Chapter 58: Arrival at the "Port Area"

Fortunately, the awkward moment didn't last long.

After lunch, Lin Lan could already see land outside the window.

However, the coastline here wasn't as developed and prosperous as the seaside of Dongyun City.

Instead, it was covered with overgrown weeds and many ruined buildings.

In the United States of Orland, aside from the major coastal cities, many former towns were destroyed by Siren attacks.

These ruins still haven't been completely cleaned up. Without the protection of a port area, the coastal regions are too dangerous for ordinary people.

On the coast, Sirens could attack at any time.

Therefore, these coastal ruins have been left as they are, waiting for the day when humanity can reclaim the seas.

Looking at the weathered ruins of the seaside buildings, Lin Lan felt a sense of desolation.

Standing on this deserted coastline, he felt as if he were in a post-apocalyptic world.

At this moment, a cute yellow figure hopped onto his head.

"Cheep cheep!"

It was the Manju he had previously used as a pillow.

Lin Lan picked it up and held it in his arms. Suddenly, faint sounds of explosions could be heard from the distant sea.

Soon, groups of Iron Blood aircraft returned after completing their airdrop missions.

Red-haired light cruiser Wieser, dressed in a white trench coat, short skirt, and long boots, was on the nearby sea, controlling her ship's equipment to recover the recently released aircraft.

Lin Lan observed Wieser skillfully managing her giant dragon equipment and releasing new aircraft into the sky. He sighed.

This place was indeed a remote area.

They had already cleared a lot of Siren mass-produced warships along the way. It would take several days to clear the surrounding sea of Sirens.

After all, as the saying goes, "You should clean up your house before inviting guests."

If the Sirens around the port area aren't cleared, it will be very difficult to develop this place.

Fortunately, Lin Lan's Iron Blood fleet had enough power.

With Weser alone, they had already cleared all the Siren mass-produced ships detected in the area.

Compared to regular carriers, light carriers might have slightly lower capacity and damage, but they consume less resources.

In the game, once fully leveled, many light carriers' damage output is comparable to that of regular carriers.

"Commander, we've arrived at our destination."

A cold female voice came from behind. Lin Lan turned around to see.

The tall, slender girl, now wearing a black and white sailor dress, with black stockings and a silver-haired ponytail, looked serious.

She was Mainz, who had finally changed into the first set of clothes Lin Lan had given her.

Lin Lan looked in the direction Mainz pointed and saw what would be his future "port area."

On the desolate land, a wide river slowly flowed into the ocean.

Along the riverbank, besides the beach and distant woods, there was only a stretch of scorched earth turned into ruins.

"Ugh… The Sirens really left nothing intact here, did they?"

Lin Lan looked at the ruins of the former port area, taking a deep breath.

Even though he had expected the port area wouldn't be in great shape, the devastation was worse than he had imagined.

If he had come alone, he'd have to go to nearby towns to seek sponsorship and find a construction team to rebuild the port from scratch.

This would only be possible if he could defend against Siren attacks with just himself and a few newly born shipgirls.

Since the beach was not suitable for docking and could easily cause grounding,

Three black Iron Blood transport ships slowly entered the river and eventually found a suitable dock by the riverside.

Stepping onto the abandoned port dock, Lin Lan felt like he had returned to a construction site.

And not just any site, but one that had been abandoned for years.

"Cheep cheep cheep!"

The Manju on Lin Lan's shoulder seemed annoyed at the thought of this being its future workplace.

Ulrich came up to the dock, looked around, and said:

"This really is… a more severe challenge than I imagined."

After the other shipgirls also arrived at the dock, Lin Lan helplessly said:

"The beginning is always tough. Let's first see what usable facilities are still here."

Then, accompanied by the shipgirls, he entered his "port area."

After an hour of inspection, Lin Lan had a preliminary understanding of the port area's current situation.

The surface facilities of the port were basically destroyed, with no functional facilities or buildings left.

But there was some good news.

Aside from many collapsed structures that could still be used as materials, there were also existing foundations and basements.

At least they wouldn't need to start from scratch with ground piling for future renovations.

Besides, it seemed that someone had looted the place, taking away all valuable items, leaving nothing else.

Lin Lan, with a worried expression, returned to the transport ship with the Iron Blood shipgirls.

He sat in the guest room, discussing the next steps with his shipgirls.

"For the time being, everyone can stay in the nearby county towns. There are three nearby counties, just a few hours' journey along the river."

"I want to rent and purchase a batch of construction equipment and robots from local companies, and ideally contact a professional construction team to rebuild this place."

"Once the port area is habitable, we can move in."

"If you don't want to go to the county towns, we can stay on the ships for now. The three transport ships should be enough for us."

After outlining his plan, Ulrich spoke first:

"Commander, I suggest we stay on the ship for now. The top priority is to clear the surrounding Sirens to ensure this area won't be attacked again."

She continued:

"With the help of ship equipment, we can quickly clean up this area."

"Once the rest of the fleet and the Manju arrive, we can leave the port construction to them without needing other construction equipment or teams."

"Once the core facilities of the fortress are dismantled and moved, we can even set up mirror-like waters here to completely isolate it from the outside world."

After speaking, Ulrich placed the Manju on the table.

Hearing Ulrich's arrangement, Lin Lan suddenly realized.

Yes, with ship equipment and Manju, and Iron Blood's advanced technology, he didn't need construction facilities or teams.

He had been stuck in his old way of thinking, too rigid.

Now, he only needed to use the saved money to directly buy robots and let the Manju handle the construction work.

These cute little guys might be small, but they are experts in all logistics and construction tasks in the port area.

He wasn't sure if their skills were innate or developed, but it was clear that Ulrich's suggestion was much better than letting others handle it.

"Cheep~ Cheep cheep!!"

The little Manju on the table proudly puffed out its chest and made chirping sounds, as if to prove its abilities.

"Alright, we'll go with Ulrich's plan. Tomorrow, I'll go to the county towns with Mainz, Nimi, and Leonie to buy a few robots."

As the commander of this port area, it was necessary for Lin Lan to visit the nearby county towns upon his arrival.

So, he made plans for tomorrow.

While everyone was busy organizing their tasks, Zeppelin, who had been sitting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened her red eyes.

A cold smile appeared on her lips:

"It seems like some rats have ventured into a forbidden zone they shouldn't be in."

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