Today's tutelary fort remains peaceful.

Seeing that Xue Cheng still didn't believe her, the girl shrugged helplessly: "Okay, don't make that expression. I admit that I am Bennington, okay?"

Unable to bear it any longer, Tirpitz shouted, "Ticonderoga! What are you doing here?"

The girl's identity was exposed and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. She pulled off the mask on her face, revealing a delicate and cute little face. She walked into the room and asked, "How did you know it was me?"

Tirpitz gritted his teeth, irritated at being interrupted, and said unhappily, "Who else but you would impersonate someone else and play pranks all day long?"

Ticonderoga tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, "Saratoga?"

Tirpitz choked, then angrily said, "But you're the only one who frequently impersonates Hancock and CV-16, idiot!"

"W-what?!" Ticonderoga's body shook, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face, as if his worldview had been greatly shocked.

Ticonderoga, the sixth ship of the Essex class, was originally named Hancock, but due to the influence of money power, it was forced to exchange the ship's name with Hancock and changed its name to Ticonderoga.

In the game, Ticonderoga is set as an agent who likes to disguise his identity. When operating in the port area, he often uses the names of CV-16 and Hancock. However, Xue Cheng feels that Ticonderoga is more like a patient with middle school syndrome.

"Ahem..." Xue Cheng coughed twice and said, "Ticonderoga, why are you dressed like this? Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, I almost forgot." Ticonderoga came back to his senses, patted his forehead, and said with sudden realization: "It's nothing important. I just wanted to ask the admiral to come with me."

"So that's how it is. I thought it was something big... huh?" Tirpitz nodded habitually, then suddenly realized what was happening and looked at Ticonderoga with an unfriendly look: "What did you just say?"

"Stupid guy, isn't what I'm saying clear enough?" Ticonderoga reached for his waist and fumbled around for a while, then pulled out a thin rope from the inside of his belt and said seriously, "To put it bluntly, I'm trying to steal your man!"

"Swish!" Ticonderoga flashed and pounced on Tirpitz. Without using the ship suit, Tirpitz was just a weak and slow-witted otaku, and Ticonderoga did not seem to be an ordinary middle school student with syndrome. She easily subdued Tirpitz, tied her up with ropes, and stuffed a piece of white cloth in her mouth.

"Admiral..." After doing all this, Ticonderoga crossed his arms, looked at Xue Cheng with a smile and said, "Will you come with me on your own, or should I treat you?"

"..." Xue Cheng looked at Tirpitz who was struggling and squirming like a caterpillar, and decisively gave in.

Although the one who threatened him was a seemingly frail girl, Ticonderoga's movements when subduing Tirpitz were quick and decisive, and it was obvious that she had received professional training. Considering the other party's identity as a ship girl, Xue Cheng estimated in his mind and felt that the saying "A man who knows the times is a hero" is indeed a wise saying.

"Then let's go." Ticonderoga lowered his arms, pulled down the curtains casually, walked to the balcony, twisted the curtains into ropes, tied them up, and let them down.

"What are you doing?" Xue Cheng asked in surprise.

Ticonderoga pulled up his mask, covering half his face again, and said matter-of-factly, "How can an agent use stairs? Admiral, don't dawdle. Hurry up and go. I'll meet you downstairs."

Putting aside the hook in hand, pulling the curtain to make a rope, is this what they call a sense of ritual...

"But..." Xue Cheng wasn't worried that Ticonderoga would hurt him. He looked back at the struggling Tirpitz and said with a wry smile, "Are we just going to leave her like this?"

Ticonderoga stepped over the fence and quickly landed on the ground using the descent technique commonly used by special forces in movies and TV dramas. He said, "It's okay. I've notified Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. They'll be here to pick her up soon. Don't be afraid, Admiral. I'll catch you if you fall."

Xue Cheng held onto the railing, looking at the girl below who opened her arms and made a hugging gesture towards him. He shook his head with a mixture of laughter and tears, and slowly slid down from the second floor using the rope made of twisted curtains. Then he followed Ticonderoga, and the two of them went down the mountain like thieves through a hidden path behind the villa, and came to an alley in the central block of the garrison.

Xue Cheng watched as Ticonderoga placed his hand on the wall at the end of the alley, and saw that the wall suddenly emitted a light blue light, and quickly slid to the side, revealing a deep passage that continued to extend underground. He was shocked: Could it be that Ticonderoga was not a chuunibyou, but a real agent?

Ticonderoga made a "please" gesture to Xue Cheng, with a faint smile in his eyes: "Let's go, Admiral."

The two walked down the steps of the passage, and the wall on the ground returned to its original position, blocking the entrance. As the last ray of light disappeared in the passage, lights above their heads kept lighting up, making the passage as bright as day.

The surrounding walls reflected a metallic luster under the light. Xue Cheng moved closer and placed his hand on the wall to touch it. He felt that it was delicate and not like metal at all, but rather like jade. He asked in surprise, "Ticonderoga, is this your secret base? It's amazing. What kind of metal are the walls here made of?"

"..." Ticonderoga, who was walking in front, paused for a moment and was silent for a moment. She raised her wrist and looked at the high-tech watch on it. "It's getting late, Admiral, we should hurry up."

37. Dr. Yubari

The passage was spacious, about enough for three or four people to walk side by side. Although they were underground, Xue Cheng did not feel stuffy, as if there were ventilation equipment. Xue Cheng asked Ticonderoga curiously, but no matter what questions he asked, the answer he got was only two words: "confidential."

In desperation, Xue Cheng had to suppress his curiosity and follow Ticonderoga into the unknown.

After walking in this slightly sloping passage for a while, he finally saw the end. Just when Xue Cheng thought that Ticonderoga would open the passage like before, the thick metal wall at the end automatically opened, revealing a dark place behind.

Ticonderoga calmly came up behind Xue Cheng, blocking his retreat, and said calmly, "Admiral, let's go. The doctor is waiting for us."

Looking at the door before him, even though Xue Cheng believed his shipgirl wouldn't harm him, his heart still beat fast. He swallowed, his gaze meeting Ticonderoga's, sensing the determination in her eyes. He sighed helplessly and walked towards the door.

"Bang!" As the two walked in, the wall behind them suddenly slid back to its original position, blocking the entrance tightly, making a dull loud noise.

Xue Cheng was startled. He rubbed his eyes hard and tried to adapt to the dark environment. At this moment, a faint light blue light suddenly came from the front. Xue Cheng looked in the direction of the light and saw a girl in a white coat. Her face could not be seen clearly. She was wearing a pair of glasses that reflected strong light. She was sitting on a chair not far away. Behind her was a huge screen, which seemed to show the scenery of the garrison.

"Welcome to my base, Admiral." The girl pushed her glasses and spoke in a flat tone without any fluctuation.

"You are..." Xue Cheng hesitated. Although all the ship girls in the naval base were obtained while he was playing games, when the characters in the game became real people with flesh and blood, there would inevitably be differences in their appearance. Except for some very recognizable characters, it would be impossible for Xue Cheng to recognize everyone.

"I'm Chu Xue, the de facto manager of the Longyin Military Base, with the rank of Senior Colonel." The girl, wearing a pair of glasses that reflected strong light, said calmly, "Indeed, you're the most qualified of those who came this time. Young man, do you want to understand the meaning of life? Do you want to truly... live?"

The corners of Xue Cheng's mouth twitched wildly. He suppressed the urge to burst out laughing with great effort and said expressionlessly, "NO."

"Eh? Why is this happening?" A strong light came on, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime. Xue Cheng covered his eyes with his hands and looked around. He found himself in a huge room. The room was filled with instruments that had a sci-fi feel but whose specific uses were unknown. A girl with long red hair was sitting in front of an instrument with a huge screen, pouting as she took her glasses off her nose.

"Admiral..." The girl looked a little discouraged. She put her reflective glasses into the pocket of her white coat and replaced them with a normal pair. She looked at Xue Cheng with a look of great resentment and said, "Don't you know how to cooperate?"

"Sorry." Xue Cheng finally couldn't help laughing, "Because I don't know what expression to use."

"If you don't know what expression to use, just smile." The girl rolled her eyes and muttered, "You acted like you didn't know me, so I thought you would cooperate..."

"I'm sorry, I really didn't recognize you back then," Xue Cheng thought to himself. However, judging by the red hair, the glasses, the white coat, the surrounding instruments, and the "Doctor" Ticonderoga addressed him, it was enough for Xue Cheng to guess his identity.

"Yubari, is there something important that you asked me to come over for?"

"Can't I just come to you if there's nothing wrong?" Yubari said unhappily, his eyes involuntarily drifting to Ticonderoga's left hand, where there was an exquisite ring.

Yubari's delicate eyebrows twitched unconsciously, and then he said self-deprecatingly: "That's right, I'm not the admiral's wedding ship, so of course I don't have such privileges."

"What kind of privilege is it to want to find me? Anyone can do it." Xue Cheng shook his head: "Don't treat me as a great person."

Yu Zhang glanced at Xue Cheng with a strange expression on her face, then lowered her head, not knowing what she was thinking. For a while, until she realized that Ticonderoga was staring at her with a fiery gaze, Yu Zhang finally came to her senses. She fumbled in the pocket of her white coat for a while, and took out a pair of black gloves made of an unknown material that looked extremely thin. She handed them to him, "Ticonderoga, thank you for your hard work. These gloves are my latest invention. Wear them and you can climb like Spider-Man. They can even hold onto glass walls."

A glint of surprise flashed in Ticonderoga's eyes. She almost snatched the gloves from Yubari's hands and put them on her hands impatiently. Then she walked to the edge of the room and began to test the performance of the gloves.

Watching the Ticonderoga in a black tights crawling on the wall, like Spider-Man parasitized by venom in the movie, Xue Cheng had a better understanding of Yubari's black technology. He began to consider whether he should encourage Yubari to make two spider silk launchers to turn the Ticonderoga into a complete form.

"Okay, let's get down to business." Yubari took out a lollipop from his pocket, peeled off the candy wrapper and put it in his mouth, eating it with relish. He snapped his fingers lightly with his right hand, and the floor beside Xue Cheng suddenly slid to one side. A chair and a coffee table quickly rose from the gap. On the coffee table was a cup of hot coffee with a rich aroma.

Seeing Xue Cheng sitting down, Yu Zhang continued, "I didn't come here today because I was bored, but because I have a very important discovery to report to you."

Xue Cheng took a sip of his coffee and asked curiously, "What discovery do you have to report to me? Isn't Lexington in charge of the garrison's affairs?"

"Lexington?" Yubari puffed one cheek and mumbled, "Although we all call her Madam, and she is indeed responsible for most of the affairs of the garrison, you are the only one who truly earns our recognition as our commander. This matter is extremely important, and I must report it to you in person."

Xue Cheng's curiosity was truly piqued. He put down his coffee cup and looked towards Yubari. He saw the girl half-turned sideways, her hands tapping away at the keyboard of the instrument behind her. She said, "Although there's satellite surveillance near the garrison, I've still deployed a number of drones to patrol the nearby waters just in case. Just today, one of them discovered something interesting..."

38. Deep Sea Mutation

As Yubari spoke, a picture quietly appeared on the huge screen behind her.

Under the clear blue sky, a pale-skinned girl wearing a leather bodysuit stood quietly on the sea with her eyes closed. A huge whale-like sea beast nestled beside her. Although he had never seen it with his own eyes, Xue Cheng recognized it at a glance. The girl in the picture was the deep-sea battleship girl who appeared as an enemy in the game, and based on the characteristics of the sea beast, this girl was also a powerful deep-sea battleship.

Could it be that the deep-sea ship girls are about to invade the coastal waters again? Xue Cheng calculated that if the time in this world is equal to that in his original world, then it is almost time for the summer event, and the deep-sea ship girls should also assemble their fleet and prepare for battle.

Just as Xue Cheng was thinking this, something strange happened the next second. A scarlet light suddenly flashed in the eyes of the dark sea beast nestled beside the girl. It let out a creepy growl, raised its huge tail high, and lashed the unsuspecting deep-sea ship girl on the back, sending her flying as easily as a badminton.

After knocking its master away, the dark sea beast still refused to give up. It opened its huge mouth full of sharp fangs, revealing the barrel of a gun deep in its throat. Smoke and dazzling flames spewed out. A cannonball flew over a distance of dozens of meters and accurately hit the girl who had just stabilized her body and had no time to dodge.

"Boom!" Thick smoke mixed with flames exploded and swept the girl in. Even though the drone filming the scene was some distance away from the explosion, it was still shaken violently by the airflow.

Before the drone could stabilize, the dark sea beast that had retaliated against its master opened its mouth again and sprayed shells in the direction of the deep-sea ship girl. For a moment, dazzling flames burst out from the deep-sea ship girl's body, and shells that missed the target kept splashing columns of water on the sea surface.

The pitch-black sea beast's violent attack lasted for two minutes. When it stopped attacking, as the smoke dissipated, most of its clothes were torn, and a girl with her eyes closed appeared. She lay on her back on the sea without moving, and her petite body slowly sank into the sea with the rise and fall of the waves.

At this time, the dark sea beast that sank the deep-sea battleship also moved its eyes flashing with scarlet light towards the camera. With the roar of anti-aircraft machine guns, the picture suddenly fell into darkness, and it seemed that the drone responsible for filming was shot down.

"What's going on?" Xue Cheng's eyes widened. Wasn't that sea beast the ship suit of a deep-sea shipgirl? Why would it suddenly go crazy and attack its master?

Yubari shook his head, chewed up the candy in his mouth and swallowed it, then pulled out a box of chocolate chips from the pocket of his white coat and tossed them into his mouth, muttering, "This question is also very puzzling to me. According to our understanding of deep-sea shipgirls, even the powerful deep-sea flagships don't have the ability to think, let alone turn against their masters."

How do you explain this? Xue Cheng stared at the pitch-black screen, a bad feeling forming in his heart. He was silent for a moment, then glanced at Ticonderoga, who was experimenting with the performance of his gloves on the other side of the room, and asked, "Has this been reported to the higher-ups?"

Yubari ate all the chocolate beans and put her hand into the pocket of her white coat under Xue Cheng's strange gaze. When she pulled her hand out again, an apple appeared in her hand.

"No." Yu Zhang nibbled at his apple and said, "I just discovered this video while checking it, and I haven't had time to report it yet."

After a pause, Yubari looked a little hesitant: "Besides, I don't know if this is a special case. What if it's just a low-probability event? I'm afraid..."

"Admiral, Doctor, I think it's better to report this matter as soon as possible." Ticonderoga walked over and interrupted Yubari.

She had also seen the previous video. Compared to Yubari, who was more adept at scientific research, Ticonderoga had a different view on this matter. "Although the nature of this matter cannot be determined at present, I think it is very likely to become a key node in breaking the balance of power among humans, deep sea, and ship girls."

Xue Cheng asked curiously, "Why do you say that?"

Ticonderoga shrugged. "Because deep-sea shipgirls are impossible to truly destroy. Even if they are sunk, they will awaken from the sea again in a few months or even a year and throw themselves into battle again. They don't need rest, they don't get tired, and they don't even need any supplies. To destroy them, humans and shipgirls need to expend a huge amount of expensive strategic resources."

"A deep-sea shipgirl's body will automatically decay after its functions cease. Its shipsuit, contaminated by the aura of the deep sea, cannot be used again and must be destroyed. If a battle ends without retrieving the shipgirl, it's a waste of resources with no valuable gains at all."

"But things are different now." Ticonderoga looked dimly at the huge screen behind Yubari. "If we can figure out why the deep-sea shipgirls' ship suits rebelled, perhaps we won't have to sacrifice lives and resources to suppress the deep-sea uprising again in the future..."

Xue Cheng nodded silently. Although he had not personally experienced the battle to suppress the deep sea, when he recalled the ship girls who were lined up in front of the bathroom after the large-scale events in the game, some of them were medium-damaged or severely damaged, he could imagine the cruelty of the battle.

Yubari's eyes lit up as he nodded repeatedly, excitedly saying, "Ticonderoga is right. Regardless of whether this incident was accidental or not, it cannot be taken lightly. If we can figure out the secret of the Abyssal Ship's betrayal, perhaps... the battle between humans, shipgirls, and the Abyssal Sea that has lasted for over a decade will end in our hands!"

"However, this research may not be something I can do alone." After the excitement subsided, Yu Zhang took a deep breath, calmed down, looked at Xue Cheng seriously and said, "Admiral, we need the help of the Navy Headquarters and the Governor-General's Office."

……

In a room filled with pink wallpaper and stuffed dolls, full of girlish atmosphere, a girl with long golden hair and a look that was no less beautiful than a Kancolle pushed open the door and walked in. She exuded the fragrance of shower gel, and was wearing a bathrobe, wiping her wet hair with a towel.

"That damn bastard, I don't know what's wrong with him." She casually kicked the door shut, sat down in front of the dressing table, turned on the hair dryer and started to blow dry her hair, muttering resentfully, "Either he's as lazy as a pig in a pigsty, or he's so insanely diligent that I have to work overtime to review reports..."

After complaining a bit, she seemed to remember something, and the resentment between her brows dissipated slightly. "But compared to me, Lexington has it harder. With such an unreliable admiral, the secretary ship everyone in other garrisons wants to be is a hot potato."

39. Ella

After a while, the girl put down the hair dryer and used her fingers to comb her long hair. When she found that her hair had basically returned to dryness, she nodded with satisfaction, took the glasses case beside her, took out a pair of red thin-framed glasses and put them on.

Just as she was about to make a glass of milk, read a book, and go to bed as usual, she suddenly heard a burst of passionate music behind her. She quickly got up and went to the bed, dug out her phone from under the messy clothes, and without checking the caller ID, she put it to her ear and asked casually, "Hello? This is Ella. What's up?"

“…” There was silence in the receiver.

"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?" The girl named Ella shook her cell phone. The signal in her room was a little bad, and it happened occasionally that there was no sound when a call came in, so she didn't take it seriously. She just hung up and called again after making sure there was no response from the other end.

But at this moment, a voice finally came from the receiver. It was a young male voice that seemed somewhat familiar: "Hello, I'm Xue Cheng, the admiral of the nearby garrison."

"Xue Cheng?!" Ella's voice suddenly rose several decibels. She took a deep breath, her lips twitching into a half-smile, and whispered, "Oh, so it's you, our hero who has repeatedly suppressed the deep-sea flagship, Lord Xue Cheng, the Optimus Prime of the Northern Seas. I'm so sorry, but you called me so late at night. Is there something important?"

Hmm? Why is this woman so sharp-tongued? Did I offend her in any way?

Xue Cheng looked at Yubari beside him, and felt a little regretful that he did not ask Ella's temper clearly after getting her phone number, and acted rashly.

But then again, Xue Cheng hadn't expected Ella, who served as a guide and tactical instructor for new players in the game, to actually hold such a high position of power in this world. Could it be that he harbored a certain amount of contempt for her, unconsciously showing it in his words, and she'd noticed? That would be troublesome; it was hard to offend someone like that...