Azur Lane: I Traveled Through Graduation Port

Lin Lan's hand was held by Eugen as she watched Hipper, who was crossing his arms across his chest, and Blücher, who was waving happily, leave in the elevator.

"Commander, I'll take you out of the fortress through the secret passage, um~"

Lin Lan was stunned when she saw Eugen smirking as he lifted his long silver hair.

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as your consent. Follow me."

Prince Eugen usually looks very lazy, but at this time he was very active.

Since I've already promised Eugen, I'll just follow her lead.

Lin Lan was led by Eugen's hand back to the hall on the third floor and came to the corner of the wall at the edge of the hall.

After Eugen tapped the wall twice and pressed a button at an area, a single-person door rose up and a secret passage appeared in front of the two.

Chapter 40 The Girl Who Defeats Fate (Part )

"This is a secret passage that only I, Bismarck, and Frederick know about. Commander, you must follow me closely."

After giving him a sexy wink, Eugen led the way into the secret passage.

"Don't walk so fast. It's so dark, walk slowly."

Holding Eugen's hand, Lin Lan followed closely into the dark passage.

In this narrow secret passage, there are steps leading down continuously, bringing with them a hint of chill.

In the long darkness, except for the sound of the two people's footsteps, Lin Lan's other senses seemed to be blocked and he could not feel anything.

The only thing he could trust was this hand that was holding his tightly.

He didn't know how many flights of stairs he had walked up, but he was gradually feeling tired.

It was pitch black all around, which made him feel anxious.

As if sensing Lin Lan's emotions, Eugen's voice came from the darkness ahead.

"Commander, don't be afraid, we'll be there soon."

Feeling the warmth coming from his hands, Lin Lan's anxiety caused by the darkness slowly calmed down with Eugen's words.

It seemed like ten minutes, or it seemed like five minutes.

Just as Lin Lan was about to ask, a dark blue color finally appeared in front of him.

The exit has arrived.

"Commander, we're here, please be ready and don't blink~"

Eugen's playful voice came.

Lin Lan was delighted. It was just the beach, it was not like he had been there before. Why was he exaggerating so much?

The moment he walked out of the tunnel, his vision suddenly became open and the magnificent scenery made him gasp.

The stars are as numerous as the lights of thousands of homes.

Above the deep blue night sky, the twinkling bright stars are like countless pearls, filling the entire night sky.

The tranquil ocean with slightly rising waves is connected with the starry sky in the distance, like a peerless oil painting in the hands of a top artist.

"So beautiful……"

Looking at the night scene where the sea and the sky merge into one, Lin Lan felt the refreshing sea breeze blowing on his face and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

The strong shock brought by suddenly coming out from the seemingly endless dark corridor under the starry sky made him feel that he had never realized that the ocean and the starry sky were so beautiful.

Lin Lan looked back and saw that they were now outside the Iron Blood Fortress, on the seawall.

The sea tide hits the outside of the tall, iron-blooded black and red seawall, making a rustling sound.

"Hehe, Commander, how is it, very beautiful, right?"

Eugen's voice brought Lin Lan back from her daze of marveling at the beautiful scenery.

"To be honest, I never thought the starry sky and the ocean could be so beautiful."

Standing on the seawall and looking at the night view of the sea and sky in the distance, Lin Lan spoke the truth.

The iron-blooded girl chuckled, holding Lin Lan's hand, and the two of them took a leisurely stroll on the seawall.

"We've been sworn brothers for so long, but this is the first time we can go out for a walk and see the sea together."

The sea breeze blew Eugen's long silver hair, and there was a blush on her attractive cheeks. Under the scattered starlight, Eugen's attractive profile made Lin Lan stunned.

"Um, actually I..."

Lin Lan was about to find an excuse to cover up why he hadn't been with her before, but Eugen blocked her mouth with his index finger.

The corner of his mouth indicated that he didn't need to speak.

"My dear, there's no need to lie or cover up. Eugen doesn't want to hear your lies, but he won't ask questions."

"It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back."

The two stopped, and Lin Lan suddenly discovered that two pearl-like tears were quietly sliding down Eugen's face.

"Eugen, you..."

Feeling guilty, Lin Lan reached out his hand to wipe the tears from Eugen's face, but the silver-haired girl in front of him leaned gently in his arms.

Eugen's figure is completely opposite to that of her older sister, and she has a perfect figure that is at the level of a mature lady.

Lin Lan gently held Eugen in her arms and did not continue speaking.

He understood that the hug at this moment was the greatest comfort to Eugen.

Shrouded in the blue stars, Lin Lan felt as if time had stopped at this moment.

After a long while, Eugen's voice rang softly:

"Many people think I am a lucky ship."

Lin Lan naturally knew what this meant.

Historically, the Iron Fleet was basically wiped out during World War II, and by the time of surrender, only one surface ship, Prinz Eugen, was left.

Eugen was lucky enough to escape danger time and time again and miraculously survived the war, so it was called the "Immortal Ship" by the world.

"But I hate the word 'lucky' so much. Lucky ship? Hehehe."

"It was just a trick of fate."

Eugen said self-deprecatingly, clinging closely to Lin Lan.

“The first thing I saw when I had memories was the blue cornflowers all over the hills of Kiel, my hometown.”

"After I entered the service, I fought alongside Lord Bismarck in the Rhine Exercises and achieved a miraculous victory."

“I thought I would return with honors, but at that time, I witnessed for the first time the cruelty and ruthlessness of fate.”

"As I witnessed Mr. Bismarck sinking into the icy ocean, fate's mockery of me began."

Leaning on Lin Lan's chest, the silver-haired girl whispered about her past that she had never told anyone.

"During Operation Cerbrus Thunder, my sister Shane and I were ordered to cross the heavily defended Royal Channel on a mission that was like sending ourselves to our deaths."

"I can't forget the cruel scenes of being chased that day. The rain of artillery fire and the ubiquitous torpedo planes are still fresh in my memory."

"Commander, fate has grabbed my throat, trying to get me to sink again and again. The only thing I can do is to keep resisting, keep resisting..."

Lin Lan felt the slight trembling of Eugen in her arms. The silver-haired girl seemed to have returned to the time when she crossed the strait and was suffocated by the continuous pursuit.

Eugen at this time is the real Eugen under the disguise of being cynical and casual.

When they were alone, the silver-haired girl finally told her experience which she had never told anyone before.

"In the end, I was the only one who returned to my devastated homeland unscathed during that mission."

"But how can fate give up in order to completely defeat me?"

"Submarine sneak attacks, enemy blockades, and even collisions with companions in the fog."

"It has repeatedly tried to get me to resign myself to my fate, but I have sworn in iron and blood that I will never bow to fate."

"I can't succumb to this damn fate, not only because I am an iron-blooded battleship, but also because I don't want to be a slave to fate."

Eugen's tone became more and more firm. At this moment, she was like a proud warrior who would not bow her head despite facing death several times.

Lin Lan recalled the resolute look on Eugen's face that he saw during the exercise.

The girl who had just entered the battlefield became a determined warrior driven by fate.

"Until... I looked back and realized that, without realizing it, my country was gone, and my family and companions were all gone too."

“All my efforts have come to naught.”

"I have become the last battleship of the Iron Blood."

Although it was just a statement, Lin Lan heard deep sorrow in Eugen's tone.

"When the war ended, I became a prisoner of the enemy and was forced to serve my former enemies."

"I was taken to a strange sea thousands of miles away from my hometown, and I have never returned home since then."

"What greeted me there was an explosion that was like the destruction of the world."

Lin Lan suddenly increased the strength of his embrace on the silver-haired girl. He knew exactly what the explosion Eugen mentioned meant.

Bikini Atoll, Operation Crossroads.

Nuclear explosion test.

Chapter 41 The Girl Who Defeats Fate (Part )

In the real history where Lin Lan lived, after World War II, White Eagle gathered post-war warships from various countries, including its own warships, at the Bikini Atoll and conducted a nuclear explosion test involving ships.

Prince Eugen was also on the list of ships under test.

The nuclear test, called Operation Crossroads, ended in tragedy, with almost all of the test ships sinking.

The original plan was for three nuclear explosions, but in the end only two were carried out.

"There I was, accepting the final judgment of fate."

"I was surrounded by a blinding pain like the sun, and the unforgettable pain made me feel worse than death."

Lin Lan listened to the narration of the silver-haired girl in his arms with distress. He could not imagine how much pain and despair the girl must have felt when facing the nuclear bomb.

"Even though it is so cruel, fate still cannot make me bow my head."

"For the next dozen days, I endured unimaginable pain and torture day and night at sea."

"In my pain, I thought of my elder sister, my younger sister, and I thought of Lord Bismarck who regarded me as a confidant, and those iron-blooded companions who fought alongside me."

"Whenever I feel pain and my consciousness becomes hazy, I force myself to think of the blue cornflowers on the hills of my hometown that have been burned by the war."

There was a wet feeling in his chest. Although Eugen spoke calmly, Lin Lan knew that Eugen might have been corroded by nuclear radiation at that time.

Nuclear bombs bring not only the power of instant killing, but also extremely deadly nuclear radiation.

"I wailed in the heart-wrenching pain, but there was no salvation. I cried bitterly, but no one cared."

"Then I became numb."

"I have lost my country, my companions, and everything I have. No matter what I do, I cannot escape the final judgment of fate."

Lin Lan finally understood why Eugen always had a hypocritical smile on his face and didn't care about anything when he first joined the port.

Because her heart had died in that nuclear explosion where there was no hope.

"But even so, I didn't want fate to sink me so easily... until the second explosion under the sea came, bringing with it an endless tsunami."

"Looking at the tsunami and the white light coming, I thought this must be the final judgment of fate."

"I did not back down. I wanted to prove to my fellow comrades who had left me that I would never bow to fate."

Eugen's hands tightly grasped the clothes on Lin Lan's back.

Listening to the girl's monologue, Lin Lan simply couldn't imagine how painful it would be to face a nuclear explosion.

And what a strong will Eugen must have to not succumb to a nuclear bomb.

"Until the sea calmed down and the white light faded away, I knew that I had defeated fate again."