Chapter 42
Harriet spoke while looking at Ender’s medical examination report.
“Ender’s sexual function test hit the maximum limit.”
Yes, of course it did, he broke the machine.
Honestly, whenever Anschel thought about that, he wanted to hide somewhere out of embarrassment. He later realized that the method he had taught Harriet had worked too well, going a full 360 degrees.
Harriet scratched his head and checked the time before standing up.
“I need to go submit this.”
“Are you going down to the city?”
“Mm.”
Though it didn’t need to be submitted today, Harriet nodded, thinking he might as well get it over with since Ender wasn’t around anyway. Anschel handed Harriet some mail and said:
“Do you know how to drive?”
“I have a license, but…”
“I’ll drive you.”
“Thanks.”
It is convenient to have a car.
Harriet nodded without refusing the offer. Anschel enjoyed driving in a very polite and quiet manner, and was the best driver Harriet knew.
Anschel gestured to Harriet while holding the car keys. Thinking they would miss lunch by the time they returned from submitting the documents, Harriet followed Anschel toward his car, planning to buy some food in town on the way back.
Anschel’s preferred car was a gray AUD. Like he was attending to Ender, Anschel opened the car door for Harriet, helping him into the back seat before taking the driver’s seat himself. Then he grabbed the steering wheel with familiarity and started the engine.
“I was thinking of buying lunch at the market.”
“That sounds good. The kids will like it too.”
Anschel said this with Ryan and Angela in mind, treating them like children. He held the steering wheel, sighed long for a moment, and then pressed the accelerator.
The car smoothly exited the parking lot. Anschel seemed somewhat troubled by Harriet’s thoughts. Harriet wanted to pat Anschel’s back.
After passing the bumpy dirt road, an asphalt road appeared. Anschel smoothly merged onto the road, leaving the countryside behind. After driving for quite some time, he glanced at the side mirror and said to Harriet:
“Mr. Harriet.”
“Hmm.”
“What score did you get in shooting?”
Harriet, who had been absently looking out the window, turned his head at those words. He was probably referring to their academy days.
“All A’s.”
“You must be better than me. I got a C.”
“That’s terrible!”
Harriet said with a small smile. C was a grade that even most professors rarely gave. While wondering how awful Anschel must have been to receive such a score, Harriet also recalled how well he had handled a gun just yesterday.
They say there’s nothing a person can’t do with effort, and Anschel fits that description perfectly.
“Then I’ll leave the shooting to you.”
“…!”
Anschel quickly turned the steering wheel to the left. The car shook violently as the steering wheel spun at tremendous speed, rattling the interior.
Screeeech-!
With a chilling sound, smoke rose from the asphalt due to the friction. Harriet bent over and let out a small groan. The car slid across the highway as it rotated 180 degrees.
The car, which had been moving in a straight line, suddenly changed lanes diagonally. This time, without checking the side mirror, Anschel continuously turned the steering wheel in the opposite direction and reversed. The speed was so fast that Harriet’s body in the back seat shook again.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out from somewhere. Through the back window of the car, Harriet saw a man with sunglasses holding a gun inside a black van.
“I didn’t expect the President to move this quickly.”
“Hmm…”
“I’ll cover you, Mr. Harriet.”
Harriet fidgeted with the gun Anschel had given him and released the safety. After checking the number of bullets, he slid down in the car seat and ducked.
Simultaneously, a bullet flew toward where Harriet had been, breaking the car’s front windshield and exiting. He had nearly lost his head.
“It seems they don’t know you’re in the car.”
The President seemed to have some purpose he wanted to achieve through Harriet. Since the car was Anschel’s, they were probably attacking because of that. Anschel waved his hand while reversing. Before Anschel’s car could hit the median strip, a massive barrier appeared, gently changing the car’s direction.
Screeeech-!
The irritating smell of burning rubber tires and friction sounds filled the air. Harriet rolled down the window and loaded the gun with both hands. Anschel began driving in the opposite direction toward the pursuing car, spinning the vehicle as if making a 360-degree turn. The moment Anschel’s car crossed paths with the pursuing vehicle…
Bang-!
Harriet and the opponent fired their guns simultaneously. Harriet shook his head slightly from the heat that grazed his ear, while the man slumped over the window with blood streaming down as a bullet had apparently penetrated the center of his neck.
Then, someone who had been covering the man from the opposite side jumped out. Harriet fired his gun at him again. But the man quickly hid under the car.
The van’s glass must have been bulletproof, as the bullet didn’t deeply penetrate but made a “thud” sound, merely scratching the glass before bouncing off.
Since they were on a highway descending from the mountains, a precarious cliff was visible below. The men were frantically trying to start their engine to escape.
Harriet glanced at the driver’s seat. Perhaps due to the impact of colliding with the van, Anschel had hit his head on the steering wheel.
Swiftly moving to the passenger seat, Harriet carefully pushed the momentarily unconscious Anschel aside and took the wheel. Pressing hard on the accelerator with his uninjured leg, he chased after the escaping van.
While protecting Anschel with one hand, he deployed the airbag and strongly rammed into the van.
Sorry to Anschel, but the car was so crushed and ruined that it would have to be scrapped. Smelling the nauseating scent of oil rising, Harriet opened the passenger door and got out. Oil was leaking from the car.
‘Dangerous…’
Harriet grabbed his cane and limped around to the other side. Then he pulled Anschel’s still unconscious body out of the driver’s seat.
Being dragged along, Anschel finally came to and looked around. Seeing his completely wrecked car, he wore an expression of despair.
“That… new car… installment payments…”
Harriet smiled slightly again and picked up his mobile phone. His expression was serious, as if trying to contact Ender. Anschel coughed and finally staggered to his feet. Despite the throbbing pain, his body was surprisingly intact for such a violent crash.
“Where… cough, oh my… hmm… Where is the Colonel?”
He needed to report this. Anschel stared at his pitiful vehicle and moved his lips.
He needed to tell Ender McGuire that the damn President seemed to be making moves already, and that they should keep quiet and observe the situation a little longer. Harriet, holding his phone, said casually:
“He took your presidential election nomination papers.”
“…”
Anschel thought he had misheard and asked again:
“What papers?”
“Your presidential election nomination papers. Ender said he’d cover all the deposit money too…”
Whether for a congressional or presidential election, a certain amount of deposit was required to run. That amount was quite substantial, and for Anschel, who worked as an aide to a colonel, it was an absurdly large sum.
Anschel mentally threw away thoughts of his recently purchased car, which still had installment payments left, and gaped in shock. He said:
“I… I didn’t sign those!”
“Hmm… Ender stamped the documents saying he understood your intentions.”
Harriet smiled awkwardly as he spoke. Anschel staggered as he tried to get up, then collapsed. As he lost consciousness, he muttered:
“That’s… document… forgery…”
Sob, sob.
Anschel lost his composure even more than when attacked by the President’s subordinates and shed tears as he fainted.
In his fading consciousness, he could hear Harriet answering the phone. He heard Ender shouting loudly, asking where they were after Harriet told him about the attack.
Ender was yelling, asking if his Sunbae was hurt anywhere, and when told that a bullet had grazed Harriet’s ear causing a small wound, Ender screamed so loudly it seemed like he would jump out of the speaker.
Shedding tears, Anschel made a promise to himself: If by a one-in-ten-million chance he became president, the first thing he’d do is punch that guy.
Sob, sob.
Anschel closed his eyes, whimpering sadly before losing consciousness.
And a few days later, flyers with Candidate No. 2, Anschel Lee, wearing a very awkward expression, were distributed throughout the country.
* * *
Harriet smiled slightly as he stared at the paper in his hand. In the midst of a serious, subdued atmosphere, Angela spoke as if she was dying of laughter:
“For a world without conflict, Candidate No. 2, Anschel Lee?”
“…Please stop.”
Anschel rarely spoke sternly to Angela. Judging by his unhappy complexion, he truly disliked it, but every time Angela looked at the flyer in front of her, laughter flowed regardless of her will.
She eventually couldn’t hold back her laughter and started choking from not being able to breathe. Her small face turned red as if it would burst, and her lips, clenched to suppress laughter, trembled. Her eyes were brimming with tears that looked ready to fall at any moment.
Anschel frowned deeply at the flyer, and that was Angela’s breaking point.
“KYAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!!”
“…You’re being ridiculous.”
Angela literally laughed hysterically, rolling back and forth on the sofa. When she laughed, Ryan, who had been barely maintaining his composure beside her, also burst out laughing.
What Anschel once thought was a cute laugh now seemed more annoying than anyone else’s. He wanted to grab and stretch that laughing mouth.
Anschel sighed and closed his eyes. He mumbled as if slightly embarrassed. Thinking about such flyers being spread throughout the country made cold sweat run down his back and brought tears to his eyes.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
