Alright, it turns out that while he was distracted by the two beautiful women on either side, this cute little garlic-headed chibi had already circled behind his sofa, leaped up, and launched a sneak attack on him.
"Hey, hey, stop pulling my hair, I'm playing with you, okay?"
Lin Lan took this opportunity to stand up from the sofa, holding the U110's body in his arms as he walked toward the deck.
Hearing the commander's words, the little garlic-headed chibi showed a satisfied and cute smile, reaching out to hook her arm around Lin Lan's neck.
Neither Emden nor August felt any frustration at Lin Lan's sudden retreat; instead, they exchanged a sly glance and smiled knowingly.
The commander could escape now, but would he be able to escape tonight?
"Hey! You went out without calling me! You're getting more arrogant!"
As Ruprecht yelled and chased out onto the deck, the atmosphere of the entire yacht became lively.
By the time Lin Lan stepped onto the pier of Lihu County, it was already getting bright.
The snow had stopped, but due to the thick snow clouds still hanging in the sky, it seemed like it would be difficult to see the sun today.
Many fishing boats were docked at the pier in the outer area of Lihu County, a lot more than the last time he visited.
It was only a little past 8 AM, and because it had snowed during the night, many fishermen hadn't woken up early to go fishing, making the pier relatively quiet.
On the yacht just now, Lin Lan had already called Sun Xiaozhu to arrange for a special car to pick them up.
Considering the time, the car should be arriving soon.
Sure enough, just as Lin Lan pulled out his phone to check the time, a business vehicle with a Seagull logo, resembling a long-distance bus, appeared on the empty road.
What was surprising was that the person who jumped off the business vehicle and approached them was none other than Sun Dewang, the current agent of Lihu County.
At this moment, Lin Lan wasn't wearing his mask, as he had long known that the Tianou Group would use various means to learn his true identity.
After all, Lin Lan was the commander of the port district of Lihu County, and it was easy for the Tianou Group to gather this kind of information.
But so what? Lin Lan originally came from another world, and the original owner of his inherited identity was both orphaned and had no relatives.
Even classmates who were relatively close were now all serving as intern commanders in the Naval Department.
Therefore, Lin Lan simply decided to go without a mask to save himself from wearing that embarrassingly childish mask every time.
Dressed in a blue suit, Sun Dewang jumped out of the car and immediately walked up to Lin Lan and the group of Iron-Blooded Shipgirls.
Then, in the next second, Sun Dewang suddenly knelt on the ground.
The whole process was smooth, without any unnecessary movements, so much so that Lin Lan didn't react in time.
"Lord Führer, your loyal little Sun sincerely welcomes you to Lihu County for inspection…"
A string of overly respectful words instantly made Lin Lan break out in goosebumps. He bent down, grabbed Sun Dewang's arm, and pulled him up from the ground.
"Enough, stop with the formalities. Let's get to work. Quickly take us to the county Naval Department office. I need to talk to you about something in the car."
"Yes, yes…"
Sun Dewang looked at the young face in front of him, which was not much younger than his own. He agreed verbally, but his heart was filled with astonishment.
Although he already knew that the Führer with the powerful fleet of shipgirls was none other than Lin Lan, an intern naval commander who hadn't even graduated yet.
But even now, seeing Lin Lan's real face, he still couldn't believe that the Führer, who exudes such a strong aura when wearing the mask, was really this young.
However, Sun Dewang naturally didn't dare to voice his thoughts.
As Lin Lan and the Iron-Blooded Shipgirls boarded the spacious and clean coach, Sun Dewang, who was driving, started the engine and headed toward the inner district of Lihu County.
Lin Lan sat in the seat closest to Sun Dewang, observing the chubby man whose face was full of nervousness, even though the weather was cold, his forehead was sweating.
"Sun Dewang… if I'm not mistaken, that's your name, right? You should be familiar with Yunhai City, right?"
Upon hearing the young Führer's question, Sun Dewang immediately smiled obsequiously and replied:
"Lord Führer, your memory is great, just call me Little Sun. I'm of course very familiar with Yunhai City; it's the place where I grew up."
When he mentioned growing up in Yunhai City, Lin Lan keenly noticed a slight trace of unwillingness that flashed across Sun Dewang's face, almost unnoticeable.
Lin Lan couldn't help but understand where this unwillingness was coming from.
Previously, Sun Dewang had been in a position that was essentially the highest level in the Tianou Group, outside of the board of directors.
He had been seen many times on television accepting interviews and giving speeches while at the Red Maple Naval Academy.
Yet, in just the span of a year, he had been exiled from Yunhai City to the remote Lihu County.
If Lin Lan were in Sun Dewang's shoes, he would probably feel the same sense of bitterness.
However, Lin Lan looked at Sun Dewang and gave a meaningful smile before slowly saying:
"At the beginning of next month, you'll come with us to Yunhai City on business."
"If you perform well, then the Tianou Group will soon have a new board member."
Lin Lan's voice was like thunder, causing Sun Dewang's hand on the steering wheel to tremble sharply.
"It's an honor for Little Sun to serve Lord Führer. I am willing to dedicate myself to serving Lord Führer…"
"Enough, why are you starting again?"
Lin Lan helplessly looked at the overly excited Sun Dewang and immediately interrupted his flattery.
Even though Lin Lan interrupted him, Sun Dewang still had a face full of joy, even pressing the accelerator harder to speed up.
The reason Lin Lan said this to Sun Dewang wasn't to flatter him.
He truly planned to make Sun Dewang a director of the Tianou Group.
Sun Dewang had previously advocated for the harmonious coexistence of shipgirls and ordinary people and had maintained close ties with the Naval Department.
Because of this, shipgirls appearing on the streets of Orlan were not met with prejudice but were treated as heroes.
Lin Lan believed that after he and his shipgirls left Orlan, for Orlan to break through the blockade of the Sirens and rise, it would require the cooperation of humans and the shipgirls as allies.
Sun Dewang, who didn't discriminate against shipgirls and was close to the Naval Department, was someone Lin Lan was willing to promote as a leader of the Tianou Group.
This way, Lin Lan could leave without worries, while also giving a proper explanation to the Sui Qiong and the Baitian Mecha he had encountered in the Mirror Sea.
However, to be cautious, Lin Lan still decided to test Sun Dewang first, to see if he truly held no prejudice against shipgirls, as he had claimed in his speeches on television.
At the same time, he needed to assess whether Sun Dewang had the character to be a worthy leader.
"Sun Dewang, there's a question that has been bothering me for a long time. I want to hear your answer as a reference."
"Lord Führer, please ask. Little Sun will answer without reservation."
Lin Lan lowered his voice and slowly asked:
"If, I'm saying if."
"In the future, if shipgirls develop intelligence and are able to think, converse, and engage in various jobs like ordinary humans."
"One day, you need to hire an employee for your company. The candidates are an ordinary Orlan citizen and a shipgirl."
"Tell me, based on your years of experience in business management, who would you choose for the position?"
Before Sun Dewang could instinctively answer, Lin Lan immediately interrupted him coldly:
"Think carefully, answer me only after you've thought it through. If it's just some time-wasting flattery, I've heard enough already."
Hearing this, Sun Dewang immediately realized that the answer to this question was crucial.
For a moment, the only sounds in the coach, apart from the conversation between Z16, U1206, and U110 with Sui Qiong, were the hum of the engine.
Time ticked by, and the coach gradually moved from the outer district of Lihu County to the inner district.
The traffic on the road increased, and pedestrians began to appear on the streets.
"Lord Führer, I'm not sure if my answer will satisfy you, but please hear out my personal view."
Finally, just as Lin Lan was looking out of the window, thinking that Sun Dewang wouldn't answer, Sun Dewang's voice came:
"As a business manager, I would delegate the task to a professional HR to fairly and impartially assess the abilities of these two applicants."
"Of course, their personality and character, whether they meet the requirements of the position, are also factors I would consider."
"Since, in the future, shipgirls and ordinary humans are equal, I would naturally approach the recruitment from the perspective of the company's development, selecting the person who best meets the position's requirements."
"Regardless of their race or gender, if one of them is more suitable for the position, I would hire the more suitable one."
"This is my answer. In my view, our shipgirls are no different from the Liāo people, the National Guard people, or even the Natlān people who come to work."
"They are all citizens who contribute their personal value to the development of Orlan."
Looking at the serious expression on Sun Dewang's face, Lin Lan showed no change in his expression.
However, in his heart, he had already received the test results he wanted.
If Sun Dewang had merely said that he would hire the shipgirl after analyzing it, it would have been clear that he was still flattering and speaking insincerely.
Because no person from a financial group background would ignore profits, especially someone like Sun Dewang, who had previously been at the upper levels of the group.
By not giving a definitive choice and instead emphasizing the importance of fairness and impartiality in recruitment, Lin Lan truly recognized Sun Dewang.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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