Revisit Azur Lane

Zhou He did not avoid Xiang He's bow, and gently stroked his chin with one hand, and said with a smile: "So when you meet Rui He later, praise her along with me."

"Follow your orders~"

After Xianghe got up, she glanced at Zhou He. When she heard his language (Donghuang), she was worried that she would be treated differently. It seems that she was too narrow-minded.

"Logically, a welcoming ceremony should be held when a new member joins, but there is a very important matter that requires your help."

After a brief conversation with the three, Zhou He glanced back at Ling Min, who was doing something under the crane, and continued, "There is a White Eagle fleet fighting against the Sirens, and there are quite a few suspected Sakura Empire ship girls mixed in with the Sirens. I want to rescue the White Eagle fleet and find out if those Sakura Empire ship girls are really colluding with the Sirens."

"After we encounter the Sakura Empire ship girls, should we sink them immediately?"

Count Spee glanced at Shoukaku and asked a question.

"If they launch an attack on you, then fight with the determination to sink them. Can you do that?"

Zhou He glanced at Shoukaku as well, and after thinking for a moment, added: "According to reliable intelligence, the people commanding the Sakura Empire ship girls seem to be the Akagi and Kaga sisters, who are from the First Carrier Division."

"Oh... I'm so sorry, I was rude."

Upon hearing the two names, Shoukaku exclaimed in surprise, but quickly suppressed it, his tone becoming dangerous: "I know Akagi and Kaga-senpai. Even though their behavior and personality are extremely wicked, they would never do such a thing. These two who are hanging out with the Sirens must be vile forgeries. I hope the Commander can give us a chance to clean house."

"I'm glad you're aware of this, but don't underestimate them and the Sirens. Before we annihilate the enemy, I hope you can return safely."

Zhou He was not surprised by Shoukaku's change of attitude. The First and Fifth Carrier Divisions were his favorite lineups when the game was first launched before he transmigrated. Back then, when paired with Nagato, it was practically a breeze to clear the game. Therefore, he was relatively familiar with the personalities of these characters. Although Shoukaku was verbally abusive towards the two members of the First Carrier Division, he still respected his seniors quite a bit in his heart.

Whether they had a bad personality or died too young, it was nothing compared to their defection to the enemy. In Shoukaku's eyes, this was the Sirens trampling on the dignity of their deceased predecessors, which was absolutely intolerable!

"Yes."

Shokaku's response was very strong—she was confident that she and Zuikaku's strength had surpassed that of the two from the First Carrier Division, and that they could achieve both the goal of cleaning up their own ranks and returning safely.

“Very good, Count Spee. I will communicate with Bismarck. Once you arrive, follow her orders. Montpellier, you will go with Cleveland. Shoukaku, after you meet up with Zuikaku, I will give you specific instructions.”

Zhou He glanced at Ling Min in the distance, then turned around and made simple arrangements for Xiang He and the other two.

Soon after, the three newcomers set sail and sailed away. Lingmin on the dock glanced at them, then turned her gaze to Zhou He, who was walking towards her.

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Kaga

"I won't ask all of you to join the combat team. You're better suited for research and development and mechanical maintenance than combat. It's up to you to decide."

Zhou He arrived at the foot of the massive crane and stood shoulder to shoulder with Ling Min, simply stating his thoughts.

He remembered that there seemed to be quite a few research-oriented ship girls in the game, mainly Akashi, the black marketeer, followed by Yubari, Minsk, and then newer ship girls like Lingmin. Although his family hadn't started doing research yet, it was enough to give them a heads-up.

"Yes, Commander's idea is excellent!"

Lingmin nodded in understanding after listening, then clenched her fist at Zhou He and said seriously, "However, as a master of mechanical repair, experiencing the baptism of war is also very necessary! The most exciting moment is when you polish the ship's equipment that has been worn out after battle back to its shining shine!"

"…Yeah."

Zhou He turned his gaze to one side. He remembered that while replenishing ammunition, he would also repair all the damage to the ship girls and their equipment. Although it was impolite, it didn't seem like Lingmin needed to step in for that.

However, he couldn't dampen the passion of this genius mechanic, so after thinking for a moment, he said, "In that case, Lingmin, why don't you go to the battlefield and experience it for yourself? I'll arrange someone to be your bodyguard."

Are there any other people here?

Lingmin looked into the interior of the dock complex with surprise. It seemed lifeless, but there were surprisingly many ship girls in the port area.

"Yes, there is a prospective research member and a hunter from the Northern Alliance (who claims to be her), but she may not appear directly by your side; she is more like an invisible bodyguard."

Zhou He extended two fingers, then retracted one.

Including the four new members, his ship girls have reached an astonishing 20. There are quite a few vanguard ships and a sufficient number of capital ships. With him as the replacement for the repair ship, it is already a configuration that can seriously fight a large-scale battle.

Even without the sudden conflict between the Eagle Union and Sakura Empire ship girls, he would have dealt with all the mass-produced and executor ship girls in the third district in batches. This operation simply accelerated that process.

"Sounds mysterious? Good! Commander, you've piqued my interest. Let me unveil the mystery of this invisible bodyguard!"

Lingmin blinked, gave a spirited thumbs-up, and then asked, "What's her name?"

Kursk.

……

Under Zhou He's arrangement, Bismarck, Zuikaku, Hood, and the later-joined Shoukaku group gathered together.

After a short rest, Zhou He arranged for them to be divided into two groups: led by Bismarck, the Ironblood and Sakura Empire ship girls formed one group to directly attack the Sakura Empire fleet from the rear, opening up a second battlefield.

Meanwhile, the Royal Navy and White Eagles, led by Hood, along with Jean Bart and Lingmin, were flanking the White Eagle fleet, which was under siege.

No one asked Zhou He why he made the assignments this way; after getting to know the new members briefly, they quickly got to work.

"Miss!"

Once the operation began, Montpellier immediately found Cleveland, and a bright and sincere smile appeared on his otherwise completely silent face: "I can fight alongside you again!"

"Oh! I never expected you guys to join the port area so quickly."

Cleveland was naturally very enthusiastic when facing her younger sister. Since the collision volume of the ship's equipment made it impossible for her to reach out and touch Montpellier, she simply waved to Montpellier and said, "Follow me and continue to leave our footprints in this world."

"Yes! Sister!"

Montpellier understood completely and ran alongside Cleveland to the front of the group.

"...They give off a kind of silly sister vibe."

Although Long Island was only a light aircraft carrier, it was still part of the main fleet, and it muttered something to itself while standing next to Hood.

Jean Bart, also a capital ship, kept a distance from the two for some unknown reason and showed no interest in their conversation. Instead, Cleveland's words resonated with her—she had felt the immense power she possessed during the battle with the Sirens and was in excellent condition.

With such a healthy and powerful body and strength, she will surely be able to leave her own footprints and legends in this world!

"Huh, I really don't see Kursk."

Lingmin looked around during the operation and was surprised to find no trace of Kursk. So she naturally spoke with Long Island, whom she had just met, in the team voice chat, hoping that she could help find Kursk's location.

This matter wasn't too difficult for Long Island, but judging from everyone's reaction to Kursk these past two days, she thought it would be more interesting to make Kursk an urban legend. So she lied and said that she hadn't found Kursk, which puzzled Lingmin. She suspected that her colleague, whom she had never seen, had skipped work and muttered to herself that she would get a remote-controlled reconnaissance plane and search for Kursk all over the port.

"..."

During their casual conversation, the group entered the territory of the North Third District under the guidance of Long Island's scouts. However, most of the Sirens here had been drawn away by the White Eagle Fleet further north, leaving only a few mass-produced Sirens and Executors who had come from the East Third District.

“Cleveland, Javelin, you two go and distract the Siren Executors, focusing on observation. Long Island, you too, observe and record the types, appearances, and combat abilities of the Executors from the sky. We don’t have any data on them, so don’t launch a major attack until we have a clear understanding of them.”

Upon receiving Long Island's report, Hood quickly issued instructions. The reason she was quite fond of Zhou He was that, although Zhou He was only a newly appointed commander, he was meticulous, calm and not aggressive in his actions. He would first gather intelligence to make himself the dominant party, and then unilaterally crush his opponent to achieve victory.

This is a kind of battlefield aesthetics that Hood considers very elegant. Like her sudden encounter with Bismarck in her memory, it was because the intelligence agency did not implement it properly. She was caught off guard and was taken away by the enemy. This made her seem very dull and not elegant at all.

"understood."

The group gave their answers and, guided by intelligence from Long Island, began to make contact with the executors. During this time, Hood and Jean Bart cleaned up the remaining mass-produced models in the vicinity. Unlike those who were directly ordered by Akagi and the other two, these mass-produced models did not receive any instructions and were in a random and chaotic state as usual, so they were easily dealt with.

"Only the mass-produced aircraft carrier model can pose even the slightest threat to us now. No matter how many of the other mass-produced models there are, they are nothing but clay chickens and clay dogs, which will break at the slightest touch."

Many of Zhou He's ship girls are unaware that their strength increases with the number of sorties and the duration of sorties. Hood is one of them. She and Zuikaku share a similar idea: the mass-produced Sirens are becoming less and less resilient, and their hit rate is getting higher and higher. Even if there are several times more mass-produced Sirens than themselves, they will crush these mass-produced Siren fleets with overwhelming force after the two sides make contact.

That's really boring.

"Long Island, please explain."

As the main gun roared and the white mist rose and dissipated, Hood began to inquire about Long Island's situation with the Executors.

……

On the other side, Bismarck gave a similar order. She had two aircraft carriers on her side, whose reconnaissance and air superiority capabilities far exceeded those of Hood's side. Therefore, her mission was more difficult, as she had to face the core of the Mirror Sea in the Eastern Third District.

"As I have observed, there are five main types of Sirens known as Executors."

Although Shoukaku was a new member, her abilities were undeniable. While Zuikaku was busy arguing with Zhou He, she released a swarm of machines to launch a probing attack on the outer Executors and received feedback.

The executors are divided into five categories: firepower-comparing destroyers (white-haired creatures with their hands wrapped in fish-shaped ship equipment and two tentacles on their heads), light cruisers (white-haired creatures with twin tails whose upper body is covered in black armor and who hold a huge main gun in their left hand), heavy cruisers (white-haired creatures with side ponytails whose lower body is purely mechanical like a hermit crab), battleships and battlecruisers (white-haired creatures with one eye, more than ten extended gun barrels, and two huge main guns that can be charged and fired, like crabs), and aircraft carriers (cool-looking white-haired creatures wearing headphones and surrounded by gold-plated runway-like tentacles).

"We have also noticed a lot about the Executor's combat style. Destroyers, light cruisers, and heavy cruisers simply fire their guns, which is just our comeback setup. But there is a clear difference when it comes to the battleship level. The Executor's two huge main guns can charge up and release laser shells. If you are hit, you will be instantly melted and disintegrated. We need to be especially careful."

"Next is the carrier-based Executor, which has multiple takeoff runways and can launch nearly twenty carrier-based aircraft in an instant. If you are not careful, you will lose air superiority. It is a key target to be attacked. However, its air defense firepower seems to be a bit weak, which is a drawback."

Shokaku recounted the intelligence he had obtained. The sky was already in chaos, with a large number of carrier-based aircraft engaged in aerial combat. Even Zuikaku, who had been complaining about Zhou He's silent creation of Shokaku, no longer had the mind to argue with Zhou He and devoted himself wholeheartedly to controlling the carrier-based aircraft.

"very good."

Bismarck consolidated the information gathered by Shoukaku and relayed it to Hood over a long distance before commencing operations: "Zuikaku and Shoukaku, seize air superiority and harass the battleship-type Executors. Count Spee, Z23, Yuudachi, and Jintsuu, you distract the Executors. Tosa, you deal with the carrier-type Executors, and I'll handle the battleship-type Executors."

"understand!"

Everyone was an outstanding warrior who had inherited the memories of battle. The moment they received the order, they understood how to act. The people who were originally hiding in the shadows began to appear in front of the Sirens. Soon, the sound of cannon fire on the sea resounded through the sky, echoing the chaotic battle for air supremacy in the sky.

"..."

Bismarck navigated through the sea of ​​cannons, her expression calm but her brows slightly furrowed. According to the intelligence Zhou He had provided, a large number of Siren Executors were sent to annihilate the Eagle Union fleet to the north. However, even after they clashed with the Executors here, reinforcements were still pouring in from the rear, suggesting that there might be some problems.

However, her doubts were soon answered.

"Shokaku-nee, that guy has appeared."

Suddenly, Zuikaku, who was launching a new batch of carrier-based aircraft, shouted loudly, and Shoukaku's expression changed from serious to gloomy: "Before departure, I rejected the cooperative relationship mentioned by the commander, believing that the two seniors were pawns created by the Sirens, but now it seems that the commander's judgment was more correct."

"They actually chose to cooperate with the Sirens. Is the so-called glory of the First Carrier Division so easily abandoned?"

Zuikaku gritted her teeth. She had imagined countless times what it would be like to meet Akagi and Kaga, but she never thought that their first meeting would be on the battlefield, with the other party appearing as an enemy traitor.

"Kaga?"

Bismarck had also heard about the mission objective during Zhou He's briefing at the station. Hearing the conversation between the Zuikaku sisters, his doubts immediately dissipated, and he immediately stopped the two sisters: "Don't let their appearance disrupt your formation. Prioritize dealing with the dangerous executors."

"I know."

"clear."

Zuikaku and Shoukaku suppressed their anger and released their carrier-based aircraft again. This time, it was Kaga behind the Executors who frowned: "What's going on? How did Zuikaku and Shoukaku end up with the Iron Blood people? And the number of carrier-based aircraft is wrong, there are too many, far exceeding their original number. Have they been modified after cooperating with the Iron Blood?"

"Interesting. So you're also working hard to get stronger behind the scenes? Then let me test your current strength."

Kaga was originally just following Akagi's orders to come to Nagashima to carry out a silencing operation. However, no matter how many carrier-based aircraft she sent out to search, she could not find any trace of Nagashima and the others. It was not until Zuikaku and the others appeared that her executors finally got an answer.

—That's what they said, but Kaga herself didn't go into battle. Instead, she casually beckoned, and several Sakura Empire ship girls with lifeless expressions stepped out from the crowd. They were Hiryu, Soryu, Ashigara, and Kinu. After they appeared, Hiryu and Soryu immediately released their carrier-based aircraft to suppress the Zuikaku sisters. Ashigara and Kinu also joined the executors and began to put pressure on Yuudachi and the others.

As the leader of the Ironbloods, she was specifically targeted and suppressed by Kaga, with a total of seven warship executors launching a saturation bombardment against her.