I, a ship girl, am the savior of civilization.

An author contacted me through a friend request. They seem quite interested in Stellaris and related topics. According to the author, the early chapters might be a bit awkward, as it's a space-themed farming game, but it gets better around chapter 15.

The content is roughly about collecting technology in an infinite flow and preparing to fight a crisis. The initial observation is that the pace is a bit fast. Those who are interested can check it out.

Come to think of it, stars and halos might also be among my goals...

And then there's this old, clucking pigeon.

22. Joint Operations

Seeing that the Dawn had destroyed the Kaiju in such a swift and decisive manner, those in the PPDC who coveted the so-called Aerriel technology fell silent.

In the PPDC's view, the Dawn was like an unfathomable magician; whenever they thought they had figured out its secrets, Laura always managed to come up with something new.

Installing rams on the hull for a direct impact is the most effective kinetic energy weapon. However, because no material can withstand the recoil from an impact, the PPDC never considered this type of suicide attack.

However, the Dawn seems capable of using it as a conventional weapon.

While the PPDC team was frantically analyzing whether the Dawn had more hidden weapons, Laura was maneuvering the Dawn to hide in the deep sea, silently activating the Revival Wind to repair the wounds left from her collision with the mammoth.

The ramming ring was indeed powerful, and it did not suffer any damage even under such an impact. However, the ordinary armor that was compatible with the ramming ring could not ignore this force.

The area radiating outwards from the center of the collision, covering hundreds of square meters, has developed a spiderweb-like pattern of inward depressions.

Fortunately, the mothership's conventional armor is over five meters thick, and with its various auxiliary structures, this level of damage does not affect the normal operation of the Dawn.

The slightly damaged deformed armor began to slowly return to its original state under the influence of the resurgence winds. Meanwhile, Laura was also considering how to get the PPDC to launch a preemptive strike. Continuing to drag this out would be detrimental to both herself and humanity.

However, before Laura could even cause any trouble, PPDC proactively invited her to destroy the wormhole.

The reason is simple: three months after the Dawn destroyed the Mammoth, a Level 4 Kaiju "Virus" landed in Sydney. Although its energy index was not as high as the Mammoth's, the PPDC was not the Dawn either.

Within an hour of the engagement, the level 3 Vulcan Ghost and the level 4 Echo Sabre were destroyed. It was only the Raiders' intervention that pulled Sydney back from the brink of utter destruction.

Clearly, the Pioneers are also accelerating their invasion.

The destruction of the first Tier 4 Jaeger made PPDC realize the seriousness of the problem. It was clear that the strength of the Tier 4 Kaiju was far beyond expectations, and only a Tier 5 Jaeger could guarantee a sure victory.

At the current rate of Kaiju invasions, the PPDC's fleet of mechs will be largely destroyed within three years at most. Suddenly, the previously complacent bigwigs panicked.

This was exactly what Laura wanted to see. After finalizing the specific plan, Laura agreed to the joint operation through the Dawn.

The joint operation was scheduled for two months after the virus was eradicated. During these two months, PPDC concentrated all its resources, not only salvaging several reusable mechs from the forgotten graveyard, but also requesting a joint fleet from the United Nations to provide necessary support.

Compared to the original storyline where only a few mechs risked their lives to charge forward, this is so much better now.

But considering the premature appearance of the virus and the never-seen mammoth, Laura couldn't be optimistic. Although she couldn't recall the normal trajectory of the Pacific Rim, Laura was at least certain that the Echo Saber wouldn't be dead so soon.

The Pioneers are also secretly making their moves. Therefore, during joint operations, the Dawn and the PPDC mech group are very likely to encounter equally matched Kaiju obstacles.

Amidst intense preparations, the day of the decisive battle finally arrived.

Beneath the dark depths of the sea, an arc of light flashed, and the massive hull of the Dawnship emerged from layers of dark currents, appearing before the assembled mech corps.

The mechs at each base were divided into eight squads, their steel bodies remaining motionless amidst the fierce turbulence.

"Aieriel's mothership has arrived at its destination and is ready to depart at any time."

The only Tier 5 mech, Eureka Raider, serves as the captain of this assault force and regularly reports to the Shattered Dome.

The highest command of all eight bases was gathered at the Hong Kong base, remotely monitoring the joint operation. Upon receiving the Raider's communication, Chen Hui replied: "Execute the mission as planned. Command has been fully handed over. Eureka Raider, you will be in command of everything from now on."

"The fate of humanity rests on your shoulders."

Subsequently, the Shattered Dome lost contact, only monitoring the entire battle through the external cameras on the mechs.

Upon assuming command, Eureka Raider repeated the operation that had been practiced countless times before, while simultaneously pulling Dawn into the joint operations channel.

"The submarine force has set out to conduct reconnaissance. After the deployment and reconnaissance around the wormhole are completed, we need to stop all the Kaiju, at least until the nuclear missiles enter the wormhole."

"As for the task of escorting the nuclear missile, that will be left to Blade."

The Blade is a third-generation mech, but its mobility is in no way inferior to that of the fourth generation. It is specifically designed for transporting nuclear weapons.

With a Kaiju carcass, a gift from the Hong Kong base, on his back, the Blade's pilot gave a muffled "hmm."

As time passed, the forward submarine responsible for reconnaissance finally transmitted back relevant images. With the help of the wormhole's light, several dark figures could be barely seen loitering nearby, and on the more precise energy detection device, three red dots of different sizes flashed on and off.

"Two level four, and even an unprecedented level five. Sure enough, the Kaiju is becoming more and more of a threat."

Upon witnessing this scene, Steker, who had just emerged from the command room, couldn't help but gasp. He didn't know the limits of the Pioneer Civilization, but he was intimately familiar with the limits of the PPDC.

Based on previous Kaiju intelligence, if this Tier 5 Kaiju chooses to land, PPDC will lose at least half of its mechs.

The Pioneer Civilization likely possessed more than one Tier 5 Kaiju. However, the size of the wormhole limited the number and level of Kaiju that could pass through, which allowed humanity to stubbornly resist until now.

Standing in the command center of the Dawn, Laura stared thoughtfully at the images transmitted from the scout submarine. From the fragmentary footage, Laura could roughly determine what these three Kaiju were.

If nothing unexpected happens, these should be the three that attacked the Hong Kong base in 2025.

The one with the long tail is the Tail-Standing Rat, which has the ability to fly, but otherwise it's rather mediocre. On the seabed, its wings are practically useless, posing little threat.

The one with the bluish-green shrimp-like growth on its head is likely the Ridgeback Turtle, capable of releasing electromagnetic pulses using a special organ in its head. Given the PPDC mech's anti-pulse capabilities, this attack could paralyze the system for several seconds; it definitely warrants attention.

Finally, there was the Kaiju, nearly two hundred meters long and at least three times the size of the mech, named the Poisonous Woman, a Level 5 Kaiju. Even if all the mechs present attacked together, they might not be able to completely kill it.

Based on the data, unless humanity develops a sixth or even seventh generation of mechs, the Poisonous Woman will remain on her pedestal forever.

"I have a feeling that the PPDC group is going to redefine the ranking system. Otherwise, the Eureka Raider, this fifth-generation mech, is still a bit inferior to the Poison Woman."

Comparing the two fifth-generation games, Laura couldn't help but think to herself.

Regarding the awkward phrasing in the previous chapter, I have confirmed it and corrected it. Since I am a disciple of a renowned typo sufferer, please feel free to point out any typos or grammatical errors in the text; I will revise them.

Special thanks to fellow reader poipoi!

23. Unexpected combat

Laura sent the intelligence she had to the public channel and volunteered to take on the task of dealing with the Poison Woman. Eureka Raiders had no objections, only asking if Laura needed any help.

Upon hearing the Raiders' words, Laura curled her lip: "Forget it, just stay away from the battlefield between the Dawn and the Poison Woman as much as possible. That's all you can do."

After saying that, Laura glanced at Jefferson's Horizon mech in the group of mechs. Among a large group of new Tier 3 and Tier 4 mechs, this old-fashioned mass-produced mech stood out conspicuously.

Because the liquid nitrogen launcher could not be used underwater, PPDC rushed to remove all the large tanks on both sides of the horizon and instead installed two heavy armor plates.

Not just the Horizon, most of the mechs have undergone varying degrees of modification, all geared towards underwater combat.

"Those guys at PPDC have really gone mad. What's the point of having a bunch of old-fashioned level 3 mechs in this kind of battle?" Laura rubbed her head, feeling a bit of a headache. "Are they really just here to make a show of things?"

Laura had originally refused Jefferson's participation in this joint operation, but since it was a direct order from the PPDC, she couldn't find a reason to interfere.

"Uncle, take good care of yourself later."

Laura silently prayed for Jefferson for a moment, then summoned her ship's equipment. The Dawn was at full power, and the once calm water was completely disturbed by the ramming rings that were now glowing with an eerie light.

After destroying the wormhole, Laura will leave the world of Pacific Rim. Therefore, in this final battle, Laura returns to her own ship to experience the skill [Derivative Ship Will] that Noah previously described, and try out the so-called bonus buff.

Therefore, as Jefferson set sail on the horizon, Laura used [Derivative Supreme Link] to return to the Dawn, in the best possible condition to deal with the mysterious Precursor Civilization.

"Hmm, it's increased by about 10%, which is a pretty good buff."

Carefully observing the changes in the Dawn, Laura quickly came to a conclusion. If she concentrated and pushed it to its full potential, it should be able to increase its power by another 15%. For the Dawn, this was a significant improvement.

The turbulent ocean currents caught the attention of the three Kaiju guarding the wormhole, but before they could react, the Dawn's ram ring, traveling at a speed of 55 knots, rammed into the Poison Woman, leaving a wound more than ten meters long on her body.

The burning pain coursed through the Poison Woman's mind, her eyes filled with dread. Her small eyes stared at the Dawn, pondering what had struck and injured her.

However, Laura did not give the Poisonous Woman enough time to contemplate life. The ramming rings flashed again, and the Dawn, boosted by its engines, charged toward the Poisonous Woman once more.

After experiencing several ship collisions, Laura felt herself gradually growing to enjoy the thrill of charging in without thinking too much.

Unfortunately, the pattern of the Dawn's ramming attack was ultimately predictable. Perhaps after the upgrade to a more advanced and versatile power engine, Laura's attacks would be unpredictable for the Poisonous Woman, but at least not now.

Compared to the Dawn, the Poison Woman's biological construct is clearly more suited for underwater combat.

With a nimble sidestep, the Venomous Woman dodged Laura's fatal attack, but as it prepared to retaliate against the Dawn, a series of tremors disrupted its balance.

"The depth charges I casually laid out can have such an effect. As expected, this ship girl is still quite amazing!"

Pinching her nose, Laura couldn't help but praise herself for her cleverness.

The Dawn had only so many usable weapons, so Laura hadn't planned to conserve them. While luring the Poison Woman away from the wormhole, she dropped quite a few depth charges along the way.

Although it may not harm the poisonous woman, sometimes you can still get unexpected gains, right?

However, Laura had to admit that the Dawn was not suited for underwater combat with a Kaiju like the Venomous Woman, whose very DNA was ingrained in water. One wrong move, and the Venomous Woman could seize complete control at close range.

Therefore, in the ensuing battle, Laura only harassed the Poison Woman with depth charges and the Trident torpedoes that came with the mothership, while keeping an eye on the situation on the other side.

With their numerical advantage, the Ridgeback Turtle and the Tail-Standing Rat were practically utterly crushed. Having received prior intelligence, the Ridgeback Turtle's pulse organ was torn off almost instantly by three level-four mechs working together.

With the risk of electronic malfunction eliminated, the story became one-sided, and in just three minutes, the Ridgeback Turtle and the Tail-Standing Rat were cleanly and efficiently cut into several pieces.

Spike has already entered the wormhole with a small nuclear bomb and a DNA fraudster, and will know the final outcome in a short time.

"Well, it's about time."

With the battle below essentially over, Laura had no intention of continuing to play along with the Poison Woman. A torpedo silo was activated, and an unusual warhead shot out from the Dawn's hull, aiming directly at the Poison Woman's head.

The corrosive torpedo, Laura's trump card for this battle.

Seemingly sensing the unusual nature of this attack, the poisonous woman tilted her head, instinctively trying to avoid the torpedo.

Wiping her head, the venomous woman narrowly escaped the corrosive torpedo.

"If I just let you get away with this, wouldn't I, as a ship girl, lose face?"

With a sneer, Laura detonated the corrosive torpedo directly behind the Poison Woman's head. A violent and chaotic wave of gravity spread out, evenly dispersing the Poison Woman's main brain into nearly a hundred cubic meters of seawater.

An attack from someone just entering space is not something a mere level 5 Kaiju can withstand.

With the five civilization instructions in hand, even the monstrous blue monster that had been emanating from the Poison Woman's body became somewhat pleasant. At the same time, a shockwave came from the direction of the wormhole.

"Success?"

Upon realizing that it was a nuclear bomb detonation, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as if victory was within reach.

But after noticing that the wormhole showed no signs of collapsing, everyone tensed up again. Soon, an escape pod emerged from the wormhole, and the somewhat flustered voice of the Blade pilot came through the channel.

"There's another level 5 Kaiju in the tunnel. Our mechs were destroyed while we were passing through, and the nuclear bomb exploded prematurely inside the wormhole. To destroy the wormhole, we need to transport another nuclear bomb, and it must explode at the other end."