Upon hearing Lin Lan's question, Bismarck smiled calmly and replied:
"Commander, have you ever seen a living creature equipped with Siren anti-detection devices?"
"Uh…"
Lin Lan immediately recalled that while he was on the yacht, he had received no radar warnings at all until the Leviathan attacked.
Logically speaking, with a creature as massive as the Leviathan, the radar system should have detected it long ago and sounded the alarm.
Moreover, Bismarck had just mentioned that they had later dispatched carrier-based aircraft and other members of the wolfpack to hunt the Leviathan, but it still managed to escape.
Being able to slip away from the hands of the Ironblood fleet girls clearly showed that this Leviathan was definitely no ordinary sea monster.
"If the Leviathan is also a Siren weapon, then things won't go well for Orlan."
"Leviathans are social amphibious creatures, after all."
Lin Lan rubbed his chin, speaking in a grave tone.
He had previously read historical data on the Leviathan online—this deep-sea behemoth not only hibernates in ocean trenches but can also survive on land for extended periods.
It was hard to imagine how such a creature could remain unaffected by gravity—how it didn't crush itself under its own weight while on land.
He and the Ironblood fleet girls didn't fear the Leviathan, but the pawn fleet girls of the Orlan United States were simply no match for it.
If the Leviathan made landfall in a city, its thick hide and terrifyingly destructive tentacles would spell disaster for Orlan.
"Inform Jian Qian'ou of the Leviathan's existence. Have him thoroughly investigate recent long-distance shipwrecks involving Tian'ou Group vessels and report back to us."
Now that he suspected the Leviathan was the Sirens' doing, Lin Lan had to prepare in advance.
After that, Lin Lan and the Ironblood fleet girls returned to the port. In the canteen, he had Roon cook them an extra dinner.
There were still many uncleaned dishes on the tables in the canteen, and quite a few Manjuus helping Roon were still tidying up.
This showed that besides Bismarck and the other two, the other main fleet girls had already come to eat earlier and left.
Soon, a dinner with a strong Ironblood flavor was served.
Watching the little Ironblood chibis devouring their meals ravenously after not eating all day, Lin Lan couldn't help but recall that pawn fleet girls generally had no desire for food.
Although pawn fleet girls could eat, they typically wouldn't do so unless ordered by the commander.
However, the longer a pawn fleet girl had been born, and the more time she spent with her commander, the more her personality would gradually develop to resemble that of a real fleet girl.
Just like back in Yalang City—those pawn fleet girls under that trash-tier commander Li Banan had already clearly developed minds no different from real fleet girls.
Though pawn fleet girls could never match the true power of real fleet girls, just reaching this point was already a great feat for Orlan.
While Lin Lan was spacing out, the pink-haired chef Roon, wearing a black and red apron, came over from the kitchen carrying a fragrant pot of seafood porridge and placed it on the table in front of him.
Then Roon sat smiling across from him, scooped a spoonful from the pot, gently blew on it, and held it out to him with a grin:
"Commander, open wide—try the dish I prepared just for you~"
Faced with the warm porridge being spoon-fed to him, Lin Lan glanced at Bismarck and the others eating seriously beside him, then helplessly opened his mouth to receive the bite.
He had to admit, Roon's cooking skills had indeed gotten better. The moment the seafood porridge entered his mouth, an appetite-stirring aroma quickly filled his palate.
One spoonful after another, seeing how happily the commander was eating, Roon's smile grew even brighter.
By now, Lin Lan had gradually grown used to being fed in such affectionate ways by his fleet girls.
According to them, feeding the commander was the most natural thing in the world—especially since they were oathbound.
They hadn't been able to do these things before, so now they had to make up for all of it.
And if even the stern and disciplined Ironblood faction was like this, Lin Lan didn't even dare to imagine what it would be like once the Royal Navy and Sakura Empire fleet girls met him again.
Let's not even talk about the Royal Maid Corps, widely rumored on forums to be able to "pamper a man into uselessness."
Even that slip of the tongue from Akashi about the required Sakura Empire course "How to Seduce and Enchant the Commander" was already enough to give him a headache.
After all, being surrounded every day by such adorable fleet girls—Lin Lan wouldn't even have dared to dream of it back on Blue Star.
After finishing the seafood porridge and praising Roon's cooking, Lin Lan chatted a little more with the Ironblood fleet girls before bidding them farewell.
In the cold night air, he held little Nimi's hand and finally returned to the office building.
Z23, adorably blushing, didn't say a word along the way as he held her hand.
The last time this happened was before they departed for Dongyun City, when the commander, having lost all reason, took her.
But today was different.
As his initial ship, little Nimi now had a deep sense of anticipation in her heart. She had waited far, far too long for this day.
When Lin Lan reached the third floor, he saw a sticky note and a META crystal placed by the door of his room.
"Sui Qiong is already resting in her room. Don't forget to suppress her META transformation tomorrow morning, dummy."
Although the note wasn't signed, it was obvious who had left it.
That flat-chested blonde tsundere from Ironblood really was quite attentive.
Entering the room, Lin Lan unbuttoned his shirt and looked at his initial ship, whose face was flushed red.
At that moment, Nimi was still wearing the retrofitted Ironblood military uniform from the game, her hands behind her back and her head lowered, not daring to meet his eyes.
It was the first time he'd seen the always proper and serious Nimi looking so shy.
He also noticed that Nimi was still wearing the ring on her right ring finger—the one from their oath.
How long had Nimi been with him?
That question popped into Lin Lan's mind.
From the time he was still a student when he first started playing, to later when he began working…
From being crushed by the game's grueling official events to later pushing through the newest Red Sea main storyline maps…
For a very long time, Nimi had always been active in his main fleet.
But then, Lin Lan suddenly remembered something that made his pupils contract sharply.
In the game, when players explored main story maps or challenged difficult bosses, if their fleet girls were defeated, they would be knocked out.
Especially back when he was a newbie without powerful equipment or optimized teams—he'd often suffer total defeat while exploring new areas.
Though in the game, being "sunk" simply meant a loss of morale and not actual destruction—after the battle, the shipgirls would return to the port as usual.
But thinking of the ring in his pocket…
Lin Lan couldn't imagine how many times his initial ship Z23 had faced danger under his command.
"Huff… Sorry, Commander, I got a little too nervous just now."
Nimi took a deep breath to calm herself, then raised her head to look at her commander.
But what she saw was him staring blankly at her, unmoving.
So she took off her blue beret and sighed.
Then, in a tone like a mom coaxing a child, she said:
"Commander, spacing out again? Honestly, after all this time you still do that. Okay, okay, snap out of it. Don't expect me to pamper you like Javelin does."
"Listen, Commander. Before we… do that kind of thing, you should wash up first. Staying clean is the only way girls will like you. After you've washed…"
Just as the adorable teacher Nimi rambled like a little mom and turned to put her hat on the nearby sofa—
She was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace from behind.
"Ah! C-Commander?"
Feeling the commander's tight embrace, Nimi let out a surprised cry, her mind going completely blank.
"Nimi, my dear Nimi…"
"I'm so glad… that you've always stayed by my side…"
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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