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

Strasser said, "Yes, but you have to be close enough."

Ying Tian thought for a moment and said, "So, with Da Feng's own power, it's impossible for it to leave the crossing point too far, and it also has no way to send information to the outside world?"

"Yes."

After speaking, Ying Tian fell silent and began to consider his current situation.

Perhaps because they hadn't spoken for a while, Akagi on the other end of the phone said, "Commander, there's no need to worry too much. Although Taihou has a bit of a childlike nature, she is, after all, a ship girl. Ordinary people might have a hard time in that kind of environment, but Taihou doesn't need food or water. She can sustain herself for a long time just by relying on her ship equipment, and she has enough self-defense capabilities. Besides..."

At this moment, St. Louis's voice interrupted Akagi: "I found a news report, but it's not from there, it's from back home, Commander. I'll show it to you."

"Release it quickly."

"Here is a brief report: Around 7 PM local time on July 12th, a massive explosion occurred west of Falau, Oukaga Province, in the Northern Central African Republic. The explosion produced a mushroom cloud hundreds of meters high, with flames shooting into the sky. The local government condemned it as a thermobaric weapon provided to opposition forces by a foreign power. Due to the sparsely populated area, there have been no casualties. However, the powerful explosion, occurring on the border between the Central African Republic and Chad, has heightened tensions, and UN peacekeeping forces have intervened. Now we will turn our attention to…"

Shoukaku leaned over to look at the explosion footage in the video and said, "It should be an explosion caused by a bomb from Taiho's bomber. The time and location match up."

Seeing the scene resembling a small nuclear explosion, Ying Tian became even more determined to act immediately to find Da Feng, not only because Da Feng was in dire straits—

It's hard to imagine what would happen to the weak and pitiful African people if such a beautiful woman went there.

Chapter Two requires a Lich King

“St. Louis, give Zhenhai directions. We’re not going back. Let’s go to the visa agency we went to before.”

"Okay, I'll set up the navigation."

"The expedited tourist visa should be processed within three days. Xianghe, can you check out the flight tickets to Central Africa and Chad for me in three days? Book them directly, and we can always reschedule later if necessary."

Shoukaku opened his mouth, but still said, "Yes, I'll look now."

The lack of identification information was too restrictive in this era. Although Shoukaku was worried, he knew that only the commander could go there in person.

Ying Tian took the water from Ron, drank it, thanked him, and then said to the people at the naval base on the other end of the phone: "I think you must have had a contingency plan while I was still on the plane. In the meantime, you need to check your internal procedures to prevent this kind of problem from happening again."

"The research building is now under control. We've arranged for reliable people to patrol and stand guard. It's not that we don't trust you; everyone understands in these special circumstances." Bismarck paused, then said seriously, "With such a serious incident, everyone on our office committee bears responsibility, and we're all willing to accept punishment. Columbia and Magdeburg, who helped Taihou sneak in, are already being punished. If the Commander..."

"Let's not talk about this anymore."

Ying Tian interrupted Bismarck, "It's no use saying such things now. What's done is done. Even if I have to dismantle them, I'll wait until I find Taihou."

Since they weren't face-to-face, Ying Tian had no idea what the atmosphere was like on the other side. Putting himself in their shoes, if he made two mistakes in a row and the other person had to clean up his mess, he would definitely feel very embarrassed.

Akagi's voice came through the phone: "It's not just Bismarck, we're all at fault. It's all our negligence that led to this result."

"If it were a battle, we would never make such a basic mistake," said Enterprise. "But in this kind of situation... as expected, a naval base without a leader is no good."

“The senior executive is right.” Essex, also a White Eagle carrier, spoke now. Her voice was even colder and more serious. “It’s not about shirking responsibility, it’s just that we’re really not good at this kind of thing. In the past, we only needed to fight.”

"No need to explain, I understand."

Ying Tian sensed their unease and said, "There's no point in assigning blame now. If you all feel guilty, the best way to make amends is to work together to find Taihou. The naval base is nominally an army, but I can see that you're more like friends and family than soldiers. Making mistakes is normal; the key is to make amends and learn from them. You have about three days. During these three days, you need to make all the necessary preparations and develop various contingency plans. Everything else should take a backseat to this matter. We'll discuss everything else after we find Taihou."

"Is the Prince of Wales here?"

"Commander, I'm here."

"You'll be in charge of this matter for now. If there are any problems, just come to me and I'll handle it, understand?"

Wales hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Yes, I understand."

It can only be said that what the Prince of Wales said last night was indeed correct. In the absence of a commander, the naval base needs a secretary ship to take charge of the overall situation, otherwise, a situation like that of the Prinz Eugen and Taihou will occur.

The root cause of this situation is the infighting and defensiveness among the various factions in the naval base. There is no lubricant or something that can be trusted by everyone, resulting in either too much tension or too little tension.

Although the Prince of Wales had previously declined to be the secretary ship, there is indeed no one more suitable than her now. She is close enough to the commander and has not made any mistakes in either of these matters. Moreover, the fact that she was the first one to arrive in this world when she was initially sent here speaks volumes about her status in the naval base.

There's nothing we can do; circumstances make heroes.

"Any further questions?"

"No."

"Then let's start making contingency plans and preparations. I'll hang up now; I need to go apply for my visa."

In the conference room of the naval base, Ying Tian's voice was no longer coming from the speakers. Magdeburg, who was standing at the door with Columbia, was trembling with fear. The extremely oppressive atmosphere permeated her body, and she felt like she was about to urinate. It turned out that urinary incontinence was not just a figure of speech.

Frederick the Great sighed softly and said, "Magnetoburg."

"I was wrong, I was really wrong!"

Magdeburg immediately slid to her knees, kneeling directly before Frederick the Great. She embraced Bismarck's left leg with one hand and Frederick the Great's right leg with the other, weeping bitterly: "I shouldn't have gone to the café in the first place! If I hadn't gone to the café, the lax security at the research building wouldn't have been revealed. Without revealing this fact, San Francisco wouldn't have had this idea, which led to Taihou being inspired… In short, I was wrong, I was really wrong! Don't tear me apart…"

Bismarck, standing to the side, asked, "Then why did you volunteer to help Taihou?"

Of course, it's because it's exciting! Breaking through layers of frameworks and constraints, breaking the monopoly of the leadership, helping the madly in love Taihou reach the Commander's side, helping the weak and oppressed, and doing good deeds for others—it's absolutely awesome! It perfectly matches Magdeburg's definition of a hero in manga. The Cat's Eye sisters are nothing compared to this, and even Pretty Cure has to admit defeat.

She originally thought that at most, after things were discovered, Taihou would be forcibly teleported back, and she would only be reprimanded a couple of times. But this incident was something she could brag about for years—you guys are still envious of others going to the Commander? You're so weak. I, Magdeburg, even gave someone else the chance to go there.

Magdeburg truly hadn't expected this situation. She was filled with regret. If the ship's equipment could be dismantled, she would have gladly offered the mechanical dragon to Lord Bismarck right now to apologize.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I acted impulsively, I'm really sorry."

“I can attest to that,” Columbia said, raising his hand. “I didn’t think much about it at the time; it was definitely not premeditated, just a momentary impulse.”

Essex stood by the window with his arms crossed, and said to his White Eagle colleague with an annoyance, "You have the nerve to say that?"

"There's nothing I can do. I've already done it, and I know I was wrong. I can only say that I'll accept whatever punishment I may receive."

Essex frowned slightly: "Do you think that just because the Commander is easy to talk to, we really won't do anything to you?"

"No."

"No?"

"No, really."

“Alright, the commander has already said that there’s no point in assigning blame now.” The Prince of Wales stepped forward and said to Columbia and the others, “What you two need to do now is fight well, gather materials and supplies, and make amends for your mistakes.”

Magdeburg nodded vigorously: "I will make up for my mistakes, I will definitely make up for them."

“We’ll talk about that later. Right now, we need to discuss the contingency plan for finding Taihou. Of course, the most important thing in this matter is to ensure the absolute safety of the commander. This is of paramount importance.” Wells tapped the table and said, “We must spare no effort to achieve this.”

"of course."

"I agree."

Everyone agreed, and no one had a different opinion; thus, authority was established in this emergency.

Chapter Three: I hope you Africans won't be ungrateful.

It would be impossible for Ying Tian to say that he had no complaints about this matter.

Having just returned from England, and without even having a chance to rest, I had to immediately head to another country, something unplanned and an unnecessary disaster that could have been avoided. So, I couldn't help but feel a little resentful.

That's all there is to it. Ying Tian isn't a pretentious person. If he hadn't become a commander, he would probably be working on a deadly assembly line or in a shady fast-food restaurant to save up for tuition. Compared to what he's gained, the effort he's put in is much less.

If we consider the naval base as an institution, it's perfectly normal for the leader to not only receive the respect and admiration of their subordinates, but also to clean up their messes.

If you think of the naval base as a big family, then it's even more normal. The mutual help between friends and relatives is never just about interests, but about mutual contribution, support and understanding.

Of course, it's best to avoid such avoidable situations as much as possible.

Furthermore, Zhenhai's words also gave Yingtian considerable inspiration.

"The reason these two incidents happened is because everyone at the naval base cared too much about you, Commander. Prinz Eugen went there because everyone noticed that you had a deeper affection for the ship girl you met first, so they felt a sense of crisis that if they were a step behind, they would be at a disadvantage. Afterwards, the lax security at the research building was because they were afraid of offending you, Commander, so they deliberately avoided approaching the teleportation device to prove their innocence, but this resulted in even more serious consequences."

Ultimately, it's because the naval base's power is not centralized or clearly defined.

"The commander is of course the absolute leader of the naval base, but in the current situation, it is impossible to consult the commander on everything. The absence of a secretary ship not only makes it possible to make decisions and reduce disagreements and internal friction, but also allows the ship to take responsibility and prevent people from shirking their duties."

"The clarity of rights means the concretization of responsibilities. For example, the chief of the research team is Strasser, but the interdimensional travel project under the Second Garrison Project does not have a specific person in charge. As a result, either the major powers discuss sending people to patrol together, or they tacitly avoid getting close to the travel device, because there is no specific person who can legitimately handle all of this. Of course, the best way to solve this problem is for you, the commander, to directly appoint someone. Only when you give the order can everyone be convinced."

"In short, good order is achieved through implementation, not solely through everyone's conscious efforts to maintain it."

Ying Tian nodded repeatedly upon hearing Zhenhai's words. This stunning ship girl was not only beautiful but also had a keen eye and hit the nail on the head. She truly deserved to be a ship girl from Donghuang; her abilities were beyond question.

However, this matter can only be put aside for now. Before setting off, Yingtian handed over the contract signed during this trip to England and the contact information of Plymouth Mining Company to Zhenhai. What needs to be done must be done; we cannot give up because of a minor setback.

"By the way, has the company we registered previously obtained import and export qualifications?"

While cooking with Xianghe, Zhenhai said while slicing green peppers, "If you want to do a good job, you must first have the right tools. It's not enough to just register a company. You also need an official seal and qualification documents, not to mention import and export, which involves customs and reporting. Since everything must be legal and compliant, we can't do anything unexpected. Instead, we have to follow the steps."

St. Louis sat at the dining table and said, "Let me translate Zhenhai's meaning: it means there is none."

"Actually, I understand it, so I don't need a translator."

Zhenhai slashed the green pepper stem with a sharp "bang," then tossed the chili seeds into a garbage bag with a broad smile: "I'm not making excuses, I'm just stating the facts."

"I understand, things involving customs are never that simple," Ying Tian casually asked. "Have you found an intermediary company with the necessary qualifications for importing and exporting ore?"

Zhenhai continued cutting potato shreds: "There is no precedent for this in China, and Plymouth Mining Company has never cooperated with any domestic companies before. The companies that cooperate with its parent company are all giant state-owned enterprises, so many small import and export companies are cautious. However, since the contract has been signed and the funds are in place, the next steps will not be difficult."

St. Louis said, "Let me translate it again, it's still not there."

"It's okay, I understand."

"Bah!"

A loud crash came from the counter. Zhenhai had chopped off the head of a bighead carp with a single stroke. Holding the fish's mouth in her left hand and a cleaver in her right, she turned around and smiled, saying, "It's good that the Commander understands. Would you like the fish head to be used for soup or with chopped chili peppers?"

"Let's make soup..."

"Then let's make soup." Zhenhai smiled, her pink lips curving upwards, her long, black hair cascading down behind her white apron. "Drink more soup, take good care of your body, and you'll have the strength to do things."

"Ah."

Ying Tian originally wanted to say, "I understand that Zhenhai is under a lot of pressure, but this kind of thing is indeed not something that can be done well in a short time. You have only been in this world for less than a month. Even if you have high expectations for yourself, don't worry too much."

However, upon seeing the knife and the fish head, Ying Tian decided to remain silent. Otherwise, given Zhen Hai's calm, meticulous, and strong-willed nature, he might not show anything on the surface, but the pressure inside would likely be even greater.

Sitting on the stool, Ying Tian continued to look at the China-Africa tourism information he had compiled. Although the purposes were different, it was still necessary to understand the transportation, accommodation, precautions, and the like, so that he wouldn't be like a headless fly after getting off the plane, not knowing where to spend his money.

At this moment, Ying Tian felt two hands hugging him, and his back was also enveloped by something soft. Ying Tian knew who it was, and without turning his head, he said, "Bring me the training report for this week. I'll look at it after I finish lunch."

Ron asked, somewhat puzzled, "Commander, do you still want to look at those things now?"

"Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater; you should read what you need to read."

"Let me hold you a little longer, I'll give it to you after dinner."

Perhaps drawn by the aroma of the food, Mercury Memorial also came out of her room. She sat down on the sofa, looked at the scene in the dining room, and said, "Commander, why do you seem so unconcerned?"

What are you worried about?

"Oh, Da Feng, with her delicate skin and tender flesh, what will she do if she goes to such a terrible and chaotic place as Africa, all alone and helpless, not knowing where her home is?"

"Is Africa as terrifying as the Sirens you're talking about, who are almost destroying human civilization?"

Ying Tian rubbed her temples, and Ron gently pushed his fingers away and pressed her acupoints. Even as he released his stress, Ron was still very gentle: "No matter how worried I am, we can't get there now. It's better to prepare in peace and not scare yourself."

The Taihou I know from chat apps is a young and passionate ship girl with a touch of cute naivety. But a ship girl is a ship girl, a humanoid weapon capable of fighting terrifying enemies. How could she easily allow herself to be harmed? It's better to worry about Taihou's mental state than that. Even if she can't be found for a while, once she lands, we should first find a way to let Taihou know that everyone in the naval base is looking for her.

Besides that, Ying Tian had another thing to worry about. According to Xiang He and the others, Taihou's personality was actually somewhat childish. She couldn't stand being wronged and was prone to becoming withdrawn.

This isn't usually a big problem, but the key is that this big kid is incredibly strong, with the strength to uproot mountains and the power to overwhelm the world, and he's packed with nuclear bombs and has exceptional strength.

Hopefully, the people of Africa won't be ungrateful, otherwise, things will get very difficult once they're thoroughly slaughtered.

Chapter Four: The US, Japanese, and French Fleets' Surprise Attack on Africa

Using the power of money to pave the way, the expedited tourist visa to the Central African Republic was processed in just three days. During this time, Ying Tian also received a call from the embassy informing him that the situation in the Central African Republic was unstable and that he should avoid going there unless for work-related reasons. Of course, Ying Tian could only thank them and decline.

However, by the time Ying Tian finally arrived at Bangmjimpoko International Airport, the capital of the Central African Republic, it was already the sixth day since his last trip back to China. During those three days, he had transferred four times, traveling from Tehran to Istanbul, and finally flying from Paris to the Central African Republic. The ordeal was truly indescribable. Fortunately, Ying Tian had practiced his spoken English diligently beforehand; otherwise, if he had missed a flight, he would have had to wait another week for the next one.

Africa, supposedly the oldest continent in human civilization, whether ancient or not is unknown, is certainly backward. The capital's international airport, in Ying Tian's estimation, is smaller than the bus station in his hometown. From the moment he got off the plane to the exit of the airport, Ying Tian noticed several black men trying to sneak into his pockets. Unfortunately for them, Ying Tian had traveled light this time, without bringing anything unnecessary. As long as his most important communication tool wasn't lost, it wouldn't matter. Even if it was lost, the naval base would detect the distance between the person and the machine and take immediate action.

Stepping out of the international airport, where order was maintained by UN blue helmets, all that could be seen outside, besides the scorching air and azure sky, were scattered tents and sewage flowing across the dirt roads. Ever since the airport was used as a refugee camp, these temporary tents had never been dismantled. In this most chaotic country in Africa, having a place to live was already a blessing.

Peacekeeping troops driving armored vehicles, Black women carrying large containers on their heads, children running around with big bellies but clearly malnourished, and locals reaching out to beg from well-dressed tourists... The world behind the door is in stark contrast to the relatively respectable bars and cafes inside the airport.

Yingtian finds it hard to believe that this is the country's largest international airport, yet it appears so impoverished. Back then, Bokassa, the emperor of the Central African Republic, managed to squeeze every last drop of profit from the land and even held the world's most expensive coronation ceremony. He was so ruthless and insane, it's truly appalling. I'm devastated.

Compared to that, I felt like I grew up in a honey pot in the orphanage. I am grateful to society and the people.

However, Ying Tian was certainly not here to express his feelings. If the capital was in such a state, it was hard to imagine what Da Feng's current situation was like.

After walking a short distance, Ying Tian avoided the sight of the peacekeeping forces. As for the black men, he decided not to consider them. The aftermath of the civil war had not yet dissipated, and going to places with few people would be irresponsible for his own safety.

Ying Tian took out the garrison's mobile phone and sent a message. The invisible signal crossed the dimensions of time and space, connecting the two worlds.

Then, amidst the wide, puzzled eyes of the black children kicking sticks, ripples appeared in the space around Ying Tian, ​​and figures materialized one after another beside him.

When Ying Tian received the list of participants from the Prince of Wales, he was mentally prepared, but seeing so many people in front of him in this grand spectacle still made him feel somewhat dazed.

The personnel involved in the operation were not chosen randomly. To search for Taihou's whereabouts over such a vast area, aircraft carrier girls were the best option. Their carrier-based aircraft could conduct comprehensive patrols from extremely high altitudes, and with focused attention, battle-hardened carriers could easily spot targets across the expansive land. Furthermore, carrier-based aircraft that were generally undetectable by the naked eye or military radar could be detected by the ship girls with sufficient speed, at least enough to send a message to Taihou letting her know that everyone in the naval base was looking for her.

So the participants this time are—