Girls' Frontline: My Apocalypse with Dolls

Page 458

Ying Que visited Luo Fan again, but this time the two didn't talk much. After leaving, Ying Que obtained the identities of Chris, Pierce, and others through the shrike, and began to question the nature of Luo Fan's work again.

11.26

Twenty small and medium-sized pharmaceutical companies officially declared bankruptcy. Simultaneously, Grey Biotech began issuing acquisition offers, using a semi-coercive approach to acquire numerous near-bankrupt pharmaceutical companies (the economic downturn had caused small and medium-sized pharmaceutical companies to lose market space and competitive capital). By this point, over 80% of the pharmaceutical companies in New York City had been acquired by Grey Biotech. At the behest of Lovan, Grey Biotech officially began its more than ten-year-long campaign to economically isolate Umbrella.

11.27

Luo Fan's injuries have basically healed, but he still chose to use the nursing home as his base to avoid any potential threat to Ying Que.

749 Returning to the Place

The first month of the operation officially ended smoothly and successfully, and it also initially established a high ground in public opinion for Gray Biotechnology. From then on, the company's other operations could be carried out more openly. With innocent people who were unaware of the truth as cover, it would be difficult for the state government to have a substantial impact on them.

Luo Fan's ward underwent a simple renovation, with more daily necessities, more chairs, a simple coffee table, and a television, allowing Luo Fan to watch the daily news. The ship girls stayed by his side almost every day, spending a rare period of peace with him in the ward. Of course, this did not mean that they were not paying attention to the undercurrents in the outside world.

"Good morning, Commander."

AR18 and Viktor pushed open the door to the ward and sat down on the chairs in the corner. Today, it wasn't just Lovan and the ship girls who were in the ward; a whole bunch of dolls were also there...

Luo Fan handed the book to Dido, then looked up and said, "Good morning. By the way, where are Alpha and the AR team?"

"Have you forgotten? They also had another mission today: to sabotage the traffic network in Flushing and Secox."

Luo Fan seemed a little dazed, and nodded in response: "I know... I just couldn't remember for a moment."

"My proud master, you seem a bit out of sorts today?" Sirius bowed in acknowledgment, then handed over a glass of warm water. "Have the recent mission results not met your expectations?"

"No way. Our operation was far more efficient than the commander's original plan. I suppose the commander is just worrying about what's to come?"

RPK, sitting by the coffee table, took a sip of coffee, his forced smile seeming to refute Sirius's conjecture.

Sirius glanced at her, about to respond, when Akagi, who was sitting on the bed, suddenly stood up: "Efficient? If that's really the case, why hasn't the Commander's grand plan been realized yet? Look at the current situation, how is it any different from a month ago? In my opinion, it's just standing still."

"Pfft, standing still?"

The alchemist couldn't help but sneer twice. There was no doubt that she was dissatisfied with the other party's arrogant attitude.

They were even more dissatisfied with the other party's denial of the results of their actions...

“Isn’t that right? With our current strength, we can clearly achieve the results we want more directly,” Taihou surprisingly stood on Akagi’s side, lying on the bed with a disdainful look on her face. “The only thing the Commander needs is powerful henchmen to achieve his goals. Since the planning process is correct, it must be that the henchmen are not obeying orders.”

"Heh..." The disruptor crossed his legs and sneered, "Well, we're not as powerful as you guys. You can demolish a city with just carrier-based aircraft and artillery. All we do is incite conflict and confrontation, manipulate public opinion and the economy. Of course, with your firepower and brains the size of a gunpowder pin, how can you come up with the idea of ​​doing this? You only think that you can solve problems with firepower. No wonder the commander doesn't need you in most missions."

"What did you say?!"

Akagi and Taihou both got out of bed, and even Kaga, who had been watching for a long time, seemed to want to join in.

Seeing that the conflict was about to erupt, Luo Fan tapped the headboard and said coldly, "Alright, that's enough. The ship girls will be taking action later. These minor details are not to be ignored right now. There's no need to argue over this."

Only then did both sides put aside their grievances and return to their respective positions.

With the conflict resolved, Luo Fan revealed his thoughts: "What I'm thinking about is the future arrangements; I need channels to develop the military industry."

"Military industry?!"

The girls spoke almost in unison, as if the conflict had never happened.

The company raised its hand, somewhat hesitant: "Um, if I'm not mistaken, the White Eagle in this world should be similar to the early days of our era, with the military industry being monopolized, right?"

Lofan nodded: "Perhaps, but I need to get involved in the military industry. While establishing prestige in the council, I also need to give ourselves more say. I need to corrupt the White Eagle's existing system from within and shape it into what I want it to be..."

He looked at the tablet in his hand, a smile involuntarily appearing on his face: "And we happen to have this capability, I believe White Eagle has no reason to reject our technology and proposal..." After saying that, he glanced around at the girls: "Is Thomson here?"

“He’s not here,” Lightning Sister shook her head. She now works for Thomson. “Thomson has other commitments today and can’t be here for the time being.”

"Okay, I'll draft a briefing later and tell her the general arrangements for the next step. 45, you'll need to keep her busy then. Remember to have her negotiate with Paradis and Gray more often."

"OK, leave it to me."

Sister 45 nodded.

After briefly mentioning the next plan, Luo Fan got up and started getting dressed, which immediately puzzled the girls.

Dido handed over the scarf from the bedside table: "Master, where are you planning to go?"

Luo Fan took the scarf, then went to the window and looked at the dark clouds in the sky: "I'm going back to the bar to see an old friend..."

......

It was midday, but there was no sun in sight. This year's rainy season was much longer than usual, with continuous rain sweeping across the country. In both reality and politics, a dark cloud hung over the White Eagle.

"Be careful, Master."

Dido got out of the back seat, opened her umbrella, and gently pulled Lofan up from the side, while Jiang Feng and Tirpitz slowly got out of the back seat and the passenger seat from the other side.

Everyone changed into a black coat and round-framed glasses to cover up their originally eye-catching temperament, but their undeniable appearance was an unavoidable flaw.

Having endured the trauma and grief, Luo Fan's expression was even colder than before. His long-untrimmed hair had grown to his shoulders, and his long bangs and round-framed glasses served as a perfect mask to remove the ruthlessness he displayed as a perpetrator. However, he was quite happy to accept his new image. As a true "ghost" of the White Eagle, it was not a bad thing to look a little gloomy.

Looking up at the bar's sign, it's still the same as before, VA-11 HALL-A, but things have changed. It doesn't have the same romantic atmosphere as before.

"Let's go."

The man lowered his head, no longer bothered by those trivial matters, and entered the bar with the girls under umbrellas.

"Dingling bell~"

I didn't have time to look around closely that night, but it seems like a lot has changed here...

750 eyes

The decor now better reflects Donghuang's unique character, the pool has been expanded, and many more eco-tanks and potted plants have been added, incorporating elements of flower arranging. It's unclear whose idea it was, but the design seamlessly blends the tranquility of the bar with the vibrancy of life. Even when no one is around, those alone at the bar won't feel lonely anymore.

Looking around, Luo Fan realized that Ying Que wasn't in the lobby; he was probably resting upstairs. But Luo Fan didn't plan to disturb him at this time. He had only come to see an old friend, and after that, he should leave.

After a moment of contemplation, Luo Fan continued forward, and the girls followed suit.

As I passed a table, a familiar girl's voice suddenly called out to me...

"Yo, you've come all this way, why don't you sit down and chat with us for a bit?"

"..."

Luo Fan turned his head and saw a girl with her legs crossed, who, as always, had taken off her shoes and was hooking one of her small feet, which was wearing black stockings, as if she was signaling Luo Fan to come over.

Upon noticing the other person, Jiang Feng couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted. He leaned close to Luo Fan's ear and asked, "Commander, is this the friend you're meeting today?"

“…No, but she is indeed a friend,” Luo Fan slowly shook his head: “You guys go to the bar and wait for me. I want to talk to her alone.”

Afterwards, the girls obediently went behind the bar to wait for Luo Fan, while Luo Fan himself sat at the table opposite Rosalia, looking indifferent.

He appeared calm and collected, but Rosalia could tell that his state of mind, his experiences, his thoughts, and his desires were far more intense than his handsome yet indifferent face suggested. In other words, he was the most terrifying kind of person in social situations.

Rosalia particularly liked Lovan like this, but now that things had come to this, she couldn't always be optimistic about every situation.

"What do you want to say?"

Luo Fan spoke first, seemingly without much patience, which was exactly what Rosalia had expected.

"You haven't been having a good time lately, have you?"

"...Did I not control my facial expressions well?"

Luo Fan frowned slightly and put a cigarette in his mouth.

“No, not at all,” Rosalia laughed, “It’s just that you’re controlling it too well, which is a bit unusual. You weren’t like this before.”

"People always change to some extent."

Ignoring the other person's attempts to get close, Luo Fan lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

Seeing that the other party didn't want to discuss these trivial family matters any further, Rosalia didn't bother with pleasantries and cut straight to the point...

"Take off your glasses and let me see your eyes."

"...Did you already know about this, or did you just find out?"

Her brows furrowed even more as she noticed the abnormality in her body once again. But what was puzzling was how she had noticed this physiological problem that even Gray couldn't solve. And more importantly... how did Gray realize that this problem was related to the reverse Kabbalah factor...?

"Of course I already knew that. This is one of the signs that the reverse Kabbalah factor has safely passed through the initial stage in your body and begun to adapt to your body. It also means that some abilities that you never imagined before are beginning to manifest in you."

As she spoke, Rosalia took out several photos from her skirt pocket and handed them to Luo Fan. Luo Fan picked up the photos and began to examine them. He discovered that the photos were of a left eye, and that the pupil had the same dark gold mark as his right eye.

"This is Yingque's left eye."

"...?!"

Luo Fan was stunned at first, but then calmed down. It was understandable; since Ying Que had been infected with the reverse Kabbalah factor, it wouldn't be too strange for him to show related symptoms.

What are the consequences?

He still focuses more on this point.

Rosalia nodded, then picked up the sparkling wine on the table and drank it all in one gulp: "Yes, there is. At certain times, your eye will hurt a lot and bleed."

"what?"

Luo Fan almost slammed his fist on the table and stood up. Even the girls behind the bar were drawn to him and were all about to get up to deal with him.

Rosalia made no move, letting Lovan think about the situation on his own.

......

A few seconds later, he sat down again, waving to the girls to indicate that everything was alright.

......

"What are the masters talking about?"

Dido was deeply worried about this, but Jiang Feng and Tirpitz couldn't give her an answer either.

Chris, who was sleeping nearby, was not surprised at all. After all, this little guy always said surprising things, so it was not surprising that he would shock Boss Luo.

......

"Yingque, has she gone through this stage?"

“Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time,” Rosalia shifted her position, putting her feet up on the table. “You too, so you need to be careful to control your emotions lately. Like I told you before, your emotions can easily affect your body right now, and these emotions will manifest in some form on your body, including your right eye.”

After saying that, Rosalia began to introduce Yingque's situation: "Currently, Yingque's left eye can see the general clues. She can control her shadow to spread in some impossible directions, such as under light sources without any physical obstruction."

"What does this mean?" Luo Fan asked, puzzled.

"It means that from now on, the area where she is will appear much darker than other areas, and she will be able to see everything happening in front of her without the aid of her own eyes."

Although it was merely a description of the current situation, it seemed to have a hidden meaning, which displeased Luo Fan, and his face darkened again.

What are you implying?

“That depends on how you interpret it,” Rosalia laughed. “I’m just stating the facts. Now, wherever she is, her shadow can help her notice what’s happening nearby. So, pay close attention; she can see much more than you think now.”

[Ring ring~]

......

"Let's talk again next time, an old friend is here."

"Go ahead, I'll visit you at the hospital later and we'll discuss your health in more detail then."

Luo Fan slowly got up and went behind the bar to meet his old friend with the girls. Rosalia watched Luo Fan leave, chuckled twice, then placed a letter under her glass and left through the front door.

Someone will come to collect this letter...

As he remembered, Lofan prepared a Godfather's drink and placed it on the bar, waiting for his old friend to sit down.

"Long time no see, Chris."

......

751 Cooperation Negotiation

Chris came alone today, unlike when he reported to Chris. Pierce and other subordinates were not seen. It is probably to avoid some unnecessary conflicts. Chris himself is probably here to cooperate in good faith.

Lovan knew what Chris needed, and this was part of his plan to gradually seize power...

"Hmm, it's been a long time... Looks like you were holding back?"

After briefly examining the man before him, Chris made a polite remark, but to his surprise, Luo Fan chuckled twice and brushed it off.

"Just luck."

I don't want to discuss this further. After all, regardless of Chris's intentions, he's ultimately a member of the military, and it's impossible to befriend him so openly. So...

"Let's talk, Chris. What's the matter you wanted to discuss with us this time?"

Luo Fan raised an eyebrow slightly. When he returned to White Eagle, he sent an encrypted message to Chris's account, which contained the location of the bar and his intention to cooperate. The specific choice was up to Chris.

The message was set to pop up automatically and clear data five seconds after being opened. Chris was able to grasp the key points immediately, which shows that his intention to cooperate was strong enough.