Chapter 433: Bargain
"A… aren't they just rescuers?"
Even with her wife's screams piercing his ears; telling him that the people that were blocking their path were there to take his life, Bezios still let out a small but obviously nervous chuckle as he glanced through the rear window of his car.
"..." As for Van, he could not help but wonder how Bezios garnered his wealth if he was this stupid. Van would admit that he himself was not a genius… but at least he was self-aware.
And so, the only thing that Van could do was leaned towards the rear window. And sure enough, the dozens of people that were still coming out of their cars were holding some sort of gun.
"What did you say this Bishop Job did again?" Van then muttered as he stared at the group of… ambushers.
"I… Illegal things," Bezios gulped.
"...Is killing his competitors happen to be one of them?" Van breathed out.
"Seriously?" Maria rolled her eyes, "Even the alien is smarter than–"
Sadly, before Maria could continue her insult, a barrage of explosions thundered through their ears; bombarding the air as the car once again trembled violently; the car's obviously thick windows, letting out a barrage of blue ripples as the men outside rained their bullets upon it.
"...So the car isn't normal after all," Van muttered as he saw the bullets instantly losing their momentum as soon as they make contact with the rear window; dropping lifelessly to the ground. The bullets, however, were actually far from lifeless; because as soon as they hit the ground, an explosion erupts– causing the car to almost bouncing from every impact.
"We… we'll be safe here," Bishop Bezios then sighed as he realized the bullets weren't going through; once again allowing himself to drop on his seat, "But still… we need to call for help."
"They seem to really want to kill you," Van furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the rain of bullets that had no sign of stopping, "Also…
…is that supposed to happen?" Van then said as he pointed at a part of the window; a bullet, hovering just inches away from it; trembling and seemingly trying to force its way in. It did, however, join its predecessors and also dropped to the ground like a fly meeting a zapper.
But alas, another bullet seemed to follow its path, hovering once more for a few seconds before dropping to the ground.
"..."
"No," Bezios then took another gulp, "That's not supposed to happen."
"It's starting to pierce through the shield!" Maria bellowed as she once again slapped Bezios's bald head, "Do something!"
"D… do what!?" Bezios said before he knocked on the driver's privacy window, "Driver, get us out of here!"
"I… I'm trying to! But the car isn't moving!"
"Shh," Bezios gritted his teeth as he slightly closed his eyes, "All the vibrations must have dampened the engine."
And with those words, Bezios's previously panicking face suddenly became sedated; his breaths, now also following a certain rhythm that completely drowned the stutters that were previously escaping his mouth.
He then looked at the endless barrage of bullets hovering in front of the rear window; floating longer and longer as they penetrate the shield. Maria was going to say something, but seeing Bezios like this, she no longer uttered a single word and just watched him.
A few more seconds passed and Bezios let out the longest breath he could muster. And with a sigh to follow, he turned his eyes towards Van.
"...Can you help us?"
"And what do I get in return?" Van replied almost instantly as a small smile appeared on his face.
"A billion shekel."
"Shekel… that's the currency you use here?"
"Hm," Bezios nodded.
"Then how about a no?" Van then let out a small chuckle as he leaned back to his seat.
Seeing this, Bezios could only sigh and drop his head, "I'll let you have anything you want," he then asked, "Just get us out of here."
"What about one or two Vessels?"
"...What?" Bezios quickly raised his head to look at Van, "That's–"
He seemed to want to say something, but when he heard a small crack whispering into his ears, the only thing he could do was nod. Maria wanted to say something as well, but seeing as a web of cracks were starting to form on the rear window, they didn't really have any choice.
"Very well," Bezios then said, "You can have–"
"I'm only joking," Van then once again smiled as he patted Bezios's shoulder.
"...Joking?" Bezios took in a small gulp; his breaths getting heavier by the second as the bullet started to explode; cracking the window ever further, "So… you're not going to help us?"
"Are you forgetting something?" Van shook his head with a sigh as he lightly pushed Bezios to the side and faced the rear window.
"What?"
"I'm your son. The Vessels you own are going to be mine once we make it official anyway."
"Are you cra–"
And before Bezios could finish his words, one of the bullets was finally able to pierce through the window; threatening to turn everyone inside the car into a million pieces.
"!!!"
Bezios's eyes turned wide; almost as if time slowed down for in the time of his death. And perhaps it was a perfect scenario, as the bullet's path seemed to be aiming directly through his now wide eye.
But before it could make contact, a hand suddenly moved between the two.
"Wha–"
And before anyone could even reach, a muffled sizzle whispered into his ear, instantly followed by a small impact flowing across his bald head.
Both Maria and Bezios then slowly looked towards Van's hand, only to see some smoke coming out of it.
"Did you… just catch it?" Maria then worded out; her jaw almost refusing to close. And as if to answer her bewildered question, Van's arms suddenly disappeared from their sight; followed by the shattering of the rear window as all the bullets were finally allowed inside the car.
The bullets that they thought would be their end, however, disappear before they could hit them.
"Please wait for me, mother and father," the smile on Van's face grew even wider before he disappeared; leaving the car slightly swinging as he did so. And once again, before they could wonder what was happening, a series of screams started to pierce their ears.
Maria and Bezios turned their eyes towards the noise, only to see a collection of dismembered arms loitering on the ground. The men that were previously letting out an endless barrage of bullets, now squirming where they stood as they flailed their limbless shoulders.
A golden light then flashed across the dimly lit tunnel– and what followed were half of the men dropping to the ground… their legs no longer attached to their bodies.
Both Maria and Bezios squirmed at the sigh, but as soon as they blinked, Van was already in front of them, sitting on top of the trunk.
"So…" Van then knocked on the roof of the car as he leaned closer to the two,
…are you going to interrogate them, or should I?"