Revisit Azur Lane

Tosa glanced at him, raising an eyebrow slightly: "I'm not responsible if you fall into the water, you know?"

"It's okay, I believe you'll pull me out of the water."

There's no turning back now that the words are out. Zhou He was fearless after speaking. He pointed to the ships on the sea: "I want to use them to test an idea. I need to think about it now, otherwise tonight..."

Wait a minute, he suddenly thought of Kursk, the place that would definitely not refuse his offer.

Damn, that was too hasty.

"Let's go then."

Seeing Zhou He's serious expression, Tosa thought it was alright. He stepped past the two of them and came to the seaside, where he made the light reappear and condense the ship's equipment. Zhou He walked up, and the waves rushed to his feet, submerging half of his calves. They were icy cold.

Zhou He was still figuring out how to get onto the Tosa ship when Zuikaku caught up and called out, "Hey—Commander, let me take you there, I've already figured out the best way to do it."

"What position?"

Zhou He instantly became alert. Tosa, too lazy to waste time listening to their nonsense, squatted down and gestured for Zhou He to climb up using the main gun barrel, which was adjusted to its lowest position. Zhou He obediently stretched out his arms and legs, and after a few movements, he sat on the top of the ship's rigging on Tosa's left, with his buttocks on the turret and his feet hooked around the gun barrel, just like climbing a tree. This height felt very novel to him, and he waved playfully at the calling Zuikaku.

"Sit tight."

Tosa took a step forward, and the ship's propulsion system under his feet began to work, carrying Zhou He away from the beach. The salty sea breeze and the feeling of being far from land brought up indescribable emotions in Zhou He's heart. In short, it was very novel.

He looked down at Tosa, and because the ship wasn't moving very fast, he was able to speak: "Tosa, won't you feel any pressure about your balance while carrying me like this?"

"Commander, can you feel the weight of the ants on your shoulder?"

Tosa's answer was sharp, leaving Zhou He speechless for his lack of common sense. He could only watch the Siren destroyer getting closer and closer. Because it was huge enough, it could be seen clearly even in the dark. Even though it was cratered, its black body with blood-red stripes made him instinctively feel uncomfortable upon closer inspection.

"Let me touch it."

Zhou He remembered clearly that he could obtain more materials by touching the corpses, so he began to direct the Tosa to adjust its direction. After a while, he reached out and actually touched the warship's body, which was as cold as ice.

'Disassembly'

He meditated in his heart.

In an instant, the entire hull of the Siren was covered by a dense blue net pattern spreading from his palm, emitting a bright light. Then, with a 'boom,' it exploded like fireworks, and blue stardust floated in the air like fireflies before finally falling into the sea and disappearing.

"This is!?"

Tosa was standing very close, and she reacted the instant the ship changed shape, pulling Zhou He away. As the ship exploded, she covered her head with her hands, then looked up sharply: "Commander, you…"

She saw Zhou He, who was unharmed but whose body was taut and about to fall, as she had shaken him. She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and slammed on the brakes, using the momentum to bring Zhou He back to his original position.

"Well."

Zhou He, who had sat back down, covered his mouth, his face pale and feeling nauseous: "What should I do? I might get seasick."

"..."

Since he could still act foolishly, it meant he was alright. Tosa carried him back to the shore at a steady pace. The moment they reached the shallow water and he removed his ship's rigging, he turned around, caught Zhou He with both hands, and carried him to the beach in a princess carry. He then bent down and tossed him over, crossed his arms, and looked down at him: "Commander, what did you do to that Siren ship just now? Didn't you know it was dangerous?"

Zhou He was thrown onto the sand before he could even experience being held by Tosa. He got up, sullenly, and dusted himself off: "I'll take it apart."

"Demolished?"

Tosa raised an eyebrow and dismantled a destroyer in an instant?

“It’s been demolished.”

Zhou He nodded in agreement: "I can obtain resources by dismantling the Sirens' ships, which can be used for port development."

"A truly incomprehensible ability."

Tosa's lips twitched. No wonder Zhou He wanted them to tow the ship back. However, she had no intention of studying Zhou He's special abilities. She walked directly past Zhou He toward the command post: "If you have similar ideas in the future, make sure to explain them clearly first, so as to avoid any danger."

"Oh, I'm sorry to have worried you."

Zhou He was also startled by the dismantling noise, but only for a moment. Because Tosa reacted too quickly, all he could see was a blue fluorescent light, and then he began to feel nauseous.

From afar, Zhou He heard Tosa's soft humming, which made him cover his mouth and smile. So this was the right way to get along with Tosa.

"Commander! Just now you..."

Ruihe ran over from elsewhere, looking unusually at him, and asked. Zhou He paused for a moment before explaining the reason.

……

"I didn't expect the commander to even know how to disassemble a ship."

In the brightly lit kitchen and dining area, the ship girls who had just soaked in the hot spring gathered together and chatted happily. While everyone was soaking in the hot spring, Zhou He prepared dinner. Hermione and Z23, who had helped, brought the dishes up and leaned over to Tosa with a smile, asking, "How was your experience in the hot spring?"

"not bad."

Tosa's expression remained calm, but his fluffy, slightly damp fox ears drooped naturally, and he exuded a gentle aura—this was the first time since joining the port that Tosa was in a good mood, even someone of Zhou He's caliber could tell.

He could only marvel at how wondrous the hot spring was.

"What resources did the commander recover from dismantling the Sirens' destroyers?"

Hu De's sudden remarks drew the attention of others. Zhou He stood and thought for a moment: "There are many. 850 tons of steel alone were dismantled, along with explosives, aluminum alloys, copper, and other things. I just did a little research. These materials can be used to develop weapons and build ships. They have many uses."

"It seems to be a very efficient disassembly."

Hood nodded, and Zuikaku raised his hand: "Then, Commander, can you build yourself a ship now?"

"Yes!"

Zhou He gave a thumbs up. In addition to the usual resources, this dismantling also gave him 3 main gun parts, 2 anti-aircraft gun parts, 3 torpedo parts, 1 general-purpose part, plus 1 destroyer research blueprint and 1 general-purpose research blueprint.

The components can be used for the modification and enhancement of ship girls' equipment, while the research and development of weapons and ships requires design blueprints. As long as there are enough materials, he can directly handcraft destroyers, and he can also build small boats such as speedboats using existing materials and common research blueprints.

Incidentally, the research ship "North Wind" requires a total of 30 destroyer research blueprints and 50 each of the four types of components: main gun, torpedo, anti-aircraft, and general-purpose.

Unfortunately, he still needs ten more Rubik's Cubes, otherwise he could start grinding for the sixth-generation destroyer Felix of North Wind and Ironblood right now.

Today is truly a wonderful day! The hot spring has been built, and we've also obtained a large amount of resources and various ways to acquire scientific research materials by touching the corpses of sirens. It's a double celebration!

The next thing to pay attention to is the situation in Kursk. Zhou He is interested in going into the mirror-like sea there to salvage a ship, but he is worried about accidents. It would be perfect if he could get relevant information through that base.

We happen to have a general R&D blueprint. How about we build a boat and go take a look tomorrow?

Chapter Forty-Five: The Humorous Commander

In the quiet of the night, Zhou He waited for Kursk to return to port.

Kursk's whereabouts remained as mysterious as ever. Zhou He was sitting in the command center, but Kursk still managed to sneak up behind him and startled him when he was approached.

"Kursk, you are very cautious."

After quickly reheating Kursk's food, Zhou He sat in the kitchen, talking to her across the table. Having met and talked with her several times, he was quite familiar with her. Although she was still expressionless, Kursk was a very cool and capable older sister, and her straightforward personality gave her a natural, wild beauty.

Knowing that this person didn't like casual conversation, Zhou He made a few simple remarks before getting to the point and inquiring about the progress of the exploration of the ruins on the western island.

"That's not a human base."

Kursk rarely gets to eat a hot meal. After swallowing his food, he licked his lips, put down his chopsticks, and looked at Zhou He: "At least it's not the kind of structure a human port should have in my understanding."

It sounded scary, but with Kursk's subsequent explanation, Zhou He roughly understood the situation.

First, while the buildings there appear to be similar to those in the human port area, there is a fundamental difference: none of the functional buildings in that base require manual operation. For example, the canteen lacks a kitchen and cooking tools, and what appear to be dormitories or bathhouses lack beds and usable water facilities. Other buildings are merely for show, lacking any intrinsic function.

The command center, however, had a large number of electronic devices, but they could not be used properly because the power system had been damaged.

Moreover, they hadn't considered the possibility of equipment aging or malfunctioning, and there was no department responsible for logistics and maintenance. Kursk also had no way to repair the power system by hand.

"It was a base built like a mass-produced facility that could be abandoned at any time."

After Kursk finished speaking, he continued eating, leaving Zhou He with a furrowed brow: He had wanted to bring back all sorts of equipment from there to revitalize his own port area, but it turned out that only the command center was useful.

However, if that's the case, then that place must be the 'Siren Base'. Kurskri wandered around for a long time but failed to trigger the conditions for completing mission ③. In other words, he needs to repair the power system there and figure out what can be done there in order to complete the mission.

In that case, he asked, "So, Ikusk, do you feel there's danger inside that base?"

"There is no danger inside the base, but the nearby sea is dangerous."

With Kursk's confirmation, Zhou He also finalized tomorrow's arrangements, and stood up with a smile: "I understand. The extra thing behind the command post is a hot spring pool. Kursk, you should go and experience it too."

Kursk nodded, but he didn't know if he would go.

……

As darkness fell, the clock in the hall began to tick rapidly, and soon it was 4:30 a.m. The lights on the second floor suddenly illuminated the staircase, and soft footsteps sounded as Hermione, dressed appropriately, came downstairs.

Shortly after 5 p.m., Yuudachi, Z23, and others came downstairs one after another and started their activities, gradually enlivening the quiet hall.

"Tosa, I've always had a question."

Holding a steaming bowl of noodles, Zuikaku sat at the table in the hall and looked at Tosa, who was preparing to practice wielding his sword. Only when the latter looked at her did she continue, "Our swords, they really are ship-mounted, aren't they?"

"Stupid question."

Tosa's upturned ahoge swayed as she looked up. For some reason, she felt that Zuikaku's stupidity had been increasing exponentially lately, but out of friendship, she still answered the question, holding up her sword: "This sword is undoubtedly made of the same material as the ship's equipment, no, it's even better."

"Uh-huh."

Zuikaku agreed, and after taking a sip of noodle soup, he pointed a finger at Tosa: "Then, we should be able to fight the Sirens with swords, right?"

"..."

This question stumped not only Tosa, but even Bismarck, who was passing by on her way to the kitchen, cast a glance at it: she simply couldn't imagine an aircraft carrier saying such a thing.

"Since we've been issued swords, they should have a purpose. They can't just be decorative items we carry around every day, can they?"

Riding the wave of his victory, Zuikaku raised his questions once again.

In fact, she had been trying to use her sword, but whether it was helping Zhou He mark out territory or acting as a clothesline, it was only temporary employment. Was there no way to use it for long-term employment?

"This knife is for us to hone our spirit and will, isn't it?"

This thought-provoking question made Tosa think. She casually swung her drawn sword twice in the air: "Don't you think practicing slashing can help us concentrate our attention?"

After a brief silence, she frowned slightly, sheathed her sword, and said in a deep voice, "In the future, we may encounter other ports and subordinate ship girls. Can you be sure that there won't be competitive sword-fighting events then?"

"what!"

Zuikaku clenched her right fist and tapped it against her left palm, suddenly realizing: "So, this knife is actually meant for us to cut down enemy ship girls?"