activa-t Chapter 410 shook his head
Chapter 410 shook his head
The man smiled faintly, as if he wasn't in a hurry to refute. His gaze remained calm, even tinged with admiration, as if he were observing Su Ming's struggle and resistance. "You have no choice," the man said softly, his tone not urgent but filled with a deep certainty. "What you know will be exposed sooner or later. Do you think anyone in this world can escape us?"
Su Ming gripped the stick tightly in his hand, feeling a sharp pain. His fingertips were scratched by the stick, and blood dripped onto the ground. The slight sound was particularly abrupt in the silent air. He looked up at the man, his eyes fixed on him, as if struggling with his inner fear.
For some reason, he suddenly recalled the moment he'd just received his mission. Back then, he hadn't realized he was embarking on a path of no return. He'd naively believed that as long as he completed the mission, he could leave it all behind. However, as time went on, he gradually realized he was deeply trapped, unable to extricate himself. Every contact, every exchange of intelligence, quietly altered the course of his life. He was no longer the fearless young man, but a wary and apprehensive man.
His emotions were complex, a tangle of emotions that nearly took his breath away. In this world of conspiracy and lies, he had long since lost the very concept of trust. Everyone wore a mask, and even he himself was no longer sure of who he truly was.
"What do you want?" he asked again in a low voice, trying to find a clue from the man's cold eyes.
The man tilted his head slightly, as if thinking carefully. "It's not you I want. It's everything you know and everything you've been involved in." His tone remained gentle, as if he were recounting a trivial matter. "You may never realize that every secret you know no longer belongs to you. You can't control them, Su Ming."
Those words were like a hammer, pounding deep into Su Ming's heart. Every time he thought he was in control, he realized that everything was already beyond his control. His thoughts, his former confidence and pride, now crumbled one by one. He realized clearly that he was just a pawn in this game, and every choice had been arranged for him.
"I have nothing to give you," Su Ming said through clenched teeth. He could almost feel the rage in his heart surging out once again. However, beneath his anger, he felt extremely exhausted. Every resistance, every struggle, only took him further away from the truth and closer to death.
The man didn't respond immediately, as if waiting for something. The tension in the air grew thicker, almost suffocating. Su Ming stood there, feeling every nerve on edge, his eyes unconsciously scanning his surroundings. His mind had become unusually sharp, as if everything had suddenly slowed down. The sound of each dripping water was remarkably clear, and even his own deep breathing echoed in his ears.
Just when he thought he was about to explode, the man finally spoke. His tone remained calm, yet it held a lingering threat that could not be ignored. "You will understand, Su Ming. Nothing can escape the laws of this world. You think you control your own destiny, but in reality, you have always been manipulated." The man shook his head slightly, as if expressing some disdain for Su Ming's resistance.
Su Ming's heart was in turmoil. He couldn't help but think of the people he'd met before, the faces of those who always seemed to control their own destinies with ease. Each face concealed endless secrets, as if they understood the laws of this world better than he did. And he, who had always thought he could see through everything, was becoming increasingly trapped in this unsolvable mystery.
"You've never been in control of anything," the man continued, his tone somewhat dismissive. "You're just a pawn being used."
Those words pierced Su Ming's heart like a sharp knife. He knew full well that the man was right. Ever since he embarked on this path, everything had become increasingly complicated, his choices becoming increasingly limited. In the end, he no longer knew for whom he was fighting, or why. Perhaps, as the man had said, he had never truly owned his own destiny.
But even so, he remained steadfast. Within him, there lingered an inexplicable perseverance, like a final glimmer of hope, even if it was so faint it could barely be seen. Perhaps it was precisely because of this perseverance that he had survived countless threats and persecutions until today.
"Do you think I'll give in so easily?" He finally spoke, his tone low but firm. "You all underestimated my determination."
"Underestimate?" The man chuckled, his voice tinged with sarcasm. "Perhaps you don't understand yet, but true power often lies not in your determination, but in what you can't control."
Su Ming was stunned, unsure how to react. The words were spoken with such calmness, as if everything was predetermined, with no surprises. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how hard he struggled, it seemed he couldn't change the outcome of this chess game.
Su Ming's mind was in turmoil. The man's words were like poison, each echo becoming more unbearable. His hand, gripping the stick tightly, began to go numb. He realized he was in a desperate situation, but the stubbornness within him remained. Although his heart was filled with countless doubts and anxieties, he still tried to maintain his composure, trying not to be consumed by fear.
He closed his eyes slightly, trying to calm himself. Taking a deep breath, he felt his heartbeat pounding violently in his chest, as if it were about to burst. The man's eyes were sharp, as if they could see through every inch of his nerves. Every second, Su Ming felt like a rabbit being targeted by a hunter, ready to be shot at any moment.
"What are you still holding on to?" the man finally spoke, his voice still calm, yet carrying an unavoidable threat. "Do you think you can still go down this path?"
Su Ming didn't answer, his gaze growing even more solemn. He knew that no matter how unyielding he was, the end result would be the same. But he couldn't bring himself to bow his head. This inner resolve, though small, became so crucial at this moment.
An indescribable emotion suddenly welled up within him, a feeling both familiar and unfamiliar: endless loneliness, repressed fear, and a deep questioning of fate. Su Ming couldn't pinpoint the source of this feeling, or if it was connected to the choices he'd made in the past. A memory suddenly struck him. Back then, he was still a young man, his eyes filled with ideals and aspirations, believing he could easily control everything. However, today, he was no longer that young man. The passage of time had eroded his ideals and his innocence. Each choice pushed him further and further into the abyss, gradually losing the person he once was.
He couldn't help but smile, a smile tinged with bitterness. "You're right," he whispered. "I've known for a long time that I had no choice. Perhaps everything was destined from the beginning."
The man remained silent, standing silently, as if waiting for something. His gaze remained sharp, as if he could see through every ripple in Su Ming's heart. Su Ming felt an invisible pressure approaching, but he maintained a calm exterior. His inner turmoil grew stronger, but he knew that revealing any emotion could be a chance for his opponent to break through.
After a moment of silence, the man finally spoke: "You don't have to tell me, but you know that the information you know will eventually be dug out."
Su Ming looked up, gazing at the impassive face, his mind hazy. His gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if he were straining to find something. He suddenly realized that there was no anger, no hatred, not even a trace of emotion in that person's eyes, as if they were facing a predetermined chess game. It was a dead, cold gaze, a chilling indifference.
"I'm not afraid." Su Ming gritted his teeth and said, his voice becoming more determined. "Even if you can get something from me, it won't change anything."
The man smiled faintly, a complex glint in his eyes. "You're not afraid because you don't understand true fear. You can't imagine the consequences if what I want is revealed."
"If you could threaten me, you would have done it long ago." Su Ming sneered. Even though the fear deep in his heart was like a tide, he managed to remain calm. "What you want will be exposed sooner or later. I am powerless to change it."
The man's eyes darkened slightly, as if he was a little surprised by Su Ming's reaction, but he immediately regained his composure. "You're too stubborn, Su Ming." The contempt in his tone became more and more obvious. "What do you think you're insisting on? Do you think your stubbornness can change anything?"
"I don't know." Su Ming's voice was low and confused. "But I know that at least I can do something for myself."
The other man smiled and shook his head. "What you can do no longer belongs to you." He paused, as if thinking about something. "However, you are quite interesting, able to persevere in this situation. I admit, your determination is stronger than I thought."
Su Ming didn't respond, his thoughts already drifting away. Every time he tried to break free from this web, a greater force would pull him back, back into this endless darkness. He no longer understood why he persisted, whether for himself or for some long-lost belief. Everything seemed distorted, unrecognizable.