Miss Witch Doesn't Want to Become a Songstress-Chapter 192

"Damn it!"

Shaking off her drowsiness, Thilan woke up to the sound of explosions and gunfire outside, as if a battle was raging not far from their vehicle. Amidst the chaos, she could hear her companions cursing and shouting.

She quickly sat up, put on her shoes, and rushed to the second floor of the vehicle.

The noise was even louder here. The vehicle seemed to be performing evasive maneuvers, swaying back and forth, while flashes of firelight could be seen flying past the windows.

"We have to fight back!" one of her companions shouted, sticking his head out with a gun in hand. But before he could fire, someone else yanked him back inside. Bullets whizzed past where his head had been, leaving dents in the vehicle’s exterior.

"Don’t stick your head out! They’re waiting for that!" Phyllis yelled.

On the other side, Valk opened the roof hatch and cautiously climbed up, holding a bulletproof shield. Behind him, Guro and Jinzerk followed with guns in hand. The roof could only hold three people at a time, and the constant swaying made it hard to keep their balance, forcing them to grip the roof rails tightly.

"What’s going on?" Thilan wondered, listening to the gunfire outside. It seemed they were under attack.

She pressed her fingers to her temples, and her perception expanded, gradually piecing together the situation outside.

Behind their large truck, two modified armored SUVs were chasing them, kicking up dust. One of the SUVs had a machine gun mounted on it, spraying bullets like water toward their vehicle.

Fortunately, their truck wasn’t an ordinary one, and the bullets didn’t penetrate easily.

However, the situation wasn’t entirely safe. When the attackers pulled out a shoulder-fired rocket launcher, Thilan knew they were dealing with more than just amateurs.

Smoke and flames erupted from the rocket launcher as a rocket shot toward them. A sharp alarm sounded inside the vehicle.

"High-temperature heat source detected near the vehicle. Evade immediately!"

"Swift Flame!"

Before Thilan could leap out to intercept the rocket, a clear voice rang out from beside her.

In a critical moment, Evony leaned out of the window, aimed her palm at the incoming rocket, and fired a twisting orange fireball. It struck the rocket head-on, detonating it prematurely.

The explosion temporarily obscured the attackers’ vision, and their gunfire became sporadic, missing Evony by a hair’s breadth as she ducked back inside.

Back in the vehicle, Evony leaned against the seat, breathing heavily. The risky move she had just made left her shaken. If the bullets had been even slightly more accurate, they could have hit her head.

"It’s okay, take a moment to calm down," Ruby comforted her, patting her back.

Meanwhile, the counterattack from the roof began. With Valk shielding them with his bulletproof shield, Jinzerk and Guro started firing.

A blue streak of electricity flashed as the electromagnetically accelerated bullets struck the tires of one of the SUVs, causing it to lose control and flip over, skidding across the ground.

With one SUV down, the other became more cautious. It kept its distance, making it harder to hit. Several shots missed their mark.

"Let me handle this," Alen said, taking over from Jinzerk. He climbed onto the roof with what looked like a grenade launcher, but instead of grenades, it was loaded with transparent glass canisters containing a special liquid and seeds that emitted a faint green glow.

Crouching on the swaying roof, Alen aimed at the remaining SUV and fired. The canister didn’t hit the SUV directly but landed in front of it. As the glass shattered, the liquid inside rapidly evaporated upon contact with the air, and the seeds were instantly activated. Thick vines sprouted and entangled the SUV, trapping it.

Even from a distance, they could hear the screams of the people inside as the vines tightened around them.

The gunfire finally stopped, and the truck slowed down before coming to a complete halt.

"Valk and I will check the situation. You all stay back and cover us," Xelian said as he jumped out of the vehicle.

Among the group, Valk was undoubtedly the strongest. The Light Feather Sequence specialized in defense and healing, and his burly frame allowed him to wear thick protective gear and carry a heavy bulletproof shield. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Xelian, on the other hand, was more unique. He had always been low-key within the club, and if it weren’t for N mentioning him during training, no one would have noticed him. He was usually quiet, but recently, everyone had realized that his transcendent profession leaned heavily toward speed and stealth. He was often the first to react in emergencies.

"Got it," Valk replied calmly. He had a good temper and usually agreed to his companions’ requests as long as they weren’t unreasonable.

He picked up his shield and stepped out of the vehicle, walking steadily toward the overturned SUV. Meanwhile, Xelian slipped out from a blind spot and darted toward the SUV from the side. He didn’t carry a gun, as it would slow him down.

Before Valk had gone far, Xelian had already closed in on the SUV. He didn’t rush in immediately but circled around, observing the situation. Once he was sure it was safe, he approached from a blind spot where the attackers couldn’t shoot.

He tossed a flashbang into the vehicle, and the deafening sound wave disoriented the occupants. Only then did he climb inside.

A few minutes later, the rest of the group, now certain it was safe, approached.

"What a mess," Iyepher commented, looking at the four people inside the SUV who were tightly bound by the vines and nearly unconscious.

"If Xelian hadn’t cut a few of the vines, two of them would have suffocated by now," Valk shook his head.

"Should we interrogate them? We might get some useful information," Guro rubbed his chin.

"Interrogation is tricky. If they give us false information, it could be worse than knowing nothing," Alen felt it was a difficult task.

"Too bad N isn’t willing to help. He’d definitely know how to extract information from enemies," Simu tapped the heads of two of the captives with his gun butt, checking if they were conscious.

"Isn’t interrogation just about beating them up? How hard can it be?" Jinzerk said casually. He didn’t really care about getting accurate information; venting his frustration was enough.

"Unfortunately, none of us in the club aspire to be investigators or interrogators. We’re not very good at this," Simu shrugged, flicking his wine-red hair.

"I’ll handle it," Thilan, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. This surprised many, as the image of the gentle girl didn’t quite match that of a ruthless interrogator.

"I’m not a professional, but I can tell if someone’s lying. The Decay Sequence specializes in soul and consciousness, so it can detect simple lies. That should be enough for most situations, especially since these are just gang members from the wilderness," Thilan explained.

"It seems we need to prepare a special setting for our president," Alen adjusted his glasses, a glint of mischief in his eyes that made Thilan uneasy.

A few minutes later.

A black wooden chair was placed in the middle of the desert, its clean and polished surface starkly contrasting with the surrounding environment. Behind the chair stood a large parasol, shielding it from the gray sunlight.

Under the parasol, the black-haired girl sat. At Alen’s suggestion, she crossed her legs, one hand resting on the armrest while the other propped up her head. Her slender legs were clad in dark gray, almost black stockings, and the tips of her shoes peeked out into the sunlight, casting faint shadows.

"Yes, that’s perfect. Alen, your sense of aesthetics is impeccable," Guro praised, admiring Thilan’s posture.

"It really captures the charm and authority of a mafia princess," Simu secretly applauded.

Others, like Phyllis and Xelian, didn’t say anything, but their eyes kept darting toward Thilan, as if trying to memorize the scene.

"Too bad we don’t have a burly member. If Valk and another big guy were standing behind Thilan in black suits and sunglasses, it would be perfect."

"If we can’t match the physique, we’ll have to make up for it with numbers," Alen lamented.

Listening to their comments, Thilan, sitting in the chair, felt a mix of amusement and helplessness. She didn’t know how to respond to their antics.

"Haven’t you figured it out yet? Sitting like this feels really awkward," Thilan thought to herself. Her etiquette teacher had always told her that crossing her legs was unladylike.

"Alright, the four of us will stand beside you. Just pretend we’re your enforcers. You need to exude the commanding presence of a mafia princess. Don’t speak as gently as you usually do—use harsh and overbearing words. If you find it hard, we can step in to emphasize your authority. Whatever you do, don’t speak softly. You need to be commanding, commanding!" Alen emphasized repeatedly, and the others nodded eagerly, clearly excited and looking forward to the performance.

"Alright, fine," Thilan sighed, rubbing her forehead. She was glad Dolores wasn’t here, as she was taking care of the injured members in the vehicle.

Soon, the four—Valk, Alen, Jinzerk, and Guro—stood on either side of Thilan, wearing sunglasses Jinzerk had handed out. They stood straight and tall, while Xelian and Simu dragged one of the dazed captives in front of Thilan.

A bottle of water was poured over the captive’s head, the cold sensation bringing him back to semi-consciousness. A kick from behind sent him sprawling to the ground. As he tried to struggle to his feet, the two behind him pressed down on his shoulders, forcing him to kneel. His gaze fell on the tips of Thilan’s shoes, which were bathed in sunlight. His eyes traveled upward along her slender legs, clad in dark gray stockings, but the view was abruptly cut off by the hem of her black skirt, as if she had anticipated and prepared for his gaze.

"Where are you looking?" A large hand slapped the back of his head, forcing him to lower his gaze.

"Cough, cough..." The dust on the ground made him cough and sneeze.

"Miss, this guy seems out of it. Should we just shoot him and get someone else to talk?" A gun barrel pressed against the back of his head, the metal still warm. He could almost hear the click of the trigger, sending a shiver down his spine.

"No, no, no! I’ll talk! I know everything! I know more than anyone else! I’m easy to talk to, I swear!" Driven by the instinct to survive, his words spilled out like a machine gun.

"Oh?" The black-haired girl in front of him let out a faint sound, seemingly indifferent.

Seeing that the mafia princess showed no sign of sparing him, the gun barrel pressed harder against his head, as if the trigger would be pulled in 0.3 seconds. In a panic, the man continued to speak rapidly, his voice trembling.

"I’m from the Leopard Head Gang! Brother Long sent us! I’m sorry for bothering you!" After saying this, he immediately knelt down and began kowtowing at an astonishing speed. By the time Thilan told him to stop, he had already kowtowed nearly 20 times in just a few seconds.

"The Leopard Head Gang? Never heard of it."

"We’re a newly risen gang. Our boss is Haus. He’s really strong—no, not as strong as you, Miss. Uh, he’s very powerful, and we all follow him." At this point, he seemed to run out of things to say, his words lacking coherence, as if he hadn’t received much education.

"Earlier, you mentioned Brother Long. Now you’re saying the boss is Haus. Are you messing with us?" Jinzerk walked over and kicked the man, then grabbed his head.

"Cough, cough... Brother Long isn’t the boss, but he gives us orders. He’s, uh, our leader, but not the boss. The boss is only Haus. The leader has to listen to the boss." He rambled on, though the others could guess that Brother Long was probably a mid-level figure. The man himself seemed confused about the hierarchy.

"Who is Brother Long?" Jinzerk, growing impatient with the man’s incoherent babbling, let him go and stepped back to Thilan’s side.

"Brother Long is... Brother Long. He’s the one who gives me orders."

"Stop, stop, stop." Alen stepped forward, adjusting his amber sunglasses. He pressed three fingers to the man’s forehead, and a cold sensation spread through his body, calming him down instantly.

"We want to know what Brother Long looks like. How old is he? How tall? What color is his hair? What does he usually wear?"

"Brother Long... he’s around 30 to 40 years old, I think. He’s a bit shorter than me, with black-brown hair. He usually wears a black and red jacket..."

"So it’s him," Alen recalled a customer they had encountered at the supply station.

"What were his orders to you?" Thilan’s soft voice came from above, making the man want to look up, but he was immediately pressed down again.

"The Miss is asking you a question."

"He... he told us to take down the vehicle, steal anything valuable, and especially to bring back the two prettiest girls. He said we weren’t allowed to touch them along the way."

"Oh, so it’s about lust, is it?"

"How many of you came?"

"Me, Big Black Hand, Pointy Mouth, and Mosti... uh, seven or eight of us. I’m not sure if Hant came. We drove two vehicles."

"How did you know our location?" Thilan continued.

"The people at the last supply station told us. They like to stick tracking chips on the undersides of passing vehicles so they can track their movements."

Hearing this, Thilan raised her hand and gave an order to her companions.

"You, go check that."

"Yes, Miss," Simu bowed and left.

Over the next while, Thilan asked the man several more questions, many of which were answered incoherently. She didn’t bother correcting him.

"Next," Thilan finally said, and the man felt a heavy blow to the back of his head before losing consciousness again.

Unfortunately, if he had remained conscious, he would have heard Thilan’s slightly adorable voice.

"Did you knock him out, or did you kill him?" Thilan had always found the idea of knocking someone out in movies unrealistic. Too light, and it just hurts; too hard, and they die. There’s no such thing as a perfect knockout.

"He should be unconscious. I learned it from N," Xelian said, though Thilan’s question made him hesitate. He bent down to check the man’s pulse and confirmed he was still breathing before standing up.

"Good. Now let’s bring in the next victim," Alen said, clearly satisfied.

"Do we have to keep going?" Thilan sighed, but the others were clearly still eager, ready to continue the interrogation.