3: Chapter 3 Chaos in the Port Area (?)

"We've been trapped in the port for two months. The patrol and search and rescue teams are nowhere to be found, and the Commander is also missing... The research team hasn't made any progress either."

"Everyone has become quiet, and the entire port has fallen silent."

This was Laffey's observation over the past two months.

Worried friends, taciturn adults, and constantly bickering in the conference room.

The only good news was that it hadn't escalated to physical fights yet, otherwise, the problem would truly be serious.

But even so, Laffey, who hadn't yet realized that she herself was also acting strangely, still sat on the bench, observing everything she could see before her.

As one of the first Ship Girls to follow the Commander, Laffey was perhaps the one who least wanted the port to fall apart.

The Commander is missing, the Commander is missing.

The Commander can't be found...

Years of hazy dreams, now it felt like waking from a dream.

If this isn't real, why make me dream such a dream?

Perhaps I never existed? Or perhaps I am just part of an illusion?

I don't know, it's so painful.

She rummaged in her pocket, found her red wine, uncorked it, and took another big gulp.

Ship Girls can't get drunk if they don't want to, right?

Laffey got drunk, trying to continue dreaming, dreaming of the Commander by her side, dreaming that none of this chaos had ever happened, dreaming that it could last forever...

"Laffey-chan! Don't fall asleep outside!"

Laffey was vigorously shaken by an energetic girl in pink.

Laffey half-opened her eyes, mumbled "Commander," and then closed them again.

"Laffey!!" The shaking became more intense.

The beige-haired girl pulled the energetic girl aside, while the calm girl next to them couldn't help but sigh.

"Laffey... pull yourself together..." The calm girl... or rather, Z23, was exhausted. The weight of the six words "The Commander is missing" pressed on her chest like a boulder, and no Ship Girl in the port could escape it.

In the end, Lanshan, the emotionless girl, and Z23 supported Laffey, one on each side, and walked her away.

——————

Several troublemakers caused a commotion for a while, but were eventually forcibly suppressed by the higher-ups.

Rescue forces were different from patrol teams; they were a batch of second-line elites from the port. There was no way they couldn't even send back information.

All outward-exploring detectors had lost their signal, and even with all high-precision equipment, nothing beyond that barrier could be detected.

All important and core personnel of the port were present to discuss countermeasures.

They had done everything they could, but still, there was no way to break the deadlock.

They couldn't really rely on Shinano to do extensive foresight, could they?

...Well, Shinano's dreams were mostly reliable.

But at this moment, Shinano's dreams were all obscure and difficult to understand, vaguely pointing to the necessity of "leaving this port."

Therefore, after discussion, a three-step plan was decided: gradually evacuate the port by faction, while progressively taking away all data, resources, and production equipment.

Although no one knew what was on the other side of the barrier, Friedrich der Große, who was entrusted with the task of leading the Iron Blood faction to leave last, knew that everything had to be resolved before the port's resources hit the red line. Without resource input, the port's operational resource reserves would soon reach the red line—they had no more time to continue their research.

Just as everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion, one night.

Laffey, who had drunk five taels of Laffey, went out to sea alone.

No one seemed to notice.

It was already the third month, and everyone was plagued by various negative emotions.

In the end, Laffey did return, but she was found and brought back by her original sister, Benson.

Compared to the previously even more taciturn and even extremely depressed Laffey, she wasn't the only one who had become like this.

With the completion of the first phase of transfer preparations, Eastern Radiance, Iris, and Northern Union would depart separately, also taking some non-core Ship Girls from other factions.

Laffey, Z23, Javelin, and Ayanami, the four Destroyers, were grouped together and sent into the fleet.

There was certainly no lack of emotion among the port's Ship Girls, but prioritizing taking out some emotionally fragile Ship Girls could doom them.

However, some children were worth it.

Led by the four factions, everyone departed in a dense formation, attempting to leave beacons along the way.

However, this plan was flawed from the start.

Behind the barrier was not another place in the normal sense, but a... highly unstable spatial webway.

Soon after entering, everyone was forced to be swept into various places by the effects of the anomalous space.

Since then, the factions were split into countless groups, scattered far and wide, making it difficult to re-establish contact until they stabilized.

——————

Laffey was lucky.

She and her three companions were coincidentally swept together.

Of course, they were also unlucky.

Because they were sent into the vast ocean, and for several days, they only found some desolate, barren islands.

They were running low on fuel, and everyone was exhausted.

The worst part was, they discovered Sirens... or rather, were discovered by Sirens.

Although it was just a small vanguard fleet, it was enough to trouble the four Destroyers for a while.

With limited fuel, they chose to engage; if they were pursued, they might not be able to run far.

So they met the attack, swaying like tiny sailboats in giant waves.

At least, they persevered.

Though disheveled, they successfully annihilated the fleet, allowing them to rest briefly and continue forward.

Following their original trajectory northward, they finally found some traces that seemed to indicate civilization.

But the Sirens were always haunting them. This time, even with a small fleet, and with their ammunition running low, they would be difficult to deal with.

Just then, the roar of engines echoed from the sky.

To the astonished gazes of the four little ones, several land-based aircraft appeared on the horizon.

The Sirens' anti-aircraft fire was fierce; there was no possibility for these planes to get close.

But fortunately, they were seen.

One plane trailed blue smoke, leading the formation towards a certain direction.

Was this a signal to them?

After a brief exchange, the four little ones sailed in the direction the fighter jets had left. Although the Sirens were in hot pursuit, more planes soon appeared in the sky.

Blue border, white background, red star. This was the emblem on the wings.

They recognized them: there were P51s, P47s, I16s, and B25s among the planes...

They advanced through the Sirens' dense anti-aircraft fire, dropping bombs and rockets.

The high-yield bombs were quite powerful; even without the Cube's enhancement, they could inflict considerable damage on the Sirens' small ships.

Taking advantage of this, the four little ones pushed back, finally defeating the Sirens and shaking off the pursuit...

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