Chapter 5 (1/2)

”...”

Rand was speechless for a while, he then started to talk stammering around his words: ”Bu-but that doesn't mean anything... I mean, someone has to be able to deal with those things, right?” In any place... I mean, no matter where... I will possibly run into this kind of thing... Maybe it'll be a plane crash, or maybe a nuclear power plant leak... You can't always make me move away because of these kinds of things...”

He did not realize that his tone had grown weaker. All in all, Rand was never someone who was good at arguing.

He clearly knew that Vincent's method was not right, but when the other party put forward his testimony, his language, however, was poor enough to be powerless to refute.

It had only been raw chemical materials that leaked, nothing more...

He thought, today he stayed at that place for the whole afternoon. He may have cut his hand, but he eventually made it back safely. Even if Vincent didn't send that d.a.m.n helicopter and mercenaries to go pick him up, he still could have gotten back home in one piece. However, these are weak and wan in the face of Vincent's neuroticism. This person, known as his ”older brother”, obviously has a line of thinking that normal people can't understand. In Rand's view, perhaps only mothers with postnatal depression could produce a sympathetic response to him.

”The water may be contaminated.”

As Vincent spoke, he gently raised his eyebrows and stared at Rand with that kind of concerned gaze. His voice was just like a machine, and he appeared even more neurotic.

The silver moonlight that came in from the only window in the room was cast onto Vincent's white hair and cheeks, he now looks just like the wisp of a white phantom.

”I am very worried about you, Rand, I am very, very worried about you... I lost you once before, I will not make that mistake a second time...”

He incessantly repeated this sentence.

A kind of heavy feeling emerged in Rand's stomach as if someone was pulling his internal organs down. He sighed deeply and stepped forward, sitting next to Vincent.

He reached out and hugged Vincent, feeling the trembling of the other's shoulder under the palm of his hand.

”Everything is already in the past, I came back, I've come back already, so you don't have to worry,” he spoke to Vinson. ”I know that whole thing hurt you, but Vinson, look at me...”

He looked face to face into Vincent's red eyes.

This distance nearly allowed him to see his reflection in Vincent's eyes.

”Look at me, Vincent, I am no longer a child, I can properly protect myself.”

Vincent's gaze darkened. He grabbed Rand's arm and appeared apprehensive and nervous.

”No, Rand, you have to go to Kansas, you have to be far away from any place with water...”

”Okay, okay!” Rand had to raise his hands in defeat and surrender, ”I'll go to Kansas, but we have come to an agreement on one thing. When I go to Kansas, you have to give up monitoring me.”

”I never thought about monitoring you.”

”Alright, you never monitor me, you are just looking after me... in various ways... ...Vincent, I can't stand this, you know.”

Rand said without any other alternative.

Vincent's panicked appearance became even more apparent. He and Rand fought for a while... Rand began to thank his time as a librarian for training his patience and self-control ability from dealing with that group of elderly ladies.

He finally talked Vincent over.

”Alright, Kansas is just Kansas. You better swear to G.o.d that you really won't monitor me again, or look after me, or follow me... you know what I mean.”

To what Vincent says to Rand, he had no way to trust Vincent's promise all the way, but he knew that Vincent was a devout believer in religion. During his time with Vincent, he would come across Vincent in the prayer room. He can only count on Vincent's belief in religion surpa.s.sing his paranoia.

Vincent revealed a hurt expression.

”If it's for you, I don't need to swear,” he said, ”I will do it.”

Rand's lips twitched, and Vincent's gaze once again gave him a hair-raising feeling, he didn't even dare to turn around to pack up his own things⁠— Of course, in reality, there wasn't anything good to pack up.

What followed became something much simpler. Rand directly carried his news bag on his back and boarded the private plane that Vincent prepared for him, and the journey went by even faster than Rand imagined. A thought was quick to arise and made him slightly doubtful: Vincent's fear of the so-called raw chemical material leak seemed to be somewhat unreasonable. He was simply frantically trying to keep Rand as far away from the Blue Moon Coast as possible...

Kansas is located in the central part of the United States. Central, far away from the seacoast.

Rand couldn't help but take a quick look at Vincent. It was only a pa.s.sing glance of his eyes. Yet Vincent who previously had his eyes tightly shut almost opened his eyes at that very instant.

”Rand, do you need anything?”

”No, I don't need anything at all.”

Rand stiffly moved his gaze away.

Considering that Vincent's mental state in the past has never made one particularly rea.s.sured, perhaps this kind of drastic reaction is normal. Rand quickly dismissed his doubts.

The apartment that Vinson prepared for him was on the topmost floor of the building, this allowed Rand to breathe a sigh of relief that this apartment was ordinary. This so-called normal means that⁠— there are no luxurious decorations, it is not a luxurious manor, and there is even no s.e.xy bunny girl on his bed preparing to serve him in bed. Rand looked around the whole room. The grey carpets and walls were obviously new, and the furniture looked very comfortable (Rand refused to imagine the price of the furniture). Except for that the entire room being too neat and looking like a room you'd see in advertis.e.m.e.nts, there are almost no weak points.