Chapter 121 Inside the Dark Prison

Inside the dimly lit cell, Huo Dongsheng sat on the bed, looking calmly at Su Tianyu, who was standing before him, gazing down. "I don't know why, but before I die, I wanted to see you."

Su Tianyu, with his hands behind his back, sneered, "Aren't you just asking for it? You didn't have to die."

As he spoke, a guard brought over a chair, and Su Tianyu leaned down to sit, staring intently at Huo Dongsheng.

His face showed no trace of panic or fear; a man about to die was remarkably calm.

Suddenly, both fell silent. Su Tianyu instinctively pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket and lit a cigarette.

"Can I have one?" Huo Dongsheng asked Su Tianyu, his gaze open and direct.

Su Tianyu didn't answer, only looked at him with cold eyes.

Huo Dongsheng placed his hands on his thighs and said slowly, "I was defeated and will pay the price. Isn't the death of so many Hua Gong Hui members enough to appease your hatred?"

At this point, Huo Dongsheng suddenly chuckled and said in a joking tone, "How about this, you give me a cigarette, and when the public trial comes, I'll curse myself harshly! I'll even bark like a dog if you want."

Su Tianyu looked at Huo Dongsheng with cold eyes. After a moment of thought, he threw the cigarette and lighter over.

Huo Dongsheng reached out and caught the cigarette. He tapped the case upside down, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.

At that moment, Huo Dongsheng seemed somewhat content. The once ambitious and insatiable chairman of the Hua Gong Hui could now find pleasure in just a cigarette.

Su Tianyu remained silent, watching Huo Dongsheng, wanting to see what he had to say.

Huo Dongsheng exhaled smoke through his nostrils. After a long silence, he suddenly asked, "In your opinion, are you guys so right?"

Su Tianyu retorted without hesitation, "Then who is right? You, who intercepted others halfway, or you, who betrayed your teammates?"

Huo Dongsheng shook his head, holding the cigarette between his fingers, and replied, "Even if I didn't cause trouble, as long as I didn't listen to you, or even if I disagreed with an important decision, you would still attack me. I don't think there's any right or wrong to discuss. It's just a matter of the winner takes all."

Su Tianyu crossed his arms and looked at him. "Huo Dongsheng, don't try to argue here. No matter how you explain it, you can't get rid of the fact that you wanted to be a traitor! You can't wash away your ambition to use Chinese resources to achieve your goals of becoming a high-ranking official."

Hearing this, Huo Dongsheng didn't get angry and nodded very frankly. "Yes, I admit that."

Huo Dongsheng took a drag of his cigarette and sighed. "Actually, before joining the Hua Gong Hui, I was a captain in the Chinese Legion in District One for eight years, a civil servant. Then, I worked hard for another five years before being promoted to major and finally assigned to a logistics department to manage wartime supplies. I also knew your father, but he was much higher-ranking than me, haha."

Su Tianyu didn't respond.

Huo Dongsheng continued without hesitation, "You're right, I've always had something stuck in my throat. And that's what ruined me."

As he spoke, Huo Dongsheng held his cigarette, his eyes becoming somewhat unfocused, as if reminiscing about the past. "In those years, I looked up to others, trying hard to climb, doing my best to do all the work well, but it was useless. After more than a decade, I saw through the essence, saw through my mediocre ending. I admit, I like power, but I can't change anything. Until the Hua Gong Hui appeared, I saw a glimmer of opportunity. To avoid continuing to live this mediocre and unremarkable life, I left the Chinese Legion and joined the Hua Gong Hui, climbing step by step to the position of chairman. I don't hide my thoughts; I want to be Song Jiang, using political trade-offs to secure a good future for myself."

"You're quite the frank scoundrel," Su Tianyu replied, crossing his arms.

"If you don't like power, why are you working so hard?" Huo Dongsheng asked with a smile. "You wouldn't dare deny that, would you?"

"I like it, but I take it the right way," Su Tianyu said calmly.

"Hehe!" Huo Dongsheng smiled wryly, shaking his head in response. "You won, so you're taking it the right way."

Su Tianyu didn't respond, only rested his chin on his hand, looking at him with deep eyes.

Huo Dongsheng flicked the ash and continued, "I understand, you look down on me, but these are my true thoughts, no different from ordinary people. But, my contact with District One, that's not the main factor. I feel from the bottom of my heart that my political beliefs are different from yours. You want to find a way home, but I want to depend on and survive. I don't think there's anything wrong with my political beliefs. You can't just because a few of you want to be Qin Huang and Han Wu, want to be remembered in history, drag a group of people into war, into the abyss! Yes, I admit, you are the winners, but many people have lost."

As Huo Dongsheng spoke, he pointed to himself. "We have already taken root here. Whether you admit it or not, we have already entered the stage of integration. Our responsibility is to give these people a solid and stable life, not to think about resistance! You think I'm a traitor, but have you ever thought about the true thoughts of most overseas Chinese? Do they want to shed blood, do they want war? Why is my chance so small, and yet there are still a large number of people supporting me? Because no one wants to die!"

Su Tianyu frowned, not responding.

Huo Dongsheng took a hard drag of his cigarette. "Your path won't work! Su Tianyu, you now have the ability to plan the whole game. I hope you can calm down and think carefully about my words. Think carefully about where the way out for these more than ten million overseas Chinese people lies. Instead of tying all the Chinese to your war chariot for the sake of a few people or someone's wishes. Anyone who resists is labeled a traitor. How many people died in the battle of Saint Paul? One general succeeds, and ten thousand bones wither. If you continue, you will have to move forward on a mountain of corpses paved by these people! Think carefully, do you really want to take this path?"

After finishing the cigarette, Huo Dongsheng's tone became calm again. He looked at the ground and said to Su Tianyu, "I failed, and I will confess my sins in public as you requested. But, I really hope you can seriously consider my words. You are now someone who can change the course, and you have this responsibility."

Su Tianyu looked at him without responding. He didn't agree with many of Huo Dongsheng's words, and even scoffed at them.

But some words did cause him confusion...

Yes, now that it's come to this, how should we move forward?

...

District One, Washington.

A group of Qing Yi Bureau people, with permits in hand, went to the Fifth Division and privately took Wang An away without getting approval from Gwen.