The weapon by the pillow

Chapter 57 The Designated Driver Makes a Fortune

On a rainy night, on a highway on the outskirts of the city, a black Jeep Wrangler braked suddenly at the roadside.

"Old man!"

A voice, forced out through clenched teeth, rang out inside the car, carrying a chilling murderous intent.

"Screech—!" The tires screeched violently as they rubbed against the wet road surface.

The Wrangler came to a sudden stop, its body lurching forward due to inertia. The headlights illuminated the empty road and the dense drizzle ahead.

On the roadside, a middle-aged man riding an electric scooter and wearing a bright yellow driver's vest was startled by the sudden braking and slammed on the brakes. The scooter slipped on the wet sidewalk, and he cried out "Ouch!", staggered a few steps, and almost fell. His phone flew out of his hand and landed in a puddle.

"Damn it! How could you drive like that..." Driving driver Mr. Li, his face soaked with rain, was both shocked and furious. After regaining his balance, he wiped his face and was about to unleash a torrent of abuse. In the dead of night, with no cars on the road, such a sudden stop was practically a death sentence.

However, his curses caught in his throat when he saw the pair of eyes behind the driver's side window of the Wrangler.

The car window slowly rolled down halfway.

The rain slanted in, but the owner of those eyes didn't seem to care.

What kind of eyes were those? Cold, sharp, the pupils contracted to pinpoints in the dim light, devoid of any emotion, only a chilling aura. As those eyes swept over him, Master Li felt as if a venomous snake's tongue had licked his neck; a layer of white sweat instantly broke out on his back.

Driving late at night, you might encounter all sorts of people. Someone driving a modified SUV with a killer gaze is definitely not a pushover. The curse that Mr. Li was about to utter immediately turned into a forced laugh and an apology:

"No...it's nothing! Master, it was my own carelessness, I wasn't watching where I was going...you're busy, you're busy..." he said, bending down to pick up his old, black-screened phone from the puddle. He cursed under his breath, wanting nothing more than to get out of this mess as quickly as possible.

"Hey, the designated driver."

A voice came from inside the car, its tone surprisingly calm, even carrying a hint of... politeness?

Mr. Li froze, slowly straightened up, and rainwater streamed down his hair.

He forced a smile: "You...you called me?"

The driver's side door opened.

A man with a square face and a buzz cut, wearing a black waterproof jacket, jumped out of the car. Rain immediately soaked his shoulders.

Immediately afterwards, two more people got out of the passenger seat and the back seat, a man and a woman, both wearing similar dark waterproof suits with the zippers pulled up to their chins and their hats pulled low, partially obscuring their faces so their features were not clearly visible.

Mr. Li's heart was beating even faster.

"I'm asking you," the square-faced man walked up to Mr. Li, rain streaming down his rugged features. His gaze swept over Mr. Li's name tag. "Mr. Li, right? There's a designated driver job... are you interested?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Of course I'll do it!" Upon hearing that there was business, Mr. Li's fear was temporarily suppressed by the pressure to survive, and he quickly nodded and bowed. "You can place an order on your phone through our app, or I can scan your QR code. The platform has insurance, and the prices are transparent..."

"It's not that complicated," the square-faced man interrupted him, his tone still calm. He took out a car key and a wad of cash from his pocket and stuffed them directly into Mr. Li's hand.

"Here are the keys. The car has a pre-set navigation system; the destination is already entered. Just drive there according to the navigation, park the car where you want, and leave the keys in the car. This," he gestured to the wad of cash, "is the valet parking fee. Is that enough?"

Mr. Li looked at the heavy cash and cold car keys in his hand, then at the three men and women in front of him, and his throat went dry.

This is too much money, and the requirements are too simple—suspiciously simple.

Late at night, torrential rain, a deserted road, a stranger of unknown origin, a potentially problematic car, a large sum of money… This isn't a designated driver business, this is clearly…

"Master, this...this isn't in accordance with the rules. The platform has regulations that require orders to be placed through the platform, and your destination..." Master Li's voice trembled. He wanted to refuse, but the thickness of the wad of cash made him hesitate. He had been driving for a month, braving wind and rain, and he couldn't earn that much.

The square-faced man seemed to see through his thoughts, and stepped forward, almost touching Master Li.

He was half a head taller than Master Li, and he was very imposing.

He didn't say anything, but just glanced at Master Li again.

Just one glance.

All of Mr. Li's excuses were stuck in his throat. He couldn't understand what was in those eyes, but his instincts told him that if he kept arguing, it might not be as simple as just losing a phone.

"I'll do it! I'll do it!" Mr. Li immediately changed his tune, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Don't worry, I guarantee I'll get the car there safely! I'll definitely follow the navigation!"

The square-faced man nodded, said nothing more, and gave the other two a wink.

The three turned around and quickly left the roadside. Their figures soon disappeared into a dark alley next to them, vanishing into the torrential rain. Even the sound of their footsteps was swallowed up by the rain.

Mr. Li was left standing alone in the rain, clutching his keys and cash, staring at the black Jeep Wrangler parked quietly by the roadside, his heart pounding.

He walked to the car and opened the door. The car was clean and had no strange smell. The dashboard was lit up, and the navigation route was indeed set on the center screen, with the destination being the address of a logistics park in the west of the city.

He got into the driver's seat, fastened his seatbelt, and gripped the steering wheel. The leather steering wheel was cold, seemingly still warm from the previous driver's hands—or something else entirely.

He took a deep breath and started the car. The engine roared, and the headlights came on again, cutting through the rain.

Never mind, once I finish this delivery and get paid, I'll go back to my hometown for a few days. This city is getting weirder and weirder.

……

Meanwhile, deep in the alley.

"Boss, what the hell are you doing?!" The three hurried along, and Shadow Cat asked in a low voice, his tone filled with confusion and a hint of dissatisfaction. Abandon the car? This was too sudden. This car was their important means of transportation and equipment depot.

"Those old guys can't hold back anymore." The square-faced man's voice was deep and almost inaudible in the sound of rain, but the coldness in it sent a chill down the spines of the other two.

"They've been watching and assessing. We've made such a big fuss—the live stream, the 'sacrifice,' forcing out people from back then… They might have initially just been watching coldly, seeing how high we clowns could jump. But now," Square Face paused, continuing his steps, "it seems we… tickled their itch, or stepped on their tail."

"Our ritual... worked?" The professor pushed up his rain-soaked glasses, a flicker of excitement and morbid gleam in his eyes behind them. "They finally couldn't sit still anymore? I knew it. A 'performance' of this caliber—a 13-year-long 'online trial' combined with a 'live sacrifice'—would surely touch those hiding in the deepest recesses..."

"It wasn't our ritual that worked," the square-faced man interrupted him, his tone laced with sarcasm, "it was the improvisation of those lousy actors that lured the oriole out!"