Meanwhile, in another car.
"Dr. Araide" occasionally glanced into the rearview mirror, subtly on guard. Though she was not as terrified of Uzo as that disgraceful fool Vodka, she had to admit that Uzo's threat was objectively real—anyone who knew even a little about his past exploits would be wary of him, unless they wanted to speed up their journey to heaven.
The worst-case scenario Vermouth had anticipated was Vodka suddenly losing his mind and flooring the gas pedal straight into her car, causing everyone in both vehicles to perish together.
But under her vigilant gaze, that never happened. All she saw was the slowly moving car falling farther and farther behind... then suddenly snapping awake and quickly catching up just as it was about to leave her sight.
Vermouth: "..." What was that idiot doing?
She frowned and pondered for a while, but failed to decipher Vodka's thought process. All she could do was let her heart rise and fall with that car as it alternately drew near and fell behind.
In an indescribably tense atmosphere, the two cars drove one behind the other toward Mist Hill.
Inside the other car.
Vodka gripped the steering wheel tightly, his ears alert in every direction and his eyes scanning all around. Every now and then, he even had to sniff for suspicious traces of explosives or poison. He practically wished he had eight hands.
At times, he warily kept his distance from Vermouth's car ahead. At others, he worried that if he fell too far behind and got separated, he would be forced into the terrifying situation of being alone with Uzo. So the whole car lurched forward and backward as he struggled to seize that slim chance of survival amid the complicated circumstances.
Jiang Xia in the car: "..."
Vodka