Chapter Thirteen: Texas "Shoots" Exusiai and Croissant

By now, Texas had completely cast aside the script. Every reaction on set could be said to be what Texas herself would have done in the face of such a crisis.

The set had no equipment or crew, and the hospital was quiet yet fraught with danger at every turn. Isolated and helpless, everything around her sent Texas's mind racing as she considered the best solution.

At that moment, Texas felt as though she had truly been placed on the eve of her family's downfall all those years ago—if she had really been as old as she was now that day, and possessed the ability to protect her family, what would she have done?

Now, Texas felt that she had an answer. Even if she stood alone, she would do everything she could to stop it from happening.

Before long, Texas gained her first outside ally—a Syracusan named Enzo, who claimed that her father had once helped him.

"If trouble comes, I'll stay and help you. For your father's sake—your father."

That was the first time Texas experienced the value of the connections and aid her father had left behind. It was rather ironic: the police, symbols of justice, had colluded with the Mafia, while a pitiful man once aided by the Mafia understood gratitude and was even willing to risk his life to repay that kindness.

"Could you wait outside for me? I'll be down in a moment."

Texas gave Enzo an instruction. What she needed to do now was protect her father as much as possible. If Enzo stood guard outside, perhaps it would make their enemies hesitate...

Thinking that, Texas returned to the hospital room and looked at Madam Sicily, only to meet her slightly opened, hazy, weary eyes.

Texas did not know when Madam Sicily had awakened, but at this moment, she no longer seemed to regard the elderly woman before her as Madam Sicily...

As if consoling the regrets in her heart, Texas felt as though she was doing something she had failed to do before—something she had always wanted to do with all her strength: protect her family.

"Get some rest, Dad. I'll take care of you. I'll stay by your side."

Texas held Madam Sicily's aged hand, her voice gentle yet resolute. Madam Sicily, whose makeup made her look ten years older, said nothing. She merely revealed a gratified smile.

The elderly woman, who had only just escaped death, had no strength to speak. But when a cloudy tear rolled from her eye, the gratification and faint reluctance in Madam Sicily's smile only made Texas more determined.

She would protect her family, whatever the cost.

What Texas did not know was that her performance had subtly convinced Madam Sicily that, whether it was the role Texas played or Texas herself, she was the most suitable person to become the next The Godfather.

Before Texas arrived, Si Ye had also received word that Madam Sicily had been "assassinated." After a period of frantic confusion, he had taken a little while to regain the bearing of a leader. He had performed well, but still fell a little short of Madam Sicily's standards.

As for Giovanna... as the second daughter in the film, she had been thoroughly frightened by the sudden incident. She was clearly unqualified.

Only Texas had been the first to calm down when everyone had been caught unprepared and improvising. Rather than saying she had immersed herself in the role, it was more accurate to say she was naturally the same type of person as the character.

"The family's successor... What a pity she isn't my child. If I had a successor like her, there would be nothing I couldn't let go of."

After Texas left, Madam Sicily softly murmured a few words. At that moment, a curious thought arose in her mind.

She had no children her entire life, and the Sicily family had no heir. If... she could choose a suitable successor for the family...

At the hospital entrance, Texas stood with Enzo. What she needed to do now was wait for Si Ye's reinforcements, delay for as long as possible, and create the impression that guards had once again come to protect Madam Sicily.

"You'll be fine." Texas comforted Enzo beside her. She was not nervous. Even though she had not brought a weapon, confidence in her own strength kept Texas from worrying about the assassin's arrival.

Just then, a car slowly passed by the hospital entrance in the distance. Someone inside slightly poked her head out.

Even in the pitch-black surroundings, even though the other person's makeup made her almost unrecognizable, Texas recognized the person in the car at once by instinct—her friend, Croissant!

No, to be precise, the Croissant in the film was no longer the friend Texas knew. She was a drug lord, the person who had assassinated her father, someone Texas had to kill.

If Croissant did not die, Madam Sicily would never be safe. Texas's eyes turned icy and piercing. She was not looking at a friend, but glaring at Croissant in the car as though she were her father's murderer.

After a brief exchange of glances, Croissant unusually revealed a hint of fear. She shrank her head back slightly, and in the end, the car did not stop. It drove away from the hospital.

"...You did well."

Texas let out a breath, but the actor playing Enzo was badly frightened. Chen Qi had recruited this extra at the last minute. Facing a Mafia conflict so directly for the first time, the extra had been intimidated by the atmosphere even though he knew it was only acting.

Enzo took out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket, intending to take a drag, but his hands shook so badly that he could not even light it. Fortunately, Texas helped him.

"You helped us today. We'll definitely repay your kindness someday," Texas said to Enzo beside her. Then a clear burst of police sirens shattered the atmosphere.

As the police cars approached, Texas shoved Enzo aside and walked forward alone. Within only a few steps, several officers swiftly subdued her.

"I thought we'd locked up all you punks. What are you doing here?"

In the darkness, only a Sarkaz halo glimmered faintly. Yet even that light was incomparably dim, unable to drive away any of the surrounding darkness.

Before the camera, that halo looked dim despite floating above its owner's head, as though it foreshadowed the identity of the approaching officer—Exusiai, disguised with makeup, walked sternly up to Texas.

"Why was no one protecting my father?" Texas, pinned down, glared fiercely at Exusiai. She could barely recognize Exusiai's face now.

Perhaps it was the special makeup on Exusiai's halo that made Texas subconsciously feel that the person before her was not Exusiai. Or perhaps Exusiai's current image was simply too different, so different that Texas did not want to believe the Sarkaz before her was her friend, the lively Exusiai she knew.

"—You little punk, you dare meddle in my business? I drove them all away. Stay the hell away from the hospital!"

Exusiai, her voice altered by a voice changer, continued delivering the scripted lines. "Someone, take him away!"

"Unless someone protects my father, I'm not leaving—" Texas tried to break free but failed. Grinding her teeth, she said to Exusiai:

"How much did they pay you to set my father up?"

"—Hold him tight. Make him stand properly!"

Texas's words happened to "enrage" Exusiai. According to the script, the officer she played had indeed accepted bribes and removed the Corleone family's guards.

However, because Texas had interfered, the other side believed there had been a mistake in her work. All her trouble had gone to waste, and she had not earned a single penny.

Now, Texas's words were undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire, directly prompting the police chief played by Exusiai to vent her anger by hitting someone.

"Sorry, Texas. I'll treat you to apple pie after we finish this scene!"

Exusiai silently apologized to her friend, but her punch was not slow in the slightest.

Bang!

The swift, dull blow caught Texas completely off guard. The punch landed squarely, but Texas was a Lupo, and a Sarkaz's physical strength was not enough to knock her unconscious with a single hit.

Thus, after the punch, Texas did not pass out as the script Chen Qi had planned. She slowly turned her head, her cold eyes brimming with killing intent as she stared at Exusiai.

At that moment, Texas felt that if the person before her were not her friend, if none of this were acting, then what Exusiai had done would have been enough to make her deserve death countless times over.

Even Exusiai was frightened by the Texas before her. Rarely, she revealed an apprehensive, lingering fear...

"Cut! Perfect shot! Everything was perfect! Exusiai did very well!"

"Oh, right, Medical Operator! Hurry up and treat Texas's injury! Inform Rob Rata! Texas needs a swelling effect added to her makeup afterward!"

In the end, it was Chen Qi's delighted voice through the equipment that shattered the silence. As many hidden camera crew members emerged, the tense atmosphere immediately dissolved.

"Texas, are you okay?"

Exusiai instantly shed her stern, fierce demeanor and hurried forward to support Texas. Looking at the bruise she had caused with one punch, she pressed her hands together apologetically and said:

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to hit you that hard! Texas, you won't blame me, right? You won't blame me, right?"

"It was necessary for the scene! I was going to control my strength, but when I threw the punch, I remembered all those times you used the money I was saving for apple pie to buy Pocky, and I got a little mad, so I hit harder—no, no, no, I don't mean I was settling a personal score! Really!"

"...I'm fine, Exusiai. Don't worry about it."

With Mephisto's help after he came over, the injury on Texas's face quickly faded. She looked at Exusiai, smiled faintly again, and said:

"I won't care about something like that, Exusiai. Let's finish this take and get ready to head back."

"Huh, r-really?"

The moment Exusiai heard that Texas did not blame her, she immediately relaxed—but at that moment, Exusiai failed to understand Texas's smile.

Generally speaking, a relieved smile only appeared in two situations. One was when old grievances were forgiven... the other was when the dead were honored and everything came to an end.

Yes, even without having read the script, Texas knew that Exusiai's character was doomed to die.

And the person who would personally avenge it would surely be Texas herself. Sooner or later, she would get revenge for that punch.

Texas "Shoots" Exusiai and Croissant

"What matters most to me is that no one is trying to threaten my father's life."

"How can I guarantee that to you, Mike? I'm the one being hunted now!"

Quite some time passed after the scene where Madam Sicily was assassinated. During this period, filming had progressed quite smoothly—especially the crucial family scenes after The Godfather was gone. Everyone had performed exceptionally well.

What satisfied Chen Qi most was that although everyone had only just built some rapport, the absence of one important person immediately left them with nothing to say to one another, filling the air with a heavy atmosphere. That was exactly what Chen Qi wanted them to convey.

Now, filming had reached the story's first major climax. Mike, played by Texas, and the drug lord Sorozzo, played by Croissant, were negotiating in a restaurant. Because Sorozzo had arranged The Godfather's assassination, the family had retaliated fiercely. Thus, she had no choice but to bribe the police chief played by Exusiai into acting as her bodyguard, then negotiate peace with the Corleone family represented by Mike.

But she did not know that Mike had never intended to negotiate. This time, he intended to eliminate the threat once and for all. Only by killing Sorozzo would his father be safe.

"You think too highly of me, kid." Croissant, playing Sorozzo, had been made up to truly resemble a vicious, cunning drug lord with no moral bottom line. She did not promise to spare The Godfather, and instead said to Texas:

"I'm not that capable. All I want is a ceasefire."

With that single sentence, Croissant made it seem as though she herself were the victim. Before the invisible camera, Texas's eyes were utterly cold.

Texas had just retrieved the firearm her family had hidden in the restroom. At this distance, as long as she fired, she could guarantee the deaths of the two people before her.

She appeared to be hesitating, her gaze drifting uncertainly, as though she were nervous about killing someone at close range for the first time... but in truth, she was only somewhat troubled that the people she had to shoot were her friends in reality.

Texas continued persuading herself, telling herself that it was only acting. The person before her... was not Croissant from Penguin Logistics, who was a little greedy for money, but an utterly evil drug lord in a film.

And the other one was not Exusiai either... she was a hateful police officer who colluded with the Mafia, someone with no justice or morality, and someone who had nearly dislocated Texas's jaw with one punch.

She had to kill them. She had to!

Whoosh!

In the end, Texas made up her mind. Her eyes hardened, and she abruptly rose to her feet, raising the firearm in her hand and aiming it at the bewildered Croissant.

Bang!

With a gunshot, Texas "shot" her friend in front of her almost without hesitation. Meanwhile, Exusiai, playing the police chief, seemed not to have reacted yet when Texas's muzzle had already swung toward her.

Bang! Bang!

Two more gunshots rang out. One struck the throat, and one hit squarely between the brows. Exusiai immediately fell, overturning an entire table of food and wine as her body collapsed limply to the floor.

Still unable to immediately pull herself from the shadow of having "shot" her friends, Texas was unusually flustered. Her body stiffened as she hurried toward the door, belatedly tossing away her firearm. Every movement was exactly the reaction of someone who had killed for the first time.

Outside, a car arrived, and Texas immediately got in and fled the scene. With that, the scene was officially over.

"Cut! Very good, Texas! You acted really well. I was worried you'd look too practiced and not like someone killing for the first time. Sure enough, having people you know play the villains made your reaction much closer to the script."

As Chen Qi's voice fell, all the filming crew and equipment appeared at once. Croissant and the police chief whom Texas had shot both smilingly removed the blood packs beneath their fake skin.

"Tonight, we're having a good meal. It's on the production budget, so nobody miss out!"

"Yay!" XN

Following Chen Qi's words, everyone in the Integrated Cultural Troupe, who had worked all day and were still putting in overtime at night, erupted into cheers.

Meanwhile, the panic on Texas's face had only just faded. Seeing Croissant, who was removing her makeup with cleansing lotion, walk over, Texas hesitantly asked:

"...Croissant, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. But Texas, the look in your eyes during that scene scared me." Croissant casually wiped the makeup from her face with a wet towel. She had only joined the filming for fun, but she did not forget to tease Texas.

"When you aimed that firearm at me just now, I really felt like you wanted to kill me."

"But you definitely wouldn't kill me, right, Texas?" Croissant waved a hand unconcernedly. However, though she was only joking, Texas did not answer immediately. Croissant instinctively turned her head, only to discover Texas looking at her with relief in her eyes.

"...Croissant, it's fortunate that all of this was just acting."

"What?"

"—If this hadn't been a prearranged movie plot, if you had really arranged to assassinate my 'father,' if you really were an utterly evil drug lord... even if you were my friend, I would definitely kill you."

As Texas said this, the pressure that had been building in her heart eased considerably. She smiled at the bewildered Croissant and said:

"Come on. Let's go have a drink together."

"—Hey! Texas! What did you mean by that?! You didn't really want to kill me, did you?!"

"I-I only borrowed a little more money from you, and forced you to buy a little more unsellable merchandise from me, that's all! You don't have to be so ruthless, do you? Texas! Texas!!"

Texas's words made Croissant's skin crawl only after the fact. She felt that Texas had absolutely meant it. If she had truly been the same sort of person as the Sorozzo she played, Texas would definitely have killed her.

Still, although Croissant was greedy for money, she knew that a gentleman sought wealth by proper means. Even when reselling goods, she would not rip people off too badly. Usually, she earned spending money through legitimate business by setting up a little stall—at most, she lacked a business license.

But Texas's words today had absolutely sounded a warning for Croissant, ensuring that she would never touch anything even remotely like Sorozzo's actions for the rest of her life.

Meanwhile, Exusiai only belatedly got up from the floor. There was still a look of dissatisfaction on her face, clearly showing that she was unhappy with her scene.

That was it? She had been looking forward to it so much. She had thought she and Texas would have a firearm duel in that little restaurant, so why had she already wrapped filming?

No, something had to be wrong! Exusiai sprang to her feet, stared in the direction Chen Qi had left, and secretly followed him with intense dissatisfaction.

After filming ended, Chen Qi did not go to Croissant's wrap party right away. Instead, he first went to see Madam Sicily—because of the assassination scene in the story, Madam Sicily could take it easy for a few days.