Revisit Azur Lane

"Since you're willing to cut it, Commander, then please allow me to make a fool of myself."

Hermione looked at Zhou He and saw a firmness in his eyes. He didn't seem like someone who had come to say hurtful things in a fit of anger after being disliked by others. So she smiled and put down the feather duster in her hand, leading Zhou He to sit down on an ordinary wooden stool: "Please wait a moment, I'll go get the tools."

Zhou He hummed in agreement, watched Hermione leave, then got up, picked up a feather duster, and pretended to sweep the wall. He found it quite nice to hold, and then used it to pat and sweep around the room. He had seen this kind of thing when he was a child, but he hadn't seen it much since he grew up. He really liked playing with these long, stick-shaped objects.

After playing for only a few minutes, upon hearing footsteps outside the door, Zhou He put down the feather duster, picked up his notebook, and began flipping through it in a serious manner. When Hermione came to the door, he nodded slightly to her and sat back down in his chair, saying, "Thank you for your help."

“Managing the master’s image is also part of a maid’s job.”

Hermione responded softly, placed the personal toolbox she had brought on the desk, opened it, and took out scissors and a comb. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the feather duster next to her seemed to have a layer of dust on it since she put it down. Without making a sound, she touched the handle, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

After tidying him up a bit, Hermione put a white apron on Zhou He, picked up her tools and scissors, stood behind him, and gently stroked the top of his head with her palm. The latter felt the warmth on his head and was a little uncomfortable: "Don't you need to wash it first?"

"The commander only needs a little rest; there's no need for such trouble."

Hermione has a gentle tone and may not be as good as others in other aspects, but she is very confident in her ability to manage household affairs.

Zhou He didn't say much after hearing this. Before he transmigrated, he had also tried getting a haircut at a roadside stall. If the technique was good, it was actually pretty much the same.

Soon, Hermione began remotely controlling Zhou He to perform surgery on his hair—ship girls have eyesight far exceeding that of humans, and Hermione, a domestic specialist, has an astonishing level of precision. She was already confident after just two simple combings, and Zhou He only heard the satisfying sound of scissors cutting his hair, which made him even more cooperative.

Hermione said it was just a little tidying up, but she actually circled around Zhou He quite a few times, taking about ten minutes before nodding in satisfaction. After cleaning the stray hairs from Zhou He's neck, face, and ears, she said, "It's ready. Commander, take a look."

Zhou He opened his eyes and took the small mirror Hermione handed him. He looked at himself. His skin was very fair, and he was often teased by girls he knew. The dark circles under his eyes from staying up all night before he transmigrated were gone after he got proper rest here. In addition, his neatly trimmed hair made him look quite handsome, even though he couldn't rely on his looks. His eyes, in particular, were very bright and bright, like the finishing touch, giving him an indescribable charm.

"Wow, I almost don't recognize myself. Hermione, your cooking is really good."

Zhou He rubbed his chin with his fingers. For the first time in a daytime, he felt he looked so good, even better than when he looked in the mirror after showering when his brain was waterlogged.

"You flatter me. The commander is not bad at all; he's just not good at taking care of himself."

Hermione responded with a slight smile. She was one of the founding members who joined Zhou He when the port was first opened. Initially, Zhou He was not confident and even had some inferiority complex. He kept all his strengths to himself, and only when you get to know him better will you discover his excellence.

As Zhou He continued to fight and interact with them, he gradually became more confident, more relaxed and active, and his temperament improved, making him more convincing and worthy of people's loyalty. In simple terms, his charm increased.

Almost everyone in the port area has a very good impression of Zhou He, so they tease him whenever they catch him in his private clothes, but they are a little more restrained when he wears his military uniform.

"Now I can rest assured."

After confirming that his image was not bad, but rather quite good, Zhou He's mood became very cheerful. He got up and, under Hermione's questioning gaze, picked up a broom and helped to clean the office thoroughly.

"Commander, are you going to begin construction?"

Hermione didn't stop Zhou He, but instead assisted him. Given Zhou He's unusually proactive behavior, it's clear he's about to take action, and the context suggests it can only mean he's building a new team.

"Yes, the tough battles are about to begin, and we need to increase our combat personnel."

Zhou He ruffled his hair; it wasn't quite a buzz cut, but it wasn't far off, and he could still barely hold it up with his fingers.

"Then I'll go and inform Ms. Hude and the others."

Hermione was quick-witted. Zhou He's construction was random, so it wouldn't be surprising which faction he created. At least each faction needed a 'guide' to quickly help new members settle down and get on their feet.

"No need, Hermione, you can stay with me. I'll take the new members to find them in a bit."

Zhou He thought that there were only two people, so there was no need to make such a big fuss. He stopped Hermione, turned around and sat down at his desk, picked up his notebook, and began to divide and record all the ship girls of all factions in the port area, noting their characteristics. He could pretend to be working when new members joined later.

Hermione stopped what she was doing after hearing Zhou He's words and stood quietly and obediently to his left as he marked the members of the port area. When he wrote down the members she was more familiar with, she subconsciously compared them with the ones she remembered.

Then it was discovered that Zhou He's notes on most people were very general, while the notes on a few members, including herself, were more detailed and vivid—this was enough to show who in the port area was closer to Zhou He and had a better relationship with him.

Although she didn't say anything, Hermione had a faint smile on her face. She was happy to be in Zhou He's inner circle of social connections.

"Um…"

After Zhou He finished writing, he noticed Hermione chuckling to herself and coughed lightly, "This is just a casual record, not the final text, so it will be a bit rough."

"clear."

Hermione's smile faded, and she stood up straight, entering maid mode.

Seeing this, Zhou He also adjusted his state, opened the notepad and placed it in front of him, switched the system to the construction function bar and performed '2' constructions.

boom!

He heard two door closing sounds, one real and one unreal. Zhou He frowned slightly and looked at the automatically closing office door. In less than ten seconds, the doorknob was turned from the outside, the door was slowly pushed open, and then closed again.

"?"

Zhou He raised an eyebrow, wondering what was going on. Before he could think further, there was a knock on the door, which immediately made him realize that at least one of the two new members was very polite. So he said, "Please come in."

After receiving permission, the two doors on the left and right were pushed open at the same time, and the tallest figure Zhou He had ever seen walked in. She even had to lower her head to enter, and the other person who came in with her was at least forty centimeters shorter than her, barely reaching her chest.

"Hello."

The tall, slender girl entered the room and waved to Zhou He with a smile. She wore a large, futuristic-looking trench coat, mostly white with blue and gold trim on the cuffs. Underneath the coat were exaggerated black bodysuits and a blue skirt that seemed to be hanging on her body. Her incredibly voluptuous figure was encased in the black bodysuits, and her long, shimmering blue hair cascaded down her shoulders like a galaxy. With each step she took, the sense of oppression she exerted on Zhou He increased. Fortunately, she didn't go directly to the desk, otherwise Zhou He would have been left only able to look up at her towering peaks.

"Are you the new commander? Type VIIC submarine U96 reporting for duty. Please give instructions."

However, the first person to speak to Zhou He was U96, who was standing next to the tall girl. Her attire was simple: a blue jacket over a white school swimsuit with gold thread, and beige hair styled in pigtails. She walked to the desk, tapped the surface lightly, and looked at Zhou He with her golden eyes: "Friendly reminder, please don't reveal too much of your emotions, or you'll easily become prey for the hunter."

"Indeed, thanks for the reminder. U96, welcome."

Zhou He blinked and shifted his gaze to U96, then stood up and reached out to her: "There aren't many Ironblood members in the port right now, so you can stay with Bismarck and U556 for now."

Upon hearing the names of these two people, U96's gaze hardened. After a brief handshake with Zhou He, he took a half-step back and bowed to him in respect: "I understand."

"..."

After communicating with U96, Zhou He turned his attention back to the tall woman in the center of the room: "Hello, New Jersey."

"Hmm~ Is it finally my turn?"

New Jersey was not surprised to be called by name. Instead, he raised his hand and gently touched his chest: "As you can see, the largest and strongest battleship from the White Eagle is here. From today onwards, no matter how powerful the enemy or natural disaster, they will all become stepping stones for the port to grow stronger."

After saying that, she snapped her fingers and winked at Zhou He: "I wonder if the Commander likes this kind of self-introduction?"

"like."

Zhou He spoke frankly, his gaze sweeping over New Jersey, unable to hide his delight. From the moment New Jersey appeared until he transmigrated, it remained one of the strongest battleships in the game, boasting top-tier stats across the entire game.

Based on the pattern that the higher his base stats are, the faster he grows, even if New Jersey joins the port area later than others, he may still catch up with the top tier of port areas!

“U96, New Jersey, you’ve come at just the right time. Starting tomorrow, we will launch an attack on a Siren base—before that, let me show you around the port area.”

After taking a deep breath, Zhou He suppressed his excitement at drawing a lucky seal, added the two names to his notepad, walked out of his desk and waved to them. As he passed by New Jersey, his heart raced.

There's no particular reason; it's just that New Jersey is too tall, a head taller than him. Putting aside the feeling of being intimidated by his height, if he and New Jersey walk side by side at eye level, he can only see the magnificent side profile of New Jersey. He has to look up to see New Jersey's face.

They are crying for food.

……

Under Zhou He's personal leadership, New Jersey and U96 successfully joined forces with Yorktown Bismarck and other members of their own camp. Among them, New Jersey attracted almost everyone's attention with his unparalleled height, looking like a giant in Lilliput.

"Ugh, Commander, why did you bring this... New Jersey here?"

Xuefeng had been underestimated by Zhou He in the morning, but when she saw New Jersey, who was several levels below her in the afternoon, she couldn't hold back anymore and went to find Zhou He, who was also having a hard time holding back.

"So, it's just a very ordinary construction project, or what you call scientific research?"

Zhou He shrugged. He also wanted to know why someone from New Jersey had come. Just like Hu Teng before, this person had arrived unexpectedly.

Moreover, while both are in the same category, Hu Teng's figure is more in line with the image of a young girlfriend, while New Jersey's figure is that of a very older sister, which is quite a difference.

In the current port area, in terms of height, apart from New Jersey which is close to two meters tall, Bismarck is the tallest, slightly taller than Zhou He, at about 1.8 meters. Then there are Shuanghe, Yorktown, and Royal Ark, which are about 175 meters tall, similar to Zhou He. After that are Cleveland, Ashigara, and others at 170 meters. Below them are the light cruisers and destroyers who are just over 1.6 meters tall.

"Tsk."

Xuefeng, who was at the bottom of the height group, clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she gently kicked Zhou He, saying with a mix of anger and seriousness, "You can't give me special treatment just because of my height."

"Don't worry, I'm known for treating everyone the same."

Zhou He exclaimed "Ah!" and patted his chest in promise—Hermione, who was standing next to him, subtly looked away, pretending not to hear.

The initial excitement surrounding the new members came and went quickly. Once everyone was familiar with each other, Zhou He asked Bismarck for her opinion. After a moment's thought, Bismarck decided to use the Ironblood's mansion and arrange for U96 to stay there. Everyone then moved in.

In New Jersey, where there was no White Eagle headquarters yet, Zhou He could only arrange for her to live in a new dormitory. She chose to live on the third floor because of the good view.

After arranging the room, Zhou He then provided New Jersey with a unique set of clothes: he spent 3 Home Coins to buy her 24 outfits, and repeatedly reminded her not to wear those black stockings outside anymore, worried that it would have an immeasurable negative impact on other people in the port area.

"what."

Coming down from the third floor, Zhou He rubbed the back of his neck, which was a little sore, and couldn't help but sigh.

He's already feeling down now that only New Jersey has arrived. What will he do when all those tall guys like Hakuryu, Shinano, and Frederick the Great join the port? Maybe he should ask Akashi and Reito to make him a ferry bicycle so he can stand on it when he goes out and make up for the height difference.

That's enough.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou He slapped his face hard, putting the height difference issue out of his mind—he should be more concerned about the upcoming external operations than about such things.

With the addition of the invincible Black Dragon, New Jersey, to the White Eagle camp, morale and firepower have been completely stabilized, and perhaps more missions can be sent out next.

"When attacking the Sirens base, the first priority should be to probe and wear them down, while also checking the number of cubes and ship girls. Once we have a clear understanding of their strength, we can launch a full-scale attack."

After leaving the new dormitory, he strolled along the paved road, pondering whether to launch a coordinated attack tomorrow, or to have the various factions launch separate attacks to force the Sirens to conduct multi-pronged operations, utilizing the numerical data of Zuikaku and others to assess the Observer's true intentions.

However, splitting up also has its risks. The number of Sirens far exceeds the number of their ship girls. Currently, only the Sakura Empire's fleet can withstand a large number of Sirens. Other factions are still lacking and may be directly overwhelmed by the large number of Sirens.

Which one to choose?

After careful consideration, Zhou He chose to launch a split attack: he felt that the Sirens' base was troublesome, and if he put himself in their shoes, the observers might also find their base troublesome, after all, with Xuefeng, a mobile weapon of mass destruction, a single soldier could break through the Sirens' base and the Mirror Sea.

Thinking about this, Zhou He suddenly had a flash of insight.

Yes, he has the advantage now; the other side should be the ones having a headache!

Chapter 167 Modification = Growing Taller

"That guy just now looked really tough."

As Zhou He returned to the command post through the back door after his walk, he was immediately struck up a conversation. Kaga gestured with his hand towards the high place with great interest, a smile playing on his lips: "Besides, that's a pretty famous battleship, isn't it? Those two tomboys, Cleveland and Montpellier, were both intimidated, although Yorktown doesn't seem to recognize it."

Don't give people nicknames so casually.

Zhou He complained irritably. He glanced at Tosa leaning against the wall and gave the simplest introduction: "She is one of the strongest battleships in the White Eagle. You can ask Shoukaku and Zuikaku for details. They should know more than I do."

"That's what they said."