Working during the day and resting at night is the daily routine for most people, but there are some people who reverse this routine because of the nature of their work or because of high pay.
Bill belongs to the latter category. He is a driver, which means nothing else. He owns a pickup truck with a load capacity of more than 10 tons and travels around various towns in the Po River Plain. He is commonly known as a transporter.
Labor costs are very high in developed countries like Italy. Even if you don't overload, smuggle goods, or work day and night in a hard industry like transportation, you can still make a lot of profit on each order, and you belong to the true middle class.
The reason why he worked overtime and drove the night train this time was mainly because he was getting married soon. He wanted to take his new wife to travel around the world and have fun for a full six months after the wedding, so he needed to prepare more savings in advance, and the price of expedited transportation was often three times or even higher than normal transportation.
"After completing this order, I will complete two more orders, which will be enough."
Listening to his favorite Beatles music, Bill paid attention to the road conditions ahead while thinking happily.
"I earned enough money to travel for a year in just one month. I really admire myself. Who says that we Italians are free and unreliable? We are absolutely reliable at the critical moment!"
Driving at night can easily make you tired, so experienced drivers have a set of methods to cheer themselves up and concentrate. Bill, as a well-known practitioner in this industry, is no exception.
After a few complaints for his own amusement, Bill felt much better. At least he didn't need to stop the car to rest and relieve his fatigue for a short time.
At this moment, his eyes suddenly blurred, and it seemed that a black shadow appeared at the end of his vision, and it looked like a person.
Bi was startled. Because of the large mass of large trucks, the braking distance is much longer than that of cars. Therefore, when driving a large truck, the driver needs to pay special attention to various conditions ahead and respond in time.
Although he was not sure whether he was seeing things, Bill still decided to brake in time. If he saw someone wrong, it would only take a little time, so he could get off the bus and rest for a while. If it was a person, he would ask if he needed any help. When they were out transporting goods, they would help people in need if they could. If they were in trouble one day, they also hoped that people passing by would help them.
The wide and thick tires rubbed against the ground, and the sound they made sounded particularly creepy under the night sky. The nozzles next to the brake pads sprayed streams of water to cool the brake pads, and also brought up a fine mist of water.
Bill, who has been driving for more than five years, estimated the braking distance very accurately, and the truck stopped right next to the black shadow.
Bill rolled down the window and was about to shout a few times when he suddenly noticed that there was an extra person next to the open window. No, it was a skull mask.
"Ahhh—" Bill screamed loudly.
"Shut up!" A hoarse and dry voice suddenly came from behind the mask, adding a bit of horror to the already weird atmosphere.
"Yes, yes, I'll shut up."
Bill was so confused that he didn't realize that the person on the other end was speaking English and continued to respond in Italian.
"Um, is there anything you need? Money or—"
Although Bill had never encountered such a thing before, he had heard from senior colleagues in the industry that during long-distance transportation, one would occasionally encounter robbers who block the road. At this time, as long as you are obedient and give money, the other party generally will not let you go.
The will-o'-the-wisp fire in the eyes of the mask lit up, making Bill even more uneasy.
"Is there any water?"
"What?" Bill thought he had misheard.
"Is there any water? Coffee would be best."
"Yes, yes."
When traveling at night, you have to have good logistics support. Bill's backpack is full of food and drinks. Hearing what the masked man said, he immediately took out two cans of coffee and a sausage.
The masked man took the coffee and sausage and threw in a 20-dollar bill. Without waiting for Bill to say anything, he disappeared.
Bill grabbed the banknotes that fell on the dashboard and stared blankly at the car window.
"Uh, it looks like it's the pound, isn't it the robber?"
The early spring night breeze blew, and the coolness it brought dispelled Bill's trance.
"No, I'm driving a truck, and the windows are more than two meters from the ground. How did this person-"
The more I think about it, the weirder it gets.
"—Did I really encounter some supernatural event? But, would an evil spirit ask a human for coffee and sausage? And pay for it?"
Bill was confused and didn't know that if he looked up at this time, he would see the legendary angel. He didn't know that if he looked up, he might not see the sun tomorrow, let alone go back to his hometown to get married.
It was a false alarm, and I made some extra money. Should I say that good people are rewarded
◇◇◇
A few miles west of the road where Bill was, the "evil spirit" that Bill mentioned swallowed the sausage in a few mouthfuls, gulped down two sips of coffee, and threw the aluminum can high up in a huge parabola, hitting a white beast wandering nearby.
The beast whimpered and ran away as fast as it could.
Patting his chest, the "evil spirit" who ate human food exhaled a breath of hot air and said in a voice that only he could hear: "Saved—"
Before the last word "了" was uttered, the body of the "evil spirit", which had just relaxed for a few minutes, suddenly tensed up.
The next second, a huge sound of breaking wind was heard behind him, like the whistling of a cannonball, or the gust of air caused by a heavy object falling.
The "evil spirit" turned around hurriedly and held up a black and gold shield.
As soon as the shield appeared, a terrifying air wave swept over, and the explosive airflow far exceeded the meteorological level, directly blew the "evil spirit" away.
A white figure that was completely opposite to the "evil spirit" passed through the gap between the air waves and slammed into the "evil spirit" with a powerful posture that was completely inconsistent with its image, as if it was going to evolve completely.
The "evil spirit" held the shield with both hands, and magical power mixed with the solemn Buddha's light suddenly burst out, not only dispersing the powerful energy that kept pushing him back, but also pushing the shield that had withstood countless attacks and remained unscathed to collide with the "angel" who was chasing the "evil spirit".
The divine thunder exploded, and golden lightning originated from the tail of the golden magic weapon and spread to the tip. It dropped from the sky with more powerful force than throwing a shield, and attacked with the shield from air and land.
At the same time, the "evil spirit" took out a long-handled sickle blade from somewhere, turning it into a flash of light that was invisible to the naked eye.
Being well fed and well-drinking is not only good for satisfying your desires, but also for fighting!