Elder brother's garrison

Page 2017

"..."

Xiao Bai remained silent.

Xiao Bai silently observed Ning Lu's expression, and suddenly recalled Luo Lian's earlier warning to be careful of Ning Lu.

After a long while, Xiaobai let out a soft sigh.

"...You really...won't tell anyone else?"

"No, I don't think so." Ning Lu put one hand on her hip.

"But aren't you a reporter?" Xiaobai looked at Ning Lu thoughtfully.

"No, no, no, I'd say I'm a gossip reporter rather than a journalist," Ning Lu quickly waved her hands, correcting Xiao Bai.

"Is there any difference between the two?"

“There’s a big difference,” Ning Lu said with a smile. “Real reporters work for the government, and they pursue the truth. But gossip reporters like me love sensational rumors the most. Whether the rumors are true or false doesn’t matter to me. What matters is how sensational they are.”

"So... the news that Nia and I had a fight is far more valuable to you than the news that Nia and I didn't have a fight?" Xiaobai was intrigued by Ning Lu's words.

"Of course." Ning Lu nodded with a smile, "Their popularity is on a completely different level, okay?"

"...But you already know the truth, and you still publish fake news... Won't that cause you trouble?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Ning Lu smiled and gave Xiaobai an OK sign. "Besides, even if people find out that I published fake news, they won't do anything to me. After all, most people will only have one thought after they find out the truth."

"what idea?"

"6."

"?"

“6,” Ning Lu shrugged. “It’s that simple.”

"...Oh, I see." Xiaobai scratched her cheek with her finger and smiled awkwardly.

With a loud rumble as the door opened, the street scene outside appeared behind Ning Lu.

"Miss Ning Lu, thank you." Xiao Bai said sincerely to Ning Lu.

"It's no big deal," Ning Lu said with a smile, waving her hand.

"Um... I also have a question I'd like to ask Miss Ning Lu."

"What's the problem?"

"Well... how did you figure out that Nia and I didn't argue?" Xiaobai looked at Ninglu thoughtfully. "I felt like we acted pretty well..."

"Hmph, I don't deny your acting skills, especially that Luo Lian, she really put on a smokescreen for me." Ning Lu said, then curled her lips at Xiao Bai and held up a finger, "...But, even if you can fool others, it's hard to fool yourself."

"Own?"

“Eyes, eyes,” Ning Lu said to Xiao Bai. “Admiral Lu Lin, even if you and Admiral Nia pretend to ignore each other, the eyes are the windows to the soul. The way you look at each other is absolutely undeniable. It’s not the kind of look that two friends who are arguing would show.”

“…Uh.” Xiaobai touched his cheek.

"Alright, that's enough. I should head to area 8-1 for my interviews now." Ning Lu waved with a smile. "Thank you for your hospitality today, Admiral Lu Lin."

Xiao Bai subconsciously raised his hand and waved it at Ning Lu.

The destroyers bid farewell to Little White.

Ning Lu led the destroyers away from the temporary naval base.

The gates of the temporary garrison creaked shut.

Xiaobai stood there, staring blankly at the tightly closed red door for a long time.

A sea breeze carrying a slightly salty and fishy smell was blowing.

Xiao Bai took a deep breath and exhaled.

Ugh……

Admiral Ning Lu is truly a... troublesome character.

Thinking of this, Xiao Bai slowly withdrew the mental energy tentacles that had already spread all around.

Chapter 2831 Newspaper Printing

Xiao Bai never expected that despite her and Nia's efforts to pretend to be a pair of arguing friends, Ning Lu would still see through their act.

No wonder he's a gossip reporter.

A keen sense of smell is truly awe-inspiring.

Xiao Bai withdrew its spiritual tentacles from all directions, looking at its snow-white palm with a complex expression.

Just moments before, the instant Ning Lu revealed her secret, Xiao Bai had the urge to drag her into the basement and lock her up for days and nights. However, considering certain practicalities and the fact that over fifty destroyers were watching her expectantly, Xiao Bai ultimately refrained from doing so.

It can only be said that Ning Lu's explanation was somewhat convincing.

but……

really.

Deleting the memories of Admiral Ninglu's destroyers was the right choice.

Compared to faking an argument with Nia, the secret of the research and construction machine was definitely more important. If those destroyers were to follow Ning Lu home with their memories intact, even though they had promised Xiaobai to keep it a secret, those girls wouldn't stand a chance against the quick-witted Ning Lu. She'd probably expose them in no time…

Xiaobai sighed, rubbed her shoulders, and looked in the direction of the repaired bathtub.

After leaving the gate of the temporary garrison, Xiaobai headed towards the bathhouse under repair.

The bathhouse was surprisingly lively at the moment of the repair.

When Xiaobai entered the repair bath, Nia, Luolian, Changchun, and Anshan were standing by the pool, chatting away with the research and construction machine standing in the center of the pool, amidst the misty water vapor.

Hearing Xiaobai's footsteps, the four people who were chatting enthusiastically turned around to look at Xiaobai.

"Ah! Admiral, you're back!"

"noob!"

The moment Nia saw Xiaobai, she could no longer contain her depression that had lasted all morning. She quickly ran over to him, threw herself into his arms, and hugged him tightly around the waist.

Nia pressed her head against Xiaobai's chest and took several deep breaths.

"Xiaobai, has Miss Ninglu finally left?" Nia asked Xiaobai pitifully. "Can I stop pretending to argue with you now? I'm about to burst... No, if I keep acting like this, I really will burst."

"Uh..." Xiaobai put his arm around Nia's shoulder and gave her an awkward smile. "Well... um... oh right, Nia, I have a question for you."

"Hmm? What's up?"

"...What kind of person do you think Admiral Ning Lu is?"

“…Miss Ninglu…” Nia thought for a moment before replying, “…Hmm…I haven’t known Miss Ninglu for long…but she seems to be a very capable admiral, and also a very kind and friendly person.”

"Is that right?"

“Yes… When I first came to Chapter 8, I was actually quite unaccustomed to the situation here and didn’t know what to do. At that time, Miss Ning Lu came out on her own and said that as long as she was allowed to do an interview, she would teach me a lot of the rules in Chapter 8, including the information about the Holy Day. She even shared some sea area maps of the 8-1 sea area with me and told me about some fishing spots that had recently appeared…” Nia said, blinking.

"Huh? She's so enthusiastic?"

“Yes.” Nia nodded, then smiled at Xiaobai, “...but I haven’t seen her much since the interview...but I think she’s a very nice person.”

"..." Xiaobai covered her mouth thoughtfully, looking away.

"Xiaobai? What's wrong?" Nia asked curiously when she saw that Xiaobai hadn't spoken. "Did something happen between you and Miss Ninglu?"

"Actually..." Xiaobai thought for a while, then told Nia and Luo Lian about her conversation with Ning Lu.

Nia and Luo Lian listened to Xiao Bai's words in a daze.

“…Huh?” Nia released Xiaobai’s waist, covered her mouth, and took two steps back in surprise. “Miss Ning…Miss Ning Lu already knew we hadn’t quarreled…”

"Yes," Xiaobai nodded with a wry smile.

"And it was all from her eyes... her eyes... her eyes..." Nia blushed, her back to Xiaobai, and bent down to pull out a small makeup mirror from her person, carefully examining her own eyes. "So, so my feelings for Xiaobai were all exposed by my eyes... ah, this..."

Nia crouched down, hugged her head, and occasionally let out a low, faint whimper.

"It seems I'll have to find some time to properly train Nia if I want to completely conceal this matter." Luo Lian stroked her chin, walked to Xiao Bai's side, and looked at Nia's back as she squatted on the ground.

"Lianlian..." Xiaobai looked at Luo Lian, "Do you think Miss Ninglu will reveal our secret?"

"Hmm? Ning Lu? Why?" Luo Lian tilted her head and looked at Xiao Bai with a curious expression.

"what why?"

"The reason is obvious," Luo Lian replied matter-of-factly. "If Ning Lu really wanted to tell you about this, she wouldn't have specifically mentioned it to you before leaving."

"Ah...right, right..." Xiaobai reacted a beat late, "So, does that mean Miss Ning Lu is on our friend's side?"

"That's not necessarily true. Maybe she's just someone who likes to have fun," Luo Lian said, spreading her hands towards Xiao Bai. "However, no matter what kind of person she is, as long as we're clear on one thing, that's enough: her actions benefit us."

"Hmm... Lianlian, you see things very clearly." Xiaobai looked at Luo Lian with relief.

“Let’s talk about something more important.” Luo Lian adjusted her glasses with a finger, pointed to the research construction machine in the pool, and said to Xiao Bai, “This research construction machine seems to have escaped from the place guarded by Changchun and Anshan using very advanced infiltration techniques. Before you came, I talked to Changchun and Anshan and also asked them about their guarding process. Hmm… in the end, they weren’t slacking off; they were simply fooled by the research construction machine’s superb escape techniques. So, in other words, if even Changchun and Anshan couldn’t guard this research construction machine, I’m afraid no one in our temporary garrison can keep an eye on it.”

"Ah..." Xiaobai smiled wryly upon hearing Luo Lian's words. She looked at the research and construction machine in the center of the repair pool and said, "It's...it's about this...Lianlian doesn't need to worry about this."

"Huh? What's wrong?"

“There were some hiccups before, so the research and construction machine should be pretty obedient to me now,” Xiaobai said to Luo Lian.

"What happened?" Luo Lian asked curiously.

"Just a little friction." Xiaobai smiled sheepishly and gestured towards the research and construction machine. "Come on over."

Wow————

Xiao Bai had just finished speaking.

The research and construction machine in the pool reacted immediately. Several thick mechanical tentacles emerged from the machine's cabin, transforming into two dark mechanical legs that lifted the machine out of the water.

The research and construction machine stepped out of the pool step by step, and then sat down near Xiaobai like an old hen incubating eggs.

Xiao Bai reached out and touched the outer shell of the scientific research construction machine, then smiled slightly at Luo Lian.

"Lianlian, look, aren't you being good?"

"That's true." Luo Lian nodded, stepped forward, approached the technology lock on the research and construction machine, and glanced at it. "Hmm... the construction progress has reached 70.11%."

"Wow, that was fast!" Xiaobai exclaimed.

"After reaching 70% completion, Xiaobai, you should be able to complete the remaining 30% at any time, right?" Luo Lian asked.

"Well, at worst, we can just throw all the mass-produced Deep-Sea Dean Metal in there," Xiaobai said, a pained expression on his face. "But... well... that's really a bit of a waste..."

"There's no rush. Even if we can fill it up now, we can't do it right away," Luo Lian said. "If such a thick beam of light comes out, everyone in Chapter Eight will know that we stole the research and construction machine."

"yes……"

"..." Luo Lian looked at Xiao Bai's sentimental expression, thought for a moment, and said to Xiao Bai, "Speaking of which, Xiao Bai, didn't you want to tell me what to do with this research and construction machine before?"

"Yes, I was interrupted by Miss Ning Lu's matter, right?" Xiao Bai nodded and said to Luo Lian, "Actually, what I was thinking was..."

Wow.

The repair fluid in the repair pool hits the edge of the pool, making a crisp sound.

After listening to Xiaobai's idea, Luo Lian pondered for a moment, pinching her chin and supporting her elbow, remaining silent.

"What do you think of my idea?" Xiaobai asked Luo Lian.

"Hmm...that works." Luo Lian nodded, giving Xiao Bai a faint smile. "I never thought that Xiao Bai would one day come up with such a method."

"Just going with the flow," Xiao Bai said, scratching his head and chuckling.

……

With Ning Lu's departure, the temporary garrison returned to peace.

The time soon came to afternoon.

The first issue of the Admiral's Gazette has finally been published and printed.

Although Ning Lu's newspaper is a small, personal organization, perhaps because of the uproar a few days ago, coupled with her considerable fame on the admiral forum, the number of admirals paying attention to her newspaper is unusually large.

Gossip is something that idle people can never resist, and at this moment, the admirals of Chapter 8 have become the most idle people in the world because of the disappearance of the research and construction machine in the 8-1 sea area.

The area in front of Admiral Ninglu's newspaper office was packed with people.

The moment the destroyers brought out the printed newspapers, the admirals swarmed forward and snatched them all.

"Don't rush, don't grab, everyone gets one! One newspaper is worth one hundred merit points!" Admiral Ning Lu waved her glow stick and shouted at the admirals who were scrambling to grab the newspaper.