Elder brother's garrison

"In short, leave Changchun to me." Xiaobai said to Anshan in front of him, "The agreement between you and her has been made, so it's not convenient for me to interfere anymore. However, I will try my best to reduce the punishment in Changchun, at least to the point that you won't have to be her body pillow every day."

"Really! Comrade, you're so kind!" Upon hearing that Xiaobai was going to help him, Anshan was so moved that he clenched his hands tightly against his chest.

"It's alright, it's alright. Helping you is helping me too..." Xiaobai smiled.

"Comrade, I knew you were destined for great things!" Anshan gave Xiaobai a thumbs up, then looked around at the crowd, blinked, and asked Xiaobai, "Ah... by the way, comrade, after the exercise ends, will I be able to move around freely for a while?"

"Sure," Xiaobai nodded with a smile. "Do you have something to do?"

"Hehe, Changchun is soaking in the recovery pool by herself right now. After all, I'm the one who caused her injury, so as her older sister, I should go and keep her company." Anshan said, puffing out her full chest.

“There must be more than just her in Changchun… but if you want to go, go ahead.” Xiaobai thought of the ship girls who had just left with Changchun, but then smiled at Anshan, “Have fun, and if you need anything, just come find me.”

"understand!"

Anshan patted his behind, waved to everyone with a smile, and then jogged away.

Xiao Bai watched Anshan leave with a smile, then slowly turned her head and smiled at Nia beside her.

"Nia, what do you think of Anshan?"

"As expected of a ship girl made of ship girl metal, she's truly unique." Nia said with admiration, "Despite being a destroyer, she gives off a sense of security that's akin to a battleship or an aircraft carrier."

"Nia, you mean mature, right?"

"Yes!"

"I guess that's the unique aura of older sister-type ship girls," Xiaobai murmured softly, then looked at Luo Lian on the other side, "Lianlian, what do you think of Anshan?"

Luo Lian had been looking down and thinking very seriously from the beginning, until Xiao Bai called out to her, which brought her back to her senses.

Luo Lian looked in the direction Anshan had left, her gaze shifting.

"Hmm... to be honest, I'm a little disappointed," Luo Lian said calmly.

"Huh? Disappointed?" Xiaobai and Nia were stunned when they heard Luo Lian's words.

Was Luo Lian actually disappointed with Anshan?

what happened?

Didn't Anshan just beat Changchun in the exercise?

Who is Changchun?

Changchun is a ship girl from the newbie naval base, and one of its main ships. Don't be fooled by her soft-spoken, obedient, and seemingly harmless demeanor, like a newlywed bride. In reality, Changchun is considered a top-tier ship girl in the entire ship girl community. Xiaobai admits that the previous exercise was somewhat exaggerated, but regardless, Anshan's victory is a victory. For a newbie ship girl who has just stepped out of the construction facility, this is already a magnificent achievement that she can boast about for a lifetime.

Seeing that Xiaobai and Nia were looking at her with surprise, Luo Lian seemed to understand what they were thinking. She then said to the two of them, "Oh, judging from the results of the exercise just now, Anshan is a ship girl with great potential. Even if she were placed in your naval base, Xiaobai, she would be able to shine brightly."

"Then Lianlian, you said you were very disappointed with Anshan..."

"The disappointment I'm talking about isn't what you think it means." Luo Lian shook her head and said to Xiao Bai, "The disappointment I'm talking about is just that I didn't see some of the things I wanted to see in Anshan."

"What do you want to see?"

"Xiaobai, you also said that Anshan is the reward for the first lock of the scientific research construction machine." Luo Lian paused slightly after saying this to Xiaobai, and then continued to ask, "So, Xiaobai, have you ever thought about why the reward for the first lock of the scientific research construction machine is Anshan?"

"Uh..." Xiaobai was speechless for a moment.

This is a question that even a novice like me has never thought about.

"That reward... wasn't it just given out randomly?" Nia asked curiously from the side.

Yes, yes.

Xiao Bai nodded to Luo Lian, looking at her with curiosity.

“Although I haven’t seen that research and construction machine in person, through our first encounter, I can clearly tell that it’s more logical than many people imagine.” Luo Lian shook her head and said to Xiao Bai and Nia, “Xiao Bai, do you remember that before the exercise started, I was studying the research questions for the second lock?”

“Yes, I remember.” Xiaobai nodded. “Lianlian, you also said that the second lock was much harder than the first one.”

“It’s a leap in difficulty.” Luo Lian thought for a while and said to Xiao Bai, “To put it in a way that you can understand, if the questions in the first lock involve the four arithmetic operations, then the questions in the second lock involve advanced calculus.”

"Huh? The difficulty has increased so dramatically?" Xiaobai exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes.” Luo Lian nodded. “If it’s this difficult, it won’t take long. Those admirals on the beach who are trying to unlock the second lock will probably be screaming and howling.”

"...Actually, they were already howling like ghosts when they locked the first lock."

"Really?" Luo Lian blinked and said sincerely to Xiao Bai, "Then they're pretty bad."

"..." Xiaobai and Nia smiled wryly.

The gap between top students and struggling students is as wide as the gap between lucky and unlucky students...

"Forget about those people on the beach for now." Luo Lian shook her head and continued to speak to Xiao Bai, "Let's get back to the main point. Didn't I tell you before that there was a shortcut to solving the second lock?"

"It seems like I did say that..." Xiaobai nodded.

"I only had a vague intuition at the time, so I didn't dare to tell you directly." Luo Lian looked back at the ground and searched around before bending down to pick up the second lock's question paper. She held the paper up and faced Xiao Bai and Nia, then said seriously, "However, after some time of exploration and confirmation, I'm pretty sure that there is indeed a shortcut to this set of questions, and the shortcut to solving it is right there in the answer to the first lock."

"Really?" Xiaobai and Nia's eyes widened upon hearing this.

What Luo Lian said... was a huge piece of information!

“That’s right. That’s why there’s such a big difference in difficulty between the first lock and the second lock.” Luo Lian held the paper in her hands and looked at it as she spoke. “There’s only one answer. The first lock isn’t a question at all. It’s an instruction manual.”

"Tell me, the instruction manual??"

“Although the second lock is very difficult, if you match the second lock with the first lock one by one, you will find something amazing,” Luo Lian said. “That is, the key to unlocking the second lock is actually the knowledge used in the first lock.”

After Luo Lian said those words, Xiao Bai and Nia were both stunned and remained silent for a long time.

It took Xiaobai and Nia quite a while to realize what was happening.

"Yuan, so that's how it is?"

“Yes, the first lock isn’t very difficult, but the knowledge it contains is unprecedented.” Luo Lian nodded to Xiao Bai and Nia and said, “The purpose of the first lock is to teach you this novel knowledge in the form of simple and easy practice problems. The real problems that require using that knowledge to solve are actually all in the second lock. In other words, there is a first lock before there is a second lock. No one can start solving the problem directly from the second lock. This is the logical relationship of the scientific research construction machine that I just mentioned.”

Xiao Bai and Nia stared blankly at Luo Lian, their minds processing the words Luo Lian had just said.

Only those who have unlocked the first lock can unlock the second.

Is this the logic behind the scientific research construction machine that Luo Lian just mentioned?

"Little, Little White, did I...did I hear something I shouldn't have?" Nia asked Little White with a worried look. "Such important information, and I just overheard it so easily. What if I accidentally leaked it out...or, why don't you get a ship girl to punch me right now and make me lose all my memories of this period of time!"

"...That's really unnecessary." Xiaobai looked at Nia's worried expression and couldn't help but smile wryly. She patted Nia's shoulder and turned to Luo Lian, saying, "Lianlian, I understand. This research and construction machine does indeed have a self-consistent logic... But what does this have to do with Anshan?"

“As a reward for the scientific research and construction machine, I think Anshan should be closely related to unlocking the second lock,” Luo Lian said. “—According to this logic, even if Anshan is not the essential key for us to unlock the second lock, she should at least be a special shortcut that we can follow.”

"I see, that's what Lianlian was thinking..."

“Yes, I wanted to see how Anshan fought before, because I wanted to see how this special ship girl was different from ordinary ship girls.” Luo Lian said, her expression suddenly turned regretful. She shook her head and said to Xiaobai, “Unfortunately, in the end, Anshan was just an ordinary but very powerful ship girl.”

"Ordinary but very powerful ship girls"... When these two contradictory adjectives, which are almost antonyms, appear together, it really gives people a sense of helplessness.

That's right.

However, seeing the obvious regret on Luo Lian's face, Xiao Bai understood what Luo Lian wanted to express.

Chapter 2636 Swimsuit Return

Anshan is indeed very special.

Anshan is a special ship girl created through a special ship girl metal, a reward from the first research lock of the research construction machine. Perhaps because she was modified at birth, Anshan lacked a chance to be modified and starred up, so her ship equipment attributes are slightly weaker than her younger sister Changchun.

However, although the ship's equipment attributes are somewhat weak, Anshan's skills are extremely powerful.

Anshan's skill "Strive for the Top" not only enhances her attack effects but also strengthens the weapons she holds. Although the skill looks simple and not flashy at all, its effect is extremely brutal. Especially with this double enhancement, the mutual buffs make Anshan's output ability leap to a terrifying level that her ship equipment attributes shouldn't have. Even the worst exercise fireworks missiles in her hands can be used to blast Xiao Changchun into a small damaged state with one shot. Xiaobai can't even imagine how much energy Anshan's slender body could unleash if she got the top-level missile equipment of the newbie naval base.

At least in terms of combat power, Anshan is definitely a special ship girl.

But Anshan's "specialness" was not the "specialness" Luo Lian had hoped for.

"It's such a pity. If Anshan's training level had reached the maximum on its own, instead of you helping her improve, Xiaobai, I would have been quite satisfied," Luo Lian said regretfully to Xiaobai.

"Well..." Xiaobai smiled awkwardly, "Lianlian, don't be discouraged... Anshan might really have something special about her, as you said. It's just that we haven't spent much time together yet. Maybe as we spend more time together, we'll suddenly discover her connection to the scientific research and construction machine."

“That’s true.” Luo Lian nodded after hearing Xiao Bai’s words. “Anyway, Anshan won’t run away.”

"Is it possible that Anshan can actually solve the problem?" Nia, who had been listening for a while, cautiously raised her hand. "For example, Anshan might actually have a great talent for math and could easily solve the second problem... or something like that."

"Lianlian, what do you think?" Xiaobai looked at Luo Lian.

“It’s worth a try.” Luo Lian nodded, but there was no expectation in her eyes.

Anshan is currently cleaning up the pond with Changchun.

Xiao Bai didn't want to call her out directly right away, so he simply sat down with Luo Lian and Nia by the pool.

After the exercise, the training ground in front of Xiaobai and the other two naturally turned into a playground for the ship girls.

The ship girls pulled out all sorts of swimsuits from who-knows-where, and they all ran into the pool, splashing and playing in the water.

sunny.

In a pool spanning thousands of square meters, hundreds of ship girls dressed in various swimsuits were having a great time. The pool was filled with the figures of the ship girls, some cute, some innocent, some sexy, all heavy and white, and together with the clear, cool water, they looked exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

Kaohsiung and Atago, dressed in white bikinis, joined a large group of ship girls in playing volleyball on the water.

These two ship girls from Nia's family already have excellent figures, and they always look exceptionally pleasing to the eye whenever they swing their arms to hit the volleyball.

"Where did you buy Atago and Takao's swimsuits?" Shiro asked Nia beside her.

“Hmm…their swimsuits weren’t bought, they were clothes they were born with.” Nia nodded, then said to Xiaobai, “Those can also be considered a type of ship uniform.”

"Eh?"

“For some reason, my ship girls seem to have at least one other set of clothes besides their original ship uniform after they are built. However, they don’t usually wear those clothes outside.” Nia said to Xiaobai, also looking puzzled. “I’ve asked some other admirals occasionally, and they said it’s the first time they’ve seen this situation before.”

"Cleveland too?"

“Yes, besides this one, Cleveland also has a very handsome suit,” Nia said with a smile.

"And what about Veneto?"

“Veneto’s swimsuit is so pretty! Even I, a girl, think it looks great,” Nia said, covering her mouth with a smile.

"Littorio?"

"Xiaobai, you should really take a look at Littorio's other outfit; that black dress is especially mature."

"Eh..." Xiaobai blinked and looked at the Veneto family of three behind her. "Then, what about the Empire? Does the Empire have a second set of ship suits?"

The empire was born under Xiaobai's watchful eye.

Xiao Bai didn't quite believe that the Empire also had a second set of ship suits.

"Yes, I do." Empire nodded, then opened his ship equipment space and took out a set of loungewear.

"Wow..." Xiaobai looked away, completely convinced, and exclaimed, "Everyone really does have it..."

There are so many unsolved mysteries surrounding the ship girls of the Nia family.

The wait for Anshan to emerge wasn't boring at all. After all, Xiaobai had Nia and Luolian by her side to chat with at any time, and a whole pool of ship girls in front of her as a backdrop. All she could hear was the ship girls' laughter and chatter. Xiaobai even felt that she could stay here for a whole year without getting tired of it.

A few hours later, Xiaobai received news that Anshan and Changchun had finally finished their bubble bath.

Xiao Bai used the Admiral Network to send a message to Anshan, and shortly afterward, Anshan appeared in front of Xiao Bai and the other two.

"Comrade—did you look for me?" Anshan waved and jogged up, a satisfied expression still lingering on her face from a bath. "Did you remember something you wanted to ask me to do? Don't worry, leave it to me. With me on the job, any task—"

"Anshan, can you do math problems?" Xiaobai asked with a smile.

"...Huh? A math problem?" Anshan's boastful words froze halfway through, and she stared blankly at Xiaobai. "What math problem?"

"This is the set of questions." Xiaobai took the math questions from Luo Lian and handed them to Anshan.

"Uh... I can do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems... and I can barely handle the chicken-and-rabbit problem..." Anshan muttered to herself as she took over Xiaobai's problem. Looking at the paper filled with symbols and numbers, she felt completely bewildered. "What... what is this... I don't understand it at all..."

"It's okay if you don't understand, there's another one here." Xiaobai took out the question from the first lock from the ship's equipment space and handed it to Anshan.

"...Comrade, please let me go. I'd even go fight if you asked me to. I can't do this, I really can't..." Anshan looked down, then quickly raised his head, looking dazed and desperate.

Xiao Bai looked at Luo Lian.

Luo Lian shrugged.

Xiaobai then looked at Nia.

Nia lowered her head regretfully.

"It's alright, Anshan. Sorry to trouble you to come all this way." Xiaobai sighed, smiled at Anshan, and said, "Go on with your work."

"Oh..." Anshan neatly returned the two sets of math problems to Xiaobai, then glanced at the swimming pool next to him, "...Huh? The training ground is so lively?"

"Yes, are you going to play with Changchun?" Xiaobai smiled.