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

Jefferson? Is it the police station's evacuation operation?

Seemingly confirming Laura's suspicions, several people dressed in San Francisco Police Department uniforms followed Jefferson, attempting to maintain order at the scene. Behind them, two police cars blared their sirens, indicating the direction of evacuation.

Laura, who was sitting by the door, was picked up by Jefferson without explanation and thrown into one of the cars.

"Stay up there and don't run around. Uncle will be back soon."

5. The Dawn's first appearance

Sitting in the police car, swaying slightly, Laura observed the axe-wielding figures a few blocks away through the window. The air force's attempts to stop them weren't very effective, but they had ultimately bought Jefferson and his team considerable time.

At least, while Jefferson was getting into the police car to leave, the fighter jets were still engaged with the Axehead, though the situation wasn't good.

The entire United States was in chaos, and the drone's airspace intrusion went unchallenged. Ignoring warnings from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), Altius-600 had already reached San Francisco airspace.

Connecting the image to herself, Laura observes this unequal war from a godlike perspective.

The areas the axe-wielding weapon had passed through were mostly evacuated, not because the evacuation was efficient, but because those who could have evacuated had long since disappeared. With the burden on the city's residents lifted, high-powered weapons began to enter the fray.

The first three Tomahawk missiles to arrive were cruise missiles that should not be used for urban warfare. However, the large building complexes that could serve as obstacles were destroyed by the Tomahawks, and the US military withdrew completely within a two-kilometer radius. They no longer cared about anything else.

With a thrust of 3 Newtons, the three missiles accurately struck the axe-headed weapon, causing sparks to erupt on its body and raising a cloud of dust.

Laura, however, was not optimistic about the Tomahawk's effectiveness. Leaving aside the "smoke-free" principle, if it were truly that easy to eliminate enemies, the US military wouldn't have ultimately resorted to nuclear weapons.

As expected, the axe head did not suffer any real damage.

"Jefferson, do you really think the army can stop this monster?"

Sitting in the police car, the officer in the passenger seat asked Jefferson a question.

Jefferson was taken aback. Although he was willing to trust the U.S. military, the fact that the Axe Capital had not suffered any substantial damage so far made Jefferson waver.

“I don’t know.” Jefferson shook his head with a wry smile and sighed. He was more concerned about whether his house would survive the disaster.

Turning her head to look at Jefferson, whose face was full of worry, Laura tugged at his sleeve, her big eyes fixed on him, and softly comforted him, "Uncle Jefferson, everything will be alright, don't worry."

Jefferson let out a heavy sigh, then gave Laura a forced smile before starting the car again: "Let's head to the temporary police station and meet up with the others. We're going to be busy today."

The car sped through the deserted streets, heading further into the distance. In the back seat, Laura stared at the Axe, which continued to wreak havoc on the city, while waiting for the Dawn to arrive.

The Dawn is 100 kilometers away from arriving in the waters off San Francisco.

As it drew closer to San Francisco, the Dawn could no longer conceal its presence and attracted the attention of the U.S. military.

The ship, with its futuristic design, outdated battleship weaponry, and striking aircraft carrier features, resembled a ground fortress, leaving everyone who saw it baffled.

What an amazing design!

Even though they were completely baffled, the operator still sent a warning to the ship: "Unidentified vessel, you have entered the territorial waters of the United States of America. Please identify yourself immediately and leave our territorial waters..."

Normally, the military might have seized the unidentified vessel to uncover its secrets. However, with the monster, recently named "Axehead," wreaking havoc in San Francisco, they didn't want any more conflict.

The high-powered weapons used by the US military are unlikely to be effective against the axe-wielding weapon, and the US military is severely understrength in the San Francisco area. Even though the sudden arrival of this ship, which looks like a fortress, in San Francisco is suspicious, they do not have the extra strength to open up new battlefields at the moment.

Meanwhile, somewhere in San Francisco, Laura, after hearing the routine warning, nonchalantly hung up the communication. The mothership's air defenses were fully operational, and carrier-based aircraft began taking off, ready to defend against any potential US attack.

"Lieutenant General Lightning, communications have been cut off."

The operator paused for a moment, then reported to the lieutenant general beside him.

Lieutenant General Lightning was in charge of air reconnaissance and support in San Francisco. According to regulations, if a warning was ignored, it could be considered a provocation against the U.S. military. However, Lightning did not have the extra power to stop the Dawn.

After thinking for a moment, Lightning said, "Send the message to the Navy. Axehead has landed. The Navy is of limited use in the encirclement and suppression. Let their people handle the problem."

After confirming the information and exchanging relevant orders, the Navy, headquartered in San Francisco, began operations.

--split line--

Onboard the Dawn, Laura sensed the target displayed on the AN/SPY-1 phased array radar and couldn't help but feel speechless. The San Francisco Naval Base wasn't far from Oakland Bay; Laura had already detected it when it locked onto the Dawn.

The red dots flying towards the Dawn, as detected by the sensor, were clearly their attack on the Dawn.

With a sigh, Laura activated the air defense system, and dozens of anti-aircraft missiles and anti-ship missiles roared out of the ship's launch silos and flew toward their designated targets.

If possible, Laura would not want to clash with the U.S. military, but when conflict is unavoidable, she has to eliminate any factors that might interfere with her mission.

Laura paid no attention to the naval fleet stationed in San Francisco. The Dawn's air defense system and anti-ship attack capabilities were completely reliable. The only thing she needed to worry about was the Axe.

Five hours after the Axehead landed in San Francisco, Laura piloted the Dawn into the combat zone. Looking at the Axehead locked onto by the fire control system, a sense of tension rose within Laura.

"Armored rounds are being loaded. Target locked."

"Fire!"

For the first time, the nine 460mm cannons mounted on the Dawn's triangle unleashed their fury. Under the lock-on of the ship girl technology, Laura had a strange feeling, as if her will could influence the trajectory of every single shell.

These ship girls feel a bit out of the ordinary.

With full concentration, five shells accurately struck the axe-head. The immense kinetic energy pierced the axe-head's skin for the first time, and deep blue blood splattered on the ground, creating a pale mist.

"Monster Blue".

Laura frowned, but did not stop her attack.

This highly toxic blood would cause massive pollution on the ground, but the Dawn is clearly incapable of handling it. In comparison, eliminating Axehead as quickly as possible is far more important.

San Francisco after being contaminated by the monstrous blue is at least better than after being contaminated by nuclear radiation.

However, although the 460 main gun was able to successfully penetrate the defenses, the wounds, which were only a few tens of centimeters long, were not significant on the nearly 100-meter-tall behemoth.

Therefore, Laura needs even more lethal weapons.

With that in mind, Laura focused her attention on the special armory inside the mothership.

There, she found what she needed.

6. Basic Technology: Ship Hull Configuration

The armor beneath the mothership's bridge slowly opened, and a silver-white warhead was loaded from the special weapon depot into the launch silo.

The Dongfeng-15C is a kinetic energy penetrating bunker-buster cruise missile originally designed to attack underground fortified structures; its penetration capability is sufficient to penetrate 60 meters of concrete in military installations. Only three such missiles exist in the special-purpose arsenal.

To be honest, when Laura first took over the Dawn, she couldn't understand why the mothership would have such a weapon stored on it. Ship-launched bunker-buster missiles, used to attack ground targets—the combination of both was something Laura had never even heard of before.

However, this tactic might actually produce unexpected results when targeting axe-wielding weapons.

"Target locked, fire!"

A burst of flame erupted from the tail thruster, and the flashing flame on the Dongfeng-15C quickly shrank into a single point of light. After launch, the cruise missile will rise to the set altitude, then accelerate with the help of gravity, and strike the Axe-headed missile precisely at a near-vertical angle.

In previous battles, it was difficult to kill the axe-wielder using only explosions and shrapnel, while most weapons with sufficient armor-piercing capabilities were not caliber enough to inflict fatal wounds.

In addition, concerns about the damage that bunker-buster missiles could cause to the San Francisco strata have prevented the U.S. military from using this weapon that could threaten the Axe.

With the power of intention, the tungsten alloy shell of the Dongfeng-15C, accompanied by sparks from friction with the atmosphere, precisely struck the iconic axe-shaped head.

From a distance, it looked like a red beam of light descending from the sky, as if divine punishment had fallen upon the monster that had harmed the world.

Before she could even utter a wail or a scream, the axe-head was pierced through the head by a missile. The immense kinetic energy easily pried open the axe-head's skull, and the accompanying high temperature ruthlessly burned all the brain cells, giving Laura a taste of roasted beast brain.

As if the pause button had been pressed, the axe stood silently on the ground of San Francisco, blue, highly toxic blood slowly flowing from the cracked wound and dripping heavily onto the ground.

The next moment, the axe-wielding mangled body fell to the ground, raising a thick cloud of dust.

"What is that?"

Lieutenant General Lightning paused for a moment, then asked with some difficulty.

"It's not certain yet, but it seems somewhat similar to a bunker-buster missile."

The adjutant standing next to Lightning whispered his guess.

When the fighter jets circling over San Francisco saw the fallen body of Axeman, the communication channels were initially silent, then erupted in cheers.

Even now, they still believe it was naval support.

As for Laura, who had successfully eliminated the axe-wielder, she smiled slightly upon hearing the mission notification that Noah had just conveyed.

[Optional Mission 3: Hunting a Kaiju has been completed (can be repeated), Kaiju Axeman has been eliminated, and Civilization Commands*2 have been sent]

[Civilization command detected; mothership tech tree activated.]

"The technology tree has finally been activated!"

Suppressing her excitement, Laura mentally visualized the technology tree. Although much of the technology remained dim and unusable, a single point of light shone faintly at the very bottom, seemingly offering Laura a hint.

Clicking on the constantly flashing star reveals the detailed information to Laura.

[Ship Configuration: The most fundamental technology point after the mothership activates its technology tree. The ship configuration is an indispensable foundational technology for unlocking more advanced technologies in the future. Once unlocked, the Dawn-class civilization mothership will develop its core ship technologies, systematically embracing any technology.]

[Activation Cost: 1 Civilization Commands]

Without a doubt, the ship's hull configuration is the foundation of the Dawn and Laura, and its importance is self-evident. In fact, without unlocking this skill, other technologies simply cannot be unlocked.

"Activation confirmed."

Without the slightest hesitation, Laura immediately activated this basic skill.

An indescribable fluctuation permeated the entire Dawn, affecting Laura, who was mentally connected to the mothership, causing a faint blush to rise on her face. In an instant, Laura felt the shackles that had always restricted her being released, as free and exhilarating as a fish entering water.

[Derivative - Wind of Resurgence: The Dawn can consume energy to generate the necessary weapons and ammunition, and even repair ship damage]

[Derivative - Ship's Will: When the ship spirit personally commands the Dawn, the mothership will receive a minor, comprehensive enhancement.]

[Derivative - Supreme Link: The Ship Spirit and the Dawn can maintain an absolute link at any time and in any place. Similarly, the Ship Spirit can return to the mothership at any time, or summon the mothership to the Ship Spirit's location.]

[Mothership - Deep Dive Branch Restrictions Removed, Current Status: Usable]

[Mothership - Airborne/Landborne/Interstellar Branch Restrictions Removed, Basic Form Activation Missing: ... (Expand)]

……

Like a beginner's gift pack, the ship's configuration brings the Dawn far more than a single civilization command could provide. For one thing, the "Revival Wind" skill alone is enough to free the Dawn from most of its constraints.

At first, Laura was worried about how to replenish the various supplies on the mothership. Fuel wasn't too difficult; after all, nuclear fuel rods, if used normally, would take at least several decades to run out, so it wasn't particularly tight. The real problem was the disposable ammunition.

However, the ship's design directly and efficiently eliminated most of the problems for Laura. As long as there was sufficient energy, Laura could simply consume energy to produce the necessary military supplies.

Laura tentatively activated "Revival Winds," and clearly sensed something being born within the mothership. Less than five minutes later, a brand-new DF-15C missile filled the gap left by previous depletion.