257: Chapter 257 Breakfast, Winter, BMPT

It was another... morning, if this pitch-black sky could even be called morning.

Li Ming prepared breakfast for the Marshal. Today it was hot milk, white bread from the toaster, and some sliced sausages on the side.

It had snowed heavily yesterday, but Ushakov had still chosen to leave.

To be honest, she was probably out getting dead drunk at a bar again, and Li Ming couldn't exactly cling to her leg to stop her.

Before the milk could boil over, Li Ming successfully turned off the heat, arranged the toasted bread on a plate, and poured the milk into a bowl.

Hearing the sound of someone coming downstairs, he immediately dropped what he was doing and ran over to carry the Marshal down.

"Li Ming! Have you lost your mind, you little rascal?!"

—Of course, while the Marshal was too weak for prolonged low-intensity exercise, she could still manage a flight of stairs; Li Ming's action was purely a stress response.

Li Ming didn't set her down until they reached the sofa in the living room.

The Marshal puffed out her cheeks, looking at him with a face full of resentment.

Li Ming shrugged. "Just in case."

"In case my suka!" She stood up and flicked his forehead—only then did she realize that even without shoes, she was still a bit taller than him. "My shoes fell off, go pick them up for me."

Li Ming ran off to fetch her slippers.

Oh, bear slippers.

As Li Ming picked them up, he recalled how male leads in certain strange little stories would sniff...

Stop, stop, stop. No lewd thoughts.

He returned the slippers to Kuznetsov. She gave him another glare before heading off to wash up.

Li Ming silently finished his portion of milk and took out his phone to check it.

Logic had partially resumed operation using local software and was autonomously collecting information.

Today's weather... the snow had lightened significantly; there shouldn't be any problems.

Kuznetsov sat down quietly across from him and yawned.

She never seemed to get enough sleep, and the time she could remain energetic each day was quite limited... but over the last two days, her waking hours had clearly extended. He wondered if it was because of this little rascal.

"Li Ming."

"Hmm?"

"How long do you plan on staying here?"

"Probably a while," Li Ming replied.

"So... before Christmas?"

"Christmas..." Li Ming checked the time. Today was December 20th. "Definitely no chance before Christmas."

"Is that so? That is indeed quite troublesome." Kuznetsov's expression remained unchanged, but she was calculating in her mind. "What about your Ship Girls?"

"Don't worry too much about that. I left a contingency plan, so there won't be any issues in the short term." Li Ming picked up a piece of bread. "Besides, the time flow is different on both sides. It's only early October over there."

"I see." Kuznetsov felt relieved and picked up her milk. "In that case, if there are no clues on how to return, just stay here with peace of mind. As for the clues, I'll find a way. At worst, I'll swallow my pride and go beg Peter for help."

"Are you sure you want to help me this much?" Li Ming's eyelid twitched as the clock on the wall ticked again, marking another hour. "Is it really worth it?"

"None of your business." She closed her eyes and slowly sipped the milk.

"...And, do you really think Peter won't just hand me over to the FSB?"

"If she dares, I'll personally walk to her headquarters and see whose reputation carries more weight, hers or Vladimir's." Kuznetsov set the bowl down with a thud, causing two drops of milk to splash onto the table.

"Alright, alright, don't get worked up." Li Ming hurriedly waved his hands. "These things will happen when the time is right. There's no need to go to such lengths for me."

She glared at him and picked up the bowl again.

This little rascal, not knowing how lucky he was.

"...As for today, I plan to bolster your knowledge base," she said, adjusting her tone. "I'll give you some war history and battlefield information to read through. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

Li Ming nodded to show he understood—though he wasn't particularly interested. During the three months of special training Fujian had given him, Li Ming's results in battlefield command studies were essentially 'in one ear and out the other.'

Although it was a bit of an exaggeration, Li Ming was definitely not a genius who could achieve enlightenment through just a few extra lessons.

Thinking this, Li Ming picked up another slice of bread and began to munch on it.

*Buzz—*

His phone switched to the call screen.

It was an unknown number, but since this number was new, who would be calling? A telemarketer?

Li Ming raised an eyebrow and looked at Kuznetsov.

Kuznetsov ate her breakfast quietly, expressing nothing.

So, Li Ming simply answered the phone right there at the table. "Hello?"

"Hello... is this Mr. Li Ming?" A somewhat familiar voice came from the other end.

"Ah, it's me..." Li Ming nodded. "Miss Pamir?"

"Yes... it's me." Pamir paused. "It's Ushakov... she's drunk again. I didn't dare contact the Marshal, so I could only call you... Could you come and pick her up?"

Even though Li Ming didn't have the speakerphone on, Kuznetsov heard everything clearly.

"Go on, bring her over to my place," she said.

"Ah, wait a second..." Li Ming put the phone down and looked at the snowy scenery outside. "Right now? Are you sure?"

Kuznetsov nodded.

"Alright then..." Li Ming picked up the phone. "I'll get there as soon as possible. Miss Pamir, wait for me."

Li Ming hung up, stuffed the phone into his pocket, threw on his coat, and left the warm little house.

Only then did Kuznetsov stand up and slowly walk to the window.

Then she heard a loud engine roar.

Through the window, she saw a damn BMPT-72 with its lights on, crushing the snow as it drove out of the yard, turned onto the road, and headed off into the distance.

"Suka... where the hell did he get this thing, blyat?" Kuznetsov nearly lost her footing. "Suka, this little rascal is truly uncanny. How did he bring this here?"

She felt a sudden sense of helplessness. Just what was this little rascal's background? He could even pull a tank out of thin air?

She sat back down properly to continue her breakfast. It must be because she slept too long and was hallucinating; she'd just finish breakfast and go back to sleep for a bit...

No, wait, she still had to dig out those materials... Where were they? Probably in the headquarters' archives...

What a hassle. And she didn't even know his specific situation over there, so she couldn't give specific advice or training.

Sigh, what a truly annoying little rascal!

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