Shipgirls and Salted Fish Commander, Port Survival Guide

Two mature women with long, flowing hair rushed in.

"Commander, are you alright?"

One of the women, dressed in a cheongsam, looked nervous and called out.

"Cough...it should be nothing serious." The man spoke, but found his voice a little hoarse. "Hmm? How long have I been asleep?"

“It’s been almost three days since she fell into a coma,” another mature woman with black hair said in a deep voice.

"You were unconscious for so long?" The man looked embarrassed and tried to scratch his head, but found that his body was unusually weak.

"Commander, you've just woken up and your body hasn't recovered yet. I'll go get you some porridge." The woman in the cheongsam noticed the man's weakness and turned to run towards the kitchen.

"Where am I...?" At this moment, the man finally came to his senses and realized that the place he was in did not match any of the areas in his memory.

“White Eagle’s Castle, Commander, you have no idea how scared I was when Changchun told me you suddenly fainted. By the way, what did you do at that time? How did you even trigger the life-saving device?” Another mature woman had a look of relief. As the face of the faction, her courage and will were second to none, but what had happened earlier really frightened her.

The woman with a relieved expression was Binjiang, the one who had just shouted was Changchun, the one running towards the kitchen to serve the man porridge was Yixian, and the man lying on the bed, extremely weak, was Jingsu.

After a brief inquiry, Jing Su roughly learned what had happened. In the previous encounter, Binjiang, which had suddenly regained unlimited attack opportunities, was preparing to trap Yorktown's planes in one fell swoop when it was suddenly attacked by missiles.

It turned out that Changchun realized that no matter how he shouted, he couldn't get Binjiang and Yixian's attention, so he had no choice but to summon his ship equipment and launch missiles to attack Binjiang.

Having finally managed to attract the attention of the two, before they could even say anything, all the ship girls present, including the Yorktown group who were speeding towards them, received a message that drove them into a frenzy!

[Life-saving substance activated, coordinates ***]

At this moment, everyone, including Changchun, immediately looked at Jing Su, only to see that Jing Su was lying on the ground, pale as a ghost, on the verge of death.

As mentioned earlier, after Jing Su returned, the ship girls specially developed a signal source that could locate him under any circumstances in order to prevent him from disappearing again. With this signal source, no matter where Jing Su is, as long as he is still in this space, his exact location can be accurately located.

The auras left by the ship girls on Jing Su essentially serve the same purpose. However, compared to a dedicated positioning system, the auras can only provide a vague location, indicating Jing Su's approximate location to the ship girls. The advantage is that as long as the auras remain, the ship girls can confirm that Jing Su is still alive, and in critical moments, these auras can become the key to saving Jing Su's life.

With the power left behind by the ship girls, they can generate a shield in case of emergencies. Ordinary bullets cannot penetrate this shield. However, the ship girls still feel that it is not safe enough just because it is only for protection against bullets. Therefore, they have specially developed a life-saving substance to give Jing Su +1 second in emergency situations, such as when all the power left behind by the ship girls is exhausted and Jing Su suffers a fatal injury.

Later, some ship girls suggested that since it can locate and save lives, why not combine the two functions into one?

The design was intended to release a signal to the surrounding area when the life-saving substance was triggered, so that the nearby ship girls could quickly call for support. This idea was unanimously approved by the ship girls, and they began to study it. They eventually succeeded in breaking through the Sirens' shielding ability. For some reason, the ship girls still did not make much progress in terms of communication, but they successfully developed a device that could launch a positioning model.

Specifically, when the life-saving substance is activated and begins to be injected into Jing Su's body, the device simultaneously emits a signal to the surrounding area. The signal is so strong that it can be detected throughout the entire sphere, and even under the Siren shielding system, it can still be detected within a range of twenty nautical miles.

Of course, because too many functions are crammed in, no matter how much you streamline it, the final product will never be small. Putting aside everything else, if you want the life-saving substance to be effective, the supply cannot be small; otherwise, it will be ineffective. This alone severely limits the size of the final product.

Moreover, in order to shorten the effective time of the life-saving substance, theoretically it is better to inject it into Jing Su's body as soon as possible. At the beginning, someone suggested whether to implant this thing directly into Jing Su's body, similar to performing a heart bypass surgery. However, this proposal was quickly rejected because it was too troublesome.

The original intention of creating the life-saving substance was to keep Jing Su alive in an emergency, not to affect Jing Su's daily life. Who knows what might happen if you put this little gadget into someone's body? What if it causes an adverse reaction?

After another discussion, someone suggested that since the volume couldn't be reduced and it needed to be close-fitting enough, why not make it something that could be worn all the time in daily life?

For example, jewelry can serve both functional and sentimental purposes, achieving two goals at once.

After a brief discussion, the ship girls said that this was the most reliable proposal they had heard since Jing Su went missing, and immediately approved it.

Yes, the accessories Jing Su wore, such as rings, earrings, and other strange little gadgets, were actually props containing life-saving substances. Otherwise, Jing Su would not have agreed to wear so many things.

After all, wearing these things is a bit of a hassle, but after understanding the function of the props, Jing Su said, "Wear them, wear them as much as you want, they're life-saving gadgets!"

However, despite being called a life-saving item, the ship girls have always hoped that this thing is just a decoration and they don't want it to be activated at all.

Unfortunately, this day has come!

Without any warning, the life-saving substance was activated.

Moreover, the situation was so urgent that when the ship girls checked Jing Su later, they found that most of her life-saving supplies had been exhausted. You know, one of these supplies can theoretically extend one's life for ten minutes, but now, less than ten minutes have passed, and five of them have already been depleted. This must have been a terrible crisis for her.

When they saw the information sent back by the detector, everyone went crazy!

Changchun was terrified and stood frozen in place, at a loss. Yixian was the first to react and was closer, so she immediately turned back to see what had happened. Binjiang originally wanted to run back to see what was going on, but she couldn't go back. Seeing that Jingsu was in trouble, Yorktown, which was already tense, went completely crazy.

That guy, the plane was recklessly charging into the defensive perimeter. That guy, he was charging in without any conscience. It wasn't just that he had run out of ammunition and was the last shell.

Instead, the planes crashed directly into the defense network, creating a gap. Subsequent planes followed immediately, crashing into any obstacles they encountered, essentially using the planes to create a path. At the same time, due to Jing Su's sudden accident, Binjiang panicked, allowing Yorktown to break through.

"So, our cruise ship was bombed...?" After hearing Binjiang's brief retelling, Jing Su was stunned. Wait, where's my ship? Where's my huge ship? How could it be gone just like that when I woke up?

"Ahem, wasn't it because the Yorktown planes were attacking too aggressively? No, it was because I was terrified by your condition, Commander. Otherwise, how could I have failed to stop them!" Binjiang blushed and quickly tried to cover up her mistake. "Speaking of which, what exactly happened to you, Commander? How could you be so weak?"

“Emptiness? How so?” Hearing this strange word, Jing Su raised an eyebrow and pressed for an answer.

“Commander, take a look for yourself. If the cruise ship’s instrument test results weren’t the same, I would really think there’s something wrong with the equipment.” Binjiang pulled up a report and showed it to Jing Su.

"My head is spinning terribly right now, just tell me what's wrong." Jing Su, still shaken, admitted that she was indeed very weak and didn't want to think.

"Commander, this is a normal person's medical report." Binjiang did as instructed, pulling out a new data sheet. "And this one is yours. A simple comparison will tell you the situation. Oh, and pay attention to the units."

"These numbers are giving me a headache... Hmm? Are you sure the data is correct? Why are there so many missing zeros?" Jing Su hadn't felt anything at first, since looking at the numbers alone, many of her indicators were within the normal range, and some were even in the excess.

But after Binjiang specifically reminded the unit, Jing Su glanced at it and her pupils suddenly contracted. It turned out that the highest of Jing Su's test indicators was an order of magnitude lower than the normal range.

In the most severe cases, it may even indicate that it cannot be detected!

“That’s right. We checked it several times and it was the same result. There were even a lot of data that we couldn’t detect at the beginning. We were really scared to death at that time. For example, Commander, your platelet count was only one at its lowest. Even dead people have three or four points.”

If I couldn't still detect breathing, I would have really thought you, Commander, had dried up...

"Ahem, I...that's not what I meant."

Towards the end, seemingly realizing she had said something unlucky, Binjiang quickly stopped talking, looking quite embarrassed.

"Haha, it's alright, it's alright. You didn't say anything wrong. Anyone would find it amazing if they encountered something like this. It's already great that you survived." Jing Su waved his hand. He was an open-minded person by nature. As long as you're alive, why worry about so many other things?

Moreover, even disregarding this point, isn't it surprising that a living person tested positive for a lower level than a dead person?

"You're so carefree, we were almost scared to death." Binjiang breathed a sigh of relief, then rolled his eyes at Jing Su. After such a serious incident, you can still laugh. I don't know whether to say you're out of your mind or just carefree.

"So, how are you feeling now?" After laughing a few times, Jing Su shifted her focus to physical health.

"Commander, how do you feel about yourself right now?"

"How do I feel? It's alright. Apart from being a little tired and having a slightly foggy mind, I don't feel anything particularly special." Jing Su pondered for a moment before giving her answer.

"That's good." Binjiang breathed a sigh of relief and took out several data charts in succession. "These are the indicators detected by the instrument in the past few days. They show that Commander, a large amount of nutrients in your body urgently need to be reduced in a short period of time. For example, in just two hours, two-thirds of the fat has been reduced. Even liposuction is not this crazy."

To put it dramatically, Commander, the effect you had in those two minutes was equivalent to starving for dozens of days without eating anything. So we really thought you were dried up like a dried-up human body before…”

"And now?" Jing Su's pupils contracted slightly. Binjiang's casual description was much more frightening than the huge amount of data from before. But the problem was, she didn't feel anything particularly bad. She just felt a little tired, but otherwise, she was fine.

"The data shows that Commander, your body is slowly recovering. Actually, there is nothing seriously wrong with your organs. The life-saving substance protected your organs. It's just that the consumption of nutrients was too severe. It seems that the effects of the life-saving substance have not yet ended."

"I see~" Jing Su nodded, reaching out to touch her finger. There were two small black dots on it, marks from when she wore the ring before.

“We’ve taken off all your rings and watches. All your life-saving supplies were used up, and we’re replenishing them now. So, Commander, I’m really curious, what exactly did you do back then to cause this situation?” Binjiang explained as he saw Jing Su staring at his fingers.

"What happened?" Jing Su asked, lost in thought, and replied uncertainly, "I might have found the secret to allowing you to continue using the ship's equipment."

"Huh!?" Binjiang was stunned. How did this get related to ship equipment again?

"To put it simply, energy and matter are both conserved. If you can use ship equipment indefinitely, then there must be some way that consumes resources; that's inevitable."

Changchun asked me to try and see if I could give you unlimited use of ship equipment. I don't remember it, but I tried it anyway, and guess what happened? I succeeded.

It turns out that by establishing contact with you through willpower, I can mobilize the resources of the port area to provide you with remote supplies.

The reason its power weakens is because the distance is too far, and there is loss during transmission.

"Then why, Commander...?"

"You've used up all the resources in the port area. Even if I made contact, I couldn't mobilize any resources. But since you're so eager for more, we'll have to replenish them from other places, won't we?"

"Eh!!?"

Chapter 344 The Best Solution

"So, Commander, you mean that because the resources in the port warehouses were all exhausted, and the resource shortage was huge, the transmission channel drained all the nutrients from your body?"

After listening to Jing Su's explanation, Binjiang's pretty face turned deathly pale. If what Jing Su said was true, then wouldn't she be the culprit who caused Jing Su to be on the verge of death?

"That's not entirely the reason." Jing Su came to her senses from Binjiang's reaction, realizing that what she had just said might be misunderstood. "Using this ability also consumes physical energy."

"So there's still a connection?!" Binjiang was on the verge of collapse. What could be more devastating than having your beloved almost die?

"Ahem, I've already said it's not really your concern." Jing Su had a bit of a headache and didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Deng Deng Deng~"

Just as Jing Su was pondering how to comfort Bin Jiang, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

"Clang~"

The room door was suddenly pulled open, and a white-haired mature woman rushed in.

"Commander! Are you alright?" A mature woman in a white dress rushed to Jing Su's side, grasped his hand, her eyes filled with tears, and her voice trembled, "How could this happen? Why? Your hands have become so thin..."

"Don't worry, Yorktown, I'm fine, I just felt a bit drained," Jing Su reassured her with a smile.

"Commander, the porridge is here, while it's hot... Hey, the ward is so lively now. This is not visiting time, Miss Yorktown, please do not disturb the Commander's rest." At this moment, Yixian also came in with a bowl of steaming hot boat porridge. Before she could say anything, she saw the somewhat crowded room and immediately became annoyed.

"Hehe, I think that letting the Commander stay in this place is the biggest harm to him. Miss Yixian, the Commander has been in a coma for three days. During these three days, you haven't given me a single chance to visit. Am I the enemy?"

"Disturbing the commander's rest? Don't you think the most important thing right now is to get the commander back to the front-line base as soon as possible, where he can receive the best treatment?" Seeing Yi Xian enter, Yorktown slowly stood up, his gaze fixed on Jing Su, but his words were directed at Yi Xian.

“That’s a good suggestion. If my Eastern Empire’s cruise ships were still standing and hadn’t been sunk, I might have agreed. Unfortunately, Miss Yorktown’s suggestion was flawed from the start,” Yixian retorted sharply.

"You...!" Yorktown was furious. Her full bridge began to rise and fall. Her usually kind and gentle face was now flushed red. She was so angry that she could hardly speak.

"Oh, right, I just remembered, our ship was destroyed by you, Miss Yorktown, wasn't it? The commander was still on board at the time. Now, I really want to ask you, Miss Yorktown, have you ever thought about what would have happened if Changchun had reacted even a little bit slower?" As she spoke, she became more and more angry. Yixian, who was known for her gentleness, was almost turning into a volcano about to erupt. She was practically pointing her finger at Yorktown and cursing her.

But as the person in charge of the faction, the elegant young lady, Yi Xian couldn't bring herself to say anything too harsh.

"I..." Yorktown fell silent after hearing Yixian's words, not knowing what to say for a moment. She had been too anxious just now, but what Yixian said was indeed the truth. She had almost killed Jing Su with her own hands.

"Ahem, you guys, are you pretending I don't exist?" Seeing that the atmosphere seemed to have reached a stalemate, Jing Su quickly spoke up. If this continued, Yorktown might break down under Yi Xian's words.

After some explanation, Jing Su finally understood what had happened after she fell into a coma.

It turns out that after the life-saving device was triggered, Yorktown believed that Jingsu was in a major crisis. Although Jingsu was indeed on the verge of death at the time, the reason for his state was not the same as Yorktown's understanding.

Yorktown believed that Yixian and his group were controlled by the Siren Armory or had fallen into some strange state; in any case, they had betrayed them and become enemies, otherwise they wouldn't have kept blocking their way.

In this situation, Yorktown, desperate for a solution, created a passage by launching a self-destructive attack with its aircraft, while the riverside was also in a state of extreme unease.

The plane then sped toward the cruise ship, but due to its rapid and intense flight, it couldn't stop and crashed straight into the ship.

Fortunately, Changchun, who was standing next to Jing Su, reacted in time, jumped into the sea with Jing Su in his arms, and then deployed his ship equipment to protect Jing Su tightly, thus saving Jing Su's life.

After all, no matter how powerful the life-saving substance is, it can only help Jing Su prolong his life. If he suffers a fatal injury, it is unlikely to be able to bring him back to health.

Shortly after Changchun jumped into the sea with Jingsu in his arms, a bomber from Yorktown crashed straight into the cruise ship.

With a deafening roar, the cruise ship, which Binjiang had purchased at great expense, was transformed into a fireball and quickly became fragments in a chain of explosions.

This truly terrified everyone present. Yi Xian couldn't accept what she was seeing and fainted on the spot. Ayanami and Z23 sat sprawled on the sea, staring blankly at the slowly sinking cruise ship. Laffey, on the other hand, reacted and rushed towards the cruise ship.

As for Binjiang, she almost lost her mind at the time, wishing she could rush to Yorktown and demolish it, but she restrained her anger, rebuilt the defenses, and controlled the torpedoes to surround and destroy the planes that had slipped through.

This time, she didn't care about whether the planes were colorful or not; she'd tear down any that could fly. However, at this point, Yorktown's control over aircraft plummeted.

As an aircraft carrier ship girl, Yorktown can see what is happening on the front lines of the battlefield through her carrier-based aircraft. Under the Siren's shielding system, the best way to obtain battlefield intelligence is to send an aircraft carrier ship girl to carry out a physical reconnaissance mission.

Therefore, Yorktown actually witnessed what had just happened.

She personally blew up Jing Su!

Just as Yorktown was about to fall into despair and collapse, Changchun emerged from the water carrying Jingsu. From the water, Changchun gestured to the others that Jingsu was still alive, which gave Yorktown a glimmer of hope and allowed them to barely recover.

Fortunately, the final result was good. The life-saving substance did not disappoint the massive resources invested in its research and development by the port area. Its effect was indeed worth its cost. Jing Su was almost drained dry, but the life-saving substance was still keeping him alive.

So the ship girl hurriedly took Jing Su to get treatment. The cruise ship was bombed, and the medical supplies and equipment on board were also destroyed. Fortunately, Hornet's plane finally arrived at the battlefield. Although Binjiang was extremely dissatisfied with Yorktown and his group, she still ordered Hornet's plane to take Jing Su back to Eagle Union for treatment.

After all, at that time, that was the only place with medical equipment.

However, after ensuring Jing Su's safety, Yi Xian firmly stated that no ship girls from the White Eagle faction were allowed to see Jing Su before he woke up!

Knowing he was in the wrong, Yorktown acquiesced to Yixian's proposal. Even though this place was strictly speaking White Eagle territory, Yorktown only said that Jingsu should tell her any news and that she could contact her anytime if she needed anything in this place.

Yi Xian agreed to this. Even if she disagreed, she couldn't stop Yorktown from obtaining Jing Su's intelligence. After all, the instruments and equipment belonged to White Eagle, and it was easy to set up some monitoring functions inside.

"Hiss... What's going on here~" After listening to the ship girls' explanation, Jing Su was completely bewildered. How did things turn out like this?

"Commander, I'm sorry, I really..." Seeing Jing Su's distressed expression, Yorktown was on the verge of collapse again. These past few days, she had been exhausted and in great distress, fearing that something had happened to Jing Su. She wanted to see him, but didn't know how to face him. She was just wandering around in this state of confusion and pain.

Just as Yorktown was about to collapse, news came that Jing Su had woken up. At this moment, she could no longer suppress the excitement in her heart. Ignoring Yi Xian's prohibition, she rushed into the ward. Even if Jing Su wanted Bin Jiang to tear her apart, she was willing, as long as she could see Jing Su.

"What are you saying, silly girl? In that situation, we couldn't contact each other. The choice you made was out of desperation. How could I blame you?"

Even if mistakes happen later, it's not your fault.