Guns and Coffee in the World of Science

Chapter 146 Russian Roulette

She looked at Chen Shuo, a charming smile tinged with self-mockery spread across her lips. "All of this is the mark you left on me in New York a year ago... a ruthless man."

Her words suddenly chilled the entire room. A rare flicker of surprise crossed Pu Siqinglan's usually icy eyes. She couldn't help but turn to look at Chen Shuo, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "He... actually left someone alive?" Suddenly, another thought popped into her mind: "Hmm... maybe I'm one of those survivors, too."

Chen Shuo, however, didn't seem surprised. His gaze swept between Vermouth's face and the bullet wound on her body, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. He spoke slowly, a hint of tentativeness in his tone: "You are... the serial killer. Was it you who was in disguise back then?"

Vermouth lowered her head and gave a bitter laugh, then sat back on the sofa, her posture elegant, her voice carrying a hint of tired calmness: "Yes, I was just a failed actor at the time, and I happened to meet you, a 'ruthless screenwriter', who gave me this abrupt ending for this play."

Chen Shuo narrowed his eyes slightly, his thoughts seeming to return to that time. His voice was low and calm: "So, just because Xiaolan saved your life, you look at her differently?"

Vermouth gave a wry smile, a hint of self-mockery in her eyes. She leaned back on the sofa, folded her hands on her knees, and sighed softly. Her gaze drifted out the window, as if gazing through the night into the distant past.

"You may not understand, how could a person like me who lives in darkness regard a girl like Mao Lilan... as my white moonlight." Her voice was low, with a hint of fatigue that was hard to conceal, but more of it was self-deprecating.

She raised her hand, her fingertips gently brushing a strand of blonde hair across her forehead. A hint of ethereal beauty entered her voice. "A year ago, I was in New York. It was a disguise I created for a certain purpose. But who could have imagined that, in the midst of that chaos, I would meet her? A girl who had no idea what was really going on, yet instinctively reached out to help me?"

Vermouth paused, a faint smile forming at the corner of her mouth, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "She guessed I was a murderer, and she knew exactly what he had done... but she didn't hesitate. In that dangerous moment, she didn't choose to flee. Instead, she rushed over and held me back from falling. Her actions couldn't even be called rational; they were purely instinctive."

She lowered her head, clenched her fists, and her voice trembled slightly. "A girl like her, so pure that I envy her, so kind that I can't even look at her. She's like a point of light, piercing the darkest corners of my heart. You know, at that moment, I even began to think that maybe... people really can shed those dirty things and become as pure as her."

Vermouth's wry smile deepened. She slowly raised her head, a hint of self-mockery in her eyes: "But I soon realized that I could never be like her. She is the white moonlight, and I am a witch completely eroded by darkness. We should not have any intersection, let alone a common destiny."

Chen Shuo listened quietly, his eyes calm but filled with profound insight. He didn't interrupt immediately, but waited for Vermouth to calm down.

"So, what are you doing now?" Chen Shuo's voice was calm, yet it held a hint of power that left no room for evasion. "Are you protecting her to repay that favor, or is it because... you want to hold on to your only ray of hope?"

Vermouth's body stiffened slightly, her eyes drooped, and she did not answer immediately, but responded to Chen Shuo's question with a bitter smile.

In her silence, Pu Siqinglan and Yuanzi fell silent, seemingly digesting Vermouth's words. Only the soft ticking of the clock's second hand echoed, as if time had paused for a moment for her complex emotions.

---

The silence in the room was broken by Sonoko's sudden question. She frowned, staring fiercely at Vermouth, her tone filled with anger and confusion, "Then why did you send someone to snipe us two days ago? Aren't you afraid that Xiaolan would be implicated?"

Upon hearing this, Vermouth's expression darkened, her calm demeanor turning somewhat gloomy. She seemed to be suppressing her emotions, and after a moment, she spoke with a tone of suppressed anger: "I didn't even intend to attack you! I just wanted to..."

Before she could finish her words, a childish yet cold voice suddenly came from the entrance of the living room, interrupting her directly: "You just want to kill me, right, Vermouth?"

Everyone's eyes instantly turned to the source of the sound. Haibara Ai's small figure appeared at the doorway of the living room. Her expression was eerily calm, and without a trace of emotion in her eyes, she stared straight at Vermouth.

Vermouth's body trembled slightly, and she looked at the young figure with a complicated look. Her face was filled with a mixture of struggle and anger. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she finally clenched her teeth.

Ai Huibara walked slowly into the living room, her arms folded across her chest, maintaining a calm demeanor. Her gaze was like a mirror, reflecting Vermouth's chaotic emotions at the moment.

Vermouth's expression suddenly became extremely complicated. She lowered her eyelids, as if she was trying hard to suppress some emotion, but in the end, she suddenly raised her head and said through gritted teeth: "Yes... I really want to kill everyone in your Miyano family!"

Her voice was filled with anger and despair, as if she was not only answering Huiyuan Ai, but also venting some kind of pain deep in her heart. Her words were like knives, piercing every corner of the room.

Ai Haibara stood in the middle of the living room, her eyes calmly watching the emotionally fluctuating Vermouth. Her voice was low but to the point: "Is it because of that medicine? APTX4869."

Upon hearing this, Vermouth raised a disdainful sneer, her eyes filled with coldness and sarcasm: "When I became your parents' experimental subject without knowing it, the relationship between them and me was doomed - a life-and-death struggle!"

Huihara Ai frowned slightly, her tone still calm and rational: "You must be quite old, right? I've also investigated you, Chris Wynyard, no... I should call you Sharon Wynyard. You faked your own death and disguised yourself as your daughter at the same time, and that's how you fooled everyone."

Her eyes slowly swept over Vermouth's face, her tone tentative, "In other words, you gained the ability to remain immortal thanks to my parents' medicine. Logically, shouldn't you be happy?"

Upon hearing this, Vermouth slammed the table, her voice filled with long-suppressed anger: "Happy? What nonsense!"

Her emotions were completely ignited, and the hatred in her eyes burned like flames. She pointed at her chest and said fiercely, "This kind of 'immortality'... has anyone ever asked my opinion? Has anyone ever asked me if I'm willing to pay this price?!"

Huiyuan Ai was not frightened by her excitement. Her eyes remained calm, but her tone softened a little: "So you hate them because they didn't give you the right to choose...right?"

Vermouth was stunned for a moment, as if a deep, painful spot had been touched. Her lips trembled slightly, and then a bitter smile appeared on her face. "Choice? Haha... You know, the most luxurious thing in the world is choice."

She paused, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "They did give me the so-called 'immortality,' but it also threw my life off its normal trajectory. Can you imagine? Watching the people around you grow old and pass away, all while you pretend and hide, even the simplest of feelings burdened by lies."

Huibara Ai listened, was silent for a moment, and then spoke softly: "So, do you hate 'immortality', or the decision that deprived you of your choice?"

Vermouth was stunned, as if she had not expected Haibara Ai to ask such a soul-piercing question. She gritted her teeth, her fingers clenched tightly at her sides, as if trying to suppress her emotions.

The air was filled with a heavy sense of oppression. Everyone in the room remained silent, staring at Vermouth. Her breathing gradually calmed, but her eyes were still filled with complex emotions.

"Maybe it's both..." Vermouth finally whispered, her voice filled with fatigue and a hint of regret.

Ai Huibara lowered her head and remained silent for a moment, a dark look of pain emerging on her face. Her voice was low and trembling: "So... did you kill my parents, too?"

Vermouth raised her head slightly, a look of relief on her face. She nodded, her tone somewhat frighteningly calm: "Yes. I set a fire."

These words were like a sharp blade, piercing Haibara Ai's heart. She jerked her head up, tears glistening in her eyes, her voice choked with undisguised sobs and questions, "So...was it the organization's decision to make you a test subject, or was it my parents' wish?"

Vermouth didn't answer immediately. Her eyes flickered slightly, as if she was struggling with whether to tell the truth. After a moment, she finally spoke, a subtle hint of fatigue and guilt in her voice: "It's... the organization's decision."

Haibara Ai's shoulders trembled slightly, and tears began to fall. Her voice suddenly became sharp and excited. "Then why don't you hate the organization? Instead, you take your anger out on my parents. You know full well that they have no choice either! They are also victims of... the organization!"

Her emotions became more and more excited, her voice almost choked, and her whole body was trembling slightly. Seeing this, Chen Shuo immediately stood up, gently hugged Huiyuan Ai in his arms, and patted her back with his hands, trying to calm her down.

Haibara Ai buried her face in Chen Shuo's chest, her hands tightly grasping his clothes, as if she was trying to control her emotions, but her shoulders were still trembling.

Vermouth watched this scene quietly, her eyes revealing a complex emotion of envy and deep pain. Her lips trembled slightly, but in the end, she didn't say anything, but slowly closed her eyes.

After a long moment, she spoke in a low voice, her voice filled with deep powerlessness and bitterness: "Do you think... I don't hate the organization? How could I not hate it... but... I really can't help it."

Her voice gradually faded, as if she were mumbling to herself, "He is the manipulator from above, and I am... a pawn that can be easily discarded. All I can do is choose the hatred I can bear... and then take it out on others... That's all."

She rubbed her temples painfully, closed her eyes and leaned gently on the sofa, as if she was overwhelmed by emotions.

Sonoko looked down at her, a complex expression flashing across her eyes. She didn't speak, and the only sounds in the air seemed to be the low sobs of Huibara Ai and the silent sighs of Vermouth.

The atmosphere in the room was stagnant and suffocating.

---

Huiyuan Ai finally straightened up from Chen Shuo's arms. Her eyes were no longer filled with tears, but her red and swollen eyes revealed deep pain and anger. Without a word, she pulled the Remington 1875 from Chen Shuo's waist, her movements swift and decisive.

Chen Shuo raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes showing some interest, but he did not stop her actions.

With trembling hands, Huihara Ai raised the heavy gun and pointed it directly at Vermouth. Her wrists kept shaking, as if the fatal bullet would be ejected in the next second, ending Vermouth's life completely.

Vermouth watched all this unfold in silence. She showed no sign of panic; instead, her eyes gradually calmed, as if she had already accepted the outcome. She lowered her head to smooth down her messy blond hair, then calmly picked up a sweater beside her and slowly put it on, gracefully adjusting the collar.

Every movement of hers revealed a sense of dignity, as if she was not a prisoner awaiting judgment, but a nobleman preparing to die calmly.

Vermouth raised her head, her eyes showing no resentment, only an elusive complex emotion. Her voice was low and calm: "Go ahead and shoot. I won't blame you. I owe you an explanation as well as I owe your parents."

Huiyuan Ai's breathing became rapid, and the gun in her hand trembled even more. She stared at Vermouth, tears welling up in her eyes again. She clenched her teeth, but hesitated to pull the trigger.

The silence in the room was pushed to the extreme by the tension of this confrontation. Pu Siqinglan and Sonoko subconsciously held their breath, their eyes moving back and forth between Haibara Ai and Vermouth.

In the end, Huiyuan Ai's finger did not pull the trigger, but suddenly dropped the gun. Her shoulders rose and fell violently, and her hands tightly grasped the Remington, as if to crush it.

"I... hate you." Her voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, filled with deep fatigue and helplessness: "But, what I hate... is not just you."

As if she had suddenly made a decision, she glanced down at the Remington 1875 in her hand, a cold look in her eyes. Then, she gently pressed the cylinder release button, turned the pistol toward herself, and pushed hard. The cylinder slowly unscrewed, revealing the six magazines inside.

She expertly removed the bullets from the magazine one by one, her slender fingers trembling slightly. "One, two, three..." As she ejected the fifth bullet, only the last remained, lying quietly in the magazine.

Her eyes were cold, and she raised her hand slightly, quickly rotating the cylinder. The cylinder made a crisp "click" sound, which was particularly harsh in the air. After the rotation stopped, she pushed hard, locking the cylinder back into the gun body, the movement clean and neat.

"Russian roulette." Pu Siqinglan murmured softly, with a hint of surprise and complexity in his eyes.

Haibara Ai ignored the reactions of the others. She placed the gun on the table and gently pushed it with her finger. The gun slid across the table and slowly stopped in front of Vermouth. Haibara Ai's eyes were cold, filled with an indescribable repression and anger: "I want to kill you! But I also want to see you and the organization fight each other... So, let God decide!"

Vermouth glanced down at the pistol before her, her gaze sharpening for a moment, but soon a complex smile crept up from the corner of her mouth. She didn't touch the pistol immediately, but slowly leaned back on the sofa, as if awaiting the verdict of fate.

Huiyuan Ai no longer looked at her. She turned around and threw herself into Chen Shuo's arms, burying her little face in his chest, her voice filled with exhaustion and helplessness: "I'm sorry... forgive my willfulness..."

Chen Shuo looked down at the little person in his arms, sighed softly, and gently stroked her soft hair. His voice was low and gentle, with a hint of irresistible tolerance: "Xiao Ai, you are the one who has the ultimate right to decide her fate. Whatever happens to her, it's up to you."

Huiyuan Ai trembled slightly and clutched Chen Shuo's clothes tightly, as if absorbing his warmth to soothe her emotions. She didn't say anything else, but the atmosphere in the room became more tense and oppressive.

Vermouth slowly reached out and picked up the pistol from the table. Her movements were gentle, yet filled with an indescribable determination, as if she had already made a decision that was irreversible.

She looked at the weapon in her hand, a faint smile playing on her lips, a hint of self-mockery and relief. Without further ado, and without hesitation analyzing the odds of winning this gamble, she decisively pointed the gun at her head.

The whole room suddenly became so quiet that only the sound of moving air could be heard.

Pu Siqinglan and Yuanzi's pupils contracted slightly, and they instinctively tensed their bodies. Huiyuan Ai huddled in Chen Shuo's arms, her hands tightly clutching his clothes, her body trembling slightly, but she didn't look up.

Vermouth closed her eyes, lightly placed her finger on the trigger, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.