Lin Lan had not been woken up by the sound of his phone ringing for a long time.
Ever since he arrived at the port district, he had been waking up naturally every day in the embrace of his shipgirls.
For someone who had experienced the grueling life of a construction industry wage slave, this was undoubtedly the happiest life imaginable.
After arriving at the port district in Lihu County, where there was no signal and the authorities were distant, his job was practically indistinguishable from a vacation.
Lying on his soft, large bed, Lin Lan was rudely awakened from his pleasant dream by the ringing of his phone.
Half-asleep, he pushed aside Blücher, who was still resting her head on his arm.
The heavy cruiser girl, her pale yellow hair tousled, remained completely undisturbed, continuing to sleep soundly like a little pig in an uninhibited posture.
"No wonder my arm was cramping in my dream..."
Groggily, Lin Lan stretched his sore, numb arm and then picked up the phone from the bedside table.
It was still only seven in the morning, and the phone screen displayed an unmarked number.
Following his habits from back on Blue Star, Lin Lan originally intended to hang up immediately, as such calls were usually scams or telemarketing.
But he quickly realized that fraud in Orlan had not yet advanced to the level of telecom scams.
So, after clearing his throat, he pressed the answer button:
"Hello? Who are you looking for?"
The person on the other end of the line seemed surprised that he had picked up. After two or three seconds of silence, a middle-aged man's voice finally spoke:
"Is this Commander Lin Lan? Thank goodness. I am Feng Tao, the port district commander of Lanjiang City."
The self-introduction made Lin Lan pause, instantly shaking off most of his drowsiness.
How did the port district commander of Lanjiang City manage to contact him?
"Ah, hello, hello. May I ask what this is about?"
Lin Lan asked curiously.
After all, Lanjiang City was quite a distance from his location.
Traveling by sea would be manageable, but taking an inland route would significantly extend the journey.
Previously, when he went to the river fork near Yalang City, he would have had to travel further upstream to merge with a river called Lanjiang.
Even after that, it would still take another two or three days to reach Lanjiang City.
As the last city among the Six Cities of the East Sea still under the management of Battleaxe Military Industries, Lanjiang City was located quite close to the company's headquarters in Haifeng City.
But that was not the main issue. The real question was: how did the other party know that his port district now had a working signal?
While Lin Lan was rapidly piecing things together in his mind, Feng Tao, the commander from Lanjiang City, spoke again, his tone filled with urgency:
"I initially contacted the naval office in Lihu County, but every extra minute I wait puts my girls in greater danger. So, I had no choice but to try calling you directly."
"Thank goodness you have a signal there.
That damned stubborn mule, Tang Yanxing, refuses to launch a rescue operation without a formal order from the Navy Headquarters—I'm on the verge of losing my mind!"
The sheer anxiety in Feng Tao's voice left Lin Lan even more bewildered.
He was well aware of Tang Yanxing, the port district commander of Dongyun City, who was technically his direct superior.
As long as he didn't collaborate with corporations or mistreat civilians under his jurisdiction to the point of being reported, Tang Yanxing typically did not interfere with the commanders of Dongyun City's various county-level port districts.
Just yesterday, Bismarck had spoken to him about meeting this man, who was fiercely loyal to the Navy Headquarters, while she was in Dongyun City.
The Ironblood faction had once saved Tang Yanxing's life, and in return, he had promised to fully cooperate with their efforts to suppress Battleaxe Military Industries.
"So, what exactly is so urgent that you had to contact me? We haven't even met before."
Lin Lan frowned. If Feng Tao was this desperate, it had to be something serious, so he got straight to the point.
"I'll be brief. You should know that port district commanders sometimes cooperate with corporations, deploying shipgirls for escort missions."
"But last night, Battleaxe Military Industries informed me that the ship my shipgirls were escorting had lost signal. And the location where it disappeared is closest to your port district."
"So, Brother Lin, could you send a rescue team to investigate and see if my shipgirls can still be saved? I will make sure you are well compensated."
Listening to the man's request over the phone, Lin Lan quickly understood why Feng Tao had reached out to him.
As he suspected, the shipgirls under Feng Tao's command had likely fallen victim to a Siren attack.
"You do realize that the Navy Headquarters has strictly forbidden collaboration with corporations, right? This is blatant defiance of orders."
"Besides, I'm just an intern commander. I haven't even cleared out the Sirens around my own port district yet—how could I possibly organize a rescue mission?"
Lin Lan knew that Feng Tao's shipgirls were most likely beyond saving.
Furthermore, very few people truly understood his actual strength. Other than Luo Tao, Jian Qianou, and the burly Sun Dewang, no one had any idea.
To outsiders, he was just a newly appointed intern commander who probably didn't even have ten shipgirls under his command.
If he accepted the request too readily, it might actually raise suspicion.
Not to mention, collaborating with Battleaxe Military Industries alone was already reason enough for him to refuse.
"I... I know. I will personally admit my mistake to the Navy Headquarters and accept whatever punishment they give me."
After a brief silence, Feng Tao continued:
"As for the rescue operation, I have already contacted Yalang City. Luo Tao has agreed to coordinate with two county-level port district commanders closest to you, forming a joint rescue team."
"I submitted a request for an official rescue order to the Navy Headquarters last night, but it won't be approved until around noon.
You will receive the standard deployment compensation, so there's no need to worry."
Feng Tao's voice grew heavy as he explained everything.
After listening to the man, Lin Lan took a moment to think before asking the most crucial question—the one that would determine whether he agreed or not:
"As a commander of a major port district, you shouldn't be lacking in shipgirls.
You could have easily covered this up, and no one would ever know that a few shipgirls had gone missing. Why are you going to such lengths?"
After witnessing the situation in former commander Li Banan's port district in Yalang City, Lin Lan understood that commanders of large cities did not lack shipgirls.
Pawn shipgirls followed orders with absolute loyalty. If Feng Tao had simply chosen to keep this matter under wraps, no one would ever know that a few of them had gone missing.
"Because they are my most important girls—my most valued comrades. I have never seen them as mere weapons."
"This was my mistake, and I just want them to return safely..."
"Even if... even if they have already perished, I want to bring them back to the port district and give them a proper burial, rather than letting them be abandoned and forgotten."
"I'm already on my way to Dongyun City. I will personally visit to thank you, so please, I beg you..."
By this point, Lin Lan had made up his mind.
Feng Tao's sincerity was undeniable—he truly cared about his pawn shipgirls. If that was the case, Lin Lan might as well do him this favor.
However, considering that two county-level port district fleets would soon be arriving, and his Ironblood floating island fortress outside the port district was still unfinished, he had to be cautious.
He needed to find Bismarck and ask whether the Mirror Sea function was operational yet.
Otherwise, if outsiders caught sight of it, things could get very troublesome.
_______
50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
_______
If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!