"This is the map Commander requested from Zeppelin yesterday. She came by this morning to hand it over to you."
After taking out the lunch box for cleaning, Magdeburg returned with a hand-drawn map.
Receiving the map, Lin Lan examined it with satisfaction.
It was detailed, sketched out by Count Zeppelin herself. He said to Magdeburg, "Not bad. As expected of Zeppelin, the map is very detailed."
The reason he had requested Zeppelin to draw this map yesterday was to understand the terrain and topography of the area.
After all, he didn't want his port area to be observed from the land.
Knowing the surrounding terrain would allow Lin Lan to set up some "toll booths" along the necessary routes to his port area.
He believed that with the capabilities of the battle axe military industry, there was a high possibility that they would proactively seek him out once he hit the news.
Thus, it was essential to do thorough reconnaissance of the port area surroundings.
Lin Lan placed the map in the desk drawer and casually asked Magdeburg,
"How was the reconnaissance of the surrounding sea areas with Weser yesterday? Did you encounter any high-level Sirens?"
"Commander, do you think high-level Sirens are like cabbages, easy to find whenever you want?"
Magdeburg casually sat down on the sofa, completely ignoring her role as a secretary ship.
"We only found a few standby Siren mass-production fleets yesterday, and even the humanoid Sirens were pitifully few."
Lin Lan felt puzzled upon hearing Magdeburg's words.
Generally, based on his understanding of Sirens, they should have actively launched attacks or observations upon discovering any anomalies.
When did Sirens become so lazy?
"By the way, Commander, do you need me to make you a cup of coffee?"
Hearing Magdeburg's offer, Lin Lan decided not to ponder the Sirens' behavior further.
It was better to keep an eye on them with Zeppelin and Weser during this time since his port area was currently the weakest.
Other factions hadn't joined him yet, and the main Iron Blood forces hadn't relocated either. During this period, the threat from the Sirens was still significant.
"I'd like some sugar and milk. Please make sure Mainz doesn't see it while you're making the coffee," Lin Lan quickly said to the impatient Magdeburg about to leave.
"Don't worry, Commander. Mainz is so stubborn about only drinking black coffee and insists everyone else does the same. I get it~"
Watching the red-eyed girl with black hair hum a tune as she left, Lin Lan took the map drawn by Zeppelin out of the drawer.
He grabbed a pencil from the desk drawer and began outlining the necessary routes on the land.
…
"Hiss… those guys are still so ruthless."
Below several thousand meters deep in the ocean, a deep dimensional tear slowly opened, resembling a rift in space.
A white-haired, golden-eyed girl with a ponytail, wearing a giant hammerhead shark suit and looking as if she had just woken up, emerged from the rift.
Seeing her grand entrance, various bizarre deep-sea creatures scattered in fear as if they had encountered their nemesis.
"Purifier, due to your dereliction of duty, the experimental field AL-04 has been destroyed."
As the revived Purifier prepared to surface, a cold voice spoke. It was the same person who had communicated with her before the battle with the Brünnhilde fleet.
"I need an explanation."
As the cold voice fell, a devilfish suit, glowing with an eerie yellow light, silently descended from the deep sea above the Purifier.
Below this suit, a dark-golden-eyed woman with flowing silver hair, a seductive figure wearing a black-gold cropped top and a mini skirt, looked down at the Purifier from above.
(Tester)
"Wow, you actually came to pick me up personally after my revival. I'm so happy, Tester~"
The Purifier giggled, completely unfazed by the other's cold tone or accusatory attitude.
The devilfish suit's silver-haired woman was a powerful high-level Siren, just like the Purifier—Tester.
If Lin Lan were here, he would definitely recognize her immediately. After all, Tester was one of the high-level Sirens that appeared most frequently in games.
Though she always appeared as a riddle-spouting character, it didn't change the fact that her arrival signified the Sirens' absolute dominance over a region.
Only when confident and cautious would the Tester reveal herself.
"Your… mecha was destroyed. Why did they appear there?"
Tester asked with a sinister smile, while the Purifier shrugged indifferently.
"Who knows? Maybe they were just bored and came to play with me?"
"Boom!"
In the high-pressure deep sea, a black cannon beneath the devilfish suit fired a shell at the bottom of the trench next to the Purifier.
This signaled that Tester was dissatisfied with the Purifier's answer.
"Are you looking for a fight? I'm not afraid of you, Tester!"
Feeling greatly insulted, the Purifier leaped up, leveling herself with Tester and shouted defiantly.
"Don't you know that because of your dereliction, our Original Wisdom Cube in the AL-04 experimental field was destroyed, and the experiment subjects are completely gone?"
Tester's cold, dark-golden eyes looked at her negligent colleague as she spoke deliberately:
"Your severe dereliction has left us completely in the dark about what happened there. Have you figured out how to report this to the Observers?"
Upon hearing "Observers," the Purifier's previously exaggerated arrogance visibly faltered.
"You've been beaten by them before, so why should I be held responsible?"
The Purifier said next, as if the whole matter had nothing to do with her, even claiming to be the victim.
Although, in reality, this was indeed the case.
"They shouldn't have appeared in that position according to the natural calculation system. But the natural calculation system of this world is still incomplete, so some omissions are acceptable."
"Well, if there's nothing else, can I leave now?"
Seeing Tester seemingly lost in thought, the Purifier tried to ask.
When Testers show such expressions, it usually means someone is going to suffer.
She didn't want to be assigned to do anything villainous again.
"The pressure in the AL zone's experimental field is still too low. It needs to be increased."
Tester muttered to herself, then suddenly drove the devilfish suit to block the Purifier, who was trying to sneak away.
"Take an Original Wisdom Cube and head to the AL experimental field. Do you understand?"
Hearing Tester's instructions, the Purifier widened her eyes in surprise, looking at her colleague with the sinister smile.
"Are you sure?"
"Just go ahead and do it. Consider it a pioneering effort."
Tester smirked and, under the control of the devilfish suit, left with a flourish.
"That guy's heart is really wicked."
As the Purifier watched Tester's figure disappear into the deep sea, she sighed.
"It's a pity I have to be the big villain again…"
"When will I, the Purifier, ever get to be a righteous person? Ahhh!"
With her complaints, the white-haired, golden-eyed girl drove her giant hammerhead shark suit and vanished into the depths of the sea.
After they had left, the surrounding bizarre deep-sea creatures slowly began to gather again.
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