"Thank you for your hard work. Get some proper rest, everyone. We'll return home within a week."
With the battle drawing to a close, the Third Fleet began withdrawing from the war zone. Lu PingAn, who had remained on high alert the entire time, finally let out a breath.
No matter what, as its commander, he had at least brought the fleet entrusted to him back safely. What Lu PingAn had feared most was the Third Fleet being destroyed here.
If the worst happened, it would mean a gap in the Third Military Region's defensive line.
A flood did not need to wash away an entire dam. One breach was enough to destroy everything. The coastal cities, and even the regions farther inland, could be overrun by the Otherworld Invaders.
The Eastern Kingdom had dispatched several newly formed fleets, demonstrating its sincerity in rescuing Sakurajima. But once the situation became unsalvageable, they could not possibly throw those precious fleets into the bottomless pit of attritional warfare in these waters.
That was why, over the past few days, the fleets had primarily focused on search, rescue, and scouting, acting with relative caution.
After all, fleets had duties of their own.
"Once we get back, the fleet will probably be reorganized. This ragtag force is unbearable."
During the return journey, Lu PingAn had no time to rest. Too many matters needed handling, and too many reports required his personal writing.
Some concerned rescue operations, some involved assessments of the enemy's upper ranks, and some even contained information unsuitable for public disclosure. Lu PingAn alone wrote many reports related to Awakening Disease. At the same time, his superiors also asked him about Ocean Disease.
This war had only just ended, but those making plans had to consider the next one—and even the battles