Twenty Seven Years

  Chapter 140 One answer, one result

  After returning to the cell, Verak and Keating, who had never been able to relax, looked at each other without speaking. They knew that each other hadn't figured out a way to break the situation.

  Wilak was lying on the bed, picked up his notebook, and when he drew out the floor plan of the prison that he had just transcribed in it, another sheet of paper fell out of it accidentally. He knew what was written on that piece of paper, and he didn't open the map first, but looked at the words he wrote to himself more than a month ago.

[I don't know what awaits me tomorrow, and I don't know how many trials I have in my life, and I don't know whether I will die in prison with scars or scars, or I will see the light again one day... Now there is only one One thing, and that is to keep the faith rock-solid, to live. 】

  The state of mind when he wrote this diary is completely different from what it is now, just as he hesitated in the slums of Zward City and then stirred up the situation in Laizein.

  Thinking of myself when I wrote this diary, I was dreading the torture the next day. At this time, Verak, who was lying peacefully, had mixed emotions in his heart.

  【I was thinking, if I hadn’t brought Nord and Dempsey back to that place that day, what would have happened. 】

  Verak clipped the paper back into his notebook, picked up a pen and wrote down his second diary after coming to Daymans Prison.

  【Probably we will continue to repeat our previous life, probably many people will not die because of me, probably—】

  【When I think about it now, it still feels like a dream, I was pushed inexplicably, I don’t know what’s ahead, I don’t know what I want, I don’t know what else I will lose. I can't see anything and I don't know where to go. 】

  【But I think, just like the fear and confusion I faced when I first came in, only by going forward can I know the answer. 】

The diary this time is much shorter than the last one, and Veraker doesn’t know how long this letter will be kept for himself to read in the future. After writing the diary, he breathed a sigh of relief, cheered up and formally studied the map of the prison .

   "Perhaps... our focus is in the wrong direction." Since there was no progress, Keating broke the silence in cell 208 and proposed the idea of ​​switching focus.

"Then there are only people." Verac immediately interjected, obviously his thoughts had been interrupted for a long time, "As far as we know, only Lecter and Adel have some conflicts. They are competing for you and gold, and Lecter has already won. And gained a foothold in the prison by obtaining some clues."

   Keating said: "We can try to start from here."

"It's too dangerous. Both Lecter and Adel are thoughtful. If we want to start with it, we must mediate between the two. If we are a little careless..." Verac dealt with Adel once, and he didn't feel that he His mind is better than Adel's, and he can beat him.

   "It's really not easy to play the dark cards. Every step has to be careful and careful. No matter if any of them finds out the clues, the pattern will be broken." Keating proposed a bold idea, "Then just play the bright cards."

   "Show card?"

Keating looked heavy, and he didn't seem very willing to take such a method, but based on the current stalemate, he seemed to have no choice but to do so: "Yes, even if he knew our true thoughts, he would not easily move us Yes, after all, I hold the gold, and you stand behind the Equality Council. And playing games with them openly, you won’t feel as if you’re crouching in the dark.”

"Then wouldn't they all know all our movements? How could they not take precautions if they knew?" Verak couldn't understand what to do to avoid this obvious fatal problem, "They are on guard, what we did before is not Is it all for naught?"

"This is the real difficulty of this method. How to let them know what we are going to do, but they can't stop it due to various factors." Keating saw Verak's embarrassed expression, and explained, "It's definitely not that easy to get out. Whichever method we adopt, we will face corresponding difficulties. We must face it calmly and think about the feasibility. In addition, if this method is to be possible to implement, we must meet one condition, that is, the contradiction between Adel and Lecter It's bigger than we thought."

   "What if you don't have it?"

   "Then we will find a way to intensify their conflicts so that this condition can be fulfilled."

   "Intensified..." Verak repeated the key points in Keating's words softly.

   Keating faced Verak who was in deep thought: "There is no way to start the road of frontal prison escape. Since we don't have enough time, we should prepare a backup plan and advance in two lines, just in case."

"That's the only way..." Veraker is too aware of how difficult Keating's new ideas are. As prisoners, they want to affect the relationship between the warden and the deputy warden. The difficulty is no less than a frontal escape. "I have to Find a way to find out about him and Adel from Lecter by insinuating."

   "Rest first, I'll think about how to implement this method, and then decide whether to do it in the evening." Keating said.

Verak let out a "hmm" and closed his eyes: "If you want to do it, you have to prepare a lot of information that will not affect the safety of gold, but also make them feel useful. Whether it is to intensify their conflicts or mediate , we all need to keep throwing these out to keep things going."

   "I'll think about it before you come back tonight."

   "Then I'll rest for a while, teacher." There was no progress for several days, and the upset Verak fell asleep.

  In the afternoon, when Verac went to work, Ross finally came back to work. After talking to Verac, he learned that this morning Ross and his friend Ennio were arranged by Lecter to perform a special performance for the prison guards.

   This made Verak a little puzzled. In his impression, Lecter was not such a person who would take care of other people's feelings. It was really rare for him to prepare a performance for other prison guards.

   "Then you should have a lot of opportunities to play in the future, and you can touch the piano, and you don't have to work." Before Ross chattered to share his joy, Verac blessed him along the words.

   "It's a pity for you..." Rose turned his head and felt sorry for Veraker, "You used to live with Keating, you had food and you could relax every day, and you didn't have to work, how did you become like this..."

  Verak chuckled lightly: "No matter what, it's good to be alive."

"That's right, to be alive is the greatest victory, and to be alive has infinite possibilities." Rose hoped that Verac, who helped him regain the chance to play, would also get better, "Look, I haven't played the piano for so many years, and suddenly I can start playing again Now, you will definitely be able to resume your previous life without having to work."

Verac stopped working, and he found that the music did not make Rose think of leaving, and his body and spirit were completely trapped in the prison: "That's not necessary, if possible, I will leave here."

"Chris, that's impossible." Rose was about to cover Verac's mouth in a hurry. Verac thought Rose's hands were dirty and avoided them sideways. "We can obtain some conditions and convenience while we are still alive." Well, don't get killed for getting out like some people did."

Hearing Ross lower his voice to dissuade himself, Veraker's face became a little colder, he stopped what he was doing, and looked at Ross seriously: "Ross, you can play music again, not Lecter, the prison guards have found it, It wasn't you who groveled in exchange for it, it was me and Keating who won it for you. Without us, you would never be able to touch the piano again in your life."

  Ross didn't seem to listen at all, and went to pick up the work in Veraker's hand: "Don't you want to eat dinner?! Hurry up and work, Chris, don't talk about what you have, it's useless."

"I know you've been imprisoned for too long, and you've lost confidence in things you have." Verak pulled Ross away from him and let the machine go wrong, "I can understand why you think what I said is so useless Meaning, if I had been imprisoned for so many years and witnessed so many struggles and resistances turned into bubbles, I would not be much better. But fortunately, I have not been imprisoned for so many years, and I am still resisting."

   "Chris! You're crazy!" Ross stared at the machine in horror and shouted in fear of alarming the nearby prison guards.

"Listen to me!" Verak also sipped lowly, his eyes were firm, and he even hid his numb anger towards Rose, "I just want to ask you something. A few days ago, you heard from me that you could play the piano again. When did you When you touch the keys again after a few years, when you regain the opportunity to play in front of everyone, what do you think? Are you thinking about the past? Or are you grateful for the government and prison that imprisoned you, abused you and took everything away from you?!"

  Ross was speechless.

   "I don't know what to say to you, Rose." The emotions that had been pent up in his heart for several days burst out, and Verac grabbed Rose's collar tightly, "Stop being numb."

"But what can you do if you are not numb? You have only been here for a month, what is a month? I was the same as you when I first came in for a month. I also counted the days on my fingers. In the end, I still have to sink to this point Rose's numb face finally showed some emotion, "Have you ever seen a prison escape? Hundreds of thousands of people are fighting high, but the **** prison guards just come here and shoot a few casually. This group was clamoring to bully The prisoners who were torn apart by their prison guards immediately ran away! Who would dare to puff out their chests and confront the prison guards head-on?"

  Verak's hand holding Rose's collar loosened slightly.

"I've seen too much, and I've spent dozens or even hundreds of months here, anyway, I can't figure it out myself." Ross broke Verak's hand, "Chris, I thank you, Indeed, as you said, you helped me to be able to play the piano again. Without you, I would die with regrets in my life. But I really can’t think of the use of having the idea of ​​going out no matter what. In your eyes , Numbness is the blasphemy of freedom and the past, but in my opinion, that is the only protection I can do for the pure land in my heart."

"If you don't die with regrets, you have to go out. If you want to protect the pure land in your heart, you have to go out." After listening to Rose's words, Verak only felt funny and sad. He was glad that he hadn't compromised at all, and his still upright soul made it hard for him to accept Rose's cowardice, "Those you listed, how long have you stayed, what others have done, what does it have to do with your wanting to leave? Because I have stayed for many years, so I will be numb? Because no one else escaped successfully, so I Do you have to give up this idea?"

   "Why not?"

"Then what else?" Verak repeated, his face livid, "You are willing to accept the life you have now, which is the same as you have never had the past. If you have, how can you accept it willingly? How can you bear to have your hands be How can you bear to be separated from the piano that is integrated into your life, how can you bear to play for the prison guard who drove you into the abyss and still be complacent?"

   Veraker's words hit Rose's sore spot, and he pushed Veraker to the machine: "Shut up."

"Your performance is terrible, I can't imagine what you were like at all." Verak stood firm and didn't fight back, "Ross, I hope you remember that you should play for yourself without restraint, you should do That famous pianist. You shouldn't be locked up here, and your hands shouldn't be used for moving goods or making machines."

"Go to work, Chris." Ross was discouraged, and he didn't try hard to tell right from wrong with Verak. For him, the most important thing is to meet today's work standards and be able to eat dinner, "I understand what you said , I just don't want to think about it."

  Verak also calmed down, knowing that he was a little impulsive and aggressive just now: "Then you don't have to think about it, just remember one thing. I will leave here one day, and then I will bring you back to your previous life."

   "...Okay." Rose didn't know whether he believed it or not, so he paused for a long time before replying a word.

   "Actually, I don't know if I can do it." After a while, Verak laughed and said as if admitting his mistake, "Just now I persuaded you with peace of mind."

   "Nothing." Rose shook his head.

Verak and Rose dealt with the troubles caused by the machine error: "I was just arrested, and it was noon when I first went down to the basement. At that time, I saw so many prisoners, naked to the upper body, paralyzed in the cell because of the stuffy heat. The prison guards numbered each prisoner like an animal, and randomly threw the newcomers into a cell. I was terrified, and even after all I had experienced, the terrified didn’t go away.”

   "Are you also afraid of becoming something?" Rose smiled wryly.

"Yes, that's more terrifying than death. From a dignified, healthy person to a shell... I've been terrified of it to this day." Verak nodded, "Just before I talked to you, I kept thinking like this, Thinking about what to do if I really can't get out. Should I give up that idea as soon as possible and live numbly with you, or continue to do it, even if it means death. "

   "So, you should—"

"I figured it out just now." Veraker interrupted Ross's words with a calm and firm voice, "The key point of some things is never the result, but whether to do it or not. If you only look at the result, you will only have a lot of worries. Focus on Going on, this choice, this process is an answer, a result."

  (end of this chapter)