Revisit Azur Lane

Zhou He refocused his attention and did a simple calculation based on the distance between his own fleet and the Sirens' fleet on the attack map. The Sirens' wandering speed was not fast, about 20 knots. At this time, they were still about 40 nautical miles away from the island, while his ship girls had already approached the island. He could choose to take the initiative to attack, or he could choose a position to wait for the enemy ships to get close and launch a surprise attack.

With the enemy in the open and us in the shadows, the map fully exposed, and superior firepower and air superiority, Zhou He, after a moment's thought, chose to take the initiative. He raised his hand and used the patrol boat's built-in sea map to explain their movement route and attack location to Hermione, so that she could inform the others.

"correct."

He paused for a moment, then moved his finger across the map to draw the area covered by the black vortex: "Be careful not to get close to this area."

"Yes, I will pass it on to everyone."

Hermione did not ask why. She stopped the patrol boat at the extended dock and went to the aft deck with Zhou He. She bowed slightly to him and said, "Commander, please do not go too far. If you find anything unusual, be sure to call for air support from Zuikaku immediately."

"I see."

Because the altitude was suitable, Zhou He, amused by the mention of calling for air support, raised his hand and gently patted her head, saying with a smile, "Hermione, you too, be careful in combat."

"..."

Hermione leaned forward slightly to allow Zhou He to pat her head more easily. Once he withdrew his hand, she straightened up and smiled sweetly, saying, "Hermione understands."

The road extending from the dock was level with the aft deck of the patrol boat. Hermione stepped off the patrol boat, her brows furrowed as she glanced at the lifeless buildings. After confirming there was no danger, she lightly jumped off the dock. Her ship equipment appeared in mid-air, allowing her to float on the water. She turned and bowed again to Zhou He, who was on the aft deck, and walked away under his gaze to join Yuudachi and the others who had run over.

"A gentle and virtuous maid is really nice."

Zhou He closed his eyes. Right now, the only people in the port who could bring him a sense of healing were Yuudachi and Hermione. These two were the most tolerant of him among all the ship girls. Unfortunately, there was no 'affection level' displayed in the system, so he didn't know exactly how high it was.

Anyway, let's get to work.

Stretching, Zhou He went up to the middle floor, took out the ingredients he had bought on the way, and started cooking.

……

"Ha, I've noticed that the sirens I'm encountering are getting weaker and weaker."

On the sea, where sunlight refracted and shone with beautiful colors, Zuikaku sighed and complained to his companions beside him.

She was full of enthusiasm before the interception battle began, but she was completely deflated after two rounds of air attacks. The fleet of about ten Sirens was wiped out in less than half an hour. If it weren't for the submarines, Yuudachi and Z23, the front-line ships, wouldn't even have had the chance to participate in the battle.

"The wrong statement is that our strength has increased."

Tosa corrected Zuikaku's statement. Even after a great victory, she remained serious: "Not only that, the previous battles have also given us an understanding of the wartime performance of the various Sirens. We are growing, while these Sirens are standing still. Hmph, what a boring opponent."

"..."

No one else interrupted their conversation because the topic was too delicate. What if they were to get into a fierce battle against a Sirens force of similar size, given their superior air, firepower, and intelligence?

They probably wouldn't even have the face to go back and see Zhou He.

"Haha, speaking of which, don't we have another member in our port area? Isn't it Miss Kursk? She didn't join the battle today."

Cleveland chuckled as she finished the two Sakura Empire capital ships' chuunibyou-esque remarks, mentioning her mysterious companion whom she had barely seen since joining the port.

However, in reality, even Yuudachi and Hermione, who were among the first to join the port, had only met Kursk a few times and couldn't keep up with the conversation. Only Zuikaku tilted her head and said, "Ah, I noticed Kursk earlier. She was with the Commander."

"Sigh! I also want to be with the Commander!"

Yuudachi immediately started making a fuss, and after a brief period of chaos, Hermione changed the subject, mentioning Zhou He's earlier activity of kneading dough to prepare for lunch, and the atmosphere of the conversation instantly became harmonious.

The battle took place not far from the island where Zhou He was located. In just over half an hour, the group approached the abandoned base and saw Zhou He setting up tables and chairs on the aft deck. In turn, Zhou He also saw them—and the enormous thing being dragged behind them.

It was a Siren light cruiser that had been beaten so badly that it could no longer take care of itself and was waiting for a slow death.

—The joyful dividing line as Zhou He greets everyone—

Zhou He skillfully dismantled the Siren light cruiser aboard the Tosa, reaping a large amount of building materials and applause. The exploding stardust was exceptionally beautiful even in daylight, drawing admiring glances from everyone present, including Bismarck and Hood. Zhou He even considered building a fleet of Siren ships at home to set off as fireworks during holidays.

Back on the patrol boat, Zhou He brought the prepared lunch to the dining table on the aft deck. Because of time constraints, he chose very simple dishes: a pot of fish, a pot of stewed potatoes and meat, plus various stir-fried dishes, cold dishes, and hand-pulled noodles as the staple food.

Fortunately, although there were many people at home, no one was picky about food, so we managed to get by with a simple lunch.

"Commander, the Sirens we've been encountering lately are getting weaker and weaker. At this rate, when will we ever be able to see Shoukaku again!"

After eating and drinking their fill, Yuudachi, who couldn't sit still, and Bismarck and the others who were concerned about the base ruins went out for a walk. Zuikaku, who wasn't interested in this, lazily leaned against the railing of the deck and said something that didn't make sense. Zhou He, who was clearing the table, glanced at her and said, "The strength of the Sirens has nothing to do with the probability of creating ship girls. Rather, the weaker the Sirens are, the more you sink, the greater the probability of Shoukaku appearing."

"Is that right?"

Zuikaku was quite surprised: "Sinking a destroyer can lead to the creation of an aircraft carrier?"

"You were the one who sank the light cruiser with Yuudachi, didn't you know that?"

Zhou He couldn't really understand the operation of taking down an aircraft carrier by attacking a light cruiser, but there were too many things he didn't understand, so he simply accepted it as the rule of the world.

"I think I don't remember very clearly."

Zuikaku closed her eyes and thought for a moment. When she arrived, her mind was in a mess, and she didn't pay attention to the things around her before going to fight the Sirens.

After saying that, she opened her eyes and found that Zhou He had already left with the plate. She yawned, put her hands behind her head, and hummed a little tune from her hometown.

Inside the cabin, Hermione expertly washed the dishes, tilting her head to observe Zhou He: "Will the Commander meet up with Miss Kursk later?"

"Ok?"

Zhou He was taken aback, then casually replied, "No, I'll be working with you. Kursk said she has something she wants to investigate."

This was an answer Hermione had expected. She lowered her head and said, "Miss Kursk is highly regarded by the Commander."

"I trust Hermione and you guys a lot too."

Zhou He had also considered that his leniency towards Kursk might cause some problems. He rinsed the foam off the plate with water and thought for a moment before saying, "Just as I fulfilled Kursk's request to carry out missions alone, if Hermione also has personal issues that she cannot discuss with others, she can also bring them up with me, and I will meet her needs within my personal capabilities."

"...Has the Commander said similar things to others?"

Hermione glanced at Zhou He out of the corner of her eye, and the latter smiled and shook his head: "All I can do for you is help with daily life. I wouldn't dare to make such a guarantee as to others."

"I think the commander could be a little more confident."

Hermione smiled and spoke in her usual gentle voice.

Chapter Forty-Eight: Ambiguous Remarks

After cleaning up the dishes and resting for a while, Zhou He couldn't stay idle and disembarked, stepping onto the unfamiliar dock that seemed to be a temporary base for the Sirens.

"The materials used are quite substantial. Aren't the Sirens supposed to be fully mechanized? How exactly were these construction sites built?"

Unlike his own port area, which was covered with lawns, this place had a genuine foundation covering the entire area. Zhou He walked along the road and touched the collapsed building stones. There were almost no signs of aging, and the load-bearing columns inside were also made of steel bars. It would be perfectly fine for living here.

This shouldn't be the kind of 3D-printed house he knows; it uses quite a few techniques.

"Who knows? Maybe the Sirens also have machines specifically designed for logistics and construction?"

Zuikaku kicked the wall behind her, kicking up dust before disdainfully pulling away. Hermione glanced at her and took out a handkerchief to wipe the dust from Zhou He's hands: "We only know that the Sirens are the enemy, and we haven't been able to get any more information. Doesn't the Commander know either?"

"I know some, but not much."

Zhou He only learned some details about the Sirens from the game's event storyline, but he figured the only reliable information he could find was in the official wiki, such as the internal structure of the Sirens, the purification mechanism in the experimental setup, and the general personalities of the test subjects.

As for more complex things, he didn't delve into them while playing the game. Things like the Sirens' logistics, the purpose of their experiments, and the level of their advanced technology were all unknown. The only certainty was that some of the advanced individuals within the Sirens were created by humans.

The classic theme of "enemy and ally" in ship girl games is that the Sirens treat humans and ship girls as "inhuman" test subjects, which is extremely heinous. While you can laugh it off in a game, if he were to encounter these test subjects now, he would not hesitate to order them to be blasted into dust.

He dislikes being used as a guinea pig by unknown creatures, and he won't hesitate to act against what appears to be an artificial being, putting his ship girls in danger.

"Regardless of the reason, all we need to do is defeat all the Sirens blocking our way."

Zhou He collected his thoughts and casually yet earnestly stated their position. Upon hearing this, Zuikaku smiled and followed, saying, "The commander is right, that's the spirit we need! No matter what the Sirens are, just defeat them all!"

That being said, Zhou He wasn't actually a warmonger, so he chuckled twice and moved on from the topic, leading the two of them deeper into the base.

The buildings near the sea in this base were the most severely damaged, and the further in you went, the smaller the damaged area became. It was like being suddenly discovered by an enemy fleet, taking a few rounds of shelling, and then the enemy realized it was an empty base and stopped and left.

Well, it should also be related to the fact that there are fewer buildings as you go further in. After passing through the disaster area by the dock, what came into Zhou He's view was a scene that looked like the central square, which was cratered by shelling. The roads extending from the square connected to the nearby buildings and facilities.

He also noticed several people from his family who were out for a walk. Yuudachi and Cleveland were swinging on the swings at the edge of the square, while Tosa, Hood, Bismarck, and others were also observing the situation.

"This is really an uncomfortable place."

Ruihe frowned and looked around. Zhou He, who hadn't sensed anything, looked at her in confusion. She pointed to the various facilities area: "There are absolutely no traces of any living beings here, nor have there been any written messages left behind. Even so, the Sirens still designed this place to resemble a human survival base, as if they were trying to imitate our lifestyle."

After hearing her say that, Zhou He also felt a sense of absurdity, but it was quickly dispelled. As mentioned above, some of the Sirens were created by humans. At least before they 'went out of control' or 'betrayed' humans, they lived according to the programs designed by humans. Perhaps this is why the architectural style of these bases has been continued.

"really."

He nodded: "It seems that this place needs more than just simple repairs. I'll redesign and plan this place when I have more money."

"?"

Zuikaku was walking forward when she heard Zhou He's words and turned around, her eyes wide: "Commander, what do you mean by that?"

"you guessed right."

Zhou He hummed in agreement and snapped his fingers: "Once we figure this place out completely, it will become our second port area."

"real or fake…"

Ruihe thought of his own command center, which was practically undeveloped. Even the headquarters was still under development, yet Zhou He was already thinking about opening a branch base. Wasn't that too hasty?

Her expression practically revealed her inner thoughts. Zhou He smiled and spread his hands: "Don't worry, it's just a planned scheme. As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. If our port is besieged by the Sirens, this place will be a good temporary strategic point. The Sirens are powerful now, we can't just hold onto one place or drift around by ship, can we?"

"Well, that's true."

Zuikaku closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then was reluctantly convinced: "Then Commander, you should plan carefully and add more Sakura Empire elements."

"I'll do the work, don't worry."

Zhou He pointed to the hat on his head. Although he was not yet competent, he was still a commander, and he couldn't let his own ship girls dislike what he produced.

On another note, does the Home Store sell anything like a cross-sea bridge, so it can connect here to our home area via a highway?

……

After meeting up with Bismarck and others in the square, Zhou He received similar intelligence information as Kursk had reported.

In short, he was very unhappy with the design and structure of the port area. Zuikaku took the opportunity to suggest that they bomb the area a few more times to make it look better and save Zhou He the trouble of demolishing the houses.

Of course, Zhou He rejected it.

"The commander has a strong ability to accept things."

Zhou He's calm demeanor in the face of adversity earned him praise, to which he merely chuckled. After all, he was someone who had experienced the information explosion era, and even if a tester or something similar suddenly appeared now, he would only find it troublesome and then have his own ship girls take it down.

"Alright, alright, we're not here to figure out how to dismantle a house. Does anyone here have any knowledge of electrical system repair?"

After calming everyone down, Zhou He steered the conversation to the main topic.

However, when he raised this question, most of the people around him subtly avoided his gaze, much like students avoiding the teacher's questions in class.

Bismarck looked at Hood in silence, while Hood turned her gaze to Hermione: "The electrical system, Hermione, do you know about it?"