Twenty Seven Years

  Chapter 468 Goodbye Carmine

  Verak did not agree, did not refuse.

  In just half a month, Boyne, Morais, and Nord left one after another, which made his heart a little tired. He felt that his backlog of emotions over the past few years was approaching a critical point, and those negative energies that had been overwhelmed by the indomitable momentum were looking for opportunities to swallow him up.

   "Aren't you going to the meeting?"

   "Everything has been discussed." Keating's tone was very tactful, "There is no meeting now."

   "Then I want to rest for a while." Verak said.

   "At this time?" Keating realized that he didn't know Verak that well, because in his cognition, Verak would not rest, let alone rest at this juncture.

"Um."

   Keating's eyes were more concerned: "Are you tired?"

   "I don't know, it's numb. It feels like running hard with an injury, and finally I can't run anymore, and I can't feel the pain."

"you…"

   "Don't worry, I will continue to run. I have no reason to stop, but there are ten thousand reasons to persist."

  The way Keating looked at Veraker was no longer the solemnity among comrades. They seemed to have returned to the past. Veraker was just a young man, a child, a flesh and blood body no different from others.

Verak lit a cigarette: "Even I know very well that this request I made is very irresponsible and very emotional. How could someone spend more than half a month rushing back from Montrego, but have nothing?" Instead of doing it, go to rest when the International Equality League needs help most?"

"I understand you."

   "You won't understand me, I don't even know what I'm thinking." Verak smiled.

"Go and rest." Keating couldn't refuse Veraker. He knew that Veraker would not say such words easily. Even if he forced Veraker to do something now, it would only make his situation worse. "Don't think so More, be free to be yourself for a while.”

   "One or two days is enough." Verak did not dare to expect more indulgence.

  His sense of breakdown doesn't outweigh his sense of responsibility.

   "It's okay, just take a rest."

"Byne and Morais have both sacrificed. I won't let you last that long alone. One or two days is enough for me." Verak puffed, "You know, I'm very tenacious, really I am very tenacious, and I will recover as quickly as possible and fight side by side with everyone in the fullest state."

   “… according to your own feelings.”

   "If there is nothing else, I will leave first. You have worked hard here, and as far as I know, you have never rested." Verak stood up and bowed slightly to his most respected Keating.

   Keating smiled.

"I have an idea, Mr. Keating." Walking to the door, Veraker stopped, "Perhaps it won't take long for Lazein to be recaptured by the government forces. I hope I can stay at that time, just like before. , and continue to fight in this city."

   "Aren't you going to the front line?"

   "It won't be long, this is the front line."

  Leaving the office, Verac found Keating and Connie first.

   First, I wanted Murphy to contact Lopez and the others who were staying in Montrego, inform them of the situation at the terminal, and ask them to prepare for a longer wait.

  Second, he has to stay alone for a while, and Murphy and Connie can no longer follow him. They have to decide for themselves where to contribute their strength after returning to the terminus.

   "Waiting for you to come back." After the confession, Murphy did not appease or dissuade Veraker, but just said this to him when he left.

   "Yes." Veraker walked out of the Equality Building without looking back.

"Where are you going? There must be many people who want to assassinate you hidden in Lazein. We must protect your safety at all times." The sheriff followed Verak closely, refusing to leave a distance of more than five meters .

   "Wander around casually. If your duty is to protect my safety, then follow me." Verak did not contradict the sheriff, and the two drove aimlessly through the city together.

  The sheriff drove the car, glancing at Veraker in the back seat from time to time.

  Verak noticed that the sheriff was paying attention to him, but he didn't care, and looked out the window silently.

   After opening up a brave new world for so long, he actually forgot how a person should live. Now it's rare to have time for myself. I don't know what to do, and I don't feel much relaxed.

   It's really not worth it.

  Suddenly, the car passed by the West End, and Verac saw the Thomas family's mansion.

   "Do you know the Thomas family?" Willak asked.

"Of course, that's the home of Comrade Chris." The sheriff glanced at the Thomas family mansion passing by outside, "Do you want to ask how the Thomas family is doing now? After all, they are comrade Chris's relatives, and we took control of them half a year ago. After Lei Zeyin, they took away their company, but still left the mansion."

   "Go and see."

"Yes."

  The car turned around and stopped in front of the Thomas family mansion.

  Verak got out of the car and looked up at the dilapidated building. Many things in his eyes had settled down, leaving only clarity.

   Walking into the mansion, the layout is no different from what Verak remembered. The biggest difference is that many places seem to be abandoned, the doors of many houses are locked and covered with dust, and the lawn is messy because no one takes care of it.

   It may be that they heard the movement, and a woman walked out of the house directly in front of them.

  The woman was in a daze for a moment, and said cautiously: "Verak?"

   "Lady Meera." Verac bowed to the former distinguished Madam Meera.

   "You..." Mrs. Meera was dressed plainly now, and she was much haggard.

   "Just passing by, I want to take a look." Verak explained.

   "Then... please come in..." Mrs. Meera didn't dare to neglect, and invited Verak and the sheriff to go in.

  The hall of the mansion is very empty, and the exquisite furniture and decorations that once dazzled Verac have disappeared without a trace.

   Looking at all this, Veraker, who was deeply moved, walked down the stairs to the second floor: "Where is Mr. Carmine?"

   "He went to pick Julia up from school." Mrs. Meera finished speaking, fearing that Verack would forget who Julia was, and reminded, "Julia is Chris' sister."

   "I remember." Verak looked around the deserted surroundings, "Is your family the only one left here?"

"Yes, all the servants are free to do what they want. Chris's sister got married and hasn't been back for a long time, and now there are only three of us living here." Mrs. Mela is still not sure Because of the purpose of Verak's visit, he was frightened by every question he asked, for fear that the International Equality League would liquidate them and make it difficult for their family.

   "What do you live on now?"

   "Relying on the sale of furniture, jewelry, and sometimes relying on the support of relatives and friends..."

  Villac could see from Mrs. Mela's expression that they should not be too desperate. The reason why they said it badly was probably because they didn't want the International Equality League to notice them: "Aren't you looking for any jobs?"

   "I found it... I don't know anything, and Carmine is too old, there is no job suitable for us to do..."

   "There will always be, as long as you are willing to let go of your past identities." The sheriff didn't say too harshly because of Chris.

   "Is it convenient for us to stay for dinner?" It was getting late, and Verak thought it would be a long time until Carmine came back.

   "Okay, I'll do it." Mrs. Meera asked the two to sit down on the second floor, and then went to the kitchen to get busy.

  Carmine's study room also became simple, and Veraker was not interested in this, and returned to Chris's room before he was alive after sitting there for a long time.

  Probably because he misses his son very much, Chris’s room is so small that a book can be placed in the same place, and it is one of the few clean and tidy rooms in the current mansion.

   "Is this Comrade Chris's former bedroom?" The sheriff guessed.

   "Well, I also lived here for a while." Verak looked inside carefully, and countless memories were brought back.

   "Comrade Chris, as the future heir of a large consortium, can walk on the road of revolution and sacrifice his life for a great cause, which is really admirable."

   "What did you join the International Equality League?" Verak came to the window, his favorite place to think before.

"a year ago."

   "Then you haven't seen Chris either." Verak felt the familiar breeze.

  The sheriff looked regretful: "This is a pity."

   "It's a pity for me too."

   "There is nothing to regret." A voice came from the door.

  Verak and the sheriff looked together, only to see Carmine standing at the door and watching them.

   "Mr. Carmine." Veraker saluted as usual.

   "Let's talk in the study." Carmine didn't come in, and turned back to the study.

  Verak and the sheriff followed to the study and sat down.

   "I should call you Vice Chairman Verak, right?" Carmine maintained his dignity, sitting on the sofa calmly, not at all cautious and timid like Mrs. Meera.

   "You can just call me Veraker." Veraker is not used to the latter title, it always feels like trying to give the ordinary him a kind of difference and distinguish him from others.

   "Are you here to represent the International Equality Alliance, or yourself?"

"Myself."

Carmine was relieved and ruled out the possibility that the International Equality League wanted to trouble their family: "I haven't heard much about you since the International Equality League took control of Laizein. You should not be here in the past six months. Lazerin, right?"

   "I'm working abroad." Veraker asked Carmine in turn, "What about you? How's your life during this time?"

   "Not bad by your standards."

   "Our standards?"

   "Having a place to live, food and drink, children can go to school, all aspects are guaranteed, and you don't oppress or be oppressed by others. Isn't this your standard?" Carmine said.

   "It's our standard." After listening to Veraker, he was immediately not interested in confirming what Carmine's own standard was.

   "Who is this?" Carmine looked at the sheriff.

   Without waiting for Verak's introduction, the sheriff said calmly: "My name is Cyril, and I am the sheriff of Lazein."

   "Oh." Carmine didn't care, and turned his gaze to Verak, "What's the matter with you coming to see me? Do you want to see how miserable I am now?"

   "I don't need to look to know, I just came here to chat, to chat." Verak distributed a cigarette to the sheriff, and then picked one up himself.

   Seeing this, Carmine deliberately opened the drawer and took out his only half box of imported cigars: "What do we have to talk about?"

  Villac watched Carmine cut his cigar and raised his eyebrows: "Talk about Chris?"

   "It sounds like you don't have a clue." Carmine could see that Verak's reason for coming here was random.

  Verak didn't intend to hide this.

   "Yes." Verac was attracted by the photo of Chris placed on the desk, "Do you still think that everything Chris does is childish?"

"At the end of the day, you still want to see my jokes, expecting me to repent and cry bitterly and say that I shouldn't have done those things. I was too ignorant and foolish before." Carmine snorted, his eyes full of mockery, "However, what I want to say is that I never felt that what Chris did was naive, because the behavior should be judged from the person and based on the person. I respect his ideas, and at the same time, I respect my own ideas even more. "

   "Your family is really complicated. I have been with you for so long, and I don't really understand it." Verak smoked a cigarette and shook his head slightly.

   "It's nothing complicated, as long as the family members understand each other." Carmine revealed excessive rationality.

   Magistrate Cyril couldn't help but interjected: "Without Comrade Chris, there would be no International Equality League. We are changing the world now, and it's fine if you didn't understand it before. Aren't you proud of it now?"

   "Why should I be proud? Because I'm living so badly now? Because my son is dead? Because you think so, I'm going to say that?" Carmine thought it was ridiculous.

   "So in your opinion, what is about yourself is the most important thing?!"

   "Of course." Carmine replied slowly.

   "It's unfortunate that Comrade Chris was born in such a family." The sheriff lost the last trace of respect for Chris' family.

  Verak didn't have any mood swings. He knew who Carmine was, and he didn't come here to argue about it: "What does Julia think of her brother?"

   Carmine's hand froze.

  He only felt that Verak cared about his current opinion, but he didn't expect Verak to pay more attention to Julia.

   "You are getting old, and this world no longer belongs to you who are physically and mentally declining. As long as Julia respects her brother and is proud of her brother, it is worth it." Verac said.

   "...the future belongs to them, there is no doubt about it." Carmine was discouraged, and his tone finally stopped being superior.

   "The children will live in the new world created by Comrade Chris, your opinions don't matter anymore." Sheriff Cyril saw Carmine deflated, and raised his chin proudly.

   "You have won." Carmine quickly relieved, no arrogance or depression could be seen on his face.

   "Win... It's too early to say this." Desperation came to Verak's face.

  (end of this chapter)