251: Chapter 251 The Dark Morning

She opened her eyes; it was still the pitch-black ceiling, but it wasn't the one in front of the living room window she was familiar with.

Outside the window, it was still a void of darkness, just like the ceiling.

"Mmh... cough."

She climbed up; although her body was still a bit heavy, she could at least manage that level of movement.

Li Ming lay flat on his back on the sofa with his mouth wide open, one foot on the floor and the other propped quite ungracefully on the backrest.

How rude, she curled her lips and floated over like a ghost, tucking his foot back into the blanket wrapped around him.

There was a bit of reflection at the corner of his mouth.

That was drool.

Rude little thing.

Pushing back a chair to sit at the desk, she picked up the fully charged phone. It was 4:20 AM.

In the east right now, it should already be broad daylight...?

She flipped through the phone somewhat awkwardly. She had basically never used this phone before; Ushakov had gotten it for her to replace her old "brick" that had become impossibly slow.

Well, out with the old, in with the new... The old, the new...

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened the Northern Fleet's internal network to check the current status.

As usual, except for the little ones and a few relatively healthy colleagues, most of them were essentially... retired.

With a cold snort—Ushakov had actually retired? She didn't even tell me...

Engine... that is, heart problems...

Same for herself, though she had even more issues...

The investment those people put into the navy was visibly meager; without a doubt, they no longer had the ability to restore the navy's condition.

How ironic. Originally, she was the one in the best condition among the three sisters, but now...

She should be doing quite well in Qingcheng, right?

She opened the contact list, scrolled through it, and found two names in the special category.

Varyag.

Ulyanovsk.

"..."

Under Varyag's profile picture, there was a red "99+".

She didn't look at messages much, especially after coming here, she hardly touched her phone, so she seemed to have forgotten this function.

She opened the phone with some trembling.

"Sister, I... well, I have a new name now. How are you doing?"

"Merry Christmas, Sister."

"Today is Eastern Radiance's Spring Festival. What are you doing today?"

"Everyone is very good to me, so don't worry. How are things on your end?"

"Sister? Are you okay! ..."

"We have a new sister; she is really similar to us..."

"Today is the day Fujian entered service. She's really great, but she still needs some time..."

"Sister, if you see the message, could you reply to me?"

"I am doing well, and I hope you are too..."

"..." She coughed twice softly and closed the phone.

Sorry, I'm not a good sister.

But to you, I must be unpardonable. I failed to protect you, and I failed to protect her...

Under Ulyanovsk's profile, the phone number was empty, and the address and basic information were also blank.

"Gurgle..."

Li Ming, lying on the sofa, rolled over, scratched an itch, kicked off the blanket covering his upper body, and then started snoring again.

It wasn't the thunderous kind, so it wasn't too bad.

But regardless, thanks to him, she had the presence of mind to look at the messages on her phone and find out...

"Sigh..."

Should I reply to the message? Better not...

She stood up again, helped Li Ming cover himself with the blanket, and then lay back on the bed with her phone.

But this time, she couldn't fall asleep.

——————

Eastern Radiance, Qingcheng

"Alright, comrades. That's all for today's training... If you have any thoughts, you can talk to me privately. Now I need to go chat with the commanders."

"Yes, Commander."

"See you in a bit, Boss~!"

"Heh, smart aleck."

She smoothed her warm golden hair, then thought of something. "Right, Anshan, go communicate with the comrades in the East Sea. Have them step up their vigilance. It's almost the New Year, don't let anything go wrong."

The pink-haired Ship Girl waved her hand impatiently, signaling that she understood.

She turned around and walked toward the command room.

Her mood today was naturally very good; after all, she had received word that the fourth sister was almost ready.

"Tsk tsk, how nice."

She shook her head and took out her phone, preparing to take a selfie.

Hmm, quite majestic! Very imposing! Not bad, not bad!

Ahem, be serious, Liaoning. You are the symbol of the Eastern Radiance Navy; you can't be so silly.

She adjusted her tie, straightened her hat, and continued walking forward.

"Omatsuri, Mambo~"

The phone suddenly pinged. Although it was the notification sound for an important message, she still subconsciously smiled when she heard it.

No, I have to change this sound later; it's too funny...

She took out her phone to see which chief had sent her a message...

Kuznetsov: 1 message.

"Hah?"

Her smile vanished instantly, and she unlocked the screen at the fastest speed she had ever reached.

"I have a child from your world here, but he seems to have come from another world. I hope for your help, Valentin."

"Huh?" She licked her lips. What on earth is this?

Then, another message appeared on the phone.

"For his personal safety, I have not told Moscow about his affairs, and at the moment only a few people know about this."

"Oh, my God..." she exclaimed, then started jogging toward the command room. "I have to go to Murmansk... No, no! Not right now... Argh, how annoying..."

I'm crying from anxiety.jpg

As she ran, she replied to the message, "Sister, wait a moment, I'll go ask."

——————

"Mmh... huh?"

Li Ming sat up, only to see her sitting on the bed as well, staring blankly at her phone.

He immediately scrambled up and turned on the light. Looking at a phone in the pitch black—wasn't she afraid of going blind?

She squinted her eyes to readjust to the light source. "I'm a Ship Girl, you little idiot."

"Even a Ship Girl can't do that; even a Ship Girl needs to be told."

"..."

Forget it, there was no reasoning with him.

She shook her head. She didn't want to see him for the next ten minutes, so she said, "I'm hungry. I want vodka."

"Vodka is out. For breakfast..."

Li Ming glanced at the time; it was 8:00 AM. "What do you want to eat... oh wait, what's in the house?"

"I don't know..." Kuznetsov shook her head. "I haven't touched the fridge."

"By the way, does this weather really require a fridge?"

Li Ming muttered to himself, dressed, and went downstairs, turning on the central heating system along the way, then went to the bathroom to wash up.

Kuznetsov sat up and put her clothes back on. Varyag hadn't replied to her yet; maybe she would have a way to help this little rascal...

Then she suddenly thought of something.

Damn it, if he isn't here, how am I supposed to get downstairs?

This is going to be trouble...

...

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