Chapter 28: Underwater Fortress

Looking at the carbonated coffee in the glass, Lin Lan's first reaction was that it looked too much like carbonated cola.

"Please enjoy, dear Commander. This carbonated coffee was specially prepared by Ron," Ron said, holding the tray and looking at Lin Lan with anticipation.

Suppressing the urge to ask Ron for a straw, thinking of it as just cola, Lin Lan picked up the glass and examined it closely.

The carbonated coffee was chilled, so there was no risk of burning.

Lin Lan took a careful sip.

"Hmm?"

The bitterness or strange taste he had expected didn't appear.

As soon as the carbonated coffee touched his tongue, it fizzed lightly, like popping candy, releasing the rich aroma of coffee.

This wonderful taste was refreshing, and it lifted his somewhat tired spirits.

He drank the whole cup in one go, enjoying the fizzy sensation like drinking soda, and licked his lips, craving more.

Setting the glass down and savoring the rich coffee flavor, Lin Lan remarked:

"It lives up to the Rhine Café's reputation. Compared to regular coffee, it indeed has a unique flavor. It's really delicious."

"This was suggested by U1206. If you like it, you can give her feedback. She'd be very pleased," Bismarck said.

Bismarck always maintained a serious demeanor in front of others.

Lin Lan had an important question and, since both Iron Blood flagships were present, he asked:

"I remember there are quite a few supplies in my port area warehouse. Did you bring them all here? Are there enough?"

"Hey, mentioning that makes me not sleepy anymore," Scharnhorst said with a grin before Bismarck and Frederick could respond.

However, she was quickly silenced by a firm chop from Gneisenau.

"The Commander asked Bismarck and Frederick, not you," Gneisenau said, ignoring the pair of battlecruiser sisters.

Bismarck thought for a moment and replied:

"Thanks to the Commander, every Iron Blood member has been equipped with a complete set of specialized gear."

"No one else has the authority to interfere with these supplies without your orders, so we brought everything."

Frederick, elegantly popping a piece of cake into her mouth, continued:

"In addition, we also brought extra spare equipment, untested equipment blueprints, and various levels of equipment enhancement parts." 

"However, most of these supplies are with the Royal Navy in the port area and have likely been distributed to other factions."

Indeed, the game's equipment had become real, just like the ship girls.

Lin Lan appeared calm on the surface but was thrilled inside.

All fears stemmed from insufficient firepower. With these supplies, he and his girls could practically rule the seas.

However, where did the ammunition for these weapons come from?

Lin Lan had more questions and decided to visit the Iron Blood fortress's warehouse himself.

"Since that's the case, take me to the basement level. I'd like to see your underwater warehouse too."

He remembered that Bismarck had said the warehouse was located at the fortress's basement level, beneath the sea surface.

"Wow, you're leaving so soon? Don't you want to rest a bit longer?"

Scharnhorst said as she heard Lin Lan was about to leave, trying to persuade him to stay.

Lin Lan smiled and replied, "Since you're so reluctant to let me go, how about coming with me to see the place?"

Naturally, Scharnhorst was thrilled with the idea.

So, with the Scharnhorst sisters included, the group left the restaurant and took the elevator to the fortress's basement level.

Roon had also wanted to come, but a few of the Z-class little girls arrived at the restaurant wanting pastries, so she stayed behind.

As soon as Lin Lan stepped out of the elevator, he was amazed by the scenery on the basement level.

The walls of this level, made from an unknown material, allowed a view of the outside sea.

It was afternoon, and the weather was clear, with sunlight streaming through the water, bathing everything in a brilliant blue.

Being immersed in this dazzling ocean view felt like walking through a beautiful fairyland.

The underwater tunnel-like scenery was something Lin Lan had only seen in videos on his phone, never imagining he would experience it in person.

And it was even more exquisite than those videos.

Looking up, he saw colorful fish and little girls swimming in the ocean.

Hmm? Little girls?

A group of little girls dressed in black and red swimsuits were joyfully riding their Iron Blood dragon suits, darting around in the water above Lin Lan and the others.

They were smiling happily, seemingly competing to see who was faster, with their Iron Blood dragon suits creating streams of white bubbles in the ocean.

"Those submarine girls are quite carefree and optimistic. After you came back, Bismarck gave them several days off," Scharnhorst said casually as she leaned back, watching the U-boat girls play in the sea.

"I always thought that with your Iron Blood nature, you'd make this a heavy, sealed steel fortress, like a basement," Lin Lan remarked, recalling the sturdy bunkers from the movie "The Fall of the Empire."

Walking alongside Bismarck and admiring the swimming fish, Lin Lan couldn't get enough of the view.

"Heh, that's just a narrow view of us," Frederick the Great said with a proud smile.

"This is a perfectly safe Iron Blood fortress. Even when there's no threat, we still pursue romance."

"So, has the Siren never attacked you?" Lin Lan asked, surprised.

"When we first arrived here, there was a Siren stronghold," Frederick continued.

"But the Siren fleet stationed here was defeated, and the flagship, the Navigator III, was beaten and fled. The Sirens haven't come back since."

Gneisenau, with her strong memory, reported the facts to Lin Lan.

"That thing was ridiculously weak. One round from Ulrich's main gun knocked it out. I didn't even get a chance to fire a second round," Scharnhorst added indignantly.

Oh, then there's no problem.

Lin Lan recalled that he had equipped Ulrich with a +13 460mm triple gun.

The highest-damage main gun in the game wasn't to be trifled with.

Not only would the Navigator get crushed, even the Architect would have to think twice about their shield's capacity.

As they continued through the basement level, Lin Lan noticed locked transparent walls on either side of the path, containing barrels filled with oil.

The space for storing oil was vast, with the barrels forming small mountains, yet they filled less than a quarter of the room.

Lin Lan couldn't help but sigh; there were indeed too few mineral resources. This was the biggest obstacle to meeting with the other factions' girls.

Moving past the oil storage, Lin Lan next saw a production line for torpedoes and ammunition.

These facilities were fully automated, and the workers handling the finished ammunition and main operations were...

Lin Lan rubbed his eyes and looked at the small, yellow, round creatures. He couldn't contain his shock and exclaimed:

"Whoa, yellow chicks!"