Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 555 - 563 The Pressure is Great

Chapter 555: Chapter 563 The Pressure is Great

"Before I knew you guys, I thought my life was so thrilling, so dangerous. I felt like a man walking on a razor’s edge, falling asleep every night in unease and terror, scared that one day my identity would be exposed."

Chris looked very lost as he drove, saying helplessly, "But after getting to know you all, I realized how peaceful and serene my former days were. Now, if someone stood in front of me and said, ’Hey, you con artist!’ I would definitely say, ’So what if I am a con artist? At least I don’t kill people...’"

He sighed heavily and looked at Anton in the passenger seat, his face full of helplessness, "It’s only now that I know what real danger is."

Anton finally turned his head and looked at Chris, "Are you talking to me? I’m not your guide; I’m just your... colleague. We’re colleagues, right?"

Chris said earnestly, "I think the word ’accomplice’ is a little more accurate."

Anton nodded, then said to Chris, "Are you someone who likes to confide in strangers?"

Chris shook his head and said, "No, absolutely not."

"I didn’t think you should be, because judging from what you just said, it’s obvious that you used to be a con artist. As a con artist, you shouldn’t talk so much, right? So, what’s your purpose in telling me all this?"

Chris sighed despondently, "I just need someone to talk to. I feel so helpless now, fuck! The boss said if I want to take back what I’ve lost, I need to follow his orders, but at that time, I really didn’t know what he was planning. I’m just a con artist, I make my living with this mouth, and I thought I could live well after getting out of prison, but now?"

"Is it not good now?"

"Good? Previously, the worst that could happen if I got caught scamming was being thrown in jail, and if I had the money for a top lawyer, I wouldn’t even need to go to jail. But now? Now, if I fail at scamming, I’m dead, just like that! A snap of the neck, a gunshot, and I’m finished. I’m under a lot of pressure, do you get that? A lot of pressure!"

Anton shrugged and said, "Why tell me all this? Why not talk about your feelings with someone else?"

Chris sighed, "If I told Brian, he would torture me mercilessly, he definitely would, until I no longer had the strength to speak of what he deems to be signs of weakness. Tell the boss? Fuck! I’ve already been tricked by him, am I supposed to tell him I regret it now? Tell a woman? Could I tell a woman? Do I look like the kind of wimp who complains to women?"

Anton laughed and said, "Forgive my bluntness, but aren’t you a wimp? Oh, to me, all Americans seem like wimps."

Chris rolled his eyes, saying helplessly, "Fuck, I must be crazy to be talking to you about this; you’re even crazier than they are."

Anton shook his head, "No, I’m not crazy. Our views are just completely opposite. You think it’s very dangerous and scary right now, but I find this kind of life interesting; this is the life I’ve been seeking. You have no idea how terrifyingly dull a peaceful life is to me."

Chris fell silent for a while, then nodded, "Right, so it’s just me who’s gone mad, isn’t it."

Anton spread his hands, "If you don’t want this life, you could just leave."

"Can I really leave?"

"Hmm, in my experience, people who think like you usually get taken out, it’s pretty much always like that."

"So, it’s as I thought."

"But Sea God is different, haven’t you noticed?"

"Noticed what? That he kills without batting an eye? He would spare me?"

Anton shook his head and said, "No, no, he just hides it well. You really can’t tell. Trust me, he actually has a compassionate heart. If you really wanted to leave, he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to finish you off, he just wouldn’t. So if you truly don’t want to do what you’re doing now, it’s best to leave soon, before Sea God erases what little warmth he has left. Then you’ll truly be unable to escape a secret organization."

Chris remained silent for a while, then sighed, "But if you ask me to leave, I also feel, um..."

"Reluctant, afraid?"

Chris made a pained face, "Okay, I just wanted to talk to someone. I’m under a lot of pressure, all right? But when it really comes down to it, I don’t think I want to leave. Right now it’s just a bit too thrilling; I need someone to talk to."

Anton sighed, "Not only are you a burden, but a talkative one at that. If others were suitable, I really shouldn’t have chosen you."

Chris muttered, "You really do see me as a burden."

"You have to understand, there aren’t many people who catch Black Devil’s eye. That I would even consider joining you is already a huge mark of respect, truly, although I’m not the Black Devil, and although you really are pretty weak."

Chris said helplessly, "Then let’s talk about what we’re going to do. Isn’t there a simpler, more direct way to achieve our goal?"

Anton shook his head, "This sort of thing is actually very simple. You need patience and attention, wasting most of your time on pointless waiting until you make a discovery. But there is a more direct way: you and I find Bu Cunzai, take out all his guards, and extract every secret he knows. Is that direct enough?"

"Direct way to get ourselves killed!"

"No, no, no, that’s why I say you’re a burden. Give me two companions like Black Devil, and I could do it. Give me five, not too many, just five, and trust me, I could start a war between this country and its northern neighbor, while taking out Mei Zheren in the process."

Chris thought for a moment, and asked, "In that case, wouldn’t Black Devil consider you a burden?"

Anton looked at Chris, and said with a cold expression, "You know, talking like this could get you beaten, and for me, talking like this could easily get you killed."

Chris whispered, "We’re accomplices, you wouldn’t kill me, right? Buddy, you’re not serious, are you?"

Anton looked out the window, his face a picture of resignation, "Rookies always get scorned. If I join Black Devil, become a real companion to him, then I guess I’d be the burden, huh... Actually, I kind of wish I were the burden..."

Chris felt the need to change the subject, so he whispered, "Without a simple and direct way, it looks like we’ll have to wait for our chance."

Anton said indifferently, "Well, not necessarily. Maybe we guard this place for months with no findings, but information could also drop from the sky right into your hands. So, this kind of thing also relies on luck, like... right now, follow that car!"