Chapter 346

When Qin Ge arrived at the training field, Li Chenming and the others stood on the pier, holding communication devices and binoculars, watching the fierce battle on the distant sea, saying something.

Qin Ge couldn't help but smile at the sight, but then immediately thought of the impending Siren Tide, and a hint of seriousness flashed in his eyes.

He walked over to the crowd, raised his hand and clapped, saying, "Everyone, pause for a moment and recall all your shipgirls; I have something to tell you."

"Huh? Commander, where did you just go? We didn't see you when we came over." Li Chenming asked Qin Ge, and the others also looked puzzled.

"Wait a moment, I'll explain later; first recall your shipgirls." Qin Ge said.

"Yes." Although they didn't know why Qin Ge wanted the shipgirls recalled, they were sure it was something important to announce, so Li Chenming and the others quickly gave the order.

Qin Ge also took out his communicator at that time and issued the recall order for his own shipgirls.

Soon after, the shipgirls that had been fighting at sea returned to the shore one by one, each going back to their commander's side to ask why they had been recalled.

"Because the commander said he had something to announce, we had no choice but to recall you. And since he spoke so solemnly, it must be a major matter; otherwise he wouldn't have interrupted the drill." Li Chenming told the shipgirls who were asking him.

At that moment, everyone's eyes turned to Qin Ge, waiting for his announcement.

Qin Ge nodded at his own shipgirls, then told the crowd, "Today I'm here to announce one thing: the Siren Tide began last night!"

"What? It started this early? It's only early October; normally it doesn't begin until mid‑October, right?" a few commanders exclaimed.

Qin Ge raised his hand to stop others from speaking, then said, "This year's Siren Tide differs from previous years; in both scale and intensity it is far greater, so you must have a clear understanding of this."

According to my reliable intelligence, the eroded sea areas near the coast have all been upgraded by one level, and this year the Siren Fleet numbers are one‑third greater than last year's.

"Ah, how could that be…?" Li Chenming and the others exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't panic; we aren't going to clash head‑on with the Siren Fleet, but will carry out missions in the near‑sea zone, and these missions won't be overly dangerous—at most they are support and transport tasks."

"This is our first joint operation with the Grand Fleet, and also our first encounter with the Siren Tide, so I must explain the points you need to pay attention to this time." Qin Ge said.

"Yes!" Everyone stood at attention before Qin Ge.

"First, I have taken charge of all these missions, so you only need to carry them out. And during the mission execution, you must maintain smooth communication among yourselves and inspect these devices each time you perform a mission."

"Second, during mission execution you must follow my orders, not change the objectives on your own; if any situation arises, don't panic or lose composure—everything should be as we trained, keeping pace with my fleet."

"Finally, I emphasize that you must stay close to my fleet and not break away for petty gains."

"Our goal this time is to lose no one; make sure your momentary foolishness doesn't cause your shipgirls to sink. I doubt anyone wants that outcome, right?"

After Qin Ge finished speaking, his sharp gaze swept over everyone present; those whom his eyes passed over instinctively straightened their waists.

They had never seen Qin Ge so stern before, but they could understand his mood—after all, he was leading a group of commanders who had never experienced a major battle, and his pressure was easy to imagine.

Alright, that's all I have to say. Next, you go back and prepare a bit. Today you have half a day off; tomorrow morning at 8:00 we'll gather at the warehouse entrance and start the mission together! Qin Ge said.

"Yes!" The loud voice echoed across the training ground. When that voice gradually faded, the commanders in front of Qin Ge had already taken their shipgirls and left the training ground. And in the training ground, only Qin Ge and his shipgirls remained.

He turned to look at his shipgirls, his stern expression softening, "Then let's head back."

"Mm, commander." All the shipgirls nodded.

On the way back, Biaoqiang ran up to Qin Ge's side, "Commander, why don't we set out today? Didn't you just say the battle had already begun last night?"

Qin Ge looked at Biaoqiang and smiled, "Yes, the battle did start last night, but our battle cannot possibly begin now."

We have relatively more information; although we could set out at any time, I need to consider the members of the Grand Fleet. They hardly know anything about the Siren Tide, and they don't have as many shipgirls as I do, nor as much experience.

Therefore, when facing such a large-scale group operation, and the Siren Tide being the greatest test for new commanders, we definitely need some time to adjust our mindset.

I would rather wait one day than have them go into battle filled with doubt, haste, and a hint of worry. One Day's time is enough for them to arrange their affairs and adjust their mindset.

"You really are thinking of them, Commander." Ou ruo la smiled.

"It's nothing, just me helping others as I would help myself. Actually I also want to take this little gap to keep you company and rest properly. Because afterwards, we might not have time to rest for a long stretch." Qin Ge smiled.

"There's no problem; we are shipgirls, born to gallop across the sea. So commander, you don't need to worry too much about us—just focus on your command." Bisimai said, uncharacteristically, but one could hear concern in her tone.

"Heh, I didn't expect you to also have moments of defending the commander; that's really rare." Ou Gen Qin Wang would never miss such a chance to tease each other, and so he smiled and said.

But Bisimai paid no attention to Ou Gen Qin Wang's teasing, remaining calm-faced.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but the commander's leaderly aura is growing stronger and stronger—indeed, he's worthy of my approval." Weineituo smiled.

"Really?" Qin Ge wondered.

All the shipgirls nodded in unison, and Biaoqiang said, "Commander, when we just looked at those commanders, their gaze was sharp, making people involuntarily straighten their backs and also believe in you."

"Exactly……"

On the main road of the Academy, Qin Ge was surrounded by a group of shipgirls, slowly walking back to the Reception House.