Madman

"Hm?" Hill's voice was low and brooked no argument.

The scene of her kissing Kelante in the lounge last night flooded back into Song Zhi's mind. Now that Hill had brought it up, she felt embarrassed and mortified. He was meddling too much. With a hint of anger, she shouted, "This is none of your business! Get out!"

Song Zhi regretted shouting as soon as she had done it. She heard Hill's low, cold laugh from behind the door. The muffled, raspy sound was like a devil's whisper, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, its prey already firmly trapped as it simply admired the creature's dying struggles.

"None of my business? Heh heh..."

His low voice carried a wicked, depraved amusement—the excitement of being provoked by his prey... and the pleasure of toying with it. The sound sent a chill down Song Zhi's spine and made her hair stand on end.

"Open the door!" Hill commanded coldly.

Song Zhi would have to be crazy to listen to him. She braced herself against the door with all her strength, trying to keep the devil outside.

"You think this lousy door can stop me? Naive! This thing can't stop us, any one of us!" Hill sneered. He reached out and knocked twice on the thin door. The crisp sound told Song Zhi that he could tear the door apart with his bare hands, and he could do the same to her.

"Open the door! I don't want to repeat myself a third time!"

After weighing her options, Song Zhi had no choice but to step back and clear the way.

Hill pushed the door open and strode into the room in his black tactical boots. The bedroom, which had been fairly spacious and bright, instantly seemed cramped with his large frame in it. He shut the door behind him, and with a click, locked it.

The sound of the lock reached Song Zhi's ears, and her heart tightened.

Hill looked around, taking in Song Zhi's bedroom. There were pink-and-blue sheets, white curtains, and a bunch of golden sunflowers on the windowsill. An oak-colored table and chairs stood beside the small single bed. The room was free of the gunpowder smell that never seemed to wash away. Everything was simple, yet warm and comfortable.

"Living well, I see!" Hill teased.

Song Zhi hid in the corner, not daring to make a sound. Lu Yu had told her not to provoke Hill, but she couldn't stop the devil from coming to provoke her himself. She couldn't anger him now. Heaven knew what this madman would do.

He's sick! Seriously sick!

Song Zhi remembered the footage Kelante had shown her. Hill had been on that mission too... and only he and Lu Yu had survived...

"It's all paid for with your money..." Song Zhi lowered her eyes, keeping her posture as humble as possible and showing a little weakness.

"Our money? No, it was given to you, so it's yours. You can spend it however you like, buy whatever you want. There'll be more later... waiting for you..." Halfway through, Hill lowered his head and laughed. "Ha! Are you trying to change the subject on purpose? Darling! Tell me, what did you two do?"

Hill closed in on Song Zhi, bracing a strong arm beside her and trapping her in the corner. His brown eyes stared coldly at her. He was so close that she could make out his thick eyelashes.

"Hm?" he asked again, impatiently.

"He kissed me..." Song Zhi lowered her eyes, her face burning.

"Just that?" Hill slowly leaned closer to Song Zhi, a teasing note in his voice.

Song Zhi nodded. When she met Hill's gaze, she quickly looked away again.

"Heh heh! You're thinking that Italian man isn't bad, aren't you? That compared to a bastard like me... he's much better!" Hill gripped the back of Song Zhi's neck, forcing her to look at him.

Hill had stated exactly what Song Zhi was thinking. Caught off guard, she hadn't even had time to hide the surprise on her face. That was indeed what she thought.

"Fuck!" Hill cursed under his breath. "It's not smart to compare the five of us. That Italian man is the best liar of all... I'm different. I've never hidden what I want to do."

Hill looked at the panic on Song Zhi's face and snorted. "He fooled you. Just because he cooked a few meals for you? Took care of you for a few days, and you think he's a good person? How stupid!"

His brown pupils slowly narrowed, flashing dangerously. He took off his tactical gloves and reached out, his tobacco-scented fingertips rubbing Song Zhi's lips neither too hard nor too gently, with a lewd amusement, until they grew redder and more swollen.

"I was supposed to go back to Sri Lanka, but that Italian man beat me to it. Fuck!" he cursed under his breath.

"What...?" Song Zhi hadn't heard him clearly.

Hill scoffed and tightened his hand around the back of Song Zhi's neck again.

Song Zhi was forced back against the wall, her head tilted up as she endured Hill's domineering stare.

He moved as if to lean in.

Song Zhi hurriedly closed her eyes.

Damn it!

She had lost her nerve!

"Heh heh..." A mocking, derisive laugh sounded beside her ear, a blatant provocation.

"Babe... you should have taken the chance to reach for my lower back just now... There's a gun hidden there. You could have pulled it out and pointed it at my head... hm?"

Hill stepped back, reached behind his waist, and pulled out the gun. A crisp, clean sound rang out as he chambered a round. He looked teasingly at the disheveled Song Zhi.

"Half an hour. You have half an hour to shower and change, then come out and eat. We're going to the hospital. Wilk and Lu are still there." Hill put away the gun, opened the door, and walked out.

Song Zhi was left alone in the room, speechless. After Hill walked out, she rushed into the bathroom and cursed under her breath, "Fuck! Madman!"

By the time Song Zhi came out after changing, Hill had a cigarette between his lips and had already baked two pizzas, one with meat sauce and sausage, and one with pineapple.

The aroma of pizza filled the lounge, and Song Zhi felt a little hungry.

"Pineapple pizza? If Kelante saw this, he'd throw the pizza and the whole oven out." Song Zhi could hardly believe that Hill, that rogue, could make pizza!

"It's for you. If the lieutenant found out that the kitten he's raising secretly ate the pineapple pizza he hates most, would he throw the greedy little kitten out?" Hill blew out a puff of smoke, looking even more wicked.

Under the wicked Hill's coercion, Song Zhi ate a few slices of pineapple pizza and was even forced to praise how good it tasted.

Hill sent Kelante, who was out on a mission, a photo of Song Zhi eating pineapple pizza by text.

Before long, Kelante replied: Make a durian pizza next time. Lu says Song should like it very much.

Durian pizza? What the hell? Hill raised an eyebrow.

After eating, Hill and Song Zhi left the apartment. A black SUV was parked outside; it was Hill's.

He drove very slowly, and Song Zhi was nearly asleep in the car. She suspected that Hill didn't want to go to the hospital at all and was taking a detour.

Song Zhi didn't want to expose his childish little trick. Once he'd taken enough detours, he would drive to the hospital on his own. Sure enough, after wasting a full hour, the car stopped at the hospital.

Hill got out and pulled the drowsy Song Zhi out of the car. "You'd better not sleep in my car. I'll drive somewhere deserted... you know what I mean!"

Song Zhi pouted and hurried after Hill as he walked away. She stepped into the elevator just before the doors closed, and only then did Hill slowly lower his hand from the door-open button.

Wilk and Lu Yu were in the same hospital room. As soon as Song Zhi appeared at the door, she heard Lu Yu's exaggerated groans, as if he were badly injured.

Wilk had been shot in the arm. Fortunately, it had been a small-caliber bullet and hadn't caused serious damage.

"Big guy, are you all right?" Song Zhi came over and bent down to look at Wilk's wound before she felt reassured.

"I'm recovering well, darling. Thank you." Wilk took Song Zhi's hand and kissed it gently.

Song Zhi went over to Lu Yu's bed and looked at him, a layer of his skin scraped away. "Does it hurt? Have you been putting medicine on it?" she asked with concern.

"Don't worry. It's not a serious injury. They insisted on keeping me in the hospital." Lu Yu shrugged and tried to make a face, only to suck in a breath from the pain.

Song Zhi sat between the two beds, peeled an apple with her head lowered, and cut it down the middle with a fruit knife. She handed one half to Wilk and the other to Lu Yu.

Half for each of them. Very fair!