Revisit Azur Lane

On the way back, Ashigara asked Yuudachi with great curiosity, and the latter pouted and told the truth: "I found the Commander."

"..."

Ashigara touched his hair and tentatively asked, "Are there ghosts here that allow people to see their loved ones?"

"It's the commander's projection."

Tosa, with a stern face, abruptly ended the discussion about the supernatural phenomenon.

"Huh, is it the Commander himself?"

Ashigara's eyes widened. Leaving aside Yuudachi, Tosa would never lie, so she couldn't help but praise, "To be able to do something like this, as expected of the Commander."

"..."

Jintsu and Kaga both fell silent. The latter leaned closer and whispered, "Really?"

"real."

Tosa's eye twitched, and he gave up thinking.

Chapter 142 A Worry That Isn't Really a Worry

When the ship girls returned to the port, it was already very late at night, but there were still people standing guard under the lighthouse.

"It's fine to operate near home, but if we want to expand outwards, we still need to rely on strongholds."

Watching the girls sailing on the sea under the moonlight, Zhou He pondered to himself.

Long before Bismarck and his crew had just begun their return voyage, Shoukaku and his crew, who were near the port, had already arrived home. Now that they had expanded outwards to the third and fourth districts, each exploration trip would take up a lot of time on the journey.

"Never mind, let's talk about it later."

Seeing that Yuudachi, who was eager to return home, had already arrived at the shore, Zhou He put aside his questions and went forward to greet him with a smile.

During this 'Ominous Event', Zhou He completed the emergency mission and the Mirror Sea exploration mission. Including the daily combat missions, he obtained a total of nine Mind Cubes, bringing his previous reserves to a terrifying seventeen.

Secondly, there are three selectable furniture boxes and several blueprints. Leaving aside the invisible reward of increasing the attractiveness of meta ships, the most important thing is the unconditional unlocking of a research ship's material progress. Zhou He didn't really understand the concept of unlocking material progress, but it only applies to materials. Therefore, considering the ease of acquisition and the current faction situation in his own port, he chose the heavy cruiser 'Anchorage' from the White Eagle among light cruisers, heavy cruisers, and super cruisers to unlock.

It wasn't that he didn't want to choose others, but mainly because his Eagle Union faction, while seemingly having a lot of members, actually only had destroyers and light cruisers, jumping directly to aircraft carriers. They lacked heavy cruisers and battleships, which were the backbone of the faction. Even if they were to form a team on their own, their firepower would be somewhat insufficient. Therefore, compared to the Royal Navy's Cheshire, Sakura Empire's Azuma, and Ironblood's Hindenburg, choosing Anchorage was more in line with the faction's needs.

Of course, the most important thing is that Anbao is very obedient and easy to manage.

After making his choice, he learned the purpose of the reward: it eliminated the need for ten Rubik's Cubes, as well as the required ship parts and blueprints, leaving only the condition for Anchorage to appear in the world: 'sink 100 heavy cruisers'.

In addition to the mission rewards, the ominous sign also eliminated all the Sirens fleets that followed them into the Mirror Sea. Not a single Siren could be seen within a radius of over a hundred nautical miles of Zhouhejia Port, and the Sirens' blockade against them was also lifted.

Adding the 'Builder' bonus, Zhou He could only say he'd hit the jackpot, and he hoped the Sirens would do the same thing again next time.

……

"cheers!"

Under the moonlight, the Manjuu Restaurant, which had reopened after two days, was brightly lit and bustling with activity. More than thirty ship girls, plus Zhou He, gathered there to raise their glasses (juice) in celebration. There was no clinking of glasses, only the sounds of laughter and conversation that followed.

The failure of the Sirens' blockade plan, the failure of the Mirror Sea plan, and the three consecutive victories in defeating the Ominous Entity became the hottest topics at this moment. For example, Yuudachi was holding a juice and naturally showing off how many Sirens and Ominous Entities she had defeated in front of Yukikaze, Ayanami, and Haguro. She was very proud and happy. Haguro clapped along very cooperatively, and Ayanami also clapped along. As the later members, they were indeed not as brave and good at fighting as Yuudachi.

Only Yukikaze glanced at her briefly before quietly holding his cup, drinking his juice, and enjoying his food.

Compared to the more open-minded Sakura Empire faction, members of other factions were much more reserved. For example, Ms. Hood did not boast about her achievements, but simply asked the Advancement faction to record the battle afterward. Compared to the previous battles, this one could barely be considered a high-difficulty one, and it was worthy of being written into her resume.

There weren't many Ironbloods. Bismarck, Spee, and the others were all quiet. Only U556 ran up to Zhou He and protested why there was only juice. She wanted to be a mature adult and drink beer!

After Zhou He patted his head with a smile, he dismissed the idea, saying, "This is nothing! If we start drinking now, how are we going to upgrade the celebration banquet experience in the future?"

"What a shame."

Having not participated in many battles, Zuikaku wisely distanced herself from the bustling crowd and sat opposite Zhou He by the window, resting her chin on her hand: "Even in such intense battles, no new ship girls have been born."

"Hmm, but I've heard that the Omen entities disappear immediately after being defeated, leaving no trace of their corpses. It's hard to imagine that new life could be born from their deaths."

Zhou He wasn't disappointed. He had too many Rubik's Cubes. Even if the ship wasn't given to him, he could quickly replenish his combat power. His next goal was to conquer the Siren base in the Western Fourth District, which was continuously producing Siren warships. He planned to build a batch to test it out tomorrow or the day after.

He gazed at Zuikaku, whose demeanor had slightly improved under the bright lights, then turned to look at the bustling crowd and smiled: "It's hard to imagine that not long ago, our port area only had a few people."

"Haha, I still remember that back then, Commander, you always tried to play it safe during every sortie."

Zuikaku followed his gaze and looked around, finally settling on Shoukaku, who was reminding Yuudachi and the others to keep their voices down. Zuikaku raised an eyebrow and looked smug: "You've become quite bold now, daring to send us into battle against unknown enemies."

"That was a choice I was forced to make."

Zhou He finished the coconut juice in his cup, picked up his chopsticks and began to savor the dishes. He was very concerned about the safety of his ship girls, but there were some things that had to be done. He could be cowardly when he needed to be, and he wouldn't hold back when it was time to fight!

"it's the same."

Ruihe didn't care about all that; she only looked at the actual situation.

"...Oh, right."

Zhou He didn't want to discuss his own affairs too much, so he turned his attention to Zuikaku: "Most people in the Sakura Empire have animal characteristics. Although you and Shoukaku don't have obvious physical characteristics, you should have inherited some of the characteristics of cranes. Cranes are very graceful creatures. Why don't you dance for me?"

"Commander, do I look like someone who can dance?"

Ruihe was used to Zhou He's amazing remarks, but she couldn't help but click her tongue when she heard what he said above. Then she turned her gaze to him and said, "I'll go ask Sister Xianghe."

She got up and went to Xianghe's side to say a few words. Xianghe immediately looked embarrassed. If she really knew how to dance, it wouldn't matter, but the problem was that she didn't. After a brief thought, she took out the bamboo flute that she had always kept on her waist but never used and handed it to Ruihe with a smile. Ruihe quickly pushed it back to her.

The interaction between the two attracted the attention of Yuudachi and the others. After a chaotic exchange, Shoukaku, under Zhou He's watchful eye and amidst the commotion from Yuudachi and the others, took his seat in the central area of ​​the restaurant's multi-room space and began to play his bamboo flute. The melodious tune resounded throughout the restaurant, sometimes soothing and elegant, sometimes intense and soaring—this was the first time music had been heard in the port area. Not only did Yuudachi and the others quiet down, but even Hood and Bismarck listened quietly.

"It's so beautiful."

Zhou He gazed at Xiang He. Although Xiang He was not wearing a crane-sleeved kimono at this moment, the immersive charm and posture she displayed while playing the bamboo flute revealed her beauty and elegance.

Unfortunately, he didn't buy a camera, and now it's too late; he's missed the best time to take pictures.

The tune that Shoukaku played was not a composition from the old Sakura Empire, but an original melody that she created for this world, blending her life and experiences in the port. It was generally light and melodious, but also mixed with a passionate and high-pitched feeling like a battle. Even without other instruments and harmonies, it was enough to soothe the soul.

When the song ended, applause rang out in the restaurant.

Zhou He took the photos with great effort, never expecting that a simple sentence used to change the subject would result in such a beautiful scene.

"How is it, Commander?"

Zuikaku ran over happily to show off, as if she were the one who had played the tune.

"Shokaku gets 10 points, you get 0 points."

Zhou He clasped his hands together, propped his chin up, and gave his answer. Ruihe immediately complained, "That's too much!"

Before long, the lively and enjoyable dinner came to an end.

……

In contrast to the lively and cheerful atmosphere at Zhou He's home, a conversation was taking place in a cold and chaotic data space.

"I see. The spatial anomaly in that area is due to something in the singularity that can interfere with the Mirror Sea. I didn't expect it to trigger an ominous sign. How dangerous."

This was the observer's voice, as flippant as ever, clearly someone who had never been beaten.

"It's not just these."

The Builder's voice came out: "When the sea area near the singularity overlaps with other worlds, I cannot interfere, cannot get close, and do not even know what is happening inside. This is very serious. This singularity has a nature even worse than the ominous sign. It will take away our control over the sea area."

"So, you're the only one, Purifier, who managed to escape and return alive? Don't you feel ashamed?"

This is the Purifier, because she was killed before the Mirror Sea was paved. She waited here for two whole days before the Purifier returned with the information.

"It's not shameful at all. I dealt with a group of newly formed Ominous entities and had the experience of contacting Singularity personnel. I'm confident I can obtain more information next time."

Purification was overjoyed—they were now communicating in the form of mainframes, and she had already obtained the information submitted by the individuals. She was extremely pleased with herself. Originally, she was supposed to play the role of the ship girls' opponent and observe their growth with a rather 'malicious' attitude, but this world didn't require her to play the villain at all. She could directly become friends with the ship girls of that singularity.

I have never had such a wonderful experience.

"That's enough. The problem now is that the fleet reserves in that area are insufficient, and the nodes near the singularity are very likely to be eliminated. What should we do?"

The tester was furious. Her individual had been set as the core by the creator, and she had died in vain, without any information being transmitted back.

"It's very simple. Strengthen the defense of the nodes, and at the same time mobilize the fleet to blockade this sea area and expand the range of attack and defense. The ominous signs on the front line are trying to break the blockade again. Builders and Purifiers, you go and deal with the situation there first. I will temporarily take control of the node permissions here. Testers and Purifiers, send a few mechs over here to help me defend."

The observer remained calm and composed when faced with a colleague's anger, offering a solution.

"Tsk, annoying guys, they're delaying my revenge."

The Cleaner was annoyed, but said nothing more and left the group chat. The Builder followed suit, and the remaining Observers began to discuss countermeasures with their two old buddies, the Tester and the Purifier.

……

The shadow that had been looming over his head dissipated, and Zhou He had a wonderful sleep. When he woke up, it was already bright outside. His half-closed eyes snapped open, and he propped himself up to sit up, wash up, change his clothes, and go downstairs.

"My biological clock was already adjusted, how could I still oversleep?"

As Zhou He climbed the stairs, he muttered to himself, but his mood was surprisingly good, and he felt much more relaxed than he had been a few days ago.

In the lobby on the first floor, Hermione was wiping the sofa. Hearing footsteps, she straightened up and approached the stairs, greeting Zhou He with a smile: "Good morning, Commander."

"Ah."

After responding, Zhou He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already 8:30. This was the latest he had gotten up in the past two weeks.

"Did the Commander rest well yesterday?"

Hermione observed Zhou He's expression. Although she was asking, she already had the answer in her heart. After smiling slightly, she continued, "I remember last night Yuudachi wanted to rest with you, Commander, but she was stopped and she's still sulking today."

"Haha, there's nothing we can do about it."

Upon hearing Xiudai's name, Zhou He chuckled twice. He had drunk quite a bit of beverage at last night's celebration and was thinking that he would probably have to get up to use the restroom in the middle of the night. Xiudai, on the other hand, had been fighting all day and should get some rest, so he declined.

It's not that he doesn't want to sleep with Yuudachi, it's just that he only gets hard occasionally when he wakes up in the morning, but he gets hard every time he wakes up at night. If he does something bad while he's not thinking clearly at night, then there will be a big problem.

"Where is Yuudachi now? I'll go check."

Fortunately, Zhou He was in good spirits today and was going to clear up the misunderstanding first. He still had to hand-draw a map later. Although there wasn't much on the map, he still had to put in some effort to make the distances more accurate.

"Judging from his usual movements, Yuudachi should be practicing his training on the sea right now."

Hermione accompanied Zhou He out of the empty hall. The sun had just risen, and a round sun peeked out from the mountain at the mouth of the bay. The sunlight was warm, but also a bit dazzling.

Standing at the door and gazing into the distance, I indeed spotted Yuudachi by the bay. However, she wasn't practicing; instead, she was squatting alone on the beach, seemingly looking at something.

"Hermione, go and prepare some breakfast for me. I'll be right back."

Zhou He brushed aside the bangs peeking out from under his hat, strode towards Xili, and Xili 'smelled' Zhou He's scent from a distance. She glanced at him instinctively, then immediately turned her head away, her childish sulking making Zhou He chuckle. He walked over and squatted down next to Xili, deliberately sighing and lowering his voice: "I really can't do without Xili by my side. You're such a grown-up, yet you still oversleep."

"..."