noffsinger Chapter 376: Good, very clean
Chapter 376: Good, very clean
He stood there, staring at the gradually blurry figure for a long time, with countless complex emotions in his mind. Yes, he had already made his choice, but that did not mean that his heart would be relieved.
Su Ming stood under the streetlight, the darkness shrouding everything. His gaze gradually blurred as she disappeared around the corner, and a sense of inexplicable loss arose in his heart. This feeling made him feel very uncomfortable, as if he had missed something important, but didn't know how to recover it. The chill in the air pulled him out of this confusion. He took a deep breath, forced himself to wake up, and tried to focus on the present.
He felt in his pocket and realized he was out of cigarettes. He turned and walked to a roadside vending machine, casually pulled out a few coins, and dropped them into the machine. The mechanical sound shattered the surrounding silence. The cigarette box slid out of the machine, and Su Ming grabbed a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. As the smoke filled the air, he closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind of the thoughts that kept swirling. But no matter how hard he tried, the uneasiness and emptiness deep in his heart never disappeared, like some unsolvable knot, tightly pulling at him.
He walked toward his parked car, his movements mechanical and indifferent, as if he had lost interest in the world. The door opened, Su Ming climbed into the driver's seat, and started the engine. The interior was still filled with the faint scent of tobacco, mingling with the damp air outside. There were few cars on the road, and his car quietly drove out of this unfamiliar street and headed in a familiar direction.
The streetscape outside the car window quickly receded, neon lights flickering on and off. The city night was always a blend of silence and bustle. Su Ming's gaze remained fixed on the road ahead, his fingers gently twirling the steering wheel, but his thoughts had already drifted far away. The face of the man in the bar that day still surfaced in his mind—he had never seen him again, but that deep look in his eyes seemed to penetrate his soul, etched deeply into his heart.
"You've known for a long time that you can't stay here forever." The man's words echoed in Su Ming's ears again.
He twisted the steering wheel hard, breaking his train of thought. He had pondered this question countless times, yet never found a true answer. Su Ming knew it wasn't that he didn't have options, but rather that he was afraid to face the life he truly desired. To him, that peaceful, comfortable life seemed like a fantasy that had never existed. He was accustomed to solitude, to lurking, to completing tasks assigned to him in the shadows. But deep within, an uncontrollable anxiety constantly gnawed at him, like a lurking storm poised to erupt at any moment.
The car pulled into the familiar alley. Su Ming parked, pushed open the door, and walked into the small building where he lived. The corridor was dim and narrow, the air somewhat oppressive, and the floor was covered with a layer of dust. Every time he returned here, Su Ming couldn't help but feel a sense of oppression. This place had long ceased to be his safe haven. Instead, it had become a silent cage, trapping all his thoughts and confusion.
He opened the door to his humble apartment. The room was dim, the furniture simple and lifeless. Newspapers still piled on the table, and dust covered every inch of the space, as if no one had truly lived here for a long time. Su Ming walked into the room, took off his coat and shoes, sat on the sofa, and stared straight ahead. Silence enveloped him, and he knew he didn't belong here, or even anywhere else.
At this moment, the phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence. Su Ming picked up the phone and looked at the screen. It was an unfamiliar number. He frowned slightly, a trace of alarm flashing through his heart. The phone continued to ring, gradually breaking the silence in the room. He took a deep breath and answered the call.
"It's me." A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, the tone was calm and flat, as if it was just an ordinary greeting.
"How did you find me?" Su Ming asked in a low voice, a hint of vigilance flashing in his eyes. He didn't want his whereabouts to be known by others, especially during this period when he was in a state of confusion and was full of uncertainty.
"You don't need to know." The voice on the other end of the phone remained calm. "We have something to discuss."
Su Ming's brows raised slightly. He didn't like this kind of unwarranted threat, but he also knew that he had nowhere to escape. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What's the matter?"
"You haven't been calm lately," the person on the other end of the phone said. "If you don't calm down, you're going to mess up the next mission."
Su Ming took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Mission? He no longer cared about that. He put the phone to his ear, feeling a little heavy. "I understand." His voice was low, but a hint of fatigue lingered in his words.
"Your current situation doesn't allow you to make any mistakes." The other party's voice seemed calmer, as if he was giving a simple warning.
"I understand." Su Ming's voice was a little hoarse. He put down the phone, but that familiar figure surfaced in his mind. Her eyes, still like a silent call, made him unable to find peace. She didn't understand, and he couldn't tell her. For him, this world was a place of no return.
Su Ming closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, feeling an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. Yes, there was no turning back. All the decisions had already been made at that moment, and every step forward was irreversible. He couldn't help but ask himself: If this road had no end, how could he continue?
The clock inside the room ticked, time seemed to slow down, and a suffocating silence filled the empty space. Su Ming felt as if he were trapped in an invisible cage. Every breath felt oppressive, and every step forward seemed to carry an irresistible burden. And all of this seemed to stem from a distant choice—he had chosen this path, and was destined to endure it all.
He stood up and walked to the window, opened it, and the cold wind outside blew in his face, carrying the scent of night rain. He looked out the window at the street. The lights in the distance were still flashing, and the traffic was still rushing. It seemed that everything was going on, but he felt out of tune with all this.
He picked up the cigarette case on the table, lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, closed his eyes, and let the smoke linger in the air. He knew that tomorrow would bring new tasks and new challenges, and he still couldn't escape those inescapable responsibilities.
Su Ming leaned against the wall of a dark alley. The night was dark, and the air was filled with the smell of damp earth. He remained motionless, the pistol in his hand cold and heavy, as if it were part of his body. The faint sound of footsteps reached his ears, like a taut string about to be plucked. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he quickly adjusted his breathing, blending into the shadows.
At the alley entrance, a figure appeared. It was the target, with steady steps and silent vigilance. Su Ming had studied his behavior thoroughly, knowing where he would stop and where he would be on guard at all times. Little did he know that death was already so close.
"Let's do it, Su Ming." A whisper came from the headset, which was the signal for action.
He didn't respond, but instead responded with action. He slid out of the shadows, his movements as swift and silent as a cheetah. The moment the target turned, Su Ming's hand had already pulled the trigger. With a muffled thud, the target fell to the ground. He quickly stepped forward, confirming that the target was incapacitated, and then took the object from his hand. It was an unremarkable old lighter, but he knew it held a hidden secret.
"Target cleared, item obtained." Su Ming whispered and quickly put the lighter into his pocket.
"Received, evacuate immediately." The voice in the headset was brief and cold.
Su Ming skillfully cleaned up the scene, removing any traces of possible exposure. After doing all this, he quietly left through the alley on the other side, and darkness once again swallowed him up.
He boarded a pre-arranged taxi. The driver, a member of the task force, nodded as Su Ming boarded the vehicle and started the engine. The car was completely silent, the only sound being the low hum of the engine and the soft clatter of the tires scraping against the ground. Su Ming leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, seemingly resting, but inside, he never truly relaxed.
Why is this happening again? A flicker of bitterness flashed through his heart. His missions always seemed to follow the same pattern—assassination, theft, lurking. He knew this life was destined, but with each attempt, an indelible shadow grew within him.
"Well done." A voice suddenly came from the headset. It was Director Zhang, his direct superior.
Su Ming opened his eyes and replied calmly, "What's the next target?"
"Don't worry, come back first, we need to have a briefing."
Su Ming didn't ask any more questions. He knew that these so-called briefings usually meant the next step was even more dangerous. He'd grown accustomed to it, but his inner vigilance never relaxed. He opened his eyes and looked out the car window at the street outside. The neon lights cast a blurry shadow in the rain, like countless shattered dreams.
Back at the safe house, Su Ming walked into the dimly lit room. Director Zhang was sitting at the table, drumming his fingers on the surface. He looked up at Su Ming and nodded. "Not bad, very clean."
"I just want to know what's next." Su Ming sat down directly. He never wasted time on meaningless compliments.
Director Zhang took out a document from the drawer and handed it to Su Ming: "You have to keep a close eye on this person. What he has in his hands is more important than what you just got."
Su Ming took the document and flipped it open. Inside was a photo of a man wearing glasses and smiling gently. He looked like an ordinary middle-aged businessman. But Su Ming knew that anyone on the task list was no ordinary person.