Shipgirls and Salted Fish Commander, Port Survival Guide

"It's alright, it's alright. It's good that the Commander is back, it's good that he's back." Yi Xian wiped away her tears and smiled, her face as gentle as a spring breeze.

"How long have I been unconscious?" Yi Xian's slightly sorrowful expression stirred Jing Su's heart, and she hurriedly changed the subject.

“It took three or four hours. Changchun found the Commander on the shore. When she called me, I thought she was joking. I didn’t expect it to really be the Commander.” Yixian turned her head and looked at the wall clock. She said, “It took a lot of time and effort. Why did the Commander faint in that place? And Commander, where have you been for so long? The sisters in the port are very worried about you.”

"This matter is somewhat complicated. Fainting is an old problem of mine, it's nothing serious, it can be treated with some rest. As for why I ended up in that place, I don't know either." After thinking for a moment, Jing Su organized her thoughts and temporarily omitted the matter of time travel.

The coma was a key factor in Jing Su's judgment of whether he was incarcerated. It was indeed a chronic problem of his, but it was not congenital; rather, it was caused by a car accident after he graduated from high school.

Around the time the college entrance exams were over, a spontaneous trip became a trend online. Unfortunately, the bus I was on was in an accident – ​​a rear-end collision followed by a chain reaction. For the passengers, the only saving grace was that no one died; a dozen or so sustained minor injuries, and only one was seriously injured. But for Jing Su, it was incredibly unfortunate, because the one seriously injured was him.

When the car accident happened, Jing Su's seatbelt broke, and she was thrown out of the car. Unfortunately, she crashed directly into a sharp object, which pierced her intestines. Luckily, there was a gastroenterologist in the car who gave her emergency treatment, which saved her life.

However, due to the chain collision, the entire road was completely blocked, and since it was on the highway, the ambulance couldn't get in, delaying the rescue. By the time Jing Su was taken to the hospital, her wound had become infected, and after healing, she was left with sequelae.

This aftereffect is particularly distressing. Since the car accident, Jing Su has been unable to go hungry, nor can he eat too much. If he eats more than 80% full, his abdomen will bloat and hurt. If he is hungry, he will experience cramping pain. At the same time, his digestive ability has weakened, which has made Jing Su quite malnourished. Hypoglycemia symptoms have accompanied him throughout his college years. When it is severe, he will faint, just like just now.

Fortunately, he was young and could recover gradually by taking care of himself, eating smaller meals more frequently, and keeping himself in good condition. During his four years of university, apart from a few problems in his freshman year, even his roommates didn't realize he had this problem.

After graduation, I rarely had any problems with my intestines.

Now that I've transmigrated, my body seems to be much younger. Judging from my appearance, it's exactly the time when I had my car accident and my stomach problems were at their worst.

Thinking about this, Jing Su realized something interesting: the time when her gastrointestinal problems were at their worst was exactly when she started playing Azur Lane. At that time, she was lying in a hospital bed and couldn't even get out of bed to walk. Out of boredom, she discovered Azur Lane and started playing. Although she did have to quit for a while due to her studies, she started playing again after she finished her studies and has been playing ever since.

'Could it be that for them, I disappeared when I quit the game? That shouldn't be the case. Even when I wasn't playing Azur Lane, I never uninstalled it. Besides, I started playing again in Shimakaze Pond. I have a history of this. How could it be when I quit?' At this point, Jing Su's mind was filled with random thoughts.

"Ah, my old ailment, what ailment? Is it serious? Is it dangerous? I'll go see a doctor right now." Upon hearing Jing Su say that she had a health problem, a panicked look appeared on Yi Xian's face. After saying that, Yi Xian turned around and prepared to go out.

"Wait!" Jing Su quickly stopped her, explaining, "It's nothing serious, nothing major or particularly serious. It'll heal with time."

"Is it alright?" Yi Xian asked, still somewhat doubtful.

“Of course. After spending so much time with you all, has any of you noticed this problem of mine? No, right? I’m just a little malnourished. I know how to deal with it. Besides, I didn’t tell you before because I was afraid you would worry. Yixian, if you call a doctor, wouldn’t everyone know? Then I can forget about having a harmonious life.” Jing Su said after organizing her thoughts.

Although much of his talk was nonsense, he was right about one thing: his stomach problems could indeed be treated. He had done it once in his previous life, and now he was simply starting over. In fact, he could say that starting over would make the process much smoother. After all, experience makes perfect. In his previous life, Jing Su had gone through many detours and suffered a lot in order to treat his stomach problems.

"It seems that's indeed the case." Although still worried about Jing Su's health, what could Yi Xian say since Jing Su had spoken? Of course, she chose to believe him. Moreover, what Jing Su said made sense. If a doctor were really called, then all the ship girls in the port area would know that Jing Su was in trouble. At that time, many worried ship girls would rush to visit him regardless of the consequences, which would cause a big problem. Of course, necessary examinations and care would be needed. Fortunately, Yi Xian was very good at dietary supplements, so it was not impossible to keep Jing Su at the Donghuang base under the pretext of care.

Chapter Six: The current state of the port is quite strange.

"So, Commander, where have you been all this time?" After learning that Jing Su was alright, Yi Xian was relieved and then went straight to the point, asking the question that concerned her the most.

"..." Jing Su remained silent, unsure how to respond for a moment.

"Is there something inconvenient? If it's really difficult, you don't have to say anything. It's good that the Commander is back." Seeing Jing Su's hesitation, Yi Xian comforted her.

“It’s not that it’s difficult, but, how should I put it,” Jing Su organized her thoughts before speaking, “I don’t seem to have any memories of spending time with you.”

"No memory of spending time with us? What do you mean? Have you lost your memory? But Commander, you can clearly call out our names, how could this be!?" A look of panic appeared on Yi Xian's face.

"I don't know how to express this feeling. It's like I do know about your existence, your skills, attributes, and general personalities, but that's about it. It's a bit like an ordinary student knowing their school principal and his achievements, but not necessarily recognizing him when they meet in person."

My current situation is somewhat similar to this: you say I was missing for a period of time, but I have no memory of being missing, or rather, I haven't realized that a part of my memory is missing. It's possible that something did happen, but something removed that memory.

After much hesitation, Jing Su decided to reveal her situation and frankly admitted that she had no memory of interacting with the ship girls. If she were to interact with the ship girls in the future, this issue would be unavoidable. Rather than hiding it in the early stages and beating around the bush, which would only lead to awkwardness for everyone when it was exposed later, it was better to be upfront from the beginning.

In interpersonal relationships, as long as interests and honor are not involved, the most important thing is to be open and honest. Often, speaking clearly and explicitly can avoid a lot of misunderstandings.

"How could this be? Don't you remember anything? Those years of sharing joys and sorrows, fighting bloody battles, making the best of a bad situation, and dreaming about the future, don't you remember any of that, Commander? Don't you even remember the promises you made?" Yi Xian covered her face and wept, her tears falling like raindrops.

"Although I really want to deny it, I really don't have any related memories. Wait, did I make any promises?" Yi Xian's sorrowful appearance was pitiful to behold. Originally, I wanted to comfort her, but Jing Su quickly noticed the strangeness in Yi Xian's words.

For Jing Su, his entire understanding of ship girls comes from the game. The idea that he has ever had any interaction with ship girls is pure nonsense, let alone any promises. When playing the game, Jing Su usually puts his phone aside and does other things. Jing Su's only hobby in the game is to raise the affection level of all the ship girls to "love". If he comes across a few characters whose illustrations he likes, he will take a few more glances at them.

"The Commander has no memories of the past, but Yi Xian remembers. The Commander said that when the Sirens are defeated and the world is at peace, you will ride a tall horse and marry me amidst cheers and applause. But the Commander doesn't remember that promise, sob sob~" Yi Xian wiped away her tears with her left hand and clutched her clothes with her right, her voice trembling like an abandoned kitten.

"This, I, no, no, oh my..." Jing Su scratched his head, about to deny it, but before he could finish speaking, he swallowed the words back. He did seem to have moments when his mind was muddled and he would yell at the screen, but those were the very few times when he was not mentally sound, and he would forget them after a few minutes. Men, after all, have a few days a month when their brains don't work. Even on ordinary days, when walking down the street, he is prone to fantasizing that he is some kind of savior.

So, who knows, maybe, just maybe, I actually said that in a moment of reverie!?

"Pfft~ The Commander looks so cute~" Jing Su's mind was a complete mess when Yi Xian suddenly took a deep breath and said, "It's okay, it doesn't matter if the Commander forgot. It's good that the Commander is back. He won't leave again, right~ Commander!"

"It seems she won't be leaving again." Jing Su was startled by Yi Xian's change and was somewhat worried about her condition, but she still gave her opinion in response to the question. Now that she had transmigrated, she didn't even know what situation she was in. Her mind was a complete mess. Even if she wanted to transmigrate back, she didn't know how. So she might as well take it one step at a time and make the best of it.

"It's good that the Commander is willing to stay. We'll walk this path together from now on, and we'll weather any storms together. No matter what happens, Yi Xian will always be with the Commander." Yi Xian bent down, took Jing Su's hands, and said softly.

"Hmm~" Jing Su turned her head away, not daring to look directly at Yi Xian. Yi Xian's eyes were slightly red and her eyes were filled with crystal tears. She looked so pitiful that anyone who saw her would feel the same way and fall into sadness.

"I'm so glad the Commander agreed." The beautiful woman smiled, her smile as gentle as a spring breeze.

"A smile that could launch a thousand ships, eclipsing all the beauties of the palace; now I understand the true meaning of that poem." Seeing Yixian's smile, Jing Su blurted out this line as if possessed.

"Commander, you're just teasing me." Yi Xian glared at Jing Su angrily, sending a shiver down Jing Su's spine.

"Um, could you tell me about the current situation in the port area?" After a moment of silence, Jing Su asked this question.

Jing Su had initially doubted whether the ship girls would accept him, but now, judging from Yi Xian's attitude towards him, at least the Eastern Huang faction is willing to accept him. In that case, it is necessary for him to understand the situation in the port area.

From his previous conversation with Hu Teng, Jing Su could roughly guess that the current situation in the port area didn't seem to be very good.

"Hehe, the Commander still brought this up." Faced with Jing Su's question, Yi Xian's demeanor suddenly changed. She slowly stood up and said with a hint of helplessness in her voice.

"What's wrong?" Yi Xian's sudden change startled Jing Su. Even though the port area wasn't in great shape right now, judging from the exterior decorations and road maintenance, it shouldn't be too bad.

"The port area is currently in a very strange state. The specific situations of different factions are different. I can only say that the Eastern Empire faction is in a good state. As for the other factions, the commander needs to go and see for himself the specific situation."

Chapter Seven: The Fool~

"Is the situation in the port area not good now?" Jing Su wondered. Since he came to this world, he had stayed by the roadside, in the office, and in this room. Judging from the maintenance of the road, the cleanliness of the office, and the decoration of this room, at least the economic situation is not a big problem.

'Could it be that only the port area is more prosperous, while other places are not so good?' Considering that Hu Teng had said, openly and subtly, that the port area had split into factions, with each faction going out to develop independently, if this is the case, then uneven development is indeed possible.

"Yes, thanks to some big bad guy who mysteriously disappeared, the situation in the port area is terrible now." Yi Xian, now focused on getting down to business, sat up straight, composed himself, and said seriously.

"Oh, really? Then I'm sorry." Jing Su scratched her head. Although she didn't know what had happened, she decided to apologize first.

"Hehe, Commander, there's no need for that. The port isn't doing as well as it used to be, but it's not exactly desolate either." Seeing Jing Su's embarrassed look, Yi Xian couldn't help but chuckle and began to explain.

It turns out that after Jing Su mysteriously disappeared, when the ship girls realized they really couldn't find their commander, the entire port was plunged into a huge panic. After the initial chaos, the ship girls knew that things couldn't continue like this.

So the ship girls, organized by their respective factions, gathered their leaders to discuss what to do next in the port area.

During the discussion, there were two main viewpoints. One was to search relentlessly. If they couldn't find him in the port area, they would search in the nearby waters. If they couldn't find him in the nearby waters, they would seek help from the Maritime Safety Administration and search on land. In short, no matter the cost, they had to find Jing Su.

Opponents argue that Jing Su might have some unspeakable reasons for his temporary departure and that the port should be maintained and developed to best welcome his return. Supporters of this view do not oppose searching for Jing Su, but resist using the Maritime Safety Administration's resources, believing that this process would weaken the port's independence; relying on others means being controlled by them. Furthermore, the pro-maintenance faction has another important factor: the port's resources simply cannot withstand the drain of a large-scale search.

Since Jing Su disappeared, the port has lost its source of resources, and maintaining income and expenditure has become a luxury. Although Jing Su has always had the habit of hoarding resources and stockpiled a lot of resources for the port before she disappeared, the search efforts of the ship girls are too great. In order to ensure safety, each sortie must be accompanied by at least one main warship, which makes the port's resources melt away as quickly as snowflakes on a hot pan.

From the perspective of the steadfast faction, once the search party compromises with the Maritime Safety Administration for the sake of information, and the situation of the port area's resources is exposed, then the malicious intentions targeting the port area will inevitably come like a storm. Without Jing Su, how can the port area, which has no resources, protect its home?

Therefore, the conservatives believe that the most urgent task is to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, find new sources of resources, and then plan for other things. However, the search faction sees this as a betrayal. Jing Su is missing, and instead of thinking about finding her, you are here talking about dividing the family property. What are you trying to do?

The disagreement plunged the port, which had finally returned to peace, back into chaos. There were already various conflicts between the different factions, and normally Jing Su would mediate and prevent any major trouble. But now, without the crucial mediator, and with the ship girls already in a state of extreme emotion, the entire port had become a powder keg, just waiting for a spark to ignite it.

The trigger for the explosion came quickly. Due to the rapid depletion of resources, the logistics department had no choice but to reduce resource allocation. Initially, everyone could tolerate it under the pressure of the person in charge. However, on one occasion, the resources supplied were even insufficient for normal sorties. The ship girls who were supposed to be sorties went to the logistics department to argue their case, but were turned away. One of the ship girls had a fiery temper and, in a fit of anger, smashed down the door of the logistics department, intending to go in and have a word with them. Unexpectedly, she used too much force, startling the ship girl inside who was adjusting her ship equipment. Her hand trembled, causing an explosion. The ship girl who smashed the door was only slightly impacted because she had deployed her ship equipment, but the entire logistics department was reduced to ruins by the explosion.

This incident ignited the powder keg in the port area, with tensions rising between the various factions, almost escalating into a full-blown war, and finally ending with one faction leaving.

Since this incident, the port area has been in a semi-divided state, with the various factions not communicating with each other. Apart from the faction leaders who still have some contact, the development of the other factions is indeed unknown.

"I never imagined that the port would become like this without the commander." After listening to Yi Xian's general explanation, Jing Su felt a surge of emotion.

"Yes, ship girls are really vulnerable without their commander. Commander, you are our pillar of strength. Without you, our sky has collapsed. Ship girls can't do without their commander. So, Commander, please don't leave again, okay?" A sad expression reappeared on Yi Xian's face.

"Hmm..." As if possessed, Jing Su nodded.

"Really? That's wonderful, Commander. But where have you been all this time? And why are you on the port's ring road?"

"I don't know how to answer that, because I really don't have any related memories. In fact, you could say my memories are continuous. I lived for a considerable period of time on a timeline without you all. In that place, I had family and friends; I was an ordinary person. Then, somehow, in the blink of an eye, I arrived in that place." After organizing her thoughts, Jing Su briefly recounted her past, but she didn't reveal anything about the game. Everything was still uncertain. Jing Su had no idea whether this world was actually the setting of the game, or if there were other possibilities, such as the ship girls actually being transported to another world, a different world from the game, except that ship girls existed there. Revealing the game rashly would be bad for both herself and the ship girls.

"Is that so?" Yi Xian's expression was solemn, his thoughts were calm, as if he was thinking about something.

"Yixian, you look like you've discovered something?" Jing Su asked, noticing Yixian's reaction. It seemed she had discovered something about his past.

"I didn't find anything, but I'm a little sad. The commander is enjoying himself in a peaceful world, while we poor girls are searching in the wind and rain." Hearing Jing Su's voice, Yi Xian's eyes rolled, her face was sad, and her voice was resentful, which made Jing Su feel cold all over.

"Oh, well, never mind, anything I say now would just be empty words. I'll have to rely on Yixian's help in the days to come." Hearing this, Jing Su realized that Yixian was expressing her attitude to her, and she was deeply moved.

“This is what Yixian should do.” Having received the answer he wanted, Yixian beamed, rose to take his leave, and said he wanted to make some soup for Jingsu to nourish his body.

After talking for so long, Jing Su was indeed tired. His body was at its weakest since his injury and he really needed to recuperate. So he nodded and closed his eyes to rest.

After leaving the room, Yi Xian leaned against the door, head bowed, a slight smile playing on her lips, and murmured, "Fool~"

Chapter Eight: Happy Times

"Commander, why did you abandon us? You heartless bastard! Accept your punishment!"

"Om~"

Jing Su suddenly opened her eyes, sat up, and gasped for breath.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Pressing her heaving chest, she looked back and saw that her clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

Due to physical factors, Jing Su has a lot of dreams, but she can't remember what she dreamed about. This time was no exception. The only impression she had was that there was a voice, whose distance was unknown, lingering in her ear. Hearing this voice, Jing Su felt a great sorrow rise in her heart. Under the strong impact, Jing Su woke up with a start.

"Whose voice is this?" Jing Su frowned slightly, trying hard to recall, racking her brains, but she had no clue. She just felt that the voice was very familiar, but she just couldn't remember who it was.

"I should have known better than to keep playing on the silent route." After racking her brains without success, Jing Su rubbed her face a few times to try to get rid of the palpitations. Then she got out of bed. In her current state, she wouldn't be able to fall asleep anytime soon anyway. Although she was still a little weak after resting for so long, her spirits had almost recovered. She might as well walk around and see what the environment of her area was like.

Pushing open the door, Jing Su found herself at the end of a long corridor.

"A dormitory? Or something else?" Jing Su murmured.

The corridor was spacious, but there were only three or four rooms inside. The overall decoration looked quite ordinary, similar to the dormitory of a high school in the south in my previous life.

From his previous conversation with Yi Xian, Jing Su learned that the various factions in the port area are now in a semi-divided state. Their basic processes are quite similar: they disagree with the ideologies of other factions, can't stand the chaos in the port area, and then they seize the logistics department. After obtaining basic resources, the faction leader leads his faction's ship girls and disappears. Those with a better attitude will talk to the person in charge of the logistics department beforehand or write an IOU, and then leave with a portion of the resources.

In short, the department most affected by Jing Su's disappearance is definitely the logistics department. Since the ship girls who manage the logistics department are generally not very strong, they are completely powerless when faced with the resources demanded by the faction's leader. The only thing they can do is to leave more resources for their own faction.

"Speaking of which, there's something I forgot to ask earlier. Before I disappeared, how did the port obtain resources? It can't be like in the game, where they get them from the cafeteria, right? That's too far-fetched. Besides, in the game, the resource related to sorties is oil, right? It's hard to imagine how the ship girls use that stuff in battle." Pacing back and forth in the corridor, Jing Su suddenly realized that there were many questions she hadn't asked clearly.

"Hehe, let's play as the landlord this time. Come on, draw your cards! We're sure to win this time!"

Just as Jing Su was having a headache, cheers suddenly came from one of the rooms in the corridor. Jing Su walked over and listened carefully.

"Hey, Pinghai actually drew him! It looks like this is going to be a fierce match. I guess I'll have to bring out this general!" another clear voice rang out.

"Hmph, Anshan, remember, the most important thing in playing games is immersion. The commander said that no matter what you do, you must go all out. This time, you must also have the determination to win and fight to the death!"

"Immersion? Sister Pinghai, what exactly constitutes 'immersion'?"

"Hmm!? Shouting it out loud when using a skill should create a sense of immersion, like this!"

First, use this card to draw two cards. Then, use this to connect the two of you. Then, drink the wine. This card, um, fire kill!

Since we're here, let's not leave.

Hehe, everyone, no one is allowed to use Dodge! I have the most cards in my hand, so my damage is increased by one!

"Hey, is that what you mean? I can't use Flash? Does that mean I'll just die?" A hesitant voice rang out, this time with a hint of panic in it.

"Hmph, you feel my power now, hehe. And then, Sister Ninghai, this thing is transmitted to you through the chains, so the damage will be increased by one, and you'll lose four drops of health."

"Ah, Sister Ninghai only has three drops of blood, just like me. Does that mean Sister Ninghai also..."

"Hmph, in that case, I declare this match a victory for me..."

"It's not over yet, Pinghai. It seems that your long period of relaxation has made you complacent. Do you remember what the commander said? You can't give up until the very last moment!"

"Look at my skill! I'm using Heart Lightning to take this damage for me. You'll reap what you sow."

"Eh!? How could this be? You actually mentioned this general. Damn it, I drew a powerful general and got carried away. I didn't see clearly which general my sister chose. It was my mistake, but it's not over yet. I'm the landlord, so I have an extra drop of health. Even if I take four points of damage, I still have one point of stamina left. The game isn't over yet! Your general might be very effective against me, but you have no offensive capabilities. When I drag the game into a long battle, how will you deal with it?"

"So, we're going to lose again?" The hesitant voice rang out once more.

"That's not how it's calculated, Pinghai, right? With your skill, when damage is transferred, the damage increases by one for each transfer. So when it's transferred to you, the damage should be five points. Do you have any healing? If not, you've lost." The sound of a door opening rang out.

"Huh, is that so? It seems so. Does that mean I lost? Damn it!? Wait, who opened the door? This is a secret base. Could it be that Sister Yixian is back? But didn't Changchun say that Sister Yixian had urgent business to attend to? Wait, that voice is…!" Pinghai's panicked voice rang out. Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly noticed something. Why does that voice sound so familiar?

Inside the room, there were those who reacted even faster than Pinghai.

"Bang~"

Jing Su suddenly felt as if she had been hit hard by something.

"Commander, sob, it's the commander! Commander, you're back! Ninghai missed you so much."

"Commander, is it really you? Is it really really you? Pinghai, am I dreaming?!"

"Waaah, Anshan, I miss the Commander too."