Azur Lane Mobile Front.

Yorktown grabbed the company next to her, handed her hand to Rob, and said, "Here, your company is back!" Then she smiled and pushed the company over.

"Sister!" Although she was a little shy in front of everyone because of Yorktown's teasing, Enterprise didn't pull her hand away from Rob's, letting him hold it. Rob, naturally, was also considerate, gently leading Enterprise to the side and handing her a glass of juice.

Seeing his sister and the commander interacting again, Yorktown nodded in satisfaction, then left with his remaining sister and New Jersey.

"How does it feel to be a hero and the center of attention?" Rob and Enterprise found a seat and Rob found some food for Enterprise. Enterprise had been dragged away by Yorktown before she could even eat, and she must be starving.

"Not good! Commander, I'm tired. Can I rest on your shoulder for a bit?" Enterprise said, resting her head on Rob's shoulder and closing her eyes, seemingly exhausted.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Focus

The great battle that erupted in the Pacific naturally became the focus of the world's attention. The White Eagle Command, having received the first detailed battle report, is currently holding a meeting.

"Is this what you call the firepower of the Brooklyn-class and the air defense of the Atlanta-class?" The person sitting in the main seat slammed the battle report on the table, his face contorted with rage and a forced smile. "Is the technical department just sitting around doing nothing? You managed to test out the capabilities of a Brooklyn-class?"

"I admit it was the technical department's fault for misjudging the performance of this new type of ship equipment. But there's one thing I must point out: the form of our flying Enterprise in the battle report seems quite different from how it appeared during the last test." The bespectacled man, still wearing a white lab coat, pointed to the photo in the battle report and then pulled out data from the last test for comparison. "Clearly, the flying Enterprise has undergone a kind of upgrade, a kind of modification. As we all know, progress in ship hull modification is actually quite slow; the number of modified ships that can be researched each year is very limited. And this Enterprise has been out of the construction unit for less than a year."

"You mean, it's not just the flying corporate lady who has problems?" The leader sensed something was off from the previous words.

"Of course, ships don't modify themselves. And her commander is no less problematic."

Silence fell over the meeting room. Everyone present began to ponder the impact this commander, who had already traveled to the Eastern Empire, would have on the situation in Azur Lane, and whether they should take action against him.

In a royal garden somewhere, King George V's ships are gathered together, enjoying afternoon tea on a sunny afternoon.

"Battle report from the White Eagles. New ship equipment research successful, a great victory over the Sakura Empire Combined Fleet in the AF area?" King George V, the eldest sister, casually placed a confidential battle report on the dining table, then picked up a snack in front of her, threw it into her mouth, and said while chewing, "It's certain that the White Eagles have a new ship equipment research project, but I don't believe this kind of thing in the battle report. Wales, what's your opinion?"

Despite being a naval officer, the Prince of Wales was dressed in an army-style uniform. He put down his teacup. “What new-era weapon is this? Does this mean that even aircraft carriers will become obsolete in the future? It’s ironic that I would have the chance to witness the end of yet another new era.”

Prince of Wales picked up the battle report. "There's nothing to say about the White Eagles defeating the Sakura Empire, but this casualty ratio... when did the White Eagles learn the Sakura Empire's tactics? Sinking four large enemy aircraft carriers while suffering negligible losses on their own?" Wales scoffed. "Moreover, there are two Enterprises on this battlefield? Since when can a single ship exist in multiple forms? This isn't just some simple research on new ship equipment by the White Eagles, is it?"

“Wales, have your eyes been blinded by arrogance? Very well, then you are no longer qualified to lay a finger on my prey.” Opposite Wales, the Duke of York, dressed in a red and black cloak with a high collar, resembling a legendary vampire noble of the night, twitched her elven ears. “Since the intelligence department has passed on this battle report, it naturally has some degree of authenticity. Or do you believe that the intelligence department has become so incompetent?”

Seeing the confrontation between Wales and the Duke of York, the youngest member of the group, Haydn, shrank back and decided to quietly drink his tea.

"Come on, Hao, try today's snacks. They're supposedly a new creation from the maids' team. Ah~" King George V seemed completely unfazed by the rivalry between his two younger sisters and instead tried to feed his youngest sister.

"Sister~ Please don't treat me like a child!" Although Hao was a little ashamed of his elder sister's patting and feeding behavior, he couldn't resist her and ate the snack that George V put in his mouth.

Looking at his little sister's puffed-up cheeks, King George V was in a good mood. "Haha, tastes good, doesn't it? But it would be even better if there were some of my little sister's biscuits." After feeding her, he picked up a new snack and threw it into his own mouth.

Seeing that his two younger sisters were still arguing about the authenticity of the battle report on the table, King George V decided to draw their attention to more information.

“Here’s some previous intelligence. The Flying Enterprise, according to the intelligence, was built during the Naval Academy’s construction ceremony. Speaking of the Naval Academy, I think I held a position there? Haha, it’s been a while since I’ve been there.” After briefly recalling her days training new recruits at the Naval Academy, she continued, “So this Flying Enterprise has a commander. I don’t think it’ll be hard to find him. Once we find him, we’ll know whether this battle report is true or not.”

“It looks like we’ll have to trouble Sheffield again.” Wales ignored the Duke of York and resumed reading the battle report.

In a dimly lit space somewhere in the Ironblood.

"It seems our ally has suffered a significant loss at the hands of the Eagle Union. What exactly is this new ship equipment? And have new musicians appeared on the stage? Heh, let me see what kind of notes you can play." Immediately, a virtual screen unfolded, displaying Prinz Eugen's image. "Eugen, Sakura Empire was outmaneuvered by the Eagle Union in AF. The Eagle Union seems to have deployed entirely new ship equipment. This matter will have unpredictable effects on the plan. Go and investigate it yourself."

"Oh? Brand new ship equipment? It's rare that you've given me such an interesting mission. But are you free from the things I'm currently dealing with?"

"I will have someone else take over."

"Hehe, I understand. I'll take this on."

The window closed, and everything returned to darkness.

After resting for a few days in AF, despite New Jersey's attempts to persuade him to stay, Rob returned to Donghuang with his company. Completely unaware that he had become the focus of the world's attention. Battle reports from the AF waters had already reached various factions. The sudden emergence of new ship equipment and its overwhelming performance advantages meant that, after thorough investigation, a new arms race was already foreseeable.

However, none of this is relevant to Robo for the time being. Although the White Eagles' battle reports made no attempt to conceal anything, allowing various factions to quickly find him, no matter which faction it is, the development of new equipment cannot keep up with the speed at which the system directly produces new mechs. The only problem is probably that Robo is still relatively poor.

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Second Machine

After returning to Donghuang and resting for a few days, Luo Bo spent some time catching up on the official duties that had piled up recently. Actually, there wasn't much, since there really weren't many things in Donghuang that required his personal attention.

Now that there's nothing else to do, it's time to organize the current resources for future planning. AF's big battle, although its own company's habit of not finishing off weakened them, resulted in lower profits, but at least the damage they dealt was significant, and the final gains were still quite considerable. Adding to that the three crates accumulated daily over the past period, while high-level resources like steel and research points are still lacking, coal has surpassed 100,000, and gold coins have reached a full 12,000, enough to exchange for a mech worth around level eight. Plus, with ten super supply crates saved up, a final push might just make them rich overnight!

After much deliberation, Robo finally decided to exchange for a level 8 gold coin-value mech. Its performance was sufficient for the current situation, and it wouldn't waste too many resources. After all, in the system shop, coal could be exchanged for level 10 mechs, not to mention silver coins. Who knows if the system would come up with something as shameless as the Russians' Super War machine?

Now that the mecha has been decided, the next step is to consider the "pilot." After much deliberation, he decided to first inquire about Yi Xian's opinion, since if a new mecha were to be developed, Yi Xian would be the top priority.

Without hesitation, Luo Bo immediately left the office to find Yi Xian.

When they found Yixian, she was playing chess with Zhenhai in Zhenhai's room. Luo Bo didn't disturb them, but quietly stood and watched their game. After an unknown amount of time, the two seemed to have finished their match.

"Is the Commander also interested in Go?" It seems that Zhenhai is still the better player. She stood up first and asked Luo Bo with a smile if he also knew Go.

"No, no, no, I really don't understand. Actually, I came to see Sister Yixian. Sister Yixian, there are some things I need to talk to you about alone. Could you please come to my office?"

"Yes, Commander, I'll be there shortly."

Seeing Rob's serious expression, even though she didn't know what her commander wanted to talk to her about privately, Yi Xian still smiled and agreed.

Rob led Yi Xian to his recently repaired secret underground warehouse. He had spent millions to exchange for a dedicated warehouse through the system, finally giving him a place to store his mobile suits. Only he, Enterprise, and Yi Xian knew of its existence in the entire port area; even Zhen Hai hadn't been told. Enterprise's mobile suits were usually stored here. At this moment, the Freedom Gundam stood there quietly.

"No matter how many times I see it, Enterprise's ship equipment is always amazing." Yi Xian gazed at the Gundam and sighed. "So, what's the Commander calling me here alone? You don't have any bad intentions, do you?" After getting to know the people from Donghuang, Yi Xian could now crack some lighthearted jokes with Rob.

"Don't make fun of me, Yixian, I don't have the guts." Rob laughed, indicating that he was too cowardly to do it. Then, pointing at the Freedom Gundam, he said, "This kind of mobile suit was actually brought by me. When Enterprise came out of the construction facility, there was no such thing as a ship; she just came out as an individual."

"This, this is truly unbelievable." Yi Xian's eyes widened, and it took her several seconds to process the information she had just heard. This news was quite a shock to her worldview.

After a moment of contemplation, Yi Xian roughly understood what Rob was up to today. "Commander, aren't you afraid that I'll spread this around?" A confident smile appeared on Yi Xian's face once again. "If the Commander doesn't show some sincerity, I can't guarantee I'll keep quiet."

"Sister Yixian, please stop teasing me." Luo Bo naturally knew that Yixian was joking with him. "I still have this kind of mecha, but it needs someone to synchronize with it to be put into battle."

"Like a corporate lady?" Seeing that Luo Bo was getting down to business, Yi Xian stopped joking with him and her face became serious.

“That’s right, just like Enterprise. But, Yixian, you have to understand that Enterprise didn’t have any ship equipment to begin with. So she can take on a new machine without any pressure. But you, and everyone else from Donghuang, are different. You all already have ship equipment. If you want to synchronize with the machine, I estimate that you will have to give up your previous ship equipment. I think you understand better than I do what that means for the ship.”

Yi Xian fell into deep thought. Indeed, for a warship, abandoning its ship equipment was tantamount to abandoning everything that its name represented. She didn't even know if, after abandoning its ship equipment, she would still be herself.

Seeing that Yi Xian remained silent, Luo Bo knew that this was a difficult decision, so he interrupted Yi Xian's thoughts, "Yi Xian, I know this is a difficult decision to make in a short time. You don't need to rush to answer me. Think about it carefully for a while. Whether you accept or refuse, I will not force you."

"Commander, will I become stronger after getting the new mobile suit?" Yi Xian asked, her gaze following the figure of the Freedom Gundam, seemingly drifting into the distance.

"Of course, I promise!"

"Then I accept. Actually, Commander, you don't need to feel too much pressure. For a ship, this is just a special modification." Yi Xian comforted Luo Bo, and her usual confident smile returned to her face.

"Sister Yixian, you're actually comforting me now." Luo Bo laughed. "Well then, get ready, I'll take the mecha out right now."

"System, purchase a Level VIII value-added mech, Soul Reaper!"

[Gold coins have been deducted; conversion of the mech is now in progress.]

A massive mobile suit, predominantly blue in color, appeared before the two after a flash of light. Its enormous size, more than twice the height of the Freedom Gundam beside it, exuded an aura of oppression. Its uniquely shaped head resembled two large mustaches. Besides its legs, the orange-red spheres covering its entire body were also particularly striking.

"What is this?" Yi Xian realized that even with her best efforts to look up, she couldn't see the entire machine in front of her because it was so enormous. Standing at its feet, humans seemed so small.

"Soul Reaper, a melee-specialized machine. I heard Ninghai and the others say that Yixian is the best fighter in the port area?"

"Don't listen to their nonsense." Yi Xian gave Luo Bo a charming look, then continued to examine the mecha in front of her. "What should I do?" As she spoke, Yi Xian reached out and touched the Soul Reaper. The moment she touched it, some unknown image fragments began to flood her mind. She quickly removed her hand and began to observe the Soul Reaper again. "I think I know now."

"Yixian, I'm confirming this one last time. Have you made up your mind? Accepting this machine means giving up your past glory." Although Yixian had already made her decision, Luo Bo still reminded her.

"Commander, neither the name nor the ship equipment is Yi Xian's glory. Keeping this land away from the flames of war is Yi Xian's glory." After saying this, Yi Xian placed his hand on the machine, and a strong light gradually filled the entire warehouse.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Onlookers

At the beach, Rob gathered everyone in the port area who was still alive. The reason for this was that Da Bao and Er Bao were also there.

Yixian was moving her body on the sea, experiencing the unique sensations brought by her new equipment. At this moment, she was wearing a blue cheongsam, with a pair of peculiar gloves on her hands. White spikes extended from each forearm, and there was an orange ball on the back of her hand.

"Speaking of which, why is she still wearing a cheongsam even after changing her mecha? The only thing I see that's related to the mecha is those gloves, right?" Rob immediately complained to the system after seeing Yi Xian's outfit after she changed, since the difference between her outfit and Enterprise's outfit was too big.

[Host, you actually want to reason with a super-powerful being?]

"Does being a super-powerful entity mean you can do whatever you want?"

[Superpowered beings can do whatever they want!]

The news of Yixian's new "hull" spread throughout the entire port area in just a few minutes. News like this can't be kept secret in a small courtyard. So, almost everyone rushed out to see Yixian's new "hull" in no time.

Since he had new equipment, he figured he had to try it out. Thinking that he might as well put one out or two out, Luo Bo simply dragged Hai Tian, ​​who was still practicing calligraphy in her room, out as well. The young woman, dressed in a traditional Chinese dress and with ink-black hair, seemed to have some reservations about Luo Bo's actions. But then Luo Bo activated his magic card, "Since we're already here," so Hai Tian patiently took a look at Yi Xian's new "ship hull."

Standing on the beach, Luo Bo noticed a gaze fixed on him. At first, he thought it was Hai Tian, ​​who had been interrupted from practicing calligraphy. After looking around, he realized that Zhen Hai was staring at him with an uncertain look in his eyes.

Seeing that Luo Bo had noticed his gaze, Zhenhai did not flinch but stared straight at him.

"Sister Zhenhai, just say what you want to say. Staring at me like that is making me uneasy." Luo Bo stared at Zhenhai for a while, but finally gave in.

"Is this what you and Yixian were talking about alone before?" Zhenhai said quietly, his voice a little cold.

"Yeah, what else?" Rob thought to himself, "That's all?"

"It's alright now." Zhenhai was silent for a while, then turned his head to look at Yixian on the sea, and said nothing more.

"Did I offend her somehow?" Seeing Zhenhai's unusual reaction, Luo Bo finally realized what was going on and began to think about what he had done to offend this older sister recently.

Not far away, the four "King Kongs," led by Anshan, were sitting together. Changchun, dressed in a mascot costume, was particularly eye-catching. Luo Bo walked over and listened carefully. It turned out that Changchun was telling her sisters some ghost stories.

"If you go alone into the woods after dark, I've heard you might encounter a terrifying monster," Changchun said slowly and softly, recounting a story she'd heard somewhere.

"Hey! My secret base is over there in the grove, does that mean I can't go there at night?" Listening to the strange tales of Changchun, Fushun thought of something and couldn't help but reveal his secret base.

"Huh? Did I just hear something incredible?" Rob only wanted to come and see the mascot costumes in Changchun, but he unexpectedly overheard a little secret from Fushun.

"Fushun, you have another secret base? Don't cause trouble for everyone!" As the eldest sister, Anshan naturally knew what might be in Fushun's small base, so she gave her younger sister a heads-up. She had heard that her younger sister had just met the commander and given him a "big surprise."

"No, no!" Fushun quickly shook his head to indicate that he really hadn't done anything wrong, then asked Changchun nervously, "It's just that... is there any way to defend against monsters?"

"Yes~ Rupert's Tears can ward off monsters that cause darkness."

"Huh? What's that?"

After telling the story of the Four Heavenly Kings, Luo Bo walked over, greeted everyone, and then stared at Changchun for a long time before finally asking, "Changchun, aren't you hot wearing that?"

It was summer, and although the sea breeze brought some relief, the heat was still enough to make one sweat profusely. Just looking at Changchun in his mascot costume made Rob feel uneasy. Changchun himself, however, seemed completely unaffected, which Rob considered a rather strange occurrence in the port area.

“Taiyuan sewed me a breathable one, so there’s no problem. Hehehe, Commander, would you like to touch it?” As she spoke, Changchun stretched out her hands to show Robo her paw pads on her long sleeves, seemingly hoping that Robo would touch her paw pads.

Rob glanced at Taiyuan, surprised at how skilled the ships in the port were. "Their sewing skills are impressive," he thought. Then he looked at Changchun's outstretched hands and, without hesitation, patted the fleshy pads. And surprisingly, they looked quite convincing.

"Oh? You can even make this kind of texture?" Luo Bo looked at Taiyuan in surprise. When Taiyuan saw Luo Bo looking at him, he seemed a little scared and shrank back.

"Yes, yes, Commander, this is actually not difficult."

Luo Bo patted Taiyuan's head with a cheerful laugh, bid farewell to the four powerful figures, and found the woman sitting alone to one side. Seeing that his white-haired friend seemed a little out of place in Donghuang's circle, Luo Bo was somewhat worried. So he went over and put his arm around her from behind, "Why are you sitting here alone? Don't you want to be with everyone?"

Enterprise was slightly startled by the sudden touch from behind and instinctively tried to break free, but then calmed down upon realizing it was her commander. Although such behavior in a public place was somewhat ambiguous, looking at Yixian on the sea, Enterprise decided to disregard it.

"I'm not very familiar with everyone yet, and I feel there's still some distance between us." The company pouted, indicating that it's normal not to be familiar with everyone since they haven't known each other for very long.

"Then we can't just stay on the sidelines!" Rob pulled the company up from the ground and led it towards the Donghuang group. "How can we get to know each other if we're so far away from everyone! Come on, let's go and stay with everyone."

Rob felt the pull coming from the other side of his hand. It seemed Enterprise was resisting a bit. He hadn't realized this girl had a bit of social anxiety. So Rob increased his strength and pulled Enterprise further in that direction. Seeing that she couldn't resist her commander, Enterprise had no choice but to relax her grip and let Rob drag her into the middle of the Eastern Empire's group.

The Donghuang ships, who had been watching Robo and Enterprise's interaction closely, quickly made room for them when they saw Robo pull Enterprise over. Robo helped Enterprise sit down, and the Donghuang crew members immediately surrounded her.

"Miss Enterprise, is Sister Yixian's new ship equipment the same as yours? It's the kind that can fly really high with a 'whoosh'!"

"Huh? I don't know. I don't even know what Miss Yixian's mecha looks like." Surrounded by a group of little ones, Enterprise was a little at a loss.

"Hehehe, it seems like Sister Yixian is about to start."

Although Changchun's voice wasn't loud, everyone's attention immediately turned to the sea. There, Yixian seemed to be preparing to test the quality of her new equipment.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Yi Xian Changes Clothes

"I have a feeling I just witnessed some incredible stories. I wonder what Miss Enterprises saw." Yi Xian opened her eyes from her reverie and gently shook her head. The images that had just flashed through her mind were far too advanced for someone whose understanding had always been limited to the surface.

"Then let's see what I can do." Yi Xian's expression hardened, as if she had become a different person. It took her less than a second to transform from a beautiful woman from the Jiangnan water towns into a female general who could fight on the battlefield.

She stood with her legs apart in a horse stance, her waist lowered, her left hand extended forward in a pushing motion, and her right fist clenched and drawn back to her waist, ready to strike. Suddenly, she unleashed a punch, the violent force of which tore the sea surface in front of her apart, sending the seawater surging to both sides. Because she was not far from the beach, the sand beneath the surface was even exposed.

The crack in the seawater stretched into the distance, its end invisible to the naked eye.

With just one punch, everyone on the shore was so shocked that they were speechless.

"The legendary Moses parting the seas is nothing more than this." Rob's eyes widened; the power of this punch had completely exceeded his expectations. Keep in mind, Freedom is a VII-level machine, while Soul Reaper is only a VIII-level machine, one level higher. The difference in destructive power seemed far too great.

"System, is the difference between these levels really that big? Even if you were to face off Nagato against Musashi, it wouldn't be this exaggerated, would it?"

[Please carefully observe the difference in their character stats. Enterprise is only slightly over level 30, while Yixian was a level 100 ship before the equipment change. Although experience cannot be fully inherited, she is still around level 70. Please participate in more battles, as even the strongest mech cannot be fully utilized at a low level.]

Rob thought about it carefully. Excluding exercises, his company had only participated in two combat missions in total. "Oh, I see," Rob said, indicating he understood. It seemed he needed to expand his business further, both to support his family and to enhance his combat capabilities—a perfect closed loop!

On the sea, Yi Xian saw the effect of his punch and felt both incredulous and perfectly natural. This single punch had far surpassed the power of his main cannon, and this machine also had a set of special moves that he hadn't yet tried. Thinking of this, Yi Xian couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation for his current abilities.

"We still need to study the other moves for now, let's try this one first." Yi Xian then held her breath, formed her hands into a calyx shape, and brought them to her waist. Taking a deep breath, she thrust forward with a mighty "Azure Dragon Scale!"

A visible blue-green light wave emanated from Yi Xian's hands, accompanied by intense heat, instantly causing steam to rise from the sea surface. A crack even wider than before was torn open in the sea, and this time, even the sand on the seabed seemed to show signs of melting.

"Is the power bestowed by the Commander truly so immense?" Zhenhai, standing by the sea, couldn't help but marvel as he watched Yixian nearly alter the surface of the sea with just two moves. Turning to look at Luo Bo, who was intently watching Yixian, he sighed softly, "Unfortunately, the Commander seems to be a bit biased."

(Robo: Honestly, it's not favoritism, it's just that I don't have the resources to buy the mechs!)