After leaving the hospital, Darnell headed towards the parking lot.
Weston informed Darnell that he had killed over three hundred people. Then he fell into a long silence. His left hand trembled uncontrollably twice and needed his right hand to suppress it.
Although Darnell could have probed further into Weston’s past, he chose to give him due respect and ended the conversation.
If Weston wanted to say it, he would eventually say it. There was no need to trigger someone’s unpleasant memories if they didn’t want to share them.
Darnell understood Weston’s feelings because he too had memories he preferred not to recall. After some casual chatting, he handed him a fruit basket and took his leave, allowing Weston some time alone to calm down.
As Darnell was about to disappear, Weston remembered something and asked Darnell to accompany him to the antique shop tomorrow to pick up fifty thousand dollars. He wanted to repay his earlier debt.
Darnell did not refuse and smiled as he agreed to meet him tomorrow at three in the afternoon.
Winter in Whiteville was not pleasant. Although it was still morning, the sky was overcast, casting a gloomy mood over everything.
Darnell rubbed his head to dispel messy thoughts as he leisurely walked towards his red Porsche. When he was three meters away, he saw a bicycle wobble past.
“Screech!”
The shabby bicycle carrying several bottles of mineral water turned too sharply at the corner and scraped against Porsche’s bumper, leaving a mark.
The sixty-something rider quickly jumped off, disregarding picking up the bottles or righting the bike, and crouched down to wipe the bumper with his sleeve.
He seemed intent on removing the scratch but only made it more visible. The bumper even dented slightly.
Had it not been for the mineral water bottles absorbing much of the impact, the damage might have been more severe.
After wiping for a while longer, the old man stopped and furrowed his brows, clearly aware that he was in big trouble.
Darnell coughed as he approached. “Sir, did you scratch the car?”
The old man nodded. “Yes.”
Darnell looked at him. “Can you afford to pay for it?”
The old man looked troubled. “I can’t afford it.”
Darnell frowned. “If you can’t afford it, why don’t you run? Waiting for the car owner to come find you?”
“Young man, are you trying to show off?”
The old man looked sharply at Darnell. “This is your Porsche, right?”
Darnell looked surprised. “Sir, you’re impressive. How did you know?”
“Young man, that’s not right.”
The old man earnestly lectured Darnell, “You seem to save me from paying compensation but actually make me irresponsible.”
“This time, I hit a luxury car and ran away without facing the consequences. Next time, I might hit someone and run away too.”
“I might think that since last time nothing happened, this time might be fine too.”
“If I run away and cause a fatal accident, how could I face both the deceased and myself.”
The old man spoke firmly, “I scratched the car, so I should take responsibility.”
“You can’t turn me into an irresponsible person just because you’re worried I won’t be able to pay the money.”
Darnell felt guilty. “I’m sorry, sir. You’re right. I won’t do it again.”
After saying this, Darnell felt something was off. His car was scratched, yet he was being lectured and apologizing.
“Good, you’re a good kid. I’m glad you realized your mistakes.”
The old man approvingly patted Darnell’s shoulder before pulling out his wallet and handing over all his cash-ten dollars, five dollars, even one cent.
He stuffed them into Darnell’s hand. “Business wasn’t good today. I only got a few dozen bucks. Take it first. Give me your number so you can contact me and tell me how much repairs cost.”
“I’ll repay what I can. It might take time, but I’ll pay it off. Is that okay?”
His determined eyes and words somehow inspired belief. His sense of responsibility made him shine.
Looking at the handful of cash, Darnell felt slightly dazed. He really wanted to refuse but worried rejecting compensation would lead to another lecture from the old man, so he accepted them with a smile.
“Sir, I’ll take these thirty-eight dollars first. You can pay it back slowly. There’s no need to rush.”
“My name is Darnell. What’s your name?”
“Wesley Hodson. Here’s my number.”
“Alright, let me know when your car’s fixed.”
“I’ll pay for the repairs then.”
Darnell nodded. “Okay!”
After handling the matter, he no longer lingered. With swift movements, he lifted the fallen bike back up and kicked the wheels to straighten them out.
Darnell helped him pick up the scattered bottles, and Wesley nodded at Darnell. “Thanks, Darnell. Hope to see you again.”
Darnell replied politely, “Goodbye, Mr. Hodson.”
With a push off the pedals, Wesley rode away.
Darnell watched him go, chuckling helplessly before slipping into his car and stepping on the gas to leave.
Half an hour later, Wesley rode into a recycling yard.
The facility was quite expansive, with piles of scrap metal, cardboard, and bottles at the front, along with three large dogs. It looked no different from an ordinary recycling shop. However, keen observers would notice a few people discreetly keeping watch.
The atmosphere was tense, hinting at the complexity of the recycling yard.
Wesley parked his bike in the yard, and a young girl rushed over, calling him “father” before taking the bike and its contents to the warehouse.
Wesley brushed off the dust from his clothes and then crossed the yard and the building, heading to an open space at the back.
There were ten large pots filled with hot water, and a girl stood in front of the pots, continuously stirring the water while focusing on a coin at the bottom.
It was a primitive yet effective way to practice.
Upon seeing Wesley, the ten girls shouted in unison, “Father!”
Wesley smiled and nodded. “Keep practicing, and don’t slack off.”
“Don’t worry, Father. They’re eager to practice twenty-four hours a day,” a woman chimed in.
Just then, the curtain of a nearby room was lifted, and a delicate-faced woman with an oval face stepped out, smiling. “Everyone wants to graduate early.”
“It isn’t that easy,” Wesley replied with a faint smile. “We’re not pickpockets. We want more than that.”
The oval-faced woman nodded and asked, “Did you have any success on your hunt this time?”
“Of course. I cleaned out the twenty-eight scalpers at the Whiteville Hospital,” Wesley said calmly. “There’s at least six hundred thousand. You’ll go to the hospital tomorrow and donate it to those in need.”
The oval-faced woman smiled sweetly, “Understood.”
“Today’s harvest was considerable, and I even met an interesting person.”
Wesley looked excited. “I bumped into his Porsche, and the repair cost will be at least ten thousand. He pretended to be clueless and asked me to leave.”
“A rich kid with such a good heart is quite rare. Instead of running away, I even lectured him a bit and gave him thirty-eight dollars.”
The oval-faced woman raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Really? Are there still good people like that around? What’s his name? If we meet again, I’ll go easy on him.”
Wesley pulled out his phone and showed her Darnell’s contact information.
The woman leaned in to take a look, and her expression instantly changed. “Darnell?”
Wesley was taken aback. “You know him?”
“Of course, I do,” she replied coldly. “Even if he turned to ashes, I’d recognize him.”
She still harbored resentment over the incident last time.
The oval-faced woman took out her phone, switched to a professional WhatsApp account, and uploaded a youthful photo. “Father, let me add him on WhatsApp.”
Wesley hesitated slightly, unsure of what was going on with his daughter, but he smiled and let her add Darnell.
The woman sent the friend request, expecting it to be accepted quickly. However, to her surprise, the response came back immediately, rejecting her,
“I don’t add flat-chested women as a friend!”