Bab 24
We're currently heading back to the coast. It's been a day since the battle and since then we haven't had any run-ins with any hostile forces. Liang has already reported my ship's return to our government but made sure to leave out any information regarding me other than the fact that I was on board when they arrived and I think I know why. Still, it's only a matter of time before they find out about my existence.
The news of my return spread like wildfire over the entire nation. From what we've gathered, the government is selling it as a divine sign that the heavens are fighting on our side and the people are buying it. I guess the situation was looking pretty desperate for a while if they are all rallying behind my sudden reappearance like this.
Sure enough, as our fleet pulls into the harbour, I can see endless streams of people cheering along from the shore. There are signs marked "Welcome Home Zhejiang!" all over. The government too is pulling out all the stops. Jet's thunder overhead in formation as smaller planes drag banners with similar writing along. There are fireworks and songs, gun salutes and all. It's all overwhelming and even I can't stop the tears from gushing forward.
Towboats take over and guide my ship up to the dock as we dock safely and begin disembarking. Now that I am outside, I can hear the true scale of the singing and cheers and it's almost deafening.
Liang: I bet the fact that your sister ship was the one to bring you back is only adding fuel to their fire!
I look at Liang in surprise then back at the carrier that just brought me here. I had noticed it was similar but it never occurred to me that it was my sister ship.
Me: It's actually my sister?
Liang: Yeah! I forgot to mention that, didn't I? This ship is called Jiangsu and I guess in this situation, she'd indeed be your sister.
I'm again taken by surprise at the revelation but I don't get much time to process it as men arrive to escort us away. They reach forward to take me but Liang stops them and tells them that she's going to take me elsewhere first. They protest but she all but commands them to leave and they, after a while, relent but remain close by stating that they are to guard me and ensure my safety until I am brought before the president.
She accepts, seemingly happy that they'll indeed be staying behind. I'm not sure why but she seems concerned for my safety. To further prove this fact, she even goes as far as to provide them with orders on how exactly to ensure my safety and instruct them specifically that no one is to be allowed to disturb us as we travel around together.
They comply and before long, our party is making its way towards the lines of people up ahead. They cheer and sing praises for the crew who brought my ship back and I can't help but giggle at just how excited everyone seems to be over a ship. It's as though they expect me to single-handedly change the fate of the world or something.
As we walk through the crowd, through the path cleared by military personnel, the cheers grow louder and louder. Liang waves and encourages me to do the same. I do and this seems to excite them even more though I don't realize why until the sound of my ships horn reaches me.
Ooops
Quickly lowering my hand but now dying with laughter, I finally make it to the waiting cars but instead of going in, Liang takes my hand and leads me past them and across the street.
Me: Aren't we-
Liang: I'm sure you'd prefer exploring the city a bit first before entering a long boring meeting with some old men.
Me: Is that-
Liang: It'll be fine. Now...just enjoy yourself. This is all for you after all.
Looking around, I see my name plastered everywhere. Even though I'm sure they are celebrating the return of the ship and not me perse, I can't help but accept that she's right. Loosening up, I allow her to keep leading me away from the waterfront until we arrive in a park.
Liang: So...now that we are away from all the noise, how does it feel to be back in your home namesake province?
Me: I've never actually gotten the chance to visit it before in this world so it's all new to me.
Her expression quickly darkens as she seemingly remembers that I sank on my maiden mission but I don't allow her to dwell on the past, instead, taking her hand and pulling her further into the park.
Liang: Where are we going?
Me: You said you were going to show me around, didn't you?
Liang: I-Well yes but-
Me: No buts. Let's just enjoy ourselves.
She laughs but quickly takes over and takes over, showing me around the park before moving on to a street filled with restaurants. We spend some time there eating as well before making our way back towards the waterfront. The men from before are still with us throughout our journey around the city but they keep their distance, only intervening when others try to get close to us. I'll admit, I was a bit sceptical about them at first but they seem like really nice people, even engaging in conversation with us every once in a while, though very reluctantly.
????: Miss...your father requests that you come as quickly as possible.
Liang: Fine, fine. Tell them we are coming.
Them? Also, why would I be meeting her father? Wait...ish she like the daughter of the commander of the Navy or something? I mean, that would explain why the men took orders from her and didn't just drag us both away but if that's the case, what's she doing out at sea during a war?
As I continue thinking about this, the men come and try to separate us but she all but rebukes them as she pulls me into her vehicle. They don't try to stop her, seemingly relieved that she isn't pressing the matter any further. I suppose they figure that since we're going to the same location, it doesn't really matter which car I travel in.
Liang: Sorry about all this.
Me: It's fine. I figured there would be certain things to deal with when I realised I had returned to this world.
Liang: You keep saying this world. Were you elsewhere?
Me: It's a long story.
Her expression tells me she wants to know more but she doesn't press the issue, instead choosing to settle into a comfortable silence. Still, it's not long before I notice that our fingers are intertwined. Is she aware of it? I'm sure even if she isn't, if I move my hand she'll certainly notice so I make the decision to leave it as is and instead, choose to relax.
Sometime later, I awaken to her voice, quickly noticing that my head is resting on her shoulder. Sitting up, a bit embarrassed, I begin numbing an apology but she only smiles and asks if I had a good rest.
Me: I did.
Liang: I'm glad because we're almost there.
Looking outside, I notice it's already nighttime. We must have been travelling for quite some time. I have no idea where I am exactly but I at least know that I am far away from my ship. Surprisingly, however, despite this range, I'm still connected to it. Wondering whether the satellites in this world has something to do with it or whether I changed again when crossing worlds, I don't notice we've arrived until the vehicle comes to a stop.
Liang, exits first, offering me a hand to help me out. Together, still holding hands, we make our way into a rather posh building. There's security all over and a few journalists here and there snapping pictures of us as we enter but it's otherwise uneventful. Upon entering the building, we're directed to a dark room where I find the Supreme Leader of the country present and waiting alongside many top-ranking government and military personnel. I'm shocked to see them all here but don't get much time to process it as the doors close behind us.
????: Welcome, please...have a seat.
One of the men gestures to the table in the centre of the room. There are two chairs there which we both use to sit down. The officials, on the other hand, are sitting along a semicircular table whose deepest point faces us. This creates a sort of enveloping effect as they seemingly surround us, enclosing us in. It's slightly intimidating, and the darkness of the room itself only exemplifies its effect but Liang keeps hold of my hand, offering a slight squeeze of reassurance.
Leader: Before we begin, some things need clarification. The young woman beside you, for example, what's her relationship to the incident.
Liang: Her name is Zhejiang and you could say, for lack of a better phrase, she's the soul of the ship known as Type 003-class Aircraft Carrier Zhejiang.
????: The soul? What sort of mythical nonsense have you-
Leader: Silence! You will not address my daughter in such a manner. If she has analysed the situation and declared it as such then there must be a logical reason for her conclusion.
Daughter? So the admiral is actually the daughter of our head of state? She looks nothing like the daughter I know. Now that I think about it, it's impossible. His daughter was there when he sent my ship off in a ceremony commissioning the vessel. The admiral was on board while she stood on the shore. It's...unless he actually had a second daughter in which case...
The shock on my face at this revelation is plain for everyone to see but they are all busy arguing amongst themselves to notice. That is, all except Liang who whisper a soft apology before the room's attention returns its focus to us and now, in particular, me.
Leader: Miss Zhejiang, is it?
I nod, unable to speak and this enrages a few of the older staff but he quickly shuts them down before turning back towards me with a gentle smile. It reminds me of Liang and all of a sudden, the resemblance is there. It's all I can see.
Leader: I understand you might be in shock now but can you try to explain this situation better so that we can have a better understanding of the situation.
Feeling a bit more secure after reaching out to my ship and still feeling it within range, I begin speaking. I recount the events leading up to my sinking and the events that occurred after including the fact that I was transported to a world during the ww2 era which was currently under an extra-terrestrial invasion. I tell them off the state of our country at the time and how all the military combat ships in this world had been destroyed and replaced with KANSEN that harnessed the pour of these ships.
To my surprise, I am not interrupted as I continue into the state of the world and how I and Dalian, who had followed me into the world shortly after, fitted into the world politics. Reluctantly, I also include the fact that the people of Dragon Empery, a state comprised of both versions of this country, made me its Empress and detail the battles that followed. Finishing up with the events that led to me returning here and the battle that followed, I end my recount of the events and retake my seat, feeling utterly devoid of energy.
Liang: You did well (whispers)
Putting on a faint smile, I take comfort in the fact that she's still supporting me throughout all of this but I'm still caught off guard when she intertwines our fingers once more.
Leader: Thank you for recounting all the events. From your rather detailed explanation of the battles that did occur in our world, I can tell that at the very least, you were present during said battles and onboard the ship but it still seems a bit far fetched that a machine we built could gain essentially a soul and a human body. Even more far fetched than this is the fact that this body and the ship itself could exist simultaneously in the same world, separate from one another.
Liang: Why not have her perform a live demonstration as she did for me when I asked her a similar question?
Leader: A live demonstration? Yes, I suppose that could provide further insight as to what exactly is occurring.
????: If what they have said is true, it could alter our future considerably. Just imagine sending a ship to fight that doesn't require manpower, oil and munitions and that is both faster and stronger than the other ships of our time. Such a weapon could single-handedly change the course of civilization!
Liang: That is precisely why I refrained from explaining the situation further over telecommunications. If other nations were to find out about her existence or receive confirmation that there is indeed an entire world out there with this kind of power to be harnessed, it could spell disaster.
Leader: I see, however, we are still not certain whether she's telling the truth or not.
????: At the very least, we should keep her hidden and secure and run tests.
Liang: And risk compromising the only vessel we have capable of repelling an invasion? How dumb can you get?
Leader: Liang...
Liang: No father, I'm going to speak. If we interfere with her beyond just allowing her to remain a core part of our navy we risk compromising our very position in the global theatre. We're already pressed against our own coasts and I'm sure every last person in this room is well aware that we don't possess the technology to remotely control unmodified aircraft as she ca-
????: Wait, what are you saying exactly?
Liang: Yes. I witnessed it myself and the entire fleet can testify on my behalf. During her small demonstration to Commander Xiao and me, she not only controlled her ship but had one of her fighters take off, land, and return to the hangar all whilst standing on the deck of an entirely different ship.
????: That's impossible! Blas-
Leader: I admit Liang, you have piqued my interest. Your passion for this subject tells me there's at least some truth behind it so I will take your word at face value for now.
????: But-
Leader: We'll conclude this meeting for now and reconvene tomorrow for an official demonstration of her "powers". We'll speak about this again afterwards. This entire situation is a matter of state security and should be treated with the highest level of secrecy. No one outside this room should be aware of any of these details, understood?
All: Yes, Your Excellency!
Leader: Liang, I leave her in your care. A strong security detail will be present at all times to keep you both safe and away from the public's eyes but you're otherwise free to have the rest of the night to yourselves. I do recommend getting some sleep though as tomorrow is bound to be a long day.
Liang and I stand as he rises and begins making his way towards the exit. The other officials soon follow him, leaving us alone in the room.
Me: Did that really just happen?
Liang: It did and you did well. I think your detailed presentation and the fact that you didn't hold anything back really played a part in it going this smoothly but all that's left now is to show them.
She smiles and pulls me into a hug before taking my hand and leading me towards the door but I'm still recovering from what just happened. It's all so surreal. It doesn't take long for her to notice that I am still not quite ready to leave as yet. Laughing, just a little, she stops moving towards the door and instead leads me back over to the table where she sits down and talks with me until I finally calm down and can finally face the real world once more