"Among this group, David could count as one of the top ten outstanding youths. Can you believe it?"
The Killer Demon said quietly, holding a thermos.
"Otherwise, why do you think the work responsibilities are so difficult and important? If the job was easy, why would they need us to do it?"
"True."
The expert chuckled softly.
"We still need you and the old River to put in more effort to correct these people’s ideologies. Right now, they don’t look like they can fight a war."
"Arrange for the dical departnt to schedule regulator surgeries as soon as possible, and have your departnt cooperate to make corrections. Only those who can stay after these three months are worthy material."
"Oh, by the way."
The expert suddenly rembered sothing, pulling out the dal David obtained in Cuba from his hand like a magic trick, speaking mysteriously.
"There’s news about this thing. Colleagues in the decryption departnt cracked the code on it. I bet you can’t guess what’s on it."
"..."
"..."
Unable to bear the Killer Demon’s look as if watching a monkey show, the expert sat back in his chair, placing the dal on the table between them, his expression serious.
"This mark was left by the KGB. If it weren’t for the Soviet Union’s collapse and the big goose declassifying so of their intelligence, we really couldn’t have checked it out."
KGB... Cuba......
The heavily worn dal on the table seed shrouded in thick mist.
The Killer Demon blinked.
"But what we found in Night City is that after the Night of Fire..."
After the Soviet Union was hollowed out by Soviet Petrochemical, the KGB, as its espionage agency, joined with several other departnts to launch a rebellion, attempting to bring this company and oligarch-ridden motherland back to the past, but they were ultimately defeated due to underestimating their opponent’s strength, retreating to Western Europe, and disappearing.
But in the Killer Demon’s view, the KGB’s failure was not due to the oligarchs’ strength.
Rather, by the 80s and 90s, the KGB had lost its forr power, so how could it face its own entity?
In the 50s and 60s, the KGB only had to beckon, and countless comrades with shared ideals would join willingly from various countries, risking decapitation to provide invaluable intelligence.
MI6, CIA, DGSE, Mossad... What were these intelligence agencies to the KGB at that ti?
The secrets they treasured were trampled upon by the KGB with all the force they desired.
But later, they could only use money to buy the moles within other organizations.
The disparity was imaginable.
"It’s a misfortune within a fortune, I suppose."
The expert sighed, picking up that dal.
"The mark was left seven years ago, at least it ans the person was still alive then, still had the energy to go to Cuba and look for guerrillas. The ciphertext contains latitude and longitude coordinates, I had soone check it, it seems to be near the Arc de Triomphe in France, followed by a string of numbers.
It’s just unsure when the European map will open up, and only then will we know what’s there.
David’s luck can be considered good. In other novels or gas, it would count as a half-inheritance from an ancient sect."
"Don’t joke like that."
The Killer Demon interrupted the expert’s unseriousness, snatching the dal from his hand and pondering over it.
The blurred brass casing no longer showed its original shape, this dal that witnessed a century’s change, passing through the hands of many generations of Cuban guerrillas.
The feather-light weight of 20 grams felt as heavy as Mount Tai in his hand.
"This dal... it’s too heavy... he can’t bear it alone."
Only the most venomous land can yield the purest flowers.
Just like the intertwining darkness and bloodshed of the industrial age two hundred years ago.
"He should be made to endure so hardships, or it wouldn’t do justice to the comrades who sacrificed in Cuba."
————
The dormitories in Dragon Field naturally couldn’t compare to the skyscrapers of Night City, eight to a room, the good news was that it was spacious, with upper beds and lower desks.
Because it was known that everyone coming here was bound to be penniless or even heavily in debt.
So on their first day of enlistnt, Horizon Corporation advanced them a month’s 800 stipend for purchasing daily necessities.
Though they knew more people, it was certainly cleaner than the kennels they lived in themselves.
Hunching over the entrance, Mann shoved his personal belongings into a locker and sat next to David.
"David, I heard from Gloria about what happened in Cuba."
As a retired soldier, Mann knew all too well what it felt like to see a close comrade die in front of him on the battlefield.
"Don’t push yourself too hard, living well and rembering their faces is the greatest return for them.
Moreover, now that you’re in the military, you’ll encounter countless similar situations when you reach Cuba. If you can’t adjust your mindset, it will be very troubleso..."
"I know, Mann, that’s why I ca here."
David looked down at his right hand.
Cuba was the first ti he had been so close to death, and the first ti he had witnessed sacrifice and betrayal.
Mann found that David didn’t seem to need his guidance, feeling much relieved.
At this mont, the other new recruits in the dorm also walked in with their newly bought daily necessities.
Yet, their expressions weren’t very cheerful as the rules here were more than they had imagined.
The new recruits from gang backgrounds were unadjusted, adding to their strong exclusionary feelings because of old grudges from past gang rivalries.
Without saying a word, they just glared at one other, their original gang tattoos signaling their respective stances, and the gang tendencies making the atmosphere explode with tension, as if a brawl could break out at any mont.
Thud, thud, thud
A tall man walked to the dorm door, knocked, then pushed open the door, looking at the eight within, including David and Mann.
"Is everyone here?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers