Revisit Azur Lane

"..."

Hu Teng was clearly unprepared for Zhou He's actions. He turned his head to the side, letting his hair obscure his eyes, and after a long pause, he spoke: "Is this an order?"

Ok?

Zhou He was already used to the different personalities of his ship girls, so he didn't think much of it and said with a smile what he wanted to say: "Yes and no, this is my personal expectation of you, Hu Teng."

"I see."

This time, Hu Teng answered quickly. She hummed in agreement, draped her coat over her shoulder, and walked past Zhou He toward Bismarck.

"How indifferent."

Javelin and Ayanami were the last to reach the shore. After observing Zhou He's situation, Javelin muttered something under her breath. Zhou He, who was close by, heard her and put a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. Javelin blinked and covered her mouth with her hand. Ayanami, seeing this, also covered her mouth. Zhou He smiled at their imitation and gave them a thumbs up: "You two did a great job too, keep it up."

"Yes!"

Javelin was full of energy, while Ayanami simply nodded.

While Zhou He was spending time with the children, Kaga, who was a little further away, was already chatting with Bismarck and the others, saying, "Is it our turn next? I've wanted to ask you two for advice for a long time, but I haven't had the time."

"How should I put it~"

Hood smiled slightly at Bismarck. Earlier, Kaga had come over with Tosa after seeing them approaching and suggested that the two sisters spar with her and Bismarck. She didn't say anything at the time, but Bismarck agreed.

Bismarck didn't look at them, but instead turned her gaze to Hutten who was approaching: "Our ship equipment is different from yours, but there are also commonalities that can be used as a reference."

"Ah."

Hu Teng did not back down and responded calmly.

Bismarck's meaning was clear: she wanted her to observe and learn from their control of the battle rhythm, to learn things that directly affect combat, and it had nothing to do with ship equipment. Moreover, she didn't think there was anything wrong with her ship equipment; it was just that she hadn't used it long enough to find the best way to control it.

"Just the four of us?"

Upon hearing this conversation, Hood knew that Bismarck had agreed. She herself didn't mind letting Kaga and Tosa admire her prowess—unlike housework like making sweets, combat and drills were her forte.

"It might be dangerous for the four of us to let the little ones wander around."

Kaga grinned, revealing her white teeth, and looked very excited. Tosa also turned to look at Hood and Bismarck. Because Zhou He had explicitly forbidden Hood and Bismarck from fighting, she had never thought of competing with the two of them. This time, however, it could serve as a preliminary reference for a real battle.

"Commander, would you like to stay and observe?"

Javelin stood next to Zhou He and asked quietly. The latter smiled and shook his head: "My presence here might affect their performance. You should go back and change your clothes as soon as possible so you don't catch a cold."

"Yes~"

Javelin responded obediently, her voice pleasant and her demeanor sensible, making Zhou He feel once again how adorable and easy to care for the destroyers were. His hand itched, and he couldn't resist reaching out to pat Javelin's head, a gentle smile on his lips. Javelin, treated this way, let out a surprised "Aiya~", glanced up at Zhou He, and quickly lowered her head again.

"Then I'll head back now. Good luck to you all."

Zhou He didn't touch it for too long. After his itchy hand was relieved, he turned his head to look at Ayanami, who was staring at him expressionlessly with her mechanical ears perked up. He then withdrew his hand, left a few words of encouragement, and turned to leave.

He remembered that in the game, Ayanami and Javelin were treated like royalty, with far more skins than other ship girls. However, Ayanami's ears looked rather stiff, making it inconvenient to pat her head.

……

After leaving the coastal dock, Zhou He briefly inspected the residential area and then went to the industrial zone to check on Ling Min and Ming Shi's work progress. Judging from the number of parts piled up in the corner, the two of them were really serious about completing the 'automatic defense' function that Zhou He had mentioned. However, Ling Min was not there today, and Ming Shi simply covered herself with a small blanket at the workshop entrance and took a nap in the sun. Zhou He admired her ability to fall asleep while a group of people were firing cannons next to her.

I also envy her carefree lifestyle.

"Actually, I can do it too, right?"

As Zhou He turned around, he thought to himself, but he also knew that he probably couldn't do it now, because he didn't know when he had taken on the idol image of the position of 'commander' and tried his best to look more reliable every day.

This can be seen from the fact that he now smooths out the wrinkles on his military uniform from time to time every day; he would never have done such a time-wasting thing before he transmigrated.

However, once the Minato Ward is filled with stars and talents and no longer needs him, he can escape this situation and become a parasite in the Minato Ward.

"It's a bit far."

I took off my hat and rubbed my styled hair. I don't know why, but wearing a hat for a long time makes my scalp feel very uncomfortable, even a little stinging. Maybe cutting it off is the right choice.

Lost in these random thoughts, Zhou He followed the road away from the buildings and arrived at the edge of the area. Behind him, he heard a series of explosions in the distance, and from the high platform, he could see other people outside.

Hermione and Jarvis were airing out their blankets, and Harman was doing the same. Not far away, Yuudachi was also sunbathing. It just goes to show that felines and canines are quite similar in some ways.

As for Yukikaze, who was the most concerned, she seemed to be being led around the port area by Jintsu, but in reality, she had been entangled with Zuikaku. No one knew what they were talking about, but Zuikaku was talking very enthusiastically, and Shoukaku did not stop her, enjoying the peaceful scene.

"Isn't this good enough?"

As Zhou He pondered this, he squatted down on the steps and began browsing the greenhouse garden house that Hermione had mentioned earlier. After several previous purchases, he discovered that the price of building-type products seemed to be directly linked to the area occupied. Interior design and style, which were considered "software," didn't count towards the price. And a greenhouse house that sounded like it couldn't be small certainly wouldn't be cheap.

He flipped through the items and was surprised to find greenhouses for sale for over a hundred dollars. Their overall shape looked like the Heavy Industries building from Red Alert 3, a long, semi-circular structure lying on the ground.

'Where's the orchard?'

Hermione wanted desserts and drinks, and the healthiest option was to grow her own fruit trees. For convenience, she could just buy powdered sugar. To be self-sufficient, she had to grow her own, so she looked around and found a variety of orchards with prices ranging from 100 to 500.

None of them are affordable right now. It's like having three thousand in savings and wanting a six-thousand-dollar computer, but the system doesn't offer installment payment options, so there's nothing he can do.

"We still have to fight the Sirens, take over their base, and conquer their Mirror Sea."

After closing the shop, Zhou He turned his attention to the Sirens in the West Fourth District and the South Third District—the two human bases. He clicked his tongue for a while before returning to the waters near the port. Yesterday, Xuefeng had stormed over and sunk at least dozens of Sirens, but the map did not show any decrease in the number of Sirens. In fact, because Xuefeng had lured out the Executors in the South Third District, the combat power and density of the Sirens had increased.

This is what they call having both advantages and disadvantages; the Sirens still can't be completely wiped out in the short term.

Most importantly, Zhou He observed that there were four Siren cadres at the West Fourth District base. The observer also gathered around at some point, looking like he was going to take him down in one go. But this also revealed an important piece of information: these cadres from the experimental agency were very free, so free that they had time to gather in front of his house.

In other words, at least a large area of ​​the ocean where he was located was free of other anti-Siren forces.

"It's pretty bad here."

After looking at it again and again, Zhou He took a breath, his brows furrowing unconsciously.

His ship girl doesn't like being stuck at home, and neither does he, but now he can only take it one step at a time.

Having formed a simple idea in his mind, Zhou He got up and jumped down the steps in two steps. After a few steps to steady himself, he approached the command building. He met Hermione and the others before entering the room. Once inside, he saw Nagashima Haguro and Nagashima Haguro playing rock-paper-scissors for some reason. Haguro had just lost.

"Perfect timing, the Commander is here!"

Long Island grinned smugly, pointing at Zhou He as he entered, seemingly indicating something. Yu Hei sighed helplessly, turned around, leaned against the back of the sofa, and looked at Zhou He: "Commander, Long Island wants some snacks. Do you have time to help her get some now?"

"What do you want to eat? I can't make anything too fancy."

Zhou He stopped and looked at the two of them. At most, he could help steam cakes, fry French fries, and make barbecue... Hmm, it seems like he could try making hamburgers or fried chicken, things that would really satisfy his appetite.

"French fries are fine too!"

Long Island answered very readily, while shaking the book in his hand horizontally: "It would be even better if there was a game console."

"Game consoles are not snacks."

Zhou He's lips twitched. What was going on with Long Island? Normally, ship girls would only learn everyday knowledge, but on Long Island, the style had suddenly changed. Where did she learn about game consoles and the internet? This definitely wasn't knowledge inherited from the ship, but rather modern knowledge used to integrate into society.

"Humph."

Long Island crossed his arms and revealed a deep expression: "Commander, you should understand that snacks + game consoles are a classic example of 1+1>2. If there's cola, that would be even better!"

Are you Umaru-chan reincarnated?

Zhou He stepped forward and patted Changdao on the head, then turned into the kitchen with a grumble. He remembered that Changdao's character was a parody of Himouto! Umaru-chan. He could laugh it off when playing the game, but in reality, the sense of déjà vu was overwhelming.

Who is Umaru?

Long Island covered his head and asked Zhou He curiously, "Is he a friend of the Commander?"

"No, it's my one-sided observation target."

Zhou He did want to be friends with Xiao Mai, but that was clearly just a pipe dream.

"Ah! So it's a one-sided crush. Commander knows so much about her, could it be a childhood friend?"

Perhaps it was an inappropriate choice of words, but Long Island seemed to have discovered a new continent and immediately got up and followed Zhou He, making his own deductions as if he had found a new toy.

Anyway, Yuhei didn't move. Instead, he stared at Nagashima with the look of someone looking at an idiot. If Zhou He really liked that woman named Umaru and said that Nagashima was her reincarnation, wouldn't nodding now mean that Nagashima was his type?

She didn't want to get involved in any trouble, so after glancing at it twice, she buried her head in her storybook and continued reading.

"Umaru is a fictional character from comic books and anime videos."

Zhou He instinctively sensed trouble and immediately laid his cards on the table, turning to look at Changdao: "I don't remember anything strange in the books I selected. How come you're so skilled at this, Changdao?"

"Haha, I don't know why, maybe it's because this is my hobby, which leads to me receiving a lot of new information!"

Long Island, realizing he had guessed wrong, breathed a sigh of relief and responded with a smile.

"Perhaps that's how it is."

Zhou He didn't understand, nor did he intend to spend time figuring out what kind of additional knowledge his ship girls had gained, because he remembered most of the ship girls' personality traits and was familiar with any strange hobbies they might have. Therefore, he could usually handle things with ease.

"Ah~"

As expected, upon seeing Zhou He's calm and composed demeanor, Changdao lost the desire to tease him and quietly turned back to Yuhei's side. She thought she would be mocked, but Yuhei completely ignored her—sometimes, silence is more hurtful than words.

But for Nagashima, this was no big deal at all. Compared to other people who would barge into her room and carry her out to fight at the drop of a hat, Kuroba's indifference was actually quite considerate.

Soon, under Changdao's influence, the two started to be active as a group again, while Zhou He found the leftover potatoes in the refrigerator and started peeling them. Then, with his excellent vegetable-cutting skills, he turned the fries into strips of yellow and set them aside to drain.

"French fries aren't that difficult, but for hamburgers and fried chicken, where we don't have the necessary equipment... let's leave it at that for now."

While heating the oil, Zhou He searched inside and outside the kitchen, but unsurprisingly, he couldn't find any fresh ingredients that could be used with it.

Waiting for the oil to heat up, Zhou He put the potato strips in. They quickly set and, because they were solid, didn't float to the surface. Fortunately, he had done it once before, so he was already quite skilled. When he felt they were ready, he used a spoon to take the fries out.

The portion wasn't particularly large this time, but it was enough for Long Island and Yuhei to eat comfortably... Zhou He secretly ate two of them; they weren't crispy, but rather a bit powdery, which had a very nice texture.

"Your fries are here. Is there anything else you need? If not, I'll head upstairs now."

After placing the plate of fries in front of the two men on Long Island, Zhou He made sure they didn't need his help again before heading upstairs.

Chapter 117 The Intelligence Brought by Yukikaze

"The information that we can confirm at present is that at least the sirens belonging to the experimental agency cannot break through the system's cognitive barrier. Even if they launch an attack directly from a safe area near the island, the sirens will not be able to retaliate."

Back in his office, Zhou He began writing down the known intelligence in his notebook. The port had been blockaded for several days, and it was obviously impossible for his ship girls to break through the defenses of the four Sirens officers. Therefore, the only option was to ask the other side to cede a section of the sea.

The proposed plan was simple: increase the number of aircraft carriers and wage a war of attrition against the Sirens through continuous air strikes combined with sorties by ship girls, letting them know that they were not easy targets.

Using a Rubik's Cube to build it, it's impossible to be sure that an aircraft carrier will appear. However, he can use the blueprints and parts he collected beforehand, along with resources such as steel recovered from dismantling the Sirens, to directly build an aircraft carrier by hand and place it in the safe zone at the port entrance to launch an attack.