N-A-A Page 51
Page 51
The midday sun, like a red-hot coin, was stuck against the azure sky. Victor stirred the melting ice cubes in his Coke cup with a straw.
The air conditioner at the 'Highway Star' fast food restaurant next to the gas station was humming loudly, but it couldn't ward off the sweltering heat outside the window.
"I swear, the hamburger patties in this godforsaken place are made of rubber."
Ethan poked at the brown, unidentified object on his plate with his fork, the plastic chair groaning under the weight of his massive frame.
Just as Victor was about to reply, a man with slicked-back hair in a white short-sleeved shirt suddenly got up and went to the restroom.
At the same time, two gunshots rang out.
All eyes were drawn to a tall, thin man in exaggerated clothing standing in a booth, holding an old-fashioned revolver in his right hand and tossing a black garbage bag aside with his left.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon."
Pumpkin's voice came from inside the hood, with an eerie cheerfulness, "It's time for the robbery. Please put your wallet in this cute bag."
Bonnie nimbly leaped onto the long table in the center of the restaurant, her high heels clicking crisply on the plastic surface.
The silver revolver in her hand gleamed coldly under the fluorescent light.
"Don't even move!"
Bonnie's voice was shrill, like fingernails scraping across a blackboard, "Put your hands on the table so we can see them!"
Victor glanced at his companions out of the corner of his eye—Ethan's muscles were already tense, and Michael had his hand on his waist without him noticing.
Millie, the least experienced of the three, was pale and clutched a napkin tightly in her hand.
Viktor shook his head almost imperceptibly and mouthed, "Don't be impulsive."
Gasps of breath filled the restaurant.
A man in a suit tried to stand up, but Bonnie immediately turned her gun on him: "I told you, don't move!"
Gunshots rang out, the fluorescent light tubes on the ceiling shattered, and shards of glass rained down on the salad bar counter.
"Very good, that's more like it."
Pumpkin nodded in satisfaction and began collecting wallets along the aisle.
His movements were unsettlingly practiced, and the black garbage bag quickly swelled up.
When Pumpkin approached Victor's table, Victor did not hesitate and handed over his wallet: "We're just passing through, we need to cover our travel expenses."
Pumpkin brandished his pistol, "I've already robbed you, so why would I care if you have enough money for the journey? Let me in!"
Left with no other choice, the four obediently handed over their wallets.
Victor could sense Ethan's suppressed rage—there was a lot of money in that wallet.
The garbage bag swallowed four wallets, which contained about six hundred dollars.
Pumpkin patted the bulging bag with satisfaction and turned to the next table.
There was only one person sitting at that table:
A black man wearing red basketball shorts and a green short-sleeved shirt, with a cross tattooed on his broad shoulders, and curly hair, looked remarkably like a bureau chief.
On his plate sat a nearly untouched grilled meat sandwich and an open Bible.
"Your wallet, my friend."
Pumpkin tapped the table with his gun.
The Black man—Jules—slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of unfathomable eyes beneath his thick eyebrows.
Then he took out his wallet.
Pumpkin, however, felt it wasn't enough, and looked at the silver box next to Jules: "This thing must be very valuable!"
Are you sure you want to do this, Esau?
His voice was as deep as an echo in a basement.
Pumpkin was clearly taken aback: "What?"
Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew.
Jules' fingers gently traced the pages of the Bible. "Is it worth it to sell your soul for a few wallets?"
The air in the restaurant seemed to freeze.
Bonnie's gun barrel drooped slightly, and her expression behind the mask was impossible to discern.
Viktor felt a jolt of tension run down his spine—something was about to happen.
"Cut the fucking nonsense!"
Pumpkin suddenly flew into a rage, yelling, "Open it!"
Jules smiled, opened the silver box, and golden light emanated from it.
Pumpkin, as if possessed, reached out to grab the silver box, and in that moment of distraction, Jules moved.
His movements were faster than a human's.
With his left hand, he grabbed the pumpkin's wrist holding the gun and twisted it, while with his right arm, he thrust the gun straight into the opponent's throat.
The pumpkin made a suffocating squeaking sound, and the revolver's hammer snapped shut in a struggle.
Jules pulled him along, and Pumpkin stumbled and fell onto the greasy table. Victor and Ethan exchanged a glance and pulled out their pistols from their sides.
"Don't move!"
Bonnie's scream pierced the air. She stood on the table, her revolver pointed directly at Jules's back:
"Let him go, or I'll beat you to a pulp!"
"What else?"
A cold voice came from the direction of the restroom.
Vincent had returned sometime earlier, his 9mm Beretta steadily pointed at Bonnie's temple. "Put the gun down, Miss Rabbit."
Time seemed to be stretched out into a thick syrup.
Viktor could hear the sound of his own blood rushing against his eardrums.
An eerie three-way standoff ensued in the restaurant: Jules was suppressing Pumpkin's incessant coughing, Bonnie's gun was pointed at Jules, and Vincent's gun was pointed at Bonnie.
"interesting."
Bonnie suddenly screamed, her voice behind the mask filled with twisted pleasure, "What do we do now, handsome? If you shoot, I'll shoot too, and your Bible friend will be in heaven."
Vincent's eyes remained unblinking: "Then you'll die too."
"I should have died long ago."
Bonnie said softly, her finger tightening slightly on the trigger.
Victor and Ethan exchanged a glance.
Without a word, the tacit understanding of years of partnership allowed the information to be transmitted instantly.
Viktor made a 'three' gesture with his fingers under the table, then 'two', 'one'—
The two gunshots rang out almost simultaneously.
Victor's revolver roughly hit Bonnie's right shoulder and pierced four holes in her body from the side—but Bonnie didn't die.
Ethan's .45 caliber bullet pierced Pumpkin's head, and another bullet hit Jules.
Bonnie's screams mingled with the gunshot as her revolver accidentally discharged, shattering the cash register screen. Vincent reacted swiftly, sidestepping the flying glass shards before shooting Bonnie dead.
Jules looked up abruptly, his face splattered with pumpkin blood and brain matter, and he had been shot twice by Ethan.
"What have you done?!"
His roar made the cutlery vibrate. "I was just about to let them go!"
Victor calmly ejected the magazine and reloaded, pointing his gun at Jules: "We just want our money back! The law is on our side."
Ezekiel 25:17!
Jules rushed over, the Bible falling to the ground. “I will retaliate against them, I will be angry with them and rebuke them. When I take my revenge on them, they will know that I am the Lord! — But the power of judgment is not in your hands!”
Victor didn't fire, but punched Jules in the liver, sending him sprawling to the ground—Vincent then raised his gun at Victor.
Without saying a word, Ethan moved the gun to Vincent.
Applause suddenly erupted in the restaurant.
Several diners stood up, and an old man wearing a cowboy hat even whistled.
"here you go!"
"Damn robber!"
Cheers erupted from all directions.
The wailing of police sirens could be heard in the distance.
Vincent's expression changed, and he put away his gun. "Jules, we have to go. Now."
Jules ignored him, his eyes fixed on Victor: "You have taken away the opportunity God gave them to repent."
"Are you fucking stupid?! I don't believe in God!"
Victor calmly pried Jules' fingers apart, bent down and picked up the wallets that belonged to the four of them from the scattered pieces.
The sirens were getting closer.
Vincent forcefully grabbed Jules's arm: "Let's go!"
The police arrived, and after questioning everyone at the scene, the redneck officer summarized one thing based on the descriptions of what happened:
"This is definitely not a random crime, but a targeted crime committed by a group!"
"But there are only two of them!"
"No! You're still young. There's actually another Black man who was shot! This Black man is the ringleader; they put on a show to fool everyone! Go and catch them!"
Chapter 42 Apollo's Training
They wasted two hours at noon and finally arrived in Philadelphia late at night.