After returning to the cell, Verak and Keating, who had never been able to relax, looked at each other and said nothing. They knew that each other had not yet come up with a solution to the situation.
Verak was lying on the bed, picked up his notebook, and pulled out the floor plan of the prison that he had newly copied. When he accidentally, another piece of paper fell out. He knew that what was written on that piece of paper was
What, he was stunned for a moment without opening the map first, but looked at the words he wrote for himself more than a month ago.
[I don’t know what is waiting for me tomorrow, nor do I know how many tests there are in my life, nor do I know whether I will die in prison with scars, or whether I will be able to see the light again one day... Now I only have
One thing is to keep a rock-solid faith and live.】
His mood when he wrote this diary was completely different from what it is now, just as he hesitated in the slums of Tswold and then stirred up trouble in Lezein.
Thinking that when he wrote this diary, he was fearing the torture the next day, Verak, who was lying peacefully, had mixed feelings in his heart.
[I'm thinking about what would have happened if I hadn't brought Nord and Demps back to that place that day.]
Verak put the piece of paper back into his notebook and picked up a pen to write his second diary after coming to Dymans Prison.
[Probably we will continue to repeat our previous lives, and probably many people will not die because of me, probably——]
[When I think about this now, it still feels like a dream. I am being pushed inexplicably. I don’t know what is ahead, I don’t know what I want, and I don’t know what else I will lose. I can’t see anything, and I can’t see anything.
Know how to go.】
[But I think, just like the fear and confusion I faced when I first came in, I can only know the answer if I keep moving forward. 】
This time's diary was much shorter than the last one. Verak didn't know how long he would keep this letter for himself to read. After finishing writing the diary, he breathed a sigh of relief and braced himself to formally study the prison map.
.
"Perhaps... we are focusing in the wrong direction." Since there was little progress, Keating broke the silence in cell 208 and proposed the idea of switching the focus.
"That's just people." Verak immediately responded, obviously his thoughts had been interrupted for a long time, "So far, we know that only Lecter and Adel have some conflicts. They are competing for you and the gold, and Lecter has won.
And by obtaining some clues, he gained a foothold in the prison."
Keating said: "We can try to start from here."
"It's too dangerous. Lecter and Adel are both very thoughtful. If we want to take advantage of it, we must mediate between the two. If we are not careful..." Verak has dealt with Adel once, and he does not feel that
My mind is better than Adel and I can outplay him.
"It's really not easy to play dark cards. You have to be careful every step of the way. No matter if either of them finds out the clues, the pattern will be broken." Keating put forward a bold idea, "Then just play the bright cards."
"A clear sign?"
Keating looked heavy and didn't seem to be very willing to take such a step. However, based on the current stalemate, it seemed that he could only do this: "Yes, even if he knows our true thoughts, he will not touch us easily.
Yes, after all, I hold gold in my hand, and you have the Equality Society standing behind you. And if you play games with them openly, you won’t be as restrained as you would be if you were huddled in the dark."
"Then wouldn't they know all our movements? How could they not be on guard if they knew it?" Verak couldn't understand how to avoid this obvious fatal problem. "They were on guard. What we did before was not
All your efforts have been wasted?"
"This is the real difficulty of this method, how to let them know what we are going to do, but cannot stop it due to various factors." Seeing Verak's expression of confusion, Keating explained, "It's not that easy to get out.
No matter which method we adopt, we will face corresponding difficulties. We must face it calmly and think about the feasibility. In addition, if we want this method to be possible, we must meet one condition, and that is the conflict between Adel and Lecter.
It’s bigger than we thought.”
"What if you don't have it?"
"Then we will find ways to intensify their conflicts and make this condition come true."
"Intensification..." Verak whispered, repeating the key points of Keating's words.
Keating faced Verak, who was deep in thought: "There is no way to start a frontal prison escape at the moment. Since we don't have enough time, we should prepare a backup plan and advance on two fronts, just in case."
"This is the only way..." Verak knew too well how tricky the new idea proposed by Keating was. As prisoners, if they wanted to influence the relationship between the warden and the deputy warden, it would be no less difficult than escaping from prison head-on. "I
We have to find a way to find out about him and Adel from Lecter."
"You should rest first. I'll think about how to implement this method. I'll decide whether to do it or not at night," Keating said.
Verak said "hmm" and closed his eyes: "If you want to do this, you have to prepare a lot of information that will not affect the safety of the gold and make them feel useful. Whether it is to intensify their conflicts or mediate them.
, we all need to keep throwing these out to keep the situation going."
"I'll figure it all out before you come back tonight."
"Then I'll take a rest, teacher." With no progress for several days, Verak fell asleep, upset.
In the afternoon, when Verak went to work, Ross finally came back to work. After talking to Verak, he learned that this morning Ross and his friend Ennio were arranged by Lecter to perform a special performance for the prison guards.
This made Verak a little confused. In his impression, Lecter was not a person who would take care of other people's feelings. It was rare for him to prepare a performance for other prison guards.
"Then you should have a lot of opportunities to perform in the future, and you can touch the piano and don't have to work." Before Ross chattered to share his joy, Verak followed his words and blessed him.
"It's a pity for you..." Ross turned around and felt sorry for Verak, "You and Keating originally lived together. You had food to eat and relax every day, and you didn't have to go to work. How did you end up like this..."
Verak chuckled: "No matter what, just live."
"Yes, living is the greatest victory, and living has infinite possibilities." Ross hopes that Verak, who helped him regain the opportunity to play, will also get better. "Look, I haven't played the piano for so many years, and suddenly I can start playing again.
Now, you will definitely be able to resume your previous life without having to work."
Verak stopped working and found that the music did not make Rose think of leaving. His body and spirit were completely trapped in the prison: "That's not necessary. If possible, I will leave."
here."
"Chris, that's impossible." Ross quickly covered Verak's mouth, but Verak thought Rose's hands were dirty and stepped aside, "We can obtain some conditions while still alive, so we can do it conveniently."
Good, don't get killed like some people just to get out."
Listening to Ross lowering his voice to dissuade himself, Verak's face became colder. He stopped what he was doing and looked at Ross seriously: "Ross, you can play music again, not Lecter. The prison guards have found out.
It's not something you got by groveling, it was me and Keating who fought for it for you. Without us, you would never be able to touch a piano again in your life."
Ross didn't seem to listen at all and went to take over the work from Verak: "Don't you want to have dinner?! Work quickly, Chris, don't talk about what's available and what's gone, it's useless."
"I know you have been locked up for too long and have lost confidence in some things." Verak pulled Rose away from him and allowed the machine to make mistakes. "I can understand why you feel that what I said is so meaningless.
Meaning, if I had been imprisoned for so many years and witnessed so many struggles and resistances that turned into bubbles, I would not have been much better. But fortunately, I have not been imprisoned for so many years, and I am still resisting."
"Chris! You're crazy!" Ross stared at the machine in horror and shouted, fearing to alert the nearby prison guards.
"Listen to me!" Verak shouted in the same low voice, with a firm look in his eyes, even hiding his numb anger towards Rose, "I just want to ask you something. A few days ago, you learned from me that you could play the piano again. When you
When you touched the keys again after a few years and got the opportunity to play in front of everyone, what did you think? Are you thinking of the past? Or are you grateful to the government and prison that imprisoned you, tortured you and took away everything from you?!"
Ross was speechless.
"I don't know what to say to you, Rose." The emotions that had been accumulated in his heart for several days burst out. Verak grabbed Rose's collar and said, "Don't be numb anymore."
"But what can you do if you're not numb? You've only been here for a month, so what's one month? I was just like you when I was here for just a month. I counted everything on my fingers day by day, so I wouldn't have to end up like this in the end.
?" Rose's numb face finally showed
Silk was moved, "Have you ever seen a prison break? Hundreds or even thousands of people were fighting high-spirited, but the damn prison guards just came over and fired a few shots at random. This group of prisoners who had previously clamored to tear the prison guards who bullied them into pieces immediately ran away with their heads in their arms!
Who dares to stand up and confront the prison guards head-on?"
Verak's hand holding Rose's collar loosened slightly.
"I've seen too much, and I've spent dozens or even hundreds of months here. Anyway, I can't even count myself." Ross opened Verak's hand and said, "Chris, I thank you,
Indeed, as you said, you helped me to be able to play the piano again. Without you, I would be like this
I have to die with regrets. But I really can’t think of the use of holding the idea of going out no matter what. In your eyes, numbness is a violation of freedom and a blasphemy against the past, but in my opinion, that
It is the only protection I can do to protect the pure land in my heart."
"If you don't die with regrets, you have to get out. If you want to protect the pure land in your heart, you have to get out." After hearing Rose's words, Verak only felt funny and sad. He was glad that he had not compromised at all, and his still upright soul was hard for him to accept.
Rose's cowardice, "What do the things you listed, how long you stayed, what others did, and you want to leave have to do with it? Because I stayed for many years, so I have to be numb? Because others have failed to escape from prison, so I
Do you have to give up this idea?"
"What if?"
"Then what else?" Verak repeated, his face livid, "Your willingness to accept your current life is equivalent to the fact that you have never had the past. If you have had it, how can you accept it willingly? How can you bear to have your hands touched?
Tortured, how can you bear to be separated from the piano that has been integrated into your life, and how can you bear to be complacent about playing for the prison guards who have thrown you into the abyss?"
Verak's words touched Rose's sore spot, and he pushed Verak to the machine: "Shut up."
"Your performance is so bad, I can't imagine what you were like in the past." Verak stood firm and did not fight back, "Ross, I hope you remember that you should play for yourself without any restrictions, and you should do what you want.
That famous pianist. You shouldn't be locked up here, and your hands shouldn't be used for carrying goods and making machines."
"Go to work, Chris." Ross was discouraged and did not try hard to distinguish right from wrong with Verak. For him, the most important thing is to meet the standard of today's work and get dinner, "I understand what you said.
, I just don’t want to think about it.”
Verak also calmed down, knowing that he had just been impulsive and radical: "Then you don't have to think about it, just remember one thing. I will leave here one day, and then I will take you back to the old life."
"...Okay." Ross didn't know whether he believed it or not. He paused for a long time before replying a word.
"Actually, I don't know if I can do it." After a while, Verak laughed and said as if admitting his mistake, "Just now I persuaded you so calmly."
"Nothing." Ross shook his head.
Verak and Ross worked together to deal with the trouble caused by the machine error: "I was just arrested and it was noon when I went down to the underground floor. At that time, I saw so many prisoners, naked and lying in the cell, because of the sweltering heat.
They were lingering on the ground. The prison guards treated each prisoner like an animal, giving each prisoner a number and randomly throwing the new prisoners into a cell. I was very scared, and this kind of fear could not be eliminated even if I went through so much."
"Are you afraid of what you will become?" Rose smiled bitterly.
"Yes, that is more terrifying than death, turning from a dignified and healthy person into a body... I am still afraid of this." Verak nodded, "Before talking to you, I still had this thought.
, I thought about what I would do if I really couldn't get out. Should I give up that idea as soon as possible and live numbly with you, or should I continue to do it, even if it means death."
"So, you should-"
"I just figured it out." Verak interrupted Rose with a calm and firm voice, "The key to some things is never the result, but whether to do it or not. If you only look at the result, you will only be worried. Focus on it.
Keep going, this choice, this process is an answer and a result."