Elder brother's garrison

Page 1819

The sun rises again and again from the steel jungle.

The festive atmosphere on the streets of Yuncheng was gradually peeled away, like an untimely pimple, thanks to the hard work of the street cleaners who returned to work.

Yuncheng has been restored to its former bustling and modern state.

TVs in every household are gradually returning to airing programs featuring the "Kantai Collection" girls. As the Kantai Collection girls return to the public eye, topics and discussions about Kantai Collection girls are once again spreading like wildfire online.

Compared to the wildly popular ship girl group, perhaps because it hasn't been seen by the public for a long time, the search term "actor Lu Ming," which once firmly surpassed the ship girl group, has finally succumbed to the passage of time. Its ranking has been surpassed by various celebrities, and it has gradually fallen behind, dropping from first place to second, then third, and fourth...

Unbeknownst to many, the search term for "actor Lu Ming" has changed to "Where did Lu Ming go?", and he can only maintain a faint presence in an inconspicuous corner of the search rankings.

A week has passed since Xiaobai and his group returned to Yuncheng after the Spring Festival holiday.

That evening, the ship girls and the abyssal deans were watching TV with Lu Ming in the living room.

"Yamato seems to be quite popular lately." On the sofa, the ship girls watched the Deep Sea Yamato dancing and singing energetically on the TV screen and discussed among themselves.

"Just kidding, when have I ever been unpopular!" Upon hearing the ship girls' conversation, Deepsea Yamato proudly puffed out her ample chest and addressed the surrounding ship girls, "You all better be polite to me! I'm a top star now! Do you understand the value of half the nation's fame?"

"Oh—Yamato-neechan has gotten so big!" The ship girls all laughed happily.

"Where? Where am I getting cocky? I... I just have a clear understanding of myself!" Deep Sea Yamato stammered in rebuttal.

"Yamato-neechan is the most talented, hardest-working, and most serious about idol activities among all the Deep Sea Sisters. It would be an injustice if she didn't become famous!"

"Hey! The way you're talking makes it sound like I'm deliberately trying to please humans!!"

"Eh...isn't that right...?"

"Of course not!! It's just that being a celebrity is too easy!"

Deep Sea Yamato argued vehemently with those around him, until their faces turned red with anger.

Sitting among the crowd, Lu Ming looked like a retired old man enjoying his life, quietly holding his water glass and smiling as he looked at Shen Hai Yamato.

Just now.

Suddenly, Lu Ming felt someone pat his shoulder.

Lu Ming turned around to look.

Suddenly, Xiaobai appeared behind her.

Xiao Bai gave her a mysterious smile, then pointed behind him, turned around, and walked up the stairs alone.

As Lu Ming watched Xiao Bai's retreating figure ascend the stairs, she seemed to understand something for a moment. A trace of sorrow and relief, like someone going to their execution, flashed across her eyes. She took one last look at the noisy ship girls around her, gave them a reluctant smile, then silently placed the mug on the coffee table and quietly left the sofa.

A short while after Lu Ming left the sofa, the ship girls on the sofa noticed that she was gone.

"Huh? Wasn't Miss Lu Ming just sitting here? Where did she go?"

"The admiral has also disappeared..."

"Miss Luming? Miss Luming—are you there?"

"Ah! I know, the Admiral must have taken Miss Shikamei for her final treatment!"

"Wow! So Miss Luming is recovering soon? That's wonderful! Once Miss Luming is fully recovered, shall we take her to the park together?"

"Duh, Miss Lu Ming will definitely go back to work as soon as she recovers! She still has more than a dozen movies to film! She won't have time to fool around with us."

"Oh... (feeling down)"

"However... well... with our admiral's connections, we should still be able to occasionally have some fun with Miss Shikamei, right?"

"Eh! Really?!"

The ship girls' jubilant voices immediately echoed throughout the hall.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the villa.

As Lu Ming walked up the stairs, he saw Xiao Bai waiting for him at the corner on the second floor.

"Miss Luming, you've arrived." Xiaobai smiled at Luming and waved.

“…Hmm.” Lu Ming looked at Xiao Bai quietly, her gaze lingering on Xiao Bai’s smiling face for a moment, her expression somewhat dazed.

"This morning, Ms. Luming, your manager called me." Xiaobai walked up to Luming, took her hand, and led her into a room. As she spoke, "Because you haven't revealed any information to the public for a month and a half, and the Kantai Collection girl group's show is constantly attracting fans, the online buzz about you has dropped rapidly... So the company is very anxious and sent your manager to ask me how you are doing and whether it's suitable for you to return to work quickly."

Xiao Bai spoke to Lu Ming as if they were having a casual chat.

Lu Ming listened quietly to Xiao Bai's words, letting Xiao Bai pull him towards a room not far away.

"Is it time for the final treatment?" After hearing Xiaobai's words, Lu Ming's eyes flashed with a hint of sadness, and then he lowered his head to ask Xiaobai.

"Okay!" Xiaobai nodded and smiled at Luming. "Don't worry, after so many days of observation, Vestal Goddess and Yubari have confirmed that your physical condition is perfectly ready for the final treatment. After this treatment, Miss Luming, you won't have to worry about the ship equipment energy in your body corroding you anymore! As for what happens after you recover... Although Yamato and the others attracted quite a few fans while you were resting, I believe in you! With your strength, as long as you appear in front of your fans again, you will definitely be able to quickly regain your former status as a national star!"

As Xiaobai finished speaking, she made a cheering gesture towards Luming, her face full of hope.

Lu Ming looked at Xiao Bai's expression and simply smiled.

"Thank you so much for taking care of me during this time," Lu Ming said sincerely to Xiao Bai.

"You're welcome, we're friends!" Xiaobai grabbed Luming's hand and led her to the door of the room. "Miss Luming, let's go in quickly, the goddess of the hearth and Yubari are already prepared inside!"

"……Um."

Xiao Bai pushed open the door with one hand.

Upon entering the room, it was completely dark.

The windows of the room were blocked by heavy curtains, preventing any light from entering. It seemed that, taking into account the experience of the last treatment, the walls and floors of the room were covered with a thin layer of protective plastic film. Furniture such as beds, tables, and chairs had been removed, leaving only a bare blue cushion in the middle of the room.

Beside the blue cushion, Yubari squatted on the ground, adjusting a biomagnetic field detection device.

On the other side of the blue cushion, the goddess of the hearth also released her medical ship equipment and closed her eyes to rest.

The scene in the room was exactly as Lu Ming had imagined.

Lu Ming entered the room, her gaze sweeping over the female hearth goddess and Yubari. She was about to greet the two in the room when she suddenly saw something unexpected in the corner of the room.

Lu Ming was stunned.

In the corner of the room, Missouri, who shouldn't have been there, stood there with a smile, like an unrelated bystander.

"Admiral, Senior Lu Ming, you've arrived." Missouri smiled and bowed to Lu Ming and Xiao Bai as soon as she saw them.

"..." Lu Ming blinked and looked down at Xiao Bai with curiosity.

“Miss Luming, Missouri is also one of the helpers in today’s final treatment.” Xiaobai said to Luming, then gave her a mysterious smile and pointed to the blue cushion not far away. “Let’s get started without delay.”

"..." Lu Ming seemed to understand what Xiao Bai meant, and she nodded gently. Then she walked to the blue cushion, pressed her thighs, and knelt down on it.

After Lu Ming took his seat.

Yubari came up with a measuring instrument and, as usual, examined Shikamei's body.

"Yes, the ship equipment energy in her neck has reached its limit. In about half a day, this energy will start to spread again and then damage Miss Shikamei's body." After examining Shikamei's body, Yubari said to everyone, "Today is the best time to carry out the final treatment, and it is also the last time."

The female Stove Goddess stepped forward and gently patted Lu Ming's shoulder with her palm. In the dim environment, a faint light emanated from the female Stove Goddess and spread to Lu Ming's body.

"This is the energy I usually use to heal my ship equipment," the Vesta explained to Lu Ming. "Although you have lost your ship equipment, this healing energy can still help calm the rampaging ship equipment energy in your body. Your treatment should feel better in a little while."

The goddess of the hearth's gaze was full of concern.

Lu Ming looked at the faint light emanating from his body, then smiled and nodded at the female hearth goddess.

Lu Ming raised his hand and gently unbuttoned the collar of his shirt, one button at a time, until the collar was undone, revealing his fair and flawless collarbone and neck.

Lu Ming remained kneeling on the ground, gently pulling his collar to one side to reveal half of his delicate, jade-like shoulder.

After doing all this, Lu Ming slightly raised his head and closed his eyes.

Lu Ming was prepared to have Xiao Bai bite his neck and drain the last bit of his ship equipment energy.

With his eyes closed, Lu Ming could feel the coolness of the indoor air rubbing against his shoulders, the vibrations from the footsteps of people around him, and the faint breaths that rippled through the air before finally patting his shoulders.

However, the expected sharp teeth did not arrive immediately.

Chapter 2510 Become Human, or Become a Ship Girl Again?

Lu Ming is not stupid.

Although the goddess of the hearth and Yubari never told her, she was very clear about what would happen to her after Shiro absorbed the energy in her body.

—I will, completely and utterly, become human.

Even so, during this period of recuperation, Lu Ming never showed any sadness or anxiety to those around him.

Lu Ming had already accepted reality.

Lu Ming accepted reality sooner than anyone else.

……

In the darkness, the expected fangs did not arrive on time.

Lu Ming loosened his collar in confusion, opened his eyes, and looked at the little white dog in front of him.

Instead of baring its teeth and approaching as Lu Ming had predicted, Xiao Bai stood still and took something out of its pocket.

A few seconds later, Xiaobai pulled a sparkling crystal bottle out of his clothes.

In the dimly lit room, a crystal bottle shimmered with a firefly-like light, and a red and white capsule inside was constantly tumbling up and down under Xiaobai's control.

“Miss Luming, before the final treatment, I need to tell you a few things.” Xiaobai held the crystal bottle in her hand, breathed on Luming, and then slowly said, “Miss Luming, have you heard of… nerve potions?”

"...?" Lu Ming tilted his head in confusion.

"The so-called nerve agent is a secret known only to a select few within the admiral community," Xiaobai said, shaking the bottle in her hand. "To better coordinate with the ship girls, the admiral headquarters developed a special drug. Anyone who takes this drug, even the most ordinary human, can activate a special ability called the Admiral Network. Through this ability, admirals can share tactical information and transmit orders with the ship girls extremely quickly, and also establish a so-called mental link with them, allowing the ship girls to fight on the high seas without any worries."

"Is this it?" Lu Ming's gaze lingered on Xiao Bai's crystal bottle.

“That’s right.” Xiaobai nodded to Luming, “This is my dose of the nerve potion.”

"...I've never heard anyone mention this before."

"Yes, because of the existence of the nerve agent, it's a secret even within the admiral circle." Xiaobai smiled slightly. "Generally speaking, only admirals whose potential or strength has been recognized can secretly obtain a nerve agent from the admiral guild, and each admiral only has one chance to obtain it."

"……once?"

"Ah."

"You...didn't you eat?" Lu Ming asked in confusion.

"Well... due to some special reasons, I opened the Admiral Network through other means." Xiaobai gave Luming a wry smile, then shook his head, as if trying to expel some unhappy memories from his mind, and continued to say to Luming, "But that matter is not important! What is important is that I now have an unopened, genuine nerve agent!"

Xiaobai's admiral network wasn't unlocked by taking medicine.

Xiaobai's Admiral Network was activated when Muxi, who was impersonating Ella, forced her to drink her own blood. Because of this, the nerve potion originally used to activate the Admiral Network became useless, so Xiaobai saved it and brought it back to the naval base. When Xiaobai told Muyu about this afterward, Muyu had no intention of taking back the nerve potion, so Xiaobai carefully preserved the nerve potion until now.

However, the whole incident was too unpleasant for Xiaobai to tell Luming.

"In short, this is the first thing I want to tell you, Miss Luming." Xiaobai stepped forward, holding the nerve potion, and slowly spoke to Luming. "And the second thing I'm going to tell you, Miss Luming, you may have already realized. That is, according to our previous plan, after this treatment is over, Miss Luming, the ship equipment energy in your body will be completely absorbed by me, not a single drop will be left. From then on, Miss Luming, you will lose the protection of the ship girl's power... For example, the exquisite appearance, perfect figure, smooth and moist skin that you were born as a ship girl... In short, all these beautiful things will begin to age slowly with time, just like humans."

"..." Lu Ming listened silently to Xiao Bai's words, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

"...So you knew after all." Seeing that Lu Ming didn't react, Xiao Bai couldn't help but sigh. "I had a feeling that you, Miss Lu Ming, had something on your mind, as if you were hiding something from me. It seems that's why..."

"..."

Lu Ming didn't respond, but simply smiled silently at Xiao Bai.

Lu Ming's smile was very calm.

However, this faint smile, in Xiaobai's eyes, made him feel a little sad.

"...Compared to death, perhaps becoming completely human is a better ending." Xiaobai said to Luming, holding the medicine bottle in her hand. "But...I still feel that this ending is too cruel for you, Miss Luming. So, from a friend's point of view, I really want to do something to help you..."

At this point, Xiaobai raised the medicine bottle in her hand.

“After discussing your condition with Vestal and the others that day, for some reason, I suddenly remembered this, this nerve potion that I’ve been keeping.” Xiaobai opened the bottle, gently picked up the capsule with two fingers, and said to Luming, “To be honest, I don’t know if this thing will work as I expect, or if it will cause any unexpected problems when used on retired ship girls… But if my guess is correct, this thing might be able to help Miss Luming regain her identity as a ship girl.”

“…!” Lu Ming’s calm gaze froze the moment he heard Xiao Bai’s last words.

"...Reclaim...the identity of a ship girl...?" Lu Ming murmured in inquiry.

"Hmm." Xiaobai nodded to Luming. "Miss Luming, do you know? The so-called Admiral Network is actually a form of mental energy. And mental energy is precisely the medium that ship girls use to control their ship equipment. Listen, Miss Luming, your mental energy has dissipated to almost nothing after your ship equipment was dismantled. When I absorb the last bit of ship equipment energy from your body, both ship equipment energy and mental energy will completely disappear from your body. At that moment, you will be completely indistinguishable from an ordinary person. In other words, when that time comes, when you take this nerve potion again, your body will generate mental energy again!"

At this point, Xiaobai waved to Missouri, who was standing in the corner of the room.

Missouri stepped forward.

"Missouri, is it convenient for you to retrieve that thing I asked you to pick up in Kyoto before?" Xiaobai asked.

"Admiral, that's perfectly fine." Missouri nodded with a smile, and with a gentle wave of her hand, a white light flashed in front of Xiaobai and Luming.

boom!