134: Chapter 134 Midnight

Night.

After seeing off the last guest who was likely trying to farm for ships, Dunkerque wiped her hands.

In the kitchen, Strasbourg had long since put away her violin and was helping Forbin clean the utensils.

Lemaire was mopping the floor, while Vicious, who had just returned, was slumped on the table as if she had exhausted all her strength.

Triomphant and Indomitable were wiping the tables, while Intrepid was seriously keeping the accounts.

"Terrible, come and help!"

"...Coming."

Terrible glanced at the clock on the wall again before walking into the warehouse.

Dunkerque turned her head and looked at the warehouse in confusion, "Strasbourg, did you feel that?"

"Yeah, Terrible has been very strange since she suddenly went out this afternoon and came back..."

Strasbourg washed the last of the tools, hung them on the rack, and walked out. "She's been checking the time constantly."

Seeing that the cleaning was almost done, Dunkerque prepared to turn off the lights in the main hall.

Whether they were Le Fantasque-class or L'Adroit-class Destroyers, they were all relatively honest and reliable. Even Terrible, though she occasionally had strange ideas, wasn't a problem.

In fact, in terms of rank within the Orthodoxy alone, Terrible was likely second only to the Cardinal.

Compared to the Tribunal or the Chivalric Order, Terrible was actually "directly under the Orthodoxy." If she truly intended to hide something, Dunkerque and Strasbourg might find it difficult to ask.

Besides, as a family now, being pushy wasn't a good habit.

Arriving at the switch, Dunkerque placed her hand on it and did one last check to make sure everything was in order.

"Wait a moment, Dunkerque."

Terrible turned off the warehouse light. "Don't turn off the lights yet."

"What's wrong?" Dunkerque asked, puzzled. "Terrible, what did you do today? You've been acting strange all evening."

"Soon, it'll be ready soon." Terrible didn't answer directly. Instead, she picked up a freshly washed cup and started making milk tea again.

Hearing the clearly evasive answer, Dunkerque was confused but still said, "Do you still have things to do?"

The Le Fantasque-class sisters actually all had a lazy side, but ever since the Commander went missing, Terrible's daily routine had become as precise as a clock.

"No, I'm waiting..." Terrible looked out the window, then paused.

Putting down the cup before the milk tea powder was even fully dissolved, she walked to the glass front door and opened it.

"Why are you so late?"

There was a hint of complaint in her tone. "Everyone is about to go to sleep!"

"My fault, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way."

Dunkerque watched Terrible's back as a neatly dressed young man appeared outside the door.

By the light from inside the room, she saw the man's appearance.

"Dunkerque, what happened..."

Strasbourg had just finished washing her hands. She turned her head and saw her sister staring blankly at the door. She walked over and followed her gaze, only to freeze on the spot as well—

"Commander, you haven't forgotten who they are, have you?"

"How could I... Uh, good evening... Dunkerque, and Strasbourg..."

Despite being neatly and formally dressed, Li Ming felt a bit uneasy under their intense gaze.

The next moment, the white-haired pastry chef hugged him, resting her chin on his shoulder and wrapping her arms tightly around his body.

"I... I'm back..." Li Ming felt a bit of pain from the grip, but at this moment, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Strasbourg was the first to calm down. Though she was equally excited, she signaled Terrible with her eyes to lock the door.

Terrible understood immediately, closing and locking the door.

It took quite some time for Dunkerque to regain her composure.

They turned off the lights in the first-floor hall and took Li Ming to the second floor to sit down; this was where they actually lived.

"Commander, have some water first." Terrible brought the prepared milk tea to Li Ming. "It's not freshly made, please excuse that."

"It's fine, it's fine..." Li Ming waved his hands hurriedly, watching Dunkerque and Strasbourg sit across from him at the coffee table, while Terrible sat by his side.

"I went to the academy specifically to look for him today," Terrible said. "Although the leaked video didn't provide enough evidence, fortunately, through the information Finn Hawke provided yesterday, I confirmed that the Commander was in the academy."

Terrible took the lead in starting the conversation, telling everyone about her actions over the past few days. "Actually, before going to the academy, I managed to find Royal Fortune. Once I was sure she was here, a quick check on her sailing ship allowed me to lock onto the target, and then I found your specific address, Commander."

Li Ming nodded in understanding. "No wonder you found the bottom of my building so accurately."

Feeling the gazes of the two older sisters, which never left him, Li Ming still felt a bit unnatural.

"But now, it's time to explain your changes to us, Commander." Terrible shifted the topic. "You've changed so much..."

Li Ming's expression stiffened, then he took a deep breath. "Let's start from last year... that is, from when I went missing in your perspective..."

——————

The clock turned to twelve.

Terrible saw Li Ming off and returned to see Strasbourg and Dunkerque lost in thought.

Although everyone had bluntly stated they didn't care about his changed state or lack of ability, and made it clear they only cared about him as a person, still...

A game character?

To be honest, hearing this answer was a bit of a surprise even for Terrible.

Fortunately, he was someone who was quite invested. In a normal world, this might not be normal, but for them, it was like the best news ever.

But she, and they, couldn't feel happy at all.

Strasbourg smoothed her somewhat overly long hair. "Let's get some rest. We'll reveal this to everyone tomorrow, Dunkerque?"

"Naturally."

Dunkerque agreed, while Terrible...

She was actually very exhausted.

But she still stood up and went downstairs.

Fatigue had made her a bit slow; it wasn't safe for the Commander to walk home alone at night.

"Dunkerque, you guys go to sleep early! We'll talk about these things tomorrow... I'll come back tomorrow."

She opened the door and ran out, catching up to her Commander...

"Commander, aren't you afraid of being kidnapped, walking alone at night?..."

On the other side, Strasbourg closed the door. Seeing Dunkerque's worried look, she couldn't help but chuckle helplessly.

Her sister was too gentle, to the point of losing her composure when her lover showed vulnerability.

"Don't worry, everything is still within control."

Strasbourg said based on her analysis, "Now all we need to do is work with him to find the others..."

...

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