Revisit Azur Lane

After the experience was over, Akashi put the butler, Banju, on the ground and said, "I don't think I can eat you, meow."

This one sentence caused the forty or so Manjiu that had already lined up to look tense, their small black eyes looking at the head chef Manjiu who was being held in Zhou He's arms and chirping incessantly.

“Of course. These barbarian chicks will all be part of our port area from now on. I’ll have to write a notice later to remind others to take good care of these barbarian chicks.”

Zhou He put down the head chef, Manju, with some disappointment. Although he could understand the voices of the ship girls from various countries, he couldn't understand Manju's cries. It seemed that getting Manju to teach him cooking secrets was not going to work.

However, with so many Manju managing the restaurant, there's no need to worry about the kitchen. Zhou He, having deliberately revealed his attitude through Akashi's speech, looked at the group of Manju below who looked relieved, smiled, squatted down, and patted the head chef Manju and the steward Manju on the head: "From today onwards, you will be working here. I assume there should be accommodations and daily necessities for you in this restaurant. You can arrange these things yourselves. I will be responsible for replenishing the ingredients. You just need to give me a list."

Choo Choo Choo!

The two lead chicks seemed to be making a declaration, but Zhou He couldn't understand it. He could only give the chicks an awkward but polite smile and wait for them to finish before letting them lead the way to the kitchen.

"By the way, Akashi, you don't need to follow me all the time. The building next door is the command center, and the second floor is your temporary accommodation. Of course, you can also find an empty house you like to live in on that newly built platform, either way is fine."

Before leaving, Zhou He turned around and explained the basic situation of the port area to Akashi.

He didn't have any strict requirements for Akashi. It was unacceptable to subjectively order Akashi to do research and development. Let Akashi get familiar with the port area first, and then see if this cat will get bored and start messing around with some random things.

"I know, nya."

Akashi nodded, but still followed Zhou He deeper into the restaurant and into the kitchen. Everywhere in the restaurant with a door was a large door and a small door, and the kitchen was no exception. After entering, Zhou He saw the most modified kitchen equipment he had ever seen.

The cabinets and tables are the size and height of an average human, but they are all equipped with stairs or even driveways for the Manju to climb up. The tools for washing, chopping, and cooking are fully automated. The Manju takes the vegetables out of the refrigerator (which is a cold storage for them?) and places them in the washing area, chopping area, and cooking area, and then operates the equipment to complete the cooking.

Incidentally, the seasonings and other ingredients are transported via a crane-like device and dispensed using a machine with precise settings down to the gram unit.

After observing the entire scientific kitchen, Zhou He, a self-taught chef relying on intuition, was already drenched in sweat. However, in order to ensure that his ship girls could eat with peace of mind and enjoyment, he spent a huge sum of ten homeland coins to stock the refrigerator with various vegetables, meats, rice, flour, cream, seasonings, etc. He then ordered Manjuu to prepare a lunch for three people, intending to experience it for himself first.

Compared to Zhou He's superficial observation, Ming Shi was more interested in these small and exquisite design structures, even leaning close to observe the interior. However, after looking at a few places, she lost interest and left the restaurant with Zhou He.

"Commander, how did you do that, meow?"

After leaving the restaurant, Zhou He spent three more Homeland Coins to connect the highway from the command post to the restaurant. Ming Shi, who was standing next to him, watched as Zhou He casually waved his hand and a large number of buildings and roads took shape. There was no input but output, which did not conform to the law of conservation of matter at all.

"Well, these things are like deploying your ship equipment for me, it's instinctive."

Zhou He was already used to this explanation, but looking at Akashi's curious big eyes, he smiled and patted her head: "I can't explain it clearly even if you ask me, but Akashi, you should know once you've thoroughly studied how to use the Rubik's Cube's energy."

"Rubik's Cube Energy Meow?"

Akashi squinted; the word sounded familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

"Building your Mind Cube is a military application of the Cube Energy."

Zhou He knew a little about Rubik's Cube energy. The original Sirens and ship girls all used this thing as their energy source. It was environmentally friendly and harmless, and its power supply was even stronger than that of a nuclear reactor.

The original timeline of Azur Lane was created by the emergence of this energy source, which led to a technological explosion. The reason for the destruction of the original world is not clearly explained in the game, but it is probably related to the forces behind Richard, a good guy who appeared in the story.

"Do you have a sample, meow?"

Akashi's eyes gleamed with a thirst for knowledge, but unfortunately, Zhou He had not yet collected any Rubik's Cube energy. He could not give the Mind Cube to Akashi to study, so he could only shake his head and say, "Once we conquer a few more of the Sirens' combat bases, we will definitely be able to find the complete Rubik's Cube energy."

Zhou He didn't know whether the Cube Energy was solid or liquid, but he knew that the Sirens definitely had it. Perhaps it was inside every Siren ship, or perhaps it was inside the Siren base they were in yesterday.

But there's no rush. There are still many unknowns in this world, and he has enough time to explore and research slowly. Seeking victory through steady progress is his ideal state of development.

"Meow~"

Akashi's ears drooped, looking quite disappointed. Zhou He smiled at this and said, "There are dried fish at the command post. Want some?"

"Eat meow!"

Cats do love dried fish, and so did Akashi. She was quickly persuaded by Zhou He to return to the command post, where she ate the smoked fish that Zhou He had prepared and chose a room on the first floor as her own.

After settling Ming Shi in, Zhou He went out again to investigate how to pave the road from the command post to the dock platform. Both roads were about a hundred meters long in a straight line, but they definitely couldn't go in a straight line. He had to think of a way to save money.

"commander."

The sudden call made Zhou He turn his head to look at Kursk, who was walking down from the platform. He raised his chin slightly and asked, "How's this dock? Isn't it sturdy?"

"In terms of design, that's certainly true; it truly is your masterpiece, Commander."

Kursk comes from the Northern Alliance, a faction that was once the elder brother of the Eastern Empire. Even though she calls herself a hunter, she has a lot of common sense about the technological age. She stands on the stairs and turns around to scan the equipment and warehouses on the platform. A dragon-like metal tail emerges from under her white trench coat and sweeps to the ground.

Zhou He watched this and secretly sighed that his ship girls were really amazing; wherever they stood, they were beautiful scenes worthy of 4K wallpapers.

Seeing that Kursk was about to turn around, Zhou He smiled and explained, "These are actually the basic equipment of our port area, but I forgot to take them out before."

"..."

Kursk glanced at him with slight surprise at these words. In every previous interaction, she could sense that Zhou He was very meticulous. How could he have made a mistake in such an important matter? Was managing so many people from different factions too much of a burden?

"Huh? Is there something on my face?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou He was stared at by Kursk for a long time. Kursk remained silent, which made Zhou He go from feeling relaxed and carefree to doubting whether his statement was too perfunctory. He hesitated, wondering if he should change his wording to make up for it.

"No."

Kursk withdrew his gaze and stepped down: "If you feel tired, Commander, you can take a short rest. No one else will say anything."

"Okay, I understand. I'll be more careful in the future."

Zhou He was puzzled, but he had been partying all day and hadn't slept well today, so he was indeed a bit tired. He smiled and followed Kursk to thank him, but Kursk glanced at him and said, "Take good care of your body so you can do more."

“That makes sense. Kursk, look over there. That’s the restaurant I just finished. There’s a dedicated culinary team there. You can dine there even if you come back late.”

Zhou He usually accepts all proposals from his ship girls. After responding with "uh-huh," he happily raised his hand to introduce the Manjuu Grand Restaurant to Kursk. Unfortunately, Kursk's face did not show even the slightest emotional fluctuation, so he changed his words: "I just had them prepare a lunch for three people. Kursk, you should come too. It's just you, me, and the cat Akashi who just joined us."

"Cat?"

Kursk was drawn to Zhou He's relaxed and informal way of addressing her: "Commander, is that why you keep her by your side? I don't think this cat is as good as the previous one."

She personally prefers dogs; they're very useful when hunting.

"...No, that's not it. Akashi is a repair ship, and her expertise is in developing equipment and weapons related to you. I plan to develop her into a research scientist."

Zhou He knew Kursk was referring to Yuudachi, but he wouldn't keep a ship girl as a pet just because he liked her.

"..."

Listening to Zhou He's eloquent speech, Kursk was both surprised and unsurprised. In her opinion, Zhou He was quite good at using them. He could tell what they were suitable for after a short contact and was a very excellent commander.

"Oh right, lunch!"

Zhou He sensed something was off and steered the conversation back on track. He couldn't change Kursk's dislike of interacting with others too much at once; if he were to do it himself, he could only work on it slowly.

"Okay, I'll come over at the appointed time."

Seeing his stubbornness, and considering that Akashi didn't seem like the type to disturb her meal, Kursk agreed. She then followed Zhou He back to the command post, went upstairs to get some clothes, and went to the hot spring resort.

Zhou He, feeling quite pleased with himself, clenched his fist and poured himself a cup of hot water, then watched the two fleets exploring the area.

Hood's western third block has been fully illuminated, no problem. He has now moved south to a position close to the southern third block, but he has encountered some trouble on the way and is currently engaged in battle. Meanwhile, Bismarck and his men on the other side have also moved south. Both teams are located in the southern second block on the system map, and it is only a matter of time before they merge.

"Sirens are stationed in the north and east, could they be in the south as well?"

Zhou He casually reloaded both teams' ammunition, and then gave Hood and Bismarck the order to join forces and head south to explore.

Afterwards, he waited quietly for the team to advance, taking a moment to glance at the mission log. Mission ①, which rewarded players with cubes for engaging different Siren fleets, had not been triggered at all. He was almost certain that this mission would not be triggered unless he encountered a battleship or aircraft carrier fleet.

I didn't get the full reward for one of the three tasks yesterday, and I don't know which task I completed too poorly.

As Zhou He pondered, time flowed slowly. The two teams that had merged headed south, illuminating the final piece of the puzzle for the third circle. One was a light aircraft carrier and the other a regular aircraft carrier. Their reconnaissance planes instantly broke through the fog over a large area for Zhou He. There were no problems at the edges, but when they were halfway through the exploration, an island with an icon similar to his home appeared on the map. There were scattered Sirens around it, some mass-produced and some executors.

"Really? A port area belonging to the human faction?"

Zhou He's eyes widened, and he immediately started a video call with Zuikaku. As the video played, Zuikaku on the other end frowned slightly, her expression the most serious Zhou He had ever seen. It took her half a minute to notice Zhou He's video call, and she raised an eyebrow, instantly turning into a comedian: "Commander, when did you get here?"

"It was around the time you discovered the island, well, the port ruins."

Although Zhou He only saw the port area sign, he could guess the situation of the island from the distribution of sirens next to it. It was probably a long time ago, and the people inside were probably all dead.

"Commander, you're really a bit scary. It's like you can see things more clearly than I can see them with my own eyes."

After grumbling for a while, Zuikaku finally got serious: "Commander, you're right. We've discovered a destroyed regular port area ahead. The Sirens nearby are also strange. They should be the Executors you mentioned before, Commander. My reconnaissance plane was spotted as soon as it got close. They're currently converging and about to engage in battle."

“I saw it too. Notify Long Island to try to circle around and check the situation deeper inside. If the situation is not right, abandon these reconnaissance planes and retreat.”

Zhou He wasn't nervous at the moment, because his two fleets had now merged, and their combat strength was no less than that of the Sirens fleet.

However, his composure vanished in an instant, because the deeper Zuikaku and his companion's carrier-based aircraft went, the more Sirens they saw. Various mass-produced and Executor types were scattered everywhere, like machines in standby mode, and Zuikaku and his companion's reconnaissance aircraft became the switch that woke them up.

Zhou He decisively issued the order to retreat.

Chapter Sixty: Gradually Becoming a Lazy Person

"What's the deal with these enforcers? Why are they so aggressive?"

Zhou He looked at the southern section of the system map. He had issued the order to retreat very quickly, probably even faster than Ruihe and the others had reacted after discovering the Sirens. Even so, the Sirens from the third southern district still followed the scent and chased into the second southern district. Thirty or forty Sirens came in intermittently, and some of the executor icons were so overlapping that he had a hard time counting them.

Fortunately, Bismarck and his men retreated immediately and were not discovered by the Sirens. Even though the South Second District was invaded, they maintained the situation of the enemy being in the open while they were in the dark, and he did not lose his intelligence advantage.

After repeatedly confirming that his ship girls had escaped the combat range, Zhou He calmed down and observed the movements of the invading Sirens. He realized that these executors were troublesome. After losing their target, they did not chase after the last direction like the mass-produced types. Instead, they gradually reduced their movement speed, huddled together, and stopped on the sea surface, seemingly waiting for something.

As for the other ordinary mass-produced types, they were dispersed to other areas by the skillful luring techniques of Nagashima and Zuikaku, posing almost no threat.

"Have we encountered the enemy?"

Zhou He was sitting in the hall. Kursk, who had just finished soaking in the hot spring and changed into a slightly loose-fitting short-sleeved shirt and shorts, passed by and noticed the fluctuation in his aura. He casually asked, brushing his long silver hair aside, "Do you need me to make an attack?"

"No need for now. We've encountered a new type of enemy. We'll discuss it after everyone returns and then make a decision."

Upon hearing this, Zhou He turned his head to look at Kursk, and was immediately struck by her homely appearance, which made his eyes widen: her hair was not yet dry and was combed into a high ponytail, and her girlish attire exuded an amazing mature aura due to her proud figure. He sat in the chair and looked up, and it was so magnificent that he was speechless, and he had an urge to help lift her up. Her cold and aloof face was the finishing touch, with a kind of ascetic beauty.

"I see."

Kursk tilted his head slightly, not noticing Zhou He's somewhat strange expression. He turned around, picked up the basin containing the old clothes, and went upstairs. The metal dragon tail from his buttocks curled up gracefully like a cat's tail, avoiding collisions with the stairs. Zhou He was dumbfounded.

"Cough, no, no."

Only after Kursk disappeared around the corner of the stairs did Zhou He push up his glasses, which were not actually his, and silently criticize himself for not being able to control himself and not be tempted by beauty.

Looking back at the system map, the Executors' advance was barely visible. Bismarck and the others had completely escaped the pursuit. Only U556 was slightly behind, but he was out of the Executors' group and was not in danger.

"I can't quite remember what the executors are, but these guys seem to be the direct subordinates of the observers?"

He stroked his chin, then observed the executors again, keeping this knowledge in mind. Could it be that these guys were waiting for orders from their superiors?

From a loyalty standpoint, these guys are really capable. It's just a pity that he hadn't paid attention before, so he couldn't tell what kind of ships these executors were. He could only distinguish them during future battles.