Shipgirls and Salted Fish Commander, Port Survival Guide

"There's no need to worry about that. The location of the port area has always been known to the outside world. Originally, we needed to find a way to keep it secret, but after the commander went missing, apart from commemorations and memories, this place is just an island. Whether it's exposed or not doesn't have much impact. When we left the port to develop independently, our leaders agreed to take turns sending people to the port area for maintenance and patrol missions. There are often lone Sirens wandering around this area. After all, the front line is the vast ocean, and it's difficult to be on high alert everywhere. Sirens will always break through the defenses and enter the hinterland. The patrol team's mission is to find these enemies and let the combat teams eliminate them. Commander, what you heard should be the combat teams fighting, but that's not right. Right now, it's our Eastern Empire camp on duty. There shouldn't be anyone patrolling outside at this time. Commander, besides Changchun, have you seen anyone else?"

"I have met Hu Teng; she was one of the first people I met when I arrived in this place."

"Hiss, Iron-Blooded Hutten? This is troublesome. If it's her, it means Frederick the Great also knows? Didn't Frederick the Great say he was going to provide support? No, that's not right. Since we can make contact, maybe that Persian cat knows too. Damn it, she wasn't the first person we met~" After hearing Jing Su's words, Yi Xian's expression darkened, and she muttered to herself.

"?"

"It's nothing, Commander. Do you want to go visit our Donghuang base? The girls miss you a lot. They'll be so happy to know you're back," Yi Xian said, as if she had just thought of something.

"The Eastern Empire's base? Is it somewhere else? We can go once we get it, but is it really okay? Will there be any problems here after you leave?" Jing Su was indeed tempted by Yi Xian's suggestion. To be honest, the port area was rather deserted. Jing Su wasn't sure what her true feelings were, but seeing the deserted port area made her feel somewhat lonely.

“There’s no problem. The reason we’re maintaining this place is because our memories of the Commander are still here. Now that the Commander is back, our souls have returned too. Wherever the Commander is, that’s where our hopes lie. Besides, there’s nothing left in the port right now, so there’s no point in you staying here, Commander.”

"It's not that it's boring; this place is still worth remembering, but it is indeed deserted. To be honest, I'm a bit lost about what to do in the future. Can Yixian give me some advice?"

"Suggestions? I'm not entirely sure about that either. After all, these decisions used to be made by the Commander, and we just had to follow them. But if we really want to do something, how about bringing all the sisters back? The port used to be full of laughter, but it became deserted because of the Commander's disappearance. Commander, you have a duty to bring smiles back to the port." Yi Xian said with a smile.

"Let the port area be filled with laughter again? It sounds like a good suggestion, but I have no idea how to do it. Yat-sen, please help me out."

"It's natural!"

Chapter Twelve: Getting Clothes

After making the decision to go to the Donghuang garrison, Yixian was clearly quite happy and immediately suggested making some preparations.

Jing Su originally offered to help, but Yi Xian refused, giving a reason that Jing Su couldn't refuse.

"Commander, what we need to prepare is a girl's secret. If Changchun and the others weren't here, it wouldn't be a problem for them to come along, but not now. It would set a bad example for the children."

Yi Xian's playful expression made Jing Su's mind wander, but she quickly calmed herself down. If it was indeed a private matter, it was not appropriate for her to meddle.

However, Jing Su still asked herself if there was anything she could do to help.

“Since the Commander insists, how about helping to look after Changchun? That girl is quite mischievous, and she’s always a nuisance if no one is watching her.” After thinking for a moment, Yixian said with a smile.

She was going to make a call to the Donghuang base later to make some arrangements. Anshan was very obedient, and Pinghai and Ninghai told her to call them to clean the room, so it wouldn't interfere with her plans for the time being. But Changchun was the only one. Although she had found some reasons to send her away, she couldn't hold out for too long with her abilities.

Given Commander Changchun's controlling nature, she will definitely come back to see the Commander as soon as she finishes dealing with things. If she were to let her spread her deployment information, it would cause some trouble.

“Take care of Changchun? No problem. I’m good at taking care of kids. I used to take care of my relatives’ younger siblings during holidays.” Jing Su nodded and agreed. Changchun was a character he liked quite a bit, so how could he refuse to be able to spend time with him?

"A child? Hehe, what the commander said is absolutely right. Changchun is indeed a child. Although she is lively and agile, she is often too naughty. Even I often can't control her. Sigh, in the end, a family can't do without a pillar of support."

"Well, thankfully you're back, Commander. From now on, I'll have to leave Changchun in your care." Yi Xian's eyes sparkled, a half-smile playing on her lips.

"Um, I can only say I'll try my best." Jing Su succumbed to Yi Xian's gentle advances, her whole body trembling as if she had been electrocuted. She nodded in agreement. Although Jing Su felt that Yi Xian's words just now had a hidden meaning, she couldn't figure out what the problem was after thinking for a while.

"In that case, I'll leave it to the Commander. I'll inform Changchun to assemble at the bridge where the Commander is looking at the sea. How about that?" Upon hearing Jing Su's agreement, Yi Xian was overjoyed. Her eyebrows curved like the bright moon, and her cheeks flushed like the blazing sun.

"Good~"

'I can't take it anymore, I absolutely can't take it anymore!'

Jing Su felt that if she stayed here, she would eventually fall for Yi Xian's smiling eyes, or rather, she was already about to succumb to her charms. But at the last moment, a strong sense of crisis surged from Jing Su's heart. The violent tremor brought Jing Su back to her senses. She left the room as if fleeing, leaving behind a single sentence.

"Hmm? That's strange. The commander's expression is acting strangely. Are there any ship girls from other factions nearby?"

"It doesn't matter, as long as the Commander is back. Hehe, the Commander's background is really cute. I'm really looking forward to what happens next." Watching Jing Su's departing figure, Yi Xian looked around, exuding a sharp aura.

"Drip~"

"Sister Yixian, is there something you need?"

A short while later, Yixian made a phone call, and a cold voice came through.

"Is Haitian on duty now? Where's Zhenhai?" Yixian frowned. If Zhenhai wasn't there, there was a possibility that things might change if he didn't give the instructions.

"Sister Zhenhai has to go out, so I'm temporarily filling in for her. Sister Yixian, if there's anything you need, just let me know. I'm not a child anymore."

"In that case, alright then, Haitian, please come to my room later. There's a box under my bed. Please take out the clothes from it and put them on the bed."

"What is that outfit?" Hai Tian asked, puzzled. Yi Xian usually wore cheongsams unless she was on a mission. Even if she changed, it was just a different style of cheongsam. Now that she was on duty in the port area, there was no one else around, and it wasn't like she hadn't brought enough clothes. Why would she specifically ask for clothes?

"Don't ask too many questions about that. I'll be going back for a visit in a while. That piece of clothing is very important, so please don't get it dirty." Yi Xian's voice was serious.

"Ah, oh~ I'll be careful." Hai Tian was a little frightened by Yi Xian's stern tone, and her voice was timid, "Sister Yi Xian, will you be back soon? Your shift is only halfway over, right? Did something happen?"

"Ahem, nothing's wrong. You'll find out when I get back. Oh, by the way, don't tell anyone about me asking you to move your clothes or that I'm coming back soon."

"Ah!?" Hai Tian exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmm? What's wrong? Is it difficult?" Yi Xian frowned.

"It's not that difficult. Okay, I promise you, Sister Yixian, I won't tell anyone else."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. I'll be back soon." Yi Xian hung up the phone and left the room with light steps.

. . .

The Eastern Huang residence.

After hanging up the phone, Hai Tian looked at Bin Jiang beside him with a complicated expression, thinking to himself, 'If others heard this, it shouldn't be considered that I told them on my own initiative, right?'

It turned out that when Haitian was on duty, Binjiang suddenly came to visit. Just then, Yixian called, and Haitian didn't think too much about it and answered the phone.

When Yixian told him not to tell anyone else, Binjiang's eyes lit up, and he mouthed, "Promise her!"

Haitian had no choice but to comply.

"Sister Binjiang, are the things Sister Yixian said strange? Is there any special meaning behind them?"

In fact, what Yixian asked was very simple; she just asked her to help her get a piece of clothing. But for some reason, Binjiang suddenly became excited after hearing about it.

"Haha, you'll see when Yixian comes back. Hehe, this guy actually tried to sneak away. I've calculated the distance, about three days, that's enough time. As for clothes, I have them too! Haha~" After saying that, Binjiang laughed and left the room, leaving Haitian in the room with a face full of question marks.

"One by one, they're all so strange. Oh well, I'll go get my clothes. Hmm~ No, I still have to be on duty. Sister Zhenhai, really, why isn't she back yet?"

Hmm, it seems that historically speaking, I am the older sister?

Huh, is that so? But why do people always treat me like a child? How strange! How annoying~ Hmm, is it already this late? I'm a little sleepy~ Oh well, I'll go to sleep for a bit~

Chapter Twelve was knocked away.

At the road railing.

Leaning against the railing, Jing Su was brainstorming. In less than a day, he felt as if he had been in another world.

'Time travel, ship girls, maybe even sirens and parallel worlds—thinking about it, it really is fantasy.'

The mere fact that he had time-traveled was enough to leave Jing Su's mind in a complete mess. What surprised him most was that he seemed to have accepted the fact that he had time-traveled so easily. His uncomfortable body and clear memories were all telling him that he had indeed time-traveled.

If we follow the typical novel formula, when a protagonist transmigrates, they either immediately accept it and excitedly prepare all sorts of plans; or they become confused for a while, living a miserable life, and then spend a considerable amount of time accepting and adapting.

Jing Su wasn't sure what state he was in. He had naturally accepted the fact that he had transmigrated, but he was also in a state of confusion. Jing Su was not alone; his parents were still alive. However, due to some issues with the older generation's values, the family relationship was rather delicate, and things would feel a bit awkward when the group got together.

Influenced by her family of origin, Jing Su didn't develop many social relationships. In internet slang terms, she was a bit of a homebody. She wasn't exactly socially anxious, but even if she was meeting someone for the first time, she could chat happily with them. However, she just didn't like being with people and preferred to be alone.

Because of her delicate relationship with her parents, Jing Su is reluctant to go home during holidays. She feels uncomfortable staying at home with either side, so she has always wanted to go somewhere far away so that she can find a reason not to go back.

But going as far as to another world is something I never imagined. It would be a lie to say I don't want to go back when my parents are alive. Jing Su's conflict with her family stems from some traditional beliefs held by her parents' generation, and it's not a sharp issue. As the ancient sages said: "While parents are alive, one should not travel far; if one must travel, one should have a fixed destination."

"I've decided. I'll first establish a foothold in this world before making any further plans. I remember that according to the setting, the Sirens have the ability to teleport. In recent events, the Sirens have clearly stated that they will use a world as a resource warehouse. In other words, I do have the opportunity to travel to other worlds."

I'm not an only child; I have a younger brother who has a better relationship with our parents. Without me, my family might be much happier.

As a child, Jing Su didn't understand why her parents always looked so bitter and resentful when they were together. She always thought that she hadn't done something right. Later, when her second brother was born, her parents started to smile more. At one point, Jing Su thought that they felt that their main account was ruined and quickly started a new one.

"With my younger brother here, my parents won't lose all hope. I'll try my best here and see what happens. If I really can't go back, at least I tried."

More than that, Jing Su was concerned about his own state of mind. He was very curious as to why he could accept the fact of time travel so calmly. Logically speaking, if you suddenly arrive in a completely unfamiliar place, even if you don't need to adapt, you should feel somewhat lost. People are a collection of social relationships. When you arrive in a new place, your previous interpersonal relationships are broken, and it is very normal to feel lost and confused.

But he didn't feel any of these feelings. In fact, he felt very relaxed and at ease when he was with Yixian and the others, as if they had really spent a long time together.

To be precise, ever since he met Hu Teng, there seemed to be a voice in his heart telling him that he belonged here, and the longer he spent with Yi Xian, the stronger this feeling became.

Although Jing Su recalled repeatedly and confirmed that she could not find any memories of being with the ship girls, she seemed to naturally know how to get along with them when they were together. She subconsciously noticed what Yi Xian's habits were, what Changchun and Anshan liked to eat, and what dietary restrictions and little habits Pinghai and Ninghai had.

"Huh? What is this?" Sensing something was wrong, Jing Su hurriedly checked her body and quickly discovered something strange.

On Jing Su's left wrist, a star-shaped pattern had appeared at some point. Jing Su was very certain that this pattern was something she had never had before.

'Is someone playing a prank?'

Jing Su recalled that she had fainted for a while due to low blood sugar not long ago. According to Yi Xian, she was found by Chang Chun. Given Chang Chun's lively and mischievous personality, it was indeed something she would do to play a prank on her.

"Commander, I'm here~"

Just as Jing Su was about to examine the pattern more closely, a clear shout caught his attention.

Turning my head, I saw ripples appearing on the sea not far away, and a delicate voice was approaching me with lightning speed.

As the sky grew dark, Jing Su squinted, trying to make out who the figure was. After a while, she failed. At this distance and in this darkness, Jing Su could only see a snow-white hood and long white hair.

"Boom~"

As the figure reached the shore, it leaped up, transforming into a cannonball that flew towards Jing Su.

'boom! '

Seeing the figure rushing towards her, Jing Su's eyes widened. She took a few steps back and turned to run, but unfortunately, she was a step too slow. As soon as she took a step back, Jing Su collided solidly with the figure.

The two transformed into bolts of lightning, flying backward together and crashing heavily onto the grass.

"Hehe, Commander, Commander, it's really the Commander~"

"Hmm~"

Jing Su felt as if she had been hit hard by a hammer, fell to the ground, saw stars, and felt dizzy.

"Is it...is it Changchun?"

In a daze, a clear and melodious sound came.

"Mmm, it's me, Commander. Changchun has come to play with you~" Changchun, wearing a hood, kept rubbing against Jing Su.

"Ah, it's Changchun. You really hit me hard." Slowly getting up, Jing Su pulled Changchun out of her arms, sat on the ground, panting.

"Hehe, I missed the Commander so much that I couldn't help myself. Commander, are you alright?" Sitting upright on the ground, Changchun noticed that his actions just now seemed a bit agitated, and obediently admitted his mistake.

"I just said I have something to do, and there's nothing I can do right now," Jing Su said, clutching her chest and feigning pain.

"Oh no, Commander, don't scare me! Waaah, Changchun was wrong, Changchun will never do it again!" Seeing Jing Su's pained expression, Changchun panicked and said anxiously.

"Haha, it's good that you know you're wrong. Don't worry, Changchun, I'm fine." The little girl was so anxious that she was about to cry, and her stammering voice made Jing Su's whole body go numb.

"Commander, are you really alright?" Changchun rubbed her eyes with her small hands, her eyes red and swollen.

"It's alright, I'm just a little dazed from the impact. I should be fine," Jing Su said after thinking for a moment.

Although she said that, Jing Su didn't really think that way.

'Did someone lend a hand? Or did my physical abilities improve after transmigrating? Changchun's impact sent me flying at least six or seven meters. Even with a large grassy area behind me, normally, being thrown that far would cause severe damage to my internal organs, even if I appeared unharmed. I'll see if my mental state gets too agitated later.'

If you are highly agitated, have bloodshot eyes, and speak rapidly, it indicates internal organ damage and a surge in adrenaline. In this case, see a doctor immediately to see if it's too late.

If his breathing is normal, it means that something helped to offset the huge impact, allowing him to land smoothly. Apart from seeing stars after the impact, he is otherwise fine.

'Could it be that I've transmigrated and my physical abilities have undergone a qualitative leap? Although Changchun is mischievous, he's not someone who doesn't understand right and wrong. Since he dared to pounce on me directly before, it proves that he has done so at least once before.' Jing Su began to consider this possibility.

"By the way, Changchun, do you have any way to contact Yixian?" To be on the safe side, while he was still conscious, he quickly called for help.

As for going to see a doctor, Jing Su really didn't dare before figuring out her physical condition. If something really happened, and she went around touching her wound, she would just be asking for trouble.

If we can contact them remotely, that would be best. If not, we'll have to have someone from Changchun make the trip, but that will take a lot of time.

"Remote communication? The port area dismantled many communication stations to save resources. Changchun's communication watch has no signal here. Commander, do you want to find Sister Yixian? Changchun can go find her. Changchun is very fast." Changchun stretched out his left hand, tapped a few times, and said.

"No signal? Well, there's nothing we can do then." Jing Su scratched her head and said helplessly, "Then we'll just have to make the trip to Changchun."

"Oh, okay, I'll go right away. Hey, wait a minute, this is~" Changchun got up and was about to leave when, as he turned his head, he seemed to have discovered something and said excitedly, "Right, there's this. I almost forgot, Commander, you can contact Sister Yixian yourself."

"Huh!?" Jing Su looked completely bewildered.

"This, this." Changchun stretched out her little hand and pointed to the star pattern on Jingsu's wrist, saying, "Open this, and you can contact Sister Yixian."

"This!?" Jing Su's eyes widened.

"Mmm." Changchun nodded. "This is the Commander's Network. All the sisters in the port area connect with the Commander through this. When the Commander's Network connection was lost, everyone thought that you, Commander, well, ptooey, that word doesn't sound nice."

In short, once it's turned on, the commander can contact the ship girls.

"Oh, how do I open it?" Jing Su asked in surprise, surprised that the pattern had this function.

"I remember, I remember, that's fine."