At some point, three Pickup Trucks had caught up with us. A vehicle-mounted machine gun was mounted on the roof of the one in the middle, its barrel pointed straight at us.
“Fuck, this time we’ve really gotten in over our heads!”
Navier pulled a backpack out from under the seat and unzipped it. It was packed with weapons. She rummaged through them, pulled out a sniper rifle, and casually tossed it to Demon in the passenger seat.
“Take them out at the next intersection!”
“No problem. Glad to help!” Demon took the sniper rifle and racked it sharply. With a clatter, a round slid into the chamber.
“Whether we make it to the next intersection alive is up to you, Samurai!” Bearded Man, a cigar clenched between his teeth, pulled two hand grenades from the bag.
“Don’t worry, Captain. There’s no easier job than this.” Samurai, who was driving, suddenly floored the gas, and the vehicle lurched forward.
The Pickup Trucks behind us realized something was wrong and immediately gave chase. When they had closed to within about fifty meters, the enemy manning the machine gun opened fire without hesitation.
Bullets rained down on us. Navier shoved me down beneath the seat.
As soon as the enemy opened fire, Samurai twisted the steering wheel rapidly, swerving from side to side across the road. But there was no way to dodge the bullets like that. The rear windows were shattered, and bullets kept slamming into the seats with a thumping sound.
Samurai was doing this to throw off the machine gun’s aim. If we drove straight, the gunner could keep firing along the same trajectory, and it wouldn’t take long for our vehicle to be shot to pieces. It also kept the enemy from getting a clear aim at the tires.
“Damn it, let’s give them a little present to try!”
Captain took out a hand grenade and yanked the pin. After waiting a moment and judging the timing, he tossed it gently out the window when the vehicle was steady.
The hand grenade hit the ground and rolled a few meters forward with its momentum, coming to rest right in the middle of the road.
By the time the Pickup Truck behind us caught up, the grenade was just about to explode.
A deafening boom echoed as a fireball shot into the sky. The lead Pickup Truck was flipped onto its side. Its right tires were blown off, flames engulfed the front of the vehicle, and parts scattered across the road.
“Oh yeah! Nice work, Captain. Too bad we don’t have an RPG—we should’ve given them a rocket-propelled grenade.” Demon shouted excitedly from the front.
“Get ready. It’s your turn to put on a show!” Samurai called out.
“No problem. Watch this!” Demon stood up on the seat, reached up and pushed open the sunroof, unfolded the bipod, and rested the sniper rifle on the roof. He leaned his upper body out through the sunroof and took aim.
I didn’t know much about firearms and couldn’t identify the model, but it looked pretty cool.
Demon held the rifle as motionless as a statue while bullets whizzed past him. I was genuinely worried his head would get blown off, but he remained in his sniping stance as if he couldn’t feel a thing.
I couldn’t help but be moved. Was this what a warrior was? What kind of courage could let him remain so calm in a hail of bullets? Was he really not afraid to die—or was it absolute confidence?
I couldn’t understand where that confidence came from. Statistically, sooner or later a bullet was bound to hit him. I couldn’t make sense of this way of fighting.
We reached the intersection up ahead. Samurai suddenly wrenched the wheel, and amid a piercing squeal of tires, the vehicle turned into the neighborhood on the right. Then he slowed down and kept a steady pace.
A moment later, the Pickup Truck followed us around the corner. The instant the enemy appeared, Demon fired.
The bullet traced a perfect arc and pierced the machine gunner’s head with pinpoint accuracy.
From the back seat, I clearly saw a burst of blood bloom over the machine gunner’s head. His body flew out of the truck bed and crashed onto the roadside.
No one bothered with him. His driving companion didn’t even glance his way. I couldn’t help wondering whether these guys were even human. They had no feelings, no humanity at all.
Demon didn’t stop after taking out the machine gunner. He worked the bolt, chambered another round, and pulled the trigger in one fluid motion, barely pausing and not even needing to aim.
At the sound of the shot, the bullet pierced the windshield and hit the driver in the neck. Spraying blood stained the shattered glass red.
“Damn it, I was aiming for his head!” Demon slapped the roof, frustrated with his shooting.
“Not bad. At least you didn’t miss!” Samurai said with a laugh.
“Are you making fun of me? I’m no sniper. This isn’t my job.” Demon rolled his eyes, ducked back into the vehicle, and casually tossed the sniper rifle to Navier.
I looked at the sniper rifle with its desert camouflage finish. I liked it more than I could say, and without thinking, reached out to touch it. It was cold to the touch.
Strangely enough, the moment I touched it, I felt an inexplicable sense of security, and my restless heart grew calm.
“You like it? If you do, it’s yours!” Navier said with a smile, handing me the rifle.
“No, no, I was just curious!” I quickly pushed it back.
“Your eyes tell me you’re lying. If you like it, take it. You’ll get a chance to use it sooner or later.”
“I’d better not. I can’t make the most of it, and I can’t exactly walk around with it on my back.”
“Fair enough. I’ll hold on to it for you, then. If you want it, just come get it anytime.” Navier skillfully dismantled the rifle into its parts and tucked them into the backpack.
The Pickup Truck without a driver crashed into the roadside guardrail and came to a stop across the middle of the road. The vehicle behind it was blocked and couldn’t get through. It soon disappeared from sight, and the danger had temporarily passed.
A little over ten minutes later, we reached the harbor. A small cargo ship had been waiting for some time.
Standing on the shore, Captain lit the half-smoked cigar and said to me, “I’ll say it again: the Undertaker never forces anyone to do anything. Whether you board the ship is up to you.”
I gazed out at the sea in silence. I already knew my answer; I just still felt a little attached to the life I was leaving behind.
“Having a hard time deciding? Why not try this? It’ll make the choice for you.” Navier tossed me a coin.
“That’s way too hasty!”
“But it works, doesn’t it?”
Looking at Navier’s smile, I suddenly had the strange feeling that everything was predestined. I was just following the path fate had laid out for me. It had brought me here, and would take me even farther.
“I really don’t get it. What’s so great about this guy? Why does the Goddess insist on recruiting him? Is he really better-looking than me?” Demon crossed his arms, looking perplexed.
He wasn’t speaking loudly, but his voice carried just far enough for me to hear.
“He saved the Goddess’s life!” Samurai said with a laugh, placing one hand on Demon’s shoulder.
“The Goddess saved his, too. They’re even.” Demon shrugged.
“Who knows? Maybe the Goddess fell in love with him!”
“No way. The Goddess would never like a wimp like him. Only a true Warrior is worthy of her.”
Listening to the two of them, I smiled faintly. I suddenly thought these people were pretty interesting.
Holding the coin, I flicked it lightly with my thumb. It spun through the air and fell into the sea.
I didn’t reach out to catch it, because the moment it left my thumb, I had already made my decision.
“Made up your mind?” Captain understood what I meant.
“Do I even have a choice? Going with you is better than dying here.” After saying that, I felt as though a weight had lifted off me.
“Congratulations, Tang. You made the right choice.” Captain smiled faintly, patted my shoulder, and turned to board the ship, as if everything had gone exactly as he expected.
I suddenly felt as though I’d been manipulated. But it didn’t matter. I’d already decided to board the ship, and the decision wasn’t as hard to accept as I’d imagined.