“That’s pretty much it. We’ve checked, and the lie detector isn’t malfunctioning.”
“Also, he knows a lot about various Ship Girls, even super-rare ones from different factions. His physical fitness is only that of a normal person, so we can basically rule out the possibility of him being a Siren impersonator.”
“But that’s the strangest part: he absorbed all the construction resources for this batch of cadets! You know, to ensure the success rate of the graduating cadets’ first construction, they all undergo large-scale construction, and all resources are over-supplied. If you calculate it, these resources could support a normal Commander for hundreds of constructions!”
“Yet, after absorbing all of that, he still looks like an unremarkable ordinary person, without any abnormal reactions. Even if he were a Commander, it wouldn’t be this ridiculous…”
“I’d rather believe he’s a Siren’s android; that would at least sound more plausible,” Essex joked lightly.
The wind blew in from the sea. It was early summer, but the warm summer breeze had not yet fully arrived.
There were still a few chilly, biting gusts that cleared one’s head and dispersed the clouds.
However, the cool wind couldn't disperse the arguments in the office; on the contrary, the arguments grew louder and louder, drifting far out through the open windows, escalating with each passing moment.
Several plump, bouncing furballs also seemed startled, no longer daring to jump and play. As they quieted down, their figures became clear: they were adorable, round cats.
At this moment, they stopped their antics, pricked up their ears, and listened quietly to the argument, as if they understood human speech.
Shangri-La leaned back in her chair, gently pushing her glasses up her nose with her left hand. Her deep gaze was hidden behind the thick lenses. Her right hand casually twirled a pen. She remained silent, listening quietly to the young girl speaking before her.
The girl was dressed in a Western cowboy outfit, her black coat open like a cape, revealing large expanses of fair skin.
The girl’s attire was cool, with black hot pants outlining graceful curves, and black thigh-high stockings covering her knees, exposing two straight, fair sections of her thighs.
Just by her extremely bold attire, one could feel the girl’s deep-seated confidence and enthusiasm. Beneath her black cowboy hat, her long golden hair was styled into twin pigtails, and her green eyes were wide open as she gesticulated with her slender arms, speaking with agitated expression.
“The resources lost this time could build an entire port, and it affected so many cadets waiting for construction. Yet your investigation report says he’s just an ordinary person, and there’s nothing wrong with the construction device itself. Do you have some misunderstanding about what a ‘normal person’ is?” The girl’s voice gradually grew louder, though it hadn’t been quiet before.
“Actually, he’s quite handsome, not ‘ordinary’ at all,” Essex muttered, feeling that Hornet’s description was a bit inaccurate.
“And you’re the one who knocked him out. You know better than anyone what his physical fitness is like. It’s a good thing you didn’t use your Ship girl powers, otherwise, you probably would have killed him, and we wouldn’t even need to be discussing these things here.”
“I was just being cautious!”
Hornet turned her gaze to Essex, looking at her junior, who, despite her youth, had somewhat surpassed her.
To be honest, this junior was good in every way; she was usually serious and responsible enough. It was just her desire to prove she could stand shoulder to shoulder with her seniors that was truly a headache.
When in doubt, just shout.
Hornet felt she should first project her aura: “You have the nerve to say that? I sent you to interrogate him, not to listen to a lecture. You almost served him tea and water to soothe his throat. Oh, no, you already did serve him tea and water, since you were so happily listening to his story!”
She looked with satisfaction at her junior, who immediately fell silent. At a time like this, she still remembered to pick at her senior; she clearly still needed more discipline.
“But Hornet, weren’t you also stunned listening from outside?” Laffey, standing nearby, shook her head, her white pigtails bouncing, along with the pair of bunny ear headbands on her hair.
She shook her head as if it took all her strength to barely open her eyes. But soon, her eyelids drooped powerlessly, covering her wine-red eyes.
Hornet’s senior aura, which had just risen, instantly shattered.
“Don’t sleep at such a serious time,” Hornet reached into Laffey’s pocket.
After a casual rummage, she pulled out a liquor bottle, opened the cap, and poured a few sips into the dazed Laffey.
“Here, drink a few sips to perk up.”
Is alcohol for perking up?
Everyone watched speechless as Hornet poured the drink, and Laffey, after a few sips, actually seemed to perk up a bit.
“Laffey only looks small, she’s not actually a child. She was only built a little bit after me. What’s wrong with drinking a little? Don’t all look at me like that,” Hornet said grumpily, looking at everyone’s strange expressions.
Laffey took the bottle from Hornet’s hand, and as if it wasn't enough, she gulped down two more big swigs.
Then she quietly said, “Laffey also thinks what that Commander said isn’t a lie. Although this matter is indeed very strange, he is, after all, a Commander from another world, so some strange things happening should also be normal. After all, he might come from a very distant world and needed enough energy to support his journey here.”
Perhaps alcohol really does make one more energetic. Laffey’s seemingly insightful remarks left everyone speechless.
The others even chimed in, saying, “Yes, yes, Hornet, don’t you think so too?”
“You clearly believed what he said was true yourself, so why are you so agitated now?”
“You were too embarrassed to face him after knocking him out, and now you’re putting on airs here. If you’re so capable, go interrogate him yourself!”
They had been comrades in life and death for many years, so their teasing was without reservation.
The topic thus veered towards Hornet.
Hornet listened to everyone’s jokes, continuously muttering things like “This isn’t scientific,” “A sneak attack isn’t scary, whoever falls is embarrassed,” and similar remarks. The air was filled with cheer.
The somber atmosphere was broken, and the sun seemed to suddenly become gentler. A closer look revealed that it was already almost noon.
Several Commander cats, hearing the noise stop, resumed their playful antics, jumping from the windowsill into the office. A white Commander cat leaped high; it was hard to imagine such a plump body could jump so high.
Hornet reached out her hands and caught the jumping Commander cat in mid-air, pulling it into her embrace. Ignoring the Commander cat’s struggles, she happily started petting the cat. The white cat struggled for a while before going still, perhaps suffocated and losing strength. This scene scared the other Commander cats, who scattered and fled.
The conference room returned to quiet.
“So, what’s the final conclusion? What are all your thoughts?” A slightly calm voice broke the silence.
The voice was steady and clear, but the girl’s vocal lines were soft and pleasant, making her voice less stern and more gentle, without much of a commanding tone.
“Overall, his identity as a Commander from another world is deemed reliable. Although the information he revealed was somewhat concealed and incredibly unbelievable, its truthfulness can still be defined as accurate. Judging by his language and behavioral logic, the threat level is low, and he can basically be determined as harmless. Moreover, he himself does not have any overly obvious faction bias.”
Essex paused, “Including no obvious animosity towards the Sirens, which is extremely rare. It’s as if, in his perception, everyone is the same. I don’t know what kind of environment he was in before to make him develop such a perception.”
After she finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
“He has experience fighting the Sirens, doesn’t he?”
“From his description, he has experienced countless battles, which makes us completely unable to understand why, relative to everything he has experienced, he himself seems too…,” Essex paused again, carefully choosing her words: “Hmm, a bit too harmless.”
A person full of secrets, yet completely deviating from everyone’s understanding.
How to deal with this stranger became the subject of endless debate among them.
Everyone’s gaze involuntarily turned to the figure seated behind the desk, waiting for her to make the final decision.
“Since he says he is a Commander, let him try a construction then.”
“If what he says is true, then Azure Lane will gain another powerful Commander. If he fails to construct, we’ll find him a logistical job to give him a place to settle in this world.”
“As for the resources missing for so many cadets’ graduation constructions, we’ll allocate them from the war reserve warehouse. I will submit all reports regarding his information and this incident to headquarters separately. Let’s handle this matter this way for now!”
Shangri-La straightened her back slightly, her right hand tapping the desktop, causing a blue display screen to pop up.
Her fingers rapidly clicked on the display, clearly having a draft in mind. Her fingers moved swiftly, typing the report quickly, and soon the display was covered with dense text.
“We’ve secretly tested it; the Wisdom Cube reacts to him. His synchronization rate should be quite high, so construction shouldn’t be a problem,” Essex added.
Shangri-La waved her hand, signaling them to withdraw.
Everyone exchanged glances and exited the office one by one, but Essex remained still. After everyone had left the office, she hesitated and spoke again.
“Actually, it has nothing to do with the lie detector’s results. Human lies don’t mean much to us. Hornet wasn’t specifically targeting that Commander from another world.”
“It’s just as that Commander said: his subordinates include almost all Ship Girls from various factions. Having no preferred faction means he could lean towards any faction.”
“Despite having fought the Sirens numerous times, he shows no obvious ill will towards them. Furthermore, judging by his name, he should be a Commander from the Eastern Radiance region, but we can’t be absolutely certain, as Eastern Radiance people and Sakura Empire people look basically identical. So, although he is a Commander, he may not ultimately belong to Azure Lane.”
Some words were hard to utter, but someone always needed to say them. Hornet clearly wanted to say them earlier but couldn’t.
The relationships between Azure Lane, the Crimson Axis, and the Sirens are complex and have long formed an unspoken understanding that cannot be publicly discussed. Only because of her close relationship with Shangri-La was it convenient for her to speak these words.
“I know.”
Shangri-La’s tone seemed unchanged, as if all of this were just minor matters. Her fingers continued to operate on the light screen, her movements not slowing down in the slightest.
Soon, her movements slowed, and the report reached its final stage. She tapped a few times lightly, completing the final submission.
She gently waved her hand, and the display screen retracted back into the office desk. She looked up at this sister of hers in a certain sense, thought for a moment, and then explained.
“Azure Lane and the Crimson Axis simply have different paths; there’s no other difference. At least at this time, under the current circumstances, no one would deny that statement. As for the Sirens, not everyone is filled with hatred for them. In his eyes, the Sirens might just be enemies. Commanders like that aren’t unheard of. We’ve just encountered another one.”
The wind outside the window became gentler.
Essex looked out the window and realized that it was already approaching noon. The warm sunlight shone on the sea, reflecting dazzling light. Boats and figures occasionally glided across the sea.
Further out, the sky and sea intertwined, as if becoming one.
It was now nearing summer.