Michael sat in the driver's seat, activating autopilot, crossing his arms, leaning back, and humming a tune Hua had never heard before.
Having missed the last subway, and with classes early the next morning, the two girls had to rely on Fire Moth for a ride.
This should have been Elvin's job, but he had vanished, leaving Michael to handle it.
The support company supervisor had been hesitant. While Michael was a Squad Leader of the Fifth Squad, according to his file, he was underage and didn't have a driver's license.
But thinking it over, he really couldn't spare anyone else, and at this late hour, how many diligent traffic officers would be on duty?
As for driving skills... in this day and age, autopilot was all you needed.
And besides, if... if they were pulled over, they could just have someone from the Fifth Squad bail them out. The support company wouldn't take the blame!
Thus, after many years, Michael found himself behind the wheel of a car again – if he remembered correctly, the last time was in his previous life, at the age of three, when he climbed into one of his father's client's cars and pulled the handbrake...
The three people in the car were about the same age, but the atmosphere was strangely tense – the two girls sat stiffly in the back, separated from Michael in the front by an invisible yet palpable divide.
The Fire Moth staff were considerate in some ways. At least they had remembered to charge the girls' phones.
Carole discreetly pulled out her phone and messaged Hua on her newly acquired account:
[Hua, this guy is so weird!]
Hua's phone vibrated. She nervously clutched her pocket, glancing at Michael through the rearview mirror.
Their eyes met briefly, but before they could decipher each other's expressions, they quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened.
Hua cautiously took out her phone, glaring at Carole, then replied:
Carole's phone made a loud notification sound, startling her in the quiet car. She quickly muted it.
Carole: [Look, we were both victims, but he barely even looked at me, all his questions were directed at you... Ugh! It's so frustrating!]
Hua: [Then you should complain to him.]
Carole: [Uh... no, thanks... He seems really powerful. What if he gets angry and hits me?]
Hua: [He wouldn't do that.]
Carole: [? How do you know?!]
Hua tilted her head, glancing at Carole, who was staring at her in bewilderment. It was just a feeling, she couldn't explain it, but at the very least... if this boy, Michael, really was similar to her, she didn't think he'd be that violent.
Hua's finger hovered over the screen, hesitant to reply. She didn't want to feeling with Carole. After just a few hours, she had a general understanding of Carole's personality: energetic, bubbly, easily excited...
But she was too impulsive and optimistic, a stark contrast to Hua's own personality.
Thankfully, Michael spoke, easing the awkward silence. The timing was almost too perfect, so perfect that Hua suspected he had been observing them all along.
"By the way... Hua, the martial arts you used against the Deadmen earlier, was that traditional Shenzhou martial arts?"
"What a coincidence," Michael said with a smile.
Hua felt a surge of irritation. She wanted to yell, "What's so coincidental about it?!"
But she remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"Elysia and I... oh, the pink-haired girl, we traveled a few years ago, visiting many places around the world. It was three or four years ago, I think. We visited a small town and met a martial arts instructor. We wanted to learn a few moves from him, but we were in a hurry, so it didn't happen."
"Hua, that instructor... was your father, wasn't he? You look a lot like him. How is he doing now?"
He was barely older than her, yet he spoke like an elder...
"He was injured, he's in the hospital. He couldn't run the martial arts school anymore, so he sold it... He was injured by one of those creatures you call Deadmen."
"Then... Hua, when you heard her cries for help, where did you find the courage to face those monsters?"
Hua looked down, unable to answer.
Carole, unable to bear it any longer, interjected, "Hey! Why are you interrogating Hua ?! Didn't you say you were going to provide us with psychological counseling?! If you keep asking her questions like that, she'll have psychological problems even if she didn't before! Hmph, give me your employee ID! I'm going to file a complaint with your department!"
Michael looked slightly embarrassed. Just then, the car came to a stop:
"Ding! You have arrived at your destination."
Michael quickly pressed the button, and the back doors opened automatically. Carole, without another word, pulled Hua out of the car.
"Wait a moment..." Michael called after them.
"What now?!" Carole snapped.
"I just want to say: you've been through a life-or-death experience together. You should be good friends now... Hua, you could invite her to your home during the holidays... uh, how about summer break? It's less than a month away."
Hua instinctively wanted to refuse, but she glanced at Carole, who was looking at her excitedly, her amber eyes sparkling like gems in the darkness.
As they parted ways, Michael smiled.
Perhaps being optimistic wasn't so bad after all. Look, with just a few words, he had potentially saved a girl's life.
Saving one person was still saving someone.
And this time, it hadn't cost him anything.
He leaned back in his seat, humming contentedly.
Then his smile froze.
A traffic officer stopped him at the intersection.
Michael obediently pulled over. The officer knocked on the window, and Michael rolled it down.
The officer handed him a breathalyzer.
Just a DUI check... Michael relaxed, blowing into the device.
The officer nodded, satisfied, and was about to let him go when he saw the driver's face in the light of the streetlamp...
He didn't look very old. He checked his chin. Just a bit of peach fuzz...
He looked at his throat. An Adam's apple?
Could he be underage?
The officer tapped on the window frame.
"Driver's license, please."
Michael's lips tightened, tears welling up in his eyes. He pressed the intercom button.
"Immer, come get me!"
As if destined by fate, the Herrscher of Reason should stay away from all motor vehicles, anything requiring a driver's license...