Girls' Frontline: My Apocalypse with Dolls

Page 202

Luo Fan's smile faded slightly, but he still nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we all come dressed in dazzling splendor, but most of us leave dressed in bleakness."

This is a cruel world, but it is also a beautiful world, whether it's the world of Girls' Frontline, the real world, or the unknown world he's in now.

"But that's who we are, tactical androids or unsung humans, we're all the same..."

The two looked at Mondragon beside them in a daze, never imagining that she, who was always so rational, would say something so emotional.

At this moment, she remained expressionless, but there seemed to be a faint sigh emanating from her.

But perhaps this is a good thing, for someone like Mondragon...

It was desolate and deserted, chilling to the bone, quiet and secluded. Because the place was too serene to stay long, I recorded it and left.

Perhaps this is the situation now: quiet and secluded, filled with a melancholy atmosphere. Because the environment here is too desolate to stay for long, I left after noting down the scenery.

Lofan felt the same way; gazing at the scene for too long inevitably stirred up emotions, so he memorized the beautiful view and then took Barrett's hand as they returned to the bar.

"Oh, right, speaking of which, we're opening our bar today, so let's put up the sign first."

Remembering this, Luo Fan quickly returned to the door and hung the "Open for Business" sign on the handrail of the classic wooden door. As the cold wind blew into the bar, he subconsciously gasped.

After handing the bread he had brought down from upstairs to Mondragon, Lovan returned to Barrett, who was already sitting at the bar.

"Have some vodka to warm yourself up."

I took down the Snow Tree Vodka from the top of the liquor cabinet and filled my and the other person's glasses.

This is a vodka with an extremely strong spicy flavor. It has a very noticeable warming effect when drunk in winter, and according to 16 Pigeons, Tactical Dolls can also feel the warmth when they drink it.

"Here, this is vodka. It's very strong, so don't drink it too fast, or you might not be able to handle it."

Lovan pushed his glass toward Barrett and raised his own.

Barrett echoed this sentiment: "I've heard of this wine before, but this is my first time trying it. Maybe it'll be more palatable than I expect?"

"Then I'll wait and see."

The two men clinked their glasses together and then drank the colorless, transparent vodka from their glasses.

To be honest, Luo Fan himself didn't dare to drink a glass of vodka in one gulp; the feeling was really hard for him to accept, although that didn't mean vodka didn't taste good.

But... are tactical dolls not only physically gifted, but also have superhuman alcohol tolerance?

Barrett downed the vodka in one gulp, and in the end, he just let out a long sigh...

P.S.: I'm trying to control the pace and length of my daily posts. I'm a little worried that if I write too much, it will be considered as padding. However, the main storyline can't be pushed forward that quickly in the short term, so I'm trying to balance it out. I hope everyone can be more understanding.

266 guests

"not bad."

Lofan praised Barrett's drinking capacity, noting that even he couldn't down a bottle of vodka in one gulp. Not everyone could match the level of the executioner, so Barrett could be considered one of them.

The other person responded with a gentle smile and pushed the empty glass back in front of Luo Fan: "I've attended quite a few banquets before, but my alcohol tolerance is something that surprised even myself..."

But, just as he said, the drink did indeed warm the body, even for tactical dolls.

Lovan put the vodka back in the liquor cabinet, washed and stored the two used glasses, and then made a phone call.

It's still morning, after all; drinking too much strong alcohol isn't good for your health...

This call was made to M4 upstairs.

"Hello, Commander, what's up?"

M4's voice came through the phone, sounding a little hoarse, as if he hadn't fully recovered from just waking up.

"It's nothing serious, I just want you to keep an eye on M16 and the others, and make sure they don't drink all the alcohol here. I'm worried they might clean out the whole cabinet while I'm not around, so I'd like to trouble you to keep an eye on them."

"Understood. I will manage them strictly. If they want to drink alcohol, I will ask for your permission."

"OK, thank you for your help."

After the call ended, Luo Fan put his phone back in his pocket, seemingly even showing a sense of relaxation in his expression.

Barrett didn't quite understand why Lovan reacted this way...

"Commander, why put M4 in charge of the drinking? Don't you have plenty of supplies in your cabinet?"

Judging from the neatly arranged wine cabinet behind Lovan, Barrett did not sense any shortage of inventory.

Luo Fan shook his head: "The inventory isn't a big problem, it's just that I left two bottles of liquor on the bar last night so they could drink as much as they wanted before bed, but when I checked just now, not only were those two bottles gone, but half of the canned beer in the freezer was also missing..."

As he spoke, he glanced at the slightly dim liquor cabinet from the daytime. Luo Fan still couldn't understand it. There were only seven people in the bar before he returned to his room, including three seasoned drinkers like 16 Pigeon, Executioner, and Alchemist. But finishing half a cabinet of beer was still far too much...

Therefore, in order to prevent such situations from occurring too often, he must implement some countermeasures.

"Oh......"

Barrett, who hadn't witnessed this "spectacle" firsthand, nodded as if he understood but not quite.

Everything returned to normal. Lovan sat idly behind the bar, waiting with Barrett for the first customers of the day, while Mondragon still stood in front of the bar, looking at the snow outside, seemingly with no intention of leaving for the time being.

"Um, Miss Mondragon, come up here for a moment, I need to help you choose a room!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw SAT8 standing on the stairs leading to the second floor, shouting at Mondragon in front of the door.

The icy-cold girl in front of the door glanced back, then left with the owner of the voice without any hesitation.

The girls were all upstairs doing their own things, so right now, only Lofan and Barrett were in the bar.

Seeing that there were no customers and it was pointless to just sit there, Barrett decided to take the initiative to start a conversation.

"Commander, if you're just running a small bar now, does that mean we won't need to participate in any more combat missions?"

She gently stroked Luo Fan's free arm, seemingly savoring the lingering warmth...

The man scrolling through his phone glanced at her, looking somewhat dazed, and shook his head.

"No, there will be combat missions to participate in later, and I will personally participate in the combat then. Right now, it's vacation time, let's talk about it after this period."

The man took out a bottle of fresh orange juice and poured a full glass for himself and the other person.

Barrett took the orange, still puzzled: "Didn't you always command from the rear? Why are you suddenly going to participate in the battle personally?"

"It's my job, and there are some things that I need to witness firsthand and make judgments about."

In other words, Luo Fan himself also has the ability to fight. Regardless of whether he can play a decisive role, he will at least not be a burden. Moreover, he needs to see things for himself before he can make a judgment, especially in the mission to return to the quarantine zone. Perhaps many things are not as the girls see them, and he will have to judge based on what he sees.

Machines are more precise than humans, but perhaps less complex. This is one of the weaknesses of women; sometimes, only humans can truly understand them...

Luo Fan smiled and gently stroked Barrett's delicate hand, whispering, "Don't worry, I can take care of myself. Everything else will be fine as usual."

Seemingly worried that the other party's doubts would not be dispelled, Luo Fan met Barrett's red eyes with his own.

Resolute yet gentle, possessing a calming power that surpasses all weak and feeble words.

"Well, I believe you."

She is Barrett. She never questions her commander and resolutely carries out all his will, whether others see it as blind loyalty or fanaticism.

Regardless of right or wrong, good or evil...

"Since that's what the commander intends, then go ahead and do it. No matter what the future holds, Barrett will always stand by your side."

"Then I'll pray that the day comes when you stand in front of me never will."

Luo Fan made an untimely little joke, but it was indeed what he was thinking.

"If you need me, I will stand before you."

How could Barrett not understand what the other party meant? On the battlefield, standing in front of the commander has several implications, and she can do it all.

What Luo Fan hoped for was naturally not the last option, and neither was she...

"Alright, the topic has inexplicably become heavy. Let's just wait for the guests... Oh, by the way, don't call me Commander outside. Just call me by my name, 'Lofan'."

"Ok."

I can't very well have the girls call me Commander in front of outsiders, that would be too weird...

Before long, the bell in front of the bar rang, and a gust of cold wind swept into the bar, indicating that customers had arrived.

but......

"why you?"

PS: Double updates will resume tomorrow.

267 Reunion

Although the bar was just for fun, Luo Fan still hoped to meet some friendly customers who would become repeat customers. However, the first customer who came in didn't seem to be the one he really wanted to meet...

"Hmm~ Sir, we meet again. Are you happy?"

Black hair, gray skirt, red hem – exactly the same as when we met at the Wilder Mall, except for the gray coat and black and white checkered scarf.

Luo Fan's expression darkened slightly, but out of respect for women, he tried his best not to furrow his brows.

“I’m not very happy, but I don’t dislike it either. After all, you are the first guest here, Miss Rosalia.”

"Should I start to look forward to it?"

At this moment, Barrett looked at Lofan, who had a forced smile, and the young lady whom the commander called Rosalia, who was raising her eyebrows and the corners of her mouth. He felt a little puzzled. Did these two know each other?

However, due to her identity and habits, she chose to sit obediently on the bar chair and did not participate in the conversation between the two.

Rosalia, completely at ease, untied her scarf and sat down at the bar, watching the man who was about to get busy with his work with a subtle look in her eyes.

The atmosphere at the scene was somewhat awkward. Logically speaking, Luo Fan wasn't particularly interested in this unfamiliar woman; in fact, he felt a strange sense of threat from her. Despite her beautiful appearance and unique temperament, her annoying smile and the way she only said half of what she meant made him really want to punch her in the face.

But since they're guests, we still need to treat them well...

"Want something to drink?"

After ending the pointless conversation, Luo Fan began doing the work of a bartender.

Without changing her smile, Rosalia said softly, "I prefer something richer and stronger. If possible, I hope it can give me that feeling of imbalance. Of course, it's not that I don't like other types of alcohol. Whatever you like~"

"..."

Luo Fan glanced at it with a somewhat speechless expression, then turned to look at the neatly arranged wine cabinet.

"After all that, he just talked a bunch of nonsense and told me to improvise..." Luo Fan thought to himself, but he still silently searched for the types of wine the other party liked.

Rich, intense, unbalanced...

Perhaps you could try this...

"Jamaican-style rum, XO cognac, 3/4 oz Cointreau, fresh lemon juice..."

Add all ingredients to ice and shake well in a shaker. Then strain into a chilled saucer. No garnish is required.

"The style you're looking for, rich and intense, is what this drink is called 'Between the Bed'."

This is another extreme recipe, unlike the traditional "bedtime" drinks, which are usually rich and fragrant with a moderate spiciness, suitable as a bedtime drink. However, Lovan used Jamaican-style rum and XO cognac to achieve the effect described by Rosalia. Of course, the actual effect should be judged by the tasters.

Rosalia took the wine glass that was pushed in front of her, her smile seeming to widen even further: "Between the Bedchamber, what a fine name, isn't it?"

"Hmm, maybe. Anyway, I didn't come up with this name. This drink is just meant to be drunk before bed."

Luo Fan initially wanted to go along with the other party's slightly suggestive joke, but seeing Barrett's face gradually darkening beside him, Luo Fan chose a relatively conservative approach.

Although Barrett is very obedient, he still needs to be more mindful of certain boundaries...

Rosalia wasn't annoyed by the other person's "lack of romance." Out of respect for the other person's hard work, she naturally picked up the glass of wine and slowly drank it down her throat.

Luxurious, intense, and extremely unbalanced—that's perhaps the most fitting description. Trying to describe its flavor in detail would probably be pointless.

"Very good wine, perfectly meeting my needs. Your skills are excellent, Mr. Luo Fan."

"Oh, thank you for the compliment."

The smiling man wiped his hands with a damp cloth, trying his best not to focus his attention on the other person.

Damn, this feeling of familiarity is just too strong...

This shouldn't be happening. Luo Fan checked several times; he was certain he didn't know the girl named Rosalia Frieden in front of him, but...

This sense of familiarity doesn't seem to come from something as simple as memory; it's more like an affinity between some kind of creatures, seemingly not stemming from personal preferences or past memories.

"Miss Rosalia, did we really know each other, or am I the only one who has forgotten?"

Luo Fan, who had insisted that he absolutely did not know the other party, was beginning to waver. Apart from the inexplicable doubts, there was a throbbing pain that lingered in his mind.

The sense of familiarity was so strong, so strong, that it was like... a child who ran away from home, whose parents could still recognize them at a glance even after twenty years.