249: Chapter 249 This is truly the older generation, the very older generation.

"Aiya, haha... *hic*..."

"If you can't handle your liquor, don't drink so much, hey!"

"Nonsense! *hic*... Suka, I can still... drink... *glug*..."

The two of them supported each other as they staggered back. This girl had downed five bottles of vodka, followed by a bottle of Spirytus, and then when a few more Ship Girls arrived, she drank through a whole round of red wine, white spirits, and beer.

What did that amount to? If Li Ming had drunk that much himself, he'd probably have died four or five times over. She was only just starting to get drunk and act out, though there was a high probability she'd black out later.

Li Ming put in a massive effort to keep her at least somewhat conscious, hoping she could give him some directions so he could get her home.

Arriving at her front door, Li Ming looked at the lock and fell silent for a moment before looking at Ushakov, who was slumped over his shoulder. "Where are your house keys?"

"Mm... *hic*... they're in here."

She pointed toward her ample chest.

Her clothes didn't have pockets, so what she meant was...

"Are you kidding me?" Li Ming's eye twitched.

"Hmph~" Ushakov puffed out her chest proudly, then went limp again.

Great, she really was just being a drunk mess.

Li Ming sighed. "Can't you get them yourself?"

"What? Afraid? Are you actually some kind of inexperienced little virgin?"

"..."

By the light of the streetlamp, he noticed a string that looked like a pendant around her neck, but the main part was tucked deep inside her clothes.

After a moment's hesitation, Li Ming reached out. "Excuse me."

Uh, it won't come out?

He had no choice; Li Ming steeled himself and reached his hand into her neckline.

After a bit of effort, he finally fished the key out and opened the door.

He carried her to the sofa and finally caught his breath.

This girl is really heavy, and she was making trouble on purpose.

"Gu?" She suddenly bolted upright, then scrambled and crawled into the bathroom to vomit into the toilet.

"..." Li Ming facepalmed. This drunkard!

After she finished vomiting, he moved her back to her bed (incidentally, this place was a one-bedroom apartment). Li Ming tucked her in and then ran to the kitchen to boil some water.

He looked around but couldn't find anything to help her sober up, so he could only give her some water.

"Phew... ha..."

When Li Ming returned, she had already kicked the blanket under the bed and was slumped ungracefully across the mattress. She had even unbuttoned her top, revealing a large expanse of fair skin.

Li Ming squinted his eyes, placed the kettle on the side table, and poured a cup of water to let it cool.

"*Cough*, water..." She coughed, then began panting heavily, clutching her chest as if she were quite uncomfortable.

"The water is here."

Li Ming propped her up and fed her the warm water, which had cooled down considerably.

Her complexion seemed to ease up a lot, and her breathing returned to a steady rhythm.

Helping her lie back down, Li Ming retrieved the blanket from the floor and covered her up properly.

When did I become such a mother hen?

Li Ming felt helpless, but he eventually left her home.

Then, as the cold wind outside blew against him, Li Ming realized a serious problem.

How was he supposed to get back?

He couldn't read a single Russian road sign, and he couldn't count on Ushakov anymore, so he...

After a moment of silence, Li Ming steeled himself and tried to walk back based on his remaining memories.

Half an hour later, he reached a pessimistic conclusion: he was lost.

Looking around, Li Ming stood under a streetlamp and fell into thought.

This godforsaken place seemed the same in every direction; Li Ming had no way to determine his position.

"Sigh..."

Leaning against the streetlamp, Li Ming began to think.

His primary goal now was to find a road sign he recognized, or even find that bar again.

But that was the problem. In this pitch-black darkness, Li Ming couldn't even tell north from south, and it was snowing so hard that every step he took, he sank into the drifts.

He observed his surroundings once more, only for the streetlamp above him to suddenly flicker out with a *snap*.

"Dammit..."

Li Ming quickly moved away, just in case some weird explosion happened.

"Sigh... this heavy snow... tsk..."

A voice talking to itself came from the shadows; it sounded like a woman.

By the light of another streetlamp in the distance, Li Ming saw a Ship Girl dressed in black clothes walking out from a corner, adjusting her cylindrical hat.

"The Russian Federation... hmph, how decadent. As expected, the Northern Union has indeed collapsed."

She spoke as she walked, then complained again: "But what is with this place? The source of the wisdom cubes is a complete mystery..."

"That's..." Li Ming froze for a second, then her gaze shifted over, meeting his eyes.

"Pamiat... hm?"

Before Li Ming could finish, she lunged forward in a single stride, covering his mouth with her white-gloved hand. She then dragged him into the corner and all the way to a deserted, dark spot.

"What are you doing?!" "What are you doing here?!"

Li Ming looked at this Ship Girl wearing a black cloak, momentarily at a loss for words.

Mercury Memorial Meta.

"For some reasons, I was sent to this world," Li Ming said. "I shouldn't be leaving for a while. What about you?"

"Me?" Mercury glared at him. "Do you think the noble Lady Mercury would tell you what she's doing? Also, you haven't answered my question yet!"

"I... sigh, I was sent here." Li Ming scratched his head and began to organize his thoughts, telling her the reason he had come here.

"...Anyway, that's more or less it. From the looks of it, I'll be staying here for a while."

"Tsk, what a pain." Mercury looked at him with a face full of impatience. "I'll just send you directly to the Carpathian Mountains Base."

"No, not for now." Li Ming shook his head. "I still want to do a few things."

"Can't you just..." Mercury was about to snap, but she seemed to think of something and suppressed it. "Fine, suit yourself. Don't come looking for me if anything goes wrong!"

How was he supposed to deal with this kind of bratty girl (old lady) again?

Li Ming tilted his head, then began to exert some effort.

He looked into her red eyes, which glowed with an unknown light in the night, and raised his right hand, holding up three fingers. "I believe the great Lady Mercury would absolutely never abandon me."

Mercury blanked for a moment, then started laughing. "Well then, as long as you accept my conditions, I'll give you a hand. How about it?"

"Please state your terms, my lady. Your humble servant is willing to work like a dog for you." Li Ming gave a bow.

Now it was Mercury's turn to be stunned.

"Commander, you... you've really become... a bit dull..." she whispered.

How could she actually make any strange demands of him?

...

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