[R1999] Short Stories' Collection

A chaotic incident in Sicily (15)

April 17th, 1955

5:20 p.m, Palermo's outskirts, on the team's car

"Your driving speed is too slow!"

Next to the driver's seat, the girl who had black and white-colored pigtails pouted and complained.

"As if it wasn't your fault!"

The driver wearing sunglasses argued.

"Who the hell could drive fast with the instructions that always crashed into the buildings or dead-end valleys?"

"If I didn't owe you last time, I would have thrown you out of the window already."

He clicked his tongue with the frustration on his face that was clearly reflected on the rearview mirror.

Unaffected by his threatening words, Balloon Party continued to focus on the special GPS in her head.

"After 230 meters, turn left and keep going forward!"

"You'd better wish there was a fork ahead." He accelerated the car, "...Or else I'll definitely crash into some houses and drive through them."

On the middle seats, Vertin and Sonetto were discussing the next use of X's invention.

"Apart from Mr. Click's cell phone and yours, we still have 5 devices in total."

From a close distance, Vertin could see some pages on Sonetto's small notebook were filled with calculation formulas.

"Based on X's instructions and your cell phone's performance earlier, the approximate duration of one device can last 10 minutes on average, if the battery is fully charged."

"However, we still need to use at least one more device to give out a more accurate result."

Vertin nodded and gave her opinions.

"I think we should limit the numbers in our directories and add essential numbers first, since its selection mechanism is totally random."

"Though all the people in our directories are our colleagues, some of them may be on field missions or far away from Laplace and the Headquarter. It will take a lot of time for them to get back."

"I agree with your points." The orange-haired chief assistant nodded. 

Some minutes later, the car actually met a fork in the road. Pavia once again clicked his tongue, as if dissatisfied with the fact that he couldn't crash into some houses like he had said earlier. After a few more minutes driving forward, the man suddenly announced to other members in a rather serious tone.

"Hey, we're about to enter Greco's territory."

From the car, they could see a group of armed men in casual clothes blocking the road 200m ahead. Instantly, everyone stopped what they were doing to listen to him.

"Have any of you gained their permission yet?"

Although he said that, his eyes were looking at the reflection of the blond-haired woman on the rear seat.

"Oh, what do you expect from me?"

Tennant replied to him with her usual smile, as if saying that she didn't know what he meant.

"That bride is the favorite granddaughter of Greco's old man."

Somehow, his voice seemed like he was amused.

"The last time I saw a fool dared to cheat on an old man's granddaughter, his corpse was used to feed some piranhas in the pond in his mansion."

In response to his words, the woman narrowed her eyes. Her smile looked much brighter and a little scary.