Revisit Azur Lane

"You two have worked hard. I've prepared some snacks."

Back at headquarters, Hermione had already prepared afternoon tea. When she invited Zhou He and her companion to enjoy it, she took the mud-covered sword from Zuiho and went to the side to help wipe it clean. Zhou He was surprised that Hermione knew how to maintain a knife, and Hermione's answer left him speechless: Hermione knew a little about anything that might be of interest to him.

To put it simply, she's an all-powerful maid.

This is just Hermione. Zhou He doesn't even dare to imagine what kind of amazing ship girl Belfast, who is called the head maid, is. She could probably easily turn him into a good-for-nothing who only knows how to enjoy life.

terrible.

……

"Ugh, they didn't even invite me to have some snacks!"

Yuudachi, waking up from her nap, wiped her face and returned to the command post, where she found the snacks Hermione had specially left for her. The way she ate them while fuming was also very endearing, making Zhou He, who happened to be coming downstairs, almost unable to resist going up to pat her head. As he passed by, he smiled and apologized, because Yuudachi was sleeping very soundly at the time and he didn't want to disturb her.

"You must wake me up next time!"

Yuudachi accepted the apology, then asked, "Commander, are you here to prepare dinner?"

Most people don't eat too many snacks before meals, but Yuudachi is an exception to common sense. Her foodie behavior makes Zhou He unconsciously want to check the remaining food supplies, especially after Zuikaku and Hermione joined them.

After quickly finishing with Yuudachi, Zhou He went into the kitchen to check the remaining vegetables. The family had eaten a lot of meat, but there were still quite a few vegetables left, enough for about two days. He thought for a moment and decided to wait until they were finished before exchanging them for new ones. Then he turned his attention to the remaining beef in the refrigerator.

When there's no war, Yuudachi and the others can go home and eat three meals a day, but now they're at risk of fighting the Sirens at any time. He doesn't have the resources to exchange for cooked food in the shop, so he has to find a way to make some easy-to-carry snacks himself.

"Let's try the beef jerky first."

Without hesitation, Zhou He selected a good-quality cut of beef, removed the tendons and membranes, and cut it into strips. He then soaked the strips in seasoning to remove the blood. Afterward, while the room was empty, he began to select ingredients for dinner. He took out the last sea fish from the refrigerator, deciding to have fish soup for dinner.

"Is the commander hungry? You're starting to prepare dinner so early."

Outside the kitchen window, Zuikaku, with a leaf on its head, tapped on the glass and peeked in, pointing towards the island: "I just went for a walk in that forest over there, and it looked like there were wild boars. Commander, do you know any traps?"

"Wild boar?"

Zhou He stepped forward and used his fingers to remove the leaves from Ruihe's head. After confirming that she hadn't suddenly turned into a raccoon, he stroked his chin and said, "If there's one, it means there's a herd of wild boars. Don't disturb them yet. We'll find a chance to keep them in captivity later."

"Oh!? As expected of the commander, you've thought things through thoroughly."

Zuikaku's eyes lit up; how could she not have thought of that?

Zhou He shrugged: "It's alright. I'm more interested in whether you guys can take a fishing net and go fishing in the sea than wild boars?"

"Ugh, Commander, you're so cruel! This is a fishing boat's job!"

Zuikaku feels like it's about to become a multi-functional aircraft carrier.

"We don't have any fishing boats left in our port area, and this is the only fish left."

Zhou He laughed heartily, thinking how awesome it was that his ship girls didn't need fuel like oil to go out.

Zuikaku squinted, crossed his arms, and thought for a long time before finally speaking: "Let me think about it."

"Not in a hurry."

Zhou He glanced back at the kitchen, then peeked out the window and saw the setting sun pointing towards the sea: "Hermione's collecting seashells on the beach, go help her out, and come back soon."

"The commander really knows how to order people around."

Zuikaku casually made a comment, waved, and walked towards the sea. She still had a very good impression of Hermione.

"That's a privilege reserved for the commander."

Zhou He leaned against the window, watching her walk away, and muttered something under his breath. Then he couldn't help but laugh at himself. He turned around and started working on the beef that had been drained of its blood.

This was his first time making beef jerky, and he considered it a success if it didn't cause diarrhea.

Chapter Eighteen: The Second Attack

Because a large number of Siren fleets were roaming around the command post island, Zhou He did not send Zuikaku and Yuudachi out to sea for several days after completing the initial map run (carrier reconnaissance).

Firstly, there was a concern about an encounter at sea; secondly, the map of the outer area was too limited to travel, and Zhou He could handle simply observing the Sirens' movements on his own.

Whether it was sheer luck or the Sirens' lack of ability to observe the shore, even though the Sirens' fleet sailed back and forth at the entrance of the bay, they couldn't find the command post. Zhou He's attitude gradually changed from tense and excited at the beginning to indifferent.

The price he paid was that Yuudachi and Zuikaku became increasingly restless, asking Zhou He at least ten times a day if there were any attack plans, making it impossible for him to concentrate on the port development. He would subconsciously observe the system map for half an hour at a time.

"what."

In his office, Zhou He sipped the steaming tea that Hermione had brought him, observing the sea map projected onto his retina. Most of the Sirens' fleet that had been attracted over the past three days had drifted off the map, leaving only a small number, but still a number that was several times larger than the number of his ship girls.

After taking a sip of tea, he shifted his gaze to Hermione sitting at the table. The maid, who adhered to the royal naval discipline of "fighting the enemy at all costs," showed no emotional fluctuation despite the Sirens blocking the door. He even began to doubt whether the popular science he had read earlier was taken out of context. Perhaps the royal discipline of "fighting the enemy at all costs" had a deeper meaning than just the literal meaning of "you have to fight whenever you see an enemy."

"Commander, is there really no Siren squad that can be selectively deployed?"

Seeing Zhou He's worried expression, Hermione couldn't bear it and asked him what was wrong.

"..."

Zhou He remained silent, his gaze returning to the system interface as he switched back and forth between the four mini-maps that had already been opened—each area contained at least ten Siren warships, ranging from the weakest destroyers to the strongest heavy cruisers; he wondered if there were any submarines.

After reviewing the Sirens' distribution, he closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before tilting his head and whispering to Hermione, "Just how strong is the Zheng Hang's fighting force? I haven't seen it with my own eyes. Positional warfare must be a disadvantage for Zuikaku."

Seeing his cautious manner, Hermione thought she was about to be asked some question. With a slight smile, she answered in a low voice, "Positioning is indeed a disadvantage, but the combat power of the main carrier is very strong. As long as Miss Zuikaku's main body is not discovered by the Sirens, and there is enough ammunition, she can sink many, many Sirens, even Sirens that are also aircraft carriers."

"How many destroyers can be sunk in an hour without interference from enemy aircraft carriers?"

Having already spoken, Zhou He was ready to go all out. In the game, three aircraft carriers in the back row were an absolute force to be reckoned with, but in reality, he really didn't know how powerful aircraft carriers were. The things he had in the game and in his imagination could never serve as a reference for his attack.

I suppose Hermione wouldn't expose his ignorance to others, so it's okay to ask a little childish questions, right?

"Well, that depends on luck. If Miss Zuikaku has a super high hit rate, then a destroyer can be dealt with by a bombing raid."

Hermione pondered this question for a moment. She had never seen an aircraft carrier engage an enemy fleet without escort ships, but the destructive power of carrier-based aircraft was real and would not be weakened by the absence of escort ships. With good luck, an aircraft carrier might be able to destroy an enemy fleet single-handedly.

"A bombing raid?"

Zhou He muttered something to himself, then looked at the Siren formation that appeared on the map, picked up his still-warm teacup and took a sip.

To be honest, the Sirens passed by the bay in front of the command post several times without finding its existence. He strongly suspected that without the ship girls deploying their ship equipment on land, the Sirens, who did not carry aircraft, would not be able to detect a single building on land where ship girls were hidden.

"It's just a guess, but it's worth a try."

Constantly being urged on by Yuudachi and Zuikaku, Zhou He was starting to feel the pressure. He was genuinely worried that one day these two would disobey him and launch their own attack, or even stage a cowardly rebellion and disown him as their cowardly commander.

Furthermore, looking at the clearly marked location of the Sirens on the map, he recalled Hermione's words: "Not being discovered by the Sirens... means I can perform micro-management, right?"

"commander!"

Before Zhou He could figure it out, a familiar yet irritating voice came from outside the door. Looking up, he saw Yuudachi storming into the office down the stairs, pointing angrily at the entrance to the bay: "Sirens are roaming around our area again! These guys are bullying the Commander!"

"Yes, yes, I saw it."

Zhou He glanced at the area to the south and indeed saw several Siren destroyers wandering along the edge. He then sighed softly, "Yudachi, tell me honestly, did Zuikaku teach you to talk like that?"

"Yes!"

Yuudachi stood tall with his hands behind his back, betraying his teammates without the slightest hesitation, and his voice was very loud. Zuikaku, who was hiding in the stairwell, immediately covered his face with his hands.

"..."

Zhou He's lips twitched, and Hermione beside him subtly turned her head away to hide her smile. After a while, Zhou He finally straightened his face, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and sighed softly, "Alright, let Ruihe come in too. I have some things to arrange for you."

"Oh!"

Yuudachi blinked, turned around and went downstairs, only to be pushed into the office by Zuikaku. The only one in the port area, Ms. Zheng Hang, moved very stiffly, her eyes darting away, too embarrassed to look at Zhou He.

"Ahem, I know you've all been quite annoyed by the Sirens these past few days. Here's what we'll do: I'll send you out on a mission—Hermione will be the flagship after you set off. I'll keep relaying orders to you. Zuikaku, Yuudachi, you can offer your opinions while carrying out the orders, and then Hermione will relay them to me. If I don't change the orders, continue with my previous command. Is that acceptable?"

A little provocation wouldn't be enough to make Zhou He come after him. He decided to go out and try it out to see if his guess was correct. If he failed, he could just abandon this base and find another island to develop on.

These Sirens are truly outrageous. All they did was take down two of their smaller fleets, and they completely surrounded them, increasing the difficulty of their attacks. They'll just keep pushing the limits and eventually get captured by the Observer's experimental Sirens and locked in the basement to vent their anger.

"A sortie order!?"

"May I?"

Yuudachi and Zuikaku were both startled by Zhou He's words, and even asked him in return, leaving him speechless: "You're the ones who always clamor to fight the Sirens, aren't you? Now you know you can't be impulsive?"

"Hey hey hey."

Zuikaku and Yuudachi were both embarrassed by what he said. They shook off their recent restlessness and stood obediently in the middle of the office listening to Zhou He's pre-battle speech. Zhou He, while reminding them to be careful, took out paper and pen from his drawer to write and draw. When he finished, he tore off a piece and handed it to Hermione: "In this attack, don't touch the Sirens on the east, south, and west sides. The highest priority target is the Siren heavy cruiser fleet wandering in the north, followed by the approaching Siren fleet. If you encounter an attack by Siren carrier-based aircraft during the fierce battle, Zuikaku, remember to guide them in the opposite direction of the island. These things are not yet awake; they will only carry out orders to the death."

"Put it on me!"

Zuikaku patted her chest; having inherited the experience of the last elite aircraft carrier of Sakura Empire, she was all too familiar with luring the enemy.

"Yes, Yuudachi, you and Hermione will be in charge of escorting. I will try my best to point out routes that the Sirens won't find. If we make contact with the Sirens, you will be responsible for attracting their attention and preventing them from discovering Zuikaku's location."

Zuikaku was still quite shaky. Zhou He paused for a few seconds before continuing to deliver the battle plan. In fact, it only took a few sentences. After finishing, he stood up and lightly tapped the table: "This battle is related to the future of our port. Please be sure to act with caution."

"Yes (I understand)!"

Hermione joined in the response, and then Zhou He waved his hand: "Attack!"

—With these words, Zhou He followed the three out of the office. While preparing beef jerky and other cooked food for them, he was teased by them for saying too much about 'being careful'. He could only shut up and watch the three set off into the distance from the beach.

"Aha."

Now that he was all alone, Zhou He inhaled and exhaled.

This sortie involved a lot of gambling. He was betting that Zuikaku could defeat the Siren heavy cruiser fleet and obtain the cube, that new ship girls would be born and join the battle, and that there would be no Siren carrier fleet in the surrounding sea area.

"Have no idea."

Zhou He took off his naval cap and grabbed his flattened hair. Although he acted very assertively in front of his ship girls, he was actually very frustrated. He had clearly gained a reconnaissance advantage, but the sheer number of Sirens had made it impossible for him to even enter the gate.

If we can't leave, no new ship girls will join us. We can only keep waiting. We might be able to wait until the main Siren force slips away, but we might also wait until the Siren carrier fleet passes by. Waiting is a 50/50 chance of survival. It's better to take advantage of the fact that there are no Siren carrier fleets nearby and operate aggressively and take risks to accumulate enough ship girls to engage the Sirens on a large scale in the shortest amount of time.

popping.

Zhou He patted his cheeks, his expression gradually becoming more composed. He got up and walked to a high rocky area far from the command post, near the sea.

……

"The map the commander drew is quite neat, but with such accurate Sirens location, is the commander some kind of human radar?"

After leaving the port, Zuikaku and his two companions moved northward along the island, following the map given to them by Zhou He. During this time, both Yuudachi and Zuikaku had looked at the map in Hermione's hand. The center was the command post, and a circle was drawn outward from it. This circle, with a radius of ninety nautical miles, was filled with dense Siren markings, their models, and even their movement trajectories. It was so precise that even Zuikaku, an elite member, couldn't help but complain.

She definitely couldn't draw at this level.

"The Commander must have something special about him being able to come to such a sea area alone. Asking him questions like this will only bother him."

Hermione's approval of Zhou He even surpasses that of Zhou He himself. Faced with the curious Ruihe, she hopes to use words to help Zhou He solve his problems.

"Indeed, the commander is also working hard in his own way."