247: Chapter 247 Old Soldiers Never Die

"Kuznetsov? Kuznetsov?"

Knock, knock, knock.

"Kuznetsov, I'm here!"

Knock, knock, knock.

Click.

The door opened.

It was Li Ming who opened the door, and he saw a Ship Girl with light blue hair. She wasn't wearing the characteristic attire of the Northern Parliament, but rather a normal leather coat.

The reason he could be certain she was a Ship Girl was that no ordinary lady could dress so lightly yet warmly in this godforsaken weather!

She froze for a moment, and immediately, Li Ming felt a bone-chilling cold before he was lifted up by the throat.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

she asked.

"Mmph... Mmph..." Li Ming struggled for a moment, then gave up.

How am I supposed to answer when you're choking me!

But should I hit a Ship Girl? Really?

"Ushakov... let him go."

The Marshal's voice came from the living room, and then she appeared from behind the hallway, leaning against the wall. "He has no hostile intent."

Ushakov immediately let him go. He stumbled as he landed, coughed twice, shot a resentful look at Ushakov, and then stepped aside to invite her in.

"Who is he?"

She walked in and gently closed the door. "I don't recall you keeping a boy toy?"

"Cough, cough..."

The Marshal choked, nearly losing her breath. "Let's talk about it slowly..."

"I see..." Ushakov understood and curiously sized up Li Ming. "So, kid, where are you from?"

"Uh, Huaxia... no, Eastern Radiance."

"I mean, where in Eastern Radiance?"

"Hangzhou."

"Hangzhou..." Ushakov nodded. "I have a younger sister who went to your side, and she was even named after your home."

Li Ming naturally knew about this.

"Hmm... So, Kuznetsov, why did you call me here?"

"It's like this..." The Marshal looked at Li Ming. "I can't go out for long periods, and there are no suitable clothes for him here, so I hope you can bring him a set of clothes and take him out to see if you can find any clues to help him return."

Ushakov nodded. "Alright, wait for me a moment."

She left the Marshal's house like the wind, even forgetting to close the door.

Li Ming hurriedly ran to close the door, lest the Marshal catch a cold, and to avoid freezing himself.

Turning back to look at Kuznetsov, he said, "Marshal, you..."

"I told you, don't use honorifics. And call me Kuznetsov."

She waved her hand. Her exhausted yet still exquisitely delicate face and her withered, messy hair created a strange sense of fusion.

"Hmm..." Li Ming narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and then asked, "What are you planning to do?"

"What am I planning to do?" She sat there, seeming to be in a trance for a moment. "Do what I want to do."

Swallowing the words he wanted to ask, Li Ming felt that asking would make him look stupid.

"Do you need me to do anything for you?"

"Bring me a bottle of vodka."

"... Drinking isn't good for you."

"Who asked for your opinion?"

She glared at him. "Go get it quickly."

Li Ming shook his head, walked into the kitchen, and opened the cupboard... After thinking about it, he closed the cupboard, picked up the kettle nearby, filled it with tap water, and put it on the stove to boil.

"What are you doing?" she asked from the living room.

About ten minutes later, Li Ming brought a steaming mug of water and placed it on the coffee table.

"Drink more hot water," he said.

Kuznetsov's mouth twitched. "I said I wanted vodka."

"No."

Li Ming put his hands on his hips. "Patients shouldn't drink alcohol."

"I am a Ship Girl."

"Ship Girls can't either."

"I'm going to get angry."

"Getting angry won't help either."

"You..." The Marshal pointed at him, then lowered her hand helplessly. "Are you trying to make me die of anger on purpose?"

Li Ming shrugged, indicating she could think whatever she wanted.

Kuznetsov sighed helplessly, her shoulders slumping. "I want vodka."

"No..." Li Ming still wanted to refuse, but looking at her hunched over, supporting herself on her legs, head slightly raised, a pair of sky-blue eyes staring straight at him through her bangs, looking like she'd been bullied, his resolve immediately softened. "... Just one small cup, no more than that."

"I think this little guy is right." Ushakov opened the window, and immediately a gust of cold wind hit them, making Li Ming shiver.

She climbed in from outside the window and then closed it. "Kuzya, you should listen to some advice."

"Usha, why are you too..." Kuznetsov looked unwilling. "How can you side with someone you've only known for less than half an hour?"

"This is called a revolutionary comrade." Ushakov hooked her arm around Li Ming's shoulder, her cold aura making Li Ming, who dared not speak, shiver again. "Right, little comrade from the East?"

"... I've only joined the Young Pioneers." Li Ming twitched his mouth, giving a somewhat ambiguous answer.

Ushakov laughed heartily, tossing a whole set of thick clothes out from her rigging space. "Put these on, I'll take you out for a spin."

"Oh, oh..." Li Ming took the clothes and looked at Kuznetsov.

The Marshal nodded at him. "Go out and take a look, maybe there are clues that can help you return."

Li Ming had nothing to say, found a compartment to change, and followed Ushakov out the door.

The Marshal picked up the mug, and suddenly the corners of her mouth lifted.

"An interesting little thing."

"If you came here in the summer, perhaps everyone would have more energy to host you." Ushakov walked along the roadside with Li Ming. "But obviously, although we Ship Girls aren't very afraid of the cold, when there's nothing important to do, everyone likes to stay in warm places just the same."

"Then what are we out to see now?"

Li Ming looked at the pitch-black sky—it was ten in the morning, yet there was no light in the sky at all.

"Naturally, we're out for a stroll!" Ushakov replied. "Or do you have any clues?"

"No." Li Ming shook his head. After being thrown here, he hadn't received any mission objectives, but now he had some vague guesses.

"Exactly!" Ushakov rubbed Li Ming's head vigorously. "It's fine, we're going to a place! It's warm over there!"

"Where?"

"A bar!"

"Huh?"

He never dreamed that his first time entering a bar would be like this...

Li Ming looked at the bar in the distance; there was no sign, and he couldn't understand the road signs on the side of the road, so he could only honestly follow Ushakov over.

"Have you ever been to a bar?"

"No."

"Then come and take a look! You're an adult, aren't you?"

"Uh..."