Chapter 46: Accepting the Invitation

On the deck, Lin Lan watched as Ägir used her ship's equipment's storage function to deploy a mass-produced destroyer onto the sea. He began assigning tasks to his ship girls.

"Mainz, Z23, you two will join Ägir and accompany me to meet the leader of this fleet."

"Emden, Leonie (Z46), you and the Deutschland sisters will stand guard near the fleet, ready to launch an attack if necessary."

"Ulrich, you, Zeppelin, and Weser remain on alert and prepare for combat."

After ensuring that each Ironblood ship girl understood their tasks, Lin Lan boarded the mass-produced destroyer with Mainz and Z23. 

Ägir was already waiting inside the destroyer's control room.

"Oh right, I almost forgot this," Lin Lan said as he stepped onto the destroyer, pulling a black-and-red mask out of his pocket and putting it on.

At this moment, Lin Lan wasn't wearing his previous white Orlan Navy cadet commander uniform. 

Instead, he was dressed in a brand-new Ironblood black-and-red military uniform, personally prepared by Bismarck. 

He wore a black Ironblood military cap with a silver Iron Cross badge fastened at the center of the cap and on his collar. 

His upright posture, combined with the well-fitted uniform and the black-and-red cape draped over his shoulders, gave him a commanding and cold aura. 

The black-and-red mask further accentuated his imposing presence.

To an outsider, Lin Lan appeared as a cold and powerful, almost ruthless, superior.

"Hehe, this outfit of yours really gives off the vibe of a demon lord," Deutschland teased with a mischievous grin, touching her chin. She had graciously provided the mask.

"No wonder I chose you as my partner, willing to join me in destroying the world. This look suits someone who would be a destroyer of worlds," Zeppelin commented, standing on the water with her arms crossed, also inspecting Lin Lan's outfit with satisfaction. 

The cape he wore was provided by her.

Hearing their comments, Lin Lan, who had long since outgrown his "chuunibyou" phase, suddenly felt reluctant to wear the mask.

It felt too cringey!

But to hide his identity, he had no choice but to dress like this. 

Fortunately, in this world, cell phones weren't like those on Blue Star, where every user had to register with their real name. 

Otherwise, his earlier communication would have already exposed his identity.

As the mass-produced destroyer slowly started moving, all the Ironblood ship girls deployed their equipment and set off on their respective tasks. 

Lin Lan stood on the deck, the sea breeze lifting his cape.

This mass-produced destroyer could be controlled both automatically and manually, and Ägir was currently in control. Mainz and Z23 stood behind Lin Lan.

Lin Lan had good reasons for choosing Mainz to accompany him.

First, Mainz had a shield skill called Counterattack Shield. If the opposing side attempted to use force, with Mainz around, Lin Lan didn't have to worry about being shot.

Second, Mainz was meticulous and calm, with a commanding presence that complemented Ägir's proud demeanor, helping to ease the pressure on him.

Third, as a third-phase research ship, Mainz's combat abilities were top-tier among the light cruisers in his entire port. 

If a conflict broke out with the fleet, with Mainz, Ägir, and Z23 protecting him, Lin Lan wouldn't need to worry about being detained.

However, he was confident that after witnessing the saturation strike that just repelled Leviathan, the opposing side would be foolish to pick a fight with him.

Soon, the mass-produced destroyer arrived next to the lead freighter of the Tian'ou Group. 

Lin Lan noticed six ship girls on the sea, all deploying their equipment and watching them warily. 

After all, Ironblood's mass-produced ships were primarily black, and their design closely resembled that of the Siren's mass-produced models, which was enough to raise their guard.

"Hehe, these little ones still dare to point their guns at us. They don't know what they're messing with," Ägir remarked as she adjusted her ill-fitting military uniform, completely dismissing the destroyers and light cruisers.

"Compared to the opponents we faced during exercises in the port, these ship girls are far too weak," Mainz whispered to Lin Lan.

Lin Lan, behind his mask, only smiled faintly. 

In the game, he always chose to fight the toughest defense fleets. Even though the rankings refreshed every two weeks, the challenge level remained the same.

It wasn't practical to compare them to the opponents in the game. 

The Orlan Union, where cognitive cube technology was just beginning, didn't have a solid foundation in equipment or tactics.

They couldn't possibly match up to the exercise opponents from the game. Being realistic, it was simply not comparable.

Currently, the Orlan Union's ship girl force primarily consisted of destroyers and light cruisers. 

Their ship equipment still only matched the firepower of ordinary warships. None of these were enhanced by cognitive cube technology like the golden and rainbow equipment in the game. 

Even the modified equipment, more suitable for ship girls and equivalent to the purple and blue gear in the game, was only available in a few key ports in the Orlan Union.

On the other hand, the Siren forces in this world, according to the footage Lin Lan saw at the academy, only had Type I and Type II mass-produced models. 

Even humanoid Sirens and elite mass-produced units had not appeared frequently, with only the Executor series' Type II Explorer (destroyer Siren humanoid) and Type II Tracker (light cruiser Siren humanoid) being present.

These two Siren units, which Lin Lan considered mere grunts in the game, had already caused significant casualties to the Orlan Navy. 

This showed how much further the Orlan Union had to go.

Having played the game and understanding the true power of the Sirens, Lin Lan had already guessed something over the past two days: the Sirens were likely keeping the Orlan Union under observation, treating them as experimental subjects.

If the Sirens truly wanted to destroy the Orlan Union, they could have done so long ago. 

But instead, they've allowed the Orlan Union to cling to the illusion that they can turn the tide with the help of ship girls.

This is the classic case of: "What you see is only what I want you to see."

Lin Lan shook his head, realizing that these thoughts were still too distant from his current reality. 

It was better to focus on the present. To reunite with the girls from other factions at his port sooner, Lin Lan needed a significant source of oil.

While the Navy had a substantial oil reserve, within the Orlan Union, the Tian'ou Group's oil stockpile was second to none. 

After all, as a global transoceanic conglomerate with shipping routes all over the world, how could it compete without its own oil fields?

Once the passage between the mass-produced destroyer and the freighter was set up, Lin Lan led the way across the walkway, heading towards the large freighter. 

Mainz and the other two followed closely behind, with Mainz especially ready to activate her shield at any moment.

At the end of the passage, on the deck of the freighter, Lin Lan first noticed a young, well-dressed, and rather chubby man staring wide-eyed at him.

"Hmm? Where have I seen this person before?" Lin Lan wondered, recognizing the man's face but not immediately recalling where he had seen him.

In the next second, it clicked.

This man was a high-ranking executive of the Tian'ou Group. 

Lin Lan had seen him in news reports and talk shows on TV. 

Although he couldn't remember the man's name, he did remember that this executive was an outspoken advocate for ship girl equality, a somewhat unconventional stance for someone in a powerful conglomerate.

In fact, the rapid acceptance of ship girls by ordinary citizens within the Orlan Union was largely due to this man's efforts. 

Though he might have used the promotion of ship girl rights as a way to gain commercial resources and influence, there was no denying that he played a significant role in helping ship girls gain acceptance among the public.

Lin Lan couldn't help but marvel at the man's good fortune. If Lin Lan's Ironblood fleet hadn't been nearby, this man might have been sent to his grave by Leviathan today.

As Lin Lan turned his gaze to the other man, a tall figure in a white commander's uniform, he suddenly paused.

"Old Zhao?"

Lin Lan was surprised. This commander, Zhao Rui, was a senior from his academy days.

___

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!