Revisit Azur Lane

Hu De stepped forward to stand in front of Zhou He, his sky-blue eyes fixed on him: "If even you, as the Commander-in-Chief, are working hard, while I, as your subordinate, am indifferent to it, that's not something that can be excused by words like 'out of control' or 'dereliction of duty.' Commander, the 'Hu De' in your eyes shouldn't be such an 'arrogant' person, right?"

As Hu De spoke, he still smiled broadly, but Zhou He across from him was sweating profusely. However, he did not back down, but simply raised his hand to straighten his military cap, and his tone was quite ordinary: "It was my oversight. In that case, I would like to trouble Hu De and Jin Qu to lend a hand and carry this raft to the dock."

"With great pleasure."

After responding, Hood winked playfully at the other three, then crouched down, put on gloves, and grabbed one corner of the raft. Together with Yuudachi, Hermione, and Enterprise, they lifted the worthless raft and followed Zhou He along the road towards the dock.

Their actions drew more attention. Cleveland, who was practicing dribbling with Montpellier by the roadside, waved to Zhou He while holding a basketball in one hand: "Commander, what are you planning to do? Do you need any help?"

"no, I'm fine."

Zhou He raised his hand in response. At this moment, his feelings were quite complicated. Although he had sensed long ago that Hu De was not the arrogant aristocratic type he often saw on the internet, he never thought that Hu De was even more, well, should be said to be 'approachable' or 'pragmatic' than he imagined.

In short, he underestimated his own ship girls. As a commander, it was a bit embarrassing that he had such a lapse in his knowledge and understanding of his own ship girls.

One-sided speculation won't work. It seems I need to be bolder and more direct in my communication in the future.

After discovering the problem, Zhou He thought about it and came to a conclusion. Just like Tosa, who acted very fiercely when he first joined, it was actually because he acted too weakly. This is something that cannot be judged by simply looking at the 'game settings'. It is something that he needs to observe, discover, and try for himself.

However, Zhou He had no idea that Ms. Hood behind him was in a very good mood because she had discovered and corrected her commander's rare 'mistake'.

……

At the dock, a group of people followed Zhou He, watching the builders being placed on a raft and bobbing up and down with the tide. In front of the raft were Yuudachi and Z23. Z23 had originally been practicing ship equipment control with Hu Teng here, but Bismarck called her over to help.

"Commander, wouldn't it be better to just punish him with lightning strikes? Why bother sending him back?"

Before setting off, Yuudachi turned around and asked Zhou He curiously.

"Disciplinary action for being struck by lightning?"

Zhou He frowned slightly. This was indeed a good solution. He hadn't thought of it when Ling Min didn't mention it, but since he had already said he would send her back, changing his mind now would make him seem like he had no principles. So, after a brief thought, he pointed at the Builder and said to Xi Li, "Simply destroying the evidence is very easy, but it's meaningless. We are currently in a standoff with the Sirens. Sending her back to the Sirens will not only demonstrate our magnanimity, but also keep the Sirens from figuring out our true strength. It's a feint."

"Ah, ah?"

Yuudachi blinked, not understanding, but the others around her did understand. However, their thoughts were different. For example, Hood thought Zhou He's on-the-spot reaction was really fast, while Bismarck thought Zhou He had a lot of ideas, and Z23 was even more respectful, feeling that this matter was very important.

In short, Z23 and Yuudachi left with the raft, and Count Spee and Hutten followed to escort them. For some reason, the Royal Ark, which was hidden inside the lighthouse, jumped into the water and joined them, instantly making the setup more luxurious.

After the crowd dispersed, Zhou He did not leave immediately. Instead, he discussed with Bismarck and Hood the plan to conquer the Sirens' base. At this stage, they certainly couldn't take down such a large base with their current manpower, but they could wear down the Sirens' forces and test their patience through various actions, thus accumulating the necessary conditions for the final assault.

Before bringing this up, Zhou He told the two about the map they had obtained from the South Third District base.

"A sea map? If that's really the case, what we should be doing now is exploring the southern islands and surrounding areas further to determine if there really is only one Siren base there, and to ensure our safety during the attack."

Hu De shared a similar assessment with Zhou He regarding the capture of the Sirens base, and after exchanging intelligence, they determined the appropriate course of action: to expand Zhou He's surveillance range.

"Okay, I'll leave it to you tomorrow."

With most of the Sirens in the vicinity cleared out, Zhou He became much bolder. He planned to launch simultaneous operations in the east, south, west, and north directions tomorrow. Bismarck and Hood would work together to explore and clear out the Sirens in the eastern fourth and northern fifth areas that they had encountered during the previous operation in the Mirror Sea.

As for the exploration in the south, he planned to have Yukikaze lead the team, while the White Eagle members would be responsible for supporting the Sakura Empire fleet from the rear and containing the Sirens fleet that might attack from the west. The White Eagles would have a large number of front-line ships, while the Sakura Empire would have a large number of capital ships, so they wouldn't be afraid even if they really fought the Sirens.

Just as Zhou He and Bismarck Hood were finalizing their plan for the port's next steps, an explosion was heard outside the port.

"what's the situation?"

Zhou He frowned but remained calm. He shifted his gaze to the side and opened the system map to check. From the overall map, he could see that there were no Sirens around, and that Xianghe and his group had already entered the thirty-mile radius of the port area.

There was no situation thirty miles away, so it must be within the grid coverage area of ​​the port area. What's going on? Could it be that Shoukaku and his group, who were heading home, got into a fight with Yuudachi and the others who were going out?

Ignoring the impossible scenarios that popped into my head, I went straight into the dock to check the video feed, but when I saw what was inside, I exclaimed "Huh?"

"what happened?"

Hu De cast his gaze over, while Zhou He raised his hand in a gesture of suppression: "It seems that some remaining Sirens were lingering near the port area and were killed."

This was Zhou He's wild guess, but it was based on some evidence, because there was a new ship girl in the dock—the light aircraft carrier Elbe from Ironblood.

I don't remember it very well, but at least it was someone who launched an attack. What's strange is that the Shoukaku sisters must have observed the situation around the port before they launched their attack, so how could they have missed any sirens?

With a questioning mind, he turned on Yuudachi's video function: what came into view was Yuudachi arguing with Yukikaze, and the others were also around, but not all of them were in the video range.

"Stop right there, what's going on?"

Taking a few steps away from Hood and Bismarck, Zhou He spoke up to stop their argument. Hearing the sound, the two quieted down and turned to see the projection. Yuudachi angrily pointed at Yukikaze: "Commander, Yukikaze struck the Builder with lightning and almost got us caught in the crossfire."

"what?"

Zhou He turned his gaze to Xuefeng: "Xuefeng, have you discovered something?"

“Builder, my bio-radar has reacted after we left the vicinity of the port area.”

Yukikaze's emotions had stabilized considerably, but it was still clear that she wasn't entirely calm, because she glared at Yuudachi before saying this: "I suspect that the Builder is reconnecting to the mainframe of this world. Even if she remains dead within the port, we cannot let her leave. We cannot allow the Sirens to know what's happening in the port, not even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance."

"Then why isn't my radar responding?"

Yuudachi doesn't believe the dead can come back to life. Her radar really isn't responding, and she can't understand how radar could possibly lock onto a builder without ship equipment.

"Hmph, my radar is specialized for sirens. Even an observer in mimicry mode can lock onto her."

Xuefeng turned his head away, not wanting to talk to the stupid dog.

"Xue Feng, Xi Li."

Zhou He understood, stroked his chin and said, "I understand. Neither of you is wrong, and there's no need to argue over the Sirens. The Builder is gone, so be it. Come back first."

"Got it." x2

The two of them were quite in sync at this moment, but after they finished speaking, they both glared at each other in a fit of anger.

Seeing this, Zhou He felt helpless. You say the builder died, but how did he come back to life after leaving his house?

What kind of high-tech creature is this? Next time you capture a Siren cadre, just strike them with lightning.

Chapter 147 Prepare for a rainy day

Not long after the video call ended, about ten minutes later, Yukikaze and his group appeared at the entrance of the bay. Zhou He usually couldn't see the situation clearly from a distance while standing at the command post, but he could see it relatively clearly from the dock. Yuudachi and Yukikaze were running in the lead, about ten meters apart, and they came straight towards him after entering the bay.

Although Zhou He was annoyed by the two arguing, his gaze swept over them and landed on a girl sitting a little further back next to Z23. She was sitting on the classic black and red shark head of Ironblood, with her legs crossed. She had long, fluffy silver hair, but her clothes were mostly black, and she exuded a mysterious aura.

Yi Bei, a light naval vessel from Ironblood, has a rather strange ship equipment structure, which seems to be composed of two sharks. The shark under her buttocks carries the ship's cannons and other equipment, and is currently half-submerged in the sea. The other shark is on her left side, and the back has a deck runway with jointed sections. The black and gray color scheme makes it look very heavy.

"What's this person's personality like again?"

After glancing at them briefly, Zhou He looked away and fell into thought. The ships he truly remembered and understood were the old ships from when the game was first launched. As for the new ships, he was more familiar with the ones that were very powerful. He had actually put most of the newly released ship girls who were only in the mid-tier as storage units.

After all, he's just a gamer. If he can remember a hundred out of five or six hundred ships, that would be considered amazing... He wouldn't even dare to say that he actually remembered the personality traits of a hundred ships.

"Commander, what is that?"

Ironblood's ship equipment style is too easy to recognize. Bismarck, who had no intention of joining the fun, took a few steps to Zhou He's side after seeing Elbe and asked in a low voice: Among the aircraft carriers of her own faction, the only one she remembered was the Hate Monster. She had seen Zeppelin in Tirpitz. Who is this one?

"You can call her Elbe; she was converted from a passenger ship into an aircraft carrier after your battle."

Zhou He glanced at Yi Bei's information and gave a brief summary. It seemed that, like Count Zeppelin, he hadn't finished revising it. Man Qiu helped him out in the game and completed the ship equipment.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "She should acknowledge your identity and cooperate with me."

"clear."

Bismarck thought the word "should" could be removed, but since Zhou He liked to say it that way, there was no problem. Her eyes flickered slightly: "It's just that Yuudachi and Yukikaze seem to have had a conflict. Is it because of the Builder?"

"Yeah, I didn't expect that even in that state, he would still cause me so much trouble."

Zhou He clicked his tongue in amazement. After a brief moment of thought, he came up with a solution and stepped forward to greet Yuudachi, who had arrived first. It wasn't that Yukikaze was slow, but rather that she hadn't landed directly here. She had landed at the landing point next to her and was standing there calmly, showing no intention of getting closer.

"Xili."

Seeing the dog eagerly running ashore to complain, Zhou He preemptively placed his hand on her head, his tone gentle and smiling: "I understand that you were following my orders, which is why you argued with Xuefeng. You did a great job."

"Well."

After being touched and praised by Zhou He, Xili's momentum immediately collapsed. She pouted and said in a low voice, "I really didn't notice that the Builder woke up, and neither did anyone else."

"Actually, I didn't find any problems with the builders either, just like you guys."

Zhou He smiled and agreed with Yuudachi's statement. He had indeed not noticed anything. He could not observe any Sirens within 30 nautical miles around the port. However, when Yuudachi looked up at him, he continued, "However, you also made a mistake."

"Ow?"

Yuudachi blinked, trying to get away with being cute, but Zhou He stared at her, and she couldn't help but stick out her tongue: "Shouldn't I have argued with Yukikaze?"

“That doesn’t count. Your mistake was: distrust of your partner.”

Zhou He thought it was normal for Yuudachi and Yukikaze to argue, but that wasn't what he wanted to emphasize. He looked intently into Yuudachi's eyes and said, "You can argue with Yukikaze because she almost struck you with lightning, but you can't argue with her because your radar didn't lock onto the Builder's movements. The Builder is the enemy, and Yukikaze is your ally. An ally is definitely more reliable than a Siren, that's beyond doubt."

"Ugh... But the Builder is dead, so the Commander's plans..."

Yuudachi is very smart, but she doesn't usually use her brain much. After being lectured by Zhou He, her ears drooped down, her hands were spread out in front of her with her fingers touching each other, and her voice became softer. Her pitiful appearance made Zhou He feel that she was even more adorable. He couldn't help but pat her hair hard and said with a smile, "I know what Yuudachi means. It's okay. This plan is just one part of the whole project. Even if it fails, it won't be a big loss for us. As long as you guys are here, I can come up with a thousand or ten thousand more plans like this."

The dog was so shaken by Zhou He that it didn't hear everything he said, but it understood the general meaning. After stopping, it turned its head to look at Xuefeng and asked in a low voice, "Should I go apologize?"

"Can I do it myself?"

Zhou He took a deep breath. He didn't really want to lecture, but even if he rephrased it, it would just be going in circles. It was better to be direct and clear. Having spent so much time with Xi Li, he knew that Xi Li wasn't the kind of person who would make a fuss over nothing.

"I'm a little shy, but! Since I was in the wrong first, I was in the wrong first?... Hmm?"

Yuudachi straightened up, intending to show off her coolness in front of Zhou He, but as she spoke, she seemed to realize something. She stopped saying anything embarrassing and ran straight to Yukikaze's side, breaking free from Zhou He's grasp. The first thing she did was apologize, her voice loud and clear, almost as loud as when she argued with Yukikaze before. Just as Yukikaze was moved, Yuudachi said something else, and Yukikaze let out a "Huh?" and the two started arguing again.

"Why are you arguing again?"

The other members who returned also arrived at the shore. After Shokaku landed, he saw that Yukikaze and Yuudachi had started arguing again after only a few seconds of making up, and a troubled look appeared on his face.

"Ah, but look, Yukikaze doesn't seem as serious as before, so it shouldn't be anything serious, right?"

Zuikaku followed behind and noticed that Yukikaze's face now showed displeasure, as if to say, "Are you underestimating me?", rather than the cold indifference he had shown before when he was questioned and didn't even bother to explain.

She smiled and said, "The commander always has a way."

"Hmm, it looks like they used the method of shifting the point of conflict."

After observing, Xianghe noticed something amiss.

However, being able to turn a major issue into a minor one is a good thing.

……

"first meet."

After resolving the conflict between Yuudachi and Yukikaze on the spot, Zhou He turned his attention to Yi Bei, who had been observing his surroundings since coming ashore, with raised eyebrows and a slightly disdainful smile on his lips. He then stepped forward to introduce himself and offer a verbal welcome.