295: Commander, Lift Me Up High

As he gently stroked the giggling Anchorage who was repeatedly playing with an ice crystal in her hands, Lin Lan was momentarily stunned by Baltimore's comment.

Then, it suddenly hit him—this cool and handsome short-haired brunette who called herself a "passing heavy cruiser," Baltimore, was a die-hard fan of Kamen Rider.

And "Doctor Demon" and the "Evil Organization" were exactly the kind of villains that appeared in Kamen Rider.

Thinking of this, Lin Lan smiled and said to this justice-driven girl who was clearly worried about him:

"Don't worry, honestly, compared to those guys, I think the chance of me being transformed by the Sirens is probably even higher."

He said it without much thought, but someone definitely took it seriously. Enterprise immediately turned to Lin Lan with a stern expression and said:

"That makes sense. We really should have Vestal give the Commander a full physical exam later."

"Uh, I don't think that'll be necessary…"

Afterward, Lin Lan explained the whole story of how he gained the power of the Hero to Baltimore and Anchorage.

Baltimore quickly grasped the principle, while Anchorage, though not quite understanding, still showed an adorably impressed smile.

"Speaking of which, I really should let everyone know I'm awake. Otherwise, they'll still be worried."

After Lin Lan said that, Baltimore gave a bright and confident laugh:

"That's easy. I'll just send a message in the group chat."

"You're all using smartphones already?"

Seeing Baltimore pull a phone from the pocket of her black jacket, Lin Lan couldn't help but be a little surprised.

He hadn't seen Yorktown and the others use a phone earlier, and thought that the Eagle Union shipgirls, like those from Iron Blood, weren't really interested in phones.

"Enterprise already sent Little Eagle to notify everyone that you're awake. By now, they probably all know."

Hearing Yorktown's gentle explanation, Lin Lan remembered that he had seen Enterprise release a bald eagle out the window earlier—turns out, everything had been prepared in advance.

As if to confirm Yorktown's words, Baltimore looked at her phone and exclaimed in surprise:

"Just as I thought—the group chat's exploded! 

Everyone wants to know where the Commander is and wants to come find you. Seattle's already gathering people to organize a party tonight."

Lin Lan chuckled. Now that he was back, that girl Seattle was definitely going to be overjoyed.

Seattle, a second-generation Eagle Union research light cruiser, was not only top-tier in anti-aircraft capabilities but also a party-loving social butterfly.

Back in the game, Lin Lan remembered how Seattle would often organize cross-faction mixer parties.

"Well then, we should go find Saratoga quickly. The sooner we finish up things, the more time I'll have to spend with all of you."

With that in mind, Lin Lan smiled and said:

"Baltimore, Anchorage, you two should come with us to find Little Sara."

Of course, the two of them were more than happy to do so. In fact, they would've followed even without Lin Lan's invitation.

And so, Lin Lan's group gained two new members: the passing heavy cruiser and the little angel Anchorage.

Chatting and laughing about fond memories, the group arrived at a broad government-style building surrounded by tall skyscrapers.

This simple yet grand white structure, built in the Eagle Union's architectural style, stood at the center of a grassy lawn encircled by lush greenery.

The fluttering flag bearing the Eagle Union's emblem stood at the entrance of the government building, giving Lin Lan the surreal feeling of standing in the actual capital of the Eagle Union.

"Besides you two, I haven't seen anyone else on the way here. I get that destroyers and submarines are in class, but where is everyone else?"

Following the white-tiled path across the grass toward the building, Lin Lan, holding hands with the giggling Anchorage still playing with her ice crystal, asked Yorktown and Baltimore.

"Commander, it's because the island is quite large. If there's training or an event the next day, many choose to spend the night in the town by the docks."

"Some others prefer to live near the forest at the foot of the mountain—like South Dakota and Minneapolis. They only come up here when there's something important."

Enterprise's explanation made Lin Lan nod in understanding.

The Eagle Union shipgirls with their tanned skin preferred natural living environments, which made perfect sense to him.

After all, the artificial island was vast, and he had no intention of forcing the shipgirls to all live in dorms.

With so many Orlan cars on the island and shipgirls equipped with phones and other convenient means of communication, there was no reason to worry about not being able to reach them.

"Well, once the Commander is back, this place is going to get lively again, hehehe~"

Hornet hooked her arm around Lin Lan's shoulder and grinned mischievously.

After entering the administrative building, the first thing that caught Lin Lan's eye was the spotless, gleaming floor.

And a cute little golden twin-tailed chibi sprawled across the reception desk near the entrance.

She wore a tight-fitting white backless battle suit, with long white sleeves secured at the wrists with black metal rings.

Crackling blue lightning surrounded her like a magnetic field, and just being near her gave off an intense sense of pressure.

However, the long ahoge on top of the little chibi's head twitches like a radar the moment Lin Lan stepped in, pointing straight at him with a buzzing electric "beep beep" sound.

"Mmnh…"

The little girl drowsily raised her head, and her eyes met Lin Lan's smiling gaze.

"Eldridge, good morning. Want me to lift you up high?"

Lin Lan smiled as he spoke the chibi's name.

This dopey, adorable little shipgirl was none other than the Eagle Union destroyer Eldridge—the only shipgirl in the Eagle Union fleet with genuine supernatural powers.

Because of her airheaded and quiet personality, this cute little girl only acted clingy with the Commander.

For that very reason, Eldridge had earned the nickname "Lift-Me-Up."

At this moment, Eldridge's red eyes were filled with wide-eyed confusion.

She looked at the Commander and the others who had suddenly appeared before her, even rubbing her eyes, as if trying to determine whether she was dreaming.

"Eldridge! Teacher is awake!"

Anchorage beamed with joy, waving her long white sleeves at Eldridge with excitement.

"..."

Hearing Anchorage's words, Eldridge finally stood up, stepped onto the chair, then climbed onto the wooden reception desk to look Lin Lan directly in the eye. And then—

"Commander! Hug!"

Eldridge jumped toward him from the desk, and Lin Lan swiftly caught her petite frame in his arms.

With her face buried in his chest, held tightly in his arms, and the static around her body now dissipated…

Only then did Eldridge finally confirm that this wasn't a dream—her Commander had truly returned.

Though Eldridge didn't cry, Lin Lan could feel the intensity of her longing in the strength of her hug.

"It's so nice… Eldridge only stops discharging electricity when she's being hugged by the Commander."

Yorktown smiled warmly at the heartwarming scene.

"The last time I bumped into her on patrol, I got shocked and didn't recover for ages."

"Only the Commander can touch Eldridge. Now she won't have to be alone anymore."

Listening to Baltimore's words, Lin Lan gently patted Eldridge's smooth, delicate back, feeling a pang of guilt.

No wonder Eldridge wasn't with the other destroyers and stayed here all alone.

As part of the Eagle Union's Rainbow Project, Eldridge gained the ability to discharge electricity—but not without cost.

In combat with her rigging deployed, it wasn't a problem. But even when not using her rigging, she would involuntarily release electricity.

Lin Lan remembered clearly that in the game, unless Eldridge's affection for the Commander reached "like," he couldn't even get close without being shocked away by her electric field.

Only once her affection reached that point could he finally touch her, hug her, or lift her up.

"Eldridge, I'm back. You won't have to be alone anymore. Come on—up you go!"

With those words, Lin Lan lifted the petite girl high into the air, smiling at her dopey little face.

"Commander… happy!"

Eldridge's expression didn't change much, but her words clearly conveyed her joy.

Her beloved Commander had returned, and she no longer needed to worry about hurting others.

Just as everyone smiled at Lin Lan spinning Eldridge around in the air, playful and lighthearted, footsteps echoed down the hall.

And then, a lively, melodious voice called out from the corridor:

"Eldridge~ Eldridge~ What's going on outside? Why is it so lively out here…"

_______

50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta

_______

If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!