33: Chapter 33 Cruise Ship

May 12th.

Torrential rain.

The Bridge was oppressive. Li Ming opened the window, staring blankly at the endless sea alone.

This would be his first time facing the battlefield head-on. From a professional standpoint, he was a complete amateur, his skill level not even up to the Admiral's.

The markers for the five Ship Girls on the electronic sand table were still responding normally, refreshing every minute, yet Li Ming couldn't settle his worries.

The current weather posed extreme difficulty for aircraft takeoffs and landings, and even after takeoff, the danger remained immense.

Fujian did not carry aircraft as part of her inherent rigging, and she was operating solo. Even if her close-in defense systems were highly effective, what about submarines? And what if they encountered a capital ship?

Normally in such a situation, Li Ming would absolutely avoid combat first, waiting for the right moment to strike. But this time, the Sirens' target was clear—they were coming straight for him.

Although he understood the Sirens' actions were likely just probing him, there was no doubt they were also capable of going for the kill.

At least, that's what Li Ming himself believed. He wasn't arrogant enough to believe the Sirens were completely harmless to him.

According to the timetable, z23 and the others would encounter the Sirens in about half an hour. But looking at the situation, expecting the weather to clear within half an hour was undoubtedly wishful thinking.

With a sigh, Li Ming picked up a book from the corner, using it to cover up his restlessness.

"Commander, we have engaged the Sirens' vanguard forces as planned. Clearing them is estimated to take 50 minutes."

"Roger. What about your situation, Fujian?" Li Ming immediately picked up the walkie-talkie to reply and seek further information.

"Received, Commander." The response came quickly. "I am moving to a more advantageous position. Do you need me to launch another reconnaissance sortie?"

"Launch them if you're confident." Li Ming thought for a moment. "Should land-based aviation take off from the rear?"

"Not for now, Commander. In the current weather conditions, land-based aviation would struggle to be effective even if they took off." Fujian answered promptly. "Let's wait for the weather to clear. If the situation turns unfavorable, we can still buy time."

"Understood." Although he still wanted to contribute somehow, it was clear that being a mascot was the most helpful thing he could do right now.

It was frustrating, but there was nothing to be done.

The sky remained gloomy, and Li Ming's mood worsened. While this downpour was likely seasonal, for some reason, he had an increasingly bad premonition.

"Chuchu."

Li Ming looked up at Captain Chuchu. "What is it?"

Captain Chuchu hopped off the table, handed him a telescope, and pointed in a direction.

"Is there something there?" Li Ming took the telescope and looked out.

"What kind of ship is that?" Through the heavy fog, Li Ming vaguely seemed to see the silhouette of a ship. He wasn't sure what it was, but judging by its size, it wasn't small. "Condition Two alert. Let's move closer and investigate."

The scout fleet slowly turned in the wind and waves, heading towards that ship.

After about half an hour, Li Ming finally saw clearly what kind of ship it was.

"A cruise ship?" Li Ming pondered. "Captain, can the lookout confirm the status of that ship?"

"Chu, Chuchu."

"Do we need to get closer?" Li Ming began to think. The Ship Girls were engaged on the front line, and he had deviated from the planned course to come here. Was that wise?

He disliked complications the most.

But this ship was neither anchored nor showing signs of sailing. It gave no response as the fleet approached. Undoubtedly, there might be something wrong with it. Leaving this ship here, Li Ming felt it could potentially lead to new trouble.

His habit of indecision flared up again. In the end, Li Ming chose to seek Fujian's advice.

"Go ahead, Commander." Fujian thought briefly. "Be careful. Notify us immediately if any problems arise."

"Understood." Li Ming nodded, then gave the order to Captain Chuchu.

"Inspect that ship. Approach cautiously."

"Chuchu!" Captain Chuchu received the order, and the fleet proceeded at full speed towards the cruise ship.

—Though 'full speed' meant the small warships couldn't go very fast in the complex sea conditions.

After another ten-plus minutes of maneuvering, the fleet finally reached the side of the cruise ship.

It was clearly a modern cruise ship, structurally somewhat similar to the wreck Li Ming had once explored, possibly belonging to the same country.

The cruiser switched on its high-power searchlight, meticulously inspecting every corner of the cruise ship's exterior.

"From the outside, this suddenly appearing cruise ship shows no obvious signs of external attack damage. Most of the damage seems to be from the severe weather." Li Ming stroked his chin. "Unlikely to be a terrorist attack... Could it be a power system failure?"

At that moment, a searchlight suddenly lit up on the cruise ship, apparently signaling to them in Morse code.

But Li Ming couldn't understand it. He could only respond using his side's international signal code. After a round of 'immortal conversation,' neither side understood what the other was saying.

Finally, Li Ming decided to have the Command Ship move even closer to see what they wanted.

The Omaha-class cruiser risked a collision by daringly approaching the cruise ship. Li Ming saw several people who looked like ship's crew members starting to shout through a megaphone.

They were from the Federal Shipping Company's cruise ship, the 'Holmes Knight Commander.' They were evading a Sirens attack and had shut down all lights and power systems for that purpose.

Was that Federation the Knight Order Federation? And what was the Federal Shipping Company? Li Ming wasn't sure, but he maintained his composure and asked them for the general defensive position of the Sirens.

The final result was disappointing. They had fled in panic upon seeing the Sirens, though the Sirens probably hadn't even pursued them. The information they provided was very vague. However, their requests were not few. They hoped Li Ming's fleet would protect them until the storm passed.

But out of humanitarian considerations, after discussing with Fujian, who had not yet entered the battlefield, Li Ming left two Destroyers to cover them. He gave the order: if the situation became untenable, abandon the cruise ship and retreat immediately.

He didn't know this Federation, nor did he feel he should have any involvement with them, much less sacrifice his own people for their sake.

After all, upon noticing his black hair and East Asian features... those crew members with various hair colors somehow suddenly became less friendly...

Subsequently, the fleet returned to its normal course, preparing to face the enemy.

Enough time had been wasted. He hoped there would be no further surprises.

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