Revisit Azur Lane

Zhou He nodded, and after providing full supplies to everyone in the battle, he led Hu Teng along the dock and into the industrial area. They found a workshop where production was in full swing, and Zhou He watched as the cat looked around while holding a piece of machinery. He stepped inside and said, "Akashi!"

"Meow?"

Akashi was rarely called upon. Turning her head, she saw Zhou He put down the mechanical parts and then lean over to look up at him: "Commander, what's up, meow?"

"There's a technical job I need your help with, Akashi."

Zhou He's gaze shifted. He remembered that Akashi had never attended a single combat meeting... After thinking for a moment, he decided to get straight to the point, crouching down slightly so that Akashi could look him in the eye: "Next, Hutten and Count Spee will be going to the Siren base. I hope you can sneak in and... to observe and learn about the entire process of mass-producing Sirens and the Sirens' technology for converting matter."

"Meow?"

Akashi blinked, she couldn't quite understand what Zhou He was saying: "Commander has taken down a Siren base, meow?"

"Pretty much. I captured a talking Siren, and she can lead you into the Siren base."

Zhou He nodded.

"?"

The ahoge (cowlick) on the Ming stone has taken on a question mark shape. Are these two things actually quite similar?

"This is a chance to see the complete Sirens technology. At least until the battle outside ends, those Sirens won't attack us. Akashi, you can rest assured about our safety."

Zhou He placed his hand on Akashi's petite shoulder, his tone and expression very serious: "Akashi, I need your skills."

"Meow…"

Akashi glanced at Zhou He, then at Hu Teng and Earl Spee, who were observing the workshop from the left and right. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded: "I understand, meow."

If anyone else had told her it was safe to take a stroll around the Siren base and then go home, she would have jumped up and smashed their knees with a wrench, even suspecting that the Siren had infiltrated the port to carry out human trafficking. But with Zhou He—if he encountered any danger, she would definitely give Zhou He's seemingly overloaded brain a good talking-to later.

"Excellent! You truly deserve to be our chief researcher in the Hong Kong region."

Zhou He praised Ming Shi with great delight. He was even thinking that if Ming Shi didn't agree, he would just kidnap her. After all, it was impossible to enter the Siren base without special circumstances like this.

Since Akashi has volunteered to go and study there, that's the best thing that could happen.

He then stood up and introduced Akashi to Hu Teng and the other woman, explaining what they should do after arriving at the Siren Foundation with the Purifiers.

"This sounds much more interesting than monitoring the Sirens."

Hu Teng didn't think Akashi could learn anything from the Siren base, but this escort mission deep into enemy territory had already barely met her standards.

"Well, you guys should set off soon. I should probably call Yukikaze and the others back soon. We can't end the battle so early."

Zhou He chuckled and helped Akashi shut down the running workshop. He then distributed the sleeping bags he had used for camping to Akashi, Hu Teng, and Count Spee. As for the food, he believed the Siren had material conversion technology and the Purifier would solve the problem for him.

Is it almost over?

Hu Teng was quite surprised when he returned to the dock. The heavy atmosphere in the port before the attack was not fake. It had only been a short time since the attack, and this so-called ominous entity was just dangerous in appearance.

"No, but it's only a matter of time before we win."

Zhou He glanced at Xue Feng, who had already rushed into the black storm. He didn't know what was happening inside, but all the black dots inside were already wiped out, while the number of black dot enemies outside was still increasing.

'Isn't what's hidden inside the core? Does this mean the storm won't subside until all these dark spots are wiped out?'

Xuefeng was very efficient, but the ominous entity also exceeded his expectations. He originally thought that one of the seven enemies inside would be the core, but it turned out that there was none. No wonder the Purifier took the initiative to come to him for cooperation. Considering the mental pollution, this thing is indeed quite troublesome.

However, there is a minor issue: are all the mass-produced Siren models from the nearby Siren bases specially formulated for pollution resistance? Aren't you worried about supplying the enemy with these products?

If it's a pollution-resistant specialization, then even if it's just her and the tester, they should be able to deal with the ominous entity here. Is it because they're worried that he'll send someone to steal their backside, or is dealing with the ominous entity a priority over dealing with him?

Or perhaps in the Sirens' internal decision-making, the ominous signs belong to the invaders, and they and their side are the defenders. If there is no external enemy, they fight a civil war; if there is an external enemy, they unite.

I don't understand, but it doesn't matter.

Zhou He almost got himself confused. In any case, what he needed to do now was to steal the Sirens' technology and, incidentally, complete the urgent mission given by the system.

As for the Purifier turning against him?

Whether the Purifiers could defeat Hutten and Count Spee at close range was one thing. Furthermore, breaking ties with them at this point, even if the Purifiers sank Hutten and his two companions, would only result in the loss of three members of his family, which wouldn't fundamentally harm him. This was an action where the cost and benefit were disproportionate.

If she dares to form such an alliance and betray him, he will definitely make all the Sirens in the experimental world pay the price.

"Let's go."

Hu Teng nodded slightly. If that was the case, then she knew how to deal with the two 'partners', the tester and the purifier.

Hutten and Count Spee went into the water first, carrying Akashi's sleeping bag. Akashi hesitated for a moment before following. As the three of them passed by Long Island, who was pulling back the Builder's machine, Akashi's eyes widened as she looked at the underwater object. She turned around on the surface of the sea, waved to Zhou He, and called out, "Commander! We have to study this thing we towed back together when I get back!"

"Huh? Got it!"

Seeing Akashi so excited that he seemed about to jump up, Zhou He waved in response: He had two ideas about the builder's corpse. One was to dismantle it to see if any rare materials would drop. The other was to let Akashi study it to see if they could find some equipment and technology that they could use.

I didn't expect Akashi to be so sensible.

Chapter 133 So-called Natural Disasters

As the war progressed, rolling dark clouds over Zhou He's clear sky. The strong winds brought by the approaching storm rushed into the port area from the bay entrance, directly hitting Zhou He's face on the beach and forcing him to take shelter in the warehouse on the dock. Fortunately, his houses were all produced by the system, with the main feature of being sturdy, and they did not make any unusual noises despite the wind.

"Oh no, the door is blocked."

Zhou He turned on the lights in the warehouse, revealing a large pile of items deep inside. These were the remnants of materials left behind after the system dismantled the warships. Akashi and the others usually took materials from here for research and experimentation.

But that's not the point. Zhou He used his supernatural powers to go to the small window by the door and look outside. Because of the approaching black storm, the light was significantly reduced, and the visible range of the naked eye became very low. From here, Zhou He couldn't even see the entrance to the bay. He could only see the seawater near the shore churning wildly as if it were being boiled. At this moment, the sea was like a monster in a riot, which made people feel fear.

"Luckily, Hu Teng and the others left early, otherwise they really wouldn't have been able to get out."

Reaching out to touch the cold window, Zhou He switched the system interface to the dock and started a video call with Xiang He. Soon, Xiang He, looking quite disheveled, appeared in front of the camera. Perhaps due to the system's lens filter, Zhou He didn't see anything particularly dark on Xiang He's side. Just like on his side, the wind was visibly strong, and there were even traces of small tornadoes floating into the air in the seawater.

"Commander? Commander! Are you alright over there?"

In the dim light, any glimmer of light was conspicuous. With the background light on, Zhou He was quickly noticed by Xiang He. She pressed down her flowing hair with one hand, and her expression was no longer as calm and gentle as usual. Her voice was urgent as the wind blew: "I'm very sorry, our operation has failed."

Yes, even with Yukikaze's overwhelming strength, Zhou He's ship girls still couldn't completely eliminate the Ominous entity. Instead, they were forced to retreat steadily as the storm continued to approach. Shoukaku, who was having a video call with Zhou He, had already retreated to a safe zone, as had the others. Even the usually elegant Hood looked extremely disheveled. Even as warships, they couldn't withstand such a terrifying natural disaster, and as ship girls with their 'smaller weight,' it was even more difficult. When the black storm was about ten nautical miles away, they could no longer stand. What was originally a back-and-forth battle turned into a one-sided crushing of them by the Ominous entity as the storm drew closer. They fought their way back to their home base!

"It's alright, it's good that you're all back safe and sound. Did anyone get lost?"

Zhou He took a breath. When he saw Hu Teng and the others off, he thought that the Purifiers alone could deal with these ominous entities. But he was proven wrong in the blink of an eye. He didn't know how strong the black storm was, but he was sure it was no less than level ten. The closer you get to the storm, the stronger the wind will be. As for the snow wind that directly rushed into the core of the storm to attack people, its strength was completely beyond his understanding. The beauty of the numerical value was all there.

"No, everyone came back together, including Yukikaze."

Xianghe glanced at everyone who was trying their best to protect their clothes and gave an affirmative answer. At the same time, he instructed Zhou He to "return to the command post and close all the open doors and windows before the storm gets close."

"Okay, you guys come back quickly too."

Zhou He glanced at the wind outside the window, answered, gave a few more instructions, and turned to leave. However, Shen Tong was also observing outside the window. The two were standing a little too close and almost bumped into each other. Zhou He reacted quickly and instinctively took a step back, bumping into the glass with a thud. Shen Tong was also startled and took several steps back before hurriedly apologizing.

"It's alright, we shouldn't stay here. Let's go back to the command post first."

Touching his slightly feverish back, Zhou He took off his hat and stuffed it into his clothes. He nodded to Shen Tong and then stepped forward to open the warehouse door. There were two doors: one was a left-right door that was more than four meters high, and the other was a normal security door that opened inward. The door was made of metal, and just opening the door gave one a sense of security.

The wind rushed in as soon as the door was opened, making Zhou He's hair stand on end. Knowing he couldn't wait any longer, he cautiously went out against the wind, listening to the whooshing sound above his head, and slowly moved forward against the warehouse wall.

"This is how terrible natural disasters are."

Jintsu followed closely behind Zhou He. Ship girls generally have strong physiques, and their high muscle density results in a significant increase in weight. Although Jintsu is only about 1.65 meters tall, her weight is even greater than Zhou He's, and she walks very steadily.

It took Zhou He quite a while to return to the command building with the support of his supernatural powers. The first thing he did upon entering was to close the door tightly.

"commander!"

Harman's sudden shout startled Zhou He, who had just relaxed. He turned around and saw Yorktown and Harman sitting side by side in the hall, looking at him nervously.

Seeing this, Zhou He instinctively patted the wrinkles in his clothes and smiled as he nodded to the two of them: "It's alright, it's just that the wind is a bit strong outside. Everyone who went out has returned safely. It's absolutely safe to stay indoors until the storm passes."

After saying that, he thought for a moment and spread his hands towards the two of them: "Perfect timing, I need your help to check if any of the windows on the second floor are open, and close them all."

"Ah, I understand, Haman."

Yorktown's eyes lit up, and he took Harman's hand and ran quickly upstairs to the second floor.

"Shentong, you check the situation on the first floor. I'll go check the third floor."

Zhou He left a message and quickly went upstairs. He hadn't worked here for several days, but since it hadn't rained, all the windows were open for ventilation.

Sure enough, he heard something fall to the ground as soon as he reached the office door. When he opened the door, he found a lot of papers and books blown to the ground, making a mess. He quickly went over to close the window, collected the books that had fallen to the ground, and put them back.

Then, he plopped down on his desk and sighed deeply. He was exasperated. The Siren battle wasn't over yet, and now this ominous sign had appeared. He had been wondering why the Purifier wanted to cooperate with him, but now he understood—if she went directly to the Siren base to start shipbuilding, these ominous signs would definitely follow and destroy the base, leaving her no chance to build ships.

Now that he's the one who draws the most hatred, the other bases can naturally carry out production smoothly.

"Holy crap, the Builder's mech is anchored on the sea, it shouldn't be blown away, right?"

With no one around, Zhou He couldn't help but utter a curse, then tapped his fingers on the slightly damp table: "The Builder's body is quite strange. The entire ship's rigging has no external damage whatsoever, and even the Builder's body inside the cockpit is completely unharmed, but she's dead, with no signs of life whatsoever."

He originally just wanted to retrieve a piece of ship equipment, but it came with a lifelike corpse, which put him in a difficult position. Should he have Akashi study it with him? Or should he dig a hole and bury it? Or should he pack it up and take it away with the Purifier?

All of these are fine, but the problem is that there's a strong wind outside right now, and he simply doesn't have time to deal with it. If it's left like this for two or three days, it's uncertain whether the builder's body can withstand it. This is really worrying. If it weren't for Akashi wanting to do the research, he would really want the system to disassemble it into resources for her directly.

Then there are the ominous entities. These strange things, whose origins are unknown, have gathered together. Their powerful corrupting force has coalesced to form the black whirlwind outside. It's an absurd thing. Our own ship girls have been fighting for two hours, and their numbers have not decreased but increased, almost breaking into triple digits. If this continues to grow endlessly, it will be an enormous problem.

After experiencing it firsthand, Zhou He finally understood that the fleets defeated by the Ominous Sign in the past weren't incapable, but rather that the existence of the Ominous Sign's entity was simply too troublesome. If his ship girls didn't have the ability to resist pollution, they would probably be reduced to a lone commander in a single encounter with the Ominous Sign. Even now, it would take him at least three or four days to completely clear the Ominous Sign's entity away, and if the storm continued to linger here, he wouldn't be able to get out...

After much deliberation, Zhou He could only grit his teeth and say, "I hope the Purifier can bring me some surprises, be reliable, and work together to solve the strange things outside."

Listening to the whistling wind outside the window behind him, Zhou He gradually calmed down as he pondered this. At worst, he would only have to stay indoors for a few days; it wasn't a big deal.

dong dong dong.

Suddenly, loud footsteps and exclamations came from outside the door. Zhou He looked up and saw Xi Li jump out of the stairwell in a flash, completely naked except for a pair of striped panties. Zhou He was stunned for a moment, and closed his eyes and pinched his brow as if he hadn't reacted yet.

"Yuri, clothes, clothes!"

The voice that was speaking was Shoukaku's, and it sounded like Hermione's voice too. Then came Yuudachi's disgusted voice. Zhou He went from pinching his brow to rubbing his face. When he felt that was enough, he let go and saw Yuudachi wearing an ill-fitting white coat, pouting and looking very unwilling. He couldn't help but laugh and got up to beckon to Yuudachi: "Okay, okay, don't be angry. Even at home, you still have to wear clothes. Welcome back."

"I'm back~"

Although she was sulking, Xili still listened to Zhou He's call. Instead of reaching out to shake hands, she buried her head in Zhou He's arms as usual, hugging his waist and remaining motionless.

"How childish. Shoukaku, you've worked hard too."

Zhou He patted Yuudachi's hair and nodded to Shoukaku and Hermione who had caught up with him: "You two should go and rest first. Hermione, could you remind the people living in the new dormitory to find some clothes to stay here overnight, so they won't be blocked by the strong wind and end up covered in dust even when they have a meal?"

"Yes."

Hermione glanced at Yuudachi, bowed, and turned to go downstairs. Shoukaku, on the other hand, focused her gaze on Yuudachi in Zhou He's arms. Yuudachi's clothes were too thin, and she was a little worried.

Zhou He noticed this, and since he was also about to go down, he patted Xi Li's shoulder to signal her to let go first. Xi Li obediently let go, but instead of burying her face in his chest, she crawled under his right armpit, hugged him from the side, and pressed herself against him, refusing to let go.

"..."