Revisit Azur Lane

"Tosa, why don't you let Yuudachi come with you? I'm perfectly fine on my end."

Speeding across the sea, Zuikaku and the other two communicated via in-team communication, several hundred meters apart. Zuikaku was talking to Tosa. The Sirens to the west were not far from them, and she could carry out long-range air strikes from the islands near the port, so she did not need Yuudachi's help to keep watch.

"I think, well, then you take care of yourself. Yuudachi, you and I will approach the Sirens together."

Tosa wanted to enjoy the experience alone and test his limits, but then he thought that Yuudachi also longed to fight the Sirens, so it was unreasonable to leave her in the rear. He agreed: "I will bombard the Sirens after Zuikaku's air raid. The Sirens will definitely move towards me then. Yuudachi, can you help me divert their attention?"

"Hehe, leave it to me!"

As the only 'front-line' member of the team, Yuudachi knew what she should do and accepted the task without hesitation.

With a simple conversation, the three had already divided the tasks. Zuikaku stopped moving, Yuudachi charged ahead, and Tosa followed closely behind.

According to Zhou He's description of the Sirens' movement, the western Sirens were heading straight south from the north. Without any obstacles, they would arrive at the southwest of the port area by noon. Meanwhile, the other Sirens from the north were moving northeast. At this point, they were hundreds of miles apart and lacked the beyond-visual-range combat capability of an aircraft carrier. If one side was attacked, the other side would be unable to provide timely support and might not even be aware that the other had been attacked.

Zuikaku and his men seized this opportunity. In less than half an hour, Tosa had reached the flank of the southward-bound Siren fleet. Yuudachi moved even faster, patrolling and guarding a position about 3 nautical miles from Tosa.

"The enemy's actions are correct. The air strike group is already on its way. Once you see the first batch of planes returning, Tosa, you should launch an attack."

Zuikaku spotted the Sirens' movements from a distance via her reconnaissance plane and informed the two men in Tosa. After cutting off communications, she noticed another figure out of the corner of her eye: Kursk was heading straight west. If they didn't launch an attack, Kursk would collide head-on with the Sirens' fleet.

"Did the commander give her any instructions?"

Ruihe still remembered Zhou He's instructions not to interfere too much with Kursk's actions, but in this situation, informing Kursk of the Sirens' movements shouldn't be considered interference, right?

Regardless, Kursk was an ally in Zuikaku's eyes. Although Kursk was alone, after a brief moment of thought, she tried to contact Kursk and quickly got through. She explained the situation, listened to Kursk say a few words, and then the connection was cut off.

"There really is another mission? Ah, this seems to be our first conversation?"

Zuikaku muttered a few words to herself and stopped being distracted, focusing her attention on the formation of aircraft weaving through the clouds in the sky. She had already clashed with the Sirens the day before yesterday, and she was even more familiar with this air raid. After arriving over the Sirens fleet, she immediately dispersed her aircraft and circled overhead to draw fire, while simultaneously dropping torpedoes and explosives on the heavy cruiser that appeared to be the flagship.

Boom boom boom~

The sound of the explosion spread across the sea, sending up layers of spray. Crimson sparks flew from the hull of the resisting Sirens as they sailed, and black smoke billowed into the sky.

After the first round of bombing ended, the Sirens began to change to a circular formation. Unfortunately, this time they faced not only air attacks, but also a battleship eager to show off its strength. A shell flew from afar and hit a moving destroyer. Along with the shrill sound of the shell pressing against the air, a towering explosion rang out. The destroyer could not withstand the battleship's salvo and was blown to pieces on the spot.

More shells rained down from the sky, forcing the Sirens to change formation again. The remaining nine ships sailed diagonally toward Tosa in a formation of two parallel lines. As they advanced under fire and air attacks, they encountered Yuudachi, who had come to draw fire.

……

"Commander, your expression is strange."

Kursk, who was speeding across the sea, glanced at the rising black smoke and the faint sound of explosions in the distance, and then focused his gaze on Zhou He, who had a sage-like, refreshing expression on his face during the video call.

"Hmm? I think Zuikaku's operation was very successful. Is the combination of aircraft carrier and battleship really that powerful?"

After being pressed down by Hermione, Zhou He was no longer sure whether he felt pain or pleasure. In any case, he was currently leaning against his office, drinking tea, and his hands were still shaking.

"Without a worthy opponent and the first strike, if they can't gain an advantage, I'll start to doubt their abilities."

Kursk's assessment was simple: Zhou He had given her two tasks when she set off. The first was to observe the battle between Ruihe and the others, and to provide support if things went badly. If things went very smoothly, she would move on to the second task: to break out of the 90-nautical-mile zone west of the port and illuminate the outermost sea area.

This made Zhou He take note of it, and he nodded, "That's right. Have you contacted Ruihe and asked her to check if there are any dangers further away?"

"I've relayed the message."

Kursk looked at the boundless sea and had doubts about Zhou He's second task. Why make her go through all this trouble when she could have let Zuikaku do the reconnaissance directly? Could it be that there was something or some intelligence here that was very important to Zhou He?

After a brief exchange, Zhou He quietly drank his tea, keeping the video feed open to observe the number of Sirens on the map. Of the 13 Sirens that had gone south, only 5 remained, and they were decreasing by the minute. After half a cup of tea, they were all gone.

"There are no new ship girls."

Just like Zuikaku hoped for Shoukaku, Zhou He also hoped to get ship girls during sorties. Relying solely on the system to assign him missions to obtain cubes and build a large fleet was simply a pipe dream. He had to rely on battle drops to enhance his combat power.

"commander."

Kursk's voice interrupted Zhou He's reverie. Zhou He's gaze shifted slightly as he met Kursk's eyes in the video. Kursk continued, "Zuihe requested permission to head north to annihilate another Siren fleet. There are no Sirens blocking my path."

"Approved. Tell them to be careful and cooperate."

As Zhou He spoke, he was thinking that Kursk usually didn't meet or talk to Ruihe and the others, but she was quite fluent when relaying his instructions.

He hadn't seen this person show any disgust when he talked to Kursk before, which means that this person doesn't have a communication disorder, nor is he particularly averse to communicating with others, but simply doesn't want to mingle with crowds and prefers to act alone.

"It's definitely different from Tosa."

Zhou He felt that his previous conclusion was too hasty—Kursk himself had a good personality, but he liked to be alone. On the other hand, Tosa seemed easy to talk to, but in reality, he had a unique arrogance and judged people's value by their strength.

'How exactly is the strength of Tosa determined? Is it based on personal preference?'

After cutting off the video, Zhou He took a sip of tea. If we're talking about physical abilities, he, an ordinary person, naturally can't compare to the ship girls. As for other aspects... well, he still doesn't understand.

Abandoning his thoughts, Zhou He continued to observe the movement of Zuikaku and his two companions on the map, as well as Kursk's retreat. He also took a moment to check on the shipyard and replenish Yuudachi's depleted torpedoes. Yuudachi's deployment of 16 torpedoes in a single sortie was a bit too much; a normal destroyer would certainly be able to carry far more.

"Commander, I've prepared some cookies. Oh, please wait a moment."

Outside the door, Hermione cheerfully carried a plate of snacks inside, but upon getting closer, she suddenly realized that Zhou He's tea had gone cold. She hurriedly picked up the teapot and ran downstairs again.

"..."

Zhou He shifted his gaze, picked up a cookie, and took a bite. It tasted even better than the ones he had bought before he transmigrated! He threw the remaining half into his mouth and crunched it, thinking to himself, "If there are more maids in the future, will I get fat prematurely?"

Oh dear, what a luxurious problem!

A short while later, Hermione returned to the office with a freshly brewed teapot. Looking at Zhou He, who was constantly reaching for the cookies, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

……

Things always unfold in a predictable pattern. Facing a Siren fleet that now included an additional heavy cruiser, Zuikaku, Tosa, and Yuudachi skillfully employed air strikes, artillery barrages, and enemy luring tactics. Within half an hour of the battle commencing, they had paralyzed the fleet, leaving it to Yuudachi to inspect and finish off the remaining enemy ships one by one.

"Will I really become stronger by fighting against an opponent like this?"

Tosa doesn't feel anything from beating weaker opponents, but it's too easy for her, and she really can't feel where she's growing.

Further back, Zuikaku, who was gathering the returning carrier-based aircraft, suddenly remembered something: Zhou He had previously said that he wanted to tow the wreckage of the Sirens back for research. At that time, she and Yuudachi could not do it, but now that they had the battleship Tosa, the three of them should be more than capable of towing a destroyer.

So they urgently contacted Yuudachi and told her not to act too quickly and to leave one that could be dragged away.

"what!?"

Yuudachi stared blankly down at the torpedo launcher that had just been launched and was now empty, then looked into the distance at the last two Siren destroyers that had stopped and were waiting for torpedo strikes.

Boom boom!

A deafening explosion rang out. Facing a target that couldn't move, Yuudachi had no chance of firing its torpedoes. The two destroyers, which were originally in relatively good condition, were each blasted with several holes, and water was slowly pouring in.

Before long, the two ships began to sink. Unable to bear watching, Yuudachi turned around and whispered to Zuikaku, "I accidentally sank them both. What should we do?"

"...Now, we can only pretend we know nothing. If the commander asks, just say that the Sirens resisted fiercely and we were unable to leave any survivors."

Zuikaku had actually guessed it; all the planes she had attacked had returned, so how could Yuudachi possibly be left alive?

"Hmm."

Yuudachi nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"Ugh."

This made Zuikaku feel uneasy at all. When she volunteered for the battle before, she also told Yuudachi not to send her out, but Yuudachi shouted louder than anyone else. She could only hope that Zhou He hadn't thought of this.

While the two were still discussing countermeasures, Zhou He's instructions had already reached Xi Li. Upon receiving the instructions, the dog's ears perked up, and it nimbly turned around. Seeing the figure emerging from the billowing black smoke of the Siren's explosion caused by the seawater entering and compressing its interior, with a blue handkerchief covering its mouth and nose, its eyes instantly lit up. It slid through the seawater and approached.

The woman emerging from the Siren wreckage was half a head taller than Yuudachi. Her main body, tightly wrapped in ship rigging, wore a simple blue belted dress. A blue and white wide-brimmed hat adorned her long, flowing golden hair. Her blue eyes were as beautiful as the sea. She sized up Yuudachi as she approached, her delicate, youthful face bearing a gentle smile that evoked a sense of goodwill. She lightly pressed her shawl, emblazoned with the Royal Navy's flag, against the fluttering wind, and spoke in a soft, pleasant voice: "Are you Miss Yuudachi?"

"it's me!"

Yuudachi raised her hand and replied, "The Commander asked me to bring you back."

"Well then, I'll trouble you to lead the way."

Upon hearing the words "Commander," Hood's gaze flickered slightly, and she began to speak to Yuudachi in a friendly manner, like a neighborly aunt.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Flowing Clouds and Running Water

"Hood, another one of the back rows has been dropped."

Inside the office, Zhou He looked at the little figure of Hu De, who had appeared on the map and joined up with Rui He and the others. He was delighted, but at the same time, he felt that his family's luck was a bit strange.

Normally, shouldn't destroyers and light cruisers be the easiest to lose? How come he lost 1 heavy cruiser, 1 battlecruiser, and 1 aircraft carrier in 3 sorties? In terms of combat power, he must have greatly improved. But starting with Tosa, he found that the more unique the ship girl, the more difficult it was for him to deal with her. Destroyers and light cruisers are easier to fool.

"never mind."

After thinking about it, Zhou He realized he couldn't control which ship he sent out; it would be good enough if he could send one out at all. So he turned his gaze to Hermione, who had just returned from packing cookies: "Hermione, you should know Hood, right?"

Hermione stepped forward and placed the plate of snacks on the table in front of Zhou He, then naturally stood aside: "Of course I know. The story of Lady Hood is widely known in the Royal Navy and she is an excellent role model for all of us Royal Navy ship girls."

"The glory of the Royal Navy, well, she'll be arriving at our port soon. Hermione, what are your thoughts?"

In the game, Hood was a useful back-row character in the early game, but as the game evolved, she became relegated to storage. At this point, Zhou He's impression of Hood was only that of 'elegance'. Now, if he were to face her in person, he really wouldn't know what to do.

"what?"

Hermione gasped, but quickly composed herself, placing her hands in front of her and speaking softly: “Commander should know that we are not simply anthropomorphized warships. I am now both Hermione of the Royal Family and Hermione as a maid.”

As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly and whispered in Zhou He's ear, "Commander is the master Hermione serves now."

"hiss."

Hermione's address of "master" almost made Zhou He's bones melt, but that wasn't what he wanted to ask. He wanted to know how he should behave when facing Hood, so he coughed lightly and expressed his thoughts.

His words made Hermione, who had just self-destructed, a little embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed slightly, but her tone was very serious: "Commander, please be more confident. Since Ms. Hood has come to our port, she must have been attracted by your will. As long as you are honest with her, even Ms. Hood will not make things difficult for you."

"..."

After being half-scolding and half-comfortingly told a few things by Hermione, Zhou He felt much better. He picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, and turned to look at Hermione: "How about calling me 'Master' again?"

Hermione's expression turned serious: "Please show some respect, Commander."

"Ah~"

Zhou He reluctantly drew out his words, but looking at Hermione's slightly flushed and adorable face, he felt he had already gotten a good deal. He stopped being unreasonable and instead shifted his gaze to the Kursk little figure that had reached the outermost edge of the map and was moving around.

After thinking for a moment, he opened the video call again, and the handsome silver-haired lady reappeared in front of him, the perspective changing with the rise and fall of the waves.

"Commander, how far are we from the designated location?"