Transmigrated into Azur Lane

Just as Ford was pondering his predicament, he suddenly turned to look at the firefly whose head was still stuck in the safety railing.

"Firefly, open the railing, you idiot!"

"Oh!"

The firefly suddenly realized what was happening and used its immense strength to pry open the railing that was blocking its large head. Then, it happily ran to the tiger and the three little girls, wanting to get on the bus with them.

"Firefly, if you come up here, the tiger won't run away. Why don't you seduce the big tiger from down here?"

Ford blinked and made a shameless request.

"No, I want to ride a tiger too!"

The firefly shook its large head rapidly in refusal, then, as if afraid of being left behind on the train like last time, quickly climbed onto the tiger's back.

"Ugh..."

After his cunning attempt to lure the fireflies failed, the cunning Ford sighed in frustration. The tiger and the four little girls stood there, staring blankly at each other, while the tourists outside the railing watched...

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the zoo.

"This is a giraffe."

Lin Dong, holding Z46, pointed to a giraffe that stretched its head out as if begging for food and said.

"Oh~~"

Z46 nodded emphatically with a serious expression. Seeing the giraffe's somewhat adorable appearance, Z46 couldn't help but curiously reach out and touch its face.

"slightly!"

As if sensing something, the giraffe stretched out its large tongue and licked Z46's face twice to show its affection.

"roll."

Z46, who had been gently stroking the giraffe, suddenly slapped it on the head...

Chapter 148 The Journey to the Eastern Empire, Part Twelve

"Commander, why did you suddenly come here?"

On the bus, Rodney, standing next to the commander, looked at the somewhat desolate scenery outside the window and asked in confusion, "After the command vehicle arrived in Guangzhou, it only took everyone to the zoo once before hurriedly embarking on the journey again."

Lin Dong, who was holding the steering wheel, turned his head to look at Rodney. Just as he was about to give a perfunctory answer, he remembered what Tirpitz had said to him on the train. Even if he gave a perfunctory answer, the understanding Rodney would not pry into it. But Lin Dong did not want to cause any misunderstanding between them because of this.

"I'm here to confirm some things."

After Lin Dong finished speaking, he freed his hand and shook Rodney's hand, which was resting on the bus railing, before turning back to look at the road ahead.

Seeing that the commander didn't want to elaborate, Rodney didn't press the matter further. She simply smiled sweetly, stroking the commander's short hair as she looked at his profile, who was focused on driving, seemingly lost in thought.

After traveling more than 400 kilometers on the highway, the bus entered the territory of Tuocheng, which was Lin Dong's hometown on Earth.

"Welcome to Tuocheng!"

Looking through the windshield at the huge banner hanging at the tollbooth, Lin Dong couldn't help but feel a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

"Ugh~~"

After finally getting off the highway, Firefly was about to open the car window when she smelled burning garbage. This made her, who preferred to breathe in the northwest wind, quickly close the window and obediently return to her seat. However, the smell soon filled the car, which annoyed her friends, who started playfully punching her big head.

Lin Dong didn't care too much about the somewhat desolate scenery outside the window, since they were still in the suburbs of Tuo City, which was not much different from his hometown in his memory.

As they ventured deeper into the city center of Tuo, the familiar yet unfamiliar street scenes outside the car made Lin Dong's heart pound with increasing tension. However, the location where Lin Dong had lived in his previous life was in the exact opposite direction from the hotel he had booked in advance. In addition, not wanting the ship girls to worry unnecessarily, Lin Dong decided to find some time to go and check it out on his own.

Soon, Lin Dong arrived at the hotel that Chen Yi had arranged for him, following the electronic navigation.

"General Lin, you must be tired from your journey."

The hotel manager, who was waiting at the door, spoke politely, but for some reason, his expression carried a hint of embarrassment and unease.

Lin Dong naturally ignored the changes in the expressions of people who had nothing to do with him. He simply nodded, handed the car keys to the waiter, and led everyone into the hotel lobby.

"I booked the room a long time ago, and now you're telling me you don't have it? Are you taking advantage of us out-of-towners?"

As soon as everyone entered the lobby, they heard a roar coming from the hotel front desk. With the opening of the Guangdong coast, merchants from all over the inland areas of Donghuang flocked to the coastal cities like cats smelling fish. Although Tuocheng was not well-known, it was also a gathering place for merchants from all over the country who wanted a share of the pie. Tuocheng, which had been devastated by the Sirens, suddenly found itself in a severe shortage of accommodation.

Although Lin Dong deliberately didn't bring Chen Yi and Guide Lin with him when he came to Tuocheng, he still needed their help to arrange these daily chores. Chen Yi, who had connections all over Guangdong Province, naturally arranged everything perfectly for Lin Dong. The unlucky ones were naturally other unimportant people, such as the businessman who was currently throwing a tantrum at the front desk. He was the unlucky guy whose room Lin Dong had forcibly taken.

"General Lin, the room is being arranged. Would you please come to my office for a cup of tea while you wait?"

Just then, the manager, who had chased after them from outside, cautiously asked.

Having roughly figured out what was going on, Lin Dong naturally couldn't force anyone to do something against their will. After all, he was the one who was in the wrong first, and it would be rather foolish to go up and show off his superiority at this point. Lin Dong simply nodded to indicate his agreement and understanding.

Just as the hotel manager was about to lead Lin Dong into the manager's office with a sigh of relief.

"Since I can't stay here, no one else can either. I booked a room online and I know the room number. I'm going to go and reserve the door right now to see who can get in."

This unfortunate man seemed to be planning to use extreme measures to defend his consumer rights. After saying this, he ignored the security personnel's attempts to stop him and walked towards the elevator door.

At this moment, the receptionist, who had been smiling obsequiously, seemed to have become impatient and said coldly.

"Don't stop him! The person who booked the room is called Lin Dong. If you want to die, then go ahead and do it. You'd better hurry up and reserve the room; he'll be here soon!"

The unfortunate fellow, who had initially looked ready to sacrifice himself, immediately stopped his suicidal actions. He instantly transformed into a smiling man, returning to the front desk to apologize profusely. Finally, dragging his suitcase, he prepared to leave the hotel. Upon reaching the hotel entrance, he saw a group of dozens of beautiful women and immediately knew who they were. He then hurried away, sweating profusely and with his head down...

Chapter 149 The Thirteenth Journey to the Eastern Empire

Midnight, in a hotel room.

Lin Dong, who was sleeping on the bed, first carefully moved the arm that Akagi was holding on his belly while she was fast asleep, then gently put her head that was sleeping on his chest back on the pillow, and finally slowly moved off the bed with the movements of a maggot.

Lin Dong got out of bed, took out a set of sportswear from his suitcase, put it on, and then turned the doorknob to leave the room before glancing back at Akagi with some lingering concern.

"Where?"

The taxi driver scrutinized the suspicious passenger in the back seat through the rearview mirror. As a seasoned driver who often worked the night shift, he would never have let the man get in the car if he hadn't flagged him down outside the best hotel in the city.

Nanjing Road.

Wearing a knitted hat and a mask, Lin Dong also scrutinized the sharp eyes in the rearview mirror. It was because he was ripped off by a taxi driver that he developed a slight phobia of taking taxis after his transmigration.

Lin Dong placed his hand on the door handle, ready to jump out of the car at any moment, while the experienced driver in the driver's seat also occasionally reached out to touch the baseball bat beside his leg. The two of them set off on the road with mutual wariness.

"Hey buddy, what are you doing out of the hotel in the middle of the night?"

The veteran driver, who works the night shift year-round, habitually started chatting.

“I come from out of town, and this time I wanted to come back to see my ancestral home.”

Lin Dong didn't hide anything from this stranger, and replied while looking out the car window.

Before the driver could say anything more, Lin Dong looked out the window and exclaimed in surprise.

"This is?"

"Oh, this used to be the old city area, and the buildings are at least 80 years old. The Donghuang government demolished some of them and kept some. These houses are the ones that were renovated and left behind."

The experienced driver explained in detail that while talking more while driving at night might distract you a little, it also helps you stay alert and less tired.

"The old city area..."

After listening to the driver's explanation, Lin Dong suddenly got goosebumps all over his body and sat up. Although the world was already in 2037, these buildings were almost identical to those in his memory, because he had lived here for a period of time when he was a child.

"What? Have you been here before?"

The experienced driver noticed Lin Dong's unusual behavior through the rearview mirror. He saw Lin Dong ask a question casually while simultaneously reaching out to grab the baseball bat beside his leg.

"I've been here before."

Lin Dong nodded excitedly in response.

"Oh, it seems you haven't been back for a long time either."

Hearing Lin Dong's sincere reply, the veteran driver finally felt relieved.

"Yes... I had originally planned to come back before the Lunar New Year..."

Lin Dong recalled how he had stayed away from his father for two years, refusing to go home. He even had a blurry memory of his parents' appearances. Thinking of this, Lin Dong's eyes reddened.

"It's good that you're back. Even if you become successful, you should come back to visit more often. Wasn't there a news story about a descendant of overseas Chinese in the White Eagle? He spent most of his fortune to get on a ship escort fleet just to return to his hometown."

Hearing Lin Dong's slightly choked voice, the veteran driver spoke again in the local dialect.

“I came to this park when I was a child. I remember the lake water was smelly back then. I soaked in it for an afternoon and got a beating from my mom when I got home.”

Seemingly because he had let his guard down upon hearing his long-lost hometown dialect, Lin Dong pointed to the park outside the window and spoke to himself.

“There used to be a lot of toy shops around this pavilion. When I was little, I always begged my dad to take me here.”

The experienced driver listened to Lin Dong's somewhat excited self-talk, occasionally interjecting, as he drove closer and closer to their destination.

"Hasn't this place been demolished yet!?"

"And this place, I remember it was a market!"

"And here too!"

The experienced driver felt increasingly uneasy listening to Lin Dong's words, but seeing Lin Dong's overly excited expression in the rearview mirror, he didn't refute him. Perhaps he hadn't been back for too long and had misremembered, the driver thought.

"Why did it stop?"

Lin Dong asked, puzzled.

"This is Nanjing Road."

"this..."

Lin Dong got out of the car with an incredulous look on his face, without even paying the fare.

"Young man, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

The driver got out of the car, came to Lin Dong's side, patted him on the shoulder, and said...

"It's impossible for me to be wrong... I remember everything from before!"

Lin Dong looked around with a somewhat bewildered expression, for all he could see was a vacant lot overgrown with weeds.

“This land has been vacant for a long time. In the past, new buildings were to be built here, but the developer took the money and ran away. The foundation was never even laid, and it has been delayed until now.”

After explaining, the driver put his hands in his pockets and jumped around a bit. Even in the south, the temperature at midnight in spring is still a bit chilly.