From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man - Chapter 461

The atmosphere in the bar soon after was relaxed and warm.

Through the wide porthole, the blue glow of the jump space was still clearly visible.

In the corner near the porthole;

“Hello~ My name is Narita Losrian, may I know your name?”

The female elf sitting opposite Charlie smiled and spoke, with a brisk tone and some undisguised enthusiasm.

While asking, she raised the metal wine glass in her hand, and the wine glass was filled with clear vodka, and a ripple appeared with her movements.

“Charlie Hoynd.”

Charlie replied, and at the same time raised his own wine glass, and clinked it with the other party with a little caution.

“Hahaha! Nice to meet you, Charlie!”

Narita laughed heartily, and her bright smile complemented her fiery red hair, as if the whole person was emitting some dazzling light.

After expressing her joy, the female elf raised her head and drank the vodka in the glass without waiting for Charlie to respond.

The action was neat and clean, without any delay.

“.”

Charlie was a little scared by this scene.

The female elf in front of him was very likely to drink vodka on an empty stomach, and she didn’t show any discomfort.

What was even more shocking was that she immediately picked up the bottle again after putting down the empty glass, and skillfully filled it with vodka again, as if she was ready to continue drinking.

There was also vodka in his glass, but he hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and his stomach was empty.

You know, drinking a high-alcohol drink like vodka on an empty stomach is a very “stimulating” thing, not to mention drinking a whole glass directly.

The key is that he is not like those auxiliary soldiers who have been injected with Inquis serum, nor has he undergone genetic enhancement like the investigators.

The behavior of the elf in front of him is not only generous in his eyes, but even a little daunting.

Charlie secretly swallowed his saliva, and once again sighed at the strong physique and unusual style of the elves.

Noticing Charlie’s hesitation, Narita seemed to understand something.

She raised her eyebrows, smiled and waved her hands: “Haha, don’t be nervous, I’m not forcing you to drink the whole glass, I just feel that this kind of atmosphere, without some wine, always feels a little less fun.”

After a pause, Narita continued: “But if you are not good at drinking vodka, we can change to something lighter, such as beer or fruit wine.”

“That’s not the case, you can drink it.”

Charlie responded casually, symbolically sipped a sip of vodka, and the spicy liquor slid across his throat, making him frown slightly.

At the same time, he lowered his head to operate the small touch-screen menu on the corner of the table, ordered a few salads and Chinese-style side dishes, and specially chose two classic MOA burger sets.

Then he looked up at Narita across from him, and added with a smile:

“I’ll treat you this time, so we can have lunch together.”

“No!”

Nrita shook her head decisively, with undisguised determination in her tone, “Since I took the initiative to invite you, how can I let you pay the bill? This is illogical and against the rules.”

Charlie was stunned for a moment, and before he could respond, Narita continued:

“I know that you human men are used to thinking that you have to pay for eating, drinking and even playing, especially for women.

But we elves don’t talk about these things. We advocate equality and mutual respect. Whoever takes the initiative will be responsible.

Besides, I can still afford this little money.”

“That’s right, haha.”

Charlie scratched the back of his head in response.

He looked at Narita’s calm face, and a little admiration grew in his heart.

The elves are indeed different from humans in many concepts, and the other party’s frank and sincere attitude really made him feel a little relieved.

He recalled his past high school emotional experience and couldn’t help but sigh secretly.

He was addicted to the so-called “female sea king” entangled, not only to provide a steady stream of emotional value, but also to bear most of the expenses, like a never-stopping “cash machine”.

At that time, he was tired and helpless, but he never made up his mind to leave that relationship. Fortunately, his sister exposed the other party’s mask in time and let him escape from the sea of ​​suffering.

Now, the Narita in front of him is not only generous, but also actively mentioned “equality” and “respect”, which makes Charlie feel that the other party seems to be completely different from the women he has met before.

And with the “direct” thinking of men, when seeing a woman they like, the picture of marrying and having children with the other party will automatically “float” in their minds.

!

Realizing that he was a little distracted, even thinking too far, Charlie suddenly retracted his thoughts and tried to refocus on the situation in front of him.

Narita in front of him was leaning forward slightly, holding a wine glass in her hand, her eyes full of interest in the topic, as if she didn’t notice his brief distraction at all.

Then, the two naturally started a more in-depth discussion about the “Starfighter” comic series.

From the historical origins of Atlas Entertainment to the style and influence of the works, the two became more and more engaged in the conversation.

In fact, the “Starfighter” comic is not an ordinary commercial superhero work, but a classic work with the theme of “super warriors” and realistic style.

Long before Atlas became an imperial state-owned enterprise, that is, on Earth in the 1960s and 1970s, it launched this series.

The comic book culture at that time was full of superhero atmosphere, but “Star Warrior” took a unique approach, abandoning exaggerated descriptions of super powers and instead focusing on the tactical deployment of super soldiers, weapon details, and the growth of the characters.

This down-to-earth realistic style has won the favor of teenagers and adults, becoming one of the few works of that era that could compete with traditional hero comics.

Charlie and Narita both happen to be big fans of this realistic style.

The two talked about the classic battle scenes in the comics, and even recited those exciting scenes like they knew each other.

They discussed the protagonist’s choices in the confrontation between the enemy and ourselves, and also analyzed the profound impact of comics on real military affairs.

Before they knew it, the meals ordered by the two of them had been served one after another.

The next two people simply clinked glasses and continued chatting while eating.

As the conversation deepened, Charlie gradually relaxed and even involuntarily revealed some of his personal experiences to Narita.

He talked about how he had not only been squeezed out of a lot of money, but also spent a lot of emotional energy, only to end up with nothing.

At the end of the sentence, he couldn’t help but laugh at himself, “Do you think I’m a little stupid?”

Narita couldn’t help laughing after hearing this, and she almost spilled the vodka with laughter.

She shook her head, with a hint of ridicule in her tone: “It’s a bit silly to be stupid, but I think it’s more because you are too soft-hearted. But then again, after all this, you should learn to be smarter now, right?”

Charlie smiled bitterly and spread his hands: “I hope so.”

When the meal came to an end, Charlie was still doubtful, so he asked tentatively: “But I still don’t understand why you invited me to the bar just to discuss the comic plot?”

Hearing this question, Narita blinked first, then nodded slightly:

“The main purpose is really to talk about comics.”

Then, she raised the corner of her mouth and added bluntly: “But there is a deeper reason. I quite like your appearance and temperament, so I want to take this opportunity to get to know you better.

To be honest, I think you are quite special. If our personalities, hobbies and values ​​are compatible, maybe we can develop further and become a couple. “

“.”

Hearing this, Charlie felt mixed feelings in his heart.

He had long heard that the elves were direct and frank in their speech, but after personal experience, he discovered that this “directness” was far more straightforward than the rumors said.

He just took advantage of his free time during the short vacation to “take a walk and buy something”, but he was unexpectedly invited to drink and even confessed his love.

And then it is very likely that he will have an elf girlfriend? ?

Charlie lowered his head to look at the wine glass in his hand, and then looked up at Narita. This female elf with long fiery red hair and a free and easy temperament was leaning on her seat leisurely, with a faint smile on her lips, without any hint of anything. A feeling of anxiety or uneasiness.

‘I didn’t expect that a military career would allow me to open my eyes to the world.’

Charlie sighed secretly in his heart.

After taking a deep breath, he shook his head, trying to calm himself down, and then replied in as natural a tone as possible:

“Let’s take a look first. It all happened so fast. I really couldn’t accept it for a while.”

“Haha~ I understand, this is indeed a bit difficult for humans to accept.”

Narita didn’t seem disappointed at all, and there was even a bit of relief in her tone.

She shrugged calmly and added: “We’ll talk about it later when we have the chance. We’re not in a hurry anyway.”

In fact, Nalita belongs to the more straightforward group among the elves, and is less likely to mince words like humans.

What’s more, she really took the initiative to invite Charlie because she had similar interests and hobbies, and his appearance and temperament also met her criteria for choosing a mate.

Of course, another reason is that she is “only” over a hundred years old this year. According to the life cycle of an elf, she is at a stage where she feels new and curious about everything.

Therefore, they are much more unrestrained than those tribesmen who are three or four hundred years old.

Then, she scanned the screen at the corner of the table with her wrist and paid for the meal with the help of her biometric information.

As she turned to leave, the female elf did not forget to say goodbye. She still looked at Charlie with friendliness and expectation in her eyes and said:

“Let’s chat online later! A comprehensive clean-up operation will begin soon. Remember to protect yourself and don’t let those bastards take advantage~”

Her voice was light and there was a bit of teasing in her tone, but it was more of genuine concern.

After saying that, she left the bar with light steps, and her figure quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Charlie, on the other hand, left his seat a little distracted, carried the snack comics he purchased, and returned to the dormitory of their combat team.

It will still take some time for the fleet to complete its jump voyage.

Charlie originally planned to take this opportunity to take a good rest and prepare himself for the upcoming battle in the best condition.

However, now his mentality has been slightly disturbed by various recent events.

Although this impact is not a real obstacle, it is indeed a bit surprising for a soldier who has always lived a regular life and has a careful mind.

This chance encounter, invitation and conversation with Nalita was so “dreamy”, almost like the plot of a love game he played behind the back of his sister and father when he was fourteen or fifteen years old. It was unbelievable.

However, the PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) caused by the female sea king still made him wary of Natalie’s initiative to show goodwill, and it was difficult for him to completely let down his guard.

In the following time, Natalie really remained active as always, and was full of enthusiasm in the online chat software.

Almost every time she took the initiative to initiate the conversation, whether it was discussing the plot of the comics or sharing some interesting anecdotes about the elves, she could always find topics easily.

As a typical passive personality, Charlie’s half-hearted response in the early stage actually started to chat “hotly”.

Even before going to bed, Natalie insisted on ending the chat with her own “good night”, which made Charlie a little flattered.

After all, in the main universe society, the younger generation of couples, or men and women who are still ambiguous, often end the “today’s conversation” on the male side.

Unconsciously, Charlie had forgotten his “dream” of buying a android partner, because the other party gradually made him realize that perhaps some things could not be replaced by machines and programs, until-

Just when the fleet was expected to leave the jump space in an hour, Charlie’s battalion received an emergency order, and all members were required to pack up their weapons and equipment immediately and rush to the designated hangar in advance.

Soon.

After wearing sealed combat uniforms and mechanical skeletons, and taking sufficient supplies of weapons, ammunition, etc., they immediately rushed to the No. 4 hangar on the lower belly of the ship.

Moreover, this was also the first time they had completed a battalion-level assembly since they officially joined the Marine Corps.

After all, since they joined the Marine Corps, they had only received combat platoon sergeant training on the Phoenix class, and ordinary live-fire shooting.

They had no time to carry out large-scale mission operations, and were dispatched to the Chaos Star Region by the Empire to prepare for a comprehensive purge of the so-called scum.

In addition to their Marine Corps, there was also an ODST combat company in the No. 4 hangar, as well as more than a dozen heavily armed tyrants controlled by the driver’s consciousness.

There may be more creatures, mechanical weapons, or cloned soldiers, but those guys without self-awareness and souls do not need to gather, just airdrop deployment.

Just as Charlie and his comrades were wondering why they had to gather in advance, another company-sized armed personnel arrived.

This group of armed personnel had better weapons and equipment, with the latest model of McP power armor, painted in dark gray, and some members’ helmets had personalized patterns and markings.

The leader, as soon as he came in front of everyone, shouted loudly on the communication:

“Everyone! I am the colonel of the Special Operations Command of the 36th Fleet, Janes Thompson, and you guys will be under the direct command of the Special Operations Command. Do you understand?!”