Eight thirty in the evening.

Sear City, second floor living area.

At Roger's invitation, Meng Lei simply packed up and came to the agreed meeting place.

What surprised Meng Lei was that the place Roger chose was not a meeting place such as a restaurant or a hotel, but Roger's home.

In such a place, Meng Lei felt more and more that Roger's behavior was strange everywhere.

Generally speaking, until the relationship between two people is good to a certain extent, they generally do not invite each other to be a guest at home.

In particular, a relationship like the one between Roger and Meng Lei is not even a friend.

It is undoubtedly a bit abrupt to invite the other party to the house rashly.

Of course, it may be that the folk culture of the Tia people does not pay attention to these things, and inviting guests to their homes is just a manifestation of attention.

In this regard, Meng Lei was puzzled, carrying two gifts in his hand, and walked towards the direction of Building 12 in District C.

Kyushu has been a country of etiquette since ancient times, and it is definitely the benchmark of Blue Star's diplomatic circle in terms of human and etiquette culture.

It's the first time you go to the other party's house, so you can't do it empty-handed, right?

The last time I was in Roger's office, I saw that he seemed to be very interested in Bomb Pomegranate Tea. Meng Lei bought a box on the way.

In addition, the gift does not send a single.

Besides, he also bought a pack of Ulu tea.

It is said that this tea is a specialty of the first sea center.

It has been transported here, spanning tens of thousands of kilometers of sea area, which can be regarded as a relatively precious luxury.

The two servings of tea, estimated to be less than half a catty, cost Meng Lei nearly 30,000 marks!

This is even after the discount is over!

If you buy the full amount, you can redeem most of the G-class exploration boats!

The money was spent, and Meng Lei's body ached every time he took a step.

In fact, he didn't actually want to buy such an expensive gift, but there really isn't anything more cost-effective in the gift shop in the business district of Xier City.

Add Roger's identity and status, as well as Meng Lei's own identity and status.

Taiji's gift is really too hard to come by, and sending it out is not enough to lose the people of the Chongming fleet!

Anyway, Meng Lei is also the commander-in-chief of a thousand-person fleet now, so he can't come to the door with two cigarettes, the pattern is too small, and it makes people laugh.

Therefore, Meng Lei could only reluctantly dig his pockets.

All the way along the cold and wet rocky ground, we continue to go deeper into the building complex of the second-floor living area.

The c area of ​​the living area of ​​Xiercheng belongs to a relatively top luxury residential area.

In the extremely limited living space in the deep sea, every place that can be settled can be said to be an inch of land and an inch of gold, which is not an exaggeration at all.

In Zone C, almost every building is an independent apartment building and villa.

In other areas, it is a unified and neat row of simple houses.

It is not the first time that Meng Lei has come here in the C area of ​​the living area. He was also present when the heads of the major fleets held a joint meeting last time.

The secret joint location jointly leased by the major fleets is in Building 68 in Zone C.

The weekly regular meeting that was jointly set at the beginning, now more than a week has passed, I am afraid that the second meeting has ended.

As for the content of the meeting, Meng Lei hasn't had time to ask Chen Yu yet.

For these chores, we can only wait for Roger's affairs for the time being, and then go to Chen Yu to find out.

Meng Lei walked quickly, following the building numbers on the gates of the single-family buildings stacked on top of each other, and without going too far, he found 12 buildings in Area C.

This is a luxurious villa with exquisite decoration and environment.

Although the scale of the building is not taller than the four-story building jointly leased by the major fleets, it is full of nobility and elegance that are completely inconsistent with this deep-sea environment.

Red and white succulents, like colorful moss, are clinging and intertwined in flower pots made of special materials, forming a beautiful and colorful gardening landscape, like a flower bush that completely surrounds the entire villa .

Only the central part leading to the gate leaves a path among flowers paved with dark gravel, leading directly to the gate of the villa.

A slender old woman, with a dark scarf wrapped around her head, was staggering through the flowers, taking care of those precious and amazing flowers.

It seemed that she was the gardener here.

Meng Lei stood outside the villa and looked up at the number on the villa's house number. Between his nose, there was a faint sweet and pungent fragrance lingering.

He was stunned, unable to help himself.

Before that, he had never imagined that Roger's mansion was so luxurious and stunning, which refreshed his understanding.

At a certain moment, he suddenly had an illusion, as if he had returned to Blue Star.

Back to the sunny, warm spring season.

Of course, this illusion is only fleeting.

Meng Lei took a deep breath, cleared the messy thoughts from his mind, coughed lightly, stepped forward, and politely asked the old gardener:

"Excuse me, is this Roger's house?"

Hearing Meng Lei's voice, the old woman with a dark scarf on her head slowly turned around.

With a typical hooked nose and deep-set eyes, the old gardener looked a bit like a witch from the Middle Ages, with a seemingly kind but mysterious smile on his face.

She stared at Meng Lei for two seconds, then nodded, and said in a hoarse voice:

"Yes, do you have anything to do with him?"

Meng Lei stepped forward with a smile and replied:

"Roger asked me to come here, old man, could you please give me a briefing?"

Gardener, servant or housekeeper? Or, is it an elder?

Meng Lei couldn't figure out the identity of the old woman, and it was inconvenient to push the door in too abruptly, so he politely made a request.

"Oh, wait a minute."

The old woman nodded, moved staggeringly, came to the door of the villa, pushed the door and walked in.

After a while, the metal door was pushed open from the inside again.

With a smile on his face, the gentle Roger warmly greeted Meng Lei.

"Oh, Captain Meng, my friend, it's great to see you again!"

Roger opened his arms, strode forward, and hugged Meng Lei's arm tightly. He looked enthusiastic, as if he had met an old friend he hadn't seen for many years.

"Long time no see, Director Luo!"

Meng Lei responded with a smile.

Roger blinked, the silver frame reflected a strange light under the dazzling light.

"Let's go, I've prepared some tea for you, let's talk in the room."

With that said, Roger was about to pull Meng Lei over and lead him to the luxurious mansion.

It was not until this time that he realized that Meng Lei was actually carrying something in his hand.

"You are..."

A look of doubt appeared on the handsome face, and Roger seemed to be a little confused.

Meng Lei smiled and said:

"The first time I came to visit, it was a bit abrupt, and I didn't have time to prepare. With a little thought, I hope that Director Luo will not see outsiders."

Hearing this, Roger's eyes widened immediately. Obviously, this kind of meeting ceremony is not a kind of alien etiquette culture.

But for Meng Lei's behavior, Roger showed considerable surprise and surprise, and hurriedly said:

"Captain Meng is really too polite. I invite you to be a guest. How can I make you spend money? This... Hey, I'm really embarrassed!"

After finishing speaking, Roger took Meng Lei's arm in one hand, and said as he walked with more enthusiasm than before:

"Come on, let's go into the house and talk about it."

Walking along the unique road paved with dark gravel, the two came to the gate of the villa.

At this time, the old woman just opened the door and stood aside, and Roger made a gesture of invitation to Meng Lei.

"Please come in!"

Meng Lei nodded slightly, then walked into the hall on the first floor.

As far as the eye can see, the decoration on the first floor of the villa is quite luxurious and impressive.

The spacious environment layout and high ceilings make the interior of the villa very atmospheric.

A glittering glazed chandelier hanging down on the ceiling, with a large number of unknown creature skeletons in the surrounding corners and exquisite bones, and the gem-like inlaid on the black wallpaper, embellished with a sense of stars in the sky. Transparent decoration, all bring out a deep nobility and elegance.

Looking around at the decoration style, Meng Lei sighed:

"Director Luo's house is really impressive, it's extraordinary, it's an eye-opener!"

Roger followed Meng Lei and walked in, smiled indifferently and said:

"Everywhere, it's just ordinary decorations. These things are very common in Alien. Although they look beautiful, they lack practicality. Few people make houses like this.

That is, my daughter likes it, otherwise, I wouldn't be so fancy. "

Meng Lei was a little surprised when he heard the words. He didn't know until now that Roger still had a daughter.

Keeping this information in mind, Meng Lei didn't say much.

After a brief visit, the two of them didn't stay too long in the lobby on the first floor. This is obviously not the place to talk about things.

Under the leadership of Roger, the two walked straight to the third floor of the villa through the spiral staircase.

In front of a door at the end of the corridor, Roger stopped, opened the door and said to Meng Lei:

"This is my study, please come in!"

Meng Lei nodded slightly and stepped in.

I found that the huge room was very clean and tidy, and like Roger's office, the decoration was very simple.

In addition to the sofa and coffee table against the wall, there is only a desk and a huge dust-proof bookcase.

And, a safe in the corner of the room.

"sit!"

After entering the room, Roger motioned for Meng Lei to sit down on the sofa, and then began to boil water to make tea.

Meng Lei put the gift in his hand on the corner of the coffee table, and immediately sat down on the sofa without being polite.

"This time, I was able to sabotage the conspiracy of the separatist organization and seize the mastermind behind the Rongyan outpost incident. Captain Meng has made great contributions. On behalf of the alliance, I would like to thank Captain Meng again for his great help in this incident!"

While the water was boiling, Roger made a polite remark after taking a seat opposite Meng Lei.

Meng Lei smiled and shook his head, humbly said:

"Director Luo's words are serious, and I just happened to catch up. I can't bear to see such a bad terrorist attack by the other party, but any alien citizen with a sense of justice will not sit idly by if you think about it."

Meng Lei bit the word "Alien Citizen" very hard, and invisibly brought his identity to the side of the alliance.

Even if you have a citizen ID card, it means you are already a member of the Alien Alliance.

And as long as you live in the sea area under the jurisdiction of the alliance and enjoy the resource supply provided by the alliance, it also becomes equivalent to the identity of the alien citizen by default.

However, what he said in his own mouth had a different meaning.

Meng Lei tried to use a little word play to express his position in a subtle way.

Even for him personally, he didn't want to take the initiative to join any party, and he didn't want to deliberately please anyone.

But after all, the other party is a senior official of the alliance. At this time, stating their position will help the next negotiation.

However, Roger did not show much difference to Meng Lei's careful thinking.

It seemed that he didn't notice it, and he seemed to be indifferent to Meng Lei's attitude toward the alliance.

He still had that warm expression with a hint of gentleness, raised his hand to support the frame, and then nodded,

With a symbolic look of approval, he glanced at Meng Lei and said:

"Captain Meng's spirit is indeed commendable. If every alien citizen can have a high awareness like you, the stability of the alien society will no longer be a headache for the alliance!"

Meng Lei smiled slightly, but did not answer.

He was a little surprised by Roger's attitude.

It seems that the other party is not as satisfied with the behavior of his own position as he imagined.

"Is it because he saw that my wordplay was too deliberate, so he was so determined? Or, is this guy who doesn't care if I'm biased towards the alliance?"

Shallow doubts flashed in my mind,

Meng Lei's expression did not change, and he still had a professional smile on his face.

At this time, Roger spoke again:

"In fact, the reward provided to you by the alliance this time is far less than the danger of the mission itself and the gains you bring to the alliance.

The price of a class submarine is only 150,000 marks, but you have to face the interception of the E-class frigate sent by the mastermind behind the scenes!

It can be said that this is a life-threatening mission. The reward of 150,000 marks and honorable reputation is not proportional to the difficulty of the mission. This is also something that the alliance has not considered before.

Later, the military found out through on-site investigation what you experienced at that time.

In this regard, on behalf of the league, I express my regrets to you. "

Hearing this, Meng Lei's heart suddenly beat, and the feeling of strangeness and doubt became stronger and stronger.

The reward for the task was set at that time, and the two sides reached an agreement on this.

Afterwards, he didn't make any demands on his side. Roger was superfluous. Why did he suddenly mention this matter?

Is it possible that you want to pay extra? !

How is this possible, there are still people who would be willing to take such a big head?

Meng Lei never believed that the pie fell from the sky. The harvest of the previous batch of eggs was actually inevitable.

Now Roger's words seem to be cheap, but Meng Lei thinks that this cheap may not be so easy to take.

After making up his mind, Meng Lei said calmly:

"The situation at that time was indeed dangerous, but since we have reached an agreement on the cooperation intention in advance, I will strictly abide by the commitment and will never backtrack.

Director Luo, since this matter is over, forget it. "

Roger gave Meng Lei a slightly surprised look, as if surprised by his reaction.

But immediately Roger's expression returned to normal, and then nodded again and again, applauding:

"Captain Meng's noble qualities are rare these days. It's really admirable!"

After a pause, Roger said again:

"However, I only represent myself, and I promise you here for the mistakes of the alliance. No matter what troubles you encounter in the future, you can come to me! To the best of my ability, I will provide you with comprehensive help to Thank you for your great contribution to promoting peace in the alien society!"

Meng Lei suppressed the doubts in his heart, smiled and said:

"Then I'll thank Director Luo first!"

Then he asked again:

"I don't know what is the matter with Director Luo looking for me this time?"

Gossip chat for a long time, paving the way is almost the same.

Meng Lei felt that it was time to get to the point and let Roger express his intentions.

Roger smiled slightly, waved his hand and said:

"Nothing special, just a simple chat. I think Captain Meng is a very capable talent and just wants to make friends with you."

Meng Lei smiled and said, "Aren't we always friends?"

Even so, he couldn't help but murmur in his heart:

"I believe you are a ghost! There is no truth in the mouth of the official!"

After the first meeting, there was no contact between the two sides for a week.

An accident happened at the Rongyan outpost, and after he led the team to complete the mission requested by the alliance, he suddenly became enthusiastic.

If you want to make friends, why did you go early?

Regarding Roger's words, Meng Lei didn't believe even a single punctuation mark, but he was very patient, changed his sitting position to a more comfortable position, and looked at Roger with a smile.

Hearing Meng Lei's answer, Roger laughed, leaned forward and patted Meng Lei's shoulder, saying happily:

"Captain Meng, you are right, we have always been friends!"

At this time, the sound of the boiling water boiling sounded in the room.

The water is on.

Roger got up and took out two cups from the tea cabinet, and opened another delicately carved tea tin.

From the packaging point of view, the value of this tin of tea is only higher than the gift that Meng Lei had just spent a lot of money on.

Roger used tea tweezers to tweeze out two flat and transparent "tea leaves" and put them into two tea cups respectively.

Looking at the appearance of that thing, it doesn't look like a plant at all, but more like dried shrimp skin.

I don't know what this thing is and why it is classified into the varieties of tea.

"The Netherworld stinging skin from the Great Void of the Fourth Sea Area, along with the faults in the deep water channel, is now a superb product! Mayor Barton asked me for it several times, but I refused. Let's try it today!"

With a smile on his face, Roger introduced Meng Lei about the rarities in the cup.

Meng Lei was shocked when he heard this!

Fourth Sea Area, Great Void, Nether Stinging Skin…

These nouns sound short of breath, and they are obviously quite precious!

He didn't expect Roger to entertain himself with such a high standard, and he was a little flattered.

But it can also be seen that Roger is definitely hiding something in his heart.

Thinking of this, Meng Lei suddenly calmed down and smiled:

"Many thanks to Director Luo for your hospitality, then I'll touch your light today and have a good taste of this exquisite treasure!"

Roger smiled slightly and poured boiling water into the two teacups respectively.

As the water level continued to rise, the tea gradually submerged the dark brown stinging skin in the cup, and a fragrant aroma came to the nostrils.

The scent is very clear, making people feel very relaxed, and even the brain is sobered up a lot, and it seems to have some kind of calming effect.

Meng Lei took a light sniff, and felt that the sequelae caused by the observer's gaze were completely eliminated in an instant, and the effect was immediate.

Looking down again, the ghostly stinging skin, which is only the size of the thumb nail, gradually stretched out in the boiling water, and became more transparent, which was very miraculous.

"Good stuff!"

Meng Lei couldn't help but sigh, this sentence really came from the bottom of my heart.

Roger smiled and said: "Netherworld sting is a kind of deep-sea jellyfish that only exists in the great void. It can't be seen in other sea areas. It has extremely strong toxins and also has great medicinal value. Its epidermis is peeled off and air-dried by special means. Afterwards, it is used to soak in water to soothe the nerves and refresh the mind.

Even in the deep zone back then, it was extremely valuable, and now it is priceless. "

Meng Lei nodded in agreement, and when the water temperature was a little cool, he took a sip from the teacup.

A warm feeling ran down my stomach, and the fragrance rushed to my forehead, and I felt refreshed immediately.

He suddenly had a feeling that if he could hold a jar of Netherworld Stinger Skin, he would stare at the observer with big eyes and small eyes, even if it was on the bar for a day, it would be fine!

The efficacy of this biological tea is really powerful!

Seeing Meng Lei's slightly intoxicated expression, Roger smiled slightly, took a sip of tea and said suddenly:

"Captain Meng, what do you think of the Alien Separation Organization?"

Hearing this, Meng Lei immediately recovered from his intoxication, paused in his heart, and said secretly:

"Come on, is this guy finally going to get to the point?"

He quietly put down the teacup, frowned slightly, pretending to be thoughtful, and said:

"I don't know much about the Alien Separation Organization. Judging from the current situation, they are more like a group of rebels and terrorists. They will do anything to achieve their goals, and they are simply crazy!"

Meng Lei bluntly threw out his views without any concealment.

When he first learned about the existence of the Alien Separation Organization from the video of the wreck of the Ceres, he only thought that the other party was an alien social structure, another political system other than the alliance, and nothing too deep. feel.

But as he has experienced more and more recently, he gradually discovered that the various behaviors of this organization are completely the actions of terrorists, and they are so cruel and outrageous!

After listening to Meng Lei's words, Roger sighed softly, nodded helplessly, and said:

"Indeed, the recent actions of the separatist organization have been extreme to the point of anger and resentment! It is reasonable for you to have such a view..."

After a pause, Roger changed the subject and said:

"However, at the beginning of the organization's establishment, it was not what it is now.

In the earliest days, the founder of the separatist organization was a group of rebels who could not stand the autocratic regime of the alliance, and a small underground group was formed spontaneously.

Through demonstrations and media propaganda, they called on the general public to stand up and try to create a more free and democratic society.

The core concept of the organization is to firmly oppose the use of any form of violence to achieve a certain political purpose.

This has been going on for many years…”

Meng Lei listened quietly without interrupting Roger's words.

Although it was unclear why Roger suddenly told him this, he knew that this information must be very important.

"Because the separatist organization has always adhered to the behavior of solving problems by non-violent means and the ideology of promoting a democratic society.

The number of followers of the organization is increasing, and the size of the team is increasing.

In the end, it can almost be called the second largest force in Alien, with nearly 200 million members in its heyday!

But the stability of the alliance cannot be shaken only through public opinion and collective denunciation.

Gradually, some people began to infiltrate and destroy the sites controlled by the alliance, trying to make the public think that the alliance was gradually becoming corrupt and decaying, thus losing confidence in the alliance and shaking the foundation of the alliance.

In the initial period, no one would link these incidents to the separatist group, whose performance had always been trusted by the public.

But with the increasing frequency of violent incidents, many clues have pointed to breakaway groups.

By the end, it was almost a stone hammer!

For a time, there was a global uproar, and the reputation of the separation organization plummeted!

After so many violent incidents, the coalition's regime is still stable, and the founders of the older generation of the organization gradually feel powerless and their beliefs are shaken.

During that time, due to various complex reasons, the violent behavior of the organization has converged a lot. "

After a pause, Roger picked up the teacup and took a sip, took a deep breath, and continued:

"Similarly, when the organization fell silent, different voices began to appear in the summit group.

Some people believe that the power of the alliance is too large, and the ideal of the separatist organization to build a democratic society will never be realized unless it is forcibly seized by means of war.

Either declare war on a high profile, or there is another way to go.

That is,

Reopen the deep zone waterway, follow the traces left by the initial batch of Tia colonists, continue to explore the secrets in the depths of this abyss, and find the reason why the mother star lost contact.

Once the parent planet intervenes again, the political structure of the alien planet will return to its original state of democratic society.

And as long as the reason for the loss of contact with the parent star is found, even if the alien society cannot be rebuilt, there is a chance to return to the embrace of the parent star.

In particular, many old people who colonized from the parent planet in those years are full of yearning and memories for the parent planet.

People who once lived under the blue sky and white clouds have seen the vastness of the sky and the earth, and the starry sky that alternates with day and night.

Trapped under an alien ocean that sees no light for decades, their desire to return is stronger than anyone else!

Our generation, who was born on an alien planet, cannot understand the feelings of the older generation.

But through some precious images left over from the early years, there are also many people who feel an incomparable longing for the legendary colorful and beautiful planet..."

When Roger said this, Meng Lei could clearly feel that his mood fluctuated strongly.

Although he was trying his best to restrain himself, when he mentioned the blue sky, white clouds and sunshine,

The bright flash in his eyes was clearly captured by Meng Lei.

At this time, Meng Lei suddenly recalled a detail.

When I met Roger for the first time, the other party mentioned the loss of contact with the mother star.

He once showed a special love for the mother star, a burning yearning, and deep regret.

At that time, Meng Lei felt that Roger's reaction was really abnormal.

After all, nearly a hundred years have passed, and for Roger's generation, the home planet is just a legend.

Under normal circumstances, they should not have too deep feelings and obsessions with legendary things.

But now, when Roger mentioned similar things, he once again had the same performance as before.

This made Meng Lei feel that something was wrong.

Linked to what Roger is currently telling, Meng Lei suddenly had a bold guess!

This guess shocked him, but it seemed very logical!

If it's the same as what he guessed, then Roger's performance makes sense.

Meng Lei took a deep breath calmly, picked up the teacup and took a sip of the specialty of the Fourth Sea Area Great Void, with the help of the deep aroma, he forcibly suppressed the terrifying thoughts in his heart.

At this time, Roger glanced at Meng Lei with a hint of deep meaning, smiled slightly,

continued:

"Of course, under the **** of the Alliance, even if you think about it, the consequences of a high-profile declaration of war are only a dead end.

So from that time onwards, the breakaway group gradually split into two factions.

One of the factions continued the original idea of ​​the organization, trying to promote the development of alien democratic society through non-violent means.

But they also learned the lessons of previous failures,

When necessary, it is acceptable to use appropriate terrorist attacks to interfere with the normal operation of the coalition and previous general elections in order to achieve certain political goals.

The other faction is trying to find another way.

They gave up the struggle for alien political power and began to focus on the development and exploration of the Deep Zone.

In the hope that one day in the future, the truth about the loss of contact with the mother star can be found and returned to the homeland.

Even if I can't achieve my wish in this life, let the next generation see the hope of seeing the sun again..."

When Roger said this, he was suddenly silent for a long time.

Then he looked up at Meng Lei and asked a question:

"Captain Meng, is your world also sunny, with birds singing and flowers fragrant?"

Meng Lei trembled in his heart, and inexplicably felt a complex emotion suffocating in his heart, and he suddenly understood Roger.

In some ways, there is a vague empathy.

Nodding solemnly, Meng Lei's eyes were filled with reminiscence, and he sighed:

"Yes, the sky is very blue, the flowers are very fragrant, the birds are singing against the rising sun, and in March, everything is revived, and everything is full of vitality and hope..."

Meng Lei's voice was very soft, and Roger stopped sitting upright, leaning back on the cushion of the sofa, his eyes blurred.

"Blue sky and white clouds~lightnovelpub.net~Spring in March...

Yes, people of the older generation always say that Jing Zhe welcomes the mid-spring, symbolizing the beginning of a new year.

However, it is already March, what does spring look like?

What does herbal smell like?

I don't know, no one in Tia today knows.

It is surrounded by icy iron sheets and rock walls all year round, and the so-called fluorescent lamps are just an illusion created by people deliberately.

We can never feel the coming of spring and autumn, and we can never hear the singing of birds.

The chaotic ocean currents that carry terrifying and strange creatures are the only environmental changes here!

The abyss is full of vicious and lustful ravings, as well as the hallucinogenic and ear-piercing evil scream, the only sound in this world!

We are like outcasts cast into hell,

never see,

What is, so-called, he. Damn, sunshine! "

Roger was very emotional, even a little hysterical.

At the end, he took every word, slammed the armrest of the sofa with his fists, and gritted his teeth.

"I don't know in my life if I will have a chance to see the stars, but no matter what, I will try my best to fight for it!

I will not let my daughter stay in this hellish environment forever and suffer the devastation of the evil hidden in the darkness!

I won't let her be trapped in this cold cage day after day, pointing to the transparent decorations on the walls to satisfy the starry sky!

I want her to witness with her own eyes, what is the so-called change of the sun and the moon!

I want her to step on the soft soil and know what the true fragrance of birds and flowers is! "

As soon as the words fell, Roger turned his eyes full of firmness and crystal clearness towards Meng Lei, and suddenly grinned.

"Captain Meng, are you willing to help me and fulfill my wish?"