Following Chen Yu''s orders, the 6th Destroyer Squadron charged out of his office with high spirits, eager to showcase their capabilities after undergoing modernized upgrades.
However, as the four little girls left Chen Yu''s office and gathered together, their small heads huddled to n their operation, they found themselves facing a dilemma.
"The Commander wants us to avoid hurting people and make the enemy retreat on their own..." Rai frowned, scratching her chestnut-colored head in frustration, and said, "What does ''retreat on their own'' even mean? Akatsuki, do you have any idea how to make the enemy retreat on their own?"
"Of—of course I do!" Akatsuki, initially intending to ask her sisters for their opinions, was taken aback by Rai''s sudden question. She responded swiftly but realized afterward that she didn''t actually know how to achieve that.
As a mature Lady who had already undergone modernized upgrades and gained growth, Akatsuki clearly wasn''t willing to show uncertainty in front of her sisters. Putting on a confident front, she patted her small chest and said, "Making the enemy retreat on their own? How could such a thing challenge a mature Lady?"
Hearing Akatsuki''s confident reply, Rai couldn''t help but show a look of amazement, admiringly saying, "Akatsuki is amazing! So, what should we do next?"
Nearby, Hibiki and Dian also turned their gaze toward Akatsuki after hearing Rai''s words.
As the gship of the 6th Destroyer Squadron and the eldest sister of the four siblings, while the other three might not always express it outright, they actually relied heavily on Akatsuki when decisions needed to be made, ultimately following her direction for actions.
Facing her sisters'' expectant gazes, Akatsuki became visibly flustered but managed to collect herself quickly as a mature Lady should. After some thought, she said, "This is an op—operation task. Since it''s an operation task, our first step must be... reconnaissance! Yes, reconnaissance of enemy movements! Gather intelligence on the enemy, and then we can formte an operation n based on the intel!"
Though Akatsuki was still a child, she had actually survivedbat during World War II. Despite being the first among her sisters to fall in battle, meaning her wartime experience was less than theirs—particrly Hibiki, who spoke the least but had the mostbat experience—Akatsuki still possessed basic military knowledge.
"Hmm, reconnaissance of enemy movements first, then nning the operation. That''s a very prudent approach," Hibiki nodded naturally at Akatsuki''s suggestion, indicating her agreement.
As the youngest of the four sisters, Dian looked at Akatsuki with admiration and said, "As expected of Akatsuki''s suggestion!"
"Since we have a n determined, let''s get moving! Lady Rai is going to shine this time!" Rai, energized, rolled up her sleeves, revealing thin arms, and stood with her hands on her hips, looking ready for action.
Seeing that her sisters were all prepared for battle, Akatsuki finally calmed herself down, issuing the order: "6th Destroyer Squadron, reconnaissance operationmence!"
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Outside the hospital, Kusanagi Ritsuko sat in a van afterpleting a radio conversation with another surveince team monitoring Minami. Setting down her radio, she found herself fatigued by her exasperation with the mercenaries, yet she had no viable solution for dealing with them.
Nheless, as Kusanagi Ritsuko mulled over the matter, a detail from her earlier radio conversation caught her attention. During the exchange, she noticed a momentary sound of static interference, almost as though something was disrupting or eavesdropping on the transmission.
The thought of being listened in on immediately set Ritsuko''s nerves on edge. As a Public Security Bureau agent, she had an almost instinctive sensitivity to such matters. Reflecting on it, she quickly turned to the man beside her and said, "Our conversation might have been intercepted!"
"Intercepted? By who?" The man''s expression shifted instantly, taking on a severe and even slightly menacing re.
"I don''t know. Just now, during the conversation with the other team, there was a faint static sound. We''re using military-grademunication devices, and such interference is unlikely unless there''s a nearby source causing disruption." Ritsuko couldn''t determine what was going on but hesitated before adding, "It''s very possible that the Public Security Bureau is monitoring us. After all, I''ve disobeyed their orders. Surveince on us would be expected."
"Then what do we do now? Should we notify the other team to pull out?" The man''s demeanor had shifted entirely; any previousziness and disdain were gone as he reverted to theposure of a skilled mercenary, his readiness to act evident.
"Not for now. I still don''t know whether the eavesdropping was aimed at us or at them. Besides, the intention of the other party is unclear. Making a rash move might alert them," Ritsuko refuted the man''s suggestion, thinking for a moment before saying, "For now, don''t make any sudden moves. This is Tokyo. If the Public Security Bureau really is monitoring us, the resources they can deploy far surpass what we can counter."
The man understood how difficult it would be to confront a nation''s intelligence agency in its capital city, so he didn''t argue and waited for further instructions.
Ritsuko deliberated briefly before saying to the man, "Let''s leave here for now. If someone is surveilling us, they''ll definitely tail us. Follow the counter-surveince protocol to uncover their identity first."
"Got it." The man nodded, promptly climbing into the driver''s seat and starting the vehicle, ready to pull away.
Meanwhile, the 6th Destroyer Squadron had already exited the hospital—though not through the main entrance, but through a hidden side door.
The four little girls had all summoned their ship equipment, assumed battle formation, and had surrounded the van where Kusanagi Ritsuko was.
As part of their upgrades, the four little girls had undergone modernized stealth enhancements, which applied a radar invisibility characteristic. Tranted to their ship-girl forms, this stealth functionality manifested as a perceptual camouge—in essence, anyone who saw them would subconsciously overlook them, as though radar detected no trace of a hidden warship.
Furthermore, the little girls had activated their radar systems—not only to lock onto the target but also to continue intercepting theirmunications.
Seeing the van drive away, Akatsuki couldn''t help but feel a bit helpless. This wasn''t the sea; onnd, they only had the walking speed of ordinary humans. Obviously, chasing a car wasn''t an option.
At that moment, however, Rai retrieved a small model-like helicopter from her ship equipment. cing it on the ground, it quickly took flight and began to follow the van.
"Hehe, looks like it''s up to Lady Rai to shine! Watch my brilliant helicopter in action!" Rai said confidently, controlling the helicopter as it pursued the van.