Honkai Impact: Grandma Pine Sparrow is still chasing me!

Chapter 174 Let me treat you to dinner!

"Are you taking leave to go to Manila?"

“Yes, Sister Himeko. Uncle Yang sent me a plane ticket…”

Himeko scrutinized Sora: his gaze was unfocused.

"Walter took leave from work because his wife was giving birth, so why did he suddenly think of sending you a plane ticket?"

"Well..."

Qiong unconsciously tugged at the hem of her clothes, which Himeko naturally noticed.

Qiong recalled Old Yang's repeated warnings to him not to reveal any details about the operation, as doing so might attract Otto and expose the cooperative relationship between Anti-Entropy and the Far East Branch...

Despite Qiong's disapproval—"Don't you think Otto wouldn't know if you didn't tell me? Please, that's Otto!"—Qiong still decided to keep it a secret as Lao Yang had asked.

"Actually, Uncle Yang said there's a special art exhibition over there... Yes, an art exhibition! You know, he's the author of Houmu Comics, and he's passionate about drawing. The exhibition is full of works by his favorite artists, and there's even a chance to win a limited edition painting! He really can't get away but still wants to go, so he asked me to help him see if he can get a painting or something..."

"Just because of this?"

Himeko noticed that Sora avoided looking her in the eye, and her hands never stopped moving—

"Brother Qiong, Bronya smells a lie..."

"Qiong, you're not hiding something from us, are you?"

Qiong quickly waved her hand.

"No, no, how could I lie to you... If I lied to you, Uncle Yang would be a dog!"

The three people: ...

It's clear that Sora is hiding something, but considering Welt's special status as a Schicksal agent, Himeko feels that it's understandable that Sora can't say anything...

But if she wasn't mistaken, why would they seek help from Sora, a B-rank Valkyrie, instead of one of their many high-ranking Valkyries like Welt? Himeko couldn't understand it.

"Alright, then go ahead. But remember to tell Teacher Bai; he has the right to know."

Having received Himeko's permission, Sora beamed with joy.

"Yay! Thank you, Himeko-neechan!"

"This kid..."

Watching Sora rush out the door, Himeko shook her head helplessly. Why the rush?

What Himeko didn't know was that if she called Theresa now, things might take a completely different turn.

Of course, when Theresa finds out, she will be furious just as much.

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"Manila, here I am again!"

After a quick packing, Qiong boarded the plane bound for Manila, Philippines, from Anti-Entropy. It should be said that Anti-Entropy was quite wealthy; since civilian airliners were too slow and might not make it in time, Walter arranged for a private plane to take Qiong there.

But then again, how did the Anti-Entropy base manage to be established within the territory of Schicksal's influence? What exactly is this Oceania branch doing...?

"You're here?"

Upon arriving at the remote anti-entropy base, Qiong saw a familiar face—the blue-haired, messy-haired scientist.

"Love Auntie?"

"I have said before that in public you should address me as Dr. Einstein."

Einstein, who appeared nonchalant, made a mental note of that seemingly deliberate form of address.

"Auntie is so kind... Okay, okay, Doctor."

Qiong playfully stuck out her tongue. It was hard to imagine Ms. Ai Yin getting angry and hitting people, but she decided it was better not to dance in the minefield.

Where is Uncle Yang?

"I'm too busy with official business at the Anti-Entropy headquarters to come."

Einstein didn't think he should explain to Kyon that Walter was taking care of the child... He should save Walter some face.

"But he'll find out the situation through video broadcast. Anyway, come with me first."

After glancing at Qiong, Einstein turned and led Qiong deeper into the base.

"To be honest, I don't really want you to get involved... After all, whether it's the potential collapse or testing the Moon Throne, the risks are considerable."

Einstein's expression turned serious. "Simply put, the Alliance Leader believes that a large-scale collapse will soon occur in Manila, Philippines. Our mission is to carry and test the prototype of the Moon Throne, and if possible, assist Schicksal in saving more people."

Qiong's eyes widened in disbelief. So the Moon Throne was completed so quickly? Only a month or so! They said it wasn't there when they were fighting Chi You…

"And what about me? What exactly do I need to do?"

Given the size of the Moon Throne, it's definitely not something Qiong could lift; and for practical testing, Einstein is already here, so why would it be his turn?

"As for you..."

Einstein sighed. To be honest, she was actually opposed to the use of child labor, and she wanted to persuade Qiong to return to St. Freya as soon as possible.

But looking at Qiong's anxious eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say it. He couldn't very well discourage the child, could he? Besides, he should be able to protect himself.

"The Alliance Leader's judgment is based on something he himself cannot explain. From a scientific point of view, we don't even know yet whether the Honkai will actually break out."

Einstein handed Dome something that looked like a detector, along with a large metal sphere.

"This is a detector that can detect weak Honkai energy and early warning signals of high-intensity Honkai outbreaks."

If the Honkai doesn't erupt, then we'll get a Honkai energy distribution map of Manila, which is still somewhat valuable. We can just consider it as letting the kids work for her—back when Tesla was learning under Edison, he did a lot of these kinds of odd jobs.

"The other is a miniature Honkai energy bomb; use it with caution."

"bomb?!"

Suddenly realizing that the metal ball in her hand was a bomb, Qiong's hands trembled with fear.

"Don't worry, just follow the operating procedures. As long as the safety pin isn't released, it won't explode easily."

Seeing Qiong like that, Einstein's words of comfort were somewhat amusing. This size of Honkai energy bomb could only deal with tank-class Honkai beasts at most. Giving it to Qiong, who could tear apart pseudo-Herrschers, was just for psychological comfort. But Qiong was actually scared by the bomb.

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"Is there any outcome for my love for Auntie?"

"not yet."

The voice coming from the other end of the headset seemed to have no inflection whatsoever.

"Walk around a bit more, let's record the distribution map of Honkai energy in Manila first..."

At Einstein's request, Kyō carried a Honkai energy detector through the streets and alleys of Manila, and even had to use a baseball bat to chase away a few thugs... Is the security in Manila really that bad?

Beep~~~~~

"There's a response?"

"Quick, go check it out, be careful! But why is there more than one?"

But Qiong didn't care about all that. The detector suddenly reacted, which meant there was a high concentration of Honkai energy! Somewhat excited, Qiong followed one of the signals to an abandoned building, where faint crying sounds could be heard.

"What is that? A little girl crying?"

With a detector in one hand and a baseball bat in the other, Qiong cautiously approached the building, fearing that some zombie, undead, or Honkai beast might jump out and attack him. Just as he was about to go inside to investigate, a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Whoa! The rules—"

"Wait, don't do anything, it's me!"

Qiong was startled and instinctively reached out to hit the person with her stick, but the voice seemed somewhat familiar?

Qiong turned around and saw someone who looked familiar, but she couldn't recognize who it was...

Does he know any blonde, wavy-haired girls besides the silly goose?

"Qiong, right? I'm Mia, from the Snow Lotus Squad, remember me?"

"Mia—senpai?"

"Do you know him?"

"Um... I remember now, or rather... it left a deep impression."

"That's great, you still remember!"

A smile appeared on the face of the girl named Mia.

After all, it's hard to forget a girl who rushed over after him, shouting "Handsome, wanna hook up?"...

"Senior, what are you doing here?"

Mia looked completely indifferent.

"Oh, it's nothing. I saw you, someone I know, while I was on patrol, so I came over to say hello... This place might be dangerous, it's too reckless for a boy like you to come to a place like this! What's that in your hand?"

Qiong: ...

Isn't this too much of a coincidence?

Qiong remained silent, but Mia continued to speak regardless of the atmosphere.

"Just thinking about patrols makes me angry. Headquarters said there was a possibility of a Honkai outbreak here, and they told our Oceania branch to be on high alert and guard against it at all costs, but they didn't send anyone to provide support! But so many days have passed, and let alone a Honkai event, the Honkai energy concentration hasn't even increased!"

"Um, senior, I still..."

Qiong couldn't handle this passionate girl and wanted to leave as soon as possible—especially since Einstein was listening on the other end of the earphone.

"Speaking of support, no Valkyrie has come to help as reliably since you left. You didn't even come to the farewell party last time, so you can't leave today. I'll treat you to dinner!"

Qiong was at a loss when Einstein's voice came through her earpiece again: "Qiong, you shouldn't have too much contact with the people of Destiny right now. If you can get rid of her as soon as possible..."

Since that's the case, Qiong decided to run away.

"Senior Mia, what a pity, I have something to do right now, but I'll definitely do it next time—"

As Qiong was about to leave, Mia grabbed him.

"No way, we absolutely have to have dinner together today! Helena, Daphne, and Anna are all here, so don't refuse—"

"Is Anna-senpai here too?"

Seeing that Sora had stopped struggling, Mia suddenly felt like she had helped her best friend...

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Steel wire is such a time killer... I'll try to update earlier next time (hehe)!