Chapter 7: Crisis Averted

"I… I don't really know what's going on. That night while I was working, I suddenly lost consciousness."

"When I woke up, I was like this. I don't know why I ended up at a strange naval academy, and my body had turned back to its younger self."

"And then…"

Lin Lan briefly explained what had happened to him, though he didn't mention the Compiler.

Regarding the Compiler, he thought it best to discuss it with Bismarck and Friedrich der Große, the top leaders of the Ironblood faction.

Talking to other girls might cause unnecessary anxiety.

"So, the commander didn't intentionally leave all of us?"

Upon hearing Lin Lan's explanation, Z1 showed a happy smile.

Lin Lan gently patted her military hat. "Of course not. How could I bear to abandon everyone?"

Lin Lan felt that his ship girls in this unfamiliar world were like his most familiar family. It was an incredible feeling.

"So, what happened to the port area after I left?"

Lin Lan looked anxiously at August and Tirpitz.

He instinctively felt that if his ship girls from the game had become real, it would be hard to maintain peace in the port area after his disappearance.

Considering what he knew about each ship girl, especially the Sakura Empire's Akagi and Taihou, they could potentially cause chaos in the port.

However, he then thought carefully and realized that in his port area, Amagi had survived the Kanto Earthquake and was doing well.

With her around, Akagi probably wouldn't be as extreme as she was in the game's background.

And with Shinano and the Albacore around, Taihou would likely be well-managed too.

As for the "traitor" Marco Polo, Lin Lan felt that with Veneto's methods, it was unlikely she could truly seize control of the port area's command.

"The port area…"

Hearing Lin Lan's question, August and Tirpitz exchanged awkward smiles.

"The port area is currently managed by the Royal Navy's Elizabeth and her team, under the pretense of keeping the port in the best condition for your return.

"Other factions, due to your disappearance, have become unruly and left to search for you because of the lack of supplies."

"We've set up temporary bases and are conducting commissions and surveys to obtain resources and oil to be self-sufficient while searching for you."

Tirpitz reported the situation in the port area after Lin Lan's departure.

Hearing this, Lin Lan's anxiety eased significantly.

Fortunately, after his disappearance, the girls had not yet reached the point of internal conflict, which was a good situation.

"After all, you're the commander. Even if we have to search the ends of the earth, we'll find you!"

Z16 smiled brightly, rubbing her cheek against Lin Lan's hand.

Lin Lan had to admit that the white strand of hair on the little shark girl felt really nice to touch.

Lin Lan's return made her extremely happy.

"So, how did you manage to enter this mirror sea area and just happen to rescue me?"

Lin Lan asked his most pressing question, wondering how August and the others managed to arrive just in time. It seemed like too much of a coincidence.

August smiled gracefully and stopped Tirpitz from explaining.

"Well, let's keep that a secret for now. You'll find out soon enough."

Tsk, this witch always knows how to pique a man's curiosity.

"Commander, let's head back to our temporary base. The Elder Sister and the Emperor still don't know you're back."

Tirpitz said with concern, worried that Lin Lan might refuse them.

"If they're all there, that's good. But what about the passengers on this ship…"

Lin Lan indeed wanted to visit the Iron Blood's base and see the Iron Blood ship girls he trained.

But the current passenger ship was still being supported by August's ship and hadn't capsized. If they left, what would happen to the passengers?

"Commander!"

At this moment, a series of footsteps sounded outside the captain's room.

The crew members Lin Lan had sent to rescue people and maintain order had returned.

Seeing the Iron Blood ship girls affectionately surrounding Lin Lan and the already imposing Lin Lan in his black coat, the crew members were stunned.

Such a young commander already had such formidable ship girls; they must seem like mere ants to him.

"Oh, it's you. How are the casualties? Are there any passengers still unrescued?"

Lin Lan knew that his current appearance was quite shocking to the people in this world, so he tried to appear friendly as he asked the few poor crew members.

"No! Thanks to your ship girls' rescue, none of the passengers were injured, only a few elderly people suffered minor injuries from trampling."

"We really can't repay your great kindness!"

These burly, sea-traveled crew members were ready to kneel and thank Lin Lan.

"No, no, no, don't thank me. Thank them. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to drive away the sirens."

Lin Lan hurriedly stopped them. His main purpose for saving the ship was also for his own safety, and he couldn't bear their kneeling.

At this moment, August seemed to have noticed something and whispered in Lin Lan's ear:

"My aircraft have found seven rescue ships heading this way. The rescuers are arriving. You can rest assured and come with us."

Z1 nodded and added:

"Before entering the mirror sea, we had already sent out rescue signals to the nearest ports and towns."

Lin Lan was stunned. How had they prepared all this in advance?

His mind was filled with great confusion.

But it was good that his biggest worry was solved.

The passenger ship could no longer sail and would have to be abandoned. 

Once the rescue ships arrived and the passengers were all taken away, Lin Lan could safely stay at the Iron Blood base for a while.

As for the academy's assignment? He knew very well that it was likely deserted right now, so there was no rush to take up the post.

With that in mind, Lin Lan arranged for the crew:

"Alright, alright, surviving a great disaster brings blessings. Now, I have one last task for you. Organize all the passengers to prepare their belongings. The rescue fleet will be arriving soon."

Hearing this, the crew looked at Lin Lan with deep gratitude instead of the previous fear.

After expressing their thanks to Lin Lan and his ship girls repeatedly, they went to inform the passengers to prepare to leave the ship.

"Actually, our original goal was to use this opportunity to extort some supplies or oil from the ship's captain."

Watching the crew leave, the scheming little Z2 said softly.

"But it's not important now, is it?"

Z1 was very casual because they had already found the most important person; everything else was secondary.

Outside the window, Lin Lan could already see a medium-sized rescue ship heading towards the passenger ship.

Several helicopters hovered above the passenger ship, cautiously observing August's riggings.

The communicator in the captain's room rang, and a hoarse male voice came through.

"Seagull Group's large passenger ship 188, this is the Orlan Navy Rescue Team. Please respond."

At this point, Lin Lan naturally needed to negotiate with them.

"This is 188. I'm Lin Lan, currently in charge of this ship. I'm an intern commander from the Red Leaf Naval Academy."

"Intern commander? That… dragon outside, is it your ship's rigging?"

Lin Lan glanced at August and calmly said:

"Yes, it's my ship's rigging."

"Good to hear. That's an impressive Iron Blood rigging. Our team thought it was a monster from the sirens."

Hearing this, Lin Lan smiled.

The Iron Blood and Northern Union technologies are, in a sense, reverse-engineered from siren technology.

Most of the ship girls in this world are still in their early stages, so it's understandable that they'd be intimidated by such a massive Iron Blood rigging.

Moreover, August's rigging was famously magnificent, and most people would mistake it for an iron dragon rather than a rigging.

"We'll start evacuating the passengers now. We are aware of your contribution in saving your compatriots and will report it accurately to our superiors, Commander Lin Lan."

After hanging up, Lin Lan looked at August with curiosity.

"I'm surprised you were able to call in the country's naval rescue team."

August showed her signature graceful smile and slowly explained:

"Our Iron Blood bases have some connections with the military of several cities near this sea area in the Orlan Union."

"The nearby port area's ship girls were incredibly weak. When we came to set up our base here, we found that these cities' military were preparing for a decisive battle with the nearby siren fleet."

"We helped them eliminate the siren fleet, and afterwards, the military high-ups signed many contracts with the Emperor and Bismarck."

"Since then, we've been able to receive various commissions and gather resources as before."

Lin Lan understood the situation after August's explanation.

It's no wonder, considering the Emperor and Bismarck.

These nearby cities are the closest to the siren battlefield in the Orlan Union.

Orlan Union has always prioritized commercial interests, with five major conglomerates controlling the core power of the country.

The young master who persecuted Lin Lan was from one of these five conglomerates.

As for these cities, they are located in the east of Orlan. After the siren disaster, the sirens blocked the routes to Orlan's core territories.

Unless the port area commanders sent ship girls for escort, ordinary civilian ships could rarely navigate these routes smoothly.

The appearance of the Emperor and Bismarck and their displayed strength was like bringing a guardian deity to these cities.

Time passed as Lin Lan and the Z ship girls played and chatted with Tirpitz and August for two hours.

As the golden light of the setting sun covered the sea, and the last passenger boarded the rescue ship, August withdrew her rigging巨龙.

After declining the rescue team's invitation to return to the city, only Lin Lan and his ship girls remained on the passenger ship, which was now slowly sinking.

"Alright, August, stop keeping me in suspense. How did you enter the mirror sea and find me?"

Lin Lan and his group moved to the deck of the passenger ship. It was time to set off, so he asked August again.