The Ultimate War Of The Apocalypse
Chapter 532 - 525: Shattered

Chapter 532: Chapter 525: Shattered

Mr. Justin was shocked, his face pale and his mouth agape.

Gao Yuan hurriedly said, "Sorry, she drank too much. She has never had alcohol before, sorry, truly sorry..."

Gao Yuan quickly tried to pull Xinghe’s arm, but Mr. Justin took a deep breath and then said swiftly, "Apologies, I can fix this..."

Xinghe angrily said, "How will you fix it! How can you fix the tedious and dull table manners of your overly complicated and boring dinner etiquette."

Gao Yuan said urgently, "You don’t understand, this is a difference in culture, this is..."

"How can I not understand! Are you bullying me because I’m an alien? The majority of Western dining etiquette and protocols originated in the knightly culture of the Middle Ages. After 12th-century Italy’s culture entered France, table manners and menu terminology became more refined, imposing clear restrictions in all aspects of etiquette and gradually spreading within the noble circles. Why did such repetitive and lengthy etiquette form? Because of Medieval Europa’s scarcity of resources and their monotonous cooking methods. They had to compensate for their sparse and uninspiring tables with complex etiquette in clothing, as well as cutlery and servants. Why didn’t such etiquette evolve in Shenzhou during the same period? Because their tables were so rich in variety they didn’t need to flaunt their ingredients nor use manners to compensate for the lack and monotony of their food!"

Gao Yuan swallowed hard, while Xinghe, waving her arms in anger, said, "This is infuriating! If all you can offer is ice cream, you shouldn’t have raised my expectations so high! This etiquette is heresy, heresy!"

Mr. Justin stood up and said loudly, "Bring the main course, quick! Unlimited supply."

Xinghe angrily said, "What’s the main course? Steak? Haha, I doubt there’s anything here beyond steak, right? You want a beautiful woman like me to sit in front of a big plate, eating an endless steak?"

What was intended to be a fine banquet was thrown into disarray by Xinghe, and in such an absurd manner.

Gao Yuan stood up and embraced Xinghe, his face filled with regret as he said, "Sorry, so sorry, she’s had too much to drink; she’s never had alcohol before. We really must be going now, deeply sorry."

Xinghe pushed Gao Yuan’s hand away, sat down again, and then angrily said, "No, I haven’t had the main course yet, nor the pizza, and the dessert is supposed to be ice cream. Why should I leave?"

Mr. Justin let out a sigh and said urgently, "Bring out all our dishes except for the ice cream, now."

After instructing the waiter, Mr. Justin said to Xinghe with a pained expression, "I think you’re right, complicated etiquette is indeed meaningless. Now, I too feel that the Shenzhou-style banquets at the Ram’s house are genuinely better, with more choices. I will immediately prepare Shenzhou-style tables and cutlery, and I now extend a sincere invitation to you, please you must help me judge whether my next banquet is up to standard."

Xinghe seemed calmer and pointed at her glass, saying, "Depends on how you do. Take this away, I don’t like it."

Gao Yuan was baffled because he knew Xinghe loved to eat but would never fly off the handle over something like this, and Xinghe was never capricious; she never had been.

So Xinghe’s behavior tonight was indeed strange and unreasonable.

The atmosphere at the dinner party was complex, awkward, and Mr. Justin struggled to speak several times but ended up glossing over everything with whatever words came to mind.

Until Renato had to step in on Mr. Justin’s behalf to state the main purpose.

Renato was no longer just seriously eating; he was casual, talking while eating, just like he was on his way here.

"Miss Xinghe, we have known each other for a long time, may I ask if you know what we do?" he said.

Xinghe looked at Renato and said, "What do you do?"

Renato smiled and said, "We are in the intelligence business, uh, Mr. Justin Cicero specializes in the intelligence business, and now we’re all at loose ends."

Ram heaved a silent sigh, unsure whether Xinghe had acted intentionally or not, but he knew that Xinghe’s outburst had now made it impossible for Justin to voice his request.

Even if Renato spoke for Justin now, the effect would certainly be greatly diminished.

Xinghe said indifferently, "So he focused all his attention on so-called etiquette? Including making us change clothes and have this utterly meaningless dinner?"

Renato hurriedly said, "No, no, of course not. This dinner was just an accident, a mistake, one that will never happen again. What I’m trying to say is, could you possibly provide us with some information? Anything at all."

Xinghe glanced at Justin, who promptly smiled and said, "Yes, um, anything will do, as long as it’s something we didn’t previously know. Like information about the Aliens attacking us, what you and the civilization you represent are like, knowledge that is common sense to you but unknown to us. Really, any information will do. We won’t trade this information; in fact, we won’t have the opportunity to do so, right, Miss Xinghe, and Mr. Gao? We’re just looking to satisfy our curiosity, which, as professional intelligence brokers, is indeed greater than that of ordinary people."

After speaking, Justin spread out his hands helplessly and said, "By honestly admitting my status as an intelligence broker, I hope you won’t misunderstand and think that we will sell the information. I won’t do that; I just really want to satisfy a bit of curiosity, even just a little bit, a tiny bit will do."

Xinghe remained silent, as if considering.

Gao Yuan did not know if Xinghe would be willing to spread information from the Celestials and numerous technological secrets among humanity. He had not known before because keeping one’s own technology in the hands of a small group of people did not seem to benefit the salvation of the human race, but rather looked like supporting only a segment of humanity. Whether it was intended to suppress other humans was another question.

Regarding Xinghe, how to accommodate her, who had probably killed a fair number of brain cells in many people, was a concern, but Gao Yuan knew that since the Shenzhou leadership had approved of Xinghe joining the Expeditionary Army, they had no plans to keep secrets locked away in the Supreme Command. In this respect, Shenzhou leadership had shown goodwill and magnanimity.

What Gao Yuan could do was to exert influence over Xinghe, not make decisions for her, and Gao Yuan’s importance was a significant reason why his position mattered so much.

Now, Gao Yuan did not know whether Xinghe had created this ridiculous, embarrassing situation on purpose to cut off Justin’s chance of getting information from her, at least not in the short term.

Did Xinghe do it intentionally?

After about thirty seconds of silence, Xinghe finally spoke in a casual tone, "Alright, I accept your apology. I hope the next time you invite me to dinner, it’s actually for eating, not this nonsense."

Justin nodded repeatedly while Xinghe continued, "I understand your feelings. Curiosity is something every advanced species possesses; it’s normal. I can satisfy your curiosity, and I’m willing to tell you the information you want to know."

Justin was overjoyed, unable to hide his excitement. Just as he was about to raise his glass and stand up, Xinghe turned to Gao Yuan and said, "You know me, I hate explaining this and that to others. Whatever he wants to know, can you tell him for me? Can you, please..."

Justin’s face instantly paled, Ram gave a helpless smile, while Gao Yuan nodded seriously and said, "Sure, I will have a chat with Mr. Justin later on."

Now, Gao Yuan knew, Ram knew, Big Ivan knew—everyone knew that Justin’s wish had fallen through.

Justin had wanted to bypass Gao Yuan; he had to bypass him to communicate directly with Xinghe, and that wish was now thoroughly dashed.

Gao Yuan might satisfy some of Justin’s curiosity, but the truly meaningful content, such as any significant technological or commonsense information that might be a leap forward for human civilization, was something Justin could forget about knowing.

But Justin hadn’t come away empty-handed. For example, the weaknesses of the Serpent People, the flaws of monsters, or how to deal with zombies—this kind of information beneficial for all of humanity to combat the Serpent People would certainly be shared by Gao Yuan without reserve. The problem was, that wasn’t what Justin wanted.

As an intelligence broker, this kind of knowledge that everyone needed to know had little value; after all, Gao Yuan would be eager to release it to all humanity right away.

Justin was deeply hurt. Although he didn’t understand whether Xinghe’s outburst had been sincere or an excuse to turn hostile, he had begun to develop a deep sense of disgust for the dinner table etiquette he was familiar with and proud of.