Chapter 690: A Show of Force

With the efforts of the White Eagle Iron Blood personnel, supply gathering indeed sped up.

In less than an hour, all the command ships carrying the ship girls had finished resupplying. The crew immediately set sail, bypassing Hawaii and heading toward the Panama Canal.

Since the White Eagle's emergency situation had been confirmed, they chose to proceed at full speed. As for whether they would encounter the Siren Fleet en route, Qin Ge left it entirely to the command ship's radar and Hai Lun Na.

Although this decision might be somewhat improper and likely to run into a large Siren Fleet, given their fleet's current strength, even encountering a large Siren Fleet would pose little threat.

Thus, the entire fleet reached the entrance of the Panama Canal in less than three days.

Seeing the canal bearing clear battle scars, Qin Ge couldn't help but remark, "It looks like a battle took place here too; otherwise there wouldn't be so many battle marks."

"That's natural. No matter which world's White Eagle, the Panama Canal is a crucial position. It connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and it's also the shortest route for a fleet to pass through."

"The White Eagle would naturally station some forces here, but Anticxes' operation this time has clearly disrupted their deployment; even abandoning the frontline Hawaii, and then abandoning the Panama Canal, has become a matter of course." Hai Lun Na said indifferently.

"By the way, didn't the White Eagle say they'd send someone to meet us at the Panama Canal? Why is there no trace on the radar? Could it be that the White Eagle really went to the Atlantic Ocean?" Qin Ge wondered.

Hai Lun Na lightly smiled, "It seems this world's White Eagle tech development isn't bad either; at least the sea-spirit camouflage has fooled the radar."

"Huh?" Qin Ge stared at Hai Lun Na in surprise, "Could it be that the contact has already arrived?"

Hai Lun Na nodded and pointed ahead to a distant canal recess, "They've already arrived, and they're right in that recess over there."

"Ha." Qin Ge was speechless, "It seems the White Eagle, even now, still refuses to show weakness to us. Without Hai Lun Na, we might embarrass ourselves this time."

"Hehe, does it feel somewhat like an obstinate ailment?" Hai Lun Na smiled.

"Commander, since the White Eagle's contact has arrived, we should go greet them; we can't just leave them waiting there," Zhenhai said with a smile.

Qin Ge nodded, "Regardless of the reason, for the coming period we'll act together, but we must not show weakness on our side."

"Notify Enterprise to send a ship girl to receive our guests."

"Understood." Zhenhai quickly nodded, picked up the communicator, explained the matter to Enterprise, and especially emphasized the four words "treat them well."

Although Enterprise can sometimes be obstinate, in this case she still distinguished priorities, and immediately dispatched Ticonderoga and Baltimore to the recess Zhenhai had mentioned.

At that moment, in the distant recess, Essex, clad in the White Eagle's newly developed sea-spirit camouflage, was gazing at the faraway fleet, her eyes showing shock.

"So fast—just three days after York City's report, and they've already come all the way from Hawaii to here?"

Having muttered this to herself, Essex showed a hesitant expression: "But is it right for me to just wait like this? Others are coming to help us—why must they insist on doing this? Is face really that important?"

It was obvious that Essex knew what consequences carrying out the task assigned by the White Eagle faction would entail, but as a White Eagle ship girl, she had no choice but to perform it.

"In any case, later I should properly apologize to Commander Qin Ge; he probably won't be angry, maybe."

While Essex was muttering to herself, she didn't notice that two ship girls were already speeding toward her in a glide, leaving no trace even on radar.

All of this was naturally Hai Lun Na's doing; especially now, on the command ship, Qin Ge wore a look of astonishment at the scene.

"Why have the signals from Baltimore and Ticonderoga also disappeared?" Qin Ge asked in surprise.

"Naturally, I made a slight adjustment." Hai Lun Na smiled. "To promote this operation, we must seize the initiative; that means we need to suppress them from every location, and only absolute strength will earn absolute authority—especially here in the White Eagle's domain."

"So, since they used sea-spirit camouflage to hide their radar signals, my little tweak shouldn't be a violation—I merely erased the radar reflection signals of those two."

Qin Ge looked strange, for he had clearly heard Hai Lun Na say "we."

"What's there to be surprised about? We're now in a cooperative relationship, so to me, you and we are the same." Hai Lun Na naturally knew what Qin Ge was thinking and thus explained.

Qin Ge nodded thoughtfully, "I understand; just go ahead and do it, as long as you don't provoke deeper conflict."

"Hehe, it won't." Hai Lun Na laughed, her gaze turning to the distance.

Meanwhile, Tiancheng and Zhenhai, standing behind the two, exchanged a glance and both couldn't help but smile.

Although Hai Lun Na before them knew a lot and deliberately concealed herself, to the two of them, her deliberate actions sometimes revealed her purpose.

Just as Hai Lun Na's earlier explanation to Qin Ge seemed perfectly natural to him, to the two of it sounded like a forced justification.

"Looks like it won't take much longer." Tiancheng smiled.

"Yeah, at most until this battle ends. But she's still a bit impulsive; I thought she'd stay dazed longer." Zhenhai said.

"I used to have doubts, but now if she's acting with this purpose, I actually feel less worried. After all, ship girls never deceive their commanders—I believe this law holds the same in any world." Tiancheng smiled.

"Hmm, and the truth of the matter is getting closer, isn't it?" Zhenhai said.

"Exactly."

Their conversation was deliberately muffled; even if Hai Lun Na hadn't heard it, or even if she had, she wouldn't offer an opinion.

After all, upon seeing Tiancheng and Zhenhai, she had already foreseen this moment. And this does not greatly conflict with the plan they are executing, because the plan is an open conspiracy; Qin Ge must carry it out unless he abandons this world.

Obviously, that is impossible.