I really don't have money for the ship girls.

Ying Tian casually glanced through all the ship girls' pictures, connecting their appearances with their names. Of course, many of their selfies were indeed captivating: Chapaev's fair skin, Victory's beautiful smile, Cheshire's adorable expression, and Taihou... When he clicked on Taihou's chat interface, his phone froze. Cheongsams, kimonos, nurse uniforms, maid outfits—they stretched as far as the eye could see. It was hard to imagine when she had started preparing.

After looking at two pictures, Ying Tian decisively swiped away from the chat interface. Although these selfies were very attractive, there were the equally beautiful Xiang He and the others right next to him. Why go to such lengths to appreciate them when they were right next to him?

Okay, but Taifeng's selfies are really a bit too explicit. If we keep looking at them, Yingtian's Dongfeng-17 might not be able to resist firing at Qian Xuesen's trajectory.

"Does the Commander like this outfit?" Ron noticed Ying Tian's gaze lingering longer on some of the photos, and said, "I can too, if it can heal the Commander's heart."

"It's just for appreciation, appreciation."

Ying Tian gave an ambiguous response. As a person of the opposite sex with normal appreciation abilities, appreciating beauty is a perfectly normal behavior, and it is not because beautiful women in uniforms have any special attraction.

Of course, only a minority of people enthusiastically post selfies; most don't send any messages at all, and even those that do are mostly text-based. Before communication was restored, Ying Tian scrolled down little by little and finally saw a familiar profile picture and name. The person was elegant and serious, wearing the same red formal coat, but different from the one she had seen before. The coat worn by the Prince of Wales's profile picture exuded the aura and solemnity of an English lady.

"Commander, it's been a long time."

A simple sentence brought a knowing smile to Ying Tian's face. He gently stroked the beauty's avatar on the screen, and the slight unease he had felt earlier completely melted away with that one sentence.

Ying Tian understood that she had already made her decision long ago. If she were to be coy and refuse to become the commander, she probably wouldn't even be able to be friends with the Prince of Wales and the others. The emotions between people are truly a wonderful thing. They can become chains that bind people without them even realizing it, making it impossible for them to escape, but also making them feel warm.

It was probably fate. I was also the product of an accident. My bastard parents threw me at the gate of an orphanage. Now it was my turn. I couldn't follow in their footsteps.

Moreover, being a commander seems much simpler than raising a child. Raising a child involves taking care of their food, drink, toileting, sleeping, and milk powder money, and then there's the matter of schooling, tutoring, dowry, and betrothal gifts. But being a commander, from what I've seen so far, is just a matter of moving your hands and talking. Just think of it as meeting a group of online friends. I was a class officer when I was in school, after all.

Of course, Ying Tian's idea at this time was still hasty. Being a commander is not as easy as he imagined. He will experience various things, including but not limited to the scheming of beauties, PUA leadership, Grand Theft Auto, couple fraud, island tycoon, and the hope of being favored by a sheep. It is not something that can be handled by just moving your hands and talking. At the very least, you need to have a strong physique and a quick-thinking mind.

"Does the Commander really like the Prince of Wales that much? He's been staring at that one sentence for so long." Shoukaku said quietly from the side, with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

This time, Ying Tian didn't try to smooth things over. Instead, he readily admitted, "She was my first friend at the garrison headquarters, and we went through some things together. It's normal to miss her after not seeing her for so long."

“It’s normal, and being sentimental is a wonderful quality.” Although St. Louis felt a little jealous, she believed that she had already won the Commander’s first kiss last night, and taking it a step further was only a matter of time. Little did she know that Wales had already beaten her to it.

Mercury Memorial said, "That's not right. Wasn't Long Island the first ship to join the naval base? Even the commander's initial ship was Laffey, so how come it's Prince of Wales?"

"Leaving aside the unconscious spatial and temporal influences from before, the first person I met at the naval base was actually the Prince of Wales."

"What about Yixian and Guanghui? Will the commander of the marriage ship also disown them?"

Mercury's words gave Ying Tian a headache: "I don't know the definition of a marriage ship, let's just say it's a marriage. Marriage is just a form of contract that requires the consent of both parties... We'll talk about it later."

I'm not going to dwell on it anymore; I'll trust my future wisdom.

Mercury Memorial, as if remembering something, took advantage of the fact that communications were still not restored and said to Ying Tian, ​​"By the way, Commander, I've actually been quite competent at my job these past few days, haven't I?"

"Huh? You're working?"

"Of course I'm working." Mercury Memorial cupped her slender waist, which further accentuated her ample bosom, which could be encircled by one hand. "I play games every day until I run out of oil. I'm really working hard."

"All I remember is you lying in bed all day, eating and then sleeping, eating a pound of sunflower seeds every day, and cheating when you lost at cards..."

"Aaaaaah, stop talking!"

Mercury Memorial pounced on Ying Tian's back, her petite yet chubby body rubbing against him. She bit Ying Tian's ear and pleaded, "Good Commander, I will work hard from now on, but please don't say this if Rossia and the others ask. Please."

"...Okay, you can come down first."

"You really agreed?"

"I agreed."

"Thank you, Commander!"

Mercury Chronicle happily gave Yingtian a light kiss on the cheek, then came to her senses, blushing and covering her mouth, looking both shy and charming, which was really quite cute.

"The commander is really too lenient."

"well enough."

"So I want one too."

Before Ying Tian could react, Ron leaned forward and pressed his red lips directly onto the other cheek. As if that wasn't enough, Ron then stuck out his pink tongue and licked around the man's lightly hairy cheek, leaving behind glistening saliva.

"Commander, the connection's back. Let's send a photo..."

Lino, who had been engrossed in adjusting the phone, picked it up and unexpectedly witnessed a scene that was incredibly hormonally charged. This caused the fangirl Lino to blush and her heart to race. She didn't even realize that she had pressed the camera shortcut and posted it.

Foch: Why isn't it working yet? We agreed that German black technology is the best in the world!

Glory: That's another world, it's not that easy.

Louis IX: To be honest, I still feel that the Commander's existence is somewhat unreal, seemingly the same as yet different from what I remember, there's a feeling I can't quite put my finger on.

Victory: I feel the same way. I guess it's because we're being too polite, which makes us seem a bit distant.

Commander: (Image)

In the picture, Ying Tian's face is turned to the side, while Ron lowers his head and gently licks his cheek with his pink tongue.

Prince Eugen: ?

Chapaev: ? ?

Taihou: ? ? ?

Falcon: ? ? ? ?

Akagi:? ? ? ? ?

Formidable: 6...

Louis IX: I take back what I just said. This is much more real now. Yes, this is our commander.

Chapter Fifty-Two: There Must Be a Shocking Conspiracy Within

The commander withdrew an image.

Commander: A mosquito just flew onto my face, and Ron swatted it away for me.

Marblehead: I understand.

Marblehead: It must have been Ron who slapped the Commander in the face, hurting him so much that he quickly used a kiss to ease the pain. The Commander sent the photo because he was afraid everyone would worry, we all understand.

The commander retracted a message.

Ying Tian long-pressed the chat box to retract the message he had just sent. The awkward situation made him subconsciously try to find an excuse to brush it off, but that was insincere and not a good idea.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I really didn't realize I pressed the photo button and sent it. Ah, I messed it up right away. Not only did I not help the Commander, I also caused trouble for him." Lino bit her lip, pulling at her pretty gray short hair with one hand, her lotus-colored eyes full of water, looking like she was about to cry.

"fine."

Ying Tian initially felt embarrassed, but after regaining her senses, she realized it wasn't a big deal. It was just that Ron had posted a picture of himself kissing her. It was consensual, Ron had taken the initiative, and she hadn't resisted, which made her secretly happy. So what if others found out?

Ron tilted his head and said matter-of-factly, "I was fine to begin with. I'm here to heal the Commander, and the Commander will heal me too. Is there a problem?"

Hearing Ying Tian and Ron's words, Lino became even more frustrated. She lowered her head and said, "Commander, please punish me. Otherwise, I will be too embarrassed to stay by your side any longer."

Ying Tian thought for a moment and said, "Alright, then I will punish you, and you are not allowed to resist."

"No, please punish me!"

Reno looked up at Ying Tian with pleading eyes, obediently showing her entire face and neck. She didn't care if Ying Tian slapped her or flicked her forehead; she longed for Ying Tian to punish her severely so that she could continue to follow her superhero with a clear conscience.

But what happened next was completely unexpected for Lino. Ying Tian reached out and put his arm around Lino's shoulder. Caught off guard, the girl suddenly threw herself into the man's arms. Ying Tian held up his phone, took a picture of himself and Lino together, and posted it in the group chat.

Commander: (Image)

Commander: Actually, Ron just suddenly kissed me, and Reno took a picture of it. Then she accidentally posted it online. Reno felt very guilty, but I've already forgiven her.

The pursuer: ?

Atlanta: Ron is one thing, but Reno isn't going to be spared either?

Salt Lake City: @Atlanta, the Commander has already forgiven your family member, what more do you want?

Kumano: That's right, this is the commander I'm used to. He's such a gentleman. I'm not used to it at all.

Taihou: Commander, I can do it! I can do it better than Roon and Reno! Please designate me to go there! I will fulfill all your requests, Commander!

Commander: No matter how you interpret it, that's the truth.

Commander: And you may have some misunderstandings about me. In fact, I am a very humble, polite, self-disciplined, and detached person. The Prince of Wales can attest to this.

Prince of Wales: I can attest that the Commander is indeed a humble, courteous, self-disciplined, and ascetic man.

Nevada: You were just kissing Ron a moment ago, talking about being celibate and abstinent. It's really not very convincing.

Yamashiro: I just checked my phone. Did I miss something? Wow, Commander kissed Ron? When did that happen? Was it the picture that was just retracted?

Suzuya: Yes, that's really exciting.

Taihou: No, it's not Ron who isn't Commander's biological son, absolutely not!

Magdeburg: Taihou, accept reality. We all expected this when Ron set off. I bet Ron has already had his fun with the Commander.

Magdeburg retracted a message.

Javelin: What does "hehehe" mean?

[Magneburg was muted for ten minutes by administrator Bismarck]

Bismarck: Attention everyone, there are destroyer children in the large group. Also, don't spread rumors. From the photo, it looks like Ron is kissing the Commander's cheek, but we can't rule out the possibility that they were doing something else before the photo was taken.

Prince Eugen: As expected of Bismarck, so meticulous!

Neptune: That makes a lot of sense. We can deduce from this information why Ron kissed the Commander, and why the Commander allowed Ron to kiss him. What is the cause and effect of this matter?

Neptune: And why did Reno take this picture, and why did he risk offending the commander by posting it? Was it really just an accident, or was Reno desperately trying to send us a message?

Perseus: Could this be hiding a shocking conspiracy?

Ying Tian watched as the wind in the chat group became increasingly strange, feeling both amused and exasperated. He even forgot to let go of Lino's beautiful and voluptuous body. He only let go when he turned his head and saw her face was flushed.

"I forgot to hold you... Consider it punishment for making you so hot. I forgive you."

"Yes, thank you, Commander."

Reno responded softly, his mind still reeling from the scene—ah, I was actually hugged by the Commander! Is this what it feels like for Mary Jane to be hugged by Spider-Man? What about Pepper Potts being hugged by Iron Man… No, I’m definitely much happier than them. The Commander is a true superhero, and he’s so magnanimous, easily forgiving me for my mistakes. He’s not even angry about all the gossip in the group chat. He truly deserves to be called a superhero!

The others nearby also saw the message in the group.

St. Louis chuckled and said, "Because everyone is unfamiliar with the Commander, some strange associations may arise. Don't be fooled by what the speaker says; the majority of those who remain silent actually believe in the Commander. Once you get to know him better, you'll understand his true character."

"I understand. I didn't know what to say to everyone either, so this is actually quite good."

As Ying Tian looked at the messages in the group, it was as if vivid images were appearing before his eyes.

Commander: There's no conspiracy. It was just a kiss on the cheek, no different from a hand kiss or a good morning kiss. Why are you all reacting so strongly?

Scharnhorst: Exactly, I think you're all just jealous of Ron, full of envy and resentment.

Haruna: This is clearly a case of trying to hide something obvious; it seems there really is a conspiracy.

Zhao He: Offering land to Qin is like carrying firewood to put out a fire; the firewood will never run out, and the fire will never be extinguished. Right now it's just a kiss, but who knows what might happen next—it could escalate into physical violence just like before. And what might follow? I simply can't imagine.

Chapaev: Isn't that great, Commander? I can do it.

Sirius: I can too, my proud master! Please give your maid Sirius this chance!

Taihou: No, absolutely not! Please, Commander, please choose me!

Nelson: Stop acting crazy here!

Commander: Today is just to introduce myself to everyone. I think we'll have the opportunity to meet again in the future.

Commander: I have received everyone's letters. I will reply when I have the opportunity to contact you. Thank you all for your kindness.

Nelson: A letter? What letter?

Victory: Hinting at a private message?

Nuremberg: Commander, you're so cunning! If we chatted privately, he definitely wouldn't be able to resist your temptations and would turn into a doll who thinks nothing but the Commander. Wow, that's too much...

Taihou: Isn't this great? I can be Commander's doll forever, please just hug me!

Cheshire: Darling, I can do it too!

Sirius: I can too, Commander, you can hug someone else, as long as you can remember that there is Sirius.

Astoria: You guys are even competing fiercely in this area.

Commander: Has everyone had lunch?

Taihou: No, as long as I think of Commander, I'm not hungry at all.

Wichita: Why the sudden talk of lunch? Is there some special meaning behind it? Can someone wise explain?

Supernatural Power: Lunch, also known as the midday meal or Buddhist food, can reduce desires and purify the mind and body. It seems that the commander is quite bothered by it, so he is using this as a hint.

Magdeburg: I'm out!