Three days passed quickly.
During these three days, Lin Lan continued to use meta crystals daily to suppress Sui Qiong's metamorphosis, and in the afternoons, he would spar with Prinz Eugen.
Naturally, their sparring attracted the attention of other Iron Blood shipgirls, and a sizable crowd would gather each time to watch.
Mornings were spent in the office with his secretary ship and Sui Qiong managing and organizing port resources.
Afternoons were for sparring, and at night, he shared a bed with his secretary ship.
It was a thoroughly consistent routine.
Lin Lan hadn't forgotten his promise to play hide-and-seek with the Z-destroyers and the members of the Wolfpack.
However, playing hide-and-seek with the little chibis of the Wolfpack was incredibly challenging.
Even with the power of the Hero, it was extremely difficult to locate the U-boats that could completely conceal even their aura.
Through these games, he discovered that every time he felt as though he was being watched while walking through the port, it was actually the Wolfpack keeping tabs on him.
As a seasoned commander, he was well aware that the submarine shipgirls in his port had this peculiar habit.
Since it was his own shipgirls following him, and he had nothing to hide, there was nothing to be concerned about.
Over on Akashi's end, the production of Sui Qiong's weapon systems had finally gotten on track.
The blueprints had all been completed, but neither Akashi nor others like Deutschland and Magdeburg were content with just conventional weapons.
As far as Lin Lan knew, they had already begun modifying and upgrading the Sui Qiong mecha's weapons using wisdom cube technology.
After all, the weapon systems Sui Qiong provided were originally designed for use with a mecha body.
Now that she had become a shipgirl, her weapons naturally had to be mounted like ship rigging.
Lin Lan also visited the Iron Blood workshop to observe their progress. Many of the materials had been sourced through the Tian'ou Group.
He had to admit—having a national industrial apparatus backing you made everything far easier.
Speaking of the Tian'ou Group, on the morning of the third day, Lin Lan had a remote meeting with Jian Qian'ou in the office, accompanied by Bismarck.
As expected, after thoroughly reviewing the logs of several long-distance voyages by the Tian'ou Group that had met with accidents over the past six months, Jian Qian'ou discovered several incidents that pointed to Leviathan attacks.
Some of the surviving crew members from Tian'ou's ships claimed they were attacked by terrifying tentacles.
Previously, the Tian'ou Group had written these off as the delusions of civilians who had encountered Sirens.
But after careful screening, Jian Qian'ou realized the descriptions of the victims were strikingly consistent. It was clear these incidents were the work of Leviathan.
After instructing Jian Qian'ou to strengthen security measures, Lin Lan also inquired about the West Continent's Scientific Research Institute.
To his surprise, upon hearing that the Führer himself was interested in the institute, Jian Qian'ou immediately granted Lin Lan a new identity through the network system:
Lin Lan was now the acting president of the West Continent Scientific Research Institute, representing the Tian'ou Group.
This outcome left Lin Lan both amused and exasperated. He had merely asked a casual question but didn't expect such a flattering overreaction.
In addition, Lin Lan asked about the current state of Battleaxe Military Industries.
That inquiry brought an unexpectedly surprising piece of intelligence.
Ye Zhanke, the owner of Battleaxe, had secretly issued orders instructing all regional general managers in Battleaxe's cities to go all out in mass-producing combat mechs.
They had even abandoned their plans to compete with the Tian'ou Group in the long-range voyage industry, all to focus on building combat mechs.
Clearly, the destruction of their influence in two cities had rattled Ye Zhanke.
This development had already been within Lin Lan's expectations—he knew it was only a matter of time before Battleaxe clashed with the Tian'ou Group.
But what truly caught him off guard was that Battleaxe Military Industries wasn't just accusing the Tian'ou Group of betrayal to the Zhu Hai Commerce Association; they also seemed prepared to turn against the Navy Department.
Ye Zhanke, believing in the power of his massive mech army, no longer bothered to conceal his ambitions.
He intended to amass troops and drag the West Continent into the abyss of war—until all forces submitted to him.
The shadow of war had begun to spread over the West Continent.
After hearing the news from Jian Qian'ou, Lin Lan couldn't help but feel deep disdain for Battleaxe's leader.
Even now, Orlan hadn't resolved the crisis with the Sirens, yet that man was ready to launch a civil war for personal gain.
Did he really think that once the Navy Department was gone, they could still defend Orlan?
The Sirens might be playing house with the pawn shipgirls for now, but if the Navy Department disappeared, who knew whether they'd get bored and flip the whole table?
Nevertheless, Lin Lan wasn't the least bit concerned about Battleaxe's troop buildup.
Though Battleaxe's industrial might far exceeded that of the Tian'ou Group, and their massive mech army could indeed overwhelm the Navy Department…
He had already found the fastest way to end the war.
As long as they could strike and decapitate Battleaxe's corporate headquarters—Battleaxe Tower in Haifeng City—the company would collapse like a house of cards.
Once Haifeng City fell, if the Navy Department and the Tian'ou Group launched a simultaneous military operation and offered terms for surrender, Battleaxe's cities would fall in line.
If Lin Lan led the Iron Blood fleet to negotiate the surrenders himself, the regional general managers might resist surrendering to outsiders.
But if the offer came from the Tian'ou Group and the Navy Department—as a civil war—those general managers would have no reason to fight to the death.
After all, in a commercial system, what mattered most to general managers was profit.
Once the leadership fell, those general managers would naturally begin looking for a new backer.
They might not bow to the mysterious and terrifying Iron Blood fleet, but faced with compatriots offering a way out, they'd be far more willing to comply.
Especially when it came to the Tian'ou Group, representing the commercial elite, and the Navy Department, which had powerful pawn shipgirls.
Faced with those two forces, Lin Lan couldn't believe that all of Battleaxe's general managers would be foolish enough to resist in a meaningless civil war.
And for those unwilling to surrender, the Tian'ou Group, which controlled public opinion, could use the media to force them into submission.
It was worth remembering: although the people of the United States of Orlan had accepted the rule of the Zhu Hai Commerce Association, that didn't mean they accepted war.
Especially the civil war.
Of course, Lin Lan's entire plan depended on one key element: the successful decapitation of Ye Zhanke.
As the headquarters of Battleaxe, Haifeng City would surely be heavily fortified.
But the strength of shipgirls lay precisely in their unmatched mobility for surgical decapitation operations.
Capturing Ye Zhanke alive might be difficult, but a swift assassination…
Lin Lan was confident that Bismarck, at his side, had countless ways to physically eliminate Battleaxe's stronghold in Haifeng City.
He planned to discuss this matter with Jian Qian'ou again later, and would need to strategize the specifics with Bismarck and the other Iron Blood shipgirls.
At the end of the communications meeting, Jian Qian'ou suddenly made an unexpected request:
"Führer, I have a small matter to trouble you with."
"Recently, some petty ants within Tian'ou have shown signs of dissatisfaction with you, and even questioned my decisions."
"Therefore, I hope the Führer can personally visit Yunhai City next month and let these ants witness your supreme power."
"That way, the entire Tian'ou Group will be united as one and serve you more efficiently."
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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