Revisit Azur Lane

This is something Ashigara figured out after practicing swordsmanship with the Tosa for two days.

"Nani!?"

Kaga paused for a few seconds, then suddenly remembered these trivial details. She even agreed to let Zhou He ride on her ship. Given Tosa's personality, she would never allow a weakling to board her ship.

After her initial surprise, she suddenly realized, "Oh, I see."

So he patted Ashigara on the shoulder, gave him a compliment, and turned and left in a good mood.

……

As time passed, the ominous celestial phenomenon gradually moved away from the port area, the wind weakened, and sunlight could be faintly seen scattering from the horizon, dispelling the darkness that shrouded the earth. Everyone who had been cooped up at home for half a day came out to move around, and Zhou He also went out of his house to look at the beams of light shining through the clouds in the distance.

"commander."

A call pulled Zhou He back to his senses. He turned around and looked at Tosa, who was as aloof as ever, but with a hint of helplessness between his brows: "Hmm, speak?"

"That guy's been getting more and more annoying lately, Commander, do you have a way to deal with him?"

The guy Tosa was talking about was naturally Kaga BB. She thought Kaga's enthusiasm for her would dissipate soon after they met, but the truth is that Kaga is now talking to her every day. Even if they are sister ships, they shouldn't be this close, right?

Even though she was a member from the same city and was nominally her older sister, she refused again and again. Even she would feel psychological pressure.

"Is it that serious?"

Zhou He had also noticed that after Kaga joined the port, Tosa's presence by his side dropped sharply. He had initially thought it was a good thing, but it seemed that wasn't entirely true.

He thought about it and realized that Kaga BB's personality wasn't bad; at most, she was just a bit annoying. So the main problem probably lay with Tosa himself, because he had never been able to let Kaga experience the joy of being an older sister, which was why he kept bothering her.

This situation between the two sisters isn't a long-term solution. Zhou He thought about it carefully and then seriously shrugged at Tosa: "I don't know much about this either. Perhaps you could try this, Tosa: don't worry about the fact that you're sister ships. Just treat her like a comrade or a friend, and think of her as an upgraded version of Zuikaku."

"..."

Tosa herself viewed Kaga as an upgraded version of Zuikaku. Because of this mindset, she always felt that Kaga was clumsy and that having someone like Kaga as her older sister was somewhat against her own wishes.

Seeing that it might not work, Zhou He forced himself to say something more: "Jiahe is not weak or stupid. She just doesn't know how to express her feelings to others. It's precisely because she cares about you that she keeps bothering you. Wouldn't it be good to let her show her feelings once in a while?"

In his mind, he always believed that interfering in other people's family affairs was the most inappropriate thing to do, because he was incapable of empathizing with others. Therefore, all he could say was useless platitudes like "I care about you," which would only annoy the listener. It was the easiest topic to alienate people and the hardest to discuss.

"...It's clear that you, Commander, are not good at handling this kind of thing."

Tosa's gaze fell upon Zhou He's tense expression, making her even more nervous than she was. She remembered when she first joined the port and met with Zhou He privately, he was just like that, nervous with a lack of confidence, and even a little fearful.

She didn't want to see Zhou He, as the commander, make such a pathetic face. In the past, she would have definitely reprimanded him coldly, but now, in her eyes, this was precisely Zhou He's effort to overcome his lack of skill in certain tasks. Not only could it not be denied, but it should even be praised.

"..."

Tosa tilted her head and touched her forehead. Surprisingly, she wasn't delirious from the fever. It seemed she had also been changed without realizing it.

After a brief pause, she looked at Zhou He again and nodded: "I understand. I will try to acknowledge her existence and hope that she can perform on the battlefield in a way that is worthy of your recognition, Commander."

"Ahem, that's good."

Hearing her words, Zhou He suddenly relaxed. A gust of wind made his throat itchy, and he couldn't help but turn to the side, cover his mouth, and cough twice before letting out a sigh of relief.

Although I don't understand why Tosa approved of his statement, since it had an effect, it's the best outcome.

"The temperature will vary greatly these next few days, so please be careful not to catch a cold at this crucial time."

Tosa frowned slightly, said a couple of words subconsciously, and then snorted softly: "This is the result of not paying attention to exercise. Don't think that just because there are doctors in the port area, you can do whatever you want."

"Ah ha ha."

Zhou He chuckled dryly and tugged at his collar: "Thanks for your concern, I'll be careful."

"It's almost time to strike. Contact us immediately if anything happens."

Tosa glanced at him, said nothing more, left a sentence, then turned and walked past Zhou He toward the seaside where the wind was still howling and the sea was undulating.

"Why does it feel weird?"

Zhou He belatedly realized this, but didn't think about it too much. He glanced back at the clock in the hall; it was almost one o'clock. In a few minutes, the Purifier's enhanced fleet would clash with the Ominous. He had to get into position quickly and bring Hu Teng and the others back before the Ominous was destroyed.

He touched his throat, straightened his clothes, and turned around to see that everyone was already warming up on the beach. Even Kursk and Lingmin were standing in the corner of the crowd, their white robes standing out conspicuously.

"This trench coat from Beilian is so cool, I want to get one for winter too."

Zhou He loves winter, especially when it snows heavily. He can stay home and rest comfortably, and even play in the snow. It's a wonderful time for both his body and mind to be healed.

Thinking to himself, he stepped onto the grass where the water wasn't too thick and approached the shore. The sand was so wet that it had turned a dark color and it didn't feel very pleasant to walk on.

"Commander! We're setting off!"

Yuudachi wasn't particularly tall among the porters, but he managed to catch Zhou He's eye precisely. Looking at the dog barking and waving beside Ayanami and Jintsuu, Zhou He smiled and said, "I heard you. Be careful."

"Hmph, we're off too."

For some reason, Kaga Asahi was in a good mood and gave a thumbs up. He turned around and approached the tide with Tosa to unfold their ship equipment. The others also signaled in turn and stepped onto the turbulent sea in batches. No matter how the waves rose and fell, the girls' figures remained firmly on the surface.

"call."

After watching everyone leave, Zhou He walked along the beach twice and looked towards the entrance of the bay from the side. He saw the No. 01 aircraft carrier, which had been blown off course by the ominous storm but had not capsized.

'As expected of a behemoth weighing nearly 50,000 tons, it can withstand this.'

Zhou He was full of praise. After confirming that neither aircraft carrier had suffered particularly serious damage, he quickly walked onto the dock, braving the not-too-strong wind, and arrived at the berth near the patrol boats. He peered down:

Inside the massive and complex ship-mounted aircraft, whose mechanical structure resembles a jellyfish, a young girl dressed in Western-style clothing, her entire body covered in snow-white, lies peacefully asleep in the cockpit protected by a white honeycomb-shaped shield, clutching a strange rag doll.

This is the builder's body, sent here by the Purifiers.

Chapter 139 Beat Them All Up.jpg

"A person dies, but their body and organs remain intact."

Looking down at the Builder lying underwater, Zhou He clicked his tongue in amazement. He knew that overwork could lead to death from overwork and sudden death, but he didn't expect that the Sirens could also die in a similar way. He wondered if Akashi would dismantle the Builder's body when he came back to do research—was the Siren's body made of mechanical components or anthropomorphic material?

He didn't quite understand it. Once Akashi returned and retrieved the builder, he would definitely observe it and then try it out himself.

After staring at the builder for a while, Zhou He shifted his gaze and walked to a corner at the bottom of the lighthouse to sit down. He then turned his attention to the system's attack map. The mirror sea map had a significant advantage over the outside map: it didn't require switching areas. It was a single map that could be zoomed in and out at will, saving time and effort. It even allowed him to see the areas next to the islands directly.

Without even looking at the map, he saw his own fleet moving southeast from the perspective of the port area. More than twenty people were advancing in a three-column double column formation. If he looked slightly to the southeast, he could see a huge black vortex that occupied a small part of the map and the surrounding black dots.

At this moment, the ominous entities, those small black dots, are converging in the east and south directions. This is because two enhanced Executor fleets, located at the Purifier's base and diagonally approaching from the south, are represented by small red dots on the map. Judging from the distance, the two sides have already begun a tense and exciting encounter battle, and colored dots can be seen disappearing from time to time.

"An enhanced Sirens, it should have the word 'enhanced' in its name, so how come it fought the Ominous Entity to a standstill, and even suffered a slight disadvantage in battle losses?"

From a god's-eye view, it's easy to see the casualty ratio on both sides without even paying special attention. In terms of formation, the Sirens occupy two directions, have a larger area of ​​firepower, and are more numerous. Logically, they should have the advantage.

Zhou He frowned slightly. When his ship girls fought against the Omen entity, they were able to fight to a draw despite being outnumbered. Yukikaze even charged into the enemy's heartland. A simple comparison would show that the combat power of his ship girls far exceeded that of this so-called enhanced executor. Therefore, "enhanced" should refer to the special anti-contamination program. This special program should be quite valuable, since before the battle with the Omen, there wasn't a single enhanced executor that had fought against the Omen.

Regardless, after confirming that these enhanced sirens were no match for his own people, Zhou He felt a little more at ease. He looked up at the rain-soaked dock and the dripping eaves of the buildings, took off his hat and placed it beside his legs before continuing to watch the battle.

Of all the surface combat vessels, the destroyer was the fastest. The Yukikaze, which Zhou He had assigned a mission to, went full speed ahead from the start, charging into the battlefield where the fighting was taking place. It advanced from behind the Ominous Star into the area covered by the fire of both sides, and then cut straight into the rear of the Sirens fleet, making an unstoppable advance.

During the snowstorm's advance, Yuudachi and the others also arrived at the north side of the ominous celestial phenomenon. These ominous entities were indiscriminate in their attacks, generating in the void and engaging them in battle in the north. Zhou He, who was watching the battle, quickly switched to dual-line mode, observing the battle situation while keeping an eye on his ship girls' health bars in the dock.

……

"Hey!! We gave you the external hard drive, don't go too far!?"

Inside the Purifier base, Purifier, who was commanding the fleet in battle, suddenly heard an explosion coming from inside the base. Upon checking the surveillance data, he discovered that Hu Teng and his two companions were wreaking havoc inside the base... No, it can't be called wreaking havoc, because although the trio was causing damage in various areas, they were only doing so within small areas. At first, they used tools to cut the metal in the corridors and passageways and the non-functional energy pipes. Then they dismantled some electronic devices, and Akashi packed everything that could be taken away into sacks.

These were all harmless incidents. What was outrageous was that the three of them later dismantled an energy converter from an Executor incubation dish, went to the armory, and used a trailer to haul away the logistics equipment and production robots inside. Because they found it too troublesome, they even used the ship's cannons to make holes in the walls, dragged the stuff to the sea, found a small boat, and started loading the cargo.

The Purifiers had been operating for decades, and this was the first time they had encountered such a rogue gang. They forcibly followed her to the base to steal intelligence, demanded a portable hard drive from her, and then, as if they were buying goods, took a portion of her base's specialties with them.

"...What's wrong with these guys?"

The Purifier, standing in the massive command room lit by incandescent lights, realized that she really couldn't understand these newly appeared ship girls. The intelligence and technology were still beyond her comprehension. This demolition was too rude. Didn't they care about their image at all?

That being said, the Purifiers didn't specifically arrange for anyone to stop the trio. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but the intelligence reports indicated that Yukikaze Meta had already arrived near the base. Meta ship girls have enormous destructive power. Don't underestimate Yukikaze just because she's only a destroyer. If she gets serious, it won't be a demolition-level event, but a major event that could destroy the base.

"Ha, no wonder the verification system identified them as singularities. Their behavior is indeed too unpredictable. Even if you think about it with your own mind, it's hard to imagine what they would do."

Purifying Qin has an extremely strong ability to regulate her emotions. Since she can't stop things from being taken away, she won't stop them. Anyway, she's already given away the Builder's body, so these trivial things are fine too. She rubbed her chin with her fingers and finally smiled: "I hope you can bring me more surprises."

On the shore, Hu Teng loaded everything onto the seven-meter boat that the sirens used for decoration. It was an extremely retro transport boat, which looked similar to a speedboat, but with sharp angles at the front and a large transport space at the rear. It was also very low to the horizon, so the stern could be lowered outwards to the shore for unloading cargo. In addition to this boat, there were many other types of retro boats, and even a sailboat was moored inside.

Despite being the base of the Sirens, it must be admitted that these collection of ships gives the place a very classy feel.

"As the commander predicted, the Purifiers will not appear to stop us from doing these things."

After everything was unloaded, Akashi went to the front to steer the ship, with Hutten and Count Spee escorting them on either side. Spee remained as quiet as ever, like a wolf waiting for its chance, while Hutten became suspicious of the Purifiers' 'indulgence' of their behavior, suspecting that the Purifiers were doing it intentionally and carrying out a scheme that they could not currently detect, and he became secretly wary.

About ten minutes later, the ship sputtered to life and sailed away from the shore, with Hutten and Count Spee following on either side. Once outside the base area, they quickly met up with the rapidly approaching Yukikaze.

"Follow me."

After Xuefeng met up with the two, he said to Hu Teng, "His Highness Zhou He's orders to bring you back to port safely, so I will take you to a safe place before returning to the battlefield."

"understood."

Hu Teng had no objection to this arrangement; they had gained a lot from their trip and they had to be safely returned to the port.

Without adjusting their formation, a figure riding a white wolf appeared in front of the transport ship. They bypassed the battlefield from behind the Sirens fleet. The deafening cannon fire and explosions in the distance did not shake their eyes in the slightest. After a full hour of detouring, they successfully reached the rear of their own forces and reunited with Bismarck, who had deliberately moved closer.

"Hutten, Spee, the number of ominous signs is decreasing. The task of escorting the transport ship back is handed over to Yukikaze. You two will join the operation."

Bismarck maneuvered across the churning sea to the vicinity of the transport ship. He first glanced at the oddly shaped vessel, and then, between Yukikaze and Hutten, chose to have Hutten and Count Spee join the battle. The reason was simple: Hutten and Spee were his own people, while Yukikaze was an outsider who might leave at any time. Naturally, the opportunity to gain combat experience should be given to his own people first.

"Um...that's it, please."

Hu Teng thought for a moment and then agreed. He used the communication device to explain to Xuefeng, who was running ahead, and after receiving a reply, he and Count Spee glided across the sea, creating beautiful semi-circular waves, and turned towards the battlefield where cannons roared.

"..."

Yukikaze sat on the white wolf, her calm gaze fixed on the ominous celestial phenomenon in the distance. Her delicate and beautiful face was slightly furrowed, as if she were thinking, or perhaps simply feeling confused. However, after Akashi steered the ship closer, she immediately focused her attention and continued to lead the way.

Two hours after the battle began, Yukikaze and Akashi successfully returned to the island's safe zone. Several carriers, who were unable to participate in the battle and were bored by simply running around the map, quickly surrounded them after discovering something new.

"Why is there a robot in here? Can it move?"

As Zuikaku approached, he immediately spotted the production robot that had rolled into a corner. It was humanoid in shape, but only about 1.4 meters tall. Its entire body was covered in streamlined armor in silver and black, with silver dominating and black only appearing at the elbows, waist, and neck. It looked like a child rolling on the ground in a heavy spacesuit.

"These are industrial production robots. They are not very intelligent and can only act according to pre-set instructions. They are often used to complete simple but laborious tasks."

Upon entering the safe zone, Yukikaze no longer needed to lead the way. Instead, he moved closer to the transport ship and gave a proper answer to Zuikaku's question.