Revisit Azur Lane

"really."

Zuikaku put one hand on her hip, but a slight smile played on her lips: "I hope the Commander enjoys it."

Although she might understand Zhou He less and less in the future, she knew he would always be the same person he was.

……

After the excitement subsided, everyone in the port returned to their normal routines. The destroyers huddled together, Hood went back to the restaurant for tea, Cleveland took her sister out for some exercise, and Tosa Jeanbart and the others went about their own business, their whereabouts unknown.

Zhou He, on the other hand, helped Changdao fry French fries. He prepared a huge portion, sent a small portion to Changdao who was holed up in her room, and distributed the rest as snacks to the destroyer and anyone who was interested.

The sun rose as usual. While Ruihe was promoting the camping proposal everywhere, Zhou He quietly approached Hermione and inquired about camping equipment. The system did not provide things like tents, but that was not the point. The point was to provide insect repellent, fire-making and cooking equipment, and various protective gear for setting up camp.

"The temperature in the wild is much lower than at home, so we need to keep warm and have some medical supplies on hand."

While it was said that he was asking Hermione, Zhou He was actually just marking things on a piece of paper according to his own imagination of what he needed for camping, while Hermione was just supervising him to make sure he didn't slack off.

Meanwhile, Miss Hermione also learned that Zhou He was behind the camping trip promoted by Ruihe.

"Has everything been arranged with Jarvis?"

Looking at the list on the paper, which was so long it was overwhelming, Zhou He casually drew two diagonal lines on the paper with his pen and turned to chat with Hermione.

Once the general direction is clear, the commander's job becomes quite easy. With that ease, Zhou He starts thinking about other things, such as whether Akashi and Lingmin can run the production workshop to help produce a small transport vehicle, or whether they should purchase some various ball sports equipment from the home base to temporarily set up a play area for the destroyers to expend their energy.

"Yes, it's all arranged. Miss Jarvis is currently having tea with Ms. Hood."

Hermione was in a good mood. Lately, in order to show an elegance and composure that belonged to no one else, Ms. Hood had been working very hard to learn 'common sense of life' from her in private. Hermione was the only one who could help Hood, and she couldn't refuse, so she could only follow Hood to maintain her aristocratic demeanor. Now that Jarvis had filled in, she could follow Zhou He again.

"That's good."

On the surface, Zhou He was actually wondering if Hu De really liked drinking tea. No wonder people familiar with the ship girl game would think of tea drinking and tea parties when they mentioned the Royal Navy. They never got tired of drinking tea every day.

Thinking to himself, Zhou He opened the Homestead System and found the matching camping tool kit. He marked it so he could take it out and use it when he found a campsite after setting off. Then he searched through the dormitory-type residences and found a residential property priced at 105 that looked similar to a school dormitory building.

Based on the basic rule that 15 Home Coins can provide 150 square meters of physical space, this 105 Home Coins building should be at least 1,000 square meters in size, with three floors, and can accommodate at least twenty ship girls.

"Save up homestead coins to buy a dormitory → build a large-scale dormitory → go out and slap the sirens. That's the spirit."

Zhou He had already figured out the development path, and took the opportunity to take a look at the mass-produced Sirens roaming outside—it has to be said that the number was really exaggerated. In just one day, they surrounded him inside and out, four or five layers deep. As long as you click into a certain area, you don't even need to count them. You can see at least fifty mass-produced Sirens at a glance, including battleships and aircraft carriers.

This level of force can no longer be described as high-intensity. Without the system's hidden functions, this island would probably be flattened by the Sirens in no time. With this number of fleets, even the most perfect defensive terrain is useless.

"It's just that two test subjects were killed, why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Zhou He pursed his lips, thankful that he was lucky, otherwise his development speed would definitely have been restricted.

Even with the theoretical combat power of 30 (23+8) ship girls, he dared not act rashly and had to wait for the right opportunity.

Time flowed like water, slipping through his fingers. Zhou He held the black tea that Hermione had brewed and gazed at the mountains on the island through the window. Suddenly, footsteps came from outside the office door, and Zuikaku rushed in excitedly: "Commander, the candidate has been found."

"The efficiency is good."

Zhou He praised her, but also complained, "Didn't you say that Yuudachi is the secretary ship? Is it appropriate for her to give this kind of report?"

"Haha, we should deal with each situation individually. This time, it was you, Commander, who gave me these instructions personally. So, I guess you could call this a private report?"

Ruihe completely ignored the trap she had set for herself and easily fooled everyone with a smile.

"Yes, tell me, how many people are there?"

Zhou He didn't say much, sat down again, and picked up his pen.

Chapter Ninety-Two: Not Attentive Enough

"Including me and Sister Xianghe, there are fourteen people participating."

Ruihe stepped forward, tapped the desk lightly, and gave his answer very quickly.

"How many?"

Zhou He raised an eyebrow. According to his budget, seven or eight people would be a lot, so how could there be more than ten?

He looked at Ruihe, leaning slightly forward against the table: "You didn't leak some information, did you?"

The scene fell silent. Zuikaku's eyes darted around, but she finally admitted it, tilting her head and whispering, "Yuudachi asked me, 'Will the Commander go?' I said yes, and she agreed."

"Isn't it more than that?"

Zhou He didn't believe that only Yuudachi was there. Zuikaku knew he would ask this question, so he straightened his expression and said, "I only told Yuudachi. The others have nothing to do with me. Tosa, Hood, Bismarck and the others seemed to have already guessed it when they heard me say that."

"...It's not necessarily a good thing for cadres to be too outstanding."

Upon hearing this, Zhou He scratched his head, no longer dwelling on the number of participants, and listed the people involved in this 'camping trip' based on Ruihe's reply:

Zuikaku, Shokaku, Yuudachi, Tosa, Kaga, Jintsu, Javelin, Bismarck, U556, Z23, Cleveland, Montpellier, Harman, Bush.

"I haven't found Kursk. I've seen Tosa and Kaga loitering outside the forest these past few days. I guess they're also after Kursk. Is that guy really in the forest?"

Zuikaku offered further explanation while also expressing his curiosity.

"Even you don't know, how could I possibly know?"

Zhou He tapped his fingers on the table. Before, when there were fewer people, he could often find Kursk. Now that there were more people, and the Tosa sisters went to see her every day, Kursk's whereabouts had become a mystery. But he could roughly guess where Kursk was, and Kursk was definitely indispensable on this camping trip.

Without dwelling on the matter, he raised his head and asked Hermione, "Hermione, you'll be going too, right?"

"~I will follow the commander's instructions."

Hermione smiled faintly and pushed the question back to Zhou He. The latter added Kursk and Hermione's names to the list without hesitation. Zuikaku craned his neck at the person in front of him. Despite being so bad at socializing, he was always being arranged for group activities by Zhou He: "Commander, aren't you being a bit too hasty?"

"Oh, Kursk is quite excellent. I'll discuss it with her in a bit. As for this camping trip, you'll be the main guide, Zuikaku. Go early and come back early. I'll lead the group out this afternoon, and I'll leave the route planning to you."

Zhou He gave a thumbs up. Among the current port district, the characters he was most comfortable using were Yuudachi and Kursk. Zuikaku and Hermione were ranked after Kursk.

"Cut~"

Ruihe naturally didn't care about such empty praise, but Zhou He seemed to have never praised her excellence in private, which made her care. However, being mature as she was, she wouldn't easily show it. Instead, she raised her hand and patted her chest: "I'll take care of this mere tour guide."

"Seeing how confident you are, I feel relieved. As for the route, it would be best to first cross the mountain to the plains and camp for one night, then explore the mountains and forests tomorrow and the day after, and then return from the other side to do a round trip around the island."

Zhou He nodded in satisfaction, and casually added something that made Ruihe across from her twitch. With everything arranged so neatly, she, the tour guide, was really just a guide.

"Commander...sometimes, it's better to keep the hints a little simpler."

Seeing the subtle emotions emanating from Zuikaku, Hermione couldn't bear it any longer. She leaned down and whispered something in Zhou He's ear—her commander's work ability was getting stronger and stronger. Perhaps because he couldn't get involved in 'commanding operations', he was being 'too meticulous' in these aspects of life.

Although this is also a way for Zhou He to demonstrate his personal charm, they also want opportunities to express themselves.

"Is this so?"

Zhou He stroked his chin. He was usually quite receptive to advice. Since Hermione had already said so, he figured he had probably been a bit too long-winded. He reached into the drawer, took out a paper and pen set, and handed it to Hermione: "We're saying we're going camping this time, but we also have the purpose of surveying the terrain. If we come across any nice places along the way that are suitable for development, I'd appreciate it if you could mark them down for me, Hermione."

He then stood up and beckoned to Ruihe: "Come with me."

"?"

Ruihe was puzzled, but he still followed Zhou He out of the office to the second floor. After some identification, they arrived at Kursk's door and knocked on it: "It's me."

"..."

The corridor was quiet for a moment. Just as Zuikaku was about to speak, the door opened. Kursk, with her hair in a single ponytail, wearing a thin coat and tight-fitting sportswear, glanced at Zhou He, then at Zuikaku and Hermione following behind, before stepping back to let them into the room.

"Oh dear, Kursk, you've been in your room the whole time?"

Zuikaku didn't dare to go in right away. She peeked out from the doorway and exclaimed in surprise, "If Kursk is at home, then the two Tosa sisters who were wandering around the edge of the forest are just doing their work for nothing."

"Going out will be a bit troublesome."

Kursk did not ignore Zuikaku's words. After handing Zhou He a chair, he casually sat down on the carpeted floor. His thick mechanical tail swept across the carpet, crushing a patch of fur on it.

"Kaga has been getting up very early these past few days, and he's probably looking for an opportunity tonight."

Zhou He still remembered that the 'condition for recognition' that Tosa gave Kaga was to find Kursk. Kaga was definitely very attentive to her precious little sister's request.

Even if Kursk could avoid Kaga in the morning and evening, it would still be a time-consuming and laborious activity, so it would be better to stay at home and not go out.

When his financial situation improves, he will definitely build Kursk a separate cabin in the woods.

"what."

Ruihe suddenly realized. She took a closer look at Kursk and noticed that his fine hair near his neck had been pressed against his skin. Looking at the room, the windows were wide open and the bed was made up neatly. It was obvious that he had been training at home and had tidied up the room and dissipated the smell after Zhou He knocked on the door and spoke.

—Clearly, Kursk, who seemed mysterious to them, was probably no different from them in front of Zhou He. Because of his hard work and mature demeanor, he gained Zhou He's considerable approval.

She is indeed excellent, but she's not much different from me, is she?

"The main reason for this visit is that I need your help with a project, Kursk."

Zhou He glanced at Ruihe and Hermione standing at the door, then turned his head and nodded to Kursk, explaining that they were surveying the island's terrain under the guise of camping.

When it comes to familiarity with the wild, Kursk is definitely number one in the port area. Even if everyone in the family is superhuman, they still have to pay attention to the things that need to be paid attention to and cannot be careless.

"I would like to get your advice, Kursk, on campsite selection and planning."

Having spent so much time together, Zhou He had figured out Kursk's psychology. She wasn't particularly resistant to communicating and interacting with others; she simply didn't want to get involved with them. So, participating in such large-scale events wasn't a problem for Kursk.

"I see."

Kursk was a bit taller than Zhou He, but Zhou He, who was sitting on the ground facing the stool, still had to look up. Kursk was wearing a tight-fitting outfit, and her figure was also incredibly good. Although Zhou He didn't come here to see any fan service, her cleavage and white skin immediately caught his eye, almost making him unable to look away.

In fact, he didn't look away. Instead, his eyes were covered by Hermione, who had approached him at some point. Zuikaku also understood why Zhou He had praised Kursk's 'excellence' separately. She turned away with a 'grunt' and looked down at her equally broad mind. Although she was unwilling, Kursk was indeed more 'excellent' than her.

"There are many people on this trip, including Kaga and Tosa. Kursk, you can... well, just do things at your own pace, you don't need to cooperate with us."

Zhou He was blindfolded, but the back of his head touched something warm and soft. Feeling like he was being taken advantage of, he extended his fingers and continued talking to Kursk while still blindfolded.

"!?"

Hermione's eyes lit up. Had her advice worked? Zhou He realized that the work arrangements needed to be made more flexible and feasible.

Of course, she was wrong; Zhou He was simply letting Kursk act alone as always.

"I understand, but Commander, are you alright?"

Kursk had no objection to the arrangement, but she frowned slightly when she saw that Zhou He was blindfolded but did not resist. Usually, when she observed others from a distance, she was quite respectful of Zhou He. Could it be that she had misunderstood?

"It's okay, Hermione is just thinking about my physical and mental health."

Zhou He reached out and poked Hermione's hand. Hermione blushed slightly, took two steps back, and bowed to Kursk to express her apology.

"That's good."