Chapter 8

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8. BIGWAR

A long, long time ago, there were no shipgirls in this world.

The ones that roamed the seas were not the young and vibrant girls of today, but genuine, floating fortresses. These war machines, made of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of tons of steel, were specifically designed to target human structures and enemy ships.

In that era, humans were not surrounded by the deep sea, confined to various continents without communication. At that time, they were the undisputed rulers of this planet.

The superweapons they created stole the sun's light, and cold footprints spread across the moon. Countless bronze bullets were showered upon nations and enemies with different consciousness, vowing to utterly destroy those who were different from themselves, both in body and soul. Major countries tested weapons and other tools in the impoverished corners of the world, creating a chaotic yet vibrant landscape that formed the main theme of the world.

That was undoubtedly the greatest era of humanity. After breaking free from the shadows of World War II and the Cold War, humanity entered a golden age unprecedented in history over the next thirty years. Countless records and remaining relics prove that humans of that era had already reached the other side of the stars, and just one step forward would have led them into the realm of the gods.

They created life, delayed death, captured meteors, and occupied the sky. Countless electromagnetic waves enveloped the entire planet, and hundreds of artificial satellites monitored their homeland. They manipulated the clouds, predicted the future, and were confident that they could control everything on this planet.

But just as all fairy tales say, good times are always very short-lived. After a hundred years of barely escaping World War II, humanity soon faced another war.

The survivors later called it the BIGWAR (Great War).

The exact reasons for what happened and what caused it are unknown. People only knew that in the nearly thirty-year war against the monsters that emerged from the sea—the Deep Sea Fleet—human naval power was completely annihilated.

Aircraft, unable to target the high-speed humanoid targets on the sea surface exceeding forty knots, became scrap metal. Helicopters hovering over the sea were turned into sieves by small missiles. Even satellite weapons fell one by one for unknown reasons. Countless warships sank one after another in the decisive battle against the countless Deep Sea Fleet, becoming floating coffins on the sea, with not a single one remaining.

And then, what happened was quite natural.

Superweapons exploded one after another on the sea surface. Originally, humans only intended to use the power of superweapons to buy some time, and then use improved equipment to completely destroy the Deep Sea. Unfortunately, this precise calculation did not anticipate the Earth's reaction.

The shock waves spread through the ocean, shaking the continental plates, and causing continuous and terrifying earthquakes along the intersecting plate boundaries, which in turn triggered countless tsunamis. These tsunamis swept away all the coastal cities of the world.

The unknown resonance triggered by the shaking continental shelves completely altered the terrain, like the apocalypse described in the Bible. The earth folded like pages, and satellites in the sky fell one after another. The electromagnetic storms caused by the strong magnetic field destroyed all the essence of human civilization, and countless volcanic eruptions spewed debris into space, completely blocking the possibility of launching satellites again.

Humanity thus entered the Dark Age.

And after that, it was the story of the shipgirls salvaged by humans and the Deep Sea Fleet.

"…In short, I leave 111 to you."

Because the surroundings were too monotonous, there wasn't much to say. After a brief description of the environment, the task was assigned.

"Specific formation configurations are up to you. If you find any wreckage, salvage it and send it to the factory for recycling. Also, because of the preparation for 1-4, I allow you to use 80% of your firepower and aircraft. Later, I'll take you to the warehouse to get the equipment."

"80%…"

At the mention of this number, Central Planning Ship No. 1, a battleship, subtly grinned and let out a dry laugh.

"The admiral is still so poor. Even for 1-4, you won't use full firepower. That's a nightmare-level difficulty with countless Deep Sea. I can't even remember the last time I was fully stocked. At least give me a few bottles of vodka to boost my courage."

"Hey! Do you want to fight, No. 1!"

At the sound of Planning Ship No. 1's complaint, Enterprise immediately glared at her.

"There's no choice, as using full firepower is too wasteful." The admiral shrugged, patted Enterprise's head, and smiled helplessly.

"Speaking of vodka, we really can't do anything about it. Although there are still many things left here, there isn't a single bottle of vodka. That needs to be specially supplied from the Black Sea base, and we can't get a ship here because it's too far away."

The abandoned base, isolated overseas, was over two thousand kilometers from the nearest human front line. This distance was clearly beyond the reach of supply ships. So, No. 1 just shrugged and said, "I was just joking," and sat down on the chair, waiting for the admiral's next instructions.

But there was an obvious issue in the conversation that couldn't be ignored.

"Wait, there are good things left?"

111 shook her head, putting aside the crazy idea of over three hundred Deep Sea, and quickly caught another sensitive point, looking at the admiral, who was as poor as a church mouse, with a puzzled expression.

"Isn't this an abandoned base? What's left here?"

"Even if it's an abandoned base, it's still a recorded one. The coordinates of a base that has survived in so many records, what do you think this place is? Although resources are tight, equipment is basically not a problem."

In response to 111's question, Enterprise, who had just spat at Planning Ship No. 1, quickly turned around, looking enthusiastic, and patted her chest, which had nothing, proudly saying,

"This base is one of the legacies of the human naval combined fleet. It was called 'Guam' back then, but it doesn't matter now. Anyway, it's just a small island of less than a hundred square kilometers. Whatever we can salvage from the sea is what we get. So, the resources for large-scale construction are also thanks to the surrounding environment."

"By the way, these things were all from the United States back then."

"This 'by the way' is the main point."

Because it's an American ship.

Planning Ship No. 2 explained to 111 with a serious face, earning a fierce glare from Enterprise.

"After all, the data for this base was found by Enterprise and me back then, so even though I know Enterprise is just a secondary ship, I always treat her as the flagship. It's normal to be a bit proud."

"Oh, it's time. I'll go and see if I can get something."

The admiral smiled, looked at his watch, and left the room, leaving the other shipgirls with strange smiles and Enterprise with a face like she had eaten something foul.

"…"

The air was filled with an awkward atmosphere.

Seeing the others' expressions of watching a show, 111敏锐地意识到这似乎是自己背锅，不是，是融入团体的时机。讪笑了一声，凑到了那个一脸古怪，满头大汗的小女孩旁边。

“企业号不是原型舰和唯一英雄舰么？为什么提督到现在都认为你是复制品和次级型号？只要看一眼就能看出来了吧？”

“切，反正也不是什么值得好笑的事情。”

一脸阴霾的企业号不屑地往旁边啐了一口，吊起眼角瞪了一眼111号。

“老娘当年瞎了眼，以为提督是个蠢货。所以骗提督说我是复制品残次品想让提督趁早把我拆了，但是他却信以为真还老是保护我。我就这么上了他的当，从了他了。怎么样？满意了吧？”

“……不，没什么。”

不能笑，如果笑出来的话就死定了。

看着企业号满脸通红一副要打架的不爽表情，111号强忍着笑意，转身看着墙洞外那碧蓝的大海。

但是这一看，就看到了一副让她感到震惊的景色。

“那是，什么？”

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(Note: The last part of the text contains some incomplete sentences and context that might be specific to the story. I've translated it as accurately as possible, but some nuances might be lost or require additional context to fully understand.)