Chapter 463 Seven Percent

Lucia was uneasy; she didn't know whether Charles would welcome her.

He might have refused outright. After all, it was wartime and he had a lot of things to do, and it was a matter of life and death for Belgium.

Or maybe he chose to meet but act cool because he was thinking about the “Lady in White” and she was thinking about intelligence.

Lucia glanced around and saw that their eyes were full of joy or hope, and she couldn't help but regret bringing them here.

She should have refused firmly, or come alone, so as not to embarrass herself in front of her family or disappoint them!

…

Charles was thinking about similar questions as he walked out of the command center and went downstairs.

How to face Lucia?

Just ask her directly if she has any information and then let her go?

This is too awkward and doesn't act like a couple at all.

What should couples be like?

Ciel slowed down his pace. It was of course a pleasant surprise to meet his girlfriend again after such a long absence. That should be...

Charles gradually quickened his pace and soon he was running.

When he rushed to the door, he saw Lucia from a distance and called out excitedly, then ran up to her, hugged her and turned her around, then kissed her hot lips without hesitation.

That’s how movies are made.

But to Charles' surprise, Lucia seemed to be somewhat resistant.

She gently pushed Charles and whispered in his ear, "Someone is there."

Charles was stunned, then he realized that several people around him were staring at him blankly. They seemed to have come with Lucia.

Lucia straightened her dress and whispered to Charles, "This is my dad, mom, and brother!"

This caught Charles off guard. He glanced at Lucia in panic. "Meet the parents? This is not part of the mission I gave you!"

Mr. Girard rubbed his hands nervously, and took the initiative to step forward and shake hands with Charles: "It's an honor to meet you, General, my name is Girard."

"It is my pleasure, Mr. Girard," Charles replied.

Mrs. Girard stepped forward with a smile, and the look she gave Charles was as if she had found a treasure: "Hello, General, I am Lucia's mother!"

"Hello, Mrs. Girard."

Stein, who was always lively, was stunned on the spot. He was suddenly awakened by Lucia's push. He hurried forward and held Charles' hands with both hands: "General, I... "

His hands were shaking and his teeth were chattering. He said "I" for a long time but couldn't utter a word.

"His name is Stein." Lucia rolled her eyes. "Just now he said he wanted to join the army and fight the Germans, but now he's acting like a coward!"

Charles smiled at Stein: "That's because I'm not a German. I believe he will be a warrior when facing the enemy."

"Yes, General." Stein nodded gratefully: "I promise!"

Lucia glared at Ciel and whispered, "He's only seventeen."

"Oh." Charles immediately realized the problem. He turned his gaze to Stein: "Then you should exercise your body and be ready to wait for the call of the country!"

Stein's eyes showed some disappointment, but he still stood up and answered, "Yes, General!"

Mr. and Mrs. Girard felt incredible. When did Stein become so easy to talk to?

But Lucia understood what was going on.

That wasn't "easy to talk" at all, but Stein took Charles' words as an order.

Walking into the airport, Stein was once again shocked by the fighter planes parked there, his mouth wide open. He had never seen the "Camel" fighter plane so closely, it was the most advanced fighter plane of the Allied Powers, and Belgium did not have a single one. He could only envy it.

…

Charles led everyone into the reception room on the first floor.

According to regulations, civilians are not allowed to enter the headquarters, and many things, such as combat maps, may be leaked just by a glance.

There were two sofas and a coffee table in the reception room. The orderly Adrian brought some cakes and fruits to everyone and made a few cups of hot coffee.

Mrs. Girard kept her eyes on Charles with a smile, which made Charles feel a little uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, General," said Mr. Girard, "We didn't mean to disturb you, but Lucia happened to come to Ghent to see us, so..."

Charles glanced at Lucia, who was sitting next to him, in surprise: "Are you from Ghent?"

Lucia took a sip of her coffee and said, "Belgium was still in the hands of the Germans at that time. It didn't matter where I was from."

Then he glanced at Charles and said half-jokingly, "No one will know that you took only one day to reach Antwerp, General. Otherwise, I will ask you to take care of my family."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Mr. Girard nodded secretly. It seemed that Lucia and Charles got along well.

Charles once again admired Lucia's acting skills and her clever social skills. She could always turn an awkward atmosphere into a relaxed and happy one.

"I need your help with something." Lucia made a request.

"What?" asked Charles.

The first thing he thought of was cars, houses, bank deposits, and the sky-high bride price, and it seemed that this was what he wanted to discuss when he met the parents.

But...foreigners don't seem to need these.

Lucia nodded to Stein, who was sitting opposite her. "He has a revolver."

"Lucia!" Stein stood up to protest against Lucia's betrayal.

But when Charles took a look, Stein suddenly became half a head shorter and sat back down.

Ciel stood up and waved to Stein: "We are about the same age, Stein, and we are both interested in the military. We should have common topics."

"Yes, General." Stein followed respectfully.

Charles took him to the window, looked at the fighter planes taking off outside and said, "Do you know who we need most?"

Stein shook his head blankly: "I don't know, General."

Ciel raised his head towards the fighter plane that was flying into the sky with the sound of its engine:

"Pilot, Steyn."

"We currently have only about 700 pilots who can carry out combat missions, and this is when the Germans' fighter planes were not developed and there were almost no casualties."

"Can you imagine? We have millions of troops, but only 700-odd pilots."

"Once the Germans have new aircraft capable of confronting us, pilots will be in great demand."

“Would you rather be one in a million, or one in seven hundred?”

Stein's eyes lit up, and his chest rose and fell sharply: "You, you mean, I can be a pilot?"

"Why not?" Charles replied, "We want anyone who is a member of the Allied Powers and can fly an airplane."

Stein stepped forward and replied, "I understand, General, I want to be one of the seven hundred!"

"Very good." Charles nodded and turned his gaze to Stein: "If you want to be one of the 700, what you need to learn now is not the revolver, but the flight principle of the airplane and related knowledge. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Understood." Stein stepped forward again: "I will hand over the pistol immediately after returning."

Mrs. Girard looked at Charles and Stein in front of the window, and patted Lucia's hand with a look of satisfaction: "He is very good, not just in war!"

"Yeah." Lucia replied, lowering her head to drink coffee to hide the loneliness in her eyes.

(End of this chapter)