Miss Assassin is heavily addicted

Chapter 123, Section 39: Let's leave with Sophia.

Lawrence took a deep breath, his eyes chillingly cold: "You leaked intelligence to the NSA? Do you know the consequences? If the operation fails, all our efforts so far will be in vain!"

“I didn’t leak it to them…” Mark was still trying to explain. “Although I did exchange intelligence for a way out, could the person I contacted guarantee that he wasn’t affiliated with the National Security Agency? There are other factions within their country, just like the first and second mates on a small train. Even though everyone is on the same train, they may not necessarily want to go to the same destination.”

Mark's ramblings revealed his inner unease.

The corruption in the country is evident from beginning to end. Even in the most prosperous cities of this industrial powerhouse, there are huge slums. The unemployment wave and refugees after the war, as well as various sources of conflict, all point to the poor governance of this country long ago.

"So?" Monica stepped forward in disbelief. "You still leaked this operation plan."

Mark hesitated for a moment, then remained silent.

“I only told them that the Prime Minister might be in danger on May 30th…” Mark muttered, “It wasn’t really that much of a leak, was it? How can you conclude that the operation has failed? Besides, without this intelligence, the airships and maps we sponsored would have disappeared, and then we wouldn’t even have our only chance of survival…”

“This is betrayal,” Lawrence said angrily, staring at him intently, each word distinct.

"But all I wanted was for you to live..."

Mark sighed sentimentally. He looked at Lawrence's angry face, then at Monica's expressionless face, and finally at He Ye's turned away. He suddenly realized that at this moment, it seemed that everyone had abandoned him and that he was being scorned by his former teammates.

Mark slowly lowered his head. He had actually guessed this outcome, but he didn't regret it.

The elderly man said quietly:

"The mission assigned by the organization this time leaves no room for retreat. The higher-ups would rather we die here. The battle at the top of the tower with no way out is the best proof of that. They are using our valuable deaths to achieve their goals."

"If the visiting mission dies at the celebration, it will gain an indisputable just cause and become a just war, both domestically and internationally."

"But what about us?"

"Although I know that the original reason for our existence was to dedicate ourselves to the country, isn't that enough over the years? We've all survived so many close calls, and weren't we happy during the peaceful years? There's no justice or fairness in the reasons we do these things; we're just puppets."

“To risk my life for a vague and uncertain mission, but then I won’t be able to go fishing and see the sea tomorrow… Monica, don’t you still have so many literature books to read? Lawrence, don’t you need to feed the seagulls you caught? I know my actions betray my principles, but, but I really just want you all to live…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lawrence silently clenched his fists, while Monica adjusted her breathing. They seemed to be listening intently, or perhaps they were preparing for some kind of emotion.

He Ye felt a little sad.

Just then, a dazzling signal flare exploded in the night.

The deep blue stars shot straight into the sky, silent across a distance of hundreds or thousands of meters, yet clearly visible.

Then it turned green again.

The two signal flares were blue and green, representing some unknown meaning.

Mark looked at him with a bitter expression: "Is that so?"

At this moment, William strode over, unaware of what was happening. He simply frowned and stammered:

"It's...it's terrible!"

The oppressive atmosphere was not broken by William's arrival.

Seeing this, He Ye tentatively asked, "What's wrong?"

"Captain Duncan said that he would fire a green flare if the operation succeeded, and a red flare if it failed. But what I'm seeing now is blue and green. What does this mean? I know that green means the operation is successful, but he never mentioned blue."

William looked confused and couldn't understand why the color was different from what was planned. But Lawrence and Monica had already turned to look at Mark—after seeing the mixed and brilliantly lit signal flare, his expression was so sad that his shoulders slumped.

The light from the signal flare seemed to illuminate all directions in the pitch-black night.

Lawrence couldn't decipher the underlying meaning, but he knew the blue was some kind of metaphor. The green flare was only meant for William and his group, while Duncan's old friend Mark—who understood the assassination attempt was far from successful—was a different story.

Lawrence let out a long sigh of relief and looked at Mark, saying, "If you want to run away, then run away yourself. I'll stay here and handle this."

Monica called softly, "Lawrence."

“This is what we should do. If Duncan didn’t finish, someone else needs to try.” Lawrence said calmly without changing his expression. “I cannot go against my own principles, even if the price is death. I was raised by the country, and dying for this is my destiny.”

Monica was silent for a while before saying, "You'll mess things up by yourself."

William was dumbfounded and confused. Why were the two of them suddenly having this conversation? Weren't they planning to leave?
Why do you want to stay?
Mark was pale and weak: "Aren't you leaving?"

The silence, devoid of a reply, only deepened his frustration. Mark quickly explained:
"Hey, listen, maybe the blue flare was just a slip of the hand by that old man Duncan. We all agreed that if the operation succeeded, we would fire the green flare, right? Now that it's up there, we should retire gracefully and stop worrying about it."

Monica looked Mark in the eyes: "You're lying."

Mark wanted to say something more, but the words caught in his throat, and the words of sophistry became so heavy that they were hard to utter—he slowly looked up at the few people around him, and each of them had a look of sorrow or doubt on their face.

Mark hesitated for a long time before slowly lowering his head, as if the last breath he had been holding onto had been released, and he plummeted down like a deflated and fragile balloon, leaving only regret.

"I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that Duncan's failure is my fault, and you're ready to take the blame and clean up this mess for me, right? ...Why are you talking so movingly about righteousness and destiny? Don't you know that the more you do that, the more embarrassed you make me?"

Mark suddenly looked up seriously. The greasy middle-aged man's eyes held a resolute, molten iron-like determination, yet his tone was filled with sadness:
"Actually, I told Duncan about this a long time ago. Do you know how heavily guarded the restaurant was? Do you know how tight the security was inside? They wore chef's hats and climbed in through the ventilation ducts. They could only carry pistols and body bombs. Failure was inevitable from the start."

"Duncan knew about this too, so he asked if there was any way to keep his men alive. We agreed to do this, at least someone would survive."

Mark seemed to have exhausted all his strength as he spoke, and he no longer concealed the meaning behind the blue signal flare, his eyes dimming.

“That blue signal flare was for me,” Mark said silently, “to tell me that the operation wasn’t entirely successful, and that I would have to take over his mission.”

After a brief pause, Mark's voice sounded like a relieved laugh, even forcing a smile as he said:
"Actually, I never intended to leave in the first place. I only bought tickets for three people on that ship. I had planned to let you all board first, then wave goodbye and leave with a dashing figure. After all, what I did was so hateful, wasn't it? How could I possibly go back? They would know that I had betrayed the organization, and I would admit it. A failed operation needs someone to take responsibility. Duncan will die, and I will stay with my old friend."

Upon hearing this, William leaned weakly against the wall. Even though he didn't understand the whole story, he learned from Mark that this greasy middle-aged man seemed to have betrayed the organization and leaked part of the operation plan.

But this absurd thing was actually agreed upon with Duncan—did he kill Duncan? No, Duncan himself was even the perpetrator.

Everyone's thoughts are different. Faced with a mission with no way out, some people will choose to die to complete it, while others will hesitate because they miss the people and things behind them.

That's why everyone is in such a state of confusion.

It was as if she were facing the sadness behind the phrase "there's plenty of time in the future." "Mark..." He Ye wanted to say something.

He slowly walked forward, and no one stopped him.

Lawrence turned and left, his trench coat billowing, his eyes cold as frozen water. Monica, seemingly out of nowhere, pulled a cigarette case from her pocket, her fingers deftly picking up a slender cigarette, placing it to her lips, her eyes flashing with bewilderment.

He Ye looked at him sitting in the chair.

Mark forced a smile.

He Ye had nothing to say, but simply untied the ropes binding his hands and feet. The ropes fell to the ground, but he remained seated, motionless, as if acknowledging that he was still a sinner.

"Now Lawrence and Monica don't want to leave, and our team is down to just you and her... We can't all die here, can we? At the very least, someone has to put down the bouquets."

Mark hummed in a relaxed tone, his eyebrows dancing with excitement, unwilling to show any timidity:

"Listen to me, take Sophia back to China. Our mission is complete, and the interception was brilliant, wasn't it? They couldn't find fault with me, and they won't find fault with you either."

“They knew there was a traitor in Greeley City two months ago, and now I am that traitor. Your death was caused by me. You could have told the people in the organization that you were murdered because you discovered my problems, but you were lucky enough to escape—Sophia being by your side is the best proof. In the telegrams sent back to the organization, I will also confess.”

"So, you and she should live a good life together."

"Heye."

Mark suddenly stood up and patted him on the shoulder. Monica stood silently to the side, and finally lit a cigarette with a match, exhaling a faint white mist as if in agreement.

“You and Sophia should go,” Monica said softly. “She’s not in the right condition to carry out the mission. Lawrence and I will stay here.”

"..." He Ye was going to leave anyway, and he will leave now, but these words sound like it's the last time they'll see each other.

“And William,” Mark added, “you should go with He Ye too.”

William looked bewildered. This was the first time he had heard the name of the black-haired youth in front of him. So his code name was He Ye. He had heard the name before, but he only recognized it now. So it was him.

But what's even more perplexing is the choice we're facing now.

"Should I... leave too?"

"Otherwise, what's the point of staying?"

"..." William hesitated for a long time before suddenly shaking his head and forcing a carefree smile. "I don't want to regret it anymore. I am Captain Duncan's man, and my mission is not yet complete."

"..."

Seeing this, Mark remained silent and had nothing to say, so he turned his gaze to He Ye. He stood there like an outsider, and in fact, he was an outsider.

"Do you have anything to say?" he asked.

He Ye was at a loss. What could he say? They had finally reunited, but now they were in such a state of disarray.

long silence.

“Don’t tell me you’re staying too.” Monica coldly took out her cigarette. “If you do, I’ll punch you.”

He Ye simply said softly, "Take care."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mark smiled, and Monica chuckled softly. The atmosphere seemed like a happy ending for everyone, but it really felt like their last meeting.

Just then, someone walked out from behind.

Nicole was carrying several bags, with a piece of bread in her mouth—her dinner. She saw He Ye standing there, waving happily—these people were so kind to her, giving her bread and crowns, and the blue-haired older brother next to her even helped her carry her luggage out.

He Ye turned around and saw her, but just pursed his lips.

I really did come along.

But is this really a good thing?

He Ye suddenly realized that he couldn't actually see the endless white cotton fields of Visgas, or the lush green Dongye grasslands. Such beautiful scenery was about to be swept away by the flames of war, and only now did he feel the heaviness of the atmosphere.

The gaze suddenly shifted.

The girl with the black iris flower held a suitcase in her hands, dangling it in front of her legs, like an ordinary person waiting to board a bus on the roadside, about to embark on a journey to a distant place.

Yugiri stood still, her beautiful red eyes looking at her with such innocence.

The girl who was only chest-high when we first met has now grown into a graceful young woman with slender black hair.

“Leon,” she said, “Lawrence said I should come with you.”

"...I'm sorry." He Ye was just a little sad. "I lied to you for so long."

"It's alright, I'm just glad you're alive," Yugiri said softly.

"I miss you."

Her words were straightforward and simple, even a little childish, but as Yugiri gradually approached her, she silently looked at him, then slowly lowered her head, as dependent as a small animal asking for a head pat.

Seeing this, Ni's originally cheerful eyebrows slowly lowered, and she slightly pouted her lips, sensing something was wrong. Could it be what she was thinking again?

Just then, He Ye felt a tap on the shoulder.

Looking back, Mark's weathered face came into view.

"Now it's time to prepare to leave... The only thing left is how to get information out of that girl. Oh, I hope she'll tell the truth, since time is of the essence."

He Ye knew she was referring to Loris, and after a moment of silence, she simply said...

it is good.

(End of this chapter)