Chapter 47: Deterrence
The commander named Zhao Rui was one of the few people Lin Lan still remembered after his journey across dimensions.
At the academy, they had crossed paths a few times, and Lin Lan had a deep impression of Zhao Rui's straightforward personality.
However, Lin Lan knew this wasn't the time for catching up.
He stepped onto the freighter, stood tall with his hands behind his back, and remained silent, simply observing the two men in front of him. Silence, as they say, can exert an invisible pressure.
Facing Lin Lan, who was wearing a mask, the two men on the ship couldn't gauge his emotions and felt increasingly uneasy.
Sun Dewang sneaked a glance at Zhao Rui beside him and noticed that Zhao also looked bewildered and anxious.
The clever, chubby man quickly understood that the masked man didn't belong to the Orlan Navy.
It was obvious—if the Orlan Navy really had such a terrifying fleet, the Zhuhai Commercial Council wouldn't have had a chance to seize power.
If they could cooperate with such a powerful force, wouldn't the Tian'ou Group rise to prominence throughout the entire Orlan Union?
Zhao Rui's forehead began to sweat.
Even though he had fought the Sirens several times in the past year and had seen many large naval commanders, the masked man before him gave him a feeling as if he were staring into an abyss.
The absolute power disparity created an overwhelming sense of oppression.
Behind this man stood two stunning silver-haired ship girls and an adorable destroyer girl, all dressed in the same faction's military uniforms.
Zhao Rui had never seen ship girls of this style before. In the Orlan Union, all ship girls born from the cognitive cubes belonged to either the Eagle Union or the Royal Navy factions.
Even though the Navy had never heard of these ship girls' factions, it didn't stop them from communicating and interacting with them.
Zhao Rui discreetly studied Lin Lan, and when he noticed the silver iron cross emblem on Lin Lan's hat, he suddenly remembered something.
He had heard from his colleagues that three months ago, the Six City Alliance of the Eastern Continent was preparing for a decisive battle against the invading Sirens.
Just when the Sirens were on the verge of overwhelming the allied forces and forcing them back into the cities, a powerful third-party ship girl suddenly appeared and defeated the Sirens.
The attire of those ship girls was similar in style to the black and red colors and the silver iron cross that he was seeing now.
After that battle, the coastal defense pressure from the Sirens on the Eastern Continent significantly decreased.
It was rumored that the Navy's top brass had made some deals with these powerful and mysterious ship girls.
Zhao Rui also recalled that the passengers on Sun Dewang's ferry were saved by this faction's ship girls, which gave him a rough idea.
It seemed likely that they wouldn't make things too difficult for them. If possible, maybe he could even recruit them to join the Navy.
Of course, Lin Lan had no idea what was going on in their minds.
Seeing the awkward silence, Sun Dewang hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Benefactor, benefactor, hello. I'm Sun Dewang from the Tian'ou Group, one of the board's pre-selected candidates."
Zhao Rui quickly put on a smile and said politely, "I'm Zhao Rui, commander of the Zhuhai Fleet at the Dongyun District Port, under the Orlan Navy. I sincerely thank you for your assistance."
Zhao Rui wanted to express more gratitude for their help during the last battle, but he quickly realized that the cooperation with these mysterious ship girls was a top-secret matter for the Navy, so he held back.
Lin Lan glanced at the two men in front of him, thought for a moment, then looked at Sun Dewang and slowly said, "Tian'ou Group, your captain... is quite something."
Lin Lan was clearly referring to the fleeing ferry captain.
Hearing this, Sun Dewang immediately broke out in a cold sweat and nearly fell to his knees, cursing in his heart:
'I knew this would happen... I must have been blind to hire that guy as a captain!'
He had long realized that the help they received wouldn't come for free.
With the ferry captain fleeing, it was clear that the entire Tian'ou Group had been marked for retribution.
While Sun Dewang was mentally cursing that captain's ancestors, he didn't dare show any of it on his face.
"That… that guy has already been sent to the court for a public trial by me personally. Sir, I, Sun Dewang, swear that this will never happen again."
Without even realizing it, Sun Dewang had started referring to Lin Lan as "sir" and was bowing profusely while apologizing.
"This makes twice now that the Tian'ou Group owes me," Lin Lan said coldly, then turned his gaze to Zhao Rui. "And you too. It's time we settled this account."
Zhao Rui, who had been watching Sun Dewang squirm, suddenly felt a chill down his spine as the masked man's gaze shifted to him. It seemed this man didn't think highly of the Navy either.
"Shall I send them all to the bottom of the sea, Commander?" Ägir stepped forward at just the right moment, her golden eyes scanning the two men.
It seemed that with just one word from Lin Lan, she would obliterate them, along with the entire fleet.
As Ägir's golden gaze fell upon them, an overwhelming killing intent washed over the two men, making them both tremble. Sun Dewang's legs nearly gave out.
This silver-haired ship girl, adorned with demonic horns, hadn't even deployed her rigging, yet her sheer presence and murderous aura made them feel like they were drowning.
"Sir, please, please don't! I'm willing to represent the Tian'ou Group and offer compensation that will satisfy you!" Sun Dewang pleaded.
Lin Lan's lips curled slightly. This was exactly what he had been waiting for. He then turned his gaze back to his former senior.
Sorry, Senior Zhao, but I won't harm you. I just need to collect a reasonable protection fee.
Zhao Rui had once been targeted by a humanoid Siren's killing intent on his command ship, so he had experienced what it felt like to be locked in the sights of such a deadly force.
But this silver-haired, golden-eyed ship girl's aura was countless times stronger than that of the Siren. The difference was like night and day.
At this point, Zhao Rui couldn't afford to keep Navy secrets anymore.
He spoke in a trembling voice, sweat pouring down his face: "Sir, our Navy has always appreciated your care. I… I will do my utmost to meet any of your demands…"
Sun Dewang turned his head sharply, eyes wide, staring at Zhao Rui.
The implications of his words were enormous.
Even though he had been closely allied with the Navy, he had never imagined that the Navy had collaborated with such a powerful fleet commander.
"Enough." Lin Lan raised his hand slightly, signaling Ägir to step back. He was very pleased with Ägir's performance—her pressure was applied perfectly.
Once Ägir's golden gaze was no longer upon them, the pressure on the two men suddenly eased, and they realized that their clothes were soaked with sweat.
It was as if they had just walked through the gates of hell. They couldn't care less about their appearances and gasped for air.
Neither of them had ever imagined that a ship girl could possess such terrifying killing intent. It was simply unheard of.
"Since you both are so cooperative, I'll give you a chance to show your sincerity," Lin Lan said, snapping his fingers.
Nimi, with a stern expression, stepped forward with a small notepad and handed it to the two men.
"Write down your contact information and addresses. I will reach out to you at the appropriate time to collect on your promise."
Lin Lan watched as the two men, visibly relieved, wrote down their contact details and handed the notepad back to Z23.
"Today's events are our little secret. You'd better not tell anyone, not even the crew of these freighters or your superiors."
"If you decide to talk, be very careful. I know your addresses and your contact details. Remember that."
As Lin Lan finished speaking, Ägir's rigging suddenly materialized behind him.
Two enormous, menacing black-and-red steel dragons appeared, their heads equipped with large-caliber cannons.
One dragon's body was made of black metallic bones, and its blood-red claws dug into the deck, tearing it apart with ease.
The other dragon had a snarling orange head on its side, roaring fiercely at the sky.
The next second, the terrifying steel dragons opened their massive jaws, revealing their cannon muzzles.
Red lightning energy crackled wildly, and the golden flashes grew brighter and brighter…
"Boom!!!"
Before Sun Dewang and Zhao Rui could react, a deafening roar that seemed to pierce through their eardrums and a powerful shockwave sent them both sprawling onto the ground.
Two energy blasts, brimming with destructive power, shot out from the mouths of the steel dragons, tearing through the sky and causing a massive explosion on the distant ocean.
As Ägir's two steel dragon riggings slowly faded away, Lin Lan turned around and, with his girls, prepared to return to the mass-produced destroyer.
Walking down the passage, Lin Lan glanced sideways at the two men still sitting dazed on the ground and casually left them with a final warning:
"I advise you not to entertain any foolish thoughts. I wouldn't hesitate to completely destroy a nation."
_______
My bad, got a serious headache for days. Here are the promised chapters, sorry for the late upload!
_______
20+ advanced chapters on patreon.com/SenatusTheta
_______
If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!
I'll fix it as soon as I can.
Upload rate: 1 chapter a day
Don't forget to check out my other translations!