Elder brother's garrison

Chao Da was completely stunned by Xiao Bai's remarks and couldn't help but feel a little confused.

"Don't worry, don't worry, it's pretty good here too." Xiaobai took Chao Yamato's hand in his, patted the back of Chao Yamato's hand gently, and smiled at Chao Yamato.

“Admiral, but…”

"Don't worry, don't worry." Xiaobai said with a sweet smile, teasing Chaodahe's palm with her fingers.

"..." Chao Da opened his mouth.

But at that very moment, just as Chaoda was about to say something, he suddenly realized that Xiaobai's fingers, which were fiddling with his palm, seemed to be moving in a rhythmic pattern.

The pattern of these finger movements... is somewhat like human writing.

It looks like three characters are being written...

After a brief moment of perception, the three words were "交" (jiao), "给" (gei), and "我" (wo).

Leave it to me...

The giant and silent gaze watched the smiling Little White.

"How about we stay here?" Xiaobai asked Chaodahe.

"..." Chao Dahe lowered his head silently and nodded gently, "Mmm..."

"Phew." Xiaobai breathed a sigh of relief, released Chao Yamato's hand, and smiled at Frederick the Great. "Frederick, is everything alright now?"

"Welcome, Pachina and Super Yamato." The stern aura of Frederick the Great finally disappeared completely. She slowly stepped forward, bent down, and took one of Shiro's hands in hers, holding it tightly together with both hands. "From now on, you two are our family... We will share joys and sorrows, enjoy the same ocean, breathe the same air, and be one with each other."

"..." Little White blinked as he looked at Frederick the Great.

Frederick the Great released Shiro's hand, then walked to Super Yamato's side, gently patted Super Yamato's shoulder, and then turned to look at Zuikaku.

“Deep Sea Crane, take your new companions to the city and find a satisfactory home.”

“…Hmm.” Deep Sea Zuikaku responded, nodding slightly.

"Also, this is the White Camel Mountain Bone Strengthening Powder that our new companions brought us. It can heal unexpected injuries." Frederick the Great picked up a bunch of rapid-fire devices from behind him and walked towards the Deep Sea Crane. "Given your relationship with your new companions, we gave you a larger share during the distribution. This is your portion."

"..." Deep Sea Zuikaku silently accepted the rapid repair device, turned around, and walked towards the door without saying goodbye to Shiro and Chao Yamato.

Xiaobai looked around for a moment, then smiled awkwardly at the Deep Sea Deans present. She then pulled Chaoda and left the conference hall, following Deep Sea Zuikaku's steps.

"Admiral, we..." As soon as they left the conference hall, Chao Yamato eagerly opened his mouth to Xiaobai with concern.

"Shh—" Xiaobai quickly made a shushing gesture to Chaodahe, then pointed in the direction of the hall, indicating that the distance was not beyond the keen hearing of Dean Shenhai.

"..." Chao Dahe was stunned for a moment, then nodded quickly, pursed his lips and lowered his head.

Shiro and Yamato followed the Abyssal Zuikaku down the stairs and left the floor where the conference hall was located, then walked down floor by floor.

After descending four or five flights of stairs, the one at the front, Zuikaku, finally spoke: "I told you before, you shouldn't have come here."

"Uh... um..." Xiaobai scratched his head and gave the Deep Sea Zuikaku an awkward smile. "I understand..."

“Even if I lose a dozen or so deep-sea corvettes, they won’t harm me. At most, they’ll confine me for a while. Once my confinement is over, I can return to the surface to find you.” Deep-sea Zuikaku held the rapid repair device, her head slightly lowered, and muttered to herself in a somber tone, “You shouldn’t have come here…you shouldn’t have met Savoy…and you shouldn’t have revealed our relationship. Although Savoy doesn’t know my plans, she loves to provoke others, especially me.”

“Yes…” Xiaobai gave a wry smile upon hearing this.

Savoy probably brought himself and the Great Khan into this city on purpose, and then took him to see Frederick the Great.

As for the reason...

Ugh.

Xiaobai doesn't quite understand Savoy's life pursuits, but if you think about it from her perspective—perhaps simply leading two strangers to see the perpetually expressionless and boring woman, Fukami Zuikaku, show an angry expression—wouldn't that be an interesting development for Savoy herself?

"He really isn't a good person..." Xiaobai sighed.

“…” Deep Sea Crane.

"Miss Sumirekaku, what are you planning to do now?" Shiro asked Sumirekaku.

"what?"

“You should know my true identity, right…” Xiaobai said to Shenhai Zuikaku, “Me and Chao Yamato are not just simple Shenhai Deans… Look, I’ve already infiltrated your ranks. That must be a terrible thing for you, right? Are you going to tell Frederick the Great and the others about this?”

"..." Shenhai Zuikaku glanced over and looked Xiaobai up and down before slowly saying, "You came to the city to find me this time, which is equivalent to telling them that I have a very close relationship with you. If your identity is exposed and you become an enemy, then I, who have a close relationship with you, will naturally become their enemy as well. Therefore, I will not tell them this."

"Haha, I see." Upon hearing this, Xiaobai smiled slightly at Shenhai Zuikaku. "So, we're still close comrades-in-arms?"

Chapter 1966 Frederick's Mark

“I don’t think this is something that should bring you joy.” Deep Sea Zuikaku looked at Shiro and said calmly, “You seem to be completely unaware of your current situation. You and your companions are now imprisoned in this ruined city, and you will never be able to leave.”

"Uh...that's true." Xiaobai smiled awkwardly, scratching her head. "But...things will work themselves out..."

Deep Sea Crane silently watched Xiao Bai's seemingly detached expression, and for a long time seemed to fall into deep thought, remaining silent.

After a while, the deep-sea Zuikaku, having snapped out of its reverie, opened its mouth slightly and uttered a few words to Shiro with a sigh.

"...There's no way to escape."

"what?"

“You…can’t escape.” Shinkai Zuikaku looked up at the sky filled with thick fog and said softly, “No matter what method we use, neither you nor I can escape from this city.”

"Huh? Could it be... that layer of black mist outside is only for entering, not exiting?"

"No, the black mist wall is just a denser aura of the deep sea; it doesn't restrict movement through it."

"Uh... so there are heavy guards around the walls?"

"There are only a few of us Deep Sea Deans in the city, and a few hundred Deep Sea Frigates. With the intelligence of Deep Sea Frigates, they are not capable of guarding the wall."

"...From what you've said, it seems quite easy to leave this place." Xiaobai looked puzzled. "Besides...didn't you, Miss Akami Zuikaku, easily escape to safe waters and wage guerrilla warfare against us all by yourself? Even Miss Savoy encountered us outside the city. Leaving here shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"

“I have never escaped from here.” Shenhai Zuikaku slowly stopped, raised her hand and looked down at her palm, then turned around and handed her hand to Xiaobai.

"?" Xiaobai was taken aback. She subconsciously reached out and grasped Shenhai Ruihe's hand, then habitually shook it up and down.

The palm of the deep-sea crane is slender, cold, and boneless.

Xiao Bai said he felt pretty good holding it.

“…This isn’t a handshake.” After a moment of silence, Shenhai Zuikaku reminded Xiaobai, “I want you to look closely at my palm.”

"Huh? Isn't that right? Uh... I'm sorry..." Xiaobai quickly released Shenhai Zuikaku's hand, then lifted Shenhai Zuikaku's slender hand with one hand, with the palm facing her.

Deep Sea Crane's hands were beautiful, with translucent nails and slender, elegant fingers—a pair of hands that were not only aesthetically pleasing but also practical. As Xiaobai admired Deep Sea Crane's snow-white hands, she suddenly noticed a faint golden light shimmering in the palm of her hand.

This golden light was extremely faint and dim, so faint that even if Xiaobai, with her ship girl-level eyes, observed it carefully, she would easily overlook it if she didn't look closely.

"Miss Suikaku, this is in your palm..."

“It’s a mark.” As Xiaobai looked on with disappointment, Shenhai Zuikaku withdrew her hand. She lowered her hand and said calmly to Xiaobai, “This is something Frederick planted in us. As long as this thing is still in our bodies, she can always find us. No matter where we run to, she can rush straight to us, defeat us, and bring us here.”

“Marked…uh…but I don’t remember Frederick doing that to us…”

"You have it too. In the same spot."

"Huh?!" Xiaobai quickly raised his hand to look at his palm.

really.

Xiao Bai discovered that there was a very hidden golden spot in the very center of his palm.

Xiaobai looked up and met the eyes of the Deep Sea Zuikaku: "When exactly was this mark created...?"

"When she held your hand just now."

"...Ah, is it the time for the oath..." Xiaobai suddenly remembered the way Frederick the Great bent down and held her hand to swear an oath after she agreed to join the city, and realized, "So it wasn't just a ceremony to join the city... Uh, but Frederick only held my hand, did Super Dahe have it on his body too?"

"Think about whether Frederick touched her body."

"Hmm..." Xiaobai frowned and thought for a while, then turned to Chao Yamato and beckoned to it with his finger, "Chao Yamato, bend down."

"Oh, oh..." Chao Da nodded and bent down.

Xiaobai approached Chao Yamato, reached out and pulled at Chao Yamato's collar, skillfully unbuttoning it to reveal a large expanse of cleavage that dangled naturally below the collar, leaping into Xiaobai's eyes.

Xiao Bai's gaze quickly shifted to the oversized and snow-white, crystal-clear shoulders.

Xiaobai remembers that after taking the oath, Frederick the Great gently patted Yamato on the shoulder.

really.

Just as Xiaobai pulled open Chaoda's clothes on his shoulders, she indeed saw a very tiny golden spot on Chaoda's right shoulder.

"So we've all been marked by Frederick the Great..." Shiro said to himself, letting go of the collar of the super-Yamato.

“…Now you should understand.” Deep Sea Zuikaku closed his eyes and said to Little White, “With this mark, no matter where you run to, you can’t escape Frederick’s grasp. Once you leave the city without her permission, Frederick will be alerted, and all the Deep Sea Deans will be mobilized immediately to bring you back.”

"..." Little White blinked, looked at her palm, and murmured softly, "So that's how it is..."

"..." The Deep Sea Zuikaku silently looked at Shiro, then looked up at the blushing Yamato who was buttoning his collar, a faint shadow of gloom flashing across his eyes, before softly saying, "...Come with me, I'll take you to the city to choose a place to stay."

"Oh, oh..." Xiaobai clenched her fist and smiled at the Deep Sea Crane. "Okay."

Even though Fukami Zuikaku had just told Shiro a lot about her current state, and indicated that both of them had been marked by Frederick and could never leave the city, what Fukami Zuikaku couldn't understand was that Shiro's reaction was still somewhat naive and carefree, as if she didn't care at all about her "imprisoned" state.

“…” Deep Sea Crane.

The deep-sea crane continued leading Shiro and Super Yamato down the tower.

"Speaking of which, Miss Fukami Zuikaku, about the details of the deal we discussed before..." On the way, Xiaobai seemed to remember something and asked Fukami Zuikaku.

"It doesn't matter anymore."

“Hmm…I know.” Xiaobai nodded, put her hands behind her back, moved closer to Shenhai Zuikaku, and smiled gently at her, “Even if you didn’t tell me, Miss Shenhai Zuikaku, I can pretty much guess what the deal is about now.”

"..."

"It's... freedom, right?"

"..."

“Miss Zuikaku, you also have a mark on your hand. So, you must be one of us, imprisoned here by Frederick the Great and his women, right? Hmm… how should I put it? Although I don’t fully understand what happened, based on how disappointed you looked when you saw me… I can roughly guess that what you wanted to ask of me was something like leading the ship girls to defeat Frederick the Great, destroy this city… and then give you your freedom, right?” Shiro asked Zuikaku. “Including when you stopped fighting us, concealed our existence from Frederick and his women, and even tested our combat strength time and time again, you probably wanted to see if we had the ability to fight against Frederick the Great and his women, right?”

"..." Deep Sea Zuikaku remained expressionless.

"It seems that's indeed the case..." Xiaobai sighed.

"...Now that things have come to this, whatever the plan was, it's meaningless." Abyssal Zuikaku no longer looked directly at Shiro. She calmly gazed at the floor before her and slowly said, "You're imprisoned here by Frederick and the others, never to leave this city... Our deal ended before it even began. In a few days, once you've settled down, I'll report the situation on the shore to Frederick. Without your command, the ship girls on the shore will eventually sink into this sea, becoming nourishment for the ocean floor."

"Hey, wait!" Little White quickly raised her hand. "Don't rush..."

"Give it up."

"Ahem... well... how about this, Deep Sea Zuikaku, give me... two days, okay? After two days, I'll support whatever you want to do, and I'll fully cooperate with you!" Xiaobai held up two fingers to Deep Sea Zuikaku. "But during these two days, I hope you can continue to keep it a secret from Frederick and the others."

"..." Shenhai Zuikaku looked over coldly, "...Then two days."

Seemingly considering that Xiaobai was in the same boat as him, Shenhai Zuikaku made considerable concessions to Xiaobai.

Xiao Bai breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the Deep Sea Crane.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Fukami Zuikaku. Now, take us to find a place to stay."

"..."

……

The ruined city covers a large area and has many buildings, but... most of them are already half-collapsed garbage buildings. Even if you are as tough as the deep sea, you can't live in an environment where you sink into a pit with every step. Under the guidance of the deep sea crane, Xiaobai found a building in the western corner of the city that was not severely collapsed. Then, he entered the building and found a relatively intact and clean floor that was still habitable.

"Have you chosen this place?" Deep Sea Crane asked Little White from inside the building. "There are still many places in the city that you haven't seen yet."

"Okay, this will do." Xiaobai looked around and nodded to the Deep Sea Crane. "It's quite clean, and the place is very spacious, enough for us."

"I'll keep this from them for two days... I'll come back to you in two days." Deep Sea Zuikaku silently turned and left.

"Bye-bye~" Xiaobai smiled and waved, watching Shenhai Ruihe leave the building and disappear on the waterway.

After the figure of the Deep Sea Crane disappeared, Xiaobai lowered her hands, put her hands on her hips, looked around, and sighed with a wry smile.

"Sigh... If this were in human society, this would definitely be a dangerous building..." Xiaobai turned around and saw Chaoda and Heju standing behind him, looking at him with worry.

"Admiral...we really have to stay here..." Chao Dahe looked at Xiaobai with a wronged expression.

"Pfft." Xiaobai couldn't help but laugh. She waved her hand and shook her head at Chaoda and said, "How could that be... those were obviously just excuses to get it over with quickly. It's almost dawn, and we're in a hurry to get back to the naval base. We don't have time to fight them."

Super Yamato's expression brightened quickly, but then something seemed to come to mind, and he began to worry: "Ah, Admiral... the marks on our bodies..."

"Hmm... marking that thing, I really didn't expect that... but it should be fine." Xiaobai raised her hand, looking at the golden light in her palm with a smile.

The golden dots on Xiaobai's palm penetrate deep under the skin, as if they were growing inside the flesh.

"Hmm... If I just extinguish it like this, will it alert Frederick? I guess this kind of delicate operation isn't for me..." Xiaobai murmured, closing her eyes and then slowly opening them.