Revisit Azur Lane

"You know a little bit, right?"

Hermione tilted her head and thought for a few seconds before giving an affirmative answer: "If the damage isn't too serious, I can try to repair it."

Like a top student's answer, it brought smiles to everyone's faces. Zuikaku even crossed his arms and nodded, "As expected of an elite who joined the port on the same day as me."

"Are all royal maids this capable?"

Ignoring Zuiho's self-aggrandizing humorous remarks, Cleveland laughed and struck up a conversation with Hermione: "I have absolutely no similar knowledge. I can't even cook for myself, let alone do repairs."

"Hmm, maybe it's because I'm interested in these things?"

Hermione smiled and replied, "Everyone must have their own strengths. For example, Miss Cleveland, you have great athletic ability. The Commander pays a lot of attention to you and often says things like 'So cool.'"

"Huh~"

Cleveland was greatly shocked. She hadn't even noticed, and when she turned to look at Zhou He, she found that he had already left quickly.

"Is he handsome?"

She muttered to herself, recalling Zhou He's greeting of "Daddy Ke" when they first met, and suddenly felt annoyed. Why was it "handsome"? That doesn't seem right.

"What about me! Did the commander say anything about me?!"

Yuudachi raised her hand and pricked up her ears to ask Hermione, who replied with a smile, "The Commander is always worried that you're not eating enough. I was even thinking about whether I should prepare some snacks before I left."

"hey-hey."

The puppy patted its belly and smiled somewhat innocently.

"..."

"As expected of the person who has spent the most time with the Commander, why don't you go ask the Commander what he thinks of you?"

As Zuikaku listened to Hermione coaxing the child, he paused slightly and then went to Tosa's side at the back of the crowd, whispering a question in her ear.

"Meaningless."

Tosa moved aside to avoid Zuikaku getting too close. Just by looking at Zhou He's reaction to her, one could roughly tell how he felt about her.

"Yes, the Commander must like you quite a bit, since he always feels awkward when he's face to face with you."

Zuikaku stroked her chin and exclaimed, "So, Commander likes this kind of thing?"

"Think before you speak, or do you think the Commander is such a shallow person?"

Tosa's eyebrows twitched. Was it because they'd gotten to know each other better? Zuikaku was speaking more and more casually, like he was enjoying watching a good show. He was definitely a natural dark-skinned person.

"No, look at the commander."

Zuikaku raised his chin slightly, gesturing for Tosa to look at Zhou He's back as he walked to the front of the crowd: "He's just an ordinary person."

"..."

Tosa really didn't understand what this guy was trying to say. Was Zhou He some kind of superman, not an ordinary person?

With a soft sigh, not wanting to talk to the idiot anymore, she quickened her pace to catch up with Zhou He.

Chapter Forty-Nine New Discoveries

Back when Hud and others were fighting the Sirens, Kursk, who was eating stewed potatoes and meat in advance, had already informed Zhou He of the location of the base's command post.

The location was in the basement of a three-story office building directly opposite the square. Unfortunately, this building was one of the few places in the port area affected by the bombing. The rightmost floor had a huge hole blown in it. Concrete, steel bars, shrapnel, and all sorts of other things were hanging down, obscuring the basement room with the skylight. Inside was the power supply room.

"Is it luck that they were able to break through that spot exactly?"

Zhou He looked inside through the skylight. The room was quite large, with a dense array of wires and electronic components running along the walls. He couldn't understand them, and the air was very stuffy. So he simply gave up his space to the others and went into the other half of the room, which was still somewhat intact.

This base is designed to resemble humans but is not human. It has poor functionality, but it has interior decorations. For example, there are quite a few tables and chairs in this dusty house, which matches Kursk and Hermione's 'recent' judgment. They are all 87% new, and there is even a hard wooden sofa. These are all good items that can be sold for 1 Home Point in the Home Shop.

"Getting rich by picking up trash?"

As Zhou He wandered through the various rooms upstairs, the idea of ​​moving all these things back to his home arose in his mind. However, his system warehouse could only store raw materials sold or dismantled and recycled by the system, not the kind of portable space bag that was easy to use normally.

It fits the game's setting perfectly, but it lacks any human touch. Zhou He can only give the warehouse function 1 point.

"Commander, we have found the entrance to the basement."

As Zhou He continued to leave his claw marks on the tables and chairs, the Z23 camera outside the room glanced inside, spotted Zhou He, and came in to warn him.

"It will be over soon."

Zhou He walked to the curtains to wipe his hands, but they got even dirtier. He could only put his hands behind his back and walk out of the room. His gaze swept over Z23, who stood straight, with a serious face and a hint of scholarly air. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Z23, are you interested in books?"

This is one of the three starter characters, and there are some strange references to him, but he didn't pay much attention to him when playing the game. He only remembered that this character was very serious and had a free skin related to teachers. When they met for the first time a few days ago, the slight influence he gained from the game overlapped with this character.

If he had chosen her as his initial ship, he would probably have been a more professional commander, and his life would have been much more tiring.

"Yes! The book contains a lot of interesting and useful knowledge that can be applied to both life and combat!"

When books were mentioned, Z23 became noticeably more animated, spouting things like "knowledge is power" and "I want to become as excellent as Bismarck through learning." Her unexpected talkativeness made Zhou He swallow his prepared lines and listen to her rambling with a smile.

He remembered that there weren't many books in the port area, so he could stock up on bookshelves in the office by buying some from the store. Then he could sit there like a librarian and watch all sorts of beautiful girls with literary interests come in to borrow books from him. Just thinking about it made him feel very comfortable.

"what!"

It took Z23 a while to realize what had happened. She quickly took two steps forward, turned around, and bowed to Zhou He: "I'm very sorry! I said something strange without realizing it. Please don't mind, Commander."

"Isn't that great? It's a good thing to have your own hobbies. Z23, what kind of books do you want to read lately? I'll prepare some for you."

Zhou He smiled and raised his hand, trying to show his gentle nature, but as soon as he finished speaking, he noticed Z23 staring at his palm. He immediately coughed lightly, clenched his fist, and withdrew it: "I forgot to bring my handkerchief when I went out just now."

This is a lie; he doesn't have a handkerchief.

"Well."

Upon hearing this, Z23 rummaged in her pocket and handed over a blue patterned handkerchief: "Please use it if the Commander doesn't mind."

"Thank you."

Zhou He didn't think a girl's handkerchief could wipe the black grime off his palms, but he couldn't refuse Z23's kindness, so he smiled and took the handkerchief, intending to return it to Z23 along with the pile of books when he got back.

The entrance to the basement was at the corner of the stairs. When Zhou He came downstairs, Zuikaku and Yuudachi were waiting at the entrance. As soon as she saw him appear, Zuikaku started yelling that Tosa had bullied her and asked Zhou He to help her get justice.

"You, Tosa's intelligence among foxes is only comparable to Amagi's; you can't outsmart her."

Zhou He didn't understand the reason, but he knew with his own feet that it must be Zuikaku who went looking for trouble. This guy had no idea how difficult the Tosa were to deal with. He almost got himself into trouble last time.

"A pack of foxes? Heavenly City?"

Zuikaku blinked, thought for a moment, and then said, "Commander, are you saying that Akagi-senpai and the others are all fox spirits? And Amagi, could it be that she's Akagi's sister whom she's never met?"

"Yes."

Zhou He realized he had let something slip, but it didn't matter. He looked at the cute Yuudachi who was leaning closer and wanted to pat her head, but he couldn't touch her with his hands, so he could only smile at her and reply: "Yes, just like you don't know about Kaga in her battleship form, I can also build the unfinished Amagi. Besides them, there are many more ship girls in history that were never completed, who didn't leave their names, and who even fought against the Sirens into the future."

He pointed to his eyes: "I have witnessed a world you have never seen. All the ship girls I have observed will gather in our port in the future."

"..."

Zhou He's sudden remark stunned all three people present. Yuudachi's eyes widened for a long time before she could finally say, "Commander, so cool!"

"Right?"

Zhou He revealed a smug expression. Those few words were probably the coolest things he had ever said in his life. He wondered if he would ever have such a flash of inspiration again.

"Damn it, you got me."

Zuikaku gritted her teeth. She had come to complain about Tosa, but instead, she had given Zhou He a chance to show off. Z23 next to her didn't say anything, but when she looked up at Zhou He, her eyes started to gleam.

"Ahem, anyway, Zuikaku, stop causing trouble in Tosa. Let's go in too."

Knowing he wasn't really that valuable, Zhou He quickly changed the subject, bypassed the two gatekeepers, and went into the basement staircase. There were no lights, only some light drifting in from the doorway, the visibility was very low, and the temperature was at least five degrees lower than outside; even wearing a coat, you could feel the chill.

"How can you see anything even in this dark?"

The stairs were only a short distance long. Zhou He took two steps inside and started to feel a bit lost. He looked ahead and saw that it was pitch black, which meant that the basement was not small. It wasn't a straight passage; the passages on both sides were made of metal, and they felt icy cold to the touch.

"No problem! Leave the guiding to me!"

As if she had just thought of something, Yuudachi moved closer to Zhou He and tried to take his hand. Zhou He noticed but didn't react in time. Yuudachi grabbed him and pulled him forward. He wanted to say something, but it was too late. He thought he had to take Yuudachi to wash his hands later. After walking for a while, he felt that the silence was unsettling. He looked back and saw Zuikaku standing far away in a bright spot. Z23 seemed to be talking to her.

Huh?

Zhou He's expression was somewhat subtle. Could it be that night vision is a characteristic of the ship type? As an aircraft carrier, Zuikaku's nighttime reconnaissance capabilities are greatly reduced. If applied to the main body, it means that seeing dark places is the same as seeing an ordinary person like him?

He had an idea and tried to verify it: "Yuudachi, could it be that Zuikaku is afraid of the dark?"

"Well, Sister Ruihe said she's not afraid of the dark, but she can't see things clearly and is worried about hurting others."

Yuudachi pulled Zhou He close, so Zhou He could barely see her expression and reaction. This little cutie actually believed Zuikaku's face-saving nonsense—he clearly said he wasn't afraid of the dark, but Yuudachi didn't believe him at all.

This differential treatment left Zhou He speechless. No wonder Zuikaku was guarding the road and wouldn't come down. However, Z23 was definitely not as easy to talk to as Yuudachi. He figured Z23 would probably come with Zuikaku, so he didn't pay too much attention and followed Yuudachi's lead, turning left and right in the passage.

The basement contains many separate rooms, some with glass windows that allow you to look into the corridor, and some without, but all the iron doors are tightly closed, as if it were an automated system.

"Commander, this way."

After turning another corner, Zhou He caught up with the main group. The power supply room, which had had its skylight opened, also had its door opened. Cleveland, waving in the sunlight, was shining brightly and was very dazzling.

"Thanks to Yuudachi for leading the way, what's the situation inside?"

After praising Yuudachi with a smile, Zhou He came to the reassuring light and looked into the power supply room. His system's creations were all powered by infinite energy from the void. He wondered what kind of energy the Sirens, as a piece of cutting-edge technology, used for power supply.

"I don't quite understand, Hermione is investigating."

Cleveland glanced at Zhou He. She couldn't see any particular interest in her from him. She was probably overthinking it. No, it was probably because her behavior was too boyish and not like a girl's at all, which was why Zhou He was evaluating her from a male perspective.

Damn it, she actually knew about this, she just didn't want to admit it.

While Yuudachi was reflecting on himself in Cleveland, he noticed that his palms were covered in black marks. Meanwhile, Zhou He crawled into the power supply room and found Hermione seemingly pondering a solution to a section of the power line that had been blown apart. Bismarck and Hood were watching from the side, and Tosa nodded to Zhou He.

"commander."

Hermione naturally heard the commotion outside as well. She stood up and looked at Zhou He, carefully considering her words: "The wiring here is simple and clear. If we have the tools and materials for repair, it can be fixed quickly."

"Really? That's easy."

Zhou He remembered that Kursk had also been stumped by equipment repair, but this was no problem for him. After asking about the necessary tools, Zhou He opened the Home Mall and found a matching toolbox for one Home Coin, which was a bargain.

After several rounds of explanation, his own people understood his special status, so he no longer tried to hide it. He made a grabbing motion in the air with his right hand, and a square toolbox appeared in his hand. After handing the box to Hermione, he took 0.01 units (tons) of copper and fluororubber from the warehouse and threw them on the ground: "Anything else needed? Like a generator or something?"