Chapter 3, Journey Vodka
It is unclear whether it is merely for show or if the owner of this shuttle truly has a penchant for fine spirits. The wine cabinet is stocked with a diverse and high-quality selection. Zhang Songlan retrieved a large bottle of vodka, a bottle of champagne suitable for women, sugar cubes, and flavoring. He also ordered a slice of lemon from the automatic food supply channel. Before long, a champagne cocktail adorned with sugar and flavoring, garnished with lemon, was placed in front of the young woman, its effervescent amber hue sufficient to capture the attention of most young girls.
"Ah, a Russian ethnic person, no wonder." Upon hearing this label-like name, Zhang Songlan couldn't help but smile wryly. The Russian ethnic group's cold resistance and drinking ability are well-known among all female stars. Competing in drinking with a Russian, even if she is a woman, means that as a Han Chinese, he is already at a significant genetic disadvantage.
"Ew..." The girl clicked her tongue, "I can't believe you like something with such a strange taste. Have your taste buds completely died?"
It takes ten hours... Zhang Songlan, who was made restless by the silence, opened the video terminal, and the first thing retrieved was the official news channel of Elanburg.
Before Zhang Songlan could revel in his triumph for five seconds, the girl snatched the glass of vodka from his hand and filled it to the brim for herself, then without any hesitation, poured it directly into her mouth
Ah... was the judgment wrong? Zhang Songlan silently lamented the missed opportunity, pouring herself a small glass of strong vodka to place on the heating pad, then resolutely adding sugar to it.
The girl did not respond, and Zhang Songlan noticed her eyebrows twitching
Oh... then let me continue... where was I?" Zhang Songlan scratched his head, "Ah, right, the Peace Officer! I didn't expect that the free students of the Peace Officer would also be assigned forcibly, just with a bit more choice in locations. They still have to charge us for the future boss of our Peace - Map - Book, taking away the wages that originally belonged to us. It seems they plan to treat us as commodities to recoup their investment after we graduate. How can they still dare to call themselves a military academy that maintains peace? In reality, how are they any different from human traffickers? It's really... really..."
She is also one of the free trainees, and the cost of the free training at the Peace Officer Academy, which covers their living expenses for four years, is a contract. Regardless of whether the recruiting organization hires these graduates, they will pay a substantial sum to the school as an entry fee. Signing a contract with free trainees also involves a significant amount of money. If they are hired, the organization only needs to provide reasonable living resources for the graduates to utilize them for free for four years. If they are not hired, the graduates are free, and the school does not offer any refunds—of course, no organization would be foolish enough to incur such a loss. This contract is certified by the Virgo United Banking System, and no trainee would dare to violate it. Breaching the contract means losing access to the interstellar accounts provided by the United Banking System forever. Those without interstellar accounts would have to go to the black market and pay a high price just to buy a loaf of bread.
Hello! Zhang Songlan thought the other party was just sulking and quickly tried to dissuade them, as he did not want to take care of a drunken stranger.
Did you just mess with me? It took the girl a full five minutes to regain her ability to speak. She wiped her tears and, with somewhat unclear speech, angrily said.
The support fleet of this group is anchored outside the controlled airspace of Elan Fortress, and it is expected to take ten hours to arrive. The lounge is equipped with automatic food and beverage supplies, and the video terminal can receive local interstellar channel programs. Please make yourselves comfortable. The voice of the pilot came through the in-flight broadcast
Unfortunately, Zhang Songlan's meticulous preparation completely failed to attract the attention of the girls
Who knows that after downing a glass of 50-degree pure liquor, one can remain unflushed and calm, and even mimic Zhang Songlan's gesture of raising the glass in retaliation. Compared to Zhang Songlan's cheating method of suppressing the spiciness with sugar cubes and heating to evaporate the alcohol, the petite girl indeed embodies a more "manly" spirit than this so-called man.
Ah... I forgot to mention. Zhang Songlan slapped his forehead and handed a slice of cut lemon to the girl, saying, "Chew on this after swallowing it."
"Well, it's just a matter of personal taste." Zhang Songlan turned the bottom of the empty wine glass towards the girl
Lilia put away her wine glass and placed it on the bar, finding a comfortable corner to lie down. The journey should still take a few hours, and she needed to take a short nap to recharge. Although she was certain she would pass the interview, the outcome could determine whether she would be a commander or a subordinate in this mercenary group. It is always more satisfying to command others than to be commanded.
"How could this be?" Zhang Songlan said, feeling wronged as she spread her hands. "If you weren't interested, shouldn't the one who was supposed to drink the wine be me? Why should I sacrifice myself for someone I have never met and have no grievances with? If I can't handle strong liquor, I shouldn't force myself to accept it."
"A man's drink?" the girl scoffed.
The girl forced herself to swallow the alcohol despite the discomfort, quickly stuffing a lemon into her mouth to chew. The sudden clash of the spicy and sweet aftertaste surged into the intense sourness of the fresh lemon, provoking tears to flow from her eyes.
Lilia tapped her chin and picked up a dried plum to toss into her mouth
"Vodka is a man's drink, isn't it?" Zhang Songlan said proudly while playing with the cup
As Liliya began to feel a sense of shared suffering in her heart, Zhang Songlan had already started to draw maps with his saliva on the dining table, his snoring gradually rising.
In the following hours, the two spent their time drinking alcohol from the same cup and engaging in casual conversation. Although it was called casual conversation, most of the time it was Zhang Songlan rambling on about various topics, while Liliya, who was not fond of talking, mostly responded to Zhang Songlan's questions with a few words—sometimes simply nodding or shaking her head, her eyes never leaving the brilliant starry sky outside. Zhang Songlan showed no signs of discouragement or dissatisfaction; he did not care about the reactions of the person accompanying him or even who that person was. He was merely bored and sought a means to pass the time. Fortunately, as people drink, they tend to talk more, so he continued to chatter on in this one-sided manner, fortunate to have encountered a quiet listener who preferred to let others' words drift by like the wind.
Uh... Zhang Songlan's face turned red; he had placed too much importance on common sense and thus misunderstood the girl's meaning. He had spoken too confidently just now and could only swallow the bitter fruit of his own words.
The girl's complexion began to change dramatically; her face first flushed with a hint of enjoyment before turning pale. The alcoholic syrup lingered in her mouth, neither able to spit it out nor willing to swallow it. She glared at Zhang Songlan, who wore a satisfied smile, as if Zhang Songlan were deliberately tormenting her.
As if to prove himself to the girl, Zhang Songlan prepared a drink in the glass that the girl had used and downed it with a very refreshing and exhilarating expression, showing no hint of any pretense in his emotions
Zhang Songlan seemed unable to find appropriate adjectives, mumbling for a long time without anyone clearly hearing what he was saying, and gradually even the sound of his mumbling faded away
"Unwilling to pay attention to me yet willing to drink?" Zhang Songlan made such a one-sided judgment and began rummaging through the wine cabinet
Zhang Songlan filled the wine glass again and resolutely added sugar to it. Since the other party could drink, and he himself hadn't indulged in a long time, he simply decided to pour freely. That kid Haines only knew about dark beer, and drinking with him while looking at pictures was really dull.
Gudu
He is truly a person that one cannot like no matter what
"... ... Impressive." Zhang Songlan was stunned, standing there with his mouth agape for quite some time, unable to close it.
The girl faced Zhang Songlan for the first time, glancing at the steaming cup of wine and then at Zhang Songlan, who wore a kind smile. She picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one go
What they see is not the true image, but rather an optical regeneration of the light captured by external monitors and transmitted onto a window-shaped projection screen. In interstellar-level piloting operations, the observational range of the human eye is negligible. No spacecraft design expert would sacrifice safety by intentionally installing windows that compromise structural integrity.
"That classmate, would you like something to drink?" Zhang Songlan pretended to raise his cup and smiled at the girl sitting by the window, staring blankly at the cosmic scenery.
High-proof spirits like vodka are typically consumed in a single gulp without any other method of drinking. Zhang Songlan once had the curious Hines try this way of drinking, but unfortunately, he only dipped his tongue in and then spat it out. Today, encountering a kindred spirit in this unfamiliar place brings Zhang Songlan great comfort
Zhang Songlan suddenly noticed the girl's stern almond-shaped eyes glaring intensely in the direction of his wine glass, and her delicate nostrils couldn't help but twitch.
So you don't like low-alcohol beverages. Zhang Songlan suddenly realized this and wisely pushed the heating pad in front of the girl, saying, "Give it a try; I personally think it tastes quite good"
Elanburg is merely a small autonomous planet, with most news focusing on finance and entertainment. The people of Elanburg are indifferent to politics and military matters, as their concern is futile; if war were to reach this planet, their likely response would be to raise a white flag in surrender and continue living their lives much as before. Zhang Song, after just five minutes of watching, began to yawn out of boredom. He switched to a nostalgic music channel and walked over to the empty bar, retrieving two wine glasses and a seat heater.
"Alright, I concede. May I ask for your esteemed name? Since we have all shared a drink, we can consider ourselves friends, so asking for a name should be acceptable." The awkward Zhang Songlan clasped his hands in a gesture of submission.
Although you already know, Zhang Songlan, I look forward to your guidance
This is Zhang Songlan's uniquely created drinking method, and there are probably very few individuals in the entire universe who would so recklessly waste vodka. A large amount of sugar cubes dissolves in a small quantity of heated vodka, causing the clear liquid to transform into a syrupy consistency reminiscent of cough syrup within seconds. The alcoholic vapor, mingled with the cloying sweetness of the sugar, wafts above the rim of the glass, creating a peculiar aroma that tantalizes the olfactory senses of the two individuals.
Liliya glanced sideways, her gaze no longer as cold as it had been when she first encountered Zhang Songlan
Lilia Solomatin. The girl placed the wine glass back in front of Zhang Songlan
As the shuttle took off, the built-in anti-gravity matrix allowed the personnel inside to avoid the immense G-forces experienced during atmospheric departure. The two individuals sitting in the lounge only realized that the shuttle had left the planet Elanburg when they noticed the changing scenery outside the window
Originally, I did not intend to apply to a military school, which is such a troublesome place. However, my home planet is at war, and I got separated from my family. When I escaped, I only had enough money for a boat ticket. I looked around and saw that the only places in the entire universe that provide food and shelter without charge, aside from prisons, are the military. I did not want to directly enlist as a soldier in any country, so I applied for a position as a peace officer. At that time, I had no idea that peace officers were so well-known; I stumbled into the exam, otherwise I might still be enjoying myself somewhere else now. I looked around and saw that the only places in the entire universe that provide food and shelter without charge, aside from prisons, are the military. I did not want to directly enlist as a soldier in any country, so I applied for a position as a peace officer. At that time, I had no idea that peace officers were so well-known; I stumbled into the exam, otherwise I might still be enjoying myself somewhere else now. Hey, Liliya, are you listening to me?