Elder brother's garrison

"Okay." Linglan nodded, then reached to her side, picked up a bowl of hot soup, and handed it to Xiaobai. "Drink up."

"Oh... thank you." Linglan's housewife-like attitude really made Xiaobai quite uncomfortable, but Xiaobai was indeed a little hungry. She blushed, said thank you shyly, and then took Linglan's soup and drank it in small sips.

It's really not a good drink. The taste is very bland and not very salty. The only hint of saltiness is the slight seafood flavor, which suggests that this isn't just hot water.

Since it was something given to her by someone else, she couldn't say anything even if it tasted bad, so she could only force a smile and drink it down.

Linglan smiled as she watched Xiaobai finish her soup, then stood up from her seat and said, "You rest now, I'll go out first."

Under Xiaobai's watchful gaze, Linglan slowly pushed open the door to the room and walked out.

After Lily of the Valley left, Shiro finally realized he had a little time to look around at where he was.

This is a small wooden cabin, quite simple, with just a bed, a stool, and a chair. There isn't even a decent mirror. Its only advantage is that it's big.

Xiao Bai touched the blanket covering him.

She was wearing a shirt that was clearly a size too big, and her old clothes, which had been washed and were hanging on the head of the bed, were still drying.

The blanket I was wearing was quite rough, and it felt prickly to the touch, like a cheap bedding set that you could buy for a few dollars on the street.

Xiao Bai pursed her lips awkwardly.

Where am I? And what's with this overwhelming sense of backwardness all around me...?

Chapter 453 Miss Lily of the Valley

It is obviously not a good habit to casually criticize people who treat themselves well as "backward". Xiaobai also knows that his idea is wrong.

At the very least, we should be grateful.

But I'm still curious.

Looking at the dilapidated little house, Xiaobai had more and more questions in his mind.

Miss Lily of the Valley had previously told her to rest, but Little White is full of energy now and not tired at all, so she doesn't need to rest.

So Xiaobai only stayed for a short while before getting off the bed.

The girl named Linglan seemed to have put her own clothes on. The shirt was fine, she could still put it on, but she couldn't get the pants on no matter what she tried.

So now Xiaobai basically wears Miss Lily of the Valley's white shirt as a dress.

Xiao Bai blushed, tugged at the hem of her clothes, then walked to her clothes and gently touched them.

His clothes were still a little wet, but now was not the time to be fussy. Xiao Bai rolled up the cuffs of his military uniform trousers, squeezed out the last bit of water, then took off his white shirt and slowly put his uniform back on.

After putting his military uniform back on, Xiaobai finally felt a little safe.

"Let's ask where this is first..." Xiaobai murmured, then walked towards the door. "...If we're really not well-off... maybe Lexington could offer some financial assistance as a token of gratitude..."

Xiao Bai muttered to himself as he walked to the door, reaching out to push it open.

However, before Xiaobai could even touch the doorknob, the sound of conversation outside the door drifted in.

"How did you bring a grown person back? Do you even know how much a person eats in a day?!"

"Can't I just give her my food?"

"What about what to use! What to wear! What to live in!"

"Use mine!"

"After you gave it to her, neither of them had the energy to work."

"What's it to you? Are you going to leave her on the beach?"

"This is no longer a time for womanly compassion... Wait, where did you pick her up?"

"Uh."

"You went to the beach again?"

"..."

"Are you going to die?!"

-

Such a serious conversation really makes one hesitant to open the door...

Standing at the door, Xiaobai listened to the conversation outside and felt an instant embarrassment rise to her face.

However, being treated as a burden and disliked like this still made Xiaobai a little sad.

She composed herself and then slowly pushed the door open a crack.

Outside the door, Linglan stood with her hands on her hips, stubbornly turning her face to the other side. In front of her stood more than a dozen men and women of all kinds, all looking at Linglan with expressions of disappointment and frustration.

As soon as the door was opened a crack and Xiaobai's head appeared, all eyes in the group immediately turned to Xiaobai's face.

Linglan heard the door open, and she quickly turned around, smiling broadly as she approached Xiaobai and said, "Didn't I tell you to rest? Why did you come out?"

Seeing Linglan's reaction, Xiaobai couldn't help but feel moved.

"Um, am I a little unpopular...?" Xiaobai asked.

"No way, who would dare?" Linglan glared fiercely at the crowd behind her, and for a moment no one dared to say anything.

"..." Xiaobai looked awkwardly at the crowd.

Many people in the crowd softened their strong resistance after seeing that the person Linglan had rescued was a cute little girl with white hair, but they still couldn't say they were very welcoming.

“…I’ll be leaving soon,” Xiaobai said to Linglan.

"Huh? Do you have a home?"

“Yes…” Xiaobai nodded.

Linglan got angry immediately after hearing what Xiaobai said.

However, she wasn't angry at Xiaobai, but at the group of people behind her. She gritted her teeth and looked at them: "Do you have any humanity left? Do you really have to drive a young girl to her death?"

After saying this, Linglan looked at Xiaobai, tears welling up in her eyes. She then pulled Xiaobai out from behind the door and hugged her tightly.

"Well?"

"How pitiful. You're all alone now. Don't lie. Your home was destroyed by the Deepsea Abyss Ship, wasn't it? Nobody thinks you're a burden. This is your home." Linglan pressed Xiaobai tightly against her soft chest as if she were looking at the most pitiful little animal. "If anyone dares to kick you out, I'll fight them to the death!"

"???"

As Linglan finished speaking, she nuzzled Xiaobai's face with her cheek before looking at the crowd behind her.

"It's just a bowl of soup, just some food, drink, and shelter!" Linglan pointed at the crowd. "Look at these adorable little faces! Look at their soft waists, look at their snow-white hair and skin! Doesn't this cuteness deserve this little bit of food?"

The onlookers were immediately speechless.

"Eh————" Xiaobai felt her head was about to go off the rails again while nestled in Linglan's chest.

“…Um, I have money…I can pay…” Xiaobai swallowed, then struggled to break free from Linglan’s chest, took a breath, and slowly said to Linglan.

"Money?" Linglan stared at Xiaobai in surprise, her eyes full of confusion.

"Um...ah, it's not that I'm showing off or anything...well, if you're short on money, as a way of thanking you for bringing me back, how about I give you some money..." Xiaobai asked, "If it's not enough, you can contact my naval base..."

"Naval Base?" Suzuran was taken aback again. "Naval Base is..."

However, before he could finish speaking, a deafening roar suddenly came from the horizon, and crimson cannon fire bombarded the ground from the sky, instantly blasting a small wooden house in the distance into pieces.

It wasn't until the stoic crowd finally reacted after the blazing flames had been burning in the ruins of the wooden house for quite some time.

Everyone looked in horror at the wood chips reduced to rubble by the bomb and the flames burning fiercely on the ground.

"The deep sea is coming!" Someone screamed, and panic instantly spread throughout the area.

Those standing at the entrance of Linglan's house, those not standing there, those working, and those not working, all ran in terror in the opposite direction from where the artillery fire was coming from.

"Don't panic! Don't push! One after another, don't fall! Don't step on anyone!" It was easy to see who the leader was at that moment. While everyone else was running for their lives, only Linglan stood by the roadside and shouted to the fleeing crowd, "Don't push! Don't panic! It's okay! Shenhai can't catch us!"

The crowd, who had just been so aggressive, now had no trace of their previous menacing expressions. Under Linglan's leadership, they ran like the wind towards the safe area.

It was at this moment that the second wave of artillery fire arrived late in the sky.

"Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom—" A salvo of fire, carrying destructive flames, instantly turned the scene before them into a sea of ​​fire.

Linglan stood by the roadside directing the crowd, then turned to look at Xiaobai standing behind her: "Lu Lin, you run with the others!"

"..." Xiaobai's eyes were blank, as if he had not yet understood the current situation.

"Lu Lin!"

"Oh...oh oh!" Little White's eyes finally lit up.

Linglan pointed in the direction they were running, indicating that Xiaobai should run with the others. She then stopped looking at Xiaobai and continued dispersing the crowd as she walked in the opposite direction.

It seems that Lily of the Valley has something important to do.

Xiao Bai looked at the artillery fire in the sky, then at the crowd around him, and his breathing became rapid.

Halfway there, Linglan was still a little worried and turned back to look in Xiaobai's direction.

The girl I picked up from the beach is a bit silly and dull, but she's also so pretty. If I don't stay by her side, I'll probably get bullied a lot.

However, Xiaobai was no longer standing where she had been.

Linglan felt empty inside, then she shook her head and, while dispersing the crowd, made her way toward the center of the village.

She made her way through the gaps in the gunfire with all her might. The scalding heat burned her skin like it was being grilled, but it did not stop her.

She walked to a wooden house that had been partially destroyed by a bomb, pushed open the door, covered her mouth and nose with her arms, and ran inside.

"Grandpa!" Linglan shouted, searching the house. Finally, she found an old man trapped under a collapsed beam.

The elderly man had already lost consciousness, but fortunately, the collapsed roof beam did not catch fire. If a few people were called, they could still move the beam and rescue the elderly man underneath.

Who are you calling?

Linglan opened her mouth but couldn't utter a sound as she looked at the villagers outside the door who were fleeing in terror.

She bit her lip hard, and blood flowed down the teeth marks. Then she reached out and grabbed the roof beam, lifting it with all her might.

Although Linglan has a certain leadership quality, she is still a weak girl. Even though her physical fitness is considered excellent among girls, she is still weak. She cannot do what three or four men can do by herself.

The sound of artillery fire hadn't stopped, and she didn't know when a shell would hit her head. Bearing such great danger to her life and psychological pressure to do something she couldn't possibly do, Zhe Linglan couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Her blue eyes were quickly filled with tears, making it hard to see anything.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Linglan cried as she strained to lift the roof beam.

Then, seemingly moved by the tears of the lily of the valley.

Terrifying sounds echoed from the horizon, as if millions of skyscrapers were collapsing, or as if an entire steel army were crumbling into pieces.

Then the artillery fire that had been attacking this area actually gradually stopped.

Lily of the Valley stared blankly at the rapidly ending artillery barrage, her mouth slightly agape.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Xiao Bai breathed softly, bent over and supported himself with his knees, a helpless smile still lingering on his face.

"Finally made it..."

On the land before her, the wreckage of more than a dozen deep-sea amphibious ships that had landed on land lay scattered like prey torn apart by a lion.

Chapter 454 Welcome to ( )

Xiao Bai straightened up and looked at the deep-sea ships in front of him with a complicated expression.

Deep-sea amphibious ships live in the ocean, but that doesn't mean they never go ashore. In fact, some types of them can go ashore.

However, even a novice like me has only ever seen this kind of amazing concept in textbooks.

A strong, unpleasant smell of burning filled the air. Xiaobai covered her mouth and nose and turned her head away.

The massive fortress ship was positioned behind Xiaobai, with wisps of smoke curling from its thick cannons.

As Xiaobai looked at her ship rigging, she sighed softly. She retrieved the rigging, hugged her arm, and then headed back towards the village where Linglan lived, retracing her steps.

Thanks to the high power granted to his body by his ship equipment, Xiaobai's current travel speed is far beyond what he could have imagined back then.

With a sprint, Xiaobai transformed into a white blur, dashing along the country road like a gust of wind. In just a few minutes, he returned to Linglan's village.

Little White slowly stopped walking.

Having had little opportunity to observe properly before, Xiaobai has only now managed to discern the size of the village.

This should be a small village with fewer than a few hundred people. Large areas of land are covered with scattered remnants of wooden houses, charred black by the flames. The once neatly arranged dwellings now resemble a mass grave after the bombing.

Fortunately, despite the devastation caused by the bombing, there were no fatalities, perhaps due to the short duration of the bombing. Although many were wounded, no one died.