Elder brother's garrison

The unfamiliar ship girls screamed in shock. They instinctively didn't want to believe it, but the strange phenomenon before them left them no room for doubt.

A beam of light shot into the sky and lasted for several tens of seconds.

Finally, the light faded.

A large hole appeared in the cloud-shrouded sky of the entire eighth chapter.

"Wow... As expected of a research and construction machine, it's really impressive." Little White looked up at the hole torn open in the sky and smiled. "It feels about as powerful as a laser cannon..."

Xiao Bai lowered his head and looked at the first technological lock that had fallen into his hand.

The lock's outer shell also became extremely fragile at this moment; a gust of sea breeze and the technological lock instantly turned into dust and scattered.

"Hmm...?" Xiaobai frowned, suddenly feeling a strange sensation in her palm. She clenched her fist and shook it to disperse the powder on her hand before opening it. "Eh... this..."

After the technological lock disappeared, what remained in Xiaobai's palm was a pink stone the size of a fingertip.

The stone emitted a faint light, and strange fluctuations emanated from it.

This thing... is it deep-sea metal?

Xiao Bai stared at the stone with a puzzled look, finding it very strange.

Xiao Bai has tasted many high-quality deep-sea metals and a whole bunch of deep-sea dean metals. She considers herself a master-level appraiser in the field of deep-sea metals. However, the deep-sea metal in her hand is completely different from all the deep-sea metals she has used before.

They are different shapes.

The aura is different.

smell……

Xiao Bai brought the deep-sea metal to its mouth, preparing to take a bite.

"Huh? Little White, what is this..." Just then, Nia, who was standing to the side, saw the stone in Little White's hand and was immediately surprised.

“I don’t know what this is either.” Xiaobai quickly put down the deep-sea metal. She shook her head, but soon smiled again. “However… it shouldn’t be anything ordinary.”

—That was close.

—I almost couldn't resist and ate one.

"Could this be the reward for unlocking the lock?!"

"It seems the first person to unlock the lock didn't lose out."

Xiaobai held the pink stone, turned her head to look at Nia, and the two of them smiled.

Xiao Bai turned his gaze back to the scientific research and construction machine in front of him.

One of the three locks that originally bound the research and construction machine has disappeared, leaving only two that are still firmly fastened. Perhaps because of the missing lock, the entire research and construction machine seems to exude a strong aura of activity, as if some kind of life form is brewing within it.

Xiao Bai reached out and tapped on the second tech lock.

The golden projection light appeared just like before.

Another bunch of tedious and lengthy questions.

"We still need to do practice problems..."

Xiaobai murmured a few times, glanced at the golden projection, then loosened the lock, and the golden projection disappeared.

"Nia, let's go back."

"it is good!"

The ship girls, carrying Shiro and Nia, turned around and made as if to walk towards the beach.

The unfamiliar ship girls were soaked to the bone by the waves. They stood on the water, watching Xiaobai and his group sail away gracefully, and it was only after a long, long time that they came to their senses.

"Ah...she, they really, they've gotten it off..."

"Does this mean all that work we did copying the test questions was for nothing...?"

The ship girls asked each other questions, looking at each other with blank stares.

A few more seconds passed.

"Oh no! I have to copy the second lock problem right away!!"

It's unclear which ship girl let out a scream, but all the ship girls present rolled up their sleeves and sprinted towards the research and construction machine.

……

On the beach.

All the admirals on the beach sensed the unusual activity coming from the research and construction machine.

Seeing the towering pillar of light and the churning sea, the admirals present all stopped what they were doing and stared wide-eyed.

—Although they didn't see it with their own eyes, all the admirals had a feeling about it.

The first lock on the scientific research and construction machine has been unlocked!

Who solved it?!

Who solved it?!

Who solved it?!

The admirals on the beach all stood up and searched the sea with eager expressions.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of all the admirals, a group of ship girls slowly returned from the sea, and two young female admirals appeared in the sight of all the admirals.

Upon seeing these two admirals, the admirals on the beach were speechless for a moment.

Aren't these two admirals the ones who supposedly obtained Admiral Fang Jie's manuscript?

Let's leave aside the red-haired Admiral Nia. As a well-known rookie admiral, everyone present was familiar with her—she wasn't good at math and never participated in the competition for research ship girls.

The other white-haired admiral next to Nia, although none of the admirals present recognized her, everyone knew that she was a new admiral who had only recently arrived at Chapter 8. Despite her extraordinary talent and brilliant ability in mathematics, she simply didn't have the time to solve the research problem that had been troubling the admirals for a month.

How did they manage to unlock the first scientific research barrier in just one night?

Is it...

Could it be that……

So it really is because of Admiral Fang Jie's manuscript?

Admiral Fang Jie is the most promising mathematical genius among individual admirals in the entire eighth chapter of the sea, capable of cracking the first technological lock. Could it be that he solved all the problems of the first technological lock early on, and then, through some kind of deal yesterday, handed over the answer to the technological lock to these two girls?

—This is the only way!

—This is the only possible answer!

Admiral Fang Jie is the real "mastermind"!

Admiral Fang Jie is using this method to tell everyone in Chapter 8 that those who receive Fang Jie's assistance are essentially getting a research ship girl!

Upon realizing this, most of the admirals on the beach instantly turned their gazes, casting their fiery and intense eyes upon Admiral Fang Jie in the corner of the beach.

In an instant, thousands of eyes converged on Admiral Fang Jie, who stood in the corner of the beach with his mouth agape.

Chapter 2612 Identifying the Pink Stone

Feeling the undisguised, fiery gazes directed at him from all directions on the beach, Admiral Fang Jie was momentarily dumbfounded.

How...how could this happen...?

"Holy crap, Lao Fang! Look, the ones who unlocked the first research puzzle were those two girls from yesterday!" Admiral Fang's friends, looking at Xiaobai and Nia returning from the sea, slapped their thighs and exclaimed, "They actually solved the research problem in just one night! It must be your manuscript that worked!"

"No, how could that be? My manuscript is only about three-quarters complete..." Admiral Fang quickly explained.

Admiral Fang Jie was quite self-aware. Although his manuscript progress was faster than that of the average admiral, he was still far from unlocking all the research questions for the first lock. There were still several extremely difficult and complicated final questions left for the first lock. Even if he devoted himself to solving those questions, it would take him at least a week!

Heaven knows how those two girls who got their hands on the manuscript managed to solve the remaining puzzles!

Thinking of this, Admiral Fang Jie's face turned somewhat pale.

"Well done, Lao Fang! You've been keeping a low profile!"

"You even kept it from your own brothers, huh!"

"Wow, that's some nerve! You actually gave away all the answers to the first research question. You must have your eye on those two girls!"

"..."

However, even though Admiral Fang Jie tried his best to explain, none of his friends around him took his explanation seriously.

In the eyes of these friends, Admiral Fang Jie's explanation was particularly weak.

After all... believing Admiral Fang Jie's explanation is tantamount to believing that two immature girls solved the mathematical problem that had troubled all the admirals of Chapter 8 in just one night on their own.

What a joke!

Don't underestimate math, you idiot!

Without Fang Jie's help, no one present would have believed it!

Yesterday, Admiral Fang Jie delivered the manuscript to these two girls, and this morning they solved the research problem. The timing is too coincidental. No matter how you look at it, these two things are inextricably linked!

This must be thanks to Admiral Fang Jie!

No, this can only be attributed to Admiral Fang Jie!

The gazes cast from all directions grew even more intense the moment they saw Admiral Fang Jie's friends joining in the commotion.

"Excuse me, are you Admiral Fang? It's a pleasure to meet you. Would you do me the honor of having dinner with me?" A beautiful female admiral stepped forward, her beautiful eyes sparkling with admiration as she looked at Admiral Fang Jie.

"Admiral Fang! I've long admired your name. What a coincidence! We're both in Chapter Eight. I've always wanted to get to know you better. What do you think?" A burly, strong admiral strode over with a booming voice.

"Admiral Fang Jie—"

"Admiral Fang Jie..."

"square……"

In an instant, a large number of admirals swarmed around Fang Jie like bees smelling the fragrance of flowers, and a chorus of invitations rose and fell around him.

"Holy crap! Old Fang, you're famous!" Fang Jie's friends shouted loudly.

However, compared to the enthusiastic admirals and cheering friends around him, Admiral Fang Jie began to tremble.

Looking around at the scene, especially at the admirals rushing in from all directions with their faces full of naked desire and fervor, a strong sense of crisis and guilt enveloped him—these people did not come for him; they just wanted to obtain the research ship girls. They misunderstood the matter and regarded him as the one who would solve the research problem!

"No, no, no, it's not me! It's not me! You've got the wrong person! It's not me! It's not me!" Admiral Fang Jie screamed, covering his ears, and ran frantically towards the city.

"Hey! Admiral Fang Jie, don't run away!!"

"Admiral Fang—"

"Old Fang————"

When the admirals on the beach saw that Admiral Fang Jie had run away, their eyes sharpened and they quickly gave chase.

In an instant, the crowd on the beach was bustling with activity.

In the distance, Xiaobai and Nia's group, who had just landed on the sea, looked on in surprise as they watched the huge crowd gradually disappear into the distance.

"Huh? Did a big star appear in the 8-1 sea area? Why are people all rushing to the city?" Xiaobai looked at the scene on the beach and was surprised.

"The admiral of Chapter 8 probably doesn't have the habit of following celebrities..." Nia also looked at the departing crowd with a strange expression.

"So what were these admirals chasing after?"

"do not know."

Xiaobai and Nia exchanged a glance, and after a brief blink, they both smiled.

"Forget it, never mind!"

"It's a good thing anyway!"

"It's much better than us being surrounded by these admirals!"

"Yeah, the commotion when we unlocked the first lock was so big, I thought the admirals on the beach had all noticed." Xiaobai breathed a sigh of relief. "Looks like we can sneak away now."

As the "culprit" who unlocked the first research lock, Xiaobai and Nia's group were fortunate enough not to attract too much attention from the admirals on the beach.

Xiaobai and Nia left the beach and headed home.

"Hey? That's right! Little White!"

As they passed the gates of the Admiral's Guild, Nia looked in the direction of the Admiral's Guild for a while, then suddenly turned to Little White and said excitedly.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Little White, when you unlocked the first lock, didn't you get a strange little pink stone?" Nia held up a finger to Little White, saying with a hint of excitement, "Since we don't know what that little stone is, why don't we take it to the Admiral's Guild and have it appraised by a professional? There are many capable people in the Admiral's Guild; perhaps someone will recognize it!"