Although Lin Lan, as a competent commander, definitely understood each of his shipgirls deeply, he still couldn't quite figure out how his past actions were interpreted in their eyes.
For example, right now, Lin Lan was looking at Maury, who shared the same "I get you" expression as her older sister Gridley, and at Hammann, who suddenly became so shy her voice even trembled.
He had no idea what these two little shipgirls were thinking about.
Meanwhile, on the racetrack, Enterprise and Essex were already ready, engines running, bodies pressed low against their respective racing motorcycles.
Both had fully focused their attention on the race signal lights ahead.
As the five red lights went out one by one and suddenly all turned green, the engines roared to life.
Both riders accelerated almost simultaneously, becoming streaks of motion as they sped from the starting line.
"Oh! It's started!"
From the stands, Lin Lan and the others watched in surprise as the two maintained nearly identical speeds, riding side by side into the distance.
The huge big screen followed their departure, switching camera angles immediately. Cameras were set up along the track at intervals, and Gridley streamed the footage live right away.
Lin Lan clearly saw the two aircraft carrier shipgirls perform their sharp corner drifts with near-perfect synchronization.
Several times, it even seemed like their bodies were almost touching the ground.
The tension and excitement made him, as a spectator, feel the charm of a race for the first time.
However, for shipgirls, even if they made a mistake and were thrown off at such high speed without armor, it probably wouldn't cause real injury.
When they reached halfway through the first lap, Lin Lan noticed that the two who had been moving in sync had started to separate in position.
At a sharp turn, Essex entered the drift about a second later than Enterprise.
That single second was enough for Enterprise to seize the opportunity and take the lead.
Seeing this, Hammann and Maury clapped and cheered simultaneously. While Lin Lan also applauded Enterprise's brilliant move, he secretly thought Essex was in trouble.
Given that their skills and equipment were originally quite close, as long as Enterprise didn't make a mistake, this short lead could very well be the deciding factor.
His intuition proved correct.
Until the end of the first lap, no matter how hard Essex tried to catch up and overtake, Enterprise always held her off firmly, never allowing Essex to pass.
"See, Commander, Enterprise's skill is unquestionable. Essex still has a lot to learn."
Maury smiled at Lin Lan, watching as Enterprise perfectly defended against Essex's overtaking attempt in the final S-turn.
"One more lap, Essex still has a chance."
Lin Lan also noticed that Enterprise's motorcycle skills were stronger, but since the race was only halfway done, he remained optimistic about Essex.
He believed the Essex-class flagship, who had always set Enterprise as her goal to surpass, wouldn't be left behind forever.
As Enterprise passed the starting line again, it officially marked the beginning of the second half of the race.
Essex bit her lower lip, eyes locked on the silver-haired figure ahead. Her expression beneath the helmet grew more serious.
Just one minor mistake in a corner slowed her by less than a second, but that was enough for Enterprise to seize control.
No matter what tricks she tried to overtake, Enterprise countered them perfectly.
No wonder Enterprise was the strongest senior. But at this rate...
I will lose!
Essex had considered the possibility of losing, but she hadn't expected to lose because of such a careless mistake, losing any chance of overtaking.
The commander must have seen everything from the stands and be disappointed in her lack of progress...
As Essex closely followed Enterprise past the starting line, she glanced toward the stands with self-reproach.
But that glance revealed Lin Lan's hopeful expression.
"Commander... Are you expecting me to win?"
In that instant, Essex sped past the stands.
Yet inside, her heart seemed to be stirred by a storm.
Even though the commander saw her mistake, saw her at a disadvantage and unable to overtake, he still hoped she could win?
Essex gripped the motorcycle's handlebars tightly, eyes locked on Enterprise's silhouette not far ahead.
As her deeply admired senior, Essex always treated Enterprise as the one to surpass, naturally making her a rival.
Whether in battle missions, training, or these daily racing activities, Essex endlessly thought about how to surpass Enterprise.
Every time she brought her sisters to the track for fun races, she imagined how to retake the lead if overtaken by Enterprise.
In just this last half lap, she had executed nearly ninety-nine percent of her overtaking plan, but Enterprise perfectly neutralized every attempt.
That was why she had almost given up just moments ago.
"But since the commander is so hopeful for me, how can I give up?"
"If I give up, even Enterprise won't acknowledge me!"
The imagined Enterprise she once planned to surpass overlapped with the real one in front of her.
Essex clenched her teeth and began to construct her final, surprise overtaking opportunity in her mind.
The challenging S-turn just before the finish line.
At this moment, Essex was riding in Enterprise's slipstream, barely hanging on behind.
Although she tried multiple times to overtake in the corner, Enterprise blocked and defended every attempt.
"Hmph! Commander, the race is almost over, so get ready to be punished by Hammann!"
Watching the two had entered the latter half of the second lap on the big screen, Hammann looked at Lin Lan, pouting.
"What punishment? Hah, wow, so you two think I'm a masochist?"
Lin Lan, who had been watching the race heatedly, suddenly understood what the two girls had been thinking just now.
When Hammann first joined his port, he liked listening to her annoyed voice and would purposely poke her portrait to make her scold him.
Maybe that was why this silver-haired beast-eared little girl always called him a big pervert after being remodeled.
After all, who in their right mind would look for insults?
And just now, even though he knew Enterprise was the favorite, he bet on Essex winning, plus that easily misunderstood condition...
Lin Lan smiled bitterly. It seemed no explanation would help now.
The two racers had only the final S-turn and a straightaway left to the finish.
Two Manjuu had even come to the finish line—actually the starting point—holding the black-and-white checkered flag representing the race's end.
It really seemed Essex had no chance. But that was to be expected, as losing to the Eagle Union's War God Enterprise wasn't shameful.
Lin Lan shook his head helplessly, ready to tease Hammann a little, when Anchorage suddenly cried out excitedly:
"Teacher! Essex, sister, is going to overtake!"
"What!"
Anchorage's words made Lin Lan's heart skip a beat as he turned back to look at the big screen.
At that moment, both Eagle Union aircraft carrier shipgirls were in the S-turn, and the distance between them was rapidly shrinking!
"Senior Enterprise, this is the plan I have practiced countless times in my mind to surpass you. This time, I will win honorably right in front of the commander!"
With Essex's inner roar, her motorcycle also responded with a fierce roar, closing the gap with the figure ahead more and more...
This last, surprise overtaking move she had thought out several corners ago was now the moment to prove its result!
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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