"Oh my? It seems I've been discovered by Lord Mo Wang. This is terrible."
Ana showed Mo Wang a sweet smile. Except for her figure, which was still a bit lacking, she really had a bit of her mother-in-law's charm.
"Stop fooling around. You weren't even trying to hide, were you?" Mo Wang said to Ana irritably. "The researcher having a 'stomachache,' and me 'suddenly' running into Wendy... it was all arranged by you, wasn't it?"
Ana, who had been exposed by Mo Wang, didn't get angry from embarrassment. Instead, she stuck out her tongue playfully. "I thought you would be angry, Captain. I'm so sorry, I took it upon myself to arrange all this."
"Forget it, I'm not angry. I just didn't expect that the young lady of the Schariac family, who I thought was a sweet but dumb girl, was actually a black-bellied one," Mo Wang said with a chuckle. He had noticed from the beginning that Ana had something on her mind, and her satisfaction with the outcome of his meeting with Wendy was plain to see.
"Sigh, in the end, it's actually my fault," Ana said, her playful demeanor shifting to one of guilt. "When Wendy came to the Oceania Branch, I had already met her. She was such a lively child back then... I wanted to help, but I found that I couldn't do anything at all. So, I could only rely on the captain's strength. I'm so sorry."
"Actually, you can't be blamed for this, can you?" Looking at the guilty Ana, Mo Wang's tone softened. He knew about her own past trauma with the Snow Lotus Squad and her long period of self-blame. Her mental state had been no better than Wendy's, and she had little influence here.
"It's great that the captain can understand. So..."
"Don't be too happy yet. Although I've forgiven you, I didn't say I'm not angry!" Mo Wang tapped Ana on the head, making her stick out her pink tongue in embarrassment.
"Then, Captain, what kind of compensation do you want me to make?" Ana's sparkling eyes looked at Mo Wang with curiosity.
"Emmmm, I wonder if Miss Ana has a boyfriend?"
"Eh? A boyfriend... I don't really have one," Ana replied, a little dazed by his direct question, but answering honestly.
"Is that so? Then I wonder if I have the honor of inviting Miss Ana to go on a date with me?" Mo Wang asked, leaning in with a sly grin.
Just as he was enjoying the troubled expression forming on Ana's face, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
WHOOSH—CLANG!
A rusted horseshoe shot past Mo Wang's head with the speed of a cannonball, missing him by a hair's breadth and embedding itself deep into the concrete wall behind them with a deafening impact.
Mo Wang froze, his flirtatious smile wiped clean from his face. He slowly turned to look at the quivering metal object in the wall, then back at a shocked Ana.
"Okay, seriously?" he deadpanned. "I thought those atmospheric harmonic disruptors were supposed to be online today. Is this what 'working properly' looks like?"
Ana flinched, looking equally unnerved. "They are... mostly. The problem is, the network isn't complete. One of the key disruptor units on the medical wing was smashed by a flying traffic cone this morning."
Mo Wang stared at her, his eye twitching. "A can of milk, a garden gnome, a wrench, and now a lucky horseshoe. The odds of random items repeatedly targeting the same person are astronomically low," he said, his voice flat. "This feels personal. It feels like I'm being specifically targeted."
Ana found his sudden seriousness strangely amusing. "Or maybe the Captain just has terribly bad luck?" she joked, trying to lighten the mood. "I once read online about a man who was so unlucky he was struck by lightning seven times in his life. After he died, lightning even struck his tombstone. Perhaps you have a bad relationship with the gods."
Mo Wang scowled. He didn't like that explanation at all. "No way. I'd much rather have someone actively trying to kill me," he declared firmly. "An enemy can be found and punched. Bad luck is just... suffering. I refuse to be cursed."
Seeing his resolute expression, Ana giggled. "Well, if you're not cursed, then I suppose my answer can't be blamed on bad luck either." She brought the conversation back around, a troubled look returning to her face. "To be honest, I don't have any plans to be in a relationship right now. I'm sorry, can I choose another form of compensation?"
"Oh my, this is difficult. Since Miss Ana doesn't want to go on a date with me, how can I be compensated for my deceived heart?" Mo Wang recovered his composure, his gaze sweeping over Ana's body without any concealment, which immediately made her blush.
"Th-that... Lord Mo Wang..."
"Hahaha! Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. No matter how much I like beautiful girls, I won't use such methods," Mo Wang said with a laugh. "How about this? You help me with something tomorrow, and that'll be your repayment. How about it?"
"Captain, you really are..." Ana punched Mo Wang's shoulder with her small fist, her face even redder than before. "But, one thing? What is it?"
"It's a secret! But don't worry, it's definitely within your ability, and it will be very helpful in healing Wendy's heart," Mo Wang said mysteriously.
"If that's the case... then alright, I'll try my best," Ana nodded, her saintly heart eager to help her friend.
"Don't worry," Mo Wang said confidently. "Most of the turmoil in your heart can be healed just by talking to others. After you help me with that thing tomorrow, Wendy's mood should be much better, and it will also be helpful for the operation."
He paused, a final glint of mischief in his eyes. "So, Miss Ana, you really don't plan to go on a sweet, sweet date with me?"
"No way!" she said, though a smile played on her lips. "But if I want to go on a date in the future, I'll definitely consider the captain first."
"Then I'm truly honored."
After laughing a few times, Mo Wang said to Ana again before leaving, "And one more thing I forgot to tell you. I never said that a Valkyrie would die after the gem is removed~ I won't just stand by and watch Wendy die in front of me."
After saying that, Mo Wang didn't wait to see Ana's stunned expression and disappeared in a flash.