"This is a secret passage that only Bismarck, Friedrich, and I know about, Commander, so make sure to stay close to me,"
Eugen said with a playful wink before leading the way into the dark tunnel.
"Don't rush; it's too dark. Let's take it slow," Lin Lan said, holding Eugen's hand as they entered the pitch-black passage.
The narrow path descended through a series of cold, steep steps. In the long darkness, the only sound was their footsteps.
Lin Lan felt like all his other senses had been shut off, leaving him with only the reassuring grip of Eugen's hand to trust.
After what felt like an endless descent, fatigue began to set in.
The surrounding darkness was unsettling, and he couldn't help but feel anxious. Sensing his unease, Eugen's voice echoed from ahead in the darkness.
"Commander, don't be afraid. We're almost there."
The warmth from her hand, combined with her comforting words, helped to ease Lin Lan's anxiety.
After what seemed like either five or ten minutes, Lin Lan finally saw a dim, blue light ahead.
They had reached the exit.
"Commander, we're here. Get ready, and don't blink~," Eugen said playfully.
Lin Lan chuckled, thinking it was just the seaside. Nothing he hadn't seen before. But as they stepped out of the tunnel, the breathtaking view made him gasp.
A vast expanse of stars filled the sky, twinkling like countless pearls scattered across the deep blue canvas of the night.
The tranquil ocean, with its gentle waves, seemed to merge with the starry sky in the distance, like a masterpiece painted by a top-tier artist.
"This is... beautiful..." Lin Lan whispered in awe as he gazed at the seamless blend of sea and sky, feeling the refreshing sea breeze against his face.
The stark contrast between the dark tunnel and the starry sky left him stunned, making him realize just how beautiful the ocean and stars could be.
Looking back, he noticed they were now on the outer edge of the Iron Blood Fortress, standing on the seawall.
The waves crashed against the tall, black and red seawall of the Iron Blood, creating a soft, rhythmic sound.
"Commander, what do you think? Isn't it beautiful?" Eugen's voice pulled Lin Lan out of his daze.
"Honestly, I never imagined the sky and ocean could be this stunning," he replied, gazing at the night view from the seawall.
Eugen chuckled softly and continued holding his hand as they strolled leisurely along the seawall.
"We've been together for so long, and this is the first time we've gone for a walk by the sea," she said, her silver hair flowing in the sea breeze, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
Under the starlight, her alluring profile left Lin Lan momentarily speechless.
"Um, actually, I..." Lin Lan began, trying to find an excuse for why he hadn't done this sooner, but Eugen gently placed a finger on his lips, signaling him not to speak.
"My dear, you don't need to lie or make excuses. I don't want to hear lies, and I won't dig for the truth," she said softly.
"You're back, and that's all that matters."
They stopped walking, and Lin Lan noticed two pearly tears silently rolling down Eugen's cheeks.
"Eugen, you..." he said, feeling a pang of guilt as he reached out to wipe away her tears. But the silver-haired girl gently leaned into his embrace instead.
Eugen's figure, in stark contrast to her older sister, was that of a perfect, elegant woman.
Lin Lan held her close, saying nothing more. He understood that this embrace was the greatest comfort he could offer her.
Under the blanket of stars, time seemed to stand still.
After a long silence, Eugen's voice softly broke the stillness.
"Many people think I'm a lucky ship."
Lin Lan knew exactly what she meant. In history, the Iron Blood Fleet was almost entirely wiped out during World War II, with only Eugen surviving until the end.
Her repeated escapes from near-death situations and her miraculous survival after the war earned her the nickname "The Ship That Refused to Sink."
"But I hate the word 'lucky' with all my heart. A lucky ship? Ha... It's just fate playing tricks on me."
Eugen's voice was tinged with bitterness as she pressed closer to Lin Lan.
"When I first gained consciousness, the first thing I saw was the blue cornflowers covering the hills of my hometown, Kiel Harbor," she began, recounting a past she had never shared with anyone.
"After I entered service, I fought alongside Lady Bismarck in the Operation Rheinübung and achieved a victory that felt like a miracle," she continued.
"I thought I'd return home full of glory, but that's when I first encountered the cruelty and ruthlessness of fate."
"As I watched Lady Bismarck sink into the cold ocean, fate began to mock me."
Clinging to Lin Lan, Eugen recounted her experiences.
"During Operation Cerberus, I was ordered to pass through the heavily defended English Channel with the Scharnhorst sisters, a mission that felt like a death sentence."
"I can't forget the scenes of being relentlessly pursued that day—the rain of gunfire and the ever-present torpedo planes."
"The memories are etched in my mind," she said softly.
"Commander, fate gripped my throat there, trying again and again to make me accept a doomed fate. All I could do was resist, resist with all my might..."
Lin Lan felt the slight tremors in Eugen's body as she recalled those harrowing moments. This was the real Eugen, the one hidden beneath her carefree and teasing exterior.
"In the end, I was the only one to return unharmed to a devastated homeland."
"But fate wasn't done with me. It wouldn't rest until I was completely broken."
"Submarine attacks, enemy blockades, even colliding with an ally in the fog—fate tried time and again to make me surrender. But I swore by iron and blood that I would never bow to fate,"
Eugen declared, her voice growing more resolute. In that moment, she was like a proud warrior who, despite facing death countless times, refused to lower her head.
Lin Lan remembered the determined expression he had seen on Eugen's face during the exercises.
The girl who had first entered battle had been hardened by fate's relentless pursuit into a steadfast warrior.
"Until... I looked back and realized that, little by little, my homeland was gone. My family, my comrades, all of them were gone," Eugen continued, her voice heavy with sorrow.
"All my efforts had been in vain. I became the last warship of Iron Blood."
Though her words were merely a statement of fact, Lin Lan could hear the deep pain in Eugen's voice.
"After the war, I was captured by the enemy and forced to serve those I had once fought against. I was taken to unfamiliar waters, far from my homeland, and I never returned," she said.
"What greeted me there was an explosion that felt like the end of the world."
Lin Lan tightened his embrace slightly, knowing exactly what explosion Eugen was referring to—Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll, the nuclear tests.
In Lin Lan's real history, after World War II, the Eagle Union gathered warships from various countries, including its own, at Bikini Atoll for nuclear testing.
This operation, known as Operation Crossroads, included the participation of warships in a series of nuclear explosions.
Prinz Eugen was among the ships listed for testing.
The outcome of this nuclear test was devastating, with nearly all the tested ships sinking.
Originally planned as three nuclear detonations, the operation was abruptly halted after only two.
"It was there that I faced the final judgment of fate," Eugen began.
"The blinding, searing pain engulfed me, a pain so intense it felt worse than death."
Lin Lan listened with a heavy heart as the silver-haired girl in his arms recounted her story. He could barely fathom the agony and despair she must have felt as she faced the nuclear blast.
"Even in such cruel circumstances, fate could not make me bow down," she continued. "For days and nights afterward, I endured unimaginable pain and torment at sea."
"In that agony, I thought of my sister, my comrades, and Bismarck, who saw me as her confidante."
"I remembered the blue cornflowers that once covered the hills of my homeland, now burned to ashes by war."
Lin Lan felt a wetness on his chest. Although Eugen spoke calmly, he knew that she had likely been ravaged by nuclear radiation at that time.
The nuclear blast had not only caused immediate destruction but also inflicted deadly radiation.
"In my torment, I screamed, yet no salvation came. I cried, but no one answered," Eugen said.
"Eventually, I became numb."
"Without a homeland, without comrades, I had lost everything. No matter what I did, I couldn't escape this final judgment of fate."
At that moment, Lin Lan finally understood why, when Eugen first joined the base, she always wore a false smile and seemed indifferent to everything.
Her heart had died in that nuclear blast, in a place where there was no hope.
"But even then, I refused to let fate sink me easily… until the second explosion struck beneath the surface, bringing with it an overwhelming tsunami."
"As I watched the tsunami and the blinding white light approach, I thought, 'This must be the final judgment of fate.'"
"But I did not retreat. I wanted to prove to the comrades who had left me that I would never bow to fate."
Eugen's hand clenched tightly onto Lin Lan's shirt.
Listening to her story, Lin Lan could hardly imagine the pain of facing a nuclear explosion.
Yet here she was, Eugen, with an unyielding will that refused to succumb even in the face of a nuclear bomb.
"When the sea finally calmed and the white light faded, I knew I had defied fate once again."
"I Could No Longer Feel Pain or Sensation on the Lonely Sea"
"I had reached my limit. My body could no longer move an inch."
"The enemy dragged me back, planning to dismantle me, but they feared the lingering explosions on me and hesitated. They left me to drift freely on the sea."
"That's when I realized that fate's final act was to let me waste away, alone, as time passed."
"After drifting aimlessly for three months, I finally found my last chance to defy fate."
"I chose to end my own life."
The sea breeze gently lifted the girl's silver hair. Lin Lan looked at Eugen with deep sorrow in his eyes.
In history, Prinz Eugen survived countless encirclements and shellings, narrowly escaping one crisis after another, even enduring two nuclear blasts.
Yet, this last battleship of Ironblood eventually met her end by running aground, closing a legendary chapter.
As Lin Lan gently stroked the silver hair of the girl in his arms, he opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to say.
What could he possibly say to save this girl who had suffered so much?
"I waited in endless darkness and cold for a long, long time, until it felt like even time had frozen."
"I almost forgot my own name, my own identity, as I slowly faded away in the darkness."
"When I was about to give up and embrace my final fate, you, with that gloomy face, pulled me out of the endless darkness."
Lin Lan remembered his early days in the game, feeling frustrated as his friends drew rare ships while he could only wait seven days to receive the free Prinz Eugen from the game.
His mood was understandably not great.
But that didn't stop him from falling in love with Eugen at first sight—after all, players in the Chinese server all had a soft spot for white-haired characters, and Lin Lan was no exception.
So, he quickly made Eugen his secretary ship, replacing poor Z23, his first secretary.
The distant memories made Lin Lan recall the countless days and nights Eugen had spent with him during his newbie days.
"After arriving at the port, it felt like I was dreaming."
"I watched as you brought back Bismarck, my elder sister, and other comrades who had originally sunk, one by one."
"For a while, I foolishly thought that this was just another cruel joke of fate."
"I thought, 'This must be a dream, so I'll just do whatever I want in it.'"
"So, I treated this dream with a carefree attitude. Even when facing Bismarck and the other Ironblood comrades, I behaved the same way."
"But the happiness I found at the port began to scare me. I was so afraid that it was all just a fragile illusion."
The silver-haired girl gently released her grip and looked up at Lin Lan's face.
Her pale face still bore traces of dried tears.
In the brown eyes of the girl who had fought against fate in war and nuclear blasts, Lin Lan saw his own expression filled with deep pain.
"I watched as you teased me and my sisters, as you waited anxiously at the dock every time we went on a mission."
"I saw you foolishly put bad food in the port's empty cafeteria every day, and I saw you lamenting when the port's oil reserves ran out."
"No matter how much I teased you, you never got angry. Instead, you saw through my fake smiles and told me… that I lacked a genuine smile."
Tears streamed down Eugen's face, but she smiled with happiness.
Lin Lan watched as Eugen reached out to touch his cheek, and he gently caressed her silver hair.
"From then on, I started trying to show a true smile. Even if this was just a dream, another joke of fate, I accepted it."
"I gradually began to open my heart because I wanted you to see the real me, smiling sincerely."
Eugen's voice began to tremble, as if these words had been buried in her heart for far too long.
"The white wedding dress, paired with blue sapphires, matching the blue cornflowers that once covered the hills of my homeland."
"I wore a wedding dress I never even dreamed of, and was led to the chapel by the Ironblood comrades who once left me but were brought back by you."
"There, you placed this oath ring on my finger with your own hands."
Lin Lan then noticed the dazzling diamond ring on Eugen's right ring finger, sparkling under the starlight.
"I have always tried to surpass, to conquer this cold, cruel fate."
"I once fell into deep despair, losing all hope in the world, nearly becoming a slave to fate."
"After a long darkness, meeting you, falling in love with you, and making our vows made me realize that on that day, Ironblood's battleship, Prinz Eugen, finally defeated her fate."
The silver-haired girl, with tear-streaked cheeks and a blissful smile, stood on tiptoe and kissed Lin Lan under the deep blue sky and vast ocean.
From that day on, the battle-scarred cruiser girl would no longer be bound by fate.
Because she had already conquered and surpassed it.
After a long kiss, the two blushed and slowly pulled apart. Lin Lan gazed deeply at the incredibly happy Prinz Eugen before him.
Suddenly, he remembered that night from years ago.
Back in the dormitory, as a newbie, he had nervously clicked the oath proposal, and the silver-haired girl in a wedding dress on the screen had said to him:
"So, this is your answer? What should I do…"
"Pfft, you're such a fool, my dear Commander."
"I'm no longer the empty person I was at the beginning. Have you forgotten who made me change?"
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