Revisiting Azur Lane

Zhou He saw this and secretly sighed that his own ship girl was really amazing. Wherever he stood, there was a beautiful view of 4K wallpaper level.

Seeing Kursk turning back, Zhou He smiled and explained: "These are actually the basic equipment of our port area, but I forgot to take them out before."

"..."

These words made Kursk look at him with a little surprise. In every previous contact, she could feel that Zhou He was very meticulous. How could he be negligent in such an important matter? Was it too much of a burden to manage so many people from different camps?

"Huh? Is there something on my face?"

As soon as Zhou He said this, Kursk stared at him for a long time. Kursk didn't say anything, which made Zhou He go from being relaxed to doubting whether his statement was too careless. He hesitated whether he should change his words to make up for it.

"No."

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

"Okay~ I understand. I will pay attention to it in the future."

Zhou He didn't understand why, but he had a lot of fun yesterday and didn't sleep well today. If he had to say it, he was indeed a little tired, so he smiled and followed Kursk to thank him. The latter glanced at him and said: "Only by taking good care of your body can you accomplish more things."

"That makes sense. Look over there, Kursk. That's the restaurant I just finished. There's a professional cooking team in there. You can dine there even if you come back late in the future."

Zhou He usually accepts all of his shipgirl's proposals. After a nod, he happily raised his hand to introduce the Manchu restaurant to Kursk. Unfortunately, Kursk didn't show any emotion, so he changed his words: "I just asked them to prepare lunch for three people. Kursk, you can come too. It's just you, me and the cat Akashi who just joined."

"Cat?"

Kursk was attracted by Zhou He's relaxed private address: "Commander, is this why you brought her with you? I think this cat is not as good as the previous one."

She personally prefers dogs, which are very useful when hunting.

"…That's not the case. Akashi is a maintenance ship, and her specialty is developing equipment and weapons related to you. I plan to develop her into a scientific researcher."

Zhou He knew that Kursk was talking about Yudachi, but he was not so determined as to keep the ship girl as a pet just because he liked her.

"..."

Listening to Zhou He's eloquent talk, Kursk was surprised and not surprised. In her opinion, Zhou He was quite good at using them. He could find out what they were suitable for after just a brief contact. He was a very good commander.

"Oh, lunch!"

Zhou He felt something was wrong and changed the subject again. He couldn't change Kursk's habit of not liking to interact with other people too much at once, and if he did it himself, he could only polish it slowly.

"Got it, I'll come over when the time comes."

Seeing his stubborn look, Kursk thought that Akashi was not the type of person who would disturb her while eating, so he agreed. Then he followed Zhou He back to the headquarters, went upstairs to get some clothes and went to the hot spring garden.

Zhou He, who was left, clenched his fist with one hand and felt great about himself. He poured himself a cup of hot water in a very good mood and watched the two fleets exploring outside.

The third western block explored by Hood has been fully lit up, so there is no problem. At this time, he has moved south to a position close to the third southern block, but he has encountered some troubles on the way. While fighting, Bismarck and others on the other side have also moved south. Both teams are in the southern second block on the system map, and it is only a matter of time before they merge.

"There are sirens in the north and east. Will there be sirens in the south as well?"

Zhou He casually filled up the ammunition of both teams, and then gave orders to Hood and Bismarck to join forces and explore south together.

Afterwards, he quietly waited for the team to move forward, and took the time to glance at the task bar. Task ①, the task of fighting with different Siren fleets to reward the Rubik's Cube, was not triggered at all. It was almost certain that this task would not be triggered at all unless it encountered battleships or aircraft carrier fleets.

Yesterday, I didn’t get the full reward for one of the three tasks. I don’t know which task had a low completion rate.

As he was thinking and considering, time slowly flowed. The two teams that had completed the merger headed south to light up the last piece of the puzzle in the third circle. One was in light aviation and the other was in regular aviation. Their reconnaissance planes instantly cleared the fog in a large area for Zhou He. There were no problems at the edge, but when he was halfway through the exploration, an island with an icon similar to the one where he lived appeared on the map. There were scattered sirens around it, some were mass-produced, and some were executors.

"Is this true? The port area of ​​the human camp?"

Zhou He's eyes widened, and he immediately activated the video with Zuikaku. When the video started, Zuikaku on the other side also frowned slightly, with the most serious expression Zhou He had ever seen. It took her half a minute to notice Zhou He's video. She raised her eyebrows and instantly became a comedian: "Commander, when did you come?"

"That's when you discovered the island, um, the ruins of the port area."

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

"Commander, you are really a bit scary. It seems like you can see it more clearly than I, who saw it with my own eyes."

Zuikaku complained for a while before he put on a serious expression: "Commander, you are right. We found a destroyed regular port area ahead. The sirens nearby are also very strange. They should be the executors you mentioned before. My reconnaissance plane was discovered when it got a little closer. They are now converging and we are about to start the fight."

"I saw it too. Tell Changdao to go around and see what's going on deeper. If something is not right, just abandon these reconnaissance planes and retreat."

Zhou He was not nervous at the moment, because now that his two fleets had merged, their combat power was not inferior to that of the Siren Fleet.

However, his composure disappeared after a moment, because the deeper Zuikaku and his companions' carrier-based aircraft went, the more Sirens they saw. Various mass-produced types and executors were scattered all over the place, like machines on standby, and Zuikaku and his companions' reconnaissance aircraft became the switch to wake them up.

Zhou He decisively issued the order to retreat.

Chapter 60 Gradually Slacking Off

"What's wrong with these executors? Why are they so aggressive?"

Zhou He looked at the southern area of ​​the system map. He gave the order to retreat very quickly, probably faster than Zuikaku and the others' reaction after discovering the Sirens. But even so, the Sirens in the South Third Area still followed the scent and chased into the South Second Area. There were thirty or forty Sirens running in intermittently, and some of the executor icons were stacked together, making it difficult for him to count them.

Fortunately, Bismarck and his men retreated at the first opportunity and were not discovered by these Sirens. Even though the South Second District was invaded, they still maintained a situation where the enemy was in the light and we were in the dark, and his intelligence advantage was not lost.

After repeatedly confirming that his own ship girl had left the combat range, Zhou He calmed down and observed the movements of the invading Sirens. It was troublesome to confirm these executors. After losing their targets, they would not stare at the last direction and chase like the mass-produced ones. Instead, they gradually reduced their movement speed, huddled together and stagnated on the sea, as if waiting for something.

As for the other ordinary mass-produced types, they were dispersed to other areas by Nagashima and Zuikaku's skilled luring techniques, and their threat was almost zero.

"Meet the enemy?"

Zhou He was sitting in the hall. Kursk, who had just finished his hot spring bath and changed into a slightly loose short-sleeved shirt and shorts, passed by and noticed his aura fluctuations. He touched the silver hair on the side of his face with his fingers and asked calmly, "Do you need me to attack?"

"Not yet. We have encountered a new type of enemy this time. We will discuss this issue after we come back and make a conclusion."

Upon hearing this, Zhou He tilted his head to look at Kursk, and his eyes widened at the sight of her homely appearance: her hair was not yet completely dry and was combed into a high ponytail. She was dressed like a girl, but her proud figure exuded a surprisingly mature aura. He looked up at her while sitting on the chair. She was so majestic that he was unable to put words into it, and he had the urge to help lift her up. Her stern face was the finishing touch, with a kind of abstinence-like beauty.

"I see."

Kursk tilted his head slightly, not paying attention to Zhou He's strange expression. He turned around and went upstairs with the basin of old clothes. The metal dragon tail in the buttocks was slightly curled up like a cat's tail, avoiding the collision with the stairs. Zhou He was stunned.

"Ahem, no, no."

It was not until Kursk disappeared around the corner of the stairs that Zhou He pushed his non-existent glasses and secretly criticized himself for being reserved and not being tempted by beauty.

Turning his eyes to the system map again, the executor's advance has become barely visible. Bismarck and others have completely escaped from pursuit. Only U556 is slightly behind, but it is also separated from the executor team and is 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 touched his chin and observed these executors again with this knowledge point. Could it be that these guys were waiting for orders from their superiors?

From the perspective of loyalty, these guys are really awesome. It's a pity that because he hadn't noticed them before, he couldn't tell what types of ships these executors were. He could only distinguish them during the battle in the future.

We should be able to complete Mission ① by destroying these executors who have fled to South District 2.

Zhou He thought.

……

Based on the distance between his own ship girl and the port area, Zhou He estimated that they would arrive at the port area in two hours, so he ran to the restaurant to inform Manju to prepare more hot meals for more people (specially ordered dishes with the characteristics of several factions), then took a look at the food that was being cooked, turned around and went back to the headquarters to call people to eat.

The room that Akashi chose is located relatively inward on the first floor. Although it is surrounded by walls on three sides, sunlight shines in obliquely through the window in the afternoon. When the window is opened, one can see the green lawn and hot spring garden. Overall, it is not isolated.

only…

"Could it be that the animal-type shipgirls of the Sakura Empire all retain some animal characteristics?"

Looking at Akashi who was sleeping soundly in a ball on the newly made bed, Zhou He thought that there were indeed similarities between Yudachi and Tosa. Could the secretive personalities of Tosa and Jinto also be due to the fox genes?

As for Zuikaku's characteristics, perhaps it was her legs that were more beautiful, and he really didn't notice other aspects. Words like elegant were completely applicable to Shokaku, but were somewhat inappropriate for Zuikaku.

"You can pet a real cat as much as you want, but Akashi, let her continue to sleep."

Looking at Akashi sleeping so peacefully that he was even snoring, Zhou He finally couldn't bear to wake him up. He gently closed the door and declared the plan of polishing Kursk bankrupt.

Kursk herself came down from upstairs when Zhou He came to the front hall. Perhaps she felt that short-sleeved T-shirts and shorts were not suitable for the current climate, so she put on a windbreaker on the outside, but only buttoned the belly and southern hemisphere, which instead highlighted the pride of the northern hemisphere on the deck. Her slender white legs also went from being visible to being vaguely visible.

"Is there something wrong with Kursk or is there something wrong with me?"

Zhou He pinched his brows. He could remain calm in front of a group of ship girls, but why did he start to waver when he was alone?

"Where's Akashi?"

Kursk glanced around the front hall. She hadn't seen Akashi since she returned to the port, and she hadn't even left any traces of activity. She was very interested in this method of concealment. Was it the action instinct of cats?

"It seems that she was too tired to make the bed. She has fallen asleep in the bed."

Zhou He shrugged. Cats are like that, sleeping everywhere in the house.

Kursk was not surprised. Upon hearing this, he walked out of the headquarters door directly. Zhou He followed him in two or three steps. On the way to the restaurant, he explained to Kursk the magical creature named "Manju" in the restaurant. As for their origin, Zhou He directly made them into special products of "biological research using magic cube energy" and they could help with housework and logistics.

"You must not catch them as prey. Each barbarian is an important labor force in the port area."

Regarding Kursk's identity as a "hunter", Zhou He gave him some special instructions, even saying that the soup made from barbarian meat was not tasty.

“I don’t know how to make chicken soup.”

Kursk listened for a long time and gave Zhou He a definite answer, but this statement inexplicably hit his funny bone, and he laughed twice under Kursk's "?" look.

After a brief exchange, the two of them walked through the front yard of the restaurant and entered the main entrance. Man Jiu, who had been waiting for a long time, was standing by the door holding a sign. He very diligently guided Zhou He and the other to the dining table. After the two of them were seated, he rushed to the back kitchen to communicate.

"..."

Kursk stared at the movements of the Manju, not knowing what he was thinking, which made Zhou He, who was sitting opposite him, couldn't help but explain that the Manju's kitchen work was actually not difficult, and that they, like the KanColle, possessed power far beyond their image, and even though they were small in size, they could still help them.

"Does the commander care about the power difference?"

Kursk still remembered what Zhou He said yesterday, and he envied their inhuman physical fitness and strength.

Facing Kursk's questioning and surveillance, Zhou He hesitated for a moment, spread his hands and smiled: "Well, it would be a lie to say that there is no, but it's okay. Even if I am just an ordinary person, I can run this port area with ease. It's enough for me."

Being contented and always happy is the state Zhou He hopes to reach. Although this contentment has many meanings, he sincerely hopes that his future will be more comfortable than the present.

This is a prayer for a better future.

"Well, you did good enough."

Looking at Zhou He who was revealing different emotions, Kursk felt magical. Although she was not good at communicating with others, the discomfort she felt when facing Zhou He would disappear, and she could even say words of encouragement to others.

"—"

Her words almost froze Zhou He. He looked left and right, and finally scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. After a long time, he finally uttered "thank you".

This reaction was quite beyond Kursk's expectations. She just stared at Zhou He and realized something in her heart: her commander seemed to be shy.

As for the slightly awkward atmosphere between the two of them, in her opinion it was just like a cold wind blowing on her face, not worth mentioning. She sat there calmly until the birds lined up from the kitchen with plates full of food.

Three people's meal, five dishes plus rice and optional staple food corn. Kursk reached out and placed all the plates of food on the table, while Zhou He took two small bowls of staple food and placed them next to them.

At this moment, Zhou He had begun to regret why he did not wake up Akashi. In the past, he had only had meals with Yudachi, and he had not had any extra thoughts about Yudachi at that time. But now, facing Kursk, who had no idea what he would suddenly say, he became nervous.

However, the tension soon dissipated, because Kursk was a faction that respected the ingredients and was very serious when eating. Zhou He picked his feet for a while, then relaxed and tasted the dishes prepared by Manju:

Four very classic Donghuang stir-fries plus a pot of pork rib soup, the taste of the fried rice is just right, at least for Zhou He. Those with lighter tastes will not find it too heavy, while those with heavier tastes can add flavor with ingredients such as chili peppers. It is quite ok and is at the standard of a restaurant.

Pork rib soup is even more classic. One sip of the soup warms your whole body and the aroma of meat fills the air.

"..."

Zhou He finished three bowls of rice, put down his bowl and chopsticks and exhaled a breath of hot air: "I lost."

"?"

Kursk took the time to look at him, then continued eating with his bowl in hand.

……

"Manchu is really amazing."

After dinner, Zhou He, who did not have to wash dishes afterwards, felt refreshed. He walked out of the restaurant and embraced the sun directly. He walked happily in the restaurant yard, appreciating the beautiful flowers and sighing unconsciously.

Kursk was sitting in the corridor on both sides of the restaurant's door, touching her belly with her hands. She seldom ate at normal meal times, and accidentally ate a few more corns. She looked at Zhou He who was letting himself go, and estimated that it was almost time for others to come back, so she stood up and walked quietly on the grass from the side of the restaurant.

When Zhou He came to his senses, Kursk had disappeared.

Zhou He could only look up at the sky helplessly, thinking that Kursk was probably someone with a strong focus, and was more focused on his own actions than distracting himself from communicating with others.

Otherwise it would be hard to explain why people had to avoid the crowd even though they could communicate normally.

If that was the case, he might be able to adjust the number of people to allow Kursk to briefly interact with others and prevent her from becoming an urban legend in the port area.

Concentrating his thoughts, Zhou He took a short rest and left the restaurant. He came to the dock platform and sat at the end of the farthest pier. He looked down at the waves that kept washing the foundation support and producing white bubbles under his feet. His thinking gradually became simple.

Almost as expected, at 2 p.m., when the sun was at its highest, Bismarck and his party crossed the entrance of the bay and returned to the port area.

Afterwards, some people looked at the huge ship port platform with surprise and suspicion, but the newly joined ship girls such as Nagashima and Javelin reacted relatively normally - after all, as a military port, it is very normal to have a platform of this level.

The port area is an anomaly because there is only one headquarters building.

"Ah, the commander discovered it!"