I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

The entire operations hall was silent for several seconds.

On both sides of the long table where stars shone, dozens of pairs of eyes swept back and forth between Yu Sheng and Gu Yan.

Everyone saw that look in his eyes.

That wasn't the look of a chief priestess giving orders to her deputy; it was the look of a woman who trusted someone implicitly saying, "Only you can do this."

The commander of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces lowered his head, picked up his teacup, and exchanged a knowing glance with the chief of staff of the Great Xia Expeditionary Force next to him as he drank water.

The commander of the remnants of the Russian Federation turned his head toward the Southeast Asian coalition representative next to him with his only remaining right ear and said something in a low voice.

The Southeast Asian coalition representative's lips twitched, which he covered up with a cough.

The young staff officers sitting at the end of the long table dared not utter a sound, but the corners of their mouths could not be suppressed by the gossip.

really.

The relationship between this deputy and the supreme commander is definitely more than just the word "deputy".

However, some people have raised practical questions.

The chief of staff of the Great Xia Expeditionary Force put down his teacup, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Lord Chiyomiya, it's not that I don't believe in this deputy's abilities."

"But Ms. Pei Youyi is the former head of the Pei family, an SS-level ancient martial arts expert, and does not belong to any war zone organization."

"We previously coordinated using the highest level of encrypted communication, but the other party didn't even give a reply."

"In what capacity did this deputy invite us? Even if we met, what makes it possible for an SS-level expert, who is not bound by any war zone deployment orders, to abandon the Pei family's affairs and come to Kyoto to guard the pass for us?"

Yuzuru Hanyu did not answer the question.

She just looked at Gu Yan, the very faint smile still lingering at the corners of her lips.

"As long as he goes, he will definitely be able to invite them."

Her tone remained calm and unhurried, but every word sounded like she was talking about something that had already happened and didn't need to be discussed.

The chief of staff and the commander of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces exchanged a glance, but said nothing more.

That woman killed two S-class calamities with three strikes and protected tens of millions of civilians in Kyoto with a barrier array. She never compromised her word.

After the meeting, Gu Yan had not gone far from the operations hall when she heard two familiar voices around the corner of the corridor.

It was Yuzuru's temporary office. The door was ajar, and Lin Jinyu's voice came through the crack in the door.

"Why bring other women over? You know perfectly well what he's like right now."

Lin Jinyu's voice was very low, but the barely suppressed anger still seeped out from between her words.

She didn't finish her sentence, as if she had been interrupted.

Yuzuru's voice remained calm.

"Senior Sister Lin, Ms. Pei Youyi is an SS-level ancient martial artist with wind-type superpowers."

"Her defensive wind wall is currently the most suitable single combat force to defend the pass that can be found in the Eastern Theater Command."

"My use of her had nothing to do with personal feelings."

Lin Jinyu remained silent for a long while.

"If it's Aunt Pei... it's actually not so bad."

"She used to be quite good to him."

"But Pei Yuran won't do; I won't be able to handle that blockhead if she comes."

"Pei Yuran was not transferred."

"We're only inviting Ms. Pei."

Lin Jinyu remained silent for a long while.

She seemed to agree, but the reluctance in her tone hadn't completely disappeared.

"But why make him go in person?"

"Couldn't you have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs send an encrypted letter? Why do you insist on having him do it? Don't you know his current situation isn't stable enough?"

"Traveling long distances is bad for his health."

"And what if something unexpected happens on the way?"

Just then, Gu Yan pushed open the door.

He stood at the doorway, looking at Lin Jinyu's golden eyes, where the anxiety and worry had not yet faded, and at Yu Sheng leaning against the window, quietly waiting for him to speak.

"Jinyu, this is a matter of defense."

"Behind the fourth line of defense is Kyoto, and there are tens of millions of civilians in Kyoto."

"If the northern pass is breached by the steel behemoth cluster, the entire defensive line will be cut in half, and more people will die than on the third line of defense."

"Aunt Pei Youyi is the strongest defensive ancient martial artist I have ever seen. With her at the pass, the northern section can be stabilized."

"Don't act impulsively."

He spoke calmly, as if stating a fact that needed no argument.

Lin Jinyu looked at him and bit her lip.

"I know."

"It's not that I don't understand the big picture."

"I just don't want you to have any more mishaps."

"You just got back, and haven't even had a proper few days with me yet."

"The thought of you going to travel so far to invite another woman over is unbearable."

"Even if that person is Aunt Pei, I still feel uncomfortable."

Gu Yan took a step forward and took the hand that was resting on her knee into her palm.

"I will come back."

"You are now fifth on the global combat power rankings, capable of taking down an S-class calamity with three punches."

"Why are you still crying like before?"

Her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

She wiped her eyes hard with her sleeve, stubbornly sticking out her words just like she had three years ago.

"I didn't cry."

"It's just sand in my eyes."

"This is clearly an underground bunker, where did the sand come from?"

"Then go ahead."

"Go early and come back early, and be careful."

Yuzuru leaned against the window and watched this scene without saying a word.

He simply took the pheasant sword from his waist and placed it on the windowsill, then turned around to look at the distant outline of Mount Fuji outside the window.

"Wait a moment!"

Lin Jinyu gripped the fabric of his collar so tightly that her knuckles trembled slightly.

Those golden eyes churned with emotions that had been suppressed for a long time.

It's not the uncontrollable flame of a bipolar disorder attack, but the reluctance to let go of someone you've finally regained after losing them.

"You just got back."

Her voice was very low, as if she were angry with herself, or as if she were making a request that she herself didn't know how to ask.

"I haven't had enough time with you yet."

"I'm not afraid of the calamities that come in droves on the front line, but the thought of you taking such a long flight to the Middle East to invite other women over makes me uncomfortable."

Gu Yan reached out and tucked the stray hairs that had been blown by the wind behind her ear.

Her skin was hot, exactly the same temperature he remembered every time he touched her.

He said the defense line was crucial, as there were tens of millions of civilians in Kyoto, and the pass had to be held. He said he would be back soon.

Lin Jinyu did not speak again.

She simply tilted her head back and pressed her lips to his.

Her lips were soft, slightly warmer than normal, and had a very faint citrus scent.

The kiss started very lightly, as if to confirm that he was still there, to confirm that his body temperature and breathing were real.

Then she closed her eyes, her eyelashes gently brushing against his eyelids.

Her fingers slid from his collar to the back of his neck, intertwining and pulling him closer.

He smelled the faint scent of shampoo in her hair, and the unique aroma emanating from the side of her neck as her body temperature rose—like burning maple syrup, like the hot wind sweeping across a golden wheat field on a summer evening.

Her hands clenched into fists on his back, clenching and releasing repeatedly, her fingertips leaving several very light, shallow crescent-shaped marks on his back through the fabric of his shirt.