Chapter 41: The Girl Who Defied Fate (Part 2)

In Lin Lan's real history, after World War II, the Eagle Union gathered warships from various countries, including its own, at Bikini Atoll for nuclear testing. 

This operation, known as Operation Crossroads, included the participation of warships in a series of nuclear explosions.

Prinz Eugen was among the ships listed for testing.

The outcome of this nuclear test was devastating, with nearly all the tested ships sinking. 

Originally planned as three nuclear detonations, the operation was abruptly halted after only two.

"It was there that I faced the final judgment of fate," Eugen began. 

"The blinding, searing pain engulfed me, a pain so intense it felt worse than death."

Lin Lan listened with a heavy heart as the silver-haired girl in his arms recounted her story. He could barely fathom the agony and despair she must have felt as she faced the nuclear blast.

"Even in such cruel circumstances, fate could not make me bow down," she continued. "For days and nights afterward, I endured unimaginable pain and torment at sea."

"In that agony, I thought of my sister, my comrades, and Bismarck, who saw me as her confidante." 

"I remembered the blue cornflowers that once covered the hills of my homeland, now burned to ashes by war."

Lin Lan felt a wetness on his chest. Although Eugen spoke calmly, he knew that she had likely been ravaged by nuclear radiation at that time.

The nuclear blast had not only caused immediate destruction but also inflicted deadly radiation.

"In my torment, I screamed, yet no salvation came. I cried, but no one answered," Eugen said. 

"Eventually, I became numb."

"Without a homeland, without comrades, I had lost everything. No matter what I did, I couldn't escape this final judgment of fate."

At that moment, Lin Lan finally understood why, when Eugen first joined the base, she always wore a false smile and seemed indifferent to everything.

Her heart had died in that nuclear blast, in a place where there was no hope.

"But even then, I refused to let fate sink me easily… until the second explosion struck beneath the surface, bringing with it an overwhelming tsunami."

"As I watched the tsunami and the blinding white light approach, I thought, 'This must be the final judgment of fate.'"

"But I did not retreat. I wanted to prove to the comrades who had left me that I would never bow to fate."

Eugen's hand clenched tightly onto Lin Lan's shirt.

Listening to her story, Lin Lan could hardly imagine the pain of facing a nuclear explosion. 

Yet here she was, Eugen, with an unyielding will that refused to succumb even in the face of a nuclear bomb.

"When the sea finally calmed and the white light faded, I knew I had defied fate once again."

"I Could No Longer Feel Pain or Sensation on the Lonely Sea"

"I had reached my limit. My body could no longer move an inch."

"The enemy dragged me back, planning to dismantle me, but they feared the lingering explosions on me and hesitated. They left me to drift freely on the sea."

"That's when I realized that fate's final act was to let me waste away, alone, as time passed."

"After drifting aimlessly for three months, I finally found my last chance to defy fate."

"I chose to end my own life."

The sea breeze gently lifted the girl's silver hair. Lin Lan looked at Eugen with deep sorrow in his eyes.

In history, Prinz Eugen survived countless encirclements and shellings, narrowly escaping one crisis after another, even enduring two nuclear blasts. 

Yet, this last battleship of Ironblood eventually met her end by running aground, closing a legendary chapter.

As Lin Lan gently stroked the silver hair of the girl in his arms, he opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to say. 

What could he possibly say to save this girl who had suffered so much?

"I waited in endless darkness and cold for a long, long time, until it felt like even time had frozen."

"I almost forgot my own name, my own identity, as I slowly faded away in the darkness."

"When I was about to give up and embrace my final fate, you, with that gloomy face, pulled me out of the endless darkness."

Lin Lan remembered his early days in the game, feeling frustrated as his friends drew rare ships while he could only wait seven days to receive the free Prinz Eugen from the game. 

His mood was understandably not great.

But that didn't stop him from falling in love with Eugen at first sight—after all, players in the Chinese server all had a soft spot for white-haired characters, and Lin Lan was no exception.

So, he quickly made Eugen his secretary ship, replacing poor Z23, his first secretary.

The distant memories made Lin Lan recall the countless days and nights Eugen had spent with him during his newbie days.

"After arriving at the port, it felt like I was dreaming."

"I watched as you brought back Bismarck, my elder sister, and other comrades who had originally sunk, one by one."

"For a while, I foolishly thought that this was just another cruel joke of fate."

"I thought, 'This must be a dream, so I'll just do whatever I want in it.'"

"So, I treated this dream with a carefree attitude. Even when facing Bismarck and the other Ironblood comrades, I behaved the same way."

"But the happiness I found at the port began to scare me. I was so afraid that it was all just a fragile illusion."

The silver-haired girl gently released her grip and looked up at Lin Lan's face.

Her pale face still bore traces of dried tears.

In the brown eyes of the girl who had fought against fate in war and nuclear blasts, Lin Lan saw his own expression filled with deep pain.

"I watched as you teased me and my sisters, as you waited anxiously at the dock every time we went on a mission."

"I saw you foolishly put bad food in the port's empty cafeteria every day, and I saw you lamenting when the port's oil reserves ran out."

"No matter how much I teased you, you never got angry. Instead, you saw through my fake smiles and told me… that I lacked a genuine smile."

Tears streamed down Eugen's face, but she smiled with happiness.

Lin Lan watched as Eugen reached out to touch his cheek, and he gently caressed her silver hair.

"From then on, I started trying to show a true smile. Even if this was just a dream, another joke of fate, I accepted it."

"I gradually began to open my heart because I wanted you to see the real me, smiling sincerely."

Eugen's voice began to tremble, as if these words had been buried in her heart for far too long.

"The white wedding dress, paired with blue sapphires, matching the blue cornflowers that once covered the hills of my homeland."

"I wore a wedding dress I never even dreamed of, and was led to the chapel by the Ironblood comrades who once left me but were brought back by you."

"There, you placed this oath ring on my finger with your own hands."

Lin Lan then noticed the dazzling diamond ring on Eugen's right ring finger, sparkling under the starlight.

"I have always tried to surpass, to conquer this cold, cruel fate."

"I once fell into deep despair, losing all hope in the world, nearly becoming a slave to fate."

"After a long darkness, meeting you, falling in love with you, and making our vows made me realize that on that day, Ironblood's battleship, Prinz Eugen, finally defeated her fate."

The silver-haired girl, with tear-streaked cheeks and a blissful smile, stood on tiptoe and kissed Lin Lan under the deep blue sky and vast ocean.

From that day on, the battle-scarred cruiser girl would no longer be bound by fate.

Because she had already conquered and surpassed it.

After a long kiss, the two blushed and slowly pulled apart. Lin Lan gazed deeply at the incredibly happy Prinz Eugen before him.

Suddenly, he remembered that night from years ago.

Back in the dormitory, as a newbie, he had nervously clicked the oath proposal, and the silver-haired girl in a wedding dress on the screen had said to him:

"So, this is your answer? What should I do…"

"Pfft, you're such a fool, my dear Commander."

"I'm no longer the empty person I was at the beginning. Have you forgotten who made me change?"