Chapter 9

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9. You call this a natural phenomenon?!

"What is that?"

Looking out the window, No. 111 couldn't help but mutter.

The eyesight of a ship girl is many times stronger than that of an ordinary human. For a ship girl, the scenery dozens of kilometers away is almost as clear as if it were right in front of her. Especially for battleship-type ship girls, the precision of hitting nine out of ten shots in a single salvo is not only due to the control of the guns but also the necessity of accurate visual estimation.

This ability is even more prominent in the prototype ships. They are superior to ordinary fleets and deep-sea fleets in every aspect, with high-precision visual range reaching dozens, even hundreds of kilometers. This distance essentially means they can fire several rounds of artillery before the enemy even realizes it.

Radar doesn't represent everything, but the eyes do not deceive.

So No. 111 saw it.

"This is impossible..."

Looking at the black line emerging on the horizon, No. 111's pupils contracted sharply.

The weather at sea is unpredictable. What was a sunny and cloudless sky just a moment ago had turned dark and stormy in just a few minutes.

The deep black clouds were like layers of lead, gradually merging with the pitch-black sea, forming a dark, lightless sky that mercilessly and unswervingly rolled over the insignificant island in the middle of the ocean.

The damp, heavy air was like an invisible hand, choking her throat.

"Oh, you mean those?"

Lifting her eyelids, Enterprise leaned back in her high-backed chair and glanced at the pitch-black sea. She curled her lip in disdain and propped her chin up, looking annoyed.

"Just consider it a natural phenomenon here. There's no need to say much or try to do anything. It's like a storm at sea; seeing it is just a matter of fact. It comes a few times a month, so don't worry."

"Can those be called natural phenomena..."

Looking at the layers of black shadows emerging from the ink-like sea, No. 111 felt her palms start to sweat.

If viewed from a human perspective, one could only see a layer of black mist and overlapping shadows, similar to an ordinary sea storm. But from No. 111's perspective, she could see what was hidden behind those shadows.

Countless deep-sea fleets, with their red lights flickering.

The entire pitch-black sea was filled with these mechanical monsters.

As if the number of their group had no meaning, the deep-sea fleets came in layers, silently sailing from afar, then spreading out in all directions of the sea around the island, like heading towards some unknown destination, spreading out layer by layer of black shadows in the distance.

Destroyers, small deep-sea ships, large battleships, heavy cruisers, light cruisers, aircraft carriers, and various types of deep-sea fleets silently marched on the black sea. Among them were some unique, differently shaped, and seemingly powerful deep-sea ships.

No. 111 even saw a pair of crimson eyes in the core of the deep-sea fleet current, as if sensing something, turn to look at this base.

"..."

Faced with the sudden pressure, No. 111 subconsciously clenched her fists.

But the owner of the crimson eyes did nothing, indifferently turning back and gradually sailing in the direction they were supposed to go.

No. 111 stood by the windowsill, drenched in sweat, feeling her heart pounding, deeply experiencing her weakness against such a large fleet. Faced with the absolute overwhelming force of such a number, a cloud of despair began to envelop No. 111's heart, constantly swirling and deepening.

It's meaningless, right? Facing a fleet of this level. No matter how much resistance, no matter how much struggle, it's meaningless, right? Why can these seniors still laugh at those fleets? Even if just one-tenth of them were sent here, they would surely overwhelm this base?

It's not a difference in combat power, not a difference in performance, not even a difference in mind, but a purely material, numerical difference.

Fighting against a fleet with at least tens of thousands of deep-sea ships is absolutely impossible to win.

The probability of the imaginary fleet winning is zero.

"...So you Japanese ships are useless, I told you, just treat them as a natural phenomenon and there's no problem." Looking at the pale-faced No. 111, Enterprise sighed, stood up from the chair, and patted No. 111's head.

"Black fleet, black parade, call it whatever you want. The deep-sea fleets gather in unknown seas and spread to the world with the ocean currents, that's this natural phenomenon."

"You call this a natural phenomenon?"

"Yes, a natural phenomenon."

Central Planning Ship No. 1 also took a bite of a large loaf of bread that appeared from nowhere and said indistinctly.

"What you see is the tide of all deep-sea fleets that will destroy all admirals, all humans, and all ship girls within a month. What you see are things that are destined to die. So there's no need to be afraid."

"We have our own sea to take care of, and other admirals have their own seas to take care of. Your reaction is the same as No. 110's. At first, No. 110 looked desperate and said we couldn't win, and that everything she did was meaningless. Not doing her job well and wanting to save the world, isn't that just being sick?"

"Stop talking, who doesn't have some embarrassing moments?"

Looking at her sister with a somewhat awkward smile, No. 111 felt her worldview being reshaped again.

"So what are we...?"

"Do your job well, be steady and win, don't seek a big victory or a big defeat, just be steady. That's what the admiral taught us."

No. 110 shook her head at her sister and said with a smile.

"Even though the deep-sea fleets look overwhelming, they are insignificant in front of hundreds of thousands of admirals and millions of ship girls. They are just trash, models without minds and experience. For such trash, even if there are a hundred times more, I can still kill them all."

"The deep-sea fleets are just a facade, not to be feared."

Although a bit subtle, Central Planning Ship No. 2 and Enterprise also comforted the somewhat frightened No. 111 in their own way, showing special care for their junior.

"Eh? Um, that..."

But as the only two named ships, Montana looked at the peaceful atmosphere around her, feeling somewhat neglected. Standing by the table, she pursed her lips, frowned for a long time, then suddenly clapped her hands and showed a healing smile.

"Actually, we are just a bunch of small fries, not that important, that's what it means."

The brown-haired big sister clasped her hands together and said with a smile.

The harmonious atmosphere was instantly shattered.

"...Montana."

Enterprise silently jumped down from the chair, tiptoed, and patted her shoulder.

"Huh? What's wrong, Enterprise? Why do you look so serious?"

"If you can't speak, just shut up. No one thinks you're a mute..."

"Eh?! How can you say that!"

Faced with such harsh words from her comrade, Montana's face immediately turned sad. The other ship girls also gave her a helpless look.

Even in this global situation, individual combat power is indeed insignificant, but it's not right to say it like that. Rather, their fleet is more like the guardians of the border, each capable of forming an army on their own. How did it become "small fries" in Montana's mouth?

"Just leave that idiot alone. Everyone, follow me to the warehouse to change equipment."

As for you, reflect on yourself here!

Glaring at the teary-eyed Montana, Enterprise waved her hand and walked out.

The other ship girls also gave Montana a helpless look and followed Enterprise out of the increasingly damp command center.

But no one noticed that after they left, in the deepest part of the sea mist, a pair of purple eyes slowly opened, staring straight at the island that seemed like a sanctuary in the black current.

Without speaking or making any extra movements, they stared straight at the island.

Their serious expression seemed to want to engrave this scene deep into their soul.