Chương 82: Nice catch!

"MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY! WE GOT THE WHITE SNAKE!" I turn my head towards the commotion, curiosity piqued.

The two girls I was chatting with, Liz and Bonnie, also jump off the table they were sitting on and rush to see what's happening.

"The White Snake? Where did you find her?!" Liz exclaims.

"How do you know it's her?" Bonnie adds.

"Fuck off, she's been in contact with the agent, we need the doc to look at her," Ronald, one of the two mercenaries who brought the girl's body, says.

"She fits the description, can't you see? And she submitted to Major before fainting," explains Paul, carrying her legs. "Where is he?"

Carrying her like a comrade injured in combat, they take great care not to hurt her any further. They don't even bother removing their gas masks as they head for the laboratory.

Most of our group returned from the chaotic mission through different routes, so we keep our destination secret. Despite our exhaustion, we gather around the activity, feeling restless.

Feeling conflicted, I walk away from the commotion and head towards the furthest cave, which we have taken over as our resting place, along with the parking lot where I came from. Without knocking, I step inside, thinking it's empty, but I find the kid we call 'doc' lying on a shabby couch, apparently sound asleep.

Even more surprisingly, the guy who contracted us, 'Major', is sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch. His single eye rises to meet mine when he sees me. "Hey S1. What's going on there?"

I contain my surprise and respond, "No clue. I was looking for some calm. I don't like the commotion," I lie. For some reason, the fact that the mission went so smoothly and we found the White Snake so quickly makes me mad.

"I see," Major says, "I'm sorry, but this room-"

I don't let him finish and sit beside him. "Do you mind if I stay?" I ask meekly.

Major shakes his head and coughs softly. I try not to stare at his scarred face and lay my head on his shoulder, finding comfort in the scent of tobacco.

"You're one bad motherfucker, Major. You're the only guy in the world I don't find utterly disgusting. Men are so boorish and stupid, but you're not one of them. Maybe if I had met you, I wouldn't date only girls," I whisper.

"Did you come to talk about romance? I may not be the best fit," Major laughs.

"Everybody needs to talk about romance once in a while. Did you never have a dearest someone in your life?"

"That's a cute way to put it," Major points out.

"I found out that's how they say it in some languages. I'm interested in different cultures too, but the only time I left my hometown was to come to this crazy island."

"The island isn't so bad."

"So why do you want to destroy it?" I ask, taken aback by his answer.

Major sighs and returns to the previous topic, "I've had a few special people in my life, but none that I would say I was romantically attached to. With some of them, we had bonds that defy what I would normally call love: We cared about each other like family. A very broken and unsatisfactory family…"

My heart aches again, the same way it did when I learned the White Snake was captured. Is it because I'm scared of Major abandoning us when his goal is reached? Am I afraid of being left alone?

Unbeknownst to me, I had developed some feelings towards Major that mimic what he just talked about.

Do I think of Major as a member of my family?

As I try to shake away these ridiculous thoughts, Major continues, "The reasons why I’m messing with this island aren't very glorious, and I know I'll pay the price. There are just a bunch of things I need to learn before I die, and one of them is about one of those very important people. I need to learn if I was wrong all my life for trusting them… Or for saving them…"

“Bad motherfucker…” I respond, heartbroken.

I had known that we are just tools since the beginning. We’re just contract people he bought for a service, and he’s going to get rid of us when he’s done.

If my future self had somehow popped up in my past, blabbering about me getting all mushy and attached to someone like this, I would've cracked up laughing till I dropped dead. But now, all I feel is sorrow.

"Last time, in the car, you said that I reminded you of someone. Was that person one of those... you consider family?" I grimace.

"No. It’s not one of them," Major answers coldly. "But you’re a much better person in every way."

Surprised by this response, I raise my head from his shoulder, trying to control myself and not tear up.

The door is violently opened, and Liz gasps when she sees us. "Major, you were here?! Swan, did you tell him that the White Snake is here?!"

I turn my face to Major’s, that brightens up in an instant. “What did you say?”

"Paul and Ron found her in the streets of Chinatown. They’ll give you the details, but-" Major quickly rises to his feet and limps behind Liz without looking back.

Staring at his back makes my heart ache even more, and I choose to stay on the floor.

Meanwhile, Liz shouts in my direction. "SWAN, WAKE THE DOC UP!" before disappearing.

I stand slowly and stare at the kid who is soundly sleeping. Or maybe not, it’s just impossible to tell with his ridiculous mask.

Noticing how defenseless he is, an interesting idea floats in my head.

Maybe if the White Snake never wakes up, Major will never reach his goal, and we- I’ll be able to stay with him.

And a good way to make sure the White Snake doesn't wake up would be for the doc to not wake up either...

Maniacally smiling at my own crazy idea, I approach the couch.

 

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Exasperatedly smiling because of my own tiredness, I rush home, pissed.

These complete dumbasses I call my partners literally abandoned the job and left for who knows where in the middle of the biggest fucking crisis the agency has known. How the hell am I going to prove my worth to the Banta again?!

I am thinking of remaking my team, but it would take way too long, and these guys are good, they’re just… too uncontrollable.

I try calling the three of them again, but none respond. I know I can’t count on ORPHEUS and HECTOR to pick up their phones, but ASCLEPIUS spends all of his time on his, so that can only mean that they’re ghosting me!

I lose patience and send a message in the group chat: “Yo bitches, where the fuck are you?!”

My impatience grows further when I notice that HECTOR and ORPHEUS have seen the message but aren’t responding. At least ASCLEPIUS is smart enough to not open it when he’s ghosting me!

“I know you’ve seen the message. Respond or I kill you.” I add.

The app warns me that ORPHEUS is typing, but after taking more than five minutes to write his response, it stops and a long-awaited and rewarding sentence floods the group chat: “Hello Sis, bad weather, isn’t it?”

I bring my hand to my face and breathe in. “My dear ORPHEUS, can you tell me with all your good will what the hell is going on?”

You are reading story There are Two Gods in Heaven at novel35.com

ORPHEUS once again takes an eternity to respond a single sentence: “I went to get coffee ????.”

"Since when are you drinking coffee?!" I retort.

"I started today," he responds.

Figuring out that I'm going nowhere, I try a different approach.

"ORPHEUS, my dear, can you tell me where HECTOR and ASCLEPIUS are?"

Once again, time flies before I get my response. "Not home. ????"

This is so fucking stupid.

Before I can gather some more information, I already reach the flat and step in it noisily.

"Why is it still a fucking mess here?!" I shout. "ASCLEPIUS, HECTOR, come out or else..."

I hear some movement in the corridors, and a panicked HECTOR appears. "Oh hey, SIRONA. What's up?"

"What the fuck do you mean, what's up? We had a mission, you forgot?" I spit, heading for the living room. "Whose turn is it to clean?!"

"I didn't forget," HECTOR laughs awkwardly, "however I was feeling unwell and decided to go home."

"And not warn me?! Where are the others?"

"ORPHEUS is out, and ASCLEPIUS..."

"He's in his room, fine, I get it. So you guys don't want to work on possibly our most important mission since we started working together? You know what? Fine by me. The Banta doesn't deserve our sweat anyway. Keeps treating me like shit despite all the effort. Giving carte blanche now that a whole district is gassed? Don't make me laugh. Too late, too late. I warned him, didn't I?"

"Y-yes you did," Hector, who visibly didn't expect me to let it go that easily, stutters.

"And whose turn was it to clean?!" I ask again. "This place is a fucking pigsty!"

"We never really defined whose turn it was, SIRONA…" HECTOR scratches the back of his head.

"What?! Didn't we make the definitive edition of the house rules two weeks ago?"

"Yes, but we didn't finish defining how the cleaning rotation worked because ORPHEUS kept complaining that he's not going to clean since he was the only one who cleaned before, so he wants us to clean at least as much as he has cleaned, before starting to clean again... And ASCLEPIUS doesn't want to clean because he only ever uses his bedroom."

"I didn't know that bottom pissed and shat in his room too."

"I'M FINE WITH CLEANING THE BATHROOM!" ASCLEPIUS shouts from his bedroom.

"STOP SCREAMING AND COME OUT, YOU DEGENERATE!" I shout back. "Anyway, I'm tired too, so I'm going to bed. HECTOR, be nice and clean the living room, please. I'm not mad anymore. This shit is too stupid for me to keep serious."

"I'll clean, I'll clean, but I tell you most of these clothes are yours. You're the one making the biggest mess, SIRONA."

"I know, but I'm the boss. What's the point of being the boss if I don't have mobs to clean in my stead?"

"If we make a proper cleaning rotation, you should be part of it too, or it's unfair. You live here too after all."

"Fine, fine." I head towards my bedroom. "Just leave me alone for half a day."

Since my room is situated in the part of the flat furthest from the entrance, I step deeper into our apartment, until I reach the familiar locked door with a huge poster of my favorite manga on it, that I recognize even in perfect darkness.

As I reach for the handle, my foot meets a strangely soft texture that moans softly.

Don't tell me one of those fucking dumbasses brought an animal home when it's strictly forbidden!

I use my phone to make some light, and the body of a young Tiban boy, sleeping curled up in the dark while holding his legs firmly, appears in front of me.

I gasp in surprise, recognizing the kid I caught a glimpse of when I visited the whore that stole my sister's apartment that ended up in flames.

I turn around and laugh.

"HECTOR! GOOD JOB ON THE KIDNAPPING! NICE CATCH!!"

 

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"What does that mean?" I ask the shady guy with the abnormally big hat, who's got this creepy smile on his face.

"That means you aren't as dumb as you think. The truth is, I'm part of the Triads. They call me Langman Shi," he responds, taking a sip of his tea.

"How the hell am I supposed to believe that? No way you're Chinese."

"Don't misjudge me. Some things are better left unsaid." He laughs and then stands up. "Though you do believe in me, since you didn't think the tea was poisoned."

I sink deeper into my chair. "It's because despite your fishiness... Boobies isn't wary of you..."

"Aren't you afraid that she misjudges people?"

"No. I trust her judgment, and in case she's wrong, I can just laugh at her and tell her she was wrong. It will be hilarious."

Langman Shi cracks up and laughs like there's no tomorrow. "You two truly are a match made in heaven!"

"I know, right?" I smirk.

"Well, lucky you, because I vouch for you two! You have my benediction!"

"Thanks, but we didn't need it."

"What I mean by that is that we're on the same side."

"And what side is that?"

Langman Shi puts his cup of tea on the table and disappears for a moment. He comes back with a whiteboard and some colored pens. After making a very rough drawing of a one-eyed blonde guy, he points at it with excitement. "Has ARTEMIS ever told you about someone we call the Major?"

 

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