21st Century Necromancer
Chapter 856 - 850 Impact

Akagi wanting to undergo modernization was within Chen Yu's expectations, yet it still came as a bit of a surprise.

In fact, after these Ship-girls were summoned, they all more or less developed an admiration for modern warships. This became particularly evident after Missouri and Kirov, both having undergone modernization and participated in post-World War II military operations, were summoned.

Aircraft Carrier Ship-girls increasingly enjoyed scouring the internet for pictures of various carrier-based aircraft from different countries. They would occasionally gather around the British Ship-girls' tea tables to hold tea parties, discussing how modern fighter jets could take off and land on their flight decks, and pondering the kinds of combat power improvements they might achieve if they were equipped with advanced technology such as electromagnetic catapults, radar, and sonar.

In truth, it wasn't just the Aircraft Carrier Ship-girls who were yearning for modernization; Battleship and Cruiser Ship-girls aspired equally to these upgrades that could significantly boost their combat capabilities.

Since Missouri and Kirov had gone through modernization and participated in modern military actions after World War II, it was common for Battleship Ship-girls to approach them after they joined Chen Yu's faction, asking for tours of their ship bodies.

The four 20mm MK-15 Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems on Missouri became the envy of every Ship-girl. Compared to the World War II-era anti-aircraft guns the Ship-girls were equipped with, these powerful close-defense weapons were an extraordinary improvement.

As for Kirov's payload of up to 400 missiles and its Granit missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, these made every Cruiser Ship-girl green with envy. Even Hood had the impulse to install vertical launch systems on her deck.

So when Kaga mentioned that Akagi wanted modernization upgrades, it was hardly surprising.

However, modernization was something that Chen Yu simply could not accomplish.

It wasn't that Chen Yu lacked the ability to perform modernization upgrades on the Ship-girls' hulls; rather, he lacked the military technology necessary for such upgrades.

Ship modifications are nothing like dragging a progress bar in a game or swapping out an old piece of equipment for a new one. In reality, ship modifications are an exceedingly complex and challenging process. Just replacing a single main gun might require dismantling an entire turret buried beneath several decks and updating the ammunition supply system.

Not to mention installing missiles on the decks of World War II-era ships. Such considerations were entirely absent from their original designs. Installing missiles would necessitate a complete overhaul of the entire ship.

Moreover, the technology for these modifications, as well as the modern equipment the Ship-girls admired so much, are without exception, guarded military secrets of various nations.

Chen Yu swiping old warships from different countries might be something the nations could begrudgingly tolerate. After all, these were decommissioned ships, and processing them would otherwise cost money for the countries involved. For them, letting Chen Yu take them was at worst a matter of losing face.

But if Chen Yu wanted access to their advanced military technology, that's an entirely different story and no amount of tolerance would suffice.

For these nations, military technology is the cornerstone of maintaining their military superiority over other states, a key aspect of their national power. It is absolutely unthinkable to hand it over to others.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the world's major military powers export large quantities of military equipment every year. These exported arms are all "export variants," with intentionally downgraded technology. Moreover, buyers must pay extra for maintenance, with personnel sent by the seller to oversee the process.

Additionally, the core components of such equipment come with anti-tampering measures. For example, parts like engines are often entirely welded shut to prevent others from gaining access to the underlying technology.

And of course, these military powers only sell finished products—never production lines or related technologies.

Thus, the idea of Chen Yu modernizing these Ship-girls remains a near impossibility.

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While Chen Yu was wrestling with the dilemma of modernizing the Ship-girls, the events at Tenmangu Shrine had naturally caught the attention of various factions.

The Imperial Household Agency was naturally overjoyed. Originally, they had only anticipated Akagi stepping forward to announce Japan's renewed protection under a Demigod. However, to their astonishment, Akagi had brought along four other Demigods. The show of force inherent in this was far more intimidating than having just a single Demigod.

This greatly bolstered the Imperial Household Agency and the Japanese Imperial Family's resolve to win over Chen Yu. After all, both Akagi and the other four Demigods were under Chen Yu's command. Winning over Chen Yu was equivalent to gaining the allegiance of his six Demigod subordinates.

As for the concern that Chen Yu was Chinese and whether courting his favor might provoke the Americans or contradict Japan's usual political stance?

Hadn't they noticed that the Americans themselves were already trying to win over Chen Yu? If the U.S. could pursue such a strategy, why shouldn't Japan?

Moreover, even if this were to upset the Americans, didn't Japan still have its Prime Minister? It was entirely feasible for the Prime Minister to maintain a pro-American stance while allowing the Imperial Family and government to adopt differing positions.

After all, Prime Ministers can be replaced, but the Emperor cannot. No matter how strong the American influence in Japan, they cannot replace the Emperor—such an action would have too significant an impact.

Besides, was Japan truly content to remain America's lapdog forever? Perhaps with the protection of Demigods, Japan could even break free from American control one day.

With such beliefs in mind, the Imperial Household Agency was actively planning how best to win over Chen Yu, while the Emperor was preparing to deliver a speech acknowledging Japan's war crimes during World War II.

Meanwhile, the Americans and Russians, who were also keeping an eye on Japan, had become aware of these developments.

The Russians felt relief, knowing they had already successfully established a relationship with Chen Yu and thus didn't need to worry about suddenly being attacked by six Demigods. This only strengthened their determination to have Chen Yu summon a new Demigod for them. Whether to intimidate or carry out specific tasks, the advantages of securing an additional Demigod were simply too great to ignore.

As for the Americans, they found themselves caught in a mix of anger and fear.

The anger was easy to understand: they had failed to win over Chen Yu, while their "junior ally" managed to gain his protection and allowed their long-standing rival, Russia, to acquire a new Demigod. How could this not enrage the United States?

But at the same time, they were deeply fearful. The combined might of Akagi and the other four Ship-girls, capable of killing a Lesser Deity, was frankly terrifying.

If they could kill a Lesser Deity, then wouldn't weaker Demigods be just as vulnerable?

The United States only had six Demigods, and at least three of them were not easily deployed. Under such circumstances, unless the U.S. was willing to pay the price of deploying nuclear weapons, they would be unable to withstand an attack from five Demigods. How could this not terrify them?

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