Chapter 532: Collective Meeting

Because the situation was urgent, everyone gathered very quickly.

Qin Ge merely waited a moment in the meeting room, and the faction leaders of all other factions had arrived here, including Emperor Frederick of Iron Blood.

"Commander, why did you summon us so urgently? Did something happen?" Bisimai asked Qin Ge as soon as she sat down.

"Yes." Qin Ge looked at everyone and said, "The patrol squad previously under Enterprise's responsibility, in the level‑3 erosion sea area surrounding our waters, discovered a Siren main force fleet of level‑4 erosion."

So to figure out what was going on, she sent Cleveland and Hai Lun Na and the others to conduct a full survey of the surrounding seas.

Since the cause wasn't clear earlier, I didn't inform anyone. But Cleveland has just returned, and the information she brought truly shocked me—now let her tell everyone.

Qin Ge made way and gave his spot to Cleveland beside him. Because Cleveland is more outgoing, she showed no hesitation under the gaze of all the faction flagships and began her explanation in an orderly manner.

"Our patrol squad started from the outskirts of Gangqu, then moved inward along the outer edge of the level‑3 erosion sea. Yesterday we saw nothing unusual all day, but at night our command ship's radar suddenly detected a strange signal."

So we left someone to watch the command ship, while the rest of us, taking advantage of the darkness, had Hai Lun Na activate the radar and approach the signal's direction.

When we got close, however, we found that a Siren outpost had appeared there at some unknown time. From that outpost, Siren mass‑produced warships would occasionally emerge and sail off into the distance.

We originally intended to destroy that Siren outpost, because the Hai Lun Na and Bumblebee accompanying us were both fully‑leveled shipgirls, and Hai Lun Na was even an awakened shipgirl.

But this proposal was opposed by Hai Lun Na, according to her radar detection there was still a Siren main force fleet inside, and their level equaled that of fully‑leveled shipgirls.

Hai Lun Na also said that besides that fleet, there were at least several executors inside, and their power far surpassed that of ordinary fully‑leveled shipgirls.

So we abandoned the attack, letting Bumblebee, Independence, and Hai Lun Na conduct long‑range monitoring, while I returned with the Freirecht squad and reported to the commander.

This is the sea area we examined at that time, and the surrounding situation.

After Cleveland finished speaking, she placed her hand on a nearby projector, and immediately the meeting room's wall projected an overview of the sea area and the outpost's appearance.

Everyone's gaze turned to the projection screen, which showed a sea shrouded in night‑time mist; at its center a strange structure seemed to jut abruptly from the seabed. Only the part above water was visible, with no trace of what it was built upon.

That structure emitted light‑blue and black hues, looking eerily strange in the night's darkness. On the screen, a Siren mass‑produced battleship slowly emerged from the structure's entrance. Strangely, the Siren warships appearing here were neither the red‑black scheme seen before in the sea, but also blue‑black.

"Strange—could this be a new Siren troop type, or is it that in a level‑6 erosion sea the mass‑produced units are like this?" Enterprise said, looking at the projection.

Emperor Frederick shook his head. "In the Nine Major Factions' dossier I previously saw, the level‑6 erosion mass‑produced units were actually the same as what we see now."

Their greatest difference is merely a difference in strength—that is, the difference in training level. This kind of mass‑produced unit has never been seen before; perhaps, as Enterprise previously suggested, it could be a new Siren troop type.

"What do the Sirens intend? Suddenly such an outpost has appeared near our Gangqu, equipped with a new type of Siren mass‑produced warship—are they preparing to attack our Gangqu?" said the Monarch.

"No, I think their purpose is far more complex. If they wanted to attack our Gangqu, they could simply summon a few level‑6 erosion fleets; there's no need to build this outpost here and produce this new type of mass‑produced unit." Bisimai said.

"Actually I have a question: Cleveland, you saw these mass‑produced warships coming out of that outpost—where did they go? Did anyone tail them?" Emperor Frederick asked.

"We've been there—Bumblebee and Independence launched carrier aircraft, but to avoid spooking them we flew the planes high. Still, as you saw, this sea area has mist, so through the mist our tracking of their movements is quite limited.

"However, it's clear those Siren mass‑produced warships have never left that area; otherwise we would have detected their traces during reconnaissance in other zones." Cleveland said.

"That's odd—if they never left that sea, it suggests they want to act covertly. So why did we earlier send a few level‑4 erosion fleets to make us alert? Could it be to provoke them?"

"This outpost is merely a bait; what we're waiting for is still ahead?" Enterprise said doubtfully.

Qin Ge spoke up: "Cleveland, I have a question: before you detected that strange signal, was there sea‑surface fog?"

Cleveland stared for a moment, then nodded. "When the commander mentioned this, I recalled something. Earlier, Independence and I were on the deck looking at the stars when suddenly mist enveloped us, the stars vanished, we went below deck, and Hai Lun Na detected that strange signal on the ship's radar.

"Commander, what did you recall?" Weineituo asked.

Qin Ge nodded, looked at the Monarch, and said, "Monarch, do you remember what happened when we were in the Mirror Sea?"

"The Siren observers and testers set up six stages for us; each time a stage ended, heavy mist blanketed the sea surface, making it basically hard to leave the command ship.

"Could it be that the commander thinks this is related to the Mirror Sea?" the Monarch said, suddenly realizing.

"The sea‑filled mist, the strange structure, the newly appeared Siren mass‑produced warship—all of this indicates the Sirens are drawing the snake out of its hole.

"If we want to fight a big battle near the waters of Riyue Island without the Nine Major Factions noticing, the only way is through the Mirror Sea." Qin Ge mused.

"Looks like the Sirens this time are trying to lure you into a trap, huh?" Zhenhai said, squinting his eyes.