Girls' Frontline: My Apocalypse with Dolls

Page 402

While observing Ange's reaction, the leader continued, "These are established facts that have already occurred, the hardships he and they have experienced and are currently experiencing..."

The final scene shows the down-on-his-luck man sitting on the edge of a small hotel bed, staring blankly at the wardrobe in front of him.

Her old friend, Griffin's commander...

Then, the video ended...

"Some of those scenes you just witnessed were about to happen but the time hadn't come yet, while others had already happened, right?"

"Yes, what concerns you is about to happen, and what concerns them is already happened," the leader said, his face still grim, though the youthful face beneath his military cap was chilling at this moment. "Your future was changed by the departure of the Rebellion Squad, and his future was changed by the arrival of the Rebellion Squad and those who loved him deeply. Now, your future has lost its meaning, and his future now needs you to save it."

...Yes, no matter how stubborn Ange is now, she cannot deny that the existence of this girl herself is inconceivable. Her ability to conjure those images out of thin air is definitely not fake. This explains why the Rebellion Squad disappeared and also prevented certain tragedies from happening.

But the tragedy continues to unfold in another world...

"...Even if I go, what can I change? I don't seem to have any value now."

An Jie slurped up a mouthful of noodles, gave a bitter laugh, and her expression was clearly self-deprecating.

The leader nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, indeed, I think so too."

...a deathly silence.

Seemingly recognizing his inappropriate choice of words, the leader added again: "While I may not be able to comprehend some of the complex emotions of humanity, at least based on the situation, the commander at this moment needs your help, regardless of the value inherent in your own knowledge; he simply needs your presence."

Ange looked up again, and seeing that it had worked, the leader continued, "Objectively speaking, everything he faces in the future is already being calculated, but he is constantly adding variables, which greatly increases the computational cost, but also brings more interesting changes to the calculation of the future. And now, one of the most crucial variables is about to appear..."

Ange carefully examined the girl before her, trying to glean her thoughts from her micro-expressions, but the girl only maintained a blank face, revealing no valuable information whatsoever...

“But I still respect your wishes, Miss Anna. You can choose to continue living a quiet but peaceful life here, or you can choose to throw yourself into another struggle, even if you already know from those images that this struggle is unjust and cannot be brought to the forefront.”

After speaking, the leader sat up and looked at the somewhat down-on-her-luck female commander before him. Even though she had lost her squad, her proud profession, and the opportunity to fight for her ideals, that flame had never been extinguished...

More than a so-called jazz, she is closer to a fire-bringer. What she brings is far more exciting than a vague future. She is waiting for an opportunity to return to the battlefield, even though what she has to do on this battlefield is far from her ideal.

An old steed in its stall may still aspire to gallop a thousand miles; a hero, though old, still cherishes lofty ambitions. These phrases perhaps perfectly describe Angela.

The two stared at each other for nearly five minutes, like children arguing, as if they had to make each other laugh to win. The one who broke the deadlock first was Anjie, who was made of flesh and blood but remained as resilient as ever.

"Pfft, hehehe..." she chuckled briefly again, then slurped the noodles into her mouth, drank all the broth, and pushed the bowl aside...

"I'll do it. When do we leave?"

"You can do it now, but I suggest you change your clothes first."

The leader's lips curled into a faint smile, but his mechanical, rigid demeanor remained in Anjie's first impression.

"Okay, I'll go change my clothes."

She got up and went back to her room, taking out the familiar black suit from the closet. Although it was slightly worn, it still fit perfectly and was perhaps the most memorable piece of clothing she owned...

......

A moment later, Ange returned to the living room, looking completely refreshed, which seemed to remind people of her past identity as a secret agent.

"Then, let's go."

The leader nodded, then snapped his fingers...

......

When Luo Fan opened his eyes, he saw that familiar face, bearing a few scars...

627 Return to the company

“Griffin’s commander looks a bit haggard. It seems something has happened that's beyond his control, hasn’t it?”

Anjie's behavior differed from the other girls. Most girls would be wary of the unfamiliar environment, but Anjie seemed to know what was going to happen and acted very calmly, as if Luo Fan had not invited her, but rather she had come to visit with two bottles of fine wine.

But Luo Fan wasn't interested in these minor details; the most important thing was that people were here, and that was enough.

He couldn't suppress his forced smile after all: "Yes, that's why I needed your help, my old friend." After his initial delight, Luo Fan still raised his question: "What, you don't seem surprised at all? Did you know I would call you?"

“A humanoid figure called the Chief has told me about the past and the present situation. In other words, you don’t need to explain the current situation to me; I already know the general idea.”

Anjie was already motivated. She crossed her arms and smiled at Luo Fan, "So all you need to do now is tell me what to do next. I also want to see my old subordinates and see what the situation is now."

...I see. The leader had already told Ange in advance, which saved a lot of trouble. However, there is still one thing that Luo Fan needs to confirm.

"If the leader has already told you, then what about the part about Paradis?" Lovan was somewhat uneasy about this, after all, they could be considered sworn enemies: "Now Paradis are our colleagues, and the Nieto have indeed made indelible contributions to our plan. Can you... temporarily take off your tinted glasses?"

“No,” Anjie said firmly, but then changed her tone: “Whether I can change my mind depends on their behavior in front of me. I need to see it for myself before I can re-examine their stance. However, it’s not a problem to temporarily set aside my prejudices.”

After saying that, Anjie sighed: "But the fact that you have to work with them does give me an idea of ​​how troublesome things must be."

"That's true, but the cause and effect relationship isn't viewed that way. It's not that they came to help because I actually needed it; rather, they came to help first, which prevented the situation from getting worse."

Luo Fan corrected the word order, causing An Jie to raise an eyebrow, but ultimately she didn't dwell on the topic, as it wasn't the focus right now...

Anjie asked, "So, when do we start the operation, and while we're at it, when do we meet my old subordinates?"

"In a couple of days, we'll lay low today, go back to the company tomorrow, which is Paradis's headquarters, meet up with old friends, and then we can prepare to go to the mission location."

After speaking, Luo Fan made a move to take off his coat, climb into bed, and prepare to rest, which displeased An Jie, who was already dressed in a suit and ready to start her day with a fresh new look.

"Hey, I just came all the way from the eyes of those Stasi bean sprouts in East Delhi, changed my clothes, and came to find you. It's only just dawn there, and you want me to sleep some more?"

"Otherwise, just think of it as jet lag. If you don't get a good night's sleep now, you'll be very sleepy later."

Before Anjie could continue questioning him, Luo Fan had already covered his head with the blanket and remained motionless, as peaceful as if he had died suddenly.

Anjie raised an eyebrow again, then glanced at her suit jacket. Feeling unlucky, she could only take off her jacket and lie down on another pillow.

She had nothing to be ashamed of; they were old friends. Anjie had never thought about those petty, sentimental relationships. There was nothing to fuss about sleeping in the same bed. Of course, her old subordinates might be a different story, since they had already seen it in the footage provided by their leader.

Everything is still the same as before. I don't know where this guy got the ability to bewitch a bunch of young girls...

Although she wasn't sleepy, Anjie forced herself to close her eyes. As Luo Fan had said, she probably wouldn't have much comfortable rest time afterward, so she needed to get back into shape as soon as possible. With her re-employment imminent, she needed to be in good spirits.

Thus, the reunion of the two old friends did not involve any long and interesting conversations over drinks, but ended abruptly with a simple act of sharing a bed.

The fact that they could share a room so unguardedly speaks volumes about their friendship...

......

Perhaps this was Ange's first time trying to sleep for twenty hours straight, thanks to this old friend, after arriving in White Eagle.

The first thing I did was go to sleep, which was such a pleasant surprise.

However, after sleeping for so long, I do feel refreshed and ready to greet the new day and see those "old friends".

"Commander, the surrounding area has been confirmed safe. Mantico and Nemesis's car will be on standby in front of the hotel's main entrance around the clock. You can return to the company at any time."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. I'll be right back."

"It's your job."

After hanging up the phone with Rhein-Ensche, Luo Fan draped his coat over his shoulders and prepared to go to the lobby to check out.

Anjie, already dressed, followed closely behind: "Who was that just now?"

“A new subordinate here, and also a new friend; you should be able to get to know them later.”

Seeing that Luo Fan had no intention of explaining further, An Jie didn't ask any questions and followed him out of the hotel.

It's not that I don't want to go into details, it's just that Lovan himself doesn't know much about the Martyrs. He only knows that they are a new type of Nieto developed by Pascal and Gray, and there's really nothing to explain.

After checking out, the two found Mantico and Nemesis's car on the street. The two seemed to have been waiting there for a while. In terms of professionalism, they were definitely no less capable than the girls.

Of course, the same goes for having a distinct personality...

"Hey, Commander, how come you have a woman by your side after just one night? Is Rhine not pretty enough?"

The moment Mantico got on the bus, he started talking non-stop, which slightly diminished Ange's first impression of him.

But who would have thought that Nemesis, in the passenger seat, would suddenly pull out a pistol and point it at Mantico's temple, startling Ange, who seemed ready to storm out at any moment.

"I apologize, Commander. Mantico forgot to fix the AI ​​when he went out today. I apologize to you and your friends on behalf of the Martyr."

Nemesis replied without turning his head, his eyes filled with coldness.

"Uh, I was just kidding..."

“Yes, I can tell.” Luo Fan nodded slightly and leaned back in his chair.

This is what finally made Anjie lower her guard...

628 "Old Friend"

"We've arrived, Commander. You can go back now. The Martyr still has a mission to carry out today."

"Understood, please be careful too."

Back at the company building, the two got out of the car first, while the two martyrs quickly drove off into the distance. Without a doubt, Morido had some shady plans to carry out.

Ange was not familiar with Paradis's current corporate culture and did not care. She began to focus her attention on the towering building in front of her. She really did not expect that, with a difference of half a century, Paradis could achieve a near-monopoly here. This building was far too magnificent compared to where Mrs. Grey used to live.

"I wasn't involved in their specific operations much; I only provided general guidelines. This is the result of their own hard work. Isn't that amazing?"

Anjie's reaction was exactly what Luo Fan had expected, and he was even somewhat proud of it.

Anjie nodded: "Indeed, but it's understandable, after all, they are an extremely troublesome group of enemies."

...This approach seems fine too.

Enough with the small talk, it's time to get back to the company. The girls are still waiting, and we need to get Anjie to meet them as soon as possible so they can get to know each other better.

Climbing the stairs and entering the company's main entrance, Nimokin, who knew in advance that Luo Fan would be there, was already waiting on the sofa in the lobby. When she turned around and saw Luo Fan, she quickly got up...

"Hello, Commander... Oh, it seems there's an interesting new guest here."

“Although I’ve been at odds with Paradis for a long time,” Ange’s face immediately darkened, “I don’t recall ever meeting you.”

The makeup and clothing were definitely those of Paradis Nieto, but since the Nemokin sisters did not have a direct confrontation with Ange, Ange had no impression of her.

Nemokin wasn't angry and continued to smile, "But I do remember you, Miss Angelia. However, chatting with me is probably not the reason you're here." She bowed slightly and gestured towards the elevator, "Go ahead, you and the Commander probably have more important things to do."

"Yes, thank you, Nemokin. Please give my regards to Mercury Rose. The poetry collection she requested will be delivered to the company tomorrow."

"Ah, thank you so much, Commander. My sister will definitely want to thank you in person later."

Nemokin bowed again and then stepped aside. She knew that Lovan didn't want Ange to argue with her there, and besides, the Commander had brought her sister some good news today.

"Try not to think too much about the past; things are different now."

"I try my best......"

Ange glanced to the side, but her impatience was still hard to conceal. There was nothing she could do; their past conflicts had reached a point of life and death, and besides, she and the Rebellious Squad had suffered many setbacks under Paradis. Now, the sudden need to shake hands and make peace was naturally difficult to accept.

Furthermore, given Paradis's modus operandi, if Lofan were to claim that Paradis has reformed and is now operating as a legitimate company within White Eagle, Ange would absolutely not believe it. Paradis is completely devoid of any semblance of legitimacy; at most, it's just not as reckless as before...

"..."

Luo Fan glanced at An Jie's expression, silently pressed the button for the sixteenth floor. Judging from her state, it was best to avoid contact with Morito and the others; it was better to avoid trouble.

I'll just meet the ship girls, get to know them, have a couple of drinks, and then I can prepare to go back to the quarantine area.

Hey~

Luo Fan adjusted his smile, ready to greet the ship girls with a safe return, but the seventh person standing near the bar froze his smile on his face.

There were actually eight customers at the bar. Pascal was no big deal, being an old friend of Angela's, but surprisingly, Gray was also there.

Pascal was the first to notice the movement in the elevator and chuckled, "Yo, Commander, long time no see, and...Ange?"

Pascal's greeting was welcomed by the girls, but Gray's gaze remained fixed on Angela, his expression cold and aloof.

Faced with the girls' enthusiasm, Luo Fan could only give a stiff reply. At this moment, his attention was entirely focused on An Jie beside him. He could only say that it was a good thing that An Jie didn't have a weapon in her hand, otherwise he was really afraid that she would pull out a gun immediately.

"Looks like there's a rather unlikable 'friend' here..."

As Angela's low, threatening voice rang out, everyone realized that something was amiss and turned to look at the two rivals at the table. Pascal understood the root of the conflict almost instantly, but the ship girls remained completely unaware.

Gray remained silent in response to Ange's harsh words, and then stood up...

"Excuse me, Commander, perhaps I should excuse myself for now."

She walked straight past the two people and chose to leave. Anjie only glanced at her before turning her attention back to the bar.

......

Only after Gray had indeed left the sixteenth floor did the two sit down at the bar, where Eugen prepared drinks for everyone. Overnight, she had figured out how to get around the place and could find any drink they wanted immediately.

Jiang Feng looked An Jie up and down, then took a sip of sparkling wine: "It seems there are some long-standing conflicts that haven't been resolved."

“Indeed, it could even be described as enemies meeting,” Pascal shrugged and said with a wry smile, “Why didn’t you say you were coming? I should have kept Gray out of the way.”

Luo Fan pursed his lips, somewhat embarrassed: "I didn't mean to surprise you. Who knew you guys would come here to relax during work hours?"