freenovelworld Chapter 374 The moment that puzzled him
Chapter 374 The moment that puzzled him
Su Ming walked out of the dim warehouse. The night outside deepened, and the street lights seemed especially lonely. The air was filled with an indescribable dampness, and even his every breath felt oppressive. He didn't immediately return to his residence. Instead, he paused, stood on the street, and stared silently into the distance. Everything around him seemed so quiet, only occasionally heard the bark of a dog or the roar of a car engine. These sounds, inexplicably, gave him a sense of comfort—as if life continued on, and he was merely a passing stranger.
Yet, he knew he could no longer be that carefree, carefree traveler. With each mission, each action, he gradually became entangled, unable to extricate himself. Every choice he made was a form of self-exile. With each encounter with her, he realized more clearly that he wasn't as cold and heartless as he had once imagined. He was also a human being with emotions, but these emotions had long been driven to the point of losing their direction.
He pulled out the mission document and flipped through the brief description. This was tonight's target—a middle-aged man with a vague identity and elusive whereabouts. Su Ming's mission was to monitor and obtain intelligence about him, which didn't seem particularly complicated. Logically, it was just an ordinary mission, and he shouldn't have attached too much importance to the information. However, the continuous stream of missions had gradually pushed him into an uneasy situation—he began to question everything he was doing. Why did he embark on this road of no return again and again? He kept completing missions, but never really stopped to ask himself: What was all this all for?
He pressed his forehead, trying to calm himself. He didn't need to know the answers to these questions. Missions were missions, emotions were emotions; the two worlds should be separate. All he had to do was follow orders, not let his personal emotions get in the way.
But his heart could never find peace. Whenever he thought of her, his heart would become heavy, as if something was blocking his chest, making it hard to breathe. She was the one person he couldn't let go of, even though he knew she didn't belong to him, even though he knew the distance between them was like an abyss that couldn't be crossed.
At the end of the street stood a bar, dim lights streaming through the windows and scattered figures on the street. Su Ming didn't hesitate, heading for it, as if it were the only place where he could temporarily escape the turmoil within him. The atmosphere inside was somewhat subdued. The bartender, head bowed, sorted bottles behind the counter. A few patrons sat silently, drinking, each one seemingly escaping reality in their own way.
He walked to the bar and sat down at a random spot. "A whiskey," he said in a low voice, as if hoping the alcohol would sober him up a bit. The bartender nodded and quickly poured him a drink.
Su Ming lifted the glass and took a sip. The strong liquor slid down his throat, leaving a burning sensation. He closed his eyes, feeling the sting of the alcohol, as if it could temporarily numb certain emotions within him. However, the alcohol did not numb his inner turmoil as he had hoped. Instead, it made him even more sober, even a little unbearable. He had never craved the power to stop thinking as strongly as he did now.
He couldn't help but pull out his phone and scroll through her photo. It was taken when they first met. She stood in the sun, head slightly lowered, her expression gentle and serene. Su Ming couldn't help but gaze deeply at the photo, a wave of indescribable emotion welling up in his heart—guilt, helplessness, and a faint sense of anticipation. He always knew she wouldn't wait for him, even though her eyes often revealed a complex mix of emotions, as if she were waiting for something.
But what was she waiting for? Why didn't she ask him directly, instead using that vague approach to pressure him into making a choice? Her calmness was even more lethal than his, as if she had already seen through everything about him, yet she still stood before him with an indifferent attitude.
"Su Ming." The bar door suddenly opened, breaking Su Ming's thoughts. A man walked in, wearing a black windbreaker, his hair a little messy, and his steps were steady, as if he carried an intimidating aura that could not be ignored. His eyes swept across the bar, finally settling on Su Ming.
"Anything you want to say?" Su Ming asked quietly, not looking up. He had grown accustomed to this situation—no matter where he was, there would always be unexpected people showing up with various motives. He was no longer surprised by these surprises.
The man smiled slightly and walked straight to Su Ming and sat down. "I know you've been very busy lately, but there are some things I need to explain to you in advance."
"What's up?" Su Ming tilted his head slightly and glanced at the man, his eyes expressionless. He didn't care what others expected of him; he only cared about whether he could successfully complete the mission and leave on time.
The man's smile remained gentle, but a subtle sharpness flickered in his eyes. "You've been too obvious lately, and people around you have begun to doubt you," he said, his tone steady, yet revealing an undeniable calmness. "You must be careful not to let others discover that you are betraying them."
Su Ming's fingers tightened, almost unconsciously gripping the wine glass. "What do you mean?" He finally looked up, his eyes sharp. Although he knew these words weren't entirely well-intentioned, he still couldn't suppress the uneasiness in his heart.
"What this means is that the possibility of your identity being exposed is increasing." The man spread his hands and whispered, "If you continue like this, I'm afraid it will be more than just suspicion."
Su Ming sneered, almost unable to hold back his laughter. He looked at the man in front of him, and that cold smile was like a sharp knife, piercing his heart. "Are you here to warn me or to threaten me?"
The man looked at him with a deep gaze. "This is both a warning and a reminder. You are not alone, Su Ming. You can choose to continue hiding, but I guarantee that if you continue like this, you will one day be completely abandoned."
Su Ming didn't reply. He lowered his head and continued drinking. The acrid taste of alcohol spread through his mouth, trying to numb his rising anxiety. But he knew the source of this anxiety didn't come from the man before him, but from somewhere deep within him—a true emotion he could no longer ignore, a person who kept him uneasy day after day.
The music in the bar continued to play, and the people around him still exuded a faint loneliness, as if nothing had changed. But Su Ming knew that he had already embarked on a path of no return.
Su Ming leaned against the corner of the bar, his glass empty on the bare table before him. He gazed through the dim chandelier at the street outside. People came and went, and in the distance, neon lights flickered in the rainy night sky, their lights dappled as if the entire city ignored him. Su Ming's mood was as empty as the street itself. He had once believed himself calm and rational, able to maintain unwavering resolve under any circumstances. But tonight, he felt more lonely and uneasy than ever before.
The man's warning still echoed: "You've been exposed." Every time he recalled it, the heaviness in his heart grew heavier. Su Ming knew it was a warning, not just a threat, but an exposure of his long-hidden secrets. It was as if everything had become transparent without his noticing, and every step could expose him to the sunlight he didn't want to face.
He sighed softly, picked up the bottle, and poured another glass. The wine seemed to slightly soothe the anxiety within him, but it was only a temporary escape. The unsettled emotions spread within him like an indelible scar. He still couldn't forget her eyes, warm yet filled with uncertainty.
"Will you always be like this?" she had asked him. He remembered that it was their third meeting since they'd met. She hadn't said it, but the anticipation in her eyes was unmistakable. She looked at him, as if hoping for some response—not just a mission, not just cold actions. It was as if she wanted to know if there was something more hidden behind Su Ming.
"No," he'd whispered once before, feeling resolute enough to resist any further wavering. Yet, the sharpness of the memories tormented him, and every time he faced her, his calm facade became meaningless. The question she'd asked seemed to silently tear at him, ripping apart his hard shell.
The heat of the alcohol slowly spread to his limbs, yet he still couldn't dispel the coldness within him. Just then, the bar door opened again, and a stranger walked in. He was dressed in a dark suit, his steps steady, his eyes cold. Seeing him enter, the people in the bar seemed to lower their voices simultaneously, and the atmosphere suddenly became more oppressive. The man was inconspicuous, but Su Ming could sense his aura, which made him undeniable.
He walked over to Su Ming and sat down. Without any extra greetings, he just looked at him quietly, as if waiting for something. Su Ming didn't speak immediately. He just continued to sip his wine, his eyes fixed on the liquid in the glass, and his mind kept surfacing those unforgettable moments - those moments that puzzled him.
"Are you still drinking?" The stranger's voice was low, with a hint of indifferent concern. "Isn't it time to sober up?"
Su Ming's gaze shifted from his wine glass, finally turning to look at the person before him. This was someone he had never seen before, but he had a vague feeling that this person was no ordinary person. "Who are you?"