章節 4: Chapter 4: Ironblood Aircraft Carrier August
A giant dragon.
To be precise, a massive mechanical dragon made of metal suddenly emerged from the water in front of the ship.
With its black and red color scheme and sharp fangs, it looked like a terrifying beast, yet it was doing something entirely unexpected for such a creature.
It was... saving people!
Lin Lan watched in awe as the enormous mechanical dragon lifted several people who had fallen into the water onto its neck.
The dragon's massive body even propped up the tilting ship, preventing it from sinking further.
Its metal claws gripped the ship's hull, slowly lifting it from the brink of sinking and pulling it back to safety.
"This thing has to weigh thousands of tons! This isn't some toy boat..." Lin Lan murmured, his eyes wide with disbelief as he watched the seemingly mythological scene unfold.
Only the shipgirls from the Northern Parliament and Ironblood factions had mechanical dragon equipment, and that black and red paint could only belong to an Ironblood shipgirl.
In this world, the factions of the shipgirls were identical to those in the game Lin Lan used to play, which is why he thought he'd been transported into the game world.
But who could this shipgirl be, with such a massive mechanical dragon?
Lin Lan quickly searched his memory. So far, he hadn't heard of any shipgirl in this world possessing such a terrifying weapon.
If every port's shipgirls were this powerful, the Sirens wouldn't stand a chance; they would have been defeated long ago.
As Lin Lan watched the people on the dragon's neck return safely to the ship—some of them even carrying two unconscious little girls—he finally felt a sense of relief.
The Saint Bernard and the little Beagle were safe, thank goodness.
Although Lin Lan didn't yet know which port's Ironblood shipgirl had come to their rescue, he had already decided he must thank them personally someday.
Only by experiencing such desperate situations can one truly appreciate the value of life.
After stabilizing the ship, the steel dragon didn't disappear but remained in place, holding the ship steady.
At that moment, a calm, unfamiliar female voice came over the ship's radio.
"Hello, is the captain of this ship available?"
The voice had a certain magnetic quality, almost magical, that could easily draw someone in.
Lin Lan glanced around the chaotic, empty captain's cabin and smiled wryly.
The ship's captain and core crew had fled long ago, leaving no trace behind.
He had no choice but to pick up the radio and respond, "Hello, the situation is a bit unusual. I'm the acting captain of this ship, and I really appreciate your help."
"Acting captain?"
The other side paused for a moment before replying, "In that case, let's discuss the matter of the rescue reward in person."
Soon after, Lin Lan saw six shipgirls in typical Ironblood-style uniforms appear on the deck.
Leading them was a tall woman with black dragon horns on either side of her head, long gray-purple hair, and a black uniform with stockings.
A black and red cape billowed behind her in the wind, along with her hair.
Noble, composed, and exuding absolute confidence—these were Lin Lan's first impressions of this Ironblood shipgirl.
As she noticed Lin Lan, she looked up, and their eyes met.
For a brief moment, Lin Lan felt an inexplicably familiar sensation, as if he'd seen her before. He quickly shook his head and returned to the captain's cabin.
He had no idea where this deep sense of familiarity came from. He was sure this was the first time he had seen her.
What Lin Lan didn't see was the slight shock on the usually stoic shipgirl's face as she slightly parted her lips in surprise.
"August, what's wrong?"
Standing next to her was another tall woman with white hair, wearing a uniform that was predominantly white and red, different from the usual Ironblood colors.
She looked at August with concern.
"I just felt, for a moment, that I sensed my familiar's presence from a human…"
August's eyes dimmed slightly as she spoke.
"Maybe it was just my imagination," she added with a bitter laugh before leading the group toward the captain's cabin.
"Your familiar... August, are you talking about the Commander? Where is the Commander?"
One of the girls in the group, with red eyes and black hair tipped with white, looked up quickly, scanning the area.
"Z16, stop it. The Commander wouldn't be here."
Next to her, a short-haired silver-haired girl with purple eyes pulled her back and, rubbing her black military cap, sighed like an adult, signaling Z16 to calm down.
"Ugh, Z1, don't be a buzzkill…"
Z16's enthusiasm waned a little at the silver-haired girl's words, but she still muttered under her breath, "But what if…"
Z16 didn't notice the brief look of sadness in Z1's eyes after she spoke.
The other two destroyer shipgirls also had expressions of disappointment on their faces.
"Alright, Z16, don't be so down. Let's all follow August to the captain's cabin."
The tall white-haired woman, who had been flooded with memories of the man she once knew when she heard the word "commander," also felt a deep pang of longing.
It was painful, but as a battleship, she was expected to be the adult, second only to August in rank.
So, she forced herself to put on a brave face to comfort the Z-class destroyers and mustered the strength to head toward the ship's interior.
Where has that man, the one who holds a special place in everyone's heart, gone?
Lin Lan sat in the captain's cabin, where he had tidied up a bit after the recent chaos.
Using the ship's intercom, he had instructed the crew to maintain order and help those who had fallen into the sea and were still recovering.
Lin Lan drummed his fingers on the metal table, thinking about how he should explain the situation to the shipgirls.
He was just a temporary worker; the reward should go to the original captain.
Of course, that is, if the cowardly captain who abandoned the ship survived the storm.
His only hope was that the commander of these Ironblood shipgirls wouldn't just leave when he couldn't provide a reward.
That would be tough for his heart to handle.
After all, the passenger ship was still afloat only because of the steel dragon belonging to these Ironblood shipgirls.
The fate of everyone on board depended entirely on their commander's decision.
Meanwhile, the torpedo hole in the ship's hull was taking on a lot of water. Lin Lan guessed there might even be fish swimming through the cabin by now.
"Knock, knock."
Even though the door to the captain's cabin was open, the visitor still knocked.
"Come in, the door's open," Lin Lan said nervously, standing up and looking toward the entrance.
The door swung open, and a graceful woman with dark purple hair walked in.
As she approached, Lin Lan instantly recognized the beautiful shipgirl.
She was August von Parseval, an Ironblood Graf Zeppelin-class aircraft carrier.
In history, the August-class aircraft carrier was never actually built; it existed only as a research project on paper.
In that old game, the August-class carrier was one of the fourth-generation research ships players could build.
These research ships were all designs that had never been constructed in real life, existing only in blueprints.
Players could spend time and resources to bring these never-seen-before research shipgirls to life, just like any other shipgirl.
As August drew closer, Lin Lan's mind raced.
As a seasoned player, he had worked hard to acquire all the research ships, including August.
He had been captivated by her proud, cool, and mysterious aura the moment he saw her in the game.
August was also one of the strongest carriers in the game, and Lin Lan had made her the flagship of his carrier fleet.
It dawned on Lin Lan that the steel dragon holding up the passenger ship belonged to this powerful Ironblood research ship, August.
But as he looked at the elegant smile on August's face, he was surprised.
In this world, research ships existed too? He hadn't heard of anything like this in the past year.
Lin Lan studied August as she stood before him. Her scent filled his senses, bringing an unexpected sense of calm.
"Acting Captain, if I'm not mistaken, this should be our first meeting."
"Then why do you look at me like a lost lamb, unable to tear your eyes away?"
"Could it be that there's something... dirty on me?"
August, already tall, seemed even taller in her high heels, standing over Lin Lan.
With a smile that could make anyone fall for her, she stopped in front of Lin Lan, leaned in, and whispered close to his ear.
Feeling her warm breath on his earlobe, Lin Lan found himself holding his breath.
He hadn't expected such a bold and intimate move from her. He wanted to step back, but August had already reached out and wrapped her arm around his shoulder.
As her slender fingers in their black leather gloves gently stroked his back and her subtle fragrance surrounded him, Lin Lan swallowed nervously.
"Au... August…"
He had just started to say something when she suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace, as if she had found the answer she was looking for.
Lin Lan's mind went blank.
August was hugging him tightly, pressing him against her soft body as if she feared he might vanish at any moment.
The powerful witch leaned against him, her warm body gradually going limp as if the embrace had drained all her strength.
Though she was a noble Ironblood aircraft carrier with the power to destroy worlds, she now buried her head in Lin Lan's chest like a woman who had finally found her lost love.
Lin Lan watched this unfold in amazement, wondering if he was dreaming.
He had considered many possible outcomes, but nothing like this.
Instinctively, he raised his hands and gently patted August's back, covered by her black cloak.
Just as he was about to say something, he felt her body trembling in his arms, and soft sobs reached his ears.
"My familiar, my dear familiar…"
"Where have you been? Why did it take you so long to find me?"
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