Volume 2: The Undersea City Chapter 58 Zofia Soma
"May I ask what your captain wants to see me about?" Ke Lan let go of Caroline's hand. The female first mate's palms were slender and strong, her skin was rough, and there were many calluses. To be able to sit in the position of first mate at this age, it seems that she does have the corresponding ability, rather than appearance or background.
"It's mainly to thank you and your companions. In addition, the captain also has a strong interest in you and hopes to have a chat with you." The smile on Caroline's face was quite sincere.
"To me?" Ke Lan was a little puzzled. Not to mention meeting him, he had never even had a direct conversation with the captain of the Pioneer. The captain of the transport ship was the one who took over the whole process... How could the other party have such a so-called "strong interest" in him?
Is it because of the order telling the pioneers to "give up resistance"?
However, when he thought about how the other party had so decisively executed his almost crazy "suicidal" order, Ke Lan couldn't help but feel a little curious about this captain whom he had never met.
"Okay." He nodded.
…
The captain's room of the Pioneer is located on the second floor of the bridge, one step away from the main control cabin. Unlike the metal doors of other cabins, the door of the captain's room is made of dark brown solid wood. Judging from the texture, it should be real ebony, not something imitated by artificial polymers.
The door frame is decorated with golden patterns that look like branches and leaves, and underfoot is a polished marble floor covered with soft and thick carpets. An exquisitely carved crystal chandelier is fixed by the door... The doorway to the captain's room alone is filled with a magnificent retro atmosphere, forming a sharp contrast with the simple and technological main control .
The hound did not come with him. He, Layton, and Natasha went to take care of Zhuoligetu. In his own words, "I don't like dealing with those superiors. If the captain came to the deck to pick me up personally, I would consider it."
However, he still let Liao Zilang stay. In addition, Asano Akira also followed Ke Lan closely.
The two of them could be considered the strongest in close combat in this team, and Hound's intentions were quite obvious - after the DAS incident, his trust in the Ark's management had dropped to the lowest point possible, and even Layton couldn't help but complain that he was suffering from severe paranoia...
"Come in." Caroline pushed open the door of the captain's room.
"Hello... hello."
Ke Lan's expression was a little stiff. He could never have imagined that the captain of the Pioneer icebreaker was actually a woman, and a stunning beauty at that.
Of course, beauty is not the key. In this age when genetic modification and cosmetic surgery are extremely common, beauties are not a rare species. The key is youth - this beautiful captain definitely does not look over 30 years old, and may even be younger than the first mate Caroline!
Whether it is a private aviation academy or a military academy, even if you skip grades, you will probably be 25 years old when you graduate. To be promoted to first mate, you must have more than five years of work experience and more than 1,000 hours of driving time. As for the captain, it's even more difficult, the requirements will be even higher.
Although this is only a rule on an airship, considering that the actual value of the Pioneer icebreaker is higher than that of most airships, the position of captain cannot be handed over to a young woman in her twenties... unless this person has extremely terrifying abilities, or has an extremely terrifying background... Of course, what's even more terrifying is that she has both.
"This is the captain of the Pioneer icebreaker, Ms. Zofia Soma." First Mate Caroline introduced to Ke Lan.
Soma? Ke Lan quickly searched for this surname in her mind. The only one who could match it was the "Soma Group", the behind-the-scenes controller of the leading companies in the aerospace manufacturing industry. If this beautiful captain really came from the Soma Group, everything would be explained.
"Hello, Captain Soma."
"Actually, I don't really like people calling me Captain. You can call me Miss Soma, or...just call me by my name, Zofia."
Her voice was pleasant to the ear and had an indescribable affinity, but the more so, the more cautious Ke Lan became... He knew in his heart that this woman was definitely not a vase. Almost every one of the independent figures sent by the big consortiums on the Ark was a tough character.
Judging by appearance alone is really foolish.
Zofia pushed the frame of her glasses on her nose and stood up from behind her desk. She was wearing a white navy uniform suit and a white windbreaker-style cloak draped over her shoulders. Her long light blond hair was tied into a bun high behind her head, revealing her slender neck. A pair of glasses with thin gold wire frames added a unique charm to her.
"Okay, Miss Soma..." For some reason, Ke Lan felt that the oppressive aura common to those in a superior position was not obvious on the other party. Perhaps it was because of her gender, or perhaps it was because of her attitude. All in all, his first impression of Miss Soma was not bad.
She placed her hands on the desk, leaning forward slightly. After carefully examining Ke Lan for a few seconds, she suddenly said, "Your plan is risky and crazy... But I have to say that under the circumstances, this is the only way to save the Pioneer."
Without any politeness or nonsense, her second sentence went straight to the point. This decisiveness was exactly the same as her previous decision.
Ke Lan was basically certain that the real decision maker on the Pioneer was Captain Soma.
"The premise is that you have to trust me enough," Ke Lan said, "and you can't hesitate for a moment. In fact, I am also very curious, under that situation, why did Miss Soma so decisively turn off the engine and stop the Pioneer?"
"If you were in a desperate situation where you were doomed to die and there was only a glimmer of hope for survival, even if it was extremely slim, would you give up?" She shrugged. "The Pioneer wouldn't last long, and we wouldn't be able to wait for the Ark to rescue us. Your plan was our only hope at that time, although I don't know what it contained."
"I was betting." Zofia showed a smile that could make any man intoxicated, "Luckily, I won the bet."
"Actually, I'm gambling too, but my stake is much smaller than yours." Ke Lan couldn't help but curl his lips. Compared to an icebreaker and the lives of everyone on board, millions of credit points are indeed nothing.
"Caroline should have told you that I came here mainly to thank you for your assistance and for saving my life." Zofia walked around to the desk. Her height was almost the same as Ke Lan's. With high heels on, Ke Lan even had to raise her head slightly to align her eyes with hers. "As a thank you, I can agree to one of your requests."
"Any requests?" Ke Lan asked uncertainly.
"Any request. Of course, the premise is that it has to be within my ability." Zofia nodded.
"Really?" Ke Lan couldn't help but look at the other person's slender legs wrapped in black stockings, swallowed, and asked with some difficulty.
"...Really." Feeling Ke Lan's gaze, Sofia's expression stiffened a little. She subconsciously took a half step back, and couldn't help thinking of some strange things in her mind.
This guy... shouldn't make such excessive demands, right?
That shouldn't be the case, right? Shouldn't I add some restrictions? No, no, if I say that, wouldn't it make me look too mean?
But if he really made that request, should I agree to it?
…
Not only Sophia, but even First Mate Caroline beside her had an extremely strange expression on her face. She had already made up her mind that if the man in front of her dared to make those demands on the captain, she would just beat him up and then explain it as the power armor suddenly going out of control...
"Any request..." Ke Lan's gaze first moved from Zofia's legs to her waist, then to her chest, and finally, back to her face.
If I made that kind of request, she probably wouldn't refuse, right?
Would it seem like I was going too far ?
No matter what, Ke Lan made up his mind and said directly:
"I want all the records of the previous explorations of the underwater city and the surrounding ruins, including video files, survey data, analysis reports, and relics or samples fished out from the bottom of the sea. All of them—"
