Chapter 123 Human Life is Cheap
Smoke filled the air, with gunfire and explosions going off one after another.
I sat in the car, staying well within the safe zone.
On the way here, I knew this firefight was unavoidable.
No, actually it could have been avoided—I just needed to back down like Elijah said. But I wasn't willing to do that.
If I gave in this time, what about next time? And the time after that?
Lucas leaned over, twisted a strand of my hair around his finger, and played with it.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
Lucas was very calm. He clearly knew I deliberately kept him by my side to make others think we were united, that we were solid allies, but he didn't seem to mind at all.
He was probably thinking about kissing me and having me all to himself.
I touched my nose awkwardly, feeling narcissistic for thinking this way.
"I'm thinking about how much ammo we're burning through. It hurts," I said.
Every single bullet costs money!
After I took down all seven major forces in the Chaotic Zone, I cleaned out their treasuries.
The supplies and weapons I found were split about half and half, but none of it was worth much.
The main reason the Chaotic Zone was so hard to crack before was because the eight major forces stuck together. I was lucky enough to get The Black Talons first, which tore open a gap in their solid alliance. Then I decisively took out the top three forces, which made everything after that go so smoothly.
If I had tried to take the Chaotic Zone when the eight major forces still had a firm grip on it, the cost would have been several times higher.
But the Chaotic Zone was really poor. Winning didn't feel like much of an achievement.
The Traffic Light Trio picking a fight now, making me waste ammo unnecessarily—just thinking about it was annoying.
Even more annoying was that after this wave, there'd be another one.
Right now, we were surrounded by wolves.
"I can supply you with weapons and ammo," Lucas said. "Free of charge."
"Free is the most expensive," I said, not particularly happy. What difference did it make whether I used up Lucas's weapons stockpile or my own?
I suddenly felt a jolt—when did I start seeing Lucas's assets as my own?
"Not expensive," Lucas said, catching my lips. I absent-mindedly accepted his kiss.
Lucas bit my lip, punishing me for not paying attention.
"Or I could take you to raid someone else's armory," he said.
My eyes lit up. "Really?"
"As long as you please me," Lucas said meaningfully.
I pressed my tongue against the inside of my cheek, thinking for a moment. "Deal."
It was just a physical transaction, right? Not like it was the first time.
Besides, I'd been sleeping with Lucas for three years. We knew each other's bodies and needs well. If it were another man, I definitely wouldn't agree.
Lucas pressed his lips together. "You used to take the initiative to please me."
The subtext being that now he had to beg me before I'd "please" him.
I shook off his hand. "You've got nerve bringing up the past."
"I was wrong," Lucas admitted immediately, taking my hand again.
Looking at his meek expression, I suddenly felt a sense of crisis. Maybe I should sign up for some kind of relationship counseling course, or I'd fall for him all over again sooner or later.
When the death count on the other side passed fifty percent, I ordered a cease-fire.
As the thick smoke cleared, the blood-soaked ground gradually came into view.
Scattered limbs were half-buried among the rubble of cars and buildings, the air thick with the smell of blood that wouldn't go away.
Hawk, Atticus, and Elijah were all still alive. Atticus was badly wounded, covered in blood. Elijah supported him, glaring at me with bloodshot eyes. "If you've got guts, get out of the car and fight us! What kind of skill is hiding in a car?!"
I was about to speak when a scoff came, followed by a young woman's voice. "Why wouldn't you hide if you could? People like you who can't hide end up blown to pieces."
I looked toward the speaker—a cute girl with beautifully curled hair.
"Do you know her?" I asked Lucas. She looked kind of familiar.
The girl wore a floor-length black dress. The heavy fabric didn't have a single wrinkle. A delicate white collar adorned the chest, its soft lace edges slightly curled, making her neck look slender.
She wore a cross necklace the size of half a palm. At first glance, she looked like a nun who should be in a church.
"Jacqueline Rivera," Lucas reminded me.
I remembered right away.
The first Don of the Rivera family was supposedly a priest, a firm believer in God. People in this family had a distinctive style of dress. After killing someone, they'd murmur "God bless" and pray for the dead.
Still, I felt like Jacqueline looked familiar. It had nothing to do with her last name—I was hearing her first name for the first time too.
I studied under Doyle and was often away from home. My only close friends were Karen and Jonathan. I must have seen her at home or at some gathering.
"What are you looking at!"
My stare was pretty obvious. Jacqueline gripped her cross with one hand and glared at me unhappily. "Coward! Opening fire without warning—barbaric! Unreasonable! Were you trying to blow us all up too?"
She'd just finished telling off Elijah and now she was going after me. But seeing the white dust in her hair and the tears in her dress, I couldn't get angry.
Just then, Elijah suddenly shouted Atticus's name. He shook Atticus's shoulders hard, but Atticus had closed his eyes forever.
Hawk was unmoved by Atticus's death. He gave off a cold feeling, like an emotionless killing machine.
He was injured too, but seemed to feel no pain. He picked up a gun—no bullets—so he tossed it and went for the next one.
"You bitch!" Elijah let out a piercing laugh and spat bloody saliva. "The Thornfield family won't let you get away with this!"
I glanced at Lucas beside me, a bit confused. Could Elijah not see Lucas? Why was he only cursing at me?
Lucas casually fired a shot. Elijah dodged quickly, but half his face was blown off.
If he hadn't dodged, the bullet would have hit him right in the mouth.
"You don't seem to understand the situation. The Thornfield family sent you to test me, which means they've abandoned you," I said calmly. "They don't care if you live or die, let alone avenge you."
The Thornfield family only cared about profit.
Hawk's steps paused, then he continued searching for weapons.
Elijah didn't believe me. He kept laughing. "Are you scared? You must be scared. Nobody dares go against the Thornfield family! Even if you won't admit it, it doesn't matter—if you dare touch us, you'll pay the price!"
I had no idea where a mere prospective Caporegime got such a sense of superiority.
I turned to ask Lucas's opinion. "Kill them all?"
Lucas told me to wait. He took out his phone and called the younger son of the Thornfield family's Don. After briefly explaining the situation, he asked, "Do you still want the rest of them?"
The voice on the other end said, "What Hawk, Atticus, Elijah—don't know them. We never sent anyone to the Chaotic Zone."
—So they weren't going to acknowledge it.
I'd been holding the megaphone the whole time, so everyone else could hear the conversation too.
Hawk sped up his search for weapons. After a few seconds of shock, Elijah shouted, "Fake! It must be fake! You're lying to me! I'll kill you all!"
Lucas coldly gestured to Alfred, who raised his gun and killed Elijah and Hawk. The rest lost their will to fight and surrendered one after another.
Lucas asked, "Will you send someone to collect the bodies?"
"I said we don't know them," the man on the phone chuckled. "Bury them, chop them up, burn them, feed them to dogs or throw them in the ocean—whatever. Do what you want with them."
I knew human life was cheap, but a chill still crept through me.