Chapter 116: Return

As the merchant ship gave two long blasts, it gradually drew alongside the pier. Qin Ge's command ship also gradually approached the pier and stopped.

"We finally arrived." Qin Ge said wearily. Although Guanghui kept him company chatting, he could not dispel the fatigue from prolonged lack of rest.

"Hmm, Commander." Banrenma said to Qin Ge with some heartache.

"Then let's go and hand over with Captain Zhou Wei." Qin Ge said to everyone.

"Yes." Several people nodded, followed Qin Ge down the ship, and arrived on the pier.

Since it was already early morning, the freighter could only wait until dawn to let workers unload the cargo, so there were few people on the pier now.

Just as Qin Ge approached, Zhou Wei also came down from the ship with a person, and the two groups met beneath the passenger ship.

"You've worked hard on the way, Commander Qin Ge." Zhou Wei extended his hand to Qin Ge.

"It's my duty, of course." Qin Ge also reached out and grasped Zhou Wei's hand.

After shaking hands, they let go. Zhou Wei turned, took the commission form from the person behind him, and handed it to Qin Ge.

"This is your commission form; I've already written the evaluation and stamped it." Zhou Wei said to Qin Ge.

Qin Ge took the commission form and said to Zhou Wei, "Thank you very much. I still need to return to the academy as soon as possible, so goodbye, Captain Zhou Wei."

"All right, safe travels, Commander Qin Ge." Zhou Wei nodded at Qin Ge and said.

"Goodbye."

After saying that, Qin Ge brought his shipgirl back onto the command ship.

"It's now 3:40 a. m.; I estimate that by the time we get back to the academy, it will be around noon, almost afternoon." Qin Ge said while steering the ship out of the harbor, to the three women surrounding him.

"Hmm, after you set the autopilot, Commander, you should go rest a bit." Banrenma said to Qin Ge, "We'll call you when we're near the academy."

"How can that be? You girls have to hold out until then; how could I possibly give up easily?" Qin Ge said to Banrenma.

"Actually, Commander Qin Ge can arrange it like this: after you set the autopilot, you can let those two go to sleep first."

The radar on the command ship can promptly detect any possible enemies nearby, so patrols like the earlier merchant ship escort are unnecessary.

"After that, rotating every three hours, we will surely see the Commander Academy, and you all can get sufficient rest." Guanghui suggested to Qin Ge.

Qin Ge nodded, "Then let's do as Guanghui said: Banrenma and Nengdai, you go rest first. After three hours, I'll call Banrenma first; then Banrenma will monitor the command ship's status, and after another three hours Nengdai will take over."

"Yes, Commander." Banrenma and Nengdai nodded and headed together toward the bedroom.

Actually, the interior of the command ship is quite spacious, because it needs to accommodate the daily life of the commander and the shipgirls, so facilities like the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, etc., are all complete.

Moreover, most command ships are double-decked, just like the luxury yachts Qin Ge saw in his previous world. However, his bedroom design is much smaller than a luxury yacht, sufficient only for ordinary rest and office needs.

Take the command ship Qin Ge is operating, for example: beside the helm on the upper deck are the kitchen and an integrated lounge; aft are two bedrooms and a relatively small bathroom; and on the second level there is another lounge and two bedrooms.

Seeing Banrenma and Nengdai go into the bedroom to rest, Qin Ge breathed a sigh of relief, then after setting the autopilot, he said to Guanghui, "Guanghui, you should also go rest soon; I can still hold out here, but you've nearly gone a day without rest."

"Hehe, Commander Qin Ge, don't worry about me; you know I'm very suited to night combat." Guanghui said to Qin Ge.

Guanghui's words also made Qin Ge blink; he immediately realized that, in fact, Guanghui also has a very famous nickname in the Royal Navy: Lasiti.

The reason for this nickname is that Guanghui's power is strong; legend says that during sea trials she reached 113,700 horsepower, 234.2 rpm, and a speed of 31 knots, earning her the sailors' nickname "Thelustylady," an energetic lady.

The reason this nickname became famous is the battle that made her renowned: the night raid on Taranto. In that battle, Guanghui inherited an Italian battleship, heavily damaged two, and injured two Italian cruisers and two auxiliary vessels each.

"Well, then I'll trouble you to keep me company for a chat; by around tomorrow morning's sunrise, Banrenma and Nengdai can handle the things below. Then you can also rest with me..." Qin Ge said, his expression stiffening, and he quickly waved his hand.

"What I mean is, you don't have to stay up late; you can go rest."

Guanghui smiled faintly, "Commander Qin Ge, I didn't misunderstand."

Qin Ge embarrassedly rubbed his head, coughed, and said, "Um, then let's continue talking about the battles you encountered on the front line; we previously discussed the operation supporting Telin Island."

"Hmm, your memory is really good; let's continue." Guanghui said with a smile.

As the two kept chatting, Qin Ge's fatigue gradually faded and he became spirited.

Seeing the sea outside gradually brighten, Qin Ge and Guanghui walked out of the bridge together and came onto the outer deck.

"It's not bad to have held on until this time; I didn't expect to actually see a sunrise at sea." Qin Ge gripped the railing and looked eastward.

There, a fiery red sun slowly rose from the horizon, its tip suspended in the cloud layer, radiating light in layers, the sea of clouds dyed orange-red and bright, like a blazing fire.

"I also haven't seen such a sea sunrise for a long time; after seeing it today, I feel it has a special kind of splendor." Guanghui looked at the red sun and nodded to Qin Ge.

"Really beautiful." Qin Ge said, "Perhaps this is what you will become, Guanghui, like the red sun on the horizon, shedding your radiance upon the world."

"Are you praising me, Commander Qin Ge?" Guanghui smiled.

"Of course, doesn't this sound like praise?" Qin Ge wondered.

"Nothing much; I just didn't expect Commander Qin Ge to also know how to sweet-talk girls." Guanghui laughed, sunlight on her face giving a slight reddish feeling.

Qin Ge rubbed his head, "So this is what it means to sweet-talk girls?"

"Hehe, that's exactly it." Guanghui said.

"Um, okay, then let's keep watching the sunrise..." Qin Ge rubbed his nose and quickly changed the subject.