Elder brother's garrison

"……"noob.

A novice's gaming experience.

None.

Watching the ship girls around him sending their pieces back to the starting point one by one, Xiaobai inexplicably felt a sense of pressure from being targeted by a powerful player.

"...Uh, so...do you guys play this often?"

"We don't play it much anymore, just occasionally when we have nothing else to do."

"So, how many rounds did you guys play?"

"Hmm... there are still a few thousand rounds, hahaha, Admiral, don't worry, Ludo is just a game of luck!"

"……"noob.

Xiaobai, anyway, wouldn't believe in such nonsense as a game of luck.

These ship girls are playing Ludo with me, they probably just want to capture my pieces...

Such profound love.

Amidst the cheers and laughter of the ship girls and their inexplicable targeting, Shiro quickly lost the first match, then the second, the third, and the fourth...

Finally, Xiaobai refused to play the fifth round, threw down the dice, and retreated back into the crowd.

As soon as Xiaobai left her position, some of the ship girls immediately shouted indignantly, "I want to avenge the admiral!" and then jumped onto Xiaobai's spot.

Shipgirls are truly simple-minded; as long as the game continues, the lively atmosphere in the lobby doesn't diminish much even after Shiro leaves the game.

Surrounded by the ship girls, the somewhat exhausted Shiro slowly crawled out from under the table.

Having climbed to an empty space, Xiaobai looked back at the dining table.

The ship girls crowded together, laughing heartily, talking about who had been innocently wronged and who had overtaken others.

"..." Xiaobai breathed a sigh of relief, her expression complicated.

Although the ship girls seemed to be having so much fun, Xiaobai, who was thoroughly defeated in four rounds, really didn't want to touch Ludo again.

This game of luck definitely requires skill...

Xiao Bai would never admit that he was unlucky.

Thinking this, Xiaobai stood up from the ground while touching her belly.

A gurgling sound quickly came from Xiaobai's stomach, which was then drowned out by the laughter of the ship girls in the hall.

Xiao Bai quickly covered her stomach, her face flushed, and looked back at the ship girls on the other side of the table. She only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the ship girls were engrossed in the game and had not noticed the noise from this side.

"I just ate instant noodles..." Xiaobai muttered awkwardly, looking down at her stomach with some confusion. "...That's really strange..."

Speaking of which, Xiaobai feels that her physical condition is really strange today.

When I woke up, my body ached, and I didn't feel as energetic as before. I was incredibly tired, and even though I hadn't eaten for only a day and a half, my stomach was already growling with hunger...

It's almost like...

It's like going back to when I hadn't yet acquired my ship equipment and was still just an ordinary human...

Thinking of this, Xiaobai subconsciously tugged at the hair by her ear and pulled it in front of her eyes to take a closer look.

Xiao Bai's hair was still white, crystal clear, like snow-white silk hanging down her fingers, with no parting at the ends.

Xiao Bai rubbed his fingers together curiously, then secretly used the power of his ship equipment. With a thought, a feeling of great strength surged out of Xiao Bai's body like a river or the sea.

Xiao Bai quickly severed the connection with the ship's equipment, withdrew the power, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

My ship equipment is indeed still there, and it seems to be functioning properly.

That's really weird.

Thinking of this, Xiaobai subconsciously looked around.

His gaze drifted to the entrance of the corridor.

At the entrance of the corridor, Duan Shuiliu, who had appeared out of nowhere, stood expressionless, one hand on the wall, half of his body leaning against the wall, quietly watching Xiaobai.

"Alas?!"

Seeing someone unexpectedly at the end of the corridor is startling enough, especially since Xiaobai had just secretly used the power of the ship's equipment and was feeling guilty. When she suddenly saw Duan Shuiliu appear out of nowhere, Xiaobai's heart almost jumped out of her throat.

Xiao Bai quickly took two steps back, looking at Duan Shuiliu, who was secretly observing him, with a surprised expression.

Duan Shuiliu's face remained largely expressionless, and Xiaobai couldn't discern her thoughts from her expression alone.

—Dan… Sister Duan, could it be that you saw me using the power of the ship's equipment?

Xiao Bai was so scared that his back was covered in sweat.

Admittedly, Xiaobai did not summon the ship's equipment when using its power; he merely slightly amplified his physical abilities. From the outside, it wouldn't be noticeable. However, Duan Shuiliu, as the captain of the military police, might have some means to detect the ship's equipment's power, right?

Although Duan Shuiliu and her brother have such a good relationship, Xiaobai has no idea what Duan Shuiliu would do if she knew she had ship equipment, given Duan Shuiliu's unyielding and impartial demeanor...

The thumping sound of her heartbeat echoed in Xiaobai's chest.

Just then, Duan Shuiliu, who had been quietly watching Xiaobai, finally made a move.

She stretched out a hand and beckoned to Xiaobai with a blank expression, signaling Xiaobai to come over.

Xiaobai turned around and looked at the ship girls on the other side of the table.

The ship girls were still playing Ludo, some playing, some watching, and no one noticed what was happening here.

Xiao Bai turned around, and in the corridor, Duan Shuiliu was still greeting her.

Xiao Bai had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk towards the corridor entrance.

Xiao Bai walked stiffly into the corridor and stood in front of Duan Shuiliu.

Duan Shuiliu looked the same as Xiaobai had seen at the kitchen entrance. Her long ponytail was coiled behind her head, and she was wearing a white apron. Although she looked young, she had an unexpectedly gentle maternal quality.

Duan Shuiliu rolled up both sleeves, revealing her fair arms. One arm was raised, still in the gesture of greeting Xiaobai, while the other was behind her back.

"Sister Duan, you were looking for me...?" Xiaobai asked somewhat haltingly as she walked up to Duan Shuiliu.

Duan Shuiliu didn't speak, his hands hanging down naturally.

The hand that had been behind her back was finally revealed.

The hand appeared in front of Xiaobai, holding a kitchen knife that gleamed with a cold light.

"Alas!"

Xiao Bai's heart leaped into her throat. She quickly covered her head and darted past Duan Shuiliu, pressing herself against the corridor wall, looking terrified. "Sister Duan... Sister Duan... Sister Duan... you... you..."

Chapter 1102 A Sudden Turn of Events

As an admiral, Xiaobai himself didn't know what would happen if it were discovered that he possessed ship equipment.

Based solely on what has happened so far, it seems that the admirals or governors who know that Xiaobai possesses ship equipment have not reacted with much resistance.

Apart from Governor Mu Yu, who was so terrified he was practically scared out of his wits, everyone else, after learning about this, was basically in a "What? Xiao Bai, you have ship equipment? Oh, awesome. By the way, what are we having for dinner tonight?" state, and didn't take it seriously.

However, this does not mean that everyone in the world sees it this way. Since there are people with positive views, there must also be people with negative views.

Xiaobai just didn't expect that.

There were even people who, after learning that I had ship equipment, pulled out a kitchen knife right in front of me.

Xiao Bai stared blankly at the kitchen knife in Duan Shuiliu's hand. The shock was so great that his legs felt weak.

Standing still, Duan Shuiliu watched as Xiaobai scurried against the wall, looking at him with a terrified expression like a frightened white mouse. He then looked down at the kitchen knife in his hand.

"..." Duan Shuiliu silently put the kitchen knife behind his back. "Don't be afraid, it's just a kitchen knife."

"No, no, don't, cut me, cut me..." Little White, who was stuck to the wall, kept trembling.

Upon hearing Xiaobai's words, Duan Shuiliu, who was wearing an apron, tilted his head.

"It won't attack you," Duan Shuiliu said to Xiaobai. "A kitchen knife is used to cut food."

"...Then, Sister Duan, why did you bring this over...?"

"I brought it over by accident."

"...Huh?" Xiaobai was taken aback. Looking at Duan Shuiliu's calm eyes, she suddenly felt a little confused. "Uh...so you didn't see me just now, Sister Duan?"

"What did you see?" Duan Shuiliu asked.

"...Uh, seeing that I...look really hungry." Xiaobai turned her head away, breathed a sigh of relief, and the little heart that had been hanging in suspense finally settled down.

"..." Duan Shuiliu.

It seems Duan Shuiliu didn't realize the ship equipment inside his body...

Xiao Bai gave a wry smile.

"By the way, Sister Duan, what were you doing lying by the corridor door just now?"

"I'm looking for someone to help me," Duan Shuiliu replied. "I went out and looked around for a while, and they were all gathered together. You're the only one alone, so I had to ask you."

"...Oh, I see..." Xiaobai breathed a sigh of relief, finally understanding. "Okay, then what kind of help does Sister Duan need?"

Duan Shuiliu led Xiaobai into the kitchen at the end of the corridor, brought Xiaobai to the stove, pointed to the several rows of colorful buttons under the stove, and had a somewhat subtle expression.

"...I don't know how to use this." Duan Shuiliu's voice seemed to carry a hint of shame.

Xiao Bai looked down at the stove in front of Duan Shuiliu, squatted down and looked at the buttons on the stove one by one.

"Ah... so many buttons." Xiaobai chuckled dryly.

"Ah."

"Has Sister Duan never used this before?"

“There weren’t so many buttons before…” Duan Shuiliu squeezed his other arm, his gaze slightly restrained.

"Back then...how many years ago?"

"...about eight or nine years ago..."

"Oh haha."

Xiao Bai responded and squatted down in front of the stove, carefully examining each button on it.

Unbeknownst to her, a rather unnatural blush of embarrassment crept onto Duan Shuiliu's delicate face.

Speaking of which, Xiaobai does recognize this stove. It's a kitchen appliance that came out a few years ago. Back then, Xiaobai, who was on leave from school, often saw advertisements for this kitchen appliance on TV.

I heard it has intelligent temperature control, over twenty cooking modes, is the most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, automatically shuts off the flame in dangerous situations, and even has a music player.

Honestly, these days, mechanical products are almost embarrassed to be sold if they don't have an MP3 function.

Relying on an advertisement he remembered from watching TV a few years ago, Xiaobai found the fire button among the densely packed buttons.

"Sister Duan, there's a safety lock over here. After you open this, press this button to start the fire," Xiaobai said, pointing to the stove and turning around.

Duan Shuiliu stared at the two buttons Xiaobai was pointing to, scanning them with a rather serious gaze until he was sure he had memorized them completely, before nodding solemnly.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, after all, it's Sister Duan who's cooking for us." Xiaobai stood up and smiled at Duan Shuiliu. "I'm really looking forward to it. Now I'm going back?"

"Wait a minute." Duan Shuiliu called out to Xiaobai, who was about to leave. She looked around and pointed to a lone stool in the corner of the kitchen. "If you can, sit there."

"Oh...oh, that's fine..." Xiaobai looked at the stool with some confusion, not quite understanding Duan Shuiliu's thoughts. Just as she was about to ask Duan Shuiliu, she saw that after Duan Shuiliu lit the oil pan, he returned to the cutting board and began to process the remaining ingredients.

Perhaps they don't quite understand how to use the stove yet and might need my help?

After thinking for a while, Xiaobai realized that if she went back to the hall anyway, she would most likely be discovered by the ship girls who had run away and dragged away to play Ludo, and then suffer a brutal defeat at the hands of the Ludo veteran. Compared to that outcome, sitting here now was much better.

Thinking of this, Xiaobai silently sat down on the bench.

Next to the bench is a workbench, about the same height as a school desk. Xiaobai can sit on the chair and lean his upper body on the workbench by simply raising his hand.

Ah...it feels a bit like being in school...

Xiao Bai touched the workbench with a hint of curiosity, then turned her head to look at Duan Shuiliu, who was busy behind the workbench.

The kitchen was bustling with the sizzling of oil in the pan and the clanging of chopping vegetables; it wasn't exactly quiet.

But it's still much better than the lobby.

Xiao Bai watched Duan Shuiliu's movements and couldn't help but relax a little. She watched for a while.

Then I got tired.