Chapter 351: After the Battle

Although the battle had ended and it was already late at night, everything was still proceeding in an orderly manner.

Guanghui, Xinong, and the others piloted their carrier aircraft, loitering near the battlefield to prevent any new Siren fleet from appearing, while the rest were led respectively by Bisimai and Weineituo to conduct the final battlefield cleanup.

Naturally, this part involved checking the supplies dropped by the just-defeated Siren fleet and the status of any remaining enemies. If any Siren mass-produced warship from that battle had not yet been destroyed, this was the moment to finish it off.

Eliminating all living forces of the Siren fleets is the duty Qin Song, as a commander, must fulfill.

Because the carrier shipgirls were providing escort, the fleet personnel felt completely at ease while cleaning the battlefield, and they finished clearing the sea battlefield in a short time.

Amid the still-burning wreckage of the Siren fleet, the shipgirls neatened their formations and each headed toward their respective command ships.

Qin Song's shipgirls were no exception; when Guanghui and the others boarded, Qin Song was still watching the radar. Although Weineituo had already explained the battlefield situation via the communicator earlier, he remained uneasy during this cleanup period.

"Welcome back!" Qin Song said to his shipgirls, "Just now was a splendid annihilation battle; Weineituo and Bisimai commanded very appropriately, and everyone fought bravely!"

The shipgirls all smiled; they were also very happy and relaxed. After all, the victory in battle and the encouragement from their own commander were the things that made them happiest.

"By the way, Commander, the battle came up rather suddenly, and I forgot to tell you something." Guanghui said to Qin Song.

"What is it?" Qin Song asked, puzzled.

"It's like this: during the Siren Tide, any battle that destroys a medium-sized Siren fleet or larger must submit a written report to the Maritime Affairs Bureau.

The report should introduce the enemy situation at the time of battle, our own situation, the sea area where the battle occurred, the course of the battle, and the loss ratio.

At that time, the Maritime Affairs Bureau will give the Grand Fleet appropriate rewards based on the report's authenticity—sometimes points, special exchange credits, combat exchange vouchers, and so on." Guanghui said to Qin Song.

"I see." Qin Song nodded, "Then I'll take care of this matter, but according to our usual procedure, it seems we can't go to the Maritime Affairs Bureau, so we should just submit this report directly to Ninghai; that should be fine."

"That should work, after all Ninghai is responsible for liaison between the Commander Academy and the Maritime Affairs Bureau, and plus your relationship with Director Qinglong, I believe everything will go very smoothly." Guanghui smiled.

Qin Song smiled, "Alright, since the battle is over, you can just return to normal vigilance procedures. Next, we'll re-form the fleet and head back to the school to hand over the mission."

"Yes, Commander!" All the shipgirls said to Qin Song, nodding in unison.

Following the shipgirls' response, Qin Song turned and walked to the communicator, also notifying this message to the other members of the Grand Fleet.

Although the other members of the Grand Fleet were still enjoying the joy of their first major fleet victory at that moment, upon receiving Qin Song's message, they all expressed their intention to comply and carry it out.

Not long after, the entire command ship formation had finished re-forming and set off in a mighty array toward the academy.

Along the way, although faint battle sounds could still be heard from afar, the distance from Qin Song and the others was already quite great. There was no repeat of the earlier situation, and when they arrived at midnight, everyone safely returned to the academy harbor.

Although quite some time had passed since the battle just finished, when Qin Song gathered the other members, he could see excitement and delight on their faces.

"For our first sortie today, you all performed very well. Not only did you smoothly complete the Grand Fleet's mission, but in the subsequent encounter you were able to remember my instructions as per usual training, without the slightest panic.

This allowed us to coordinate in an orderly fashion and smoothly annihilate a medium-sized Siren fleet. At the same time, it gave us confidence, determination, and the capability to face any Siren fleet we might encounter later.

Therefore, since it's already late at night, we won't continue taking on missions; everyone should go rest in their own rooms early, and we'll regroup at the warehouse door tomorrow morning at the same time.

"Everyone, disperse where you stand, except the Vice Commander, who should stay behind." Qin Song said to everyone.

"Yes!" Despite the late hour, buoyed by the earlier victory's joy, each person replied with a strong, resonant voice.

After the responses, each person, accompanied by their own shipgirl, nodded to Qin Song—either returning to their rooms in the academy, or re-boarding their ships to head to the resting place at the Maritime Affairs Bureau.

Not long after, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Qin Song's shipgirls, as well as Hao, Fanji, and Li Chenming, on the pier.

"Qin Song, why did you ask me to stay behind?" Li Chenming asked, somewhat puzzled.

Qin Song smiled, "You're supposed to be the Vice Commander, but in everyday duties you're just like any other crew member, so I need to find you something to do.

"It just so happens that we completed the Grand Fleet's mission this time, and we also gained quite a bit of loot in the earlier encounter. So I'm handing all of this over to you; you should formally take over the Grand Fleet's logistical support and material supply duties."

"Ah? So sudden?" Li Chenming looked somewhat incredulous; he had thought he would only accept such a task after graduation, when the Grand Fleet officially got on track. He never expected Qin Song to say this now and assign him to do it.

"What's so sudden about it? Our team is now steadily moving onto the proper track, so beginning formalization poses no problem. Moreover, you have advantages in interpersonal relations and handling logistical supplies, so I believe you'll be able to quickly assume this post.

"Or are you lacking confidence in your own abilities?" Qin Song said to Li Chenming, a hint of teasing in his eyes.

"No, I certainly understand my own abilities; I'm just a bit surprised. But since the Commander trusts me so much, I will absolutely not betray that trust—this matter is entrusted to me, and I will surely handle it well." Li Chenming said solemnly.

In private, Li Chenming usually calls Qin Song by name, and only on formal occasions does he solemnly address him as Commander; this also shows Li Chenming's seriousness about this matter.

"Then, Belfast, hand over the supplies we collected from our previous battle to the Vice Commander." Qin Song said with a smile.

"Yes, Master."