11: Chapter 11 Going to Sea

"Commander! It's time to get up—"

Li Ming immediately opened his eyes and sprang out of bed.

A month of training was beginning to show results; Li Ming had already developed a foundation of swift and decisive action.

He quickly folded his bedding into a neat "tofu block" and then headed into the bathroom to wash up.

It wasn't until he splashed water onto his face that Li Ming felt fully awake.

Fujian looked at the clean, tidy, and clutter-free room, thinking to herself that the training had finally paid off.

Discipline was of paramount importance; teaching her Commander to follow orders strictly was the first step in making him a qualified leader.

A month of internal affairs discipline and command response had completely transformed Li Ming's lifestyle. His usually lazy demeanor had almost entirely vanished, replaced by efficiency and neatness.

His physical condition was also better than before. A proper diet, along with intensive drilling and physical training, had made his out-of-shape physique a thing of the past, and the muscles on his limbs were now much more defined.

The only things that hadn't changed were likely those dull eyes and the glasses he wore; those were things physical training couldn't fix.

After changing into his training uniform, Li Ming prepared to start his daily warm-up exercises.

"At ease! Attention! ...Mm, very good! Three warm-up laps around the command ship! Right, turn! Double time, march!" Since it was one-on-one training, Fujian didn't use the full intensity of a military drill instructor to give commands, but Li Ming still strictly executed every step of the instructions.

While Li Ming went for his run, Fujian immediately ran to the research center after receiving a message from the Chief Engineer to retrieve her maintained rigging.

"Very good, sorry to have troubled you all during this time... Right, even though it's missing some electronic equipment, it won't affect my usage." Fujian strapped her equipment back on and stowed it. "By the way, please have the three Destroyers start preheating and prepare a month's worth of supplies. We're heading out to sea today."

"Chuchu!" The Chief Engineer nodded to show he understood.

Returning to the spot just in time, Li Ming had just finished his three laps and was leaning over, panting. Seeing Fujian return, he immediately straightened up.

—This was allowed, probably.

She nudged Li Ming toward the cafeteria for breakfast. Breakfast was still simple—or rather, it was pretty much the same every day—but Li Ming didn't seem to tire of it, and Fujian didn't say anything, simply joining him to eat.

It was much better than eating energy bars, wasn't it?

"Commander, we'll be heading out to sea for a while, is that alright?"

"I'm fine with it." Li Ming shrugged. "As long as you've planned it out."

Did he trust her completely? Fujian rubbed her calf. "Then meet at the pier in two hours. I'll go pack your things first."

She pinched Li Ming's cheek, watching as he turned red from his jaw to his ears and tucked his neck in. Embarrassment appeared on his usually stoic face, and only then did she pull her hand away in satisfaction and leave the kitchen, leaving Li Ming to wash the dishes.

An hour and a half later, Fujian walked out of Li Ming's room carrying a bag. She didn't have much luggage herself, and Li Ming didn't need much packed either.

Li Ming had changed into his gray winter service uniform as requested. Though he might still lack a bit of military bearing, it was enough to make Fujian quite satisfied.

"Good, you look very nice." Fujian straightened Li Ming's clothes. "How does it feel? Is it a bit small?"

"No, it's just right." Li Ming tugged at his clothes and replied.

"Alright then, let's go." Fujian took Li Ming's hand and led him outside, all the way to the pier.

The February weather was still very cold. Fujian was dressed quite lightly but felt nothing, while Li Ming was bundled up tightly. Although he didn't really want to be, he was forced to wrap himself up under Fujian's insistence.

Due to the maintenance of the rigging, the naval dockyard had been idle for a long time, so the navy was still using relatively old "Ognevoy-class" (Soviet Navy Project 30) Destroyers.

However, it was sufficient for Li Ming's sea training. This time wasn't for learning command, but to get him used to life at sea. In the future, he might need to stay at sea year-round, so it was necessary to adapt now.

Originally, Fujian had planned to deploy her own hull, but...

Fuel consumption was always a major issue. One wrong move and the entire base might be grounded for a while...

Maintenance is hard, a Ship Girl sighs.

This was Li Ming's first time going to sea. He looked at Fujian beside him, took the bag from her hand, and stepped onto the boarding ladder.

It had to be said, the feeling of the ship swaying with the waves was indeed a bit unsettling.

But seeing Fujian walk up steadily, Li Ming didn't think much of it; perhaps he would be fine once he got used to it.

After settling their luggage, Li Ming was led to the Bridge by the Yellow Chicken First Mate. Fujian was already making final preparations before departure.

"Commander, are you ready? We're about to set off."

"Then let's go." Li Ming nodded, grabbing onto a fixed table in advance to avoid the jolting. It would be too embarrassing if he actually tripped on flat ground.

A hundred-ton torpedo boat towed the Destroyer out of the port, and the Destroyer's boilers began to run at their most stable efficiency.

Once they left the mouth of the natural harbor, the Destroyer unhooked from the torpedo boat. The Destroyers "Shiyan" and "Wuchang," which had already been cruising slowly outside the pier, immediately turned to form a formation and headed toward the open sea.

Fujian intended to let Li Ming spend a day adjusting to life at sea. Spending long periods at sea would inevitably be dull, so she would wait until Li Ming's initial excitement passed.

Then, two hours later, Li Ming got seasick and was forced to lie like a corpse in the cabin.

Fujian sat by the bed taking care of her Commander, her feelings complicated. She really hadn't expected that the Commander she remembered, who could stand on one leg at the bow of a Destroyer, would actually get seasick...

Li Ming's face was pale. Accompanied by occasional dry heaving, he lay weakly on the bed looking completely burnt out, forcing a smile as he chatted with Fujian.

"Commander, seasickness is usually temporary... If it's really too much, should we head back?" Fujian looked at him uncertainly.

"Cough... It's fine! I should be better in a while, no need to change the itinerary."

Although Li Ming desperately wanted to touch solid ground again, he really didn't want to see her look disappointed, so he spoke up to reassure her: "It's okay... This is just a normal physiological issue, it'll pass after a while."

"Mm... Then I'll go make some porridge for you!" Fujian stood up and left, not noticing Li Ming's outstretched, trembling hand.

In truth, Li Ming had no appetite. Compared to porridge, he still preferred to have someone stay with him.

In the end, he could only watch the closed door as his feelings dissolved into a sigh.

He felt even worse now.

...

...