Revisit Azur Lane

Noticing that Zhou He and Kursk's gazes were meeting, Kursk stopped approaching, left a few words, and turned back into the depths of the forest. Zhou He quickly called for Tosa to follow—the system's map had a slight problem. It could show the positions of the ship girls who were out in action, but it couldn't show the command center, which was an expanded map of the island, making it impossible for him to accurately know the specific location of each ship girl.

This system even considers the privacy of the ship girls. Seriously, what can the 3D miniature figures see?

So numb.

Once inside the forest, his senses immediately changed. It wasn't a feeling of oppression, but rather an unnatural sensation of obstructed vision. Even though Zhou He was closely following Kursk, he would sometimes lose sight of Kursk in the blink of an eye due to the obstruction of trees and branches or changes in terrain, forcing him to concentrate on finding Kursk's location.

"This guy…"

Tosa, who was following Zhou He, felt it even more strongly, and her eyes became more serious. She had been staring at Kursk the whole time, but her perception of Kursk's presence was intermittent, as if he could merge into the forest at any moment. If she hadn't been sure that Kursk was an ally, she probably would have grabbed Zhou He and retreated from the forest long ago.

After walking for about twenty minutes, a stream appeared in front of the three of them, and the sunlight shone through as there was no obstruction.

“If we go further upstream from here, the trees on both sides will be younger, which should meet your needs, Commander.”

Kursk walked to the stream and casually jumped to the other side. Then she turned and pointed to the area upstream. As she spoke, she noticed the state of their eyes. After a pause, she said, "Sorry, in a place like this, I instinctively conceal my presence so that my prey won't notice me."

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing, you don't need to worry about it."

Zhou He then realized that it wasn't his eyesight that was bad, but rather that Kursk's ability to hide was too strong. He quickly waved his hand to indicate that he was fine, and then, with a flash of inspiration, changed the subject: "I think I just saw a herd of wild boars over here? Our port area doesn't have a stable food source yet, Kursk, don't rush to hunt them. I want to keep them in captivity and tame them."

Taming a herd of wild boars?

Kursk thought for a moment and then nodded: "I understand, I will be careful. I haven't fully explored this forest yet. Commanders, you should also be careful and watch out for poisonous creatures."

"what."

After a brief exchange, Kursk disappeared into the forest, leaving Zhou He to lead Tosa upstream along the stream. They quickly found a suitable tree with a trunk diameter of about 30cm. Including the thin branches at the tip, it was about five or six meters tall, or about three meters tall even after removing the branches. It was enough as a reference point.

"I'll try it with the axe first. Tosa, please keep an eye on the surroundings for me, Tosa?"

After identifying his prey, Zhou He first observed the surrounding environment and determined the landing point before turning back to work. He then noticed that Tosa seemed somewhat distracted.

"I heard."

Tosa, gathering his thoughts, glanced at Zhou He, placed the saw on a rock by the stream, and then, with one hand on the hilt of his sword, watched Zhou He rub his hands together and pick up the axe, saying, "That guy was pretty good earlier, but why did he keep avoiding us?"

"Kursk likes to be alone, Tosa, you should understand, you're very similar."

Zhou He got into position, took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and swung his axe at the base of the tree, making the tree tremble with a loud thud.

"Commander, are you prejudiced against me?"

Tosa glanced at the fallen leaves on the tree and the startled birds, and was somewhat speechless at Zhou He's assessment.

Having inherited Tosa's memories, she did harbor resentment over the unfair treatment she received, but she wasn't so withdrawn as to hide in the forest and refuse to communicate with anyone.

dong dong dong~

After several more swings, Zhou He stopped, feeling some discomfort in his palm. He walked to the stream, grabbed some sand, and rubbed it in his hand. "I'm just an ordinary person. Based on our first impression, it's inevitable that I'll have personal biases."

Tosa chuckled at this: "The commander is surprisingly vengeful."

"...Can this be called holding a grudge? Normal people would do this, right?"

Zhou He didn't know how to complain. He was indeed misled by the Tosa character in the game, but it wasn't that extreme.

"A normal person? Haha."

Tosa stared at Zhou He with a meaningful smile, making the latter feel a chill run down his spine. He wondered if he had been too blunt and needed to be more tactful.

While chatting casually, Zhou He swung his axe and pounded into the tree. Unfortunately, although he put in the effort, his aim was really bad. He made many small cuts, and it took him about twenty minutes to cut most of the trunk. He was exhausted by the time he finished.

"Is that not enough? Was the commander also a big shot before taking office?"

Tosa looked at Zhou He, who was panting and leaning on his axe, walked up to him, and tapped the tree lightly with his fingers. His tone was quite casual, but it made Zhou He a little nervous.

Without waiting for Zhou He's response, Tosa pointed to the other side of the stream: "It's flowing that way, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's best not to hit other trees."

Panting, Zhou He deeply understood the hardship of cutting down trees, but there were only a few trees to go, so he could grit his teeth and persevere, even if it meant his back might hurt a bit when he woke up tomorrow.

"Ah."

Tosa responded, looked around the tree for a moment, and then kicked out—

Click!

This was the first time Zhou He had ever heard a tree scream. Tosa's foot came down like a heavy hammer, and the powerful impact snapped the remaining half of the tree trunk on the spot. The overflowing wind pressure made Zhou He squint and lean back tactically.

After a piercing sound, the first tree lay peacefully across the stream.

"..."

The fallen tree was right in front of him. Zhou He looked at the tree and then at Tosa, whose expression remained unchanged. He immediately realized that his previous words were indeed too immature. Trying to suppress the playful ship girls in the short term was too dangerous. He should proceed slowly and methodically.

"What's wrong? Let's continue once you've rested."

Tosa glanced at Zhou He, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Or is the Commander too exhausted to move?"

It has that game vibe.

Zhou He vaguely remembered that Tosa's lines in the game were somewhat sarcastic. It was funny in the game, but it sounded a bit like high blood pressure in real life.

Taking a breath, Zhou He quickly found another tree of similar thickness, carrying his axe. Having practiced on the first tree, his aim was much better this time. He pounded the tree in one go, killing half of it in one go. He took two steps back and looked at Tosa, just in time to see her draw her sword and chop a spicy snack that had fallen from a nearby tree in two. He couldn't help but scratch his head.

"It is indeed a bit dangerous here."

Tosa swung her sword, the blade reflecting light without a trace of dirt. After sheathing it, she looked at Zhou He and said, "Commander, you can rest now. Just mark a few more trees for me."

"Uh, okay."

Zhou He didn't try to be brave. He dragged his axe to find four more similar trees and marked them. He then turned around and handed the axe to Tosa, who had kicked down the second tree. He ran to the stream, picked up a saw, and began to work on the branches of the two fallen trees.

Tosa glanced at him, then his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a figure flashing by in the distance. He then turned back to chop down the tree.

……

With Tosa's help, the tree-cutting task was completed with almost no effort. Meanwhile, Kursk, who had been hiding in the distance, emerged from the forest after seeing things calm down, carrying about a dozen wild fruits that looked like apples but were completely different.

"Thank you."

Zhou He was a little thirsty, so he took the fruit, washed it with the stream water, and took a bite. It was sweet and sour, and he couldn't tell what kind of fruit it was, but it was very satisfying.

"You didn't even hesitate for a moment? Didn't you ever consider that this might be harmless to us, but poisonous to you?"

Tosa held the same one in his hand. He frowned slightly as he looked at the unsuspecting Zhou He. What he said made Zhou He choke for a moment. He quickly patted his chest, coughed twice to the side, and wiped his mouth: "I didn't think of that. Kursk should know what I can and can't eat, right?"

“Our bodies are very similar to those of humans, and toxins can have a certain effect on us. I have tried them all, and they are varieties that can be eaten normally.”

Kursk did not leave, but responded to Tosa's warning.

"I made a mistake."

Tosa glanced at Kursk unexpectedly, then took a bite of the fruit; it tasted delicious.

After resting for a while, Zhou He clapped his hands, stood up, and looked at Kursk, who was about to leave: "Wait a minute, Kursk, you're exploring this forest, right? After you're done exploring, could you tell me about the situation here? I'll be able to plan the renovation project here."

"understood."

Kursk paused, turned around, and pointed in a direction deeper into the forest: "Commander, if you're interested, you can go take a look over there; you might find something there."

"What's there? Ah."

Zhou He wanted to ask more, but found that Kursk was gone. He could only turn to Tosa, who pointed to the wood on the ground: "Take care of these first before you go over."

"okay."

Zhou He cheerfully picked up the hand saw and energetically sawed off the tree branches lying on the ground one by one, leaving only six similar-shaped cylindrical logs about three and a half meters long.

This step took nearly an hour. The Tosa who was waiting nearby were all wiping their swords. When she saw Zhou He get up to wipe his sweat, she sheathed her sword and stood up: "Let's go."

Zhou He stretched and yawned, then followed Tosa back into the dense forest. Compared to the flat section leading into the forest, this part was much more difficult, with elevation differences everywhere. There were also many strange creatures in the piles of dead leaves on the ground, including rabbits and foxes. They even saw a few spicy strips that were two or three meters long. The closest one was casually used by Tosa as a test stone.

The two walked through the dense forest for a while, and suddenly the view opened up before them, leading them to a huge rocky area at the foot of a cliff. To go any further, they would have to take a detour.

"over there."

The clever Tosa noticed the protruding rock and guessed Kursk's thoughts beforehand. After reminding Zhou He, he leaped between the rocks to the top of the highest rock, looked down, his eyes flashing but he remained silent.

Compared to Tosa's relaxed demeanor, Zhou He was in a rather sorry state. He almost fell while climbing the rocks, and it was Tosa who pulled him out of the way.

"Thanks, I'll see what good stuff is here."

Zhou He felt a little embarrassed after being helped by Tosa several times. He sat down on the rock to find his balance before getting up. In just one glance, he saw a dense and vibrant forest, a command post standing on a vast grassland with a gentle breeze, a beautiful concave bay, and a high mountain that firmly protected all of this. Looking down, an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.

“What a great place.”

Zhou He took out his binoculars and quickly found Zuikaku and Yuudachi huddled together with Hermione on the bay, seemingly taking a break from their busy schedules to eat some snacks.

After a moment, he put down his binoculars: "Let's go, it's time to go back."

"Aren't you going to say something appropriate for the occasion?"

Tosa glanced at him, and Zhou He touched his chin upon hearing this, then shook his head with a smile after a moment: "I'm content with the status quo, I have no other thoughts."

"Boring guy."

After leaving his comments, Tosa followed Zhou He down the rock and disappeared into the forest.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Three Men Make a Tiger (?)

"Ah—my back..."

Using ropes, the six prepared logs were pulled back to the vicinity of the command post. At the planned site for the hot spring villa, Zhou He leaned forward, his hands supporting his lower back, and let out a groan of pleasure.

Before he transmigrated, he had helped chop firewood in his hometown, but he mostly assisted his relatives. He used a cart to haul the wood home. Today, although he had a 'boat' to help, Tosa was sometimes kind and sometimes strict with him. She used her strength to haul the wood back, but not her full strength. Halfway through, she even had the idea of ​​sitting on the woodpile to make it more difficult for him.

It can only be said that she is indeed a fox-type ship girl, making it impossible for him to figure out her true nature.

"Since you realize you're not up to the task, why don't you just ask for help?"

Tosa stood not far away, looking at Zhou He from the side. Compared to the latter's white clothes, which had turned gray and dirty, this man's clothes were so clean that he didn't look like he had been busy climbing mountains in the forest at all.

"I do not want it."

Zhou He rubbed his lower back and took a few steps forward. His answer seemed like a defiant statement, but it wasn't actually like that. After a pause, he continued, "If I push everything onto others, I'll certainly have an easier time, but I'll also lose the opportunity to improve. Would you approve of someone who only gives orders?"

This sounds like the kind of motivational platitudes that working people often hear, but Zhou He genuinely believes it. He has worked hard today, and he will become more proficient when doing the same thing again in the future. That is progress. If he does nothing and only gives orders, not to mention his arrogance, he will eventually become lazy and will lack confidence in front of his hardworking ship girls. That is not the future he hopes for.

"Who knows."