Mo Chen finally understood what was going on in this girl's head and could only shake his head helplessly.
"You just wanted to come along for the sea mission, didn't you? You could've just said it straight instead of making it sound like I was about to ghost you."
She probably caught wind of something and came over to test the waters.
"Really?"
Anis's eyes lit up instantly.
"Fake."
Mo Chen shot back, annoyed.
Honestly, whether he brought a few more or a few less Nikkes along on the mission made no real difference to him.
"Then sign this contract."
Anis pulled out a pen and paper from who knows where.
Mo Chen: "…"
Just then, Anis's phone rang. She let go of Mo Chen's neck, pulled the phone from her pocket, and flashed a cheeky smile.
"Commander, just a moment, okay?"
Mo Chen: "…"
He stared at Anis still wrapped around him.
At least get off me first!
"Mission accomplished!"
Anis clenched her fist in triumph.
"The commander agreed to take us on the sea mission!"
Judging by the voice from the phone, it was clearly Neon on the other end.
"Huh? Am I with the commander right now? No way, I just left!"
"What? You actually doubt me? Aren't we supposed to be besties?"
"Relax, as if I'd go solo on this. What's that dirty little brain of yours thinking?"
"What? You're coming to find me? What's even fun to do this late at night?"
"You don't trust me and wanna keep tabs on me?"
"Oh no, the signal's cutting out—hello? Hello? Can't hear you—maybe my phone's broken. I'll talk to you next time!"
Click!
She hung up without hesitation.
Mo Chen was speechless.
So this was what "fake bestie energy" looked like.
Still clinging to his neck, Anis gave him a sly grin, her tone syrupy and teasing.
"Commander… tonight, I wanna sleep in your big bed~"
Who's the lamb and who's the wolf now?
With a beauty throwing herself right into his arms, there was no way Mo Chen was letting her off the hook.
He scooped her up and carried her straight to the battlefield.
That night… no one slept.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Helm received word that the Admire was finally about to set sail. She could barely contain her excitement and rushed straight to the ship.
As soon as she stepped into the cabin, she spotted Mast and Anchor.
"So here you were."
Mast let out a cold huff and turned her head away, still clearly holding a grudge about Helm's behavior at the banquet.
Anchor gave her a polite wave.
"Hey, Helm."
Then she nudged Mast with her elbow, and Mast reluctantly gave a half-hearted greeting.
Helm took a deep breath to calm her racing heart.
"I've got good news!"
"What kind of news has you smiling like that?" Mast sneered. "If I didn't know better, I'd think the Navy was finally going to sea."
Helm took a deep breath.
"That's exactly it!"
"Huh?"
"Wait, what?"
Helm could no longer hold back her joy. Even the corners of her lips were raised in excitement.
"I've received word that our Aegis Squad might actually be heading out to sea on a real mission! The day we get to show what we're made of has finally come!"
But Mast and Anchor didn't react the way Helm expected. Instead of excitement, they exchanged a glance and wore strange expressions.
Mast whispered to Anchor, "Anchor, I think Helm's finally lost it."
Anchor nodded.
"Yep. Gone mad."
"Is it because she couldn't go to sea that she's gotten sick from holding it in?"
"Should we take her to a doctor?"
"This is bad..."
As the two kept getting more and more ridiculous, Helm suddenly drew her sword. With a loud clang, she slammed it against the floor.
"Stop talking nonsense. And—where's Deputy Chief Burningum right now?"
Mast was startled. "Probably… same as usual? If nothing's going on, he should be in his office."
Helm didn't say another word. She turned around and left.
Behind her came Mast's voice. "Hey, come on! At least tell us what's going on before you leave!"
"Wait for me!"
The news that the Admire was about to set sail spread quickly within the inner circles of the Ark.
This was something that hadn't happened in decades.
Plenty of people were waiting for a disaster. After all, since the Admire was built, it had never actually participated in battle, not even a single mission.
Many were mocking it behind the scenes, saying it might sink as soon as it left the docks.
But once people heard that Mo Chen would be joining the Admire for the mission, the public opinion shifted immediately.
Now the narrative became that humanity had reclaimed the surface, and soon would reclaim the seas.
Early in the morning, Mo Chen was rudely awakened by Anis—not her voice, but her foot stomping on him. He grabbed her ankle in annoyance, pulled her into his arms, and used her as an oversized body pillow.
Anis refused to back down, and the two ended up wrestling until they were both drenched in sweat and panting like they'd run a marathon.
Mo Chen went back to sleep for a bit. By the time he woke up, the bed was empty.
When he got to the command room, there were already people there.
Anis and Neon were excitedly chatting, practically bouncing around like schoolkids going on a field trip.
"Swimsuit—we gotta bring swimsuits! Ah! And lots of soda!"
"I want a swimsuit too~~ and a floaty~~"
"Neon, can I borrow that Nikke-exclusive floaty of yours?"
"No way! That's only for those who walk the path of firepower!"
"So stingy."
"Anyway, we're finally going to the sea! I'm so happy!"
Most of the Nikkes in the Ark had never seen the surface in their entire lives, let alone the ocean. Their only impression of it came from old footage in the Ark's archive room.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Knock knock—!
Everyone turned to look.
Mo Chen already had a good idea who it was.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Helm strode in.
"I came in a rush. Am I late?"
Mo Chen nodded at her in greeting. "No, take a seat."
But Helm didn't sit. Instead, she walked straight up to him.
"This mission: it's about finding resources in the sea, correct?"
She jumped straight to the point. Clearly, she was raring to go.
Mo Chen stepped up with a smile.
"No rush. You'll know soon enough."
Finding resources for the Ark was just one objective. The more important one was the Mother Whale.
That was Mo Chen's real goal.