Chapter 20

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20. Shouldn't this be something the Admiral shouldn't know?

"Ad-mi-r-al!"

"…Huh? It's Zhonghai? What's the matter?"

Squinting, the Admiral looked at the little girl standing in front of him. A smile appeared on his thin, gaunt face as he reached out to pat the top of Zhonghai's head, which was tied in a bun.

"Why are you here alone? Where's Maersk? Is she bullying you again?" The Admiral squatted down, looking seriously at the girl with tear marks on her face. He gently wiped away her tears, his expression stern.

"If she's bullying you again, tell me, and I'll teach her a lesson."

"N-no, it's not that, it's because of something else…"

Her voice was hoarse, and his dry, rough hand contrasted with his young yet weary face, marked by the sea breeze. Ever since Zhonghai opened her eyes, the Admiral had always been like this.

If she were to tell the Admiral that the 50,000 barrels of oil in his warehouse were almost gone, this kind and tired Admiral might collapse in an instant. But if she didn't tell him, she would be deceiving the Admiral and betraying the expectations of others. What should she do?

"Something else? Then let's walk and talk."

"O-oh, okay."

The Admiral patted Zhonghai's head and stood up, walking towards the warehouse. Zhonghai followed closely behind, like a chick following its mother.

But the Admiral didn't know that behind him, Zhonghai, who was huddled and moving slowly, had her earpiece already filled with chaos. Several sharp voices mixed together, stimulating her fragile and sensitive nerves.

'What are you thinking, you little brat!! The Admiral is mine! Mine!'

The source of this furious voice was obvious.

Zhonghai even saw a yellow figure suddenly dart out from the grass, only to be grabbed by the ankle by a hand from behind and thrown to the ground. It was dragged back into the grass like a dead dog, making Zhonghai shudder.

The earpiece soon filled with a cacophony of voices, followed by the sound of a beating, and then 110's slightly rapid breathing.

'Say something, anything, at least buy some time.'

110 seemed very anxious as she spoke to Zhonghai.

'But try to stay far away, we might not be able to hold them back much longer!'

What are you fighting against…

'Yeah, yeah, just say something.'

Essex's voice also came through the earpiece, sounding eager.

'Like confessing to the Admiral, or making that blonde mutt die faster, or even getting an engagement ring, wouldn't that be better?'

'You b*tch, wait for me! Let me go! I'm going to fight her!'

'Shut up, Essex. And you too, Enterprise.'

The authoritative voice of Sea Tiger quickly dispersed all the noise, gradually organizing the chaotic thoughts in Zhonghai's mind.

'Don't be too nervous, Zhonghai. Just say something to the Admiral. This time, it's indeed the result of improper actions by our logistics department and the execution team. But we can't let it continue to escalate. If the Admiral finds out, the consequences will be unimaginable.'

'Do you think the Admiral can handle it again? Just this time, the Admiral almost jumped off the building. If he sees the warehouse being used up like this, not to mention the next mission, he might only be able to defend the near sea for the next week. What will the Admiral think when he sees the empty warehouse? Do you think the Admiral will be happy?'

'Or do you think the Admiral jumping off the building again would be more reassuring? I don't think that's the scene you want to see.'

"…Yeah, I understand."

Listening to Sea Tiger, Zhonghai's face changed, finally becoming resolute.

Yes, this is undoubtedly for the Admiral's sake. As long as I cover it up, the Admiral won't jump into the sea. As long as I cover it up, everything can get back on track.

My deception isn't for personal gain or to avoid punishment, but for the Admiral! If the Admiral were wealthy, there would be no problem, but how can such a poor Admiral withstand such a blow! I must protect the Admiral in my own way!

"Admiral, please wait a moment!"

Zhonghai took a deep breath, ran a few steps, and stood in front of the Admiral. She spread her arms, blocking the thin, energetic man.

"I have something very important to tell you!"

"Sure, sure."

But to Zhonghai's surprise, the Admiral didn't immediately smile and agree. Instead, he seemed a bit troubled, scratching his bearded chin and pointing in a direction no one had noticed. His gaunt face showed a hint of distress.

"But can you wait for Sacramento to finish?"

"…Huh?"

'…Huh?!'

When did someone appear there?! No one noticed!

Not only Zhonghai, but even the shipgirls monitoring through the earpieces didn't notice. Sacramento, in a white dress, seemed to have been waiting for a long time on the side of the road.

"This is the third time I've said it."

Sacramento waved at the frozen Zhonghai.

"I went to the warehouse and saw that the oil shortage is so severe that I couldn't make up 5,000 barrels. The remaining shortage can only be slowly made up by you, Zhonghai. The shortage is too large, and I don't have that much extra."

The girl in the white dress, squatting by the roadside, tilted her head, looking at the stiff-faced Zhonghai and the surprised Admiral. She raised her eyebrows and clapped her hands as if realizing something.

"Ah, this news shouldn't be told to the Admiral, right?"

…You already said it!

And when did you start squatting there, Miss Sacramento!

Looking at the girl by the roadside who had no presence, Zhonghai's eyes were about to burst.