Chapter 60: Mysteries of the Commercial Association

"The surrounding counties can thrive and stay stable, which will make it much more convenient for us to shop or buy things in the future."

"This rumor in Lihu County must be stamped out with a swift and decisive approach before it causes major chaos."

After weighing the pros and cons, Lin Lan checked the time on his phone. It was around 3 PM.

The phone signal here was indeed poor; he couldn't open any webpages or get any information about the situation in the county online.

"Let's follow the earlier plan. Mainz, Nimi, and Leoni (Z46), you'll come with me and this little girl to the county."

Since they were heading to the county anyway, Lin Lan decided to set out for Lihu County immediately.

Just before he was about to leave, Ulrich said calmly:

"Let Zeppelin stay here to use the command cat to manage the stronghold. I'll go with you and Weis."

Lin Lan looked at the slim woman with short black hair and a slight smile, then nodded after a moment of thought.

With Ulrich accompanying him, he didn't have to worry about any enemies they might encounter.

The power of the Iron Blood's strongest battleship was no joke.

Moreover, Ulrich had a tendency to be overlooked, so she probably wouldn't attract any attention before making a move.

The reason for including Weis was that she could deploy aircraft. Once they reached Lihu County, her help with locating people or providing air support would be significant.

After finalizing the plan, Lin Lan called for Ägir to prepare the yacht.

The silver-haired girl with golden eyes looked at Lin Lan with a slight blush on her face and a hint of longing in her eyes.

"Just rest here today and don't run around. It's not far from where we're going, and I'll definitely take you shopping for new clothes in the next few days."

Lin Lan, feeling embarrassed as Ägir's gaze lingered on him, recalled their intimate interactions on the yacht earlier that day and felt quite ashamed.

The more Ägir looked at him, the more uneasy he felt.

He quickly looked away.

"Commander, the yacht has been cleaned. Next time... we can still use it."

Ägir's lips curled into a seductive smile as she approached, lightly kissed Lin Lan's cheek, and whispered softly.

Lin Lan's face turned red immediately. Did Ägir really dare to do this again?

Was she still addicted?

Seeing Lin Lan's reaction, Ägir laughed heartily, launched the yacht, and after bidding farewell to Lin Lan and the others, went back to the transport ship to rest.

The Deutschland sisters and Emden were also eager to join, but Lin Lan chose to leave them behind to assist Miao Miao with cleaning the port area.

Since this was essentially a trip to handle matters in his own jurisdiction, bringing along the intimidating Deutschland or the stunning Emden might not be appropriate.

After taking the cat-eared girl Riko aboard the yacht, it slowly set off.

Riko had already come to see Nimi, who had been handing her food, as a good friend.

"Sister Nimi, are you really a ship girl? That's amazing."

"Well, there are many others who are stronger than me."

Nimi, feeling modest, responded.

"But I heard that the more powerful the ship girl, the more she sounds like an ordinary person. You talk just like me, doesn't that mean you're really amazing?"

"Well, not really."

Nimi blushed slightly at the compliment.

Riko then turned her gaze to Lin Lan, who had changed back into his naval white uniform, and looked at him with admiration.

"Big brother, you're really the commander! I've only seen you on TV and in videos. It turns out what everyone said was wrong. Commanders are really nice people!"

Lin Lan felt a bit awkward when he was suddenly given a compliment as a "good person." Trying to shake off the awkwardness, he remembered what some men had mentioned earlier and curiously asked Riko:

"Little Riko, do you remember what the commander who used to protect your county was like?"

Hearing Lin Lan's question, Riko's little cat ears drooped down immediately.

"Well... I don't really know, but my parents and friends always said that the commander was an irresponsible bad guy who never protected us when the Sirens attacked."

Lin Lan was startled by her words, and a bad feeling started to grow inside him. He quickly followed up:

"So, you've never seen the commander? What do you do when the Sirens attack?"

Riko thought for a moment and then replied:

"When the alarm goes off, everyone hides in the basement and waits for the people from the inner district to send robots to fight the Sirens."

"But every time they finish fighting the Sirens, many houses on the streets are destroyed..."

"The people from the inner district say it's because the port area commander abandoned us, so the Sirens are allowed to attack."

After hearing Riko's answer, Lin Lan kept a gentle expression, but his eyes grew colder.

He had already reached a conclusion—

The Zhu Hai Commercial Association in Lihu County probably used some tactics to drive away the previous commander, aiming to undermine the Navy's reputation in this area.

But Lin Lan couldn't understand what kind of method the Zhu Hai Commercial Association used to force out a port area commander, who had ship girls at their disposal.

Moreover, even if they did drive away the commander, wouldn't that mean the Zhu Hai Commercial Association would have to face the Siren attacks directly?

Was it really worth doing that?

Would they really go to such lengths just to weaken the Navy?

It's hard to understand.

Lin Lan gently patted the little cat-eared girl's head, then turned around and sat back on the sofa, his face now revealing a murderous intent.

Once he reached the inner district of the county, all his doubts would naturally be cleared up.

No matter what tricks the Zhu Hai Commercial Association had used, they would all seem like a joke in the face of absolute power.

Just ten minutes after Lin Lan and the others set off, Zeppelin was in the meeting room of the transport ship, placing the communication projector she had brought from the stronghold and the brown command cat on the table.

Since she wasn't an expert in mechanical matters, after trying for a long time, she still couldn't connect with the Iron Blood stronghold.

"What was Ulrich thinking, giving me this job? Doesn't she worry that I might just smash this broken machine?"

Zeppelin, expressionless after fiddling with the communication projector for a while, decided to give up.

But the aura of frustration she radiated made the command cat on the table shiver in fear.

The little cat's adorable, human-like face was full of fear, and even its fur was standing on end.

Emden, who was watching with a smile, said to Zeppelin:

"Maybe she didn't expect you to succeed in connecting the communication after all."

"Heh, whatever. Let's wait until they get back."

Zeppelin looked out the window, watching as Deutschlandy, full of enthusiasm, led her sister Spee in summoning their rigging to help Miao Miao clear away the building debris.

"That guy actually chose Ägir first… tch."

In terms of both figure and looks, Zeppelin didn't think she was any less attractive than Ägir.

She really didn't expect Lin Lan to pick Ägir as his first choice among them.

"Hehehe, maybe the commander prefers someone who takes the initiative now~"

White Emden, lying on the sofa with a confident smile, chuckled.

She was wearing a short slip dress that Lin Lan had bought for her, revealing a lot of her seductive skin.

Ever since they set off, she had been watching Lin Lan closely.

After Lin Lan chose to take Ägir with him, the elegant Eastern swan had already figured out exactly how to win over her commander.

Hearing Emden's words, Zeppelin snorted lightly.

Even though Lin Lan was her sworn companion and someone she acknowledged as a fellow traveler in the destruction of the world, the thought of actively lowering herself to ask for this kind of thing was still difficult for her to express.

While the two women were each lost in their thoughts, the command cat, which had been rolling around on the table, suddenly touched one of the many buttons on the communication projector.

With a burst of static noise, a flickering, blurry figure slowly appeared above the communication projector.

A steady female voice, coming from the blurry figure, began to play intermittently:

"Shhh... This is the Iron Blood... Brunhilde Fleet... Shhh... Coordinates received... Approaching now... Shhh..."

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