Revisit Azur Lane

After a brief pause, he continued, "I will encounter many more perplexing questions in the future, and I hope that Bismarck will continue to help me resolve them."

"of course."

Bismarck answered without hesitation: "Although I have not served as long as Hood, I have also accumulated a lot of combat experience. Commander, please feel free to come to me with any questions you may have."

"You really care about Hood, don't you?"

Zhou He almost lost his composure; why was he making a comparison with Hu De?

"Yes, in my memory, after I defeated Hood, her successors did everything they could to pursue me and left me on that sea. Her existence was worthy of the name of royal honor. Cutting off that banner is something I should remember."

Bismarck answered as a matter of course.

"..."

This is what they call mutual appreciation.

Looking at the spirited Bismarck, Zhou He admitted that he felt a sense of envy. He had never met a friend or opponent who was willing to spend a lot of time getting to know him.

Squinting to hide his emotions, Zhou He turned his head and smiled at Z23, who was listening attentively: "Z23, welcome to our port."

"Yes! I will do my best to help Commander solve his problems from now on!"

Z23 shook hands with Zhou He, so politely and respectfully that Zhou He felt a little embarrassed.

After the conversation, Zhou He roughly understood Bismarck and Z23's personalities. These two were the first Ironblood members to join the port, which was a great help. If it were two Ironblood ships that didn't listen to orders, he would probably have nightmares every night.

……

After the exchange, Zhou He led Bismarck and Z23 into the command center and selected two adjacent rooms on the second floor. After making the arrangements, he washed his face. During this time, he observed the progress of Kursk and Yuudachi. Yuudachi was moving very fast, not only lighting up the northern section, but also clearing a lot of fog. Kursk was a little slower, but it had also lit up the remaining southern section.

By this point, he had lit up eight blocks around the command center and now had nine ship girls by his side.

"The next operational plan should be to first eliminate the Siren fleets located within the fog on the east, south, and north sides, and then, after confirming safety, tentatively explore the Mirror Sea?"

After sending the two back, Zhou He went downstairs thinking about future external developments. He was greeted by Ruihe, who had changed into casual clothes after taking a shower and was making a fist gesture at him. He was so amused that he couldn't help but laugh.

"what happened?"

When Tosa came out of the bathhouse after taking a bath, he saw the interaction between the two and casually walked over to Zuikaku: "Even if you're very angry, don't actually hit the Commander. He can't take it."

Zuikaku waved with a smile; she was just teasing Zhou He: "I won't beat him up. You should be the one watching out, Tosa. You're always threatening the Commander, so don't actually lay a hand on him."

"Hard to say."

Tosa tilted his head slightly to look at Zhou He, who had met Hermione, his long silver-gray hair fluttering to the side: "If the commander changes his mind and gives out bizarre orders just for his own amusement, I wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson."

"What is your original aspiration?"

Zuikaku's eyes lit up, and she nudged Tosa with her elbow, teasing, "You two are so close that you're talking about this kind of thing."

"It's just an unrealistic delusion."

Tosa glanced at her. Although this girl was quite strong, she didn't seem to be very bright. He really hoped that a few more Sakura Empire ships that were both capable and intelligent would come along.

"what?"

Zuikaku dislikes riddle tellers.

Meanwhile, Zhou He and Hermione exchanged information and secretly plotted.

While Zhou He was interacting with Bismarck, Hermione subtly inquired about Hood's current situation while taking a bath. Just as Bismarck had predicted, Hood's feelings were very complicated at this moment. She had her own pride, and although she was shot by Bismarck on the battlefield, she did not feel resentment or regret. Defeat was not unacceptable to her.

But emotions are not so easy to control. She knew everything Hood had been through, and she knew what her existence meant to the Royal Family. Yet, she, who was so important, was defeated by the iron-blooded Bismarck. She failed the expectations of everyone in the Royal Family.

The thought shook her greatly, and an overwhelming sadness welled up inside her. However, her pride prevented her from accepting that she would be swayed by such a low-level emotion, so she fell into an internal struggle.

"..."

After learning about the situation, Zhou He recalled Bismarck's solution and quickly realized that Hood was bound by her past memories. He needed to help Hood find something to do so that she could distinguish between the past and the present.

But what is Hood good at?

There are no diplomatic missions here, no special instructions needed for combat, and no juniors to educate her—but there is one!

"Hermione, is that what you're going to say to Hood...?"

Zhou He originally wanted Hood to worry about the head of development and design in the port area, but given Hood's current state, it would be too much to ask her to face other people in her own family with their strange personalities. Just now, Bismarck seemed to have said something that was particularly suitable for Hood to know.

As for whether it is effective, he believes it is.

"Well."

Hermione couldn't believe that Bismarck, as an enemy, would say such things. Looking at Zhou He's mysterious yet confident smile, she suddenly understood and smiled in response: "I understand. I will inform Ms. Hood of these things at the appropriate time."

"That's good. In addition, I will also arrange some work for Hu De, hoping that she can recover soon."

Zhou He hummed in agreement. If he suddenly paid close attention to Hu De, her intelligence would definitely alert her to the anomaly. Even if she could eventually get rid of the memory's torment, it would certainly not be pleasant for her.

But if Hood can pull himself together and make the right arrangements, the outcome should be better.

The position of commander is not as simple as you might think. When something goes wrong, you not only have to find a solution, but you also have to pay close attention to the psychological state of the ship girls themselves.

Fortunately, he had Bismarck, the chief strategist, to help him this time, otherwise he would have had a real hard time dealing with the situation.

After seeing Hermione off, Zhou He stretched.

Time to cook again.

Chapter Forty: Overall, it's pretty good.

In one battle, the port gained three more members. The efficiency of this victory gave Zhou He a glimpse of the day when he would achieve his goal of dominating the shipping industry.

After all, the more ship girls you have, the larger the battle range, the more Sirens you defeat, and the more your own ship girls drop, creating an endless snowball effect. Just thinking about it is incredibly satisfying.

However, before Shuangma, Zhou He was already numb. Including him, who was freeloading, there were already ten mouths to feed at home. At the beginning, when he and Xili had a few people, stewing a pot of fish and a pot of meat was enough. Now, he has to stew at least two or three pots of fish and different kinds of meat. He was so busy thinking about the dishes that he almost cut his palm when he was killing the fish, and he had to restrain his mind and handle it carefully.

While he was busy here, the atmosphere outside was leisurely. Cleveland came downstairs, heard the noise, and looked towards the kitchen. After seeing Zhou He's busy figure, he turned and walked over to Zuikaku, whom he had just met, and pointed to the kitchen: "Does the Commander usually cook for himself?"

"No, Hermione will help the Commander. Hood ran into that person today, so Hermione is busy taking care of her."

Zuikaku waved his hand, then tilted his head and thought for a moment before smiling: "As for me, I'd really like to meet up with your White Eagle's aircraft carriers, like the Enterprise, the Lexington, and the Essex-class carriers."

"compete?"

Cleveland looked at Zuikaku. Judging from their meeting so far, Zuikaku seemed quite cheerful. He didn't seem to have any thoughts of revenge.

"Hmm, more or less. I want to discuss with them about having another match after Shoukaku-nee joins the port!"

Zuikaku clenched his fist, his eyes becoming serious: "I also want to have a showdown with the company while I'm in perfect condition, and see who is the real lucky ship!"

"..."

Cleveland didn't know what to say, but Tosa next to her muttered, "Like an idiot." Then Zuikaku perked up, smiled mysteriously, and shook his finger in front of her: "I may be stupid now, but once Shoukaku-nee joins the port, I won't be so stupid anymore."

Is this something to be proud of?

Tosa raised an eyebrow slightly. She didn't quite understand the sisterly bond between Zuikaku and Tosa. For some reason, she thought of the battleship Kaga that Zhou He had mentioned yesterday, whose personality was completely different from hers. She wondered if Kaga's behavior would complement hers.

As for Kaga, who is currently in active service, she already has a brand new sister ship, so there are no high expectations.

"Of course! Shoukaku-nee is the best older sister in the world. Although we haven't met yet, I have a feeling that way."

As Zuikaku spoke, a proud expression unconsciously appeared on her face—but this fervor seemed to Tosa to her as a kind of foolishness on another level, and she even took a step away, worried that she would be infected by it.

"Zuihe, you really do like your older sister."

Cleveland, however, seemed quite moved, nodding with her arms crossed: "If only I were that good, I could make my sisters proud."

"Oh? Good luck, I admire you."

Zuikaku reached out and patted Cleveland on the shoulder, smiling broadly: "How many sisters do you have?"

"26."

Speaking of sister ships, Cleveland's smile was equally radiant, almost sparkling. However, the sheer number triggered some unpleasant memories for Zuikaku, causing her smile to falter: "What a big family! I really hope the Commander can bring your sisters over soon."

"Yes, if everyone were here, the commander's work would go much more smoothly."

Zuikaku and Cleveland were chatting enthusiastically, while the lonely Tosa next to them felt that she couldn't get a word in edgewise. So she simply left the two of them behind, turned around and walked out of the command post. She had a very good impression of Bismarck, whom she had met today. A strong person should have that kind of aura!

……

"Commander, I'm back!"

As Yuudachi sped back to the port, she spotted Zhou He deep in thought on the beach. Overwhelmed with emotion, she disarmed herself and ran into the shallow water, throwing herself into Zhou He's arms as he took off his coat.

"Welcome back. You've worked hard today too, Yuudachi."

Zhou He put his military uniform jacket on Xi Li and gently stroked Xi Li's hair with his palm. The smile on his face was different from usual.

The moment he saw Yuudachi's health bar almost reach zero, he knew that Yuudachi was seriously injured. But after actually meeting her, he realized how inadequate his imagination was. Although he used the system function to repair Yuudachi's wounds, the fact that her clothes barely covered her body showed that the damage Yuudachi had suffered was extensive.

Besides feeling sorry for him, he also felt other indescribable emotions. For a moment, he even didn't want Yuudachi to go out to fight anymore, but he couldn't say it. He could only smile and greet Yuudachi as always.

"It's not hard at all! I know, the Commander has been watching us!"

Yuudachi squinted and rubbed her cheek against Zhou He's clothes. Her obedient appearance made Zhou He want to take her home and raise her. Oh, in fact, he already was.

Shaking off these inexplicable thoughts, Zhou He squinted and lowered his head, speaking gently: "Your attacks are so dangerous, so naturally I have to keep a close eye on you. That's why I also hope that you will take yourselves even more seriously in future battles. If anything happens to you, I will be very sad and in great pain."

Zhou He usually found these words pretentious, but when he actually encountered such a situation, he truly appreciated how precisely the Eastern Huang script controlled emotions.

"Well, I see."

Yuudachi's answer was as quick and compliant as ever, leaving Zhou He unable to tell whether she had thought about it or understood the meaning of the words. However, considering that Yuudachi was not good at thinking, he could only smile helplessly and say, "Yuudachi, why don't you go back and rest for a bit? I'll cook once I get to Kursk. There are some snacks on the table; you can take them to satisfy your cravings."

"Good~"

Yuudachi obediently let go of Zhou He, grabbed the clothes Zhou He was wearing, and ran back to the command post.

"Aha."

Watching Yuudachi leave, Zhou He looked up at the sky. The sky was beginning to darken, with the areas bathed in sunlight radiating a warm glow, while the remaining areas had turned into a deep blue without any clouds. Just looking at it was enough to calm one down.

"Injuries are inevitable when fighting abroad; that's just the reality."

Zhou He sighed. In the past, he had always won big victories in his attacks, and he had never even been scratched. This time, Yuudachi had given him a big blow right from the start, which was beyond his expectations and made him feel quite uncomfortable.

After checking Kursk's location again and confirming that she would be home within twenty minutes, I exited the map and switched to the 'Research' project, which I rarely use. Here, I can start research ship projects, modify ship equipment, build ship girls, and attract meta ships.

The four functions can indeed be considered scientific research. The most useful ones are ship equipment and ship girl modification. The former uses materials to upgrade existing ship equipment, while the latter consumes materials to strengthen the ship girl herself and her basic ship equipment (the position that supports the main gun and other ship equipment). Overall, it is a combination of the enhancement and modification system and scientific research in the game. The enhancement does not require useless ships (?) but rather ship equipment parts and other materials. Since he did not have any materials on hand, he could not determine the specific effects or whether there was a modification limit.

"Next time, target a small fleet. At least bring back one ship so I can test this feature."