It's time to give out the rings, Admiral!

"Huh? What did you ask?" Yuan Ye's distinctive loud voice finally pulled Su Yuchen, who had been lost in thought, back to reality. He glanced at Yuan Ye and Tianlong sitting next to him, and scratched his head in bewilderment, completely out of sync with them.

Did you ask me anything just now? Hmm... wait a minute... when did you sit here? I didn't even notice you.

"Ugh...you bastard..." Defeated by the boy's unapology, Yuan Ye weakly rubbed his forehead. Anyway, he was just an unwelcome African refugee, so he might as well accept his fate.

"Forget it, I won't bother with a European SEAL like you... What I want to ask you is, how did you figure out Tianlong and my plan during yesterday's exercise?" Speechless and forgetting the slight unpleasantness from just now, Yuan Ye asked a question that had been bothering him since yesterday afternoon.

Logically speaking, his plan should have been flawless, and nothing went wrong until Tianlong was attacked by Guanghui's torpedo bombers, plus there was the information Fang Wanyan had given him...

"Huh? What plan?" The boy was a little confused when Yuan Ye asked him this question. He had been following the basic tactics of air warfare and had not carried out any special actions.

"Of course it's that! How did you figure out that I deliberately let Tianlong be attacked by Guanghui's torpedo bombers in order to close the distance between us? Didn't you quickly send out bombers to stop Tianlong's next move?"

"Oh, so that's what you mean." Hearing Yuan Ye's puzzled words, Su Yuchen suddenly realized and put down the pen he hadn't used before to explain to Yuan Ye. "It's nothing really. I just thought the way the Tianlong reacted after spotting the Guanghui's torpedo bombers was quite strange. Generally speaking, in shallow sandbars with many obstacles, wouldn't torpedo bombers be severely restricted when trying to attack the Tianlong? But the Tianlong sailed out of the sandbars and into deeper waters, which are more suitable for airborne torpedo attacks. Moreover, the distance between the Guanghui and the Tianlong wasn't very far to begin with. If the Tianlong continued to sail west, the Guanghui would soon enter the effective range of the Tianlong's main guns."

"Based on the above ideas, I guessed that you might have done this on purpose, wanting to gamble on whether the Illustrious, which also lacks combat experience, could hit the Sky Dragon with torpedoes, which have a lower hit rate to begin with. After discovering this, I had the Illustrious attach bombs to the Spitfire. Although attaching bombs to fighters is very illogical, and two of them crashed during the dive, it seems that they were ultimately useful."

Staring dumbfounded at Su Yuchen's eloquent speech, Yuan Ye realized that not only was he inferior to others in terms of ship girls, but his intelligence was also being suppressed. He leaned back in his chair with a wry smile. "It's amazing that you could figure out my plan with just these things, and you even went against the rules by mounting bombs on fighter jets... Ha... I've decided! From now on, when choosing a naval base, I'll choose one next to yours. With you here, Tianlong and I will never have to worry about the Abyss again!"

"Hey, the regulations say there can't be two naval bases in one area, right? Besides, I was just giving orders from the sidelines. All the credit goes to Glorious." Not at all pleased by Yuan Ye's words, Su Yuchen, knowing her own limitations, gently patted the dejected Yuan Ye's shoulder as he slumped onto the table. She was only responsible for giving orders; Glorious, who truly spearheaded the exercise, was the one who deserved the most praise.

"That's not how it is, Admiral. Without your orders, Illustrious might have been attacked by the Dragon's main guns and lost the exercise. So the credit should all go to you, Admiral. Besides... you were really capable and dashing when you commanded Illustrious in battle..."

However, the boy's words did not receive the agreement of Glorious, who had been sitting quietly on the other side of her Admiral. Before he could even finish speaking, she immediately clenched her fists and unequivocally denied what the boy had said. This exercise was clearly the result of the Admiral's and Glorious's joint efforts; how could the Admiral attribute all the credit to Glorious alone?

Overwhelmed by Glorious's relentless praise, Su Yuchen, feeling as if her goodwill had been boosted once again, chuckled awkwardly, "No way! Glorious was the one who discovered the Heavenly Dragon and completed the bombing mission. I didn't even get a chance to play a part, how could I be as amazing as you say? Glorious, praising me like this is just making me arrogant..."

"How could that be? Admiral, you've always been the best in my heart! Even if you've become arrogant, Illustrious will still believe in you!" As he spoke, as if to prove something, Illustrious grasped the boy's hand and gently placed it on his chest...

Volume 1, Chapter 39: Close Contact

"Huh?!" Feeling the soft, intoxicating touch from his fingertips, and seeing his hand sinking deep into the soft peaks of Hikaru's chest, a bright red blush instantly spread across the boy's cheeks. Hikaru?! This is still a classroom! So many people are watching... Instinctively holding his breath, Su Yuchen, his brain almost shutting down, desperately tried to figure out what had caused all this.

Not only now, but also this morning, haven't all of Glorious's actions towards me seemed a bit too intimate?! Even though it's between the admiral and his ship girl, this doesn't seem like something a normal male-female relationship would do! ...But, why? ...Could it be that Glorious...actually has feelings for me? ...No, that can't be!

Feeling that his conclusion was too absurd, Su Yuchen hurriedly shook his head, denying his own idea. Even if he spent all his time in the game using his secretary ship, the ship girls' affection wouldn't increase this quickly! Besides, he was just a novice admiral and hadn't done anything to make Illustrious like him... The boy, whose thoughts were in a mess, raised his head, but looking at Illustrious smiling like an angel, he began to waver in his opinion.

The boy's figure was reflected in her sapphire-blue, sparkling pupils, gazing at her admiral who was as helpless as a child. Radiant gently closed her eyes, and like a spring breeze in March, she softly whispered in the boy's ear, "Admiral's hand... can you feel Radiant's heartbeat? Radiant trusts you, just as you trust Radiant, so Admiral, you must have more confidence."

For the first time, the softness of her breasts was held in the hands of someone other than herself. A strange, tingling sensation traveled through her nerves to her brain, causing a tempting blush to appear on her radiant face.

"Guanghui?" Hearing Guanghui's seemingly magically gentle voice, Su Yuchen, who had been a little flustered, gradually calmed down. Looking at the flawlessly beautiful face before him, he almost succumbed to the warmth of the hand enveloping him. Feeling as if in a warm harbor, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief. So Guanghui was just encouraging him… Why was he thinking so much?

Even if it's just to cheer someone on, there's no need to use such an embarrassing and heart-pounding method, right? It almost made me think that Glorious had fallen for me... But, I'm really sorry, Glorious, I really can't feel your heartbeat, there's just too much of an obstacle in the way.

Once again marveling at Guanghui's magnanimity, Su Yuchen suddenly felt a pang of regret. He slowly withdrew his hand, feeling the countless deadly gazes that had gathered around him without him even realizing it. He wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and forced a smile and a nod at Guanghui. "Thank... thank you, Guanghui, I understand."

"Mmm!" Although the comforting touch on her chest suddenly left, making Glorious a little reluctant, seeing that her admiral seemed to have sensed her feelings, Glorious still tried her best to respond to him with her gentle and charming smile.

After speaking with Guanghui, Su Yuchen felt refreshed and relaxed. He slowly turned around, picked up his pen, and wanted to listen to the lesson attentively, but accidentally caught a glimpse of Yuan Ye, whom he had completely forgotten about since the beginning.

He was sitting upright, staring intently at the professor on the podium, seemingly listening to the lecture. However, his hand, gripping the armrest tightly with prominent veins, betrayed that his inner self was not as calm as it appeared.

"Everyone dies eventually, and Europeans need a little help. As a European emperor, you're showing off to us poor African refugees like this... Yu Chen, I think it's time for you to experience the joy of me, Whale. After school, basketball court, see you there!" A voice like that of a demon suddenly entered the boy's ears.

........................

"Miss Glorious, when launching torpedoes from torpedo bombers, please pay close attention to the angle between yourself and the target ship. Launching torpedoes from the same side and rear will effectively ensure a hit rate regardless of whether the enemy ship cuts outward, inward, or moves at a constant speed. Yes, like this..."

Watching Instructor Langley conducting instruction on the sea not far away and Guanghui learning how to better use torpedo bombers, Su Yuchen, who couldn't swim, sat alone on the shore, feeling the cool breeze blowing from the sea.

To comfort Yuan Ye, who had been accidentally sunburned by himself and Guanghui during his admiral's professional class, the boy was coerced by a certain unscrupulous friend into agreeing to attend a small gathering that Yuan Ye and his new friends were planning for the following night, with all expenses to be reimbursed.

Although he knew that Yuan Ye, who was only putting on a brave face, was actually trying to help him, who always seemed to be alone, make more friends, Su Yuchen still felt a little pained when she thought about how they had chosen a very popular Chinese restaurant in Jinchuan City as their location.

In a city as big as Jinchuan, and with such a popular restaurant, a meal there must cost a fortune... Sigh, it seems impossible to save any money this month. I was hoping to save up some money each month for Xiaorou's dowry... Thinking about it, the young man sighed. Come to think of it, it's been almost a month since he came to Jinchuan. It's time to consider when to go back and bring Xiaorou over. I feel a little uneasy leaving her there alone...

While pondering when to take leave to return to her hometown, Su Yuchen inadvertently looked up and discovered that Glorious and Langley had returned to the dock at some point and were packing up their ship equipment. "Have you finished class, Glorious?"

"Yes, Admiral, today's lessons are over." Amidst a pale blue stardust, Glorious put away her ship equipment and gracefully stepped from the undulating sea onto the hard stone steps. She looked at the sun, which was already high in the sky, and asked the boy with a smile, "You've waited for Glorious for so long, Admiral. I wonder what you would like to eat for lunch today?"

The boy pursed his lips and thought for a moment, but just then, Instructor Langley, who was standing to the side, suddenly interrupted their conversation, "Ah, please don't be in such a hurry to leave, Miss Guanghui and Su Yuchen, could you come with me for a moment? I have something I'd like to give you..."

Volume 1, Chapter 40: The Destroyer

Although she already knew that the academy was always very generous with things related to ship girls, after visiting the faculty and staff dormitory area that the naval academy had specially built for ship girl instructors with Teacher Langley, Su Yuchen still felt that she had seriously underestimated the financial resources of the academy.

Looking at the beautifully decorated villas behind the fence in the distance, and then thinking about the rows of high-end dormitories where he lived, the somewhat dumbfounded young man realized for the first time that he and his admirals were just an accessory. If it weren't for the Radiance beside him, he probably wouldn't have the right to enjoy these things at all.

After leaving their entry and exit records with the diligent gatekeeper, the two, following Instructor Langley, stopped in front of a small villa at a corner along a beautifully landscaped tree-lined path.

Watching Instructor Langley skillfully open the villa's door with his key, the boy and Guanghui said "Excuse me" before tiptoeing into the entrance of the luxurious-looking villa.

Light streamed through the clean, large French windows, illuminating the tidy living room. Lanley carefully placed her instructor's badge on a nearby table, then brought slippers for Su Yuchen and Guanghui, inviting them to sit on the luxurious sofa. She brought out two glasses of fresh juice from the kitchen and, looking at the boy and Guanghui sitting beside him, said softly, "It seems this is all we have at home. If you don't mind, have some juice first. I'll go find the other things now. Please wait here for me, Ms. Guanghui and Su Yuchen."

"Okay, thank you, Instructor." Su Yuchen reached out and took the two glasses from Langley, politely thanked him, shook her head at Langley who smiled, and turned to walk into a room that looked like a storage room. She placed the two glasses of juice in front of Guanghui and herself, and then asked Guanghui with some curiosity, "Guanghui, what do you think Teacher Langley wants to give us by calling us here?"

"Hmm... Illustrious isn't quite sure either, Admiral. But if you ask me, it might be some air combat data?" Illustrious, who always maintained a proper English lady's posture, placed her fingers on her smooth and lovely chin in thought after hearing her Admiral's question.

Although Instructor Langley is inferior to Illustrious in many aspects, his skills in piloting carrier-based aircraft and some air combat tactics are far superior to Illustrious's. Therefore, if Instructor Langley were to give me and the Admiral something, it would probably be air tactics data and command skills for aircraft carrier girls.

"Is that so? Then we must thank Teacher Langley properly later." As a veteran ship girl with many years of combat experience, if Teacher Langley really were to give us the data, it would surely be of great use to both Illustrious and herself.

Nodding slightly, the thoughtful young man looked at the exquisite model ship placed on the coffee table. "US Navy CV-1 Langley." After carefully examining the small print on the model ship's label, the young man realized that it was actually a model of the light aircraft carrier USS Langley, the prototype of Instructor Langley.

The model was exquisitely made, even showing the details of every porthole on the ship's hull. However, the boy had no time to examine it closely, as his attention was completely drawn to the several photos in the frames hanging on the wall.

The photos were quite recent, all set against the backdrop of a vast, uncharted ocean. Besides Mentor Langley, who appeared most frequently, Su Yuchen also spotted two other ship girls. Both had their ship rigging deployed; one, a blonde ship girl with a flight deck resembling a surfboard, appeared to have sustained minor injuries, suggesting she had taken the photos shortly after a battle.

The other ship girl appears much more composed. In the photo, she's wearing a white naval uniform and recovering a carrier-based aircraft. She has a light brown ponytail with two long, decorative strands hanging down her forehead, resembling bee antennae. The wide, straight-through deck splits in the middle, cascading smoothly down her back like a cicada's wing. Judging from the ease with which she recovers the aircraft, she seems more powerful than Langley and the other ship girl.

"Those are Wasp and Guadalcanal. I took these photos about six months ago when I went out with them to suppress a deep-sea light aircraft squad that had strayed into the nearshore waters." A female voice suddenly came from behind. The boy turned around and saw Teacher Langley, who had returned at some point, holding a metal box locked with a lock.

She smiled at the boy who was looking at her, and then explained, "As you should know, Wasp is an instructor at the Aviation Tactical Academy, just like me. If she hadn't been away on a business trip, she would have been in charge of today's actual training course. Moreover, like Miss Glorious, she is a real fleet carrier, much stronger than me, who is a converted carrier."

"As for Guadalcanal, she is also a novice ship girl studying at the academy. However, she recently completed all the air combat courses and is now preparing to graduate from the naval academy with her admiral. Your chances of seeing her are probably very small."

"Sorry, Ms. Langley." Su Yuchen scratched her head, feeling embarrassed that Ms. Langley had caught her looking at those photos.

"It's okay, it's not a private matter. By the way, this is what I wanted to give you." Waving her hand to indicate that there was nothing to mind, she opened the metal box in her hand. The boy and Guanghui looked inside curiously. Inside was a small airplane painted in a sea blue color.

"It's called the BTD-1 Destroyer, a four-star dive bomber. It's the most powerful and advanced carrier-based bomber I've ever seen, a gift from Wasp. But I don't need it, and it would be such a waste for me to use such an advanced bomber, so after thinking about it for a long time, I decided to give it to you and Miss Illusion. If Miss Illusion were to use this little guy, it would be much better than leaving it here to gather dust."

Seeing the small plane that looked somewhat familiar to Teacher Langley, Su Yuchen recalled the bomber that had accompanied her through the early, mid, and even late-game stages of the game, from salvaging Hornets to mass-producing B-25s.

It boasts impressive stats, a +10 bombing rating, and a relatively low rarity, making it the best tool for most beginners to quickly enhance their bombing squads. Moreover, compared to aluminum-intensive aircraft like the B25, its aluminum consumption is at least within an acceptable range for novice admirals.

However, that's only in the game. In a world where most ship girls can only use their own equipment and extremely scarce resources are used for large-scale construction, bombers like the Destroyer can actually be considered high-end equipment among high-end equipment.

"No! That won't do, Instructor! This is too valuable! The Admiral and I can't accept it!" Compared to her still bewildered Admiral, Glorious realized earlier just how valuable the small plane was and immediately rejected Instructor Langley's suggestion in surprise.

“It’s alright, Miss Glorious, please don’t refuse. My carrying capacity is too small, and keeping this little guy here would only be a waste of its powerful performance. So, Miss Glorious is more suitable to use it than I am. I believe that if Hornet were here, she would definitely agree with my idea…”

Book 1, Chapter 41: The Mentor's Request

After watching the boy and Glorious leave her residence, Langley returned to the living room and steadily placed the metal box in her hand on the coffee table. Looking at the photos on the wall, she sighed softly and then sat down on the soft sofa. "Since it was a gift from Hornet, wouldn't it be wrong to give it to someone else behind her back? I should really tell her."

Slightly straightening her body, Langley skillfully used her ship's equipment to send a telegram to a familiar frequency, detailing in detail how she had given the Destroyer to her student that day.

After waiting for a few minutes, she received a reply, but looking at the contents of the telegram, she looked very confused.

………………

"I never expected this little plane to be so rare." After leaving Professor Langley's residence, Su Yuchen, who was heading back to her dormitory along the same route, held the dark blue little plane she had received from Professor Langley and sighed with some emotion.

The little purple plane that I almost abandoned in the game has become one of the top dive bombers in this world. It really makes me feel the unpredictability of life.

"Yes, Admiral." Mistaking the boy for praising the aircraft's power and rarity, Glorious, walking beside him, smiled and nodded. She had never witnessed the spectacular sight of A2s and B25s flying everywhere in the game. To Glorious, a dive bomber like the Destroyer was already enough to be considered the most advanced weaponry in the world.

Gloriously, he took the airplane from the boy, holding it in his hands like a treasure. "With this, Glorious can better help the Admiral and better protect him."

"Haha... Is that so? Then I'll leave it to Guanghui." Hearing her words, the caught-off-hand boy scratched the back of his head shyly. Although I'm happy that you said that, Guanghui, you didn't have to say it like that. It's kind of embarrassing... He turned his head with a red face and looked at Su Yuchen on the other side of the road, where he happened to see a somewhat familiar figure.

"That's... Mentor Junquan?" The boy, who had stopped in his tracks, couldn't help but exclaim as he watched the beautiful woman hurrying toward the dormitory gate.

Perhaps due to some urgent situation, the usually gentle and refined mentor, Junquan, now wore a look of heaviness and anxiety on her face. So much so that she didn't even recognize him and Guanghui when their figures passed each other just now.

"Hmm?" The boy's voice was very soft, but as a ship girl whose physical abilities far surpassed those of humans, Junquan still heard Su Yuchen's subconscious voice. She turned around and saw Guanghui and the boy standing not far behind her. "Oh, it's Su Yuchen and Guanghui. I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you. But I have some urgent business to attend to, so I won't chat with you any longer."

"Ah, okay." The boy quickly nodded. He had originally wanted to ask if she had encountered any trouble and if she needed his help, but seeing how anxious she was, he gave up on the idea. Even the instructor Junquan would find this difficult, so what could a novice admiral like himself and Guanghui, who had no combat experience, possibly do to help?

Could it be some deep-sea fleet invading Tsugawa? The boy silently wondered as he watched Jun Quan's departing figure. But to his surprise, after taking only a few steps forward, Jun Quan, as if suddenly remembering something, abruptly turned back. She suddenly grabbed his wrist, leaving the boy, who thought he had said something wrong, looking at her blankly.

"By the way! Su Yuchen, your family's Glorious is a large aircraft carrier, so its target acquisition range should be very wide, right? Could you please do me a favor?" Looking at the Glorious standing behind Su Yuchen, still holding a BTD-1 Destroyer bomber, Junquan said anxiously to the boy.

Involving a ship girl who is still a trainee in a deep-sea conflict of medium to high intensity is strictly prohibited by the academy's regulations. However, the situation is urgent, and there is no time to think about it. If it is not suppressed immediately, it may cause large-scale casualties in Tsugawa City. If all else fails, we can always compensate them properly after the situation calms down.

"Help? Has something happened, mentor?"

"To be honest, a formidable deep-sea fleet actually broke through the blockade of the naval base responsible for guarding the waters near Tsugawa City and entered the waters near the academy." As he spoke, Jun Quan took out a telegram he had received from the nearby naval base from his pocket in order to answer the boy's question.

"The fleet consists of one Abyssal light carrier, one Abyssal heavy cruiser, and two Abyssal destroyers. Although the number is small, their strength should not be underestimated. With the escort of the Abyssal light carrier, the ship girls responsible for tracking them lost track of the Abyssal fleet not long after being attacked by air."

"We've lost track of the Deep Sea Fleet. If we don't stop them quickly, I'm worried that the academy and the city will be attacked by air and artillery. But if we can't find their exact location, even I can't guarantee that we can suppress them before the academy and the city are attacked."

"Wasp from the Aviation Tactics Academy is not here, and Langley is not combat-capable because she sent her carrier-based aircraft for maintenance. The only carrier-girl in the academy who is still combat-capable is Miss Glorious. So, Su Yuchen, please, please help me!" After explaining the urgent situation to the boy in one breath, she urgently reached out and grabbed the boy's wrists, pleading with the helpless Su Yuchen.

A deep-sea fleet actually invaded Tsugawa? The boy, suddenly realizing he might have been a jinx, showed a surprised expression. However, faced with his mentor Junquan's request, Su Yuchen began to hesitate. He knew the danger of the deep-sea fleet and wanted to help his mentor, whom he greatly admired. But the enemy was the deep-sea fleet, a force feared by all, and Guanghui, with no combat experience, didn't even know if she could protect herself. The boy also had his own selfish reasons; he couldn't gamble with Guanghui's safety. "But… Mentor, Guanghui is still just…"

“I know, Su Yuchen! That’s why I didn’t mean to send Glorious to the front lines. I just wanted to ask you to help me find the whereabouts of this deep-sea fleet.”

“But…” The boy was still somewhat unwilling, but before he could refuse, he was interrupted by the gentle voice of the radiant figure behind him, which sounded like a spring breeze.

"Admiral, please grant the instructor's request."

“Radiance…you…” He looked at Radiance behind him in surprise, and the latter responded with a sweet smile.

"Please don't worry, Admiral. If you don't even dare to face the deep sea, how can Radiance protect you and bring peace to this ocean?"

Volume 1, Chapter 42: The Suspicious Deep Sea

"Radiance, Monarch, please be careful." On the specially reinforced concrete naval port, watching Radiance and Monarch unfurl their ship equipment and descend into the sea after completing their ammunition and fuel resupply, the still somewhat worried young man couldn't help but remind them once again.

Even with the escort of the battleship mentor, the young man still had to be cautious when facing a fleet composed of deep-sea light carriers and deep-sea heavy cruisers capable of sweeping through some remote sea areas. Real war is not child's play, and the slightest carelessness could lead to irreparable consequences.

"Yes, Admiral, please rest assured! Glory will definitely bring you victory!" Sensing the deep worry in the boy's words, Glory, in order to comfort his beloved Admiral, gave the boy a gentle yet confident smile and waved the white handkerchief in his hand.

Even though this was only her first real combat mission, less than a few days after her birth, there wasn't a trace of tension or fear on her radiant face. Of course, as a large aircraft carrier and the ruler of the seas, she was confident she could defeat these boring deep-sea creatures and then marry... cough.

On the other side, with his ship equipped with its formidable, massive cannons pointing towards the sea, the mentor handed a miniature radio to Su Yuchen, who stood on the shore. The previous anxiety seemed to have vanished without a trace; elegance and gentleness returned to her beautiful face as she chuckled and said to the young man, "Don't worry, Su Yuchen. With me here, how could anything happen to your precious Glorious? If she were to get even a little hurt, you might hate me for the rest of your life!"

She chuckled at the boy playfully, then, noticing the flushed faces of Su Yuchen and Guanghui, Junquan patted her massive turret and pointed it towards the distant sea. "Hmph~ Alright, Miss Guanghui, time is of the essence, let's set off." With that, she led the way out of the port, which was already under martial law.

………………

The weather at sea is unpredictable. The once clear sky soon became overcast, and the sea breeze gradually subsided, making the air humid and stuffy. Sailing along the coastline toward the location where the deep-sea fleet was last spotted, Glorious, following Instructor Sovereign's instructions, launched several of his Seafire fighters, which he had used for reconnaissance, one by one.

Thanks to the excellent performance of the Seafire, it soon discovered the Abyssal Light Carrier and the Abyssal Heavy Cruiser, which were also sailing along the coastline, about 40 nautical miles to its north-northeast.

However, looking at the Abyss with its dark purple ship equipment, and following them with carrier-based aircraft, I felt something was off. Even though we had already entered a range where we could bombard the land, the Abyss's light carrier and heavy cruiser showed no intention of launching an attack. And the two Abyss destroyers mentioned in the report had completely disappeared.

"Instructor, a formation consisting of a deep-sea light carrier and a deep-sea heavy cruiser has been spotted forty nautical miles to the north-northeast." Glorious, dutifully, reported his discovery to Sovereign, who was sailing in the same formation.

"Really? That's great, Glorious. In that case, I'll sail northeast and suppress them before the Deep Sea bombs the city. Glorious, your mission is complete, so return to port now. Don't let Su Yuchen worry too much about you." Having finally located the exact position of the Deep Sea, Instructor Junquan, who had been on tenterhooks for fear that the city or the academy would be attacked, visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, before the monarch could even change course, Radiance suddenly took a turn. "But Instructor, something seems off about the movements of those deep-sea creatures..."

Something's not right?

"Yes. They've clearly entered range where they can shell the city, but they haven't made a move. From the moment they arrived until now, they've only been sailing along the coastline, changing course several times. Moreover, the two deep-sea destroyers mentioned in the report haven't been spotted yet..."

Upon hearing Guanghui's report, Junquan frowned in confusion. The Deep Sea had always harbored immense hatred for humanity. Having finally broken through the blockade and seized an opportunity to bombard the city, they hadn't gone on a rampage to destroy everything within human society that they could. This was indeed very suspicious.

"Could it be that their ammunition ran out after engaging the ship girls in the nearby naval base?" After thinking for a moment, Junquan offered a seemingly possible answer, while subconsciously ignoring the two low-combat-power deep-sea destroyers.

"Regardless, the first thing to do now is to drive them away or sink them. It's too dangerous for them to stay here any longer." There's no point in speculating here anyway. Once they're sunk, the problem will be solved.

Su Yuchen, who had been silently listening to the conversation between the two ship girls and was still sweating profusely while adjusting the rather cumbersome radio in the port, wiped her sweat and finally spoke up, "These Abyssal ships are acting strangely, but it shouldn't be because they've run out of ammunition, right? If they really have run out of ammunition, then venturing into enemy waters like this is just suicide... By the way, Illustrious, has that Abyssal light carrier done anything else unusual?"

"Wait a moment, Admiral, let me take a look." The boy's voice came from the ship's built-in radio, putting Illustrious at ease as she had been wondering about the Abyssal Fleet's strange behavior. She switched her perspective back to the Seafire that was still tailing the Abyssal Fleet, and sure enough, she quickly noticed some strange actions by the Abyssal light carrier.

"Admiral, that light carrier just launched a wave of aircraft, but... they didn't carry bombs, nor did they fly towards the city. Instead, they scattered and kept circling back and forth on the sea, as if... as if they were searching for something..."