!"

Jell was speechless.

The next day, another "mountain" appeared at the base. Jell felt that this couldn't go on.

On the third day, Jell declined the police officers' kindness, stating that their base was already full…

She thought the police would be polite, but unexpectedly, they started complaining instead—

You guys running out of space to store food is nothing, our prisons are all full thanks to you! Some cells even have three people squeezed onto a single bed!

"Please, stop… If this goes on, you'll catch all the fish, and what will we eat next year?"

This made Jell quite embarrassed. But she couldn't complain about "Yuno," after all, she actually did find something each time. Maybe next time will be the real deal?

And Otto, no matter how magnanimous he was, was running out of patience with "He Kun's" so-called "intelligence." He directly sent a warning to Lin Wei, "If you continue to test my patience like this, you might as well go back to Anti-Entropy and continue your undercover work!"

Soon, Otto received a reply filled with fear and trepidation. The letter stated that he actually had another highly suspicious target, but the other party's identity was special, and he didn't dare to report rashly without more evidence.

He was stepping up his investigation and had sent other suspected targets to Otto. At the end of the letter, Lin Wei earnestly self-criticized, saying that his abilities were insufficient and that he had disappointed the Overseer.

"Heh, those Anti-Entropy guys are still so cautious…" Seeing the contents of the letter, Otto quickly believed Lin Wei's words. After all, that "He Kun" was equally cautious when investigating Schicksal.

So, Otto sent another message, asking him to tell him about the target he was currently investigating.

A few minutes later, "Yuno" once again approached Jell.

Hearing the news, Jell didn't dare to delay and immediately led her team, following the direction "Yuno" pointed, all the way to this university.

And then the somewhat awkward scene at the beginning occurred.

Jell really hoped to hear Yuno say, "Not here, turn around."

"Yes, it's here, right inside." "Yuno" nodded, speaking in a rather gentle voice.

After speaking, she even directly opened the car door and was about to get out of the car, looking as if she was going to barge right in.

"Wait!" Jell quickly stopped her, flashing a gentle smile. "We agreed to act together. You're my team member now—even if it's temporary, it still counts—so you have to follow orders, okay?"

"Yuno" looked at her blankly for a moment and nodded.

"Phew…" Seeing that this little ancestor had no objections, Jell couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. She was afraid that this seemingly gentle little girl, who went crazy when she got serious, would cause some trouble here.

Jell wiped off her cold sweat, composed herself, turned to her team members, and seriously instructed, "This place is different from the places we investigated before. This is the city center, densely populated, and chaos will easily arise if we're not careful. Everyone must pay attention to this."

Although she said "everyone," she was actually instructing "Yuno" alone, but using this way made it seem less abrupt.

After all, she possessed such immense power, yet was only a C-rank Valkyrie. This made Jell uneasy.

"Everyone knows that our Valkyrie squad doesn't have law enforcement authority, and it's not easy to apply for a temporary search warrant for sensitive areas like schools, so everyone must act discreetly and obey commands."

The team members understood and responded repeatedly, "Yuno" also nodded seriously.

"She really is a good girl." Seeing "Yuno's" well-behaved appearance, Jell couldn't help but relax. Anna's judgment is indeed good, she thought.

"Alright, everyone check your communicators, especially whether the quantum transmission of weapons and equipment is working correctly."

Jell nagged like a mother hen, "We'll enter the campus as tourists later, so it's not convenient to carry weapons and equipment before we reach the target location. But if we encounter any unexpected situations on the way, don't hesitate, arm yourselves immediately, understand?"

"Yes!" The team members perked up and responded in unison.

"Captain, you're so serious, you're making me nervous…" A slightly mischievous team member said with a chuckle.

"Nervous about what?" Jell lightly tapped her forehead. "No matter when, the captain will always be in front of you. With me here, what are you afraid of?"

"Hee hee, that's true…"

"You…" Jell smiled helplessly, then looked around, confirming that the team members were all ready, before giving "Yuno" a look and saying seriously, "Alright, mission start!"

...

At the same time, elsewhere.

Having just given a long and boring academic report to thousands of teachers and students in the school auditorium, Jackal casually closed the materials in front of her, pushed up the glasses adorning her face, and used this action to scan the teachers and students who stood up and applauded her "wonderful report" with a look of disdain.

She couldn't help but sneer, "Having to face such a group of ignorant people is such a waste of my time!"

But as the renowned "Dr. Cleo" in human society, she often attended such academic reports, winning applause with her constantly updated "latest research results."

Today was no different.

Or rather, she had no choice. As Jackal, she was naturally unknown and could stay hidden underground, conducting her private research. But as "Dr. Cleo," since she enjoyed all the conveniences of human society, she naturally had to maintain the social behavior befitting her status.

Jackal basked in their praise and adulation while despising their ignorance and loathing their foolishness.

"What a bunch of utterly boring people!" While wearing a proper smile, Jackal bowed elegantly like a queen and left the stage, thinking viciously in her heart, "It's such a pity that it's not yet time for the organization's public activities, and restraint is still necessary… Otherwise, why would I need to play house with you all here?"

No matter how arrogant, conceited, and condescending Jackal was, she was still the most devout believer of World Serpent's doctrines.

No matter how dissatisfied she was with her current situation, she never resented the "organization" in the slightest, only redirecting it towards the "status quo" itself.

"Ah! Professor Cleo!" Jackal faintly heard a youthful voice calling her from afar, but she ignored it, continuing to walk towards the exit without looking sideways.

"Professor Cleo, please wait!"

The owner of the voice squeezed through the noisy crowd, quickly approaching Jackal with hurried footsteps and blocking her way. They asked breathlessly, "Dr. Cleo, is your laboratory still recruiting interns?"

Jackal was quite disgusted with this boy who dared to block her way. He even forgot the basic etiquette of taking off his hat in front of her! What a rude and foolish fellow! Jackal thought, while still putting on a proper smile.

"I'm sorry, student, the application period has ended, and the quota is already full."

"Is that so? That's such a pity…" The boy lowered his head in disappointment, the wide brim of his hat further obscuring his face.

Experimental consumables are always welcome, aren't they? Since there was a fool who delivered himself to her doorstep, Jackal naturally accepted with pleasure.

Thus, the respected Dr. Cleo displayed her usual praised magnanimity and tolerance, speaking in a gentle tone, "But since you're so proactive, as a teacher, wouldn't it seem too unkind of me not to give you a chance?"

Her tone was as seductive as the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve.

"Really? That's great!" The boy was quite excited, grabbing Jackal's hand and bowing his head humbly, speaking in a trembling voice, "I thought I really didn't have a chance, but I didn't expect… Thank you, Professor Cleo!"

"Enough!" Jackal suddenly shouted angrily, retracting her grasped hands as if electrocuted. The feeling of being touched by a "commoner" made her feel nauseous.

Suppressing her surging anger, Jackal barely maintained her persona at the edge of a mental breakdown, forcing a smile and saying, "It's… it's okay… Student, if you're willing, you can come back to the laboratory with me now and start trying to… uh… start your work…"

You damned thing, since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish… No, a disgusting and rude fellow like you, I won't even let you die! Jackal thought furiously.

"But, Dr. Cleo, you still don't know who I am," the boy kindly reminded her.

"We have plenty of time to get acquainted." Jackal couldn't be bothered to waste another second here. She moved, preparing to bypass this annoying fellow and continue walking. Anyway, with this guy's stupidity, he would definitely follow.

"But I think, out of courtesy, I should still introduce myself…" The "male student," finally having enough of his game, suddenly straightened up, reached out to take off his hat, raised his head, and revealed his amused face. "Or, there's no need to bother?"

Jackal, seeing that face, was only slightly taken aback before exclaiming in disbelief, "...Lin Wei, it's you?!"