Chapter 118: The Siren is Coming

Using the address on the map on his mobile phone, Lin Lan took an iron-blooded mass-produced transport ship and soon arrived at the port area of Yalang City from the seaside.

At that moment, in the port area, Luo Tao had already organized more than a dozen shipgirls who had previously been under Li Banan. 

They stood by the seawall, with their ships unfurled and ready to go.

"Old Luo, I'm here."

Lin Lan had already called Luo Tao before his arrival. After all, the appearance of his iron-blooded shipgirls was quite intimidating.

To avoid any accidental injuries, he thought it best to greet his old classmates in advance.

Witnessing the iron-blooded shipgirls who had come with Lin Lan, Luo Tao was shocked by the sight of the black-red dragon and shark ship suits. 

Although he had already known that his classmate shipgirls were powerful, seeing them in person was another experience altogether.

However, since the news of the cooperation between the Six Cities Alliance of the East China Sea and the Iron Blood had not yet been announced, Luo Tao was unaware of the relationship between these Iron Blood shipgirls and the Admiralty.

He simply thought that Lin Lan was incredibly lucky to have such rare and unique ships.

Knowing Luo Tao's personality, Lin Lan chose not to elaborate much about his shipgirls.

After boarding the dock to meet Luo Tao, Lin Lan looked at the Orlan shipgirls surrounding him.

While they resembled ordinary shipgirls in appearance, lacking any significant differences, they seemed to lack a trace of spirituality.

This was the difference between a chess piece and a real ship with a mental unit.

Although early on, the combat effectiveness of chess piece shipgirls might be comparable to that of real shipgirls, their growth potential would be severely limited, and their personalities would be rigid, making it difficult for them to mature over time.

In the Iron Blood Fortress, such chess piece shipgirls could be crafted as consumable items in Iron Blood Combat Exercises.

But at that moment, Lin Lan felt it was inappropriate to mention such things.

He also didn't intend to explain it to anyone in Orlan later.

If the Admiralty of the United States of Orlan were to learn about this, it would likely cause significant turmoil.

Moreover, even if this information became public, what could Orlan do about it?

Even the imitation pseudo-wisdom cubes were obtained through technology provided by the sirens, while the real wisdom cubes were likely only possessed by the sirens themselves.

Though Lin Lan's port area actually had many wisdom cubes—numbering at least in the four figures—he wasn't a saint, and there was no way he would hand over these genuine wisdom cubes.

Therefore, Lin Lan decided to keep the fact that all the ships in Orlan were chess pieces to himself.

"Lin Lan, the shipgirls here are all I can command at the moment."

Luo Tao looked at the more than twenty light cruisers and light sailing ship girls on the sea, feeling a mix of emotions.

These ship girls hadn't engaged with them before because Li Banan hadn't communicated with them, resulting in a lack of attachment.

He continued to explain to Lin Lan:

"I've informed them that Li Banan was betrayed by Battleaxe Military Industry, and before the new commander arrives, they are willing to obey my command and protect Yalang City."

Lin Lan nodded slightly. 

Although he didn't expect much from the combat effectiveness of these chess pieces, it was better than nothing to have the help of his old classmates at that moment.

"That whirlpool in the sky is truly the prelude to the arrival of the high-ranking sirens; it feels incredibly oppressive."

After detailing the current defensive strength of the port area to Lin Lan, Luo Tao raised his head to look at the blue light vortex in the night sky, his tone laced with unease and worry.

While Yalang City's coastal defense system was significantly stronger than that of the basically defenseless county town, he still felt insecure thinking about the terrifying siren fleet.

High-ranking sirens were an absolutely terrifying existence for anyone.

It was uncertain how long it would take for support from other port areas to arrive, and with just him and Lin Lan, they would undoubtedly face overwhelming numbers against the main fleet of the sirens.

Hearing Luo Tao's words, Lin Lan simply placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder:

"Don't worry. You're not the one directly responsible for Yalang City right now. The fortress fleet is formidable; we'll manage."

Lin Lan's lighthearted remark alleviated some of the pressure on Luo Tao's heart, though his expression remained serious.

However, the high-ranking sirens that concerned Luo Tao were different from those Lin Lan was thinking of.

The high-ranking sirens recorded by the Orlan Admiralty referred to executors of battleship or aircraft carrier class—game-breakers and chess players.

Though these elite humanoid sirens were powerful, they did not fit the precise definition of high-ranking sirens with minds.

In the game Lin Lan played, game-breakers and chess players were often bosses stationed in a sea area. 

Although they were strong, they could not be communicated with.

The high-ranking sirens that Lin Lan had in mind were those who could communicate verbally, such as purifiers, builders, and similar entities.

By that time, Zeppelin and the other light sailing ship girls had already released the carrier-based aircraft responsible for reconnaissance. 

Once they detected the attack of the siren fleet, they could respond promptly.

After all, it was common knowledge that Orlan's radar often failed in the presence of the main siren fleet.

Skilled commanders had long known that the only way to accurately spot sirens was with the help of carrier-based aircraft.

At that moment, a cool sea breeze began to rise over the previously calm sea.

Lin Lan gazed out at the deep ocean in the distance.

Dense, billowing dark clouds appeared at the edge of his vision.

In the distant clouds, flickering blue lightning danced, casting an oppressive aura.

"Commander, here it comes."

Zeppelin's stern voice broke the tension in the air.

As her voice fell, orange-yellow flames flashed in the sky over the distant sea, signaling that the siren's carrier-based aircraft had begun to engage in combat with the reconnaissance aircraft launched by the shipgirls.

"Commander, you should go back first; we'll handle things here. Keep the communicator open, and we'll be at your command at any time."

Brunhilde waved her crimson spear heroically, standing on the surface of the sea, surrounded by her iron-blooded dragon suit.

"Okay, be careful."

Lin Lan understood that he and Luo Tao would not be able to contribute to the battle by remaining here, so he directly led Luo Tao toward the air defense building in the port area.

All the shipgirls left the port in full gear, sailing toward the dark clouds.

As Luo Tao was dragged by Lin Lan to the air defense building, he suddenly came to his senses and, a little puzzled, asked his old classmate,

"Lin Lan, I noticed something was off during the day."

"Why is it that not only are your aura and ship outfit extremely powerful, but I also feel that they are no different from humans?"

"What do I need to do to make my ship girls stronger? I... don't want to be trampled by the sirens anymore."

Hearing Luo Tao's words, Lin Lan thought for a moment. Looking at Luo Tao's worried and determined face, he replied seriously:

"Perhaps... is it because I'm a European dog?"

"You're looking for a fight! At a time like this, you're still joking with me?"

When Luo Tao heard such a flippant remark, he immediately became annoyed and raised his hand to punch Lin Lan in the chest.

Just moments ago, his worry about the battle had mostly been dispelled by Lin Lan's banter.

After the two playfully chased each other, Lin Lan stopped joking. Looking at his curious classmate, he couldn't bear to tell him the harsh truth.

Eventually, he recalled the plot from the previous game.

In the storyline of the early heterochromatic grid activities, even chess piece iron-blooded ship girls exhibited feelings.

By the end of that plot, they were recognized by the sirens as no longer mere chess pieces but as having undergone unimaginable changes.

At that time, Lin Lan was still relatively new to the game, and he remembered the plot of that event vividly.

He looked at his classmate and said in an extremely serious tone:

"As long as you maintain genuine sincerity toward the ship girls, they will slowly become more human-like under your influence. They will respond to your expectations and grow stronger."

Lin Lan's words resonated deeply with Luo Tao, making his heart tremble.

He knew that Lin Lan had participated in the departure internship with him, and their relationship in the academy assured him that Lin Lan would never harm him.

Eventually, Luo Tao's gaze became resolute.

"Is it true that it does change... I understand."

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