Chapter 242: Old Soldier and the Bar

"Of course—haven't you seen the paper I wrote for the juniors?" Leon asked with a smile.

"Paper... which one are you referring to?" Ada asked, puzzled.

Then, after thinking it over, she shook her head, put her phone into her satchel, and kept walking forward, saying:

"Fine, let's just take a cab."

"Heh." Leon glanced at Ada's back and chuckled lightly, then pushed the cart again.

Arriving at the far end of the plaza.

"Privet (Hello)!! My dear friends!"

Without waiting for the two to unload their luggage from the cart, a middle‑aged hulking man at least 1.9 m tall in a blue‑white checkered naval shirt approached them, speaking in a thick Russian accent with a loud voice:

"It looks like you need help, friends. Want to ride in my airship?"

Hearing that,

Ada opened her mouth to speak but stopped; Leon stepped forward and asked, "Metered fare?"

"Do I need to ask? Friend! Then where's the destination?" the hulking man replied with a smile.

"The blue resort hotel in Zone 04..."

"No problem!"

Before Leon could finish, the hulking man bent down, hoisted the biggest, heaviest suitcase onto his left shoulder, grabbed another with his right hand, and turned toward the service‑type vehicle and airship docking area on the street.

On the sidewalk at the plaza's far end, every driver was, in his own way, asking the newly arrived airport travelers whether they needed a ride.

But few were like the hulking man...

... so direct.

"Hey, rookie, is this guy reliable?" Ada, who had almost no cab‑hailing experience, whispered.

"Let's go, why overthink it, my dear wife."

This time Leon teased, and he grabbed the last two carry‑on suitcases, pulled out their handles, and followed the hulking man.

"."

Ada was silent for a few seconds before stepping toward the hulking man's airship.

The airship still resembled a vehicle overall, but it was far larger than an ordinary four‑door sedan; the four wheels had been replaced by retractable landing gear, its exterior painted a classic warm yellow, and a "TAXI" sign sat on the roof.

However, the paint also bore slogans like "First Airborne!" and "Die! Alien Scum!" along with the flag of the UNSC First Airborne Division.

Retired veteran?

Seeing this, Ada couldn't help but feel respect for the hulking man, and she stopped hesitating, letting Leon obtain information the usual way of taking a cab.

She placed the luggage properly and closed the trunk.

The hulking man opened the rear door and said to Ada, "Please."

"Thank you." Ada replied with a smile, then bent down into the airship's rear seat.

Leon, without waiting for the hulking man's assistance, took the co‑driver seat himself.

Thus the hulking man closed the door for Ada, entered the airship last, and performed a few controls to ready the engine.

Sitting in the back, Ada felt a jolt, looked out the window, and saw them pulling away from the ground.

After climbing vertically to about a hundred meters, they smoothly merged into the assigned airway, keeping distance from other airships, and flew westward away from the airport.

Watching building after building—giant structures over a hundred meters tall—outside the window, and seeing private airships weaving through various lanes, Ada couldn't help but silently marvel at the rapid, leap‑frog pace of technological progress.

Back then, airships were only usable by official agencies; later they became symbols of the wealthy.

Now, however, they have become products that ordinary families can afford if they dare to spend a fortune.

She looked down.

She saw that ground vehicles were still numerous, and aerial train tracks criss‑crossed above the streets, offering people many travel options.

"Friends!" the hulking man said to the two of them, "It's your first time in Arcadia, right?"

"Yes." Leon immediately took the cue, "My wife and I heard the environment here is great, perfect for a honeymoon, so we came."

"Oh? A newlywed couple, then—congratulations! Remember not to argue, don't act impulsively, or you'll regret it." The hulking man advised like someone who'd been there before.

"Thank you for the reminder, sir, we'll be careful." Ada said with a faint smile.

"Sir? Not for you two—I'm already seventy, haha!" the hulking man laughed heartily.

"Seventy?" Leon feigned surprise, "But you look only forty, and judging from the stickers on your airship, were you ever a member of the UNSC?"

Hearing Leon's question, the hulking man straightened his back and raised his voice slightly:

"Major of the UNSC First Airborne Division, Andrei Aleksievich Ivanovsky, at your service. Of course, that's all in the past; just call me Andrei."

"The First Airborne Division?!" Leon exclaimed, "Then you must have taken part in the Elizabeth City operation."

"Kid, you're right! Let me tell you..." Andrei opened up and began talking with Leon.

Sitting in the back, Ada kept smiling, occasionally offering a "Hmm" or "Oh? Really?" to go along with Leon's banter as best as she could.

Based on the conversation,

She learned that the former major Andrei had taken part in the anti‑colonist campaign and had been awarded the UNSC's Bronze Star and Purple Heart, marking him as a combat hero.

After retiring in 2027, he chose to move with his family to Arcadia.

Out of boredom, he bought an airship in 2035 and worked as a taxi driver for leisure.

Regarding his age, Leon didn't need to ask, and Ada already knew why Andrei remained so robust.

As a covert subsidiary of Umbrella, the UNSC always possessed certain technologies before civilian society, such as nanomedical treatment.

Among the causes of human aging, cellular senescence, organ failure, and slowed metabolism are the main factors.

And the Zigler Kaichi recruited by Sui Bian, working with William BoKen on nanorobots, can effectively delay that aging process.

Although it requires periodic injections and is far less effective than the anti‑aging drug developed by Xue Manhua, it has the advantage of being mass‑producible.

After more than a decade of refinement, the nanotech once used by UNSC and Umbrella's joint hospitals has long become commonplace in civilian society.

For those who purchase Umbrella insurance, cancer is no different from a severe cold, and they also have the opportunity for a free nanorobot injection each year.

In fact, people can also pay to purchase additional nanorobot injection doses.

Although the price is steep, equivalent to half a year's income for an ordinary family, sales of the injection doses remain considerable.

Andre should have started receiving nanomedicine injections during his time serving in the UNSC.

Even after retirement, a combat hero who can afford an airship in 2035 can likewise afford additional injection doses.

Thus he became a seventy-year-old who looks like a forty-year-old sturdy man.

Seeing Andre still wanting to talk about their love history, Leon timely cut to the chase: "Major, I heard that disappearances in Arcadia have been frequent lately; will this affect our honeymoon?"

"Just call me Andre, Leon kid." Andre gripped the steering wheel with his left hand, swung his right hand to slap Leon's left shoulder hard, then dropped his casual demeanor and spoke in a slightly solemn tone:

"Considering the colony's image, the company doesn't let us drivers and passengers discuss recent cases, but I couldn't care less about those."

"According to my knowledge, the underground sewage system of the metropolis seems to harbor something."

"Something?" Leon and Ada said in unison.

"Hmm." Andre nodded and continued: "I'm not sure exactly what it is, but the District 04 you couple are heading to is the area with the most frequent disappearances.

"For your safety, it's best to stay in the hotel at night and go to the beach or other sights during the day."

Hearing Andre's kind reminder, Leon, rubbing his left shoulder with his right hand, sincerely thanked:

"Thanks, Major, we'll be careful."

"Thanks." Ada also echoed.

"Hey, what's this…" Andre waved his right hand, opened the storage compartment between the driver and passenger seats, took out an ultra-thin business card, and handed it to Leon, saying:

"If you run into any situation, contact me; I'd say I have some influence around here."

Leon, with decades of taxi-driving experience, rarely encountered such an enthusiastic driver as the Major; he took the card, put it away, and again expressed his thanks to Ada.

Just then.

A holographic billboard reading "Blue Holiday Hotel" also gradually came into view as the airship turned left.

Leon and Ada's destination, a hundred-meter-tall hotel, stood beside other buildings of similar height on the right side of the street.

Seeing this.

Andre piloted the vessel to the right of the lane, reduced speed, and finally landed in the aerial docking area built specifically for airships, protruding from the hotel's central position.

He lowered the landing gear and came to a stop.

Leon had just taken out his phone, preparing to tap it on the taximeter's sensor area to pay the fare, when Andre had already stepped ahead and reset the taximeter to zero, clearing the amount due.

?

Leon looked puzzled.

"It's been a while since I've chatted this happily with young people, hehe."

Andre, unfazed, opened the door, left the driver's seat, and walked toward the trunk.

"Hey." Ada reached out and pushed Leon, reminding: "Don't space out."

"Um…"

The two stepped out of the airship and saw a hotel attendant pushing a cart come to this side, actively helping Andre move his luggage onto the cart.

After unloading all the luggage from the trunk.

"Wishing you a pleasant honeymoon vacation! Don't forget, if you run into something you can't handle, give me a call—I'm usually free, hahaha!"

Andre laughed heartily, bade farewell to Leon and them, then piloted the airship upward into the traffic lane, disappearing around the street corner.

Leon stared wordlessly for a moment, then turned and followed Ada, entering the hotel lobby together with the attendant who had helped them with their luggage.

Thanks to their advance reservation, they quickly completed check-in.

Soon after.

In a high-floor suite of the hotel, Leon and Ada drew all the curtains and inspected everything with an intelligence officer's dedicated phone.

After confirming the suite was absolutely secure, they opened the two carry-on luggage they'd brought, tossed clothes and miscellaneous items onto the living-room carpet, then opened the hidden compartment to reveal the corresponding weapons and gear.

The compartment can perfectly block the starport's security scan.

Moreover, they departed from the starport in Raccoon City, knowing that the security personnel there are all Umbrella employees.

Therefore, the company had long provided them with a green channel for covert investigation to conceal their identities.

"What's up, rookie?" Ada, sitting on the sofa adjusting a custom handgun, looked at Leon's troubled expression and asked:

"Could it be that the Major refreshed your perception?"

"I guess so." Leon, likewise adjusting firearms, gave a faint reply.

Andre indeed refreshed his cognition, but the main reason wasn't the Major's impressive past; it was that this was the first time Andre had his taxi fare waived.

The first time…

For some reason, he felt a bit heartbroken; he glanced up at Ada sitting opposite, and this feeling seemed even more pronounced.

Fortunately, as a veteran intelligence officer, Leon quickly digested this negative emotion on his own.

?

Ada furrowed her brows slightly, completely failing to understand why Leon was feeling melancholy.

The two continued silently adjusting their equipment and firearms.

After finishing up, Leon rose and glanced at the phone showing the local time.

16:47

He then walked to the window, pulled open a gap in the curtains, looked at the darkened sky outside, and Leon asked:

"Let's go, let's take a look outside."

"Sure, I'll change bags."

Ada said as she reached into the pile of women's handbags she'd brought and selected the largest one.

He slung it over one shoulder, opened the zipper, and placed her and Leon's pistols, battery magazines, and a series of small equipment inside.

They neatly packed up the remaining luggage and flung open all the curtains.

Together they left the room and came out into the hallway, Ada naturally linking her arm with Leon's left arm.

Afterwards the two chatted and laughed as they took the elevator to the lobby on the first floor, then left the hotel and walked along the slightly crowded sidewalk.

They wandered around the neighborhood near the hotel, but did not discover anything worth noting.

The sky grew darker, streetlights along the road came on one by one, and the holographic ads between the buildings also became more conspicuous.

Finally.

Leon and Ada arrived at a street awash in pink and purple lights, entered a bar-restaurant, and ordered two low-alcohol beers and two popular set meals from the waiter.

If they were simply looking for dinner, they would not choose such a mixed crowd place, after all this is the street with the worst public safety in District 04.

But for them, the more chaotic, the easier it is to obtain information.

At this moment.

Ada, sitting in the bar's corner, listened to the resident band's energetic music, tapped her head rhythmically, and picked up her beer and took a sip.

Leon, sitting opposite her, downed a third of his beer in one gulp, set the glass down, glanced around, and said quietly:

"It seems I still need to go down there myself."

"Going down? You mean… this?" Ada pinched her nose to indicate.

"Yes." Leon nodded and said: "Stay at the hotel."

"What husband would abandon his wife to go play during their honeymoon? I'm going with you." Ada chided Leon.

"Fine." Leon shrugged and did not refuse.

"Ugh…!"

Suddenly, someone's loud vomiting drew their attention and also attracted the notice of everyone present.

All that could be seen was a person who had just entered the bar, face deathly pale, clutching their abdomen and vomiting, with greenish vomit splashing onto the floor.

Several of that person's friends stood around nearby.

One of the friends, while patting the person's back and covering their mouth and nose, said with a laugh:

"Brother, you haven't even started drinking yet—how can you already be out? And what did you eat at noon that makes it smell so bad?"

(End of chapter)