Revisiting Azur Lane

Chapter 101 The Importance of Dressing

Kursk was playing extreme sports. Zhou He took a look at her but didn't disturb her. He cut off the video after telling her that it might rain.

"If it really rains, it won't be a good time to attack."

Zhou He looked up at the sky in the distance. Actually, he didn't know much about celestial phenomena, but since Tosa said so, there must be something like that. Considering that the temperature will drop due to rain, it shouldn't be necessary to activate the winter suit, right?

After retracting his gaze, he ran to the dock again and checked the industrial workshop in operation. He found that the tanks and anti-aircraft vehicles he had delivered to the two scientific research contestants had been disassembled to leave only the tracks, and the upper parts were disassembled into many pieces. At this moment, Lingmin was inputting instructions to the machines in the workshop, and new equipment was being assembled on the corresponding workbench. Another green-haired cat was also lying on the table next to him, writing furiously, as if drawing a blueprint.

"These two work well together."

Zhou He didn't know much about these military machines, and had no intention of disturbing the two people's work. When he turned around and left, he thought of Minsk, a more famous scientific research player in the Northern Alliance. As time went on, there would be more and more scientific research ship girls in his family.

Now I am still tinkering with current things. When there are more people, I can tinker with some black technology stuff.

He is also counting on his own port area to achieve self-sufficiency in life and food, and the home currency plays a more important role.

Humming a relaxing tune, Zhou He walked back to the command building, and then saw the busiest scene in the bathhouse on the first floor - in the entire building, only here was there a washing machine, and it was still a bit of a burden to carry the clothes of more than a dozen people.

After all, not everyone has full life skills like Hermione and can wash hands.

Zhou He also knew how to wash clothes by hand, but he was not stupid enough to offer to help his own ship girl wash clothes by hand. So he looked at the scene of everyone gathered in the hall, happily went up to the third floor, took a shower in his room, and hung the clothes on the small balcony extending from the bathroom.

Before he knew it, it was already past four o'clock. Zhou He, who had only eaten breakfast outside and climbed a mountain, felt a little tired and hungry after taking a shower. Thinking that it was almost time to get off work, he did not wear the military uniform out of respect, but changed into a loose casual outfit of black pants and white shirt and went downstairs.

The second floor was still quite lively at the moment, with several rooms being cleaned. Zhou He glanced sideways and went downstairs. In the hall, Bismarck, who was also dressed in private clothes and had long golden hair draped over his shoulders, was drinking tea and talking with Hood, and Count Spee was still reading a book. The most lively place was by the back door, where Kaga's rather proud voice could be heard from a long distance away.

Just then, Xianghe walked over with a slightly tangled expression. Zhou He waved his hand: "What's the matter?"

"?"

Xianghe was startled for a moment, then he realized it was Zhou He, his eyes were quite surprised: "So it's the commander."

She turned sideways and pointed at the back door. "It was all Kaga-senpai's fault. I heard that she had let the fox go, so I was going to go and comfort her. But it turned out that she had let the fox go this morning, and she caught it again just now."

"..."

Zhou He was a little confused. Release them in the morning and catch them in the afternoon? Is this some new animal taming technique?

"Sure enough, I can't understand the thoughts of the seniors on Route 1 and Route 2."

Shokaku sighed, acknowledging the shortcomings of his own wisdom.

"This Kaga is not even a First Carrier."

Zhou He wanted to remind him, but he thought that in Shokaku's eyes, Kaga was just Kaga, and there was no difference between the early and late stages. He just smiled and said, "People with excellent abilities have their own way of thinking and doing things. Shokaku, you don't need to understand them. You and Zuikaku are not inferior to the First and Second Carriers at all, and you have even surpassed them."

"Heh~ The commander is surprisingly good at coaxing people."

Shokaku smiled in amazement when she heard that. She looked through the life experiences of the prototype ships and thought to herself that Shokaku and Zuikaku had done the best they could. Therefore, she felt a little dissatisfied that her so-called predecessors had died young but still enjoyed great fame.

Now, hearing from Zhou He that she and Shokaku had surpassed their predecessors in the 1st and 2nd Carrier Fighters and had received this 'official' recognition, the resentment hidden in her heart quietly dissipated, and the joy brought by the sense of recognition was beyond words. That bright, gentle smile mixed with the heroic spirit of a woman made Zhou He's heart pound, so much so that he wanted to look away but couldn't bear to, which resulted in him being stunned.

Fortunately, everyone was busy with their own things, and few people paid attention to the situation here. Zhou Hegao remembered his plan, raised his hand to cover his eyes and looked away: "It's just something I felt, don't take it to heart, and please don't tell Akagi and Canglong and the others."

The two people on Route 2 can still understand what people say, Akagi and Kaga. Kaga is fine, but Akagi is really a troublemaker. He doesn't know if he will be yandere when he comes to his home port area, but if they knew he said such things, they would at least come over to pester him to correct his remarks, and maybe even challenge the Shokaku sisters to a fight.

He doesn't want his family to fight among themselves, and he doesn't have the confidence to clean up the mess.

"Of course~"

Looking at the shy Zhou He, Xianghe thought he was a little cute. He put his finger on his lips while his eyes moved: "This is a secret between me and the commander, right~"

“…Please don’t tease me.”

This subtle and familiar statement made Zhou He's mouth twitch. He read Japanese comics before he traveled through time, and he had seen similar lines nine out of ten times. It was so cliché that it was a bit annoying, but it just worked. He couldn't stand it when a pretty sister said this, so he could only retreat, speaking honorifics to avoid Shokaku's "attack range", and trying to make himself look more serious.

It's a pity that when he was wearing a military uniform and a military cap, his stern face did look a bit serious. When he was wearing casual clothes, he even looked like a college student who had just gone out for military training for a few days. He had no dignity at all.

Fortunately, the people who were entangled at the back door also came in at this time. Tosa still had a blank expression on his face, while Kaga was chattering arrogantly beside Tosa, which seemed to destroy his character. Zuikaku followed behind and shrugged his shoulders, looking helpless, but when he looked up and saw Zhou He's private clothes, he immediately became interested again. He walked around the two big foxes and came to Zhou He, and almost pushed him against the wall in the corner of the stairs.

"Can you please not approach me like you've discovered something new?"

Zhou He sleekly dodged Zuikaku's wall-bang. He had already realized that he seemed a little vulnerable in casual clothes, and he had to change into military skin to intimidate his own ship girl. But changing now would make him look stupid, so he walked directly across the hall and out of the command building.

"It is only now that I realize that the commander is really young."

Hood held the black tea poured by Jarvis, and his eyes simply followed Zhou He's figure. The topic of conversation with Bismarck also changed smoothly.

"..."

Bismarck naturally also saw Zhou He's private clothes. It was because of this contrast in her personality that she always wore private clothes when on the offensive and military uniform at home to avoid attracting too much attention.

She looked inward and hummed calmly, "The commander is very adaptable. There won't be any problems in the port area for at least the next twenty years."

"So you don't think highly of the Commander?"

Hood frowned frivolously: "If things continue like this, it will take at least forty years, right?"

Bismarck looked sideways at Hood quietly: her prototype ship took only five years to build, and twenty years was already a huge number for her. She never expected that Hood had doubled it, worthy of being the world-famous royal glory.

"Am I wrong?"

Ms. Hood seemed to realize something, and asked Bismarck with squinted eyes and a smile. The latter naturally understood that he should not joke about a lady's age. He nodded slightly to acknowledge Hood's remarks and shifted the topic to the battle with the Sirens.

……

The first thing Zhou He did after arriving at the restaurant was to go to the kitchen and replenish the stock of ingredients according to the list given by Manju. Under his precise control and selection, he spent twelve Home Coins to meet the needs of Chef Manju. At the same time, he reminded them not to go out recently and to beware of the wild foxes brought back by Kaga.

By the way, there are self-defense weapons specially used by Manju in the warehouse of this restaurant. In theory, Manju has the ability to protect itself, but not much.

Turning back to the dining area, Zhou He just sat down and prepared to order when Yuli came over with her own plate and sat next to him. Her mouth was full of oil from eating the meat, and Zhou He had to take out a tissue to wipe it for her.

"The commander has clothes like this, too."

Not only Xi Li was in the restaurant, several people from the White Eagle were also having dinner. It was the first time for everyone to see Zhou He in casual clothes, so they all came over to have a look since it was a rare occasion. Bush was just asking questions, while Cleveland went straight behind Zhou He and used his hands to separate his bangs to the left and right, revealing his eyes and eyebrows, and parted his hair in the middle.

"It's a little weird."

Montpellier observed his eldest sister's masterpiece, resting his knuckles on his chin and commented: "It doesn't look bad, but it doesn't suit the Commander. The Commander should cut his hair shorter to look more refreshing."

“…Is that so?”

Influenced by anime and comics, Zhou He always had an unusual desire to grow long hair, but when his hair grew long, let alone taking care of it, he became gloomy. Almost every time he cut his hair, he would receive a lot of praise from others.

Maybe this is the difference between reality and fantasy.

"What does it matter? As long as the Commander likes it, it's fine to grow it longer. It will give it an artistic feel!"

Cleveland raised his lips and waved his finger in the air: "Personal hobbies are also an important part of life."

"I agree! You are worthy of being the big sister!"

Montpellier almost blinked and changed his words: "As long as the commander's hat can fit all the hair, it's fine."

"Thank you."

Zhou He twitched the corner of his mouth, he really hoped that Montpellier would not be so realistic.

However, he definitely felt the kindness of his ship girl.

Chapter 102 Mobilization

As night fell, Tosa's discovery came to fruition and the second rainfall arrived in Minato.

However, Zhou He himself likes to stay indoors on rainy days and fall asleep listening to the sound of rain. With the fatigue accumulated during the day, he falls into a dream as soon as he closes his eyes.

"Goo."

When Zhou He woke up, the rain outside had stopped. He rubbed his temples, sat up and looked out the gloomy window. His head ached inexplicably.

I had another dream last night. I don’t remember it clearly, but it was not a good dream anyway.

"In this weather, if it doesn't rain, we should be able to arrange the expedition, right? Or should we wait a little longer and go tomorrow?"

Zhou He was very familiar with headaches. Before he traveled through time, he would have headaches every few days when he went to bed early and woke up in the afternoon. In more serious cases, he would also have tinnitus. So he overcame this little trouble after just a few minutes of rest. He got up and went into the bathroom to wash up. When he came out, he did not forget to squeeze the clothes that he had washed and hung out to dry yesterday. As expected, they were damp.

"Do I like rainy days or do I hate rainy days?"

Carrying inexplicable worries in life, Zhou He changed into the military uniform that Hermione had prepared for him in the closet, left his room wearing a hat, and instinctively went downstairs. Seeing the crowd gathered in the hall, who were as energetic as ever and inversely proportional to the weather, he remembered that there were so many people in the port area now, and if they were to attack, they had to be properly organized into teams.

"commander?"

Hermione appeared beside Zhou He like a fairy, staring at Zhou He who was in a daze, pursed her lips and asked with a little concern: "Do you feel unwell?"

"Huh? No."

Zhou He came back to his senses and looked sideways, his heart slightly warmed, and he responded with a smile: "I was just thinking about today's arrangements."

"Really?"

Hermione didn't quite believe it. She had been following Zhou He for such a long time, and today Zhou He was obviously not in good shape. He was slow to react. After hesitating for a moment, she said "excuse me" and put the back of her hand on Zhou He's forehead. She was quite surprised to find that Zhou He didn't have a fever.

"Right, I'm sorry to have worried you, Hermione. But I'm still pretty strong, and I'm confident about that."

Zhou He cooperated by lowering his forehead, gathering his scattered thoughts, regaining his normal sense and convincing Hermione.

He really wanted to say that he was not in good shape for a few days every month, but his own ship girl probably wouldn't be able to pick up on this joke, and it would make him look a little tasteless, so he didn't act like a joke. After saying hello to other people passing by, he left the command building and walked on the road covered with a layer of water vapor, looking at the blurred scenery of his own port area that seemed to be shrouded in mist. The wind blew across his face, and the temperature became even lower.

"Hermione, do you think today is not a good day for Shokaku and the others to attack?"

Walking on the road near the restaurant, Zhou He suddenly asked the maid beside him.

Hood had warned him before that when facing other people on serious matters, his tone must be firm and tough, so as to demonstrate his reliability and authority as a leader. However, there were times when he couldn't be tough enough, so it shouldn't be a problem for him to talk to the people around him, right?

"If it is a long-distance voyage, this kind of climate is indeed not suitable, but for short-distance voyages, such as just a few nautical miles from the port, there is no problem."

Hermione's answer was extremely fast, so fast that Zhou He didn't even have time to think about what to say next. But after hearing the answer, he didn't have to think too much. He just nodded and had the answer in his mind.

It was only a two-minute walk, and Zhou He walked into the restaurant. Feeling the temperature difference between inside and outside, he sat at the table and ordered a few breakfast items. Hermione bowed and left. Zhou He supported his chin with one hand and looked out the window. The system interface unfolded in front of his eyes, and he browsed through his current 24 ship girls.

The camp with the largest number of people is the Sakura Empire. Excluding Akashi, the non-combat member, there are still six people, which can form a team on their own. However, there are three aircraft carriers at home, and there are two here. In order to ensure the rationality of the battle, he has to split one person out.

The rest are White Eagle and Iron Blood, with five people each. Iron Blood also has amazing firepower, but most of them are in the front row of the White Eagle camp. The rest are Royal Northern Union and Jean Bart.

The two members of the Northern Alliance cannot be counted in the regular combat group, but Jean Bart can be put into the White Eagle group to supplement the firepower. Considering the current interpersonal relationships, perhaps Hutten can also be assigned to the White Eagle group, Hood will go with Bismarck, and Shokaku can come to assist as a group. As an alternative, Javelin and Jarvis can be dispatched to the Sakura Empire group with Zuikaku or Kaga as the core.

"There are enough candidates for the attack, but the configuration within the camp is not very even."

Zhou He thought to himself and divided the members of the port area into four groups. The above three groups were the combat sequence, and the remaining four, including Kursk and Hermione, belonged to the housekeeping group or the contingency group.

'Do you want to build a large one?'

This thought flashed through his mind and was then extinguished by him, at least not today, because there were no daily necessities available for distribution. If he built a large-scale project, he would have to move out of the new dormitory and then replenish the supporting daily necessities. After all this, the number of his home coins would drop directly to single digits close to 0.

Of course, the main reason was that he was not in a very good condition today and the weather was not very good either, so it was not a good day for Dajian.

While thinking about these confusing and trivial things, he smelled the aroma of minced meat and spices. He instinctively leaned over to check. It was Hermione who brought his breakfast. He immediately sat up straight and waited for Hermione to come and put the breakfast in front of him.

"Thank you."

After saying thank you as usual, Zhou He started to eat. As the hot food went down his stomach, he felt warmer all over and his mind became more active.

After having a good meal and tea, Zhou He took a short rest and stood up to move around for a while. He took Hermione out for a walk and saw Bismarck standing on the dock in the distance and other figures running in the bay - the bay was not close to the headquarters, but it was not far away either. If firepower exercises were carried out, it would definitely be very noisy. This was a point that bothered Zhou He. He guessed that Bismarck should also be troubled by this.

“Maybe we can push a few miles outside the bay to set up a practice area, but there are more appropriate training methods now.”

Taking a walk, Zhou He went directly to the coastal pier to find Bismarck and explained today's "practice plan" to her.

As of last night when Zhou He was resting, no more mass-produced Sirens were approaching the outer areas, but there were hundreds of mass-produced Sirens surrounding the port area. It was impossible to clear them all in one go, and the cleanup had to be done in at least 3 to 5 batches.

The area in the South Third District that has the identification mark of the human port area is Zhou He’s current primary target, but there are many Executioner Sirens defending there, so it is not suitable to deal with it in the current time period.

This time his action plan was mainly focused on the north. The Sakura Army Group attacked towards the northeast, the White Eagle Group attacked towards the north, and the team led by Bismarck was responsible for the northwest.

To be honest, Changdao's combat capability as a light aircraft carrier is far behind that of the regular aircraft carriers. Therefore, it is best for the battlefield to be in a position where the air forces of the other two teams can help. This is his personal understanding. After all, the three aircraft carriers do not need to leave the "safe zone" of the island at all. The ones who really bear the pressure are the other members who go out to fight. It is best to ensure that the airspace above the three teams is under the control of their own people.

Therefore, although this battle is called a group battle, it is actually a joint battle. While leveling up, it also increases the coordination and tacit understanding between the various camps.

"understood."

Bismarck had discussed this matter with Zhou He yesterday. After listening to his personnel deployment and attack arrangements, he did not raise any objections.

In a controllable battlefield, what she needs to do is to use the fighters assigned to her by Zhou He to achieve the best results. As for the formulation of tactics, once she arrives at the battlefield and gets the intelligence, she will know what to do.

"please."

Zhou He is very optimistic about Bismarck. There are a large number of ship girls in Azur Lane who don't look like they can fight. Among this group of people, Bismarck is like Jotaro, and he can feel at ease whenever he looks at her.

There was no useless exchange of information. After getting Bismarck's approval, Zhou He turned around and went back to the command building to find Hood, who was reading a book with glasses for some reason, and Zuikaku, who was lying on the sofa out of boredom, enjoying Shokaku's lap pillow.