Elder brother's garrison

Page 1846

"?" Lexington was stunned.

Lexington, holding Hood, looked at the crowd.

“Lexington, I hope you can stay.” The Prince of Wales stepped forward and nodded to the bewildered Lexington. “However, if you insist on relinquishing your duties as secretary ship, we will not force you. As for your secretary ship position… I will temporarily take over.”

"??" Lexington was stunned again.

“Lexington, don’t go, don’t go, don’t go—” Hood snuggled in Lexington’s arms, “Waaah, actually I wanted to drag that bastard Bismarck along to persuade you today, but Bismarck insisted on stealing aluminum today, and just asked me to pass on a message to you.”

"What?"

"I can teach you after I retire, and we can steal aluminum together."

"..."

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! How could that stubborn, stupid woman know the consequences of our naval base leaving you?!" Hood patted Lexington's shoulder, her pretty face streaked with childlike sobs. "I've done that kind of terrible work for a while now, and I know it's not something an ordinary ship girl can handle—Waaah—don't go—if I made you angry, I'll apologize, waaaah—if all else fails, I'll bring you tea and water while you work, I'll never slack off again!"

"Pfft." Lexington chuckled at Hood's antics. She patted Hood's back, pressed the sobbing Hood against her ample bosom, and then looked helplessly at the people in the room. "Hmm... I think I understand the situation. So... you all came here for this?"

“Since Lexington is retiring, someone has to do the work of the secretary ship, right?” Nelson nodded. “I can’t say I’m qualified for the job, but if there’s really no one else, I can give it a try.”

"I want to sign up too!" Rodney raised his hand.

"I'm different from them! I'm really going to work hard to become a secretary ship!" Wisconsin puffed out her chest and said earnestly, "One day I'll become a secretary ship!"

"..."

Just then, another series of footsteps came from outside the door.

"Huh? Are there already so many people in the room?"

Another group of ship girls, led by Akagi and Veneto, appeared outside the room, and then a large group of ship girls poured into the room.

"Lexington, there are rumors that you're leaving the company. Is it true?" Akagi asked with concern.

"Although I have no interest in power, if you are determined to leave, I cannot stand idly by. The position of secretary ship will be given to me..."

"Although I don't know the details, I'm willing to help! Just call me if you need any assistance!"

"Me too!"

"Lexington... thank you for your dedication during this time..."

"Lexington, I can't bear to leave..."

"..."

The chattering of the ship girls filled the entire office.

There are many sounds, but they can be roughly divided into two types.

One reason is to commemorate (?) Lexington, and the other is to volunteer to take on the responsibility of the secretary ship.

"..." Lexington held Hood in his arms, listening to the noise around him like a marketplace, and sighed, "Although the specific details are not very clear, I have a complete understanding of what happened."

Lexington and Xiaobai at the desk exchanged a glance and both gave a wry smile.

"Please calm down, everyone," Lexington called out to the noisy crowd. "I have something to say about my resignation."

Lexington truly lives up to its reputation as the top naval base for newbies.

Even in such a noisy scene, Lexington did not raise her voice. She simply raised her voice slightly and called out twice, and the office quickly quieted down. Everyone looked at Lexington with a nostalgic gaze.

Lexington could only manage a bitter smile as he faced the nostalgic gazes coming from all directions.

"They probably... found out from somewhere that Xiaobai and I were going to choose a new secretary ship, so they came here, right?" Lexington asked the ship girls.

"Hmm————" The ship girls nodded, drawing out the sound.

“I knew it.” Lexington shook his head regretfully. “No wonder I’ve been getting flowers sent to me lately… Sigh… I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, but I have no intention of leaving the company.”

"what???"

Everyone in the room was surprised.

"Could it be that the news about you choosing a new secretary ship, Lexington, is just a rumor??" Hood jumped up from Lexington's arms with surprise, looking at her with delight.

“That’s not a rumor.” Lexington thought for a moment. “Xiaobai and I do want to choose a new secretary ship.”

"Ah... then, you're still leaving..." Hood was about to cry again.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I won't leave." Lexington smiled and patted Hood's head. "You are an elder of the naval base, how can you cry in front of everyone?"

"Yes, but..."

“It’s like this,” Lexington explained to everyone. “The work at the naval base has become increasingly heavy as the number of personnel has increased. Although Xiaobai is capable of handling these tasks with ease, to be honest, with such a huge workload, my professional skills have gradually started to hold Xiaobai back. So in order to solve this predicament and for the better development of the naval base, I discussed it with Xiaobai the other day and decided to introduce the concept of a secretariat.”

"Secretariat??"

"Simply put, we're appointing several secretary ships at the same time to assist Xiaobai in her work," Lexington explained to the ship girls. "Over the past three days, I've also discussed the details of the secretary team system with Xiaobai. The general result is this: given the current workload of the newbie naval base, we need at least five secretary ships to ensure maximum daily operation. Of these five, I will temporarily serve as the main secretary ship, and the remaining four will be my assistants, responsible for various projects..."

Lexington explained the concept of the secretariat to the ship girls.

The ship girls listened blankly to Lexington's explanation.

"So... this is what choosing a new secretary ship means?" The ship girls asked blankly after hearing Lexington's words.

"Yes, that's what we meant from the beginning." Lexington sighed, saying helplessly to the ship girls, "It seems the message was miscommunication... Where did you get this information from?"

Chapter 2551 The Story of the Chang Ghost

The ship girls present fell silent upon hearing Lexington's question, exchanging glances.

For a moment, the office became incredibly quiet.

"The version I heard seems to be that Lexington is going to retire..." a ship girl said cautiously.

"Yes... when I heard the news, everyone seemed to already think that Sister Lexington was going to retire..."

"I learned about this news the afternoon before yesterday."

"Me too."

"Yes...it seems this news was misunderstood from the start, so who spread it..."

The ship girls muttered to themselves, their eyes filled with confusion.

"Sigh—! Oh well! Anyway, it was all a misunderstanding!" Just then, a ship girl patted her cheek and smiled at Lexington with relief. "Now that I know you won't retire, Lexington, I'm completely relieved!"

"Oh yeah... I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

"To be honest, I can't quite imagine what the naval base will be like after it leaves Lexington..."

"Let's put aside the matter of someone giving false military intelligence for now... Since Lexington isn't planning on retiring, then this has nothing to do with me~ Go home, go home!"

"Admiral, Lexington, sorry to bother you!"

"Time to go home and sleep!"

"I still have today's drills and training."

"Oh...right, it's my turn to go on the expedition this afternoon."

"..."

The ship girls in the office started chatting amongst themselves, and their voices gradually became noisy again. However, this time the ship girls looked much more relaxed. After listening to Lexington's explanation, the ship girls breathed a sigh of relief, waved goodbye to Shiro and Lexington, and made to leave.

A large group of girls walked out the door in a group, just like when they arrived.

"Oh, it was just a misunderstanding! I knew it! Lexington, why would you suddenly resign for no reason? Honestly, I wonder whose daughter you were, not even bothering to deliver the message accurately. You scared me to death!" Hood happily freed herself from Lexington's embrace, flashing her a bright smile and patting her shoulder. "Hahaha → Well, in that case, there's nothing for me to do. Oh, speaking of which, I had to walk the cat and feed the pigeons this afternoon, so I won't disturb you and the Commander's work any longer—"

After saying that, Hu De took small, quick steps and squeezed into the group of ship girls who were about to leave.

Lexington smiled as she watched the ship girls prepare to leave. She gently raised her hand to her mouth and cleared her throat.

"Cough—cough!"

Lexington's voice reached the ears of the departing ship girls.

The ship girls who were about to leave stopped as if a pause button had been pressed. Some of them even took their first step out, but before they could put their feet down, they were so frightened that they quickly remained suspended on the floor.

"Lexington?"

The ship girls turned around in fear, only to see Lexington with a beaming smile.

"Hehe, it's quite a lively day today." Lexington smiled and put down what she was holding. Then, she put her hands together in front of everyone and said in a friendly manner, "Since everyone is here, don't be in such a hurry to leave."

"Huh?" The ship girls were stunned.

"Didn't I just say that? Although my retirement was a lie,... Xiaobai and I are indeed choosing new secretary ships." Lexington, still with her hands clasped together, smiled at everyone and said, "Although I don't know why the news was partially misinterpreted during its spread, in the end, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing. Look, haven't we called over many sisters in the naval base who want to take on this responsibility? I think, why don't we just choose some secretary positions from among you?"

"Huh??" The ship girls were stunned again. They looked at each other blankly for a few moments, then quickly waved their hands. "No, no, no, it's not that serious. For such an important matter as selecting a secretary ship, of course we should find an auspicious day to post the recruitment application within the naval base area first, and then conduct interviews slowly. How could we be given special treatment in advance—"

The ship girls inside the room mostly looked timid and hesitant.

That's natural!

As the world's strongest and largest naval base, the newbie naval base requires both an admiral and a secretary ship; neither can function without the other. If the rumors circulating within the naval base are true, and Lexington really does suddenly want to resign, then this means a serious vacancy has arisen in the secretary ship position, which would be a devastating functional blow to the newbie naval base.

As members living in the newbie naval base, each of the ship girls treats this naval base as their own family.

No one in this world wants their family to experience hardship.

If the position of secretary ship really becomes vacant, then it wouldn't be unreasonable for the ship girls to feel that they should make some sacrifices for this wonderful family and become Jinchūriki to maintain the operation of this huge naval base.

Most of the ship girls who come to our door are people with this kind of dedication.

However, just as most of the ship girls had resolved to sacrifice themselves for the naval base, they suddenly learned that the information was incorrect; Lexington wasn't leaving, but simply needed to be reinforced. In that instant, the ship girls' sense of righteousness and selfless dedication were extinguished.

joke!

The secretary ship of the new naval base!

Everyone knows how tiring and difficult this job is!

Never stay up all night working overtime in the office!

Since Lexington has no intention of resigning and the naval base is not in any danger of collapsing, why would anyone want to continue being the secretary ship?

Staying home and slacking off is the right way to go!

It's so moisturizing!

Most of the ship girls in the room naturally refused when they heard that Lexington was going to start selecting a secretary ship on the spot.

"Hehe... It's rare to see such a lively scene. You don't really think you can get away unscathed, do you?" However, facing the ship girls' polite manner, Lexington only showed an even brighter smile. "I heard everything clearly. You want to help me share the pressure of being my secretary ship, huh? There shouldn't be any girls in our naval base who break their promises, right? You agree, don't you?"

"Uh..." The ship girls all shrank their necks.

The ship girls were obsequious and submissive.

Although Lexington was smiling, for some reason, a strong sense of oppression emanated from her, making the ship girls unable to utter a sound.

"The interviews will be quick and won't interfere with your time to go home, rest, sleep, train, eat, play games, watch TV, walk the cat, or feed the birds," Lexington added to the ship girls.

"..." The ship girls trembled.

"Xiaobai, is now a convenient time for the secretary ship interview?" Lexington asked Xiaobai.

“No problem.” Xiaobai gave Lexington a thumbs up.

"Phew." Lexington stretched and smiled happily at the ship girls. "Then please wait outside for a bit. I will call you into the office one by one and let Xiaobai interview you. Oh, right, remember not to run away halfway through, after all, Shengwang and the others are on the first floor."

"Lexington... why do you seem to be enjoying yourself a bit..." The ship girls felt a chill run down their spines as they looked at Lexington's high spirits.

“How could that be? I’m really looking forward to working with the four of you.” Lexington shook her head, then turned to look out the window with a happy expression of anticipation for the future. “Really, I’m so excited—I thought the recruitment for the secretary ship would be difficult, but so many sisters who care about me have come to me. It’s such a pleasant surprise.”

Seeing Lexington's appearance, the ship girls couldn't help but tremble.

"Wait... this news of retirement... could it be that you, Lexington, leaked it?!" A ship girl stared wide-eyed at Lexington.

"How could I? Do I look like the kind of person who would use such despicable tactics against the sisters of the naval base?" Lexington smiled as she looked at the ship girls.

The ship girls remained silent.

"Alright, alright, everyone go out and line up first." Lexington clapped her hands at the ship girls and smiled warmly, "The first ever selection of secretary ships for the newbie naval base is about to begin!

……

With things having come to this point, the ship girls who came to their door could only sigh and admit defeat.

The ship girls walked out of the office in the order they had arrived, forming a long line outside the door.

"Hey? Why are you all queuing here?"

After a while, outside the office door, another group of ship girls who had come to visit Lexington looked at the lined-up ship girls in surprise and asked them questions.

"Are you here to deliver a retirement gift to Lexington?" The ashen-faced ship girls turned to look at their new comrades and asked them.