I really don't have money for the ship girls.

Chapter Twenty: Killing a Man in One's Arms

“I’ve never even met Jean Bart, how could that be…”

Ying Tian paused for a moment, and it was this pause that made Richelieu's heart skip a beat. This was probably a case of being blinded by concern, especially when it involved the two most important people in her life.

“I remember now, I think I heard someone mention it during a chat, and they told me to be careful. They said Jean Bart claimed that he would kick my butt if he saw me. There should only be one Jean Bart in the naval base, right?”

“There’s only one Jean Bart in the naval base, of course.” Richelieu twisted her arm, making their arms intertwine, and their bodies pressed together. She said softly, “Jean Bart was just joking. Commander, please don’t be angry with her.”

"Why be angry with her? She was just joking; she didn't actually do it." Ying Tian thought that so far, the ship girls who had come over had been quite friendly. It would be interesting if a less friendly one came along. He said, "If she really kicked me without a legitimate reason, I would definitely retaliate."

Richelieu pursed her lips, thinking that her worst fears had come true. Jean Bart was always cold to the Commander and often said some offensive things. How could it not have reached the Commander's ears? They were separated by a world, and the only way to communicate was through the port's chat tool. The Commander had to deal with all the ship girls, so how could he pay special attention to Jean Bart? But Jean Bart didn't take the initiative to communicate with the Commander either. That's how the misunderstanding deepened little by little.

Richelieu knew that Jean Bart could never dislike the Commander. How could a ship girl dislike her Commander? But why would her sister, who was already somewhat cold towards her, treat the Commander in a similar manner? Richelieu didn't understand, but she knew that only she could help her sister. There were so many people in the naval base, and missing even one opportunity could mean missing out for a long time. She didn't want Bart to regret it for the rest of her life.

"There's probably some misunderstanding going on inside. Has Jeanbart contacted the commander?"

"Let me think... I don't think so, I don't remember her name."

“Actually, Jeanbart is a very straightforward and easygoing person, and also a passionate Iris, but she is cold on the outside but warm on the inside.” Richelieu paused. “As long as the Commander takes the initiative to contact her, you will find that she is a very upright person and not difficult to get along with.”

Ying Tian glanced at Richelieu and said, "Jean Barth is your sister, isn't she?"

"Yes, we are sister ships."

"Oh." Ying Tian had already realized what was going on. Richelieu certainly wanted to get to know him, and he could feel the emotions she was showing. However, all that groundwork was for her to speak up for Jean Bart later. What a selfless sister she was, worthy of being a cardinal whom even Joan of Arc called a saint. "If I have the chance in the future, I will get to know her."

Richelieu took Ying Tian's arm, the fresh scent of irises filling her nostrils. She tried her best to sound a little coquettish, saying, "There's a saying in Donghuang: 'There's no better time than today.' Since we don't have anything else to do, why don't we contact Jean Bart now?"

For some reason, Ying Tian, ​​who was usually very good-tempered, suddenly felt a rebellious emotion. It was different from his previous retaliatory actions after being offended, nor was it the shame and anger after being schemed against. Watching the charming and upright Richelieu make clumsy attempts at coquetry, Ying Tian inexplicably felt a pleasure in defiling something sacred. He had a strange impulse to see how far Richelieu could go for her sister, and even more so, he wanted this iris to bloom for him.

"It's so early, Jean Bart might not even be up yet."

"The time zone of the naval base is similar to that of China, so it is nighttime there now. Jean Bart is definitely not asleep."

"let me see……"

Ying Tian deliberately rested his chin on his hand, pretending to be deep in thought, which drew Richelieu's expectant gaze. In the end, however, he shook his head and said, "It feels rather awkward to suddenly talk to her. Let's forget about it and wait for a chance later."

Richelieu's smile froze.

"But……"

"It's almost time. It's time to go upstairs for breakfast. You've been on duty all night without rest, haven't you?"

As Ying Tian spoke, he turned around and prepared to return the way he came.

Richelieu bit her lip, her crimson eyes filled with determination. She still held onto Yingtian's hand, not letting him leave, and then suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist. Their two hot bodies pressed tightly together, her firm, soft flesh rubbing against his flat back, and her golden hair gently caressing his neck.

In Ying Tian's ear, Richelieu's thin, burning lips exhaled moist breath: "I know, Commander, you must understand. Please forgive my selfishness, but you and Jean Bart are the most important people to me. Now that I have this opportunity, I really don't want the two most important people in my life to be in misunderstanding and suspicion. Please listen to my prayer and have mercy on me, my Commander."

Such a devout prayer uttered from lips that usually chant sacred words—even the most hard-hearted person would find it impossible to refuse Richelieu's request.

Ying Tian was the same; as he spoke, he turned around and said, "Actually, things might not be as serious as you think. I guess you haven't talked to Jean Bart about this either, have you? I can..."

Just as he saw Richelieu's beautiful red eyes again, something suddenly happened that interrupted Ying Tian's words. Richelieu suddenly hugged Ying Tian's neck. She did so with such force that their faces quickly pressed together, their noses touching and their lips meeting.

Before Ying Tian could savor the soft fragrance of Richelieu's pink lips, he felt a chill on his back and was then pulled into Richelieu's arms. Only then did Ying Tian notice that there were two black men with guns in the bushes. If Richelieu hadn't reacted quickly, that shot might have hit his arm.

The Black men missed their first shot, then rushed out of the bushes with their guns raised, speaking in a language they couldn't understand as they ran. But in this situation, it didn't matter; it was just threats like "Don't move."

To this, Richelieu, her pretty face frosty, simply whispered in Ying Tian's ear, "Hold me tight."

Then Richelieu moved, and Ying Tian, ​​who was being held in one arm, only had time to tightly hug her slender waist.

Two black men, one on each side, pointed guns at Richelieu and shouted at him. One of them even whistled frivolously. But the next moment they paid the price for their actions.

Even with Ying Tian in her arms, Richelieu's speed was not affected in the slightest. She took a step forward and swept the gun out of a black man's hand with her right leg, which was covered by red stockings. Before another black man could pull the trigger, a black high heel sole awaited him. Under the terrifying force, he felt as if he had been hit on the head by a train. He didn't even feel the pain before black snowflakes appeared before his eyes, and he instantly lost consciousness.

As Ying Tian was thrown through the air in an arc by inertia, the black man whose gun had been kicked away earlier was also kicked into a tree, his head hitting the trunk hard.

The whole process took only a few seconds; the two armed black men were dealt with by Richelieu with a wave of his hand.

Richelieu breathed a sigh of relief, while Ying Tian lay half-reclined in her arms. Despite the sudden turn of events, he felt no tension at all, but rather a sense of peace.

"Don't worry, I'm here, everything will be fine."

Richelieu lowered his head and kissed Yingtian's lips gently once again, trying to soothe the "frightened" Yingtian with this gesture.

Perhaps because he felt so at ease, Ying Tian was thinking, "Hey, hey, hey, isn't there some mistake? The roles of the prince and princess are reversed!"

Chapter Twenty-One: A Small Temple, a Mighty Demon

“We have taken control of the hotel, and the accomplices we confessed to have been tied up in another room.”

"All carrier-based aircraft are in position, and all heavy armored vehicles within a 30-kilometer radius are under surveillance and ready to be destroyed at any time."

"The military camp and peacekeeping force base in the east of the city are under surveillance. Multi-band air defense radars have been detected, but they are not turned on and are hovering on standby. It is expected that a bombing run can completely destroy them."

The fact that the commander was almost shot in the hotel was like a thorn in the hearts of the ship girls, so it's no wonder they took such drastic action. Yingtian was a layman when it came to military matters, so he didn't stop them. Moreover, he needed to assess the current situation. If it was serious, the group might no longer be able to stay there.

"Don't worry, I'm really fine. Richelieu protected me very well, I wasn't hurt at all, there's really no need... Alright, alright, I've taken off my clothes, see? There's not a single scratch, are you satisfied now?"

"I'm sorry, Master, we really can't put our minds at ease if we hadn't seen it with our own eyes."

Not only Belfast, but also many other ship girls gathered around, looking back and forth. They had finally managed to meet their commander again and had spent some leisurely time with him. They didn't even dare to think about what would happen to their commander.

"I could feel it when I touched it before, but now that I see it with my own eyes, the Commander really doesn't have much flesh on him."

"Because the commander has been a picky eater since he was a child and doesn't eat much meat. Even when I, his childhood friend, tried to persuade him, it was no use. How can this be? He must eat meat, eggs, and dairy products."

"Aren't you guys focusing on the wrong thing... But to be fair, the Commander is quite sexy..."

"Don't look! None of you are allowed to look! Commander is mine, none of you are allowed to look!"

"I'll watch, I'll watch. Even if you cover me, you can't cover others."

With a sigh from Kalion, the conversation took a strange turn, probably because she was relieved to confirm that the Commander was indeed unharmed.

Ying Tian put on his clothes. More concerned about why he was being targeted than about his safety, he wondered if it was simply because he was rich and had women, or if there was some other reason behind it.

Soon, Akagi and Louis IX walked in from another room. They had just interrogated the two black men and the hotel's mole. The Little Memory Restoration Technique, originally intended for the extremely mentally strong Sirens, proved to be very effective on humans.

Ying Tian asked, "Well, did you get anything out of them?"

“We used a little bit of what we’ve learned in our world,” Akagi said casually. “We’ve pretty much figured out the basic situation; it’s related to the current situation in Central Africa.”

Chicheng gave a brief explanation: Basically, a left-wing president came to power in the Central African Republic last year. After a year, this president managed to consolidate some government and military resources. However, his policies have aroused dissatisfaction in France. So, a few months ago, a French government front company hired American mercenaries to stage a military coup. The previous explosion and gunfight were a probing attack, which was repelled by the peacekeeping forces and government troops. However, the peacekeeping forces are about to withdraw from the Central African Republic according to a UN resolution, which is why the situation has become increasingly tense.

"So you're saying we were already being watched as soon as we arrived, right?" Ying Tian thought to himself that he had indeed been in a relatively stable environment in China for too long. In this kind of country, the best hotels in the country are naturally a mixed bag, and the operators are definitely not separated from political forces.

Akagi said, "Yes, in such a tense situation, our sudden appearance has attracted their attention. We have money and guns, and our purpose is unclear. These people have been watching us for a long time, and today they finally took advantage of the opportunity when you and Richelieu were alone to make their move."

The company asked, "Which force was behind this? Mercenaries or government troops?"

“You could say we’re on the mercenary side, or you could say we’re neither,” Akagi said. “Based on the fragments of thought I’ve extracted and the situation analysis, mercenaries are paid to do things and have no reason to cause trouble. The same goes for the government forces. In fact, the government forces believe that we should be with the mercenaries. The reason we stayed in this hotel without making any moves was to distract them and provide cover for the mercenaries.”

"The one who really attacked us was the person behind this hotel, the current prime minister of the Central African Republic. He was originally an official supported by France, and now he has also made contact with the mercenaries. So he knows that we have nothing to do with the American mercenaries hired by the French. His reasons for attacking us are twofold: on the one hand, to help the mercenaries get rid of a potential threat and to please his French masters; on the other hand, he is simply greedy for money and women. After discovering that we had no backing, he thought we were easy to bully. The commander was the only male among us, so he was the most conspicuous target."

"Bah!"

Feilong slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "To attack the commander is absolutely unforgivable."

"They actually looked down on by the weak," Kaga said coldly. "They must be shown what true fairness and justice are."

"How dare these people?"

"Disgusting, so disgusting."

"Dare to touch the Commander? Die! You must die!"

"As expected, such conflicts are inevitable in places involved in war." Enterprise sighed softly and said to Ying Tian, ​​"We are ready for battle, and the commander can give orders at any time."

Akagi wiped her hands with a towel and said with narrowed eyes, "Commander, my suggestion is to retaliate in kind. The people here are afraid of our power but not of our kindness. If we don't take action, we will probably face more harassment in the future. It would be better to defeat them and make them afraid all at once, so that we can save ourselves more trouble in the future."

Ying Tian remained silent, deep in thought.

Richelieu looked at Ying Tian's face and couldn't help but think of what had happened before. She had kissed the commander. It was completely unexpected. For the passionate Iris Girl, it didn't matter. What mattered was the commander's safety. But thinking about it still made her heart flutter. She also felt some regret. It wasn't just about Jean Bart, but also that their first time was such a fleeting moment. It was unforgettable but lacked any real intimacy.

The Iris flagship shook its head, forcing itself to consider serious matters. Richelieu said, "Commander, I know you are a peace-loving person and have your own moral bottom line in this matter, but society and times are different, and moral bottom lines should not be the same, otherwise it is just wishful thinking."

“Richelieu is right,” Fearless said. “Commander, weren’t you quite decisive before?”

Ying Tian remained silent. He made a gesture for silence, and everyone fell silent, looking at him with either suspicion or expectation.

A few minutes later, Ying Tian cleared his mind and looked up, saying, "I'm thinking about more than just this."

"Ah, what is it?" Zuikaku asked curiously.

“What happened today gave me an insight: we seem to be trapped in a fixed mindset,” Ying Tian said. “This is Africa, a place where war and chaos still exist even in modern civilization, so it is entirely possible to achieve legitimate goals through illegal means.”

Facing the bewildered ship girls, Ying Tian stood up confidently and said, "I have a plan. Not only will I seek revenge, but I will also lead everyone away from here."

With simple words and actions, without even expressing their own opinions, almost everyone had the same thought: Our commander is so calm.

Chapter Twenty-Two: A Small Shock in Africa

Turend Karesan bid farewell to the peacekeeping personnel who escorted him off duty. As the president of the Central African Republic, he deeply resented that his country still needed these UN peacekeepers to protect its security, as it had utterly tarnished the dignity of the nation's sovereignty.

In reality, as the nominal head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Central African Republic, he could only barely command some police forces. The vast majority of professional soldiers had long been infiltrated by the former monarchy through repeated military revolutions, and there were very few soldiers with a true sense of national honor. It was extremely difficult to establish national identity in such a poor country with a per capita GDP of less than $400. The military pay of these soldiers for several years might not even be equivalent to a sum of money casually allocated by France.

After all, Central Africa still has a considerable amount of uranium and diamond mines, and cotton and coffee can be grown on its land. Even if it didn't have these, France wouldn't give up its influence over Central Africa; at least it can serve as a warning to others.

Therefore, Turende still needs peacekeeping forces to ensure his safety. However, due to the intervention of one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the UN peacekeeping forces will also have to withdraw before a humanitarian disaster breaks out.

How am I supposed to deal with these American mercenaries hired by the French? Should I rely on the police force still using Type 56 assault rifles from the last century?

Turend walked wearily into his home in Bangui, east of the city. In fact, when he was pretending to enter politics, he already knew the difficulties he would face. Heaven was too far away, and France was too close. But when he actually began to face it all, he found it to be more difficult than he had imagined.

France doesn't want a puppet; they're not interested in being able to move it by command. What they want is a dog that will wag its tail willingly. So, Turende's cautious move to restrict foreign investment has already led to the current tense situation. A single hair plucked by the French becomes a mountain on this poor African country.

Tu Liande, who was over forty years old, rubbed his temples. He called out the nanny's name twice, and only after receiving no response did he realize that something was wrong. There was electricity, but the lights in the dimly lit house were not on.

Turend instinctively gripped the armrest of the cabinet next to him, then let go. His residence was under the dual surveillance of the police and peacekeeping forces. If someone could still control his house under these circumstances, it would mean that all his efforts were in vain. The thing he was most grateful for now was that he had sent his three wives and seven children to Rwanda in advance so that they would not be implicated by him.

Calmly removing his hat and placing it on the coat rack, Tuliande addressed the people who were nowhere to be seen: "I suppose my time has come? Thank you, at least you didn't assassinate me outright, and you even gave me the opportunity to write my last words."

As soon as he finished speaking, a small lamp lit up in the living room, and a male voice that Turend couldn't understand rang out. But soon a female voice followed, speaking French that he could understand: "To be so calm, it seems that our decision was not wrong. Rest assured, Mr. President, we are not affiliated with any party, and we can even be your friends. We are here to make a deal."

Tuliand was somewhat surprised, because the room was not filled with burly men in camouflage uniforms holding guns and covered in tattoos, as he had imagined. Instead, there were many beautiful white women who were incredibly attractive even by his standards. But beauty did not mean weakness; rather, they were capable and poised.

A slender woman in a long trench coat and hood gracefully gestured to Turende to sit on the sofa in the living room. Only then did Turende see the man who had spoken earlier. He was even more surprised to find that the man sitting on the sofa was an Asian man who looked to be no more than twenty years old. He was tall and thin, with an ordinary appearance that exuded a scholarly air. Yet, this seemingly ordinary young man was surrounded by a group of beautiful women, and was being treated as the leader by two women who seemed like saints. Even with Turende's perspective as the head of state, he could not guess the identity of the man in front of him.

"Who are you?" Tuliande sat down opposite the man. It wasn't a tense scene at all, but his tension didn't ease in the slightest.

“I’m sorry, Mr. President, I cannot shake your hand. My head maid has forbidden me from any risky contact.” Ying Tian smiled slightly. Richelieu and Joan of Arc were in charge of simultaneous interpretation, so communication was not a problem. “As for who I am, that’s not important. Mr. President, you are a smart man and should be able to see that I have the power, but I do not want to harm you.”

“I believe that, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to speak now.” Turend tried his best to maintain a humble yet assertive attitude. As the head of state, he did not want to appear intimidated in front of such a young person. “I don’t think you came here just to be a guest.”

Yingtian gave Chicheng a wink, and she handed a photograph to Tuliande.

"I think the President definitely knows this person."

Tuliande glanced at it, his heart skipped a beat, but he remained expressionless: "Of course I know him, this is my colleague, the Premier of the Republic."

"Yes, Prime Minister of your country, I'm sorry I'll have to use vigilante justice against him next," Ying Tian said calmly. "I was only staying in your country for a few months because of some things, but I didn't expect to almost get killed. There's nothing I can do. I won't offend others unless they offend me, but if they offend me, I can only retaliate."

"So you're the group that booked the entire top floor of the Leger Plaza Hotel."

"Oh, so even the President already knows. Well, in a place like your country, it's impossible to keep a low profile if you want to avoid being disturbed."

Tu Liande wondered, "Could this young man not be one of the mercenaries? Perhaps I could try to win him over. In this situation, we can't let any force slip by."

“This prime minister and I have different political views, so theoretically I have no reason to get involved, and it seems that I have no room to get involved.”

“That’s right, it’s always a pleasure to talk to smart people.” Ying Tian wagged his index finger and said, “I’m aware of the president’s situation. I won’t let your prime minister get away with this. By the way, I can also help you get rid of those American mercenaries hired by France. How about it?”

Turend calmly replied, "Then what's the price? Which part of the country's interests do you want me to sell out?"

“No, no, no, I am not interested in your country’s interests. Non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs has always been one of my principles.” Ying Tian gestured to Chi Cheng and handed a document to Tu Liande, saying, “What I want is very simple: twenty-eight Central African identity documents and the paperwork for a company that has been operating for five years, the kind that is filed in your country’s archives.”

Tu Liande took the document and flipped through it. The required identification photos were those of the beautiful women in front of him, and the company was just a coffee processing enterprise. He frowned slightly: "Is it that simple? To be honest, you can get this kind of identification in Panama or the Cayman Islands. I don't think it's equivalent to what you're saying."

“The same thing will naturally have different values ​​for different people,” Ying Tian said. “It doesn’t matter what you think, as long as I think it’s of equal value, that’s fine.”

After saying that, Ying Tian stood up and said to Tu Liande, "The President will receive good news tomorrow. Just send someone to deliver what I need to the Leijie Plaza Hotel. I hope it can be done within two days."

Seeing Ying Tian about to leave, Tu Liande quickly stood up and said, "Sir, are you sure?"

"Haven't I made myself clear enough?"

"I don't know if you're aware, but these mercenaries, who claim to be Blackwater's security personnel, are actually composed of elite American and French veterans. They even possess heavy weapons transferred from the French army stationed in Chad. Are you really confident you can deal with them?"

Ying Tian smiled calmly and said, "This is my business, not yours. You just need to complete the necessary paperwork as I require after it's done."

With that, Ying Tian walked out without looking back, surrounded by the crowd, and waved goodbye one last time before leaving.