Chapter 104: Combat Begins

Deafening cannon fire rang out from very close range; engine-roaring aircraft swooped overhead, and the thick gunpowder smell made Qin Ge sniff his nose.

He had spent four years at a military academy on Earth, and in this world he had already been here for half a year; this time he finally got to witness a real battlefield.

It was nothing like the movies, nothing like his imagination; rather, it was a battlefield reeking of gunpowder, echoing with cannon fire, throbbing with engine noise...

"Commander?" Banrenma looked at Qin Ge and softly called out, because since arriving near the island, Qin Ge's expression had fallen into a daze.

Belfast and Guanghui beside him were also worried, after all everyone has a first time; going to the battlefield sounds easy, but once actually on the battlefield, not everyone's mind can endure it.

Qin Ge shook his head at everyone, indicating they needn't worry. He then looked at the nearby island and smiled, "Banrenma, Belfast, soon we can proclaim our existence to this world."

Guanghui beside him smiled, "Hehe, I was originally a bit worried that Commander Qin Ge might not adapt to the battlefield, but it seems my worry was unnecessary."

Qin Ge laughed and said, "Yeah, seeing the battlefield now, a feeling of anticipation wells up from my heart; it seems I'm also someone who can't sit still."

"Don't worry, Commander, we'll always be by your side in battle!" Banrenma said to Qin Ge.

"Hmm." Qin Ge nodded, slowly easing the command helm, successfully entering the harbor of Muboluodao.

After the command ship came to a complete stop, Qin Ge and the shipgirls disembarked onto the pier. They now needed to report at the check-in office on Muboluodao to undertake the mission.

Because there was a clear sign at the pier, they quickly found the check-in office. The so‑called check‑in office was a temporary tent set up on higher ground, with a few smaller tents beside it.

Upon entering the check‑in office, what surprised Qin Ge was that the person in charge was not a shipgirl but a man.

"Hello, I'm Qin Ge, a first‑year at the Commander Academy, here to report for a support mission I've accepted." Qin Ge said to the man, handing over his mission assignment slip.

"Huh? A cadet commander?" The man took the mission slip from Qin Ge's hand, quickly glanced at his rank, and said somewhat surprised.

"Although I'm a cadet commander, my ability is already up to the task, so the Academy gave me this mission. Are you saying you don't accept cadet commanders here?" Qin Ge said with a smile to the person in charge.

"No, just a bit surprised. Because most who volunteer for support missions are members of the Grand Fleet; suddenly a cadet commander shows up, which really startled me." The man shook his head at Qin Ge.

"Then have you finished verification? Can we proceed with the mission?" Qin Ge asked the man.

"Just a moment, I need to register you." The man said to Qin Ge.

"Sure." Qin Ge nodded.

"May I ask who is participating in the combat? Your assignment lists only two shipgirls, but you've brought three." The man looked at the shipgirls behind Qin Ge.

"The combat shipgirls are Banrenma and Belfast; as for Guanghui, she is not taking part in the fight." Qin Ge told the man.

"Understood." The man nodded, quickly jotting down notes on paper, then took two medals from the drawer and handed them to Qin Ge.

"These two medals are combat merit medals; for each Siren warship your shipgirls sink, the number on the medal increases by one. Later, you'll come here and turn them in based on that number."

Hearing the man's explanation, Qin Ge nodded and handed the two medals over to Belfast and Banrenma.

"Your support period is half a day; starting from now, after six hours you can return." The man said to Qin Ge.

Qin Ge nodded and then asked the man, "Where should we set up our defenses?"

"There's no fixed position." The man explained, "Because we have long‑term stationed free shipgirls here; issuing the mission is to ease their burden. So do your best, act freely."

"Understood." Qin Ge nodded, "Then let's enter the battlefield."

"Hmm, good luck in battle!" The man said to Qin Ge.

"Certainly!" Qin Ge laughed, nodded, and led Banrenma and the others out.

Taking another path from the check‑in office, they soon saw the other side of the island.

At that moment, several Siren warships floated on the endless sea, heading straight for Muboluodao. In the distance, a few shipgirls opened fire on the Siren vessels, while wave after wave of aircraft rushed toward them.

Amid the roar of cannon fire and exploding bombs, a Siren warship belched thick smoke on the sea, then broke apart and sank.

Watching this, Qin Ge involuntarily quickened his pace, and soon the four of them reached the pier.

After adjusting his handheld communicator, Qin Ge slung his binoculars around his neck and told Banrenma and Belfast, "Well then, it's our turn to sortie!"

"Yes!" With a clear cry, Banrenma and Belfast leapt into the sea, deploying their ship equipment in mid‑air and landing steadily on the water.

"Very good." Qin Ge said to them, then began issuing his orders.

"Launch three fighters from Banrenma to scout at 45°, 90°, and 135° headings. Afterwards, Banrenma and Belfast will advance 4 km toward the 90° direction and stand by."

"Yes, Commander (Master)!" Banrenma and Belfast replied in unison.

Immediately, Banrenma drew his longbow and loosed an arrow skyward; that arrow turned into three fighters in mid‑air, which flew off in those three different directions.

Next, Belfast led the way while Banrenma followed behind, both advancing straight toward the 90° direction.

Watching the two recede into the distance, Qin Ge nodded, smiled at Guanghui beside him, and asked, "Guanghui, what do you think our combat tally will be this time?"

"Hard to say, but judging from Commander Qin Ge's order, it looks like you intend to cover a large area," Guanghui replied with a smile.

"That's unavoidable; to gather intel we must expand the range, but with only one carrier we can only do a rough sweep." Qin Ge sighed. "Looks like we'll need to build another carrier next time; with two carriers we could concentrate the search points more densely."

Upon hearing Qin Ge's voice, Guanghui trembled slightly, then curled the corner of her mouth…