Driver.

It's been a long, long time since Pierce has been a driver for anyone — not that he's not driven in a long time. Of course he often drives himself, he loves cars, he's actually a good racing driver, and he's second only to guns in his familiarity with cars. But most of the time he's just shooting himself, and if his hands are on the wheel, his car is mostly empty. On the one hand, because he neither likes to have someone sitting behind him, nor does he like someone to sit next to him. On the other hand, he rarely encounters situations where he needs to be a driver for someone, and rarely meets someone who is qualified to let him be a driver.

He's now working as a chauffeur for Susan. The little girl was now sitting in the passenger seat on his right-hand side, with the window down to the bottom, her elbows pressed against it, her head propped up with one hand, and her eyes looked out of the window.

Pierce didn't think she was looking at anything. Although the streets along the river did have a relaxing pre-night vibe as the sun was approaching, Pierce knew it didn't appeal to Susan. The little girl's eyes were not focused at all, but stared blankly into nothingness, like a melancholy prince in a fairy tale who sat in a high tower and waited for the princess to descend from the sky.

She was thinking about something. Pierce could probably guess that it had something to do with tithes.

"Can I ask some questions?" He asked in a casual tone as he looked at the road ahead. The two didn't say anything superfluous along the way, and the atmosphere was awkward like a prostitute and a prostitute. Female borrowing money. As a slightly older ...... Pierce felt that he had the responsibility and obligation to do something, and at least he should adjust the atmosphere.

Susan's eyes moved, her light refocused, and she turned to look at Pierce.

"You want to talk to me?"

"I have some ...... Well, I want to figure out what I want to figure out. I mean, most of them I've figured it out — I think I've figured it all out — but there are some subtle parts that I haven't figured out yet. I know it's going to involve some of the people up there, it's some game you guys are playing or something, and I'm Pavrenza and the others just inconsequential little supporting characters, little pawns, even if they're all dead — I know that. I just want to say, can you answer my doubts that I haven't figured out yet, for the sake of the faces of my poor men who died today, and of course for the sake of my almost dead men? ”

“…… Why? ”

"You could say it's a matter of character." Pierce shrugged, "I've always been interested in these things, and when I come across them, I want to know them all from start to finish – especially this time, I feel like the story must be very exciting!" ”

Susan looked at Pierce and shook her head. "You're not figuring it out," she said, "I'm not asking why you're trying to ask questions, I'm asking you why I'm answering your questions." ”

"Okay, I got it." Crisply, Pierce waved his hand and turned his attention back to the road ahead, "I shouldn't have opened this mouth." ”

“…… Shh ”

"Huh?" With a furrowed brow, Pierce squinted at Susan with a dark face, "Did you just laugh?" ”

"Seems to be."

"You're laughing at me?"

"Seems to be."

"What are you laughing at me?"

"I forgot."

“……”

Again, Pierce felt like he had made a mistake talking to this girl. He turned his head again, his face half long. Then he noticed that Susan seemed to smile more obviously, and the corners of her mouth rose a full half centimeter.

"Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you." She said, looking out the window again, with a nonchalant and inexplicably relaxed tone, "As long as I finish talking to Your Excellency, all questions will be answered." ”

“…… All the questions, huh? ”

"What?"

"Mine and yours, right?"

“……”

This time it was Pierce's turn to laugh. I don't know what was going on in his mind, but he always smiled happily and exhaled - and then he stopped the car.

The location where the two of them are now is a pier, a pier with a very good view. Here you can see the wide surface of the river, the sparkling waves shining in the already orange sunset, like a large field of floating dead fish - all goldfish.

Pierce got out of the car, glanced at the empty landscape in the distance, and turned back. Behind him was a warehouse, a warehouse that had seemed to have been abandoned for quite some time, and he was sure that a solid kick in his groove would make it lie on the ground and turn into a pile of bones to be cooked.

Susan also got out of the car. She glanced at the warehouse, then turned to look at Pierce.

"Do you smoke?"

"Huh?"

"Smoking," Susan gestured with two fingers in front of her mouth, "don't tell me you're such a good man." ”

"Of course not," Pierce shook his head cautiously, "it's not big, but I'm a little addicted to it." ”

"Well," said Susan, who was expressionless, "so why don't you go to the pier and relax with a cigarette in the river breeze?" After all, you seem to have had a hard time this afternoon, and you have a reason to give yourself a little vacation. ”

“…… I think you're so right. Pierce looked at Susan, then burst out laughing, "It's time for me to relax—what a beautiful sunset!" ”

He turned around and walked to the edge of the dock, took out the cigarette case from his bosom as he went, threw out a cigarette, lit it in his mouth, took a deep breath, raised his head and exhaled a snow-white smoke, which drifted away in a passing evening breeze.

Susan glanced at Pierce's back, then walked in the opposite direction, in the direction of the warehouse. She laboriously opened the heavy door of the warehouse, and slowly walked inside, into the dark and wide space inside. Behind her, the slanting light of the setting sun shone into the warehouse, pulling her shadow to the elder.

The dilapidated old warehouse, with no people, nothing, no trace of the goods, except dust or dust—but in the corner of the wall near the door, there was a very inappropriate table, a small table that looked very new, as if it had been placed here not long ago.

In the center of the table was a mobile phone, a small phone about the size of an ear. Susan walked to the side, reached for her phone, dialed the only number on it, and put it to her ear.

A voice soon came from inside. It was a man's voice, a man who was a little old, but as thick and calm as a mountain. The moment she heard this voice, Susan unconsciously straightened up, as if it was a subconscious reaction.

"Is it over?"

"Yes, it's over...... Lord Quinn. ”

"How's it going, your own plans, are you having fun?" The old man asked a little jokingly, with a hint of teasing.

"I'm ...... I'm sorry, Lord Quinn. Susan lowered her head, and her voice became a lot softer, "Let the organization accompany me to mess around, acting such a farce, causing such a big loss to the organization, and finally ...... everything"

"Having fun is the most important thing, my sweet little Susan." The old man smiled casually and said with relief, "You have played a new trick with your 'ceremony', but not anyone's prom can pull a guest like Rabid Dog to sway flowers on the stage - and most importantly, you have finally done it, and you no longer have any restraints and concerns." ”

"No, Lord Quinn...... My sister is still alive. ”

"Huh?"

"At the end of the day, someone interfered halfway...... Then I never made up my mind to shoot her again. I just hurt her leg. She's alive. ”

"Hmm...... That's right. For the first time, the old man's tone changed, but it was still calm, like a vast sea, "Is the rabid dog still alive?" ”

"It's my fault. I didn't cut off all my last ties, and I didn't pull her with me. I guess that might have an impact on the organization. ”

"Your worries are unfounded, little Susan." The old man was calm, one might even say dismissive, in denial of Susan's concerns, "Rabies are good, but that's about it. In the vast dark forest of Stuttgar, she is not the only predator, nor is she the only monster...... In fact, compared to the real monster, this young girl is still far from it. She's just barely qualified to get access to the big players' games. You don't need to worry about her. If she's going to come at you, I'll take care of it. ”

"I see. Thank you, Lord Quinn. ”

"No, you don't. I'm a businessman and I know that investing has to take risks. ”

"One more thing."

"What?"

"Do you remember that detective?"

"Detective, what detective?"

"The detective you mentioned to me by accident before when you were in Belvedere."

“…… By the way, I remember him. What happened to him? ”

"He's meddling in my matter again this time."

For the first time, the old man looked surprised.

"What's going on?"

"It seems that someone has commissioned him to investigate the death of my parents, but he doesn't know who the other person is."

"Is that so?" The old man groaned slightly, "It's okay, don't worry about him, he has no value to pay attention to." I've investigated him a little before, a former mercenary who fought in an interstellar war, and he's nothing in the city of Stuttgard. A lone wolf who is out of the pack, not even as good as a dog. In the interstellar world, he is an inconsequential individual. In this city, he is even less worthy of mention. He didn't even have a clear understanding that the war was not over at all, it had only changed its form, it had only become more complex and the battlefield had become more delicately divided. Stuttgar is a completely different battlefield, a completely different enemy, completely different rules. In this dark city under the stars of sin, in this dark forest of monsters, he is only a small player at the bottom of the food chain. ”

“…… You're right, Lord Quinn. ”

"Come back—I guess I can say that to you right now—you're now officially part of our family."

"Yes, Lord Quinn...... I'll go back right away. ”

Putting down the phone, Susan turned around and walked out of the warehouse door into the bloody sunset outside. She tilted her head and took a deep breath.

In the distance, Pierce looked at the small figure in front of the warehouse door, shook his head and smiled, and flicked the cigarette butt into the river.