Azur Lane Mobile Front.

Hu Teng, who understood that this was both a suggestion and an order to leave, immediately ordered all mass-produced ships to be abandoned and to continue exploring in another direction.

As for the missile destroyer she just encountered, it will probably only be a small part of her report.

...

About an hour later, when the countdown on Hu Teng's timer had reached fourteen hours, they arrived at a strange sea area.

The surrounding area was littered with debris, some of which was still emitting thick smoke.

"Hmm... I have a strange feeling about this place."

As she spoke, U-1206 looked at the scattered wreckage underwater and tried to come up with an adjective.

"I have this feeling that the ruins here are like an old, dusty toilet, but also like it might turn on at any moment..."

Why do you have such a problem with toilets?!

Clearly, Magdeburg did not readily accept the overly fantastical metaphor of U-1206.

"You'll feel this way when you enter a grave..."

If U-1206's analogy was full of flaws, then Hu Teng's analogy was downright chilling.

"Even though they weren't angry, they created the illusion that many people were there."

Coupled with Hu Teng's cool voice, Yi Bei and the others felt that the temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

"Ugh, I guess I'll just have to accept the toilet..."

"Now, all we can do is disturb the peace of the departed souls, Elbe, do your job..."

Ignoring Elbe's protests, Hutten calmly issued instructions.

"Shimakaze heard it, a mournful cry..."

However, at this moment, Shimakaze was uncharacteristically serious.

If you look closely, you'll notice a hint of blue light in her eyes.

"A mournful cry carried on the wind..."

...

Shimakaze's words immediately perked everyone up.

Elbe even dispatched additional reconnaissance aircraft to conduct a comprehensive search of the surrounding area.

U-1206 was also actively conducting reconnaissance underwater, ensuring that no detail was overlooked.

"Quiet!"

Hu Teng's cold shout silenced the already quiet troops completely.

In the distance, she seemed to hear a sound—the roar of artillery fire.

"Your Excellency Ulrich, I have found a target."

"The kind that can't be seen on radar..."

Yi Bei's message confirmed to Hu Teng that he hadn't misheard.

"The radar can't detect it... so that means..."

"Ah~ finally found it, Meta..."

...

Following the sound of artillery fire, the group arrived at a battlefield where the fighting had already ended.

In the devastated sea, the floating debris piled up like broken floating islands.

At the very center of the densest concentration of floating islands, a figure stands silently.

"The battle should be over. I heard that if it were Ember, it wouldn't stay in one place."

As he cautiously approached, Prince Adalbert carefully observed the figure.

The figure didn't leave after the battle ended. Instead, it seemed to be admiring its own masterpiece, looking around. It was incredibly eerie.

"Hey! She's looking over here!"

Finally, the figure's gaze turned toward the Ironblood Fleet.

"That person is... Gneisenau?!"

U-1206 covered her mouth to prevent her voice from carrying too far.

Although his demeanor was completely different, U-1206 still recognized him by his appearance.

"This is the first time I've been this close to Meta. She seems to be staring at us and smiling... Hmm~ It's giving me the creeps."

Magdeburg took over from U-1206. The atmosphere at the scene made her, who was already dressed in thin clothes, unconsciously shrink into a ball.

"Heh~ Isn't this perfect? ​​Not only does it not belong to the Embers, but it even belongs to the Ironbloods. It's like winning the lottery."

Compared to the fear and trepidation of the others, Hu Teng appeared much more natural.

In fact, in her eyes, the Gneisenau Meta was a great gift from heaven to Ironblood.

"Stay where you are and prepare for battle."

After giving orders to the rest of the group, Hutten walked towards Gneisenau Meta on his own.

"Hey, you're not going to...?"

However, Hu Teng's advance was stopped by Shimakaze.

"That older girl is crying out in pain, don't upset her."

Seeing that Shimakaze was unusually serious, Hutten simply nodded and continued walking toward Gneisenau Meta.

"Heh, the chess piece didn't attack, but instead moved closer to me..."

Gneisenau Meta finally spoke, and compared to the Ironblood, her voice seemed a bit hoarse.

Dressed entirely in black, she seemed to emerge from an abyss.

Even the ship's equipment, which was clearly different from Gneisenau's, was stained black by the power of Metamorphosis.

A chain was held in the mouth of the ship's hull, which resembled a dragon's head.

At the other end of the chain was a shackle, a shackle fastened to Gneisenau Meta's wrist.

"I am not a chess piece, nor am I a mass-produced model; I am a living, breathing ship."

Hu Teng continued to slowly approach Gneisenau Meta. Her red and black outfit, compared to Gneisenau Meta, actually made her look much more pleasing to the eye.

"Real warships actually came to a place like this, and even dared to come right in front of me..."

"Because there is still hope and aspiration in our hearts."

Hu Teng's words still carried a strong personal touch, leaving listeners somewhat confused.

"Hehe~ I'm sorry to disappoint you. There is no hope left in this world, so there should be no pursuits."

Gneisenau Meta seemed to be provoked by Hutten's words and let out a burst of somewhat manic laughter.

"But you, with your hopes and aspirations, make me feel nauseous! Just disappear!"

Before Hutten could say anything more, Gneisenau Meta launched an attack without warning.

"Tsk~ You're crazy!"

Having dodged the artillery fire, Hu Teng stared at the other side; things seemed to be getting complicated.

"Of course, I've been crazy for a long time, and this world has been crazy for a long time too. Here, only madness is normal!"

With that, Gneisenau Meta launched another attack, but this time, her attack was blocked by two beams of light.

"Hmm~ Well done, Number One and Number Two, come back."

As for the one that just stopped the attack, it was naturally Shimakaze.

The Ironblood ships watched in disbelief as Shimakaze split into two illusory versions of herself, and then those two phantoms disappeared into a floating weapon no bigger than a loaf of bread.

Then, with the sound of Shimakaze's "High-Energy Fascination Cannon," the two weapons, which could definitely be described as small and exquisite, easily blocked Gneisenau's attack.

"Hmm... Shimakaze is stopping her, so you'd better hurry up and think of a solution."

"I can sense that she can still be saved!"

Looking at the rabbit that was barely taller than his chest, blocking his way, Hu Teng felt for the first time how reliable this rabbit was.

Chapter 329: On the Mastery of Fools in Manipulating People's Mindsets

"What the hell is this thing?!"

If there's anything Gneisenau Meta is thinking right now, it's this.

After exchanging blows with Shimakaze, Gneisenau's mania had subsided considerably.

She's not really crazy; the rabbit in front of her is clearly not a normal ship.

"I didn't see the main guns or torpedoes. Was that... a carrier-based aircraft?"

Because Shimakaze had no other equipment that looked like a weapon except for the Hades Sword in her hand, which looked like a knight's sword, Gneisenau couldn't determine what kind of ship Shimakaze was for the time being.

"It shouldn't be a destroyer or cruiser, otherwise they would definitely have launched torpedoes at this distance."

Because her servo was damaged in the previous battle, she is now unable to move and can only fight Shimakaze in a stationary position. Therefore, she is paying extra attention to torpedoes.

"Hey, what exactly are you? An aircraft carrier, or what?"

Since she couldn't figure it out, Gneisenau Meta decided to just ask directly. After all, this thing in front of her didn't seem very smart.

"Eh? Shimakaze? Hmm... Shimakaze used to be a destroyer~ But not anymore, now Shimakaze is a Masoukishin! Awesome, right~"

When Shimakaze said she was a destroyer, Gneisenau Meta got goosebumps.

However, when Shimakaze introduced himself as some kind of magical machine god, Gneisenau Meta was completely dumbfounded.

"What is this thing? Did the other factions come up with something new without my knowledge? Also, the name Shimakaze sounds like a Sakura Empire ship, doesn't it?"

Gneisenau Meta fired at Shimakaze while thinking this through.

Although her initial target was indeed Hu Teng and his group, now that this rabbit was blocking her way, she couldn't reach the Ironblood Fleet behind her at all.

Compared to the confusing Gneisenau Meta, Shimakaze's thoughts were much simpler.

"Hmm... we can't use this one, she doesn't look like she can handle it."

"Wielding a wild katana? No way..."

While blocking Gneisenau Meta's attack, Shimakaze was also muttering some incomprehensible things.

However, even if you don't know exactly what she's saying, anyone who isn't an idiot can still understand some of the underlying meaning.

"Hey! Don't get distracted! Keep your eyes on me!"

This feeling of being ignored made Gneisenau Meta, who was already feeling uneasy, even more agitated.

"Huh? No, no, Shimakaze wasn't daydreaming~ Shimakaze was thinking about what move to use to defeat you without hurting you~"

As Shimakaze finished speaking, the once noisy battlefield instantly fell silent.

"As expected, I shouldn't have had any expectations for this rabbit."

After being stunned by Shimakaze's words for a while, Hu Teng covered his head and slowly uttered a sentence.

When it comes to provoking people, you're definitely the best; I'm just a total weakling.

Are you... mocking me?!

Sure enough, a layer of black visibly covered Gneisenau Meta's face.

"Hey~ I'm asking you, are you still considered a member of the Ironblood faction?"

Knowing that Shimakaze could no longer be allowed to continue, Huteng risked his life and forcibly approached Gneisenau Meta.

"What do you mean?"

Hutten's words caused Gneisenau Meta's already furious expression to completely change.

A different kind of brilliance seemed to appear in her originally cloudy eyes.

"If you are still a member of the Ironblood, then I, Ulrich von Hutten, in the name of Frederick the Great, command you to pledge allegiance to the Ironblood once more!"

After hearing these words, the hope in Gneisenau Meta's eyes vanished in an instant.