Chapter 311: 303: If Anyone Dares to Oppose Hammann, I’ll—
Hammann, the white-haired, beast-eared tsundere chibi, was pouting with cheeks puffed in indignation.
Beside her stood the smiling, tanned-skinned heavy cruiser girl Northampton, and a petite blonde girl with a side ponytail and ahoge, wearing the same deep-blue sailor uniform as Gridley—none other than the track-and-field star, Maury.
These were the escort ships who once accompanied the Yorktown sisters.
To Lin Lan's surprise, all three of the Yorktown sisters—Yorktown herself, Enterprise, and Hornet—had changed into elegant evening gowns as if attending a banquet.
Even Northampton was dressed up similarly.
Only Maury and Hammann remained in their usual outfits, likely because they had just arrived and hadn't had time to change yet.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting. Ah, Northampton, Maury, it's been a while."
Smiling, Lin Lan unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car.
He first tidied up his windswept hair, then walked over with a warm smile to greet the Eagle Union shipgirls standing before him.
As expected, the deliberately ignored little tsundere Hammann widened her pale blue eyes in disbelief when she didn't hear her name.
Was the idiot commander who had left them behind really ignoring her?
No way!
Had he forgotten her?
While poor Hammann's brain froze and the long-prepared list of complaints got stuck in her throat, her whole body trembled in frustration, unable to speak—
Lin Lan suddenly bent down and scooped the white-stocking girl into his arms, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes.
"And of course, my most adorable Hammann. It's been so long since I've hugged you. Let me take a good look—have you gotten skinnier?"
"Ah... ah..."
Caught off guard, Hammann's face turned bright red like a ripe apple. For a moment, she just froze like a plush toy, forgetting to struggle.
Seeing Hammann's bashful little face buried in his arms, unable to meet his gaze or even string together a coherent sentence, Lin Lan couldn't help but smile with delight.
He wasn't joking—this white-stocking tsundere, who had undergone her Mk.II retrofit, had been part of his base since launch, and was one of the most famous tsundere shipgirls in the game.
Hammann's personality was the textbook definition of lovable tsundere, and once upon a time, even sparked the rise of a group among players known as the "Church of Hammann."
This group adopted the motto, "If anyone dares to oppose Hammann, I'll smash their dog head," and at its peak, commanded a massive following—nearly half the player base.
But as the game updated and new tsundere shipgirls like Hipper, Yukikaze, and Chao Ho appeared, and the tsundere archetype fell out of fashion, the Church of Hammann eventually faded into obscurity.
Even so, Lin Lan, once a devoted member of the Church, still held a burning affection for Hammann in his heart.
He'd been waiting to tease her like this for a long time—and knowing she would surely scold him the moment they met, he decided to strike first.
"Hahaha, you really are the commander who knows everyone best. Hammann, he's already figured you out inside and out,"
Maury finally laughed aloud in relief and ran up to Lin Lan, arms outstretched for a hug.
Lin Lan didn't hesitate. He picked up Maury too, cradling both girls in his arms.
"Heehee, Hammann was even bold enough to kick the commander out of his office once. Maybe the commander's just developed immunity after dealing with her for so long."
Hornet chuckled as she watched Hammann lose her footing in this exchange.
Just then, New Jersey stepped out of the car along with Anchorage and Eldridge.
Seeing the radiant smile on Yorktown's face, she suddenly realized she'd forgotten something.
"Oh no! I didn't have time to put Honey in my most seductive dress!"
Hearing this, Lin Lan turned curiously toward Yorktown, who was dressed in a seductive off-shoulder black gown, and asked:
"But isn't it still midday? A party should be different from a banquet, right? No need for formal dresses?"
"Commander, a banquet is a formal party. They're essentially the same thing."
Yorktown gently stroked the bald eagle perched on her arm as she softly explained to Lin Lan.
Lin Lan nodded in understanding. After all, he was from Dragon Empery and wasn't deeply familiar with the distinctions between parties and banquets.
Still, seeing that the eagle's talons hadn't harmed Yorktown's fair arm, he confirmed it must be part of her aircraft carrier rigging.
"Commander, this large indoor mall has a full holographic simulation system. It can simulate nighttime scenes,"
Enterprise added in her straightforward tone, prompting an annoyed glare from Hornet, who clearly thought her sister was ruining the surprise.
"Enterprise! That was supposed to be a surprise! You're not supposed to say that until the commander sees it himself!"
"It's fine, really. I'm actually looking forward to it more now," Lin Lan chuckled. "Though I thought there'd be a big welcome crowd out front... is everyone already inside?"
Though he had already seen this kind of over-the-top holographic tech at the villa in Yunhai City, Lin Lan knew better than to spoil the surprise.
Northampton, who had been silently smiling this whole time, finally responded:
"Yes, everyone's already inside and everything's ready. We're just waiting for the star of the party to arrive."
Just then, Hammann finally came to her senses.
Although her face was still bright red, she glared at Lin Lan with a mix of bashfulness and righteous fury and shouted:
"Hmph! You made everyone wait so long!
And you disappeared from the base without a word, then ended up unconscious and made big sis Yorktown and me worry so much! You idiot! Idiot!! IDIOT!!!"
Well, there it was—Hammann's long-awaited voice. As a devout member of the Church of Hammann, Lin Lan felt deeply satisfied.
The only problem was that her voice was really loud, and it made his head buzz a bit.
Meanwhile, Maury, sitting in his other arm, had wisely covered both ears as soon as Hammann opened her mouth, narrowly avoiding the sonic assault.
After much coaxing and soothing, Lin Lan finally managed to calm Hammann's flustered rage.
Now that he knew all his Eagle Union shipgirls were waiting inside the mall, he didn't want to delay any longer.
After exchanging a few more greetings with Maury and Northampton, the group headed through the main entrance.
As they entered and the automatic doors shut behind them, Lin Lan found himself plunged into darkness—like stepping into a movie theater before the film starts.
"Stupid commander, you'd better hold Hammann's hand! If you trip, Hammann won't help you!"
As Hammann scolded him and grabbed his right hand, Lin Lan couldn't help but wonder why she insisted on holding his hand.
But he soon understood.
Just moments ago, it had been bright midday outside.
Now, inside the mall, the sudden shift in brightness was so intense it felt like total darkness—he couldn't even see his own hand.
Thankfully, with Hammann holding his hand and the sound of Yorktown and New Jersey's footsteps nearby, he didn't lose his way.
Though he had the ability to see in the dark thanks to his "Hero" skills, Lin Lan decided not to use it.
He didn't want to ruin the surprise the Eagle Union girls had worked so hard to prepare.
After all, his shipgirls would never hurt him.
Walking through the darkness, Lin Lan couldn't help but feel a little anticipation.
The Eagle Union was one of the three major factions with the most shipgirls in his base, numbering over a hundred.
Once he saw them all again, it would surely be a visually stunning moment.
But the thought also made him a little uneasy.
Even though he had sworn oaths with every shipgirl, human memory had its limits.
There were nearly fifty destroyer-class Eagle Union shipgirls in his base alone.
Girls like Eldridge, Hammann, Laffey, Gridley, and Maury were easy to remember due to their distinct personalities—but others… he genuinely wasn't sure he could recall all their names.
Even if he could remember about 90% of them, many were from the same ship class, and if he accidentally called someone the wrong name…
That would be very awkward.
_______
50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
_______
If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!