Whats's it like to have a fleet that can only recuirt female soldiers?

The food was fresh and delicious.

One hundred orcs sat on the ground, holding their lunch boxes in front of them, eating directly.

Although it was just some tasteless artificial food, the orcs devoured it voraciously.

As slaves, they had rarely, if ever, been able to eat their fill in the past. The slave traders had never been kind to them.

"After dinner, arrange for them to take a bath and change into new clothes. Then they can go on board and familiarize themselves with their future jobs," Zhao Chen said, sitting next to Charlotte and eating the same meal.

Charlotte, a former fleet commander, was more mindful of her manners. While others ate quickly, she chewed slowly, savoring her food.

She looked at the same food in Zhao Chen's hand, surprised. "You eat this too?"

"What else? I'm not afraid to tell you that your captain is very poor right now. The food I have stored is enough for us to last maybe half a month. As for what comes after... it depends on your performance." Zhao Chen said pitifully.

Charlotte softened her stance toward him a bit but narrowed her eyes, warning, "Why do you only recruit female orcs? When it comes to fighting, everyone would prefer men."

She looked at him seriously, "If you do anything to harm them, the agreement I made with you will be void. I won't allow them to sell their dignity and bodies for freedom."

Zhao Chen waved his hands reassuringly. "Don't worry. I have no bad intentions toward them. It's just that for certain reasons, I only recruited female soldiers this time."

As for the reason... I'm not at liberty to explain right now.

Charlotte gave him a skeptical look but remained silent. She then glared at him, warning, "I can't let you use them."

Zhao Chen smiled. "Relax, I won't do anything rash. It's just... for now, I can't tell you why."

Charlotte didn't look satisfied, but she let it go, her eyes shifting to the scars on her body.

"You got those scars yourself, didn't you?" Zhao Chen asked.

Charlotte nodded. "Yes. My resistance group was betrayed by a traitor and wiped out. If I hadn't disfigured myself, I would have been recognized and killed. Instead, they sold me as a slave."

Zhao Chen understood. If she had been recognized, her fate would have been even worse.

"I'm surprised you recognized me," Charlotte said, her curiosity piqued.

Zhao Chen smiled. "When I was studying at the academy, I read about some of your battles and saw pictures of you. Honestly, when I first saw your name on the slave list, I wasn't sure, but when I saw you in person, I knew. You used to be... like the dawn. I knew it was you, General Charlotte."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "So you recognized me because of my past fame."

Zhao Chen chuckled. "Not only that. It also helps that I know this body's memories well."

Charlotte seemed to soften a little, though she remained cautious.

"In fact, with current medical technology, it would be no problem to repair those scars of yours," Zhao Chen continued, glancing at her disfigured body.

Charlotte shook her head. "No need. A soldier doesn't care about her skin."

Zhao Chen didn't press the issue. The technology was expensive, anyway, and Charlotte had made her choice.

After they finished eating, Zhao Chen stood up. "Let's move on to your future duties."

He pointed toward the steel starship, the Blizzard Zero.

Charlotte followed Zhao Chen onto the ship. "Is this the starship you assembled?" she asked, inspecting the interior.

Zhao Chen nodded. "That's right. I used modules from the T2 Hyena-class medium star destroyer, the T2 Gray Wolf-class light star cruiser, and the T2 Devil Crocodile-class medium star battleship to assemble this starship. I named it Blizzard Zero."

Charlotte glanced around. "I'm not familiar with these ships, but based on what I see inside, this one looks pretty old. Many parts seem outdated. Its combat effectiveness... isn't ideal."

"No, no, no," Zhao Chen disagreed. "You'll change your mind soon. You'll come to love this starship."

Charlotte wasn't sure about it, but she was willing to give it a chance. After all, there wasn't much else she could do. At least Zhao Chen hadn't shown any repulsive qualities yet, even if the fact that he had recruited only female orcs still raised some questions.

The two reached the bridge of the Blizzard Zero, Charlotte's first time here and Zhao Chen's second.

The bridge was a typical setup—nothing particularly outstanding.

"Next, you'll be in charge of arranging the orc crew members' positions. I need them to form an effective fighting force in the shortest time possible," Zhao Chen instructed.

Charlotte looked at him, her expression serious. "If that's the case, I need to know some performance specifications of this starship..."

Before Charlotte could finish, Zhao Chen handed her a handheld terminal.

"I've registered your information. Now, you have the highest authority on this starship, except for me. You can access most of the ship's data."

Charlotte blinked in surprise. She took the terminal, her voice laced with skepticism. "Do you trust me this much? Aren't you worried that I'll betray you?"

Zhao Chen smiled faintly. He had already used the system skill "Eye of Insight" on Charlotte when she boarded the ship. Since Zhao Chen was the captain, the conditions for activating the skill were met.

The "Eye of Insight" showed no signs of hostile intent from Charlotte, though her loyalty was uncertain. For now, that was enough. Zhao Chen didn't expect her to be loyal immediately—he just needed her to work for him.

With a relaxed demeanor, Zhao Chen sat in the captain's chair. "I trust the people I choose. Now, my dear deputy captain, it's time to get to work."