An hour had passed, and Lin Lan and his group had already moved from the second to the fifth floor.
"Servant, come take a look. How does this outfit look?"
The iron-blooded girl with black hair, Deutschland, was wearing a long black t-shirt and dark blue denim shorts, paired with white sneakers.
She admired her reflection in the mirror and asked Lin Lan.
Despite Deutschland's usual destructive demeanor, her fashion sense within the Iron Blood faction was top-notch.
Seeing this iron-blooded princess, who was always in skirts, now dressed in a fresh and vibrant outfit, Lin Lan was quite taken aback.
However, his attention was inevitably drawn to Deutschland's ample chest.
She looked like a teenage girl in terms of age and figure, but there was no denying that certain areas were notably well-endowed.
"Huh? Servant, what are you staring at?"
Deutschland's sharp senses detected Lin Lan's wandering gaze. A faint blush appeared on her face, and she started grinding her teeth.
"Ahem, I was just captivated by how different Deutschland looks from usual."
Lin Lan, realizing his thoughts had been exposed, quickly explained.
In the game, the outfits and styles of shipgirls depend on the developers' mood. Deutschland's changing outfits left Lin Lan dazzled, so it wasn't entirely his fault.
It certainly wasn't because of her impressive figure, definitely not.
"Hmm, it's good that you know how to speak. I've always wanted to try this White Eagle style outfit but never found the time to look for it."
Hearing Lin Lan's explanation, Deutschland happily twirled in front of the mirror, showing a satisfied smile.
Then she shouted towards the fitting room:
"Spee, stop hiding and come out. Let me and the servant see how the outfit I picked for you looks."
A timid voice came from the fitting room:
"I'll be out in a moment. The outfit you chose for me…"
The door was gently pushed open, and Spee, with silver hair and red highlights, nervously held the edges of her clothes and stepped out.
The petite girl was wearing a white hoodie with bunny ears and a black pleated skirt.
The usually aloof Spee now appeared as an adorably cute girl in this outfit.
"Oh, this is so different from your usual style. You truly are my sister."
Deutschland was very pleased, pulling Spee to Lin Lan and positioning her in front of the mirror.
Standing behind Spee, Lin Lan saw the blushing girl's cute face through the mirror.
Ah, that stark contrast.
Lin Lan gently patted the cute Spee. She shivered slightly, quickly turning around and looking up at Lin Lan:
"C-Commander, does it look good?"
The shy blue eyes of the girl held a hint of expectation.
"Of course, Spee. You look much cuter in this outfit than usual."
Lin Lan gently adjusted Spee's bunny-eared hood, making her look incredibly adorable.
Upon hearing Lin Lan's praise, Spee's face lit up with a joyful smile.
This was the first time Lin Lan had seen Spee smile so happily.
After choosing several outfits for Deutschland and Spee, they began selecting clothes for Mainz and the others.
Fortunately, Deutschland seemed to remember their sizes, so they picked out outfits for each of them.
Lin Lan planned to wait until they returned to the port area to take them shopping in nearby towns or other cities for more clothes.
Since they had picked up so many items, Lin Lan enlisted a shopping mall's delivery robot to carry the packaged clothes.
The United States of Orlan's robots were far more advanced than those on Blue Star.
However, these robots still didn't have artificial intelligence. They could only perform basic physical tasks according to pre-set programs.
"This robot looks pretty good. It would be quite impressive as a ride," Deutschland remarked, admiring the bulky robot carrying the clothes.
"You know, these robots aren't expensive. I could actually get one for you to use back at the port area,"
Lin Lan thought, remembering that his current port area had been repeatedly cleaned out by the Sirens and was likely a wasteland.
He would need a lot of labor to rebuild it, so having a few robots to help would be ideal.
After all, construction was his field of expertise...
As Lin Lan's mind wandered, they took the escalator to the men's fashion floor.
The night wasn't a busy time for the clothing area. Most people were in the entertainment or food zones, so there weren't many shoppers here.
"Commander, do you want to buy some clothes too?" Spee, wearing the white bunny-eared hoodie, tugged at Lin Lan's shirt and asked.
Lin Lan looked at his own white naval uniform. Most of his clothes were of this white military style.
Buying a few new outfits wouldn't hurt.
"Hehe, it's important to look good as a servant too," Lin Lan said.
Under Deutschland and Spee's strong insistence, Lin Lan ended up picking a few clothes.
By the time they left the clothing area, Lin Lan was wearing a brown leather jacket over a white t-shirt and jeans, giving off a trendy western style.
The three of them then took the delivery robot to the department store section.
The shelves here were like those in Blue Star's large malls, with countless products neatly arranged.
These supermarkets were maintained by robots, which was why they could still operate late at night.
After finding the daily necessities and bedding sections, Lin Lan had Deutschland choose styles for the other Iron Blood members, and the robot packed everything up.
Additionally, Lin Lan bought a lot of snacks like chips and candies, and several books about Orlan's history to bring as gifts for Nimi and Z46.
They also needed various toiletries and miscellaneous items.
When they came out of the shopping area, the sheer amount of stuff made Lin Lan feel a bit overwhelmed.
Although he had substantial savings, if he continued spending at this rate, it wouldn't last long.
It seemed he needed to get to the port area and start his new duties soon.
Upon reaching the final floor of the shopping mall, the thirteenth floor, Lin Lan chose to take the vertical elevator down to the first floor and leave the mall.
Beyond that were the entertainment and food zones. Since he needed to leave Dongyun City early, there was no need to visit them. He could come back another time.
After calling a driverless cargo vehicle and, with the help of the mall's robots, moving all their goods, Lin Lan and the Deutschland sisters said goodbye to the bulky robot and the bustling shopping mall.
Setting the destination to the dock, Lin Lan prepared to leave Dongyun City under the cover of night.
While Lin Lan was shopping in the mall, at the Dongyun City Central Hospital, in the dimly lit emergency room hallway:
Bang!
The door to the emergency room was flung open.
The middle-aged man from the arms manufacturer, whose right hand had been blown off by Deutschland, staggered out.
His wound had already healed, and he now had an ugly mechanical arm in place of his missing limb.
"Hey, isn't this Hong Sen? How did you end up with a prosthetic arm after just a few days?"
A tall, thin man in a white trench coat, also sporting a button with the arms manufacturer's logo and round glasses, stood outside the emergency room.
He looked at Hong Sen, the proxy from the Maritime Affairs Office, with a mocking grin.
"I'm going to kill those three guys! Shipgirls… shipgirls, so what? Dr. Tian Ming, please get that thing to the dock! I need to take them out!"
Hong Sen, dressed in blue, had bloodshot eyes, clearly in immense pain from the recent arm replacement surgery. He was desperate to vent his frustration.
"Are you sure? That machine is still in its testing phase. If it causes significant casualties, it'll be a huge problem."
"And if you don't deal with the enemy quickly, getting caught by civilians attacking a naval commander will completely ruin your relationship with the Navy."
Dr. Tian Ming pushed up his glasses, seemingly having anticipated that this frenzied Maritime Affairs Office proxy would demand the release of the machine.
This was why he had appeared here first.
"If there are serious consequences, you'll be responsible, Hong Sen. You need to think it through."
"It's just two little destroyer girls, maybe a light cruiser at most. If you're worried about exposure, release the other two machines as well. Let's finish this quickly!"
Despite the terrifying aura of the two girls he had encountered, even Hong Sen's anger momentarily subsided, and he begged to have all the machines released.
In his view, dealing with two light cruiser shipgirls was an overuse of resources.
Dr. Tian Ming, under Hong Sen's furious gaze, sighed with a hint of falseness and a confident, cold smile:
"Alright, alright. As you wish."
"I've actually been looking forward to seeing how the combat mecha powered by the Mind Cube Energy performs in real combat against shipgirls."
_______
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Lin Lan watched the bustling night view of Dongyun City from the car window. They were getting closer and closer to the dock.
Deutsche was still admiring her new clothes in the backseat, occasionally teasing Spee by tugging at her hood's bunny ears.
Lin Lan was thinking about what to do once they arrived at the dock.
He planned to first use the command cat brought by the mass-produced transport ship to send the dock's location to Bismarck and the others.
Then the most important thing would be to start constructing the dock. At the very least, they needed to solve their accommodation issues for the future.
Perhaps, it wouldn't be a bad idea to call Sun Dewang in advance. That guy clearly wasn't lacking in funds.
Lin Lan looked out the window, contemplating.
He intended to use Sun Dewang's connections to build a high-level influence chain in Orlan that relied on his power. Only in this way could he secure a large amount of oil.
After all, relying solely on the Navy's salary would mean accumulating oil for an indeterminate future.
Soon, the unmanned cargo truck arrived at the road leading to the dock.
Just as Lin Lan was about to open the car door, Deutsche, who had been playfully laughing with Spee, suddenly lowered her voice, revealing a cold smile, and stopped Lin Lan from getting out:
"Hehe, servant, don't get out just yet. We've got toys arriving."
Toys? Enemies!
Lin Lan realized, upon Deutsche's warning, that the road was eerily empty, and even the once-bustling dock was deserted.
He had assumed that the quiet of midnight was normal due to old habits from before his crossing. But in Orlan, even the dock at midnight shouldn't be this quiet.
Something was definitely wrong.
Lin Lan immediately recalled the Sea Police from the Battle Axe Military Industrial Complex he had let go.
"So, they're here to root us out…"
Lin Lan took a deep breath, his face showing a cold intensity.
If he didn't understand what was happening now, he would be a fool.
There was no doubt that the Battle Axe Military Industrial Complex had sealed off the dock area, preparing to retaliate against him.
Lin Lan realized he had been too naive. For such a consortium, only a thunderous response would make them fear and submit.
Otherwise, they would continuously seek revenge.
Lin Lan turned to Deutsche and Spee in the backseat:
"Are you facing any difficulties?"
Deutsche just smiled and shook her head:
"Just toys, servant. Don't worry."
"Then don't hold back. Act boldly. Just don't make too much noise."
Deutsche looked at Lin Lan's cold eyes, her lips curling into a bloodthirsty smile.
Then she produced a red shark-mouthed shotgun.
"Yes, that's the look I love! My servant, I adore this look from you, hehe."
"Bang!"
The Iron Blood princess laughed maniacally and kicked the cargo truck's door open.
As the door flew open, three gray humanoid steel mechas, each about four to five meters tall, dropped from the air outside the truck.
These mechas wielded massive chainsaws in one hand and Gatling guns with rotating barrels in the other!
"This is… battle mecha?"
Lin Lan immediately recognized these mechas. He had seen their introduction in the academy's materials.
Developed in Orlan over a decade ago for assault operations, these war robots had made significant contributions during the war with the Natrand Empire.
However, these mechas had obvious weaknesses: sluggish reactions and persistent issues with their energy cores.
As Lin Lan recalled this information, one of the mechas had already charged straight at him, its roaring chainsaw held high!
Damn? This is called a sluggish reaction?!
Lin Lan was stunned by the mecha's swift movements, almost dropping his jaw. It moved with the agility of a seasoned warrior.
There was no sign of sluggishness here!
Just as he watched the mecha's chainsaw come crashing down on him, the familiar sound of a shotgun firing rang out.
"Bang!!!"
The mecha was instantly struck by Deutsche's shotgun, sending it flying several meters away.
The shield that had appeared before the Battle Axe Military Industrial agent earlier reappeared in front of the mecha, clearly visible to Lin Lan at close range.
However, the shield was as fragile as paper and shattered instantly.
The mecha, damaged by Deutsche's shotgun, tried to rise but exploded into dust after a few sparks of electricity.
Meanwhile, the other two mechas were not idle.
One mecha charged at Deutsche, swinging its chainsaw and creating a shockwave, while the other aimed its Gatling gun at her and started spinning the barrels.
Lin Lan anxiously watched as Deutsche's small figure was attacked by mechas as large as small hills. But he noticed something unusual on Deutsche's face…
She was smiling?
In the next moment, the chainsaw swinging towards her was abruptly stopped.
A terrifying crimson steel dragon appeared from thin air, opening its massive mouth and viciously biting down on the chainsaw, snapping it in two.
Deutsche's ship outfit appeared.
Before the mecha could recover from the chainsaw's damage, a dark shadow appeared above it.
"Click!"
The harsh sound of metal scraping rang out.
Deutsche's ship outfit was a two-headed steel dragon.
The other crimson dragon head from the outfit emerged from above, biting off the mecha's head in one swift motion.
The whole action was smooth and flowing, with the steel dragon even chewing a few times.
Meanwhile, the last mecha, which had just charged its Gatling gun, was about to unleash a torrent of bullets.
But it didn't notice the other crimson two-headed steel dragon appearing behind it.
"Crack!"
The Countess Spee's ship outfit dragon clamped onto the mecha's waist, lifting it high and then tearing it apart in mid-air with its two heads!
Lin Lan watched the entire scene from the car.
Deutsche and Spee defeated the three mechas effortlessly, without even firing their main or secondary guns or taking a breath.
The clearly different battle mechas were thoroughly defeated in less than a minute.
"Servant, there are no enemies left around. You can get out now, hehe…"
Deutsche slowly walked to Lin Lan's car door and opened it.
Lin Lan got out of the car, coldly surveying the devastation on the road. Then, seemingly recalling something, he said to Deutsche:
"Flatten the remains of these mechas with the ship outfits and dump them in the sea."
These improved mechas were clearly suspicious. Even with the previous energy sources, their combat power shouldn't have seen such a drastic increase.
He had seen footage of those battle mechas, and their movements were genuinely slow.
How could they have moved and reacted so quickly just now?
Lin Lan quickly deduced that these mechas were likely Battle Axe Military Industrial's secret weapon, the new generation powered by the Cube Energy.
And they were probably still in the testing phase, as the Navy had no information about them.
In this world, the network wasn't advanced enough for real-time video transmission, so all recording devices recorded first and then slowly transmitted through computers.
Since Lin Lan had already decided to eliminate any potential threats, he wouldn't leave any possibility for the enemy.
Watching Deutsche and Spee destroy the mechas' remains with their ship outfits, Lin Lan's lips curled into a cold smile.
"So, Battle Axe Military Industrial, huh? I won't forget this debt."
_______
20+ advanced chapters on patreon.com/SenatusTheta
_______
If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!
I'll fix it as soon as I can.
Upload rate: 1 chapter a day
Don't forget to check out my other translations!
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