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

9. Jefferson: I won...

Indeed, the fact that the Kaiju appeared and killed the Dawn in both Kaiju invasions suggests something fishy was going on, and it's not hard to understand why conspiracy theories have emerged.

However, Laura herself knew that the strategy of ambushing and obtaining civilization commands could not be replicated. Without prior knowledge of the plot, given the Dawn's mobility, unless it stayed near the wormhole, there was virtually no way to intercept the Kaiju.

Although the wormhole's location wasn't difficult to find, the Dawn's combat capabilities in deep-dive mode weren't even sufficient to eliminate a Tier 2 Kaiju. If she rashly camped there, Laura felt she might be killed instead.

"Forget it, let them think what they want."

Focusing her attention on her surroundings, a word flashed through Laura's mind.

"The Shattered Dome Command Center?"

The details on the leader's clothing proved that he was a lieutenant general, and it seems that the news channel that the Hong Kong base was under construction reported that the supreme commander of the Shattered Dome was also a lieutenant general.

So, one of the two people next to the lieutenant general must be in charge of developing neural bypass technology, right?

Thinking it might be worth a try, Laura directed several nanounits to land on the three people. The effective range of the nanounits covered the entire Earth, and their special information transmission method ensured that the signals would not be interfered with. As long as they did not leave Earth, the neural bypass technology would inevitably fall into Laura's hands.

She infiltrated the world's upper echelons silently, and no conspiracy against the Dawn could escape Laura's ears. In a sense, Laura was indeed the mastermind behind it all.

I felt a strange sense of excitement and stimulation...

--split line--

"Welcome to Global News, viewers. Four months have passed since the mysterious behemoth landed in Maranh. Today, the United Nations has officially named it the 'Kaiju' and launched the corresponding Jaeger program."

Standing in front of the camera, the host leaned slightly to the side, showing the scene behind him: "And behind me is the first completed mech, which will protect humanity in the future. At the same time, PPDC is also calling on the public to participate in neural link tests and is soliciting pilot candidates globally..."

Over the course of four months, the nanounits successfully established themselves in seven other semi-finished product bases through a tree-like diffusion pattern, and successfully acquired neural bypass technology, gaining a small amount of civilizational instructions.

Watching the news report on TV, Laura glanced at Jefferson, who was sitting next to her with an excited expression, and didn't know what to say.

As someone inside the Shattered Dome, Laura was certain that Jefferson had seen the mech more than once.

The first-generation Jaeger, the first Jaeger created through international cooperation, was built on Kodiak Island, Alaska, and was transported to the newly completed Hong Kong base a month ago.

Because of its first victory in the Yukon Territory of Canada, and because its engine was too noisy, it was eventually named "Noisy Boy Yukon".

Unfortunately, Yukon had not yet been named at this time, and Laura could not connect the name Yukon with the landing location of the next monster.

Of the eight bases selected for the Pacific Rim, the Hong Kong base was the first to be completed, thanks to China's phenomenal infrastructure capabilities. Therefore, the Yukon base was the first to be transported to Hong Kong.

The requirements for two-person linked operation are too stringent; even after PPDC searched military forces worldwide, they only found seven pairs of pilots. Considering the future expansion needs of the mechs, the current PPDC command has wisely launched a global search for pilots.

Leaving behind neural fluctuation data, the rest depends entirely on whether one's destined partner is supportive. This call to action, fraught with randomness, has ignited hope in billions of people, with countless young people and even children dreaming of becoming drivers and saving the world with their own hands.

After all, becoming a driver means easy access to both fame and fortune. For ordinary people, this is incredibly tempting. Even though becoming a driver means living a life constantly on the edge of life and death, countless people still flock to it.

However, Jefferson seems to be only interested in the mecha itself. Perhaps, this is the romance of men?

Feeling her true self hidden deep in the sea, Laura had a vague understanding of Jefferson's thoughts.

It's probably the same reason why people prefer more powerful cannons.

Jefferson had already responded to the call from within the base and uploaded his neural fluctuation data, but Laura wasn't too worried.

It's important to know that out of billions of people worldwide, there are fewer than a hundred compatible individuals. Even at the peak of PPDC, the number of mechs was severely limited by the number of pilots. Jefferson's chances of becoming a pilot were 500 times lower than the probability of being struck by lightning.

Well, the probability of an American being struck by lightning is about one in 600,000.

"So, with Uncle Jefferson's luck, how could he possibly become a mech pilot..."

Laura silently cheered herself on, said goodbye to Jefferson who was finishing his morning news and preparing to leave, then skillfully cleared away the dishes, pulled out a cookbook she had recently found, and began to read it carefully.

Self-reliance leads to abundance. Expecting Jefferson, that old geezer, to cook is unrealistic, and Laura herself didn't want to just hang around in Jefferson's house doing nothing, so she took on the responsibility of cooking for the family.

Learning a skill is never a bad thing. The ship's skill "Wind of Revival" can be used to convert a large amount of high-quality food with very little energy. Although it's normal for Laura, as a ship girl, to eat oil and iron, her human instincts still make her more accustomed to eating more ordinary food.

The Dawn's built-in military computer can download all the world's cookbooks into its database, but it can't teach Laura to make dishes that have soul and glow; she still has to rely on herself to make truly delicious food.

Immersed in the world of learning, repeatedly drowning in the ocean of knowledge, Laura felt experience points constantly popping up above her head: "+1" "+1".

after an hour……

Feeling that she had accumulated enough proficiency, Laura dazedly put down the book in her hand and prepared to practice the exercises.

"Let's try baguettes today."

After carefully adjusting the proportions and letting the dough, shaped like Jean Bart, rise, Laura put on gloves, held the tray, and was about to put it in the oven when a loud bang came from the doorway.

In a moment of carelessness, the entire plate of dough fell to the ground. Before Laura could even react, she felt her altitude rapidly increase.

Jefferson wore a silly, fatherly grin as he hugged Laura and lifted her high in the air, repeatedly muttering, "I won! I won!"

Instinctively, Laura slammed the tray she was holding directly onto Jefferson's head. If Laura's system hadn't determined there was no threat, this attack would have surely killed both the tray and Jefferson.

Five minutes later, after Jefferson, who had a large bump on his head, explained that his fluctuation data had been successfully matched, Laura couldn't help but look out the window.

The sky over Hong Kong was clear and cloudless.

"Uncle, just how many times has he dodged lightning strikes...?"

Laura, who had successfully jinxed herself, glanced at Jefferson, who had a huge bump on his head, and asked with a sense of existential doubt.

10. Sky-high mothership speed

The first-generation Jaeger, due to the tight schedule and short development period, had many flaws. The most significant one was the unresolved issue of radiation protection for the human body caused by nuclear power; unless redesigned, this was an unavoidable problem.

"Uncle, are you sure you want to become a mecha pilot?"

Sitting on the sofa, Laura made a final attempt to persuade Jefferson to stay home and live out the rest of his life quietly. After all, Jefferson was a kind man who had taken her in, and Laura really didn't want this gentle and kind uncle to go to the battlefield.

"The base has publicly warned that nuclear radiation can cause serious harm to the driver's health, sir, you really don't need to..."

After listening carefully to Laura's advice, Jefferson shook his head with a smile: "Little Laura, I know you mean well, but there are some things that I always have to do."

Jefferson didn't talk about human responsibility or the future of civilization. In Jefferson's mind, Laura probably couldn't yet understand this sense of mission that came from within.

After thinking for a moment, Jefferson said in the simplest terms possible, "It's like meeting little Laura in San Francisco. I guess that's fate."

Laura was speechless. Jefferson had made up his mind, and Laura couldn't change his mind.

"Humph."

With a frustrated hum, Laura went straight back to her room, closed the door, lay down on the bed, covered her head with a pillow, and kicked the mattress beneath her repeatedly with her thigh-high boots.

Knowing full well how dangerous the future would be, Jefferson was still determined to go ahead. In some ways, Jefferson's stubbornness far exceeded Laura's imagination.

Although Laura admired the older man's determination to face danger head-on, it didn't mean she would feel comfortable letting Jefferson go off on a wild spree.

"Lola, are you alright?"

Jefferson paused for a moment when he saw Laura suddenly run away. He walked to the door and knocked, but received no response.

Jefferson glanced at the time and hesitated. He had been too excited to run back earlier, and had only received the matching notification halfway there. Now, he should actually return to the base to handle the various matters related to being selected.

As for the angry child, I can only deal with him after get off work.

"I hope Laura is alright..."

With a sigh, Jefferson said hello, then closed the door and embarked on the path to becoming a mech pilot.

Upon returning to the Shattered Dome in Hong Kong, Jefferson was greeted by a tall soldier who gave him a warm hug and then asked with a smile:

You seem a little unhappy. What happened?

"It's Laura."

Jefferson released the hug and shook his head. "That kid doesn't seem to want me to be a mech pilot. Albert, a bachelor like you without children can't understand."

Albert Morris, the other pilot who was matched with Jefferson, was Jefferson's destined other half.

"Alright, don't pretend I don't know. You're a bachelor yourself, and I don't know what luck you had to meet such a lovely girl like Laura. As for the feeling you're talking about, I think I'll understand when we complete our first connection."

"And it's a good thing that Laura is worried about you. At least when I found out I was selected, everyone else just envied me and didn't think about the dangers involved."

Albert and Jefferson were among the first to be selected through the system's screening process; their previous jobs included firefighters and police officers. Compared to ordinary citizens, their professional experience made them more aware of the risks of becoming mech pilots.

Fighting monsters is a true life-or-death struggle.

"I hope so."

Now that things had come to this, Jefferson could only think this way. Looking up at the first-generation Jaeger standing on the central platform of the base, Jefferson suddenly felt a pang of melancholy.

I wonder if there will be any food left when I get back today.

Back home, Laura only took the pillow off her head after Jefferson had left. She turned over, looked up at the sky, and let out a long sigh.

The Dawn has an underwater speed of 20 knots, and even when it floats on the surface, it only reaches a speed of around 30 knots. If a monster were to appear that Jefferson needed to deal with, it would be difficult for Laura to provide support.

Even if the wormhole energy detection device is developed later and can predict the Kaiju's landing location in advance, with the Dawn's current mobility, unless the distance is extremely close, Laura will have no chance of catching up.

Even at deep-sea dives, the Kaiju's speed is only slightly slower than that of a Chinook helicopter.

However, it's impossible to just leave Uncle Jefferson alone...

The computer system aboard the Dawn began operating, and after incorporating the western Pacific Ocean and the effective operational range of the Dawn, Laura arrived at the conclusion she ultimately wanted.

After the eight Broken Dome bases are completed, the Hong Kong base's monitoring area will be limited to a smaller sea area. If the Dawn's speed can be increased by 60%, then it can barely cover the coastline monitored by Hong Kong.

So……

Noah!

Noah silently called out to himself, projecting the tech tree panel into Laura's mind.

"Based on the existing hull of the mothership, search for technologies that can maximize the speed."

Although as a ship girl, Laura can do many things that ordinary warships cannot, such as acting as a humanoid buff to the mothership, the mothership still abides by the basic laws of physics most of the time.

It's like loading technology; even if Laura had enough civilization commands, she couldn't install a warp drive on the Dawn, or rather, even if she did, it wouldn't be usable.

The shortest plank limits the capacity of a barrel, and the same applies to the Dawn. Fortunately, the Dawn itself embodies the essence of 21st-century technology. While its weapons and materials may not be the most cutting-edge, they are certainly the most versatile and suitable.

With the most advanced design structure and Noah's core ship girl technology, Noah successfully found the technology that Laura needed.

[Ocean Carrier Propulsion System (55 knots): Engine overload will no longer be a means of short-term bursts of power. The same propulsion system as the WOWS French destroyer can reach a maximum of 55 knots.]

This was the limit of what a single civilization command could achieve. After completing the task of collecting neural bypass technology, the last bit of civilization command obtained was given to Noah, and the Dawn, which was lurking in the waters near Hong Kong, began to receive a technological upgrade.