Chapter 34: Negotiation
Slap!
"What do you mean? Did you hit your head on something on the way here?" Darnell growled angrily and forcefully slapped away the hand extended toward him, causing Sollivan, who was seated, to lean to the side.
But Sollivan wasn’t bothered. He pulled back his aching hand and gently rubbed it while keeping his eyes fixed on Darnell. "Aren’t you tired? Yes, I know. So stop looking at me with that suspicious expression. I know the truth about you, and I also have an idea about your identity. So I’ll repeat what I said earlier." He extended his reddened hand again and continued.
"Follow me, and I’ll cure you."
The anger on Darnell’s face disappeared, replaced by a cold, hard expression. He looked at the extended hand with confusion for a moment, then suddenly took a step forward, grabbed Sollivan by the collar of his shirt, and yanked him forcefully, lifting him off his wheelchair. The bag strapped to his arm dangled, and his lifeless feet dragged along the ground, making a faint scraping sound.
"Listen to me, you damn bastard, keep your mouth shut, or I’ll rip your head off right here and now!" Darnell’s teeth ground together as he lowered his voice to the barest whisper, the veins on his face bulging like worms crawling under his skin.
But Sollivan wasn’t fazed by the threat and remained calm. With a small, sarcastic smile, he said, "Man, you need to calm your nerves a bit."
"That’s it!" Darnell roared in anger and kicked the wheelchair in front of him with force, sending it rolling backward. The wheels spun out of control, and after a short distance, the chair tipped over and crashed onto its side. The wheels and wooden planks rattled, and a few small cracks appeared in the backrest.
Sollivan groaned at the sight of his wheelchair being destroyed and cursed angrily, "You bastard, that’s my chair!" He turned and glared into Darnell’s eyes. If he didn’t need him, he would have ordered Noctis to turn his hand into a needle and pierce his skull.
Noctis hid in Darnell’s shadow, ready to attack at any moment. Sollivan wasn’t stupid or reckless enough to risk his life without a safety net. So he waited silently for a few minutes, confirming that Noctis hadn’t been detected, and then made up his mind and spoke his demands.
"Your chair, fine."
Damn it.