Chapter 312 Whatever You Want (End)

"How did you get here?" Chu Hengkong was a little surprised, "They actually let you in."

“They have no right to stop me,” Velvet said.

"It's great to have money." Chu Hengkong smiled. "I just told you that I'm planning to go on a trip soon, so I'll find someone else to be my bodyguard..."

“It’s over,” Velvet told him, just like she always told him “it’s over” after every negotiation.

Chu Hengkong looked downstairs upon hearing this. The sirens had ceased at some point, and the recently erected cordon was withdrawn. The officers piled into police cars, their steps hesitant. A man dressed as a sheriff was yelling into his phone, but to no avail. He threw it to the ground and angrily slammed the car door. The sound of propellers drifted back and forth. The helicopter, which was supposed to be carrying reporters and cameras to film his face, had turned around in the face of such a major news story.

It's like the audience in front of the TV picked up the controller and chose reverse, so the crowd flowed backward, the machine reversed, the invisible force reversed all the waves, and in an instant the world was back to normal.

Chu Hengkong stared blankly at the street beneath his feet, like a child walking out of the house for the first time.

"How?" he asked.

“I told them you were mine,” Velvet replied, “so that’s the end of it.”

"Why?" he demanded.

"The NYPD needs Velus's money, the party needs Velus's seats, the president needs Velus's support, and the country needs Velus's alliance," Velbert said. "So they must choose to end it. They can't afford to refuse. That's the rule."

Chu Hengkong stared at her blankly, as if he were looking at a stranger. Such a distant look made Velvet's heart twitch, but she still stood there expressionless, just like she did during every negotiation.

After a long while, Chu Hengkong smiled and said, "So you are so powerful?"

"That's not my power," Velvet shook her head. "It's money, influence, status, power, the accumulated resources of the group. What makes me powerful is my identity, the authority to control resources. Every head of the Velus family can do the same thing. It has nothing to do with how powerful he is."

She paused for a moment, unable to bear the heart to add, "...What's more, from your perspective, you are not wrong this time."

"Yeah, I don't think I did anything wrong." Chu Hengkong said, "That gun was pointed at me, and that bullet was aimed at my head. If someone else was standing in my position at that moment, he would have been dead!"

"That man wanted to kill me. He who kills must be killed. It's only right!"

He laughed, his arrogant smile actually seeming cold. "Aren't we always like this? The outcome is always chosen by the other party. If you leave room for maneuver, I will naturally spare your life. If you dare to kill, you will die. I, Chu Hengkong, have lived to the age of 16 and have never let go of anyone who wanted to kill me!"

Velvet was silent for a moment. She knew Chu Hengkong wasn't speaking in anger; this was his way. He had never considered life important. When they'd first met, he'd killed Lucas without hesitation. During his escort mission, he'd blasted the assassins' heads with rocks. He didn't feel any burden doing these things because he always followed his own "rules."

In Chu Hengkong's eyes, identity is probably the least important thing. He only looks at the "person" itself, and he judges others based on their actions. In his eyes, there is no such thing as rich or poor, no police or thieves, only those who are kind to him, those who are mean to him, those who want to protect him, and those who want to kill him.

Everyone is responsible for their own choices. Since he chose to take action, don't blame him for being ruthless.

But she added: “It wasn’t always like this.”

"Why?"

"You can spare his life."

"Of course I can!" Chu Hengkong sneered, "I can also spare Lucas's life. Why didn't you tell me back then?"

Velvet shook her head speechlessly. Chu Hengkong continued, "That man had the right to shoot me, but don't I have the right to kill him? I can dodge the bullet, I can crush the bullet, I can tear the gun apart without hurting him. At that moment, I had 34 ways to solve the problem without killing or hurting him, but why did I do that?"

"Just because he's in uniform, should I tolerate him? Or is it because I'm strong enough?" Chu Hengkong stood up. "Boss, tell me, just because I'm strong, does that mean I deserve to be pointed at with a gun?"

"It shouldn't be."

"I don't think he should have done that. I'm so capable and a big shot in the underworld. He should respect me! But why did he shoot me?" Chu Hengkong's smile deepened. "So I reasoned with the cops later. I said you started it first and I was acting in self-defense. You should stop and check the surveillance or witnesses... But they still shot, tried to handcuff me, and hit me with their car. What else could I have done?"

Velvet closed her eyes: "You can—"

"I can get arrested first, sit in the police station, go through the formalities, wait for the family lawyer to come and negotiate, and then be released after a few symbolic days of detention. I have no criminal record. I'm innocent, that's great!" Chu Hengkong said, "But I did nothing wrong in the first place, so why should I put myself in such a difficult position? Is it because of the rules?"

He said word by word, "Why should I follow their rules?"

Velvet found herself surprisingly unfazed. Perhaps it was because she had anticipated this day. She had dreamed so many times of scenes like "Chu Hengkong slaughtering New York" and "Chu Hengkong massacring the White House," that when this day finally arrived, she felt reassured by the small scope of the incident.

"I told you you could spare his life."

"I never heard you say that when dealing with the killer."

"In this world, cops and killers are different."

"It's all the same to me."

She spoke, just like the countless times Chu Hengkong had taught her before, with words that could not be refuted.

"Akong, the world doesn't follow your rules."

Chu Hengkong lowered his eyes and smiled silently.

"Of course, the world has its own set of principles. These principles are laws, order, authority, technology, money, or some other random thing... Unfortunately, most people accept this set of principles and take it for granted that it is right. Only a few people like you can clearly grasp the key points and use the rules to help you."

"My rules can't solve the previous ones, but yours can." Chu Hengkong shrugged. "It's rare, boss. Today you are the strong one, stronger than me."

“You can continue to be sarcastic and use your harsh words to describe well-known facts. But nothing you say will change the current situation,” Velvet pointed out. “You are taking your anger out on yourself. You are so angry at yourself for being powerless that you don’t even want to say ‘thank you’ to me.”

Chu Hengkong was silent for a moment. Velvet sarcastically said, "Chu Hengkong, why don't you just go on a killing spree? Can those cars and guns stop you? If you're so angry, you can just start fighting on the streets, fighting your way through the bloody road from your rental building to the NYPD headquarters. After all, they were the ones who started it!"

"Why is it necessary?" Chu Hengkong said indifferently, "What's wrong with the other cops? Maintaining law and order and arresting criminals is the meaning of their existence. Why should I hurt those who are loyal to their duties?"

He sat down again on the edge of the rooftop, gazing down at the familiar metropolis from above. The crowd beneath him was as tiny as ants, and after just a dozen minutes, no one paid any attention to the emptied building. In this vast metropolis of New York, the previous farce was but a mere cacophony; the prosperity created by all was the eternal melody.

Everyone was preoccupied with their own affairs, their jobs, their families, their debts... that was life as the public saw it, and he looked down on it all like a child looking at a castle in a sandpit.

“Should I say thank you for still having some basic sense?” Velvet said coldly.

There was a hint of anger in Chu Hengkong's eyes: "I didn't—"

"I know you don't want to be a god on earth."

Chu Hengkong was stunned for a moment, and Velvet seized the opportunity to approach him. "Akong, I've been thinking about what you really want. I once thought you wanted respect, status, wealth, and identity. But if you were an athlete or an actor, you could easily become a world-class figure. But you don't have that, so this is just superficial. You want something deeper."

"Then why don't you do it? Because it discredits your martial arts? It buryes your adoptive father's education? But delivering food is fine?" Velvet looked him straight in the eye. "I don't think you and Chu Tongchen are such shallow men. You don't want to do it because it has no 'meaning'."

Chu Hengkong frowned, as if he wanted to blame her for investigating him without permission. But he swallowed his words, perhaps because he had already anticipated her investigation.

"Grandpa also said that this is meaningless," Chu Hengkong said, "Everyone has their own 'meaning'. The meaning of a programmer is to write programs, and the meaning of a musician is to compose music. The higher the talent and ability, the greater the 'meaning'... Then what is the meaning of a martial artist? What is the meaning of someone like me who is good at fighting?"

He laughed. "I remember something the old man said once. He said that the whole purpose of training for a lifetime is to determine a winner! We practice martial arts and become stronger, ultimately to 'win'... But what happens after the victory?"

Velvet never thought that there would be a day like this, when the omnipotent man would appear as sad as a child in her eyes.

"What's the meaning of my victory?" Chu Hengkong whispered, "If I were alive a thousand years ago, I could kill generals before a battle and capture flags in the middle of a battle. My victory would lead to a great victory in a battle, and people would praise me as a peerless general. I could be granted a title of nobility for my military exploits.

If I had lived five hundred years ago, I could at least be a knight and fight for justice. I could kill corrupt officials and bring peace and order to the people. I could sneak into the palace alone and kill the tyrant who harmed the world.

People will remember my name, they will fear me, they will respect me. Wherever I go, local heroes will spontaneously entertain me, and people in need will turn to me for help, because everyone knows my power and understands that only I can help them! Even after I die, people will still sing my story, and they will record my deeds in history books, passing them down for thousands of years to come!

"But what about now?" He became increasingly agitated. "Does the battlefield need me now? Can I overthrow the current ruling class? I'm powerful, but I'm not an omnipotent Superman. I'm just a man who's a bit better at fighting. Before the industrialized steel rush, in this metropolis of tens of millions, what does a man who can fight count for?"

He slapped his chest and yelled at the girl, "Velbert, tell me. What's my point?!"

There was an emotion in his eyes that was heavier than anger, that emotion was sadness.

Velvet couldn't blame him. When she saw the book, she suddenly understood. She understood why Chu Tongchen was determined not to teach him martial arts, and why Chu Hengkong preferred to wander alone.

Because they have no meaning in this world.

These men yearn for the life of a military commander in a Chinese novel, drawing their swords, achieving great feats, and becoming famous. They want to stir the world, to be a "real man" with a clear conscience, regardless of success or failure. However, in the 21st century, there is no place for real men. They can kill countless enemies, and they can gain wealth and status through their skills, but they can never rule the world by their own rules, and they can never make the world remember them.

Their names will not be passed on to the world 100 years from now, just like the countless duckweeds that come and go in this world.

“There are still some,” Velvet said, “but you don’t know it yet.”

She took two deep breaths and prepared to tell the biggest lie of her life.

"When Zhuan Zhu assassinated King Liao, a comet struck the moon; when Nie Zheng assassinated Han Kui, a rainbow pierced the sun; when Yao Li assassinated Qing Ji, a hawk struck the palace." She said, "If a scholar is enraged, two corpses will be buried, blood will flow for five steps, and the whole country will be in mourning."

Chu Hengkong was stunned: "This is..."

"It's from 'Strategies of the Warring States: Wei Ce IV,' an ancient text also found in textbooks back home. The King of Qin, using his power to intimidate Tang Ju, said the emperor's anger could kill a million people. Tang Ju replied, 'Do you know the anger of a scholar? Once a courageous and resourceful scholar gets angry, they'll leave behind your corpse and mine, and then the whole world will be clad in snow-white mourning.'"

"So Tang Ju drew his sword, and the King of Qin gave in. He knew Tang Ju would really kill him..." Velvet said, pausing between each word, "and his status and wealth were meaningless in the face of Tang Ju's bravery."

Chu Hengkong looked at her quietly, and his eyes, which had been blinded by sadness, regained their luster.

"Times have changed, Kong. You can't become a general, nor can you be a knight-errant, but there have always been scholars in this world. Their perseverance and bravery can influence those who hold power, and they are still famous for their anger." Velvet extended her hand to him. "You saw it with your own eyes. Even in the 21st century, there are still assassins in this world."

“Velbert, this isn’t funny.” He shook his head. “This is ridiculous.”

"Make a deal with me." She took another step forward, her fingertips almost touching the boy's clothes.

"You will become my slayer, my snake. In return, I will make your name known to the world."

"You come and slay my enemies, and I will make you famous!"

She looked up at the boy, her frail frame unflinching. At that moment, she exuded a genuine, invisible majesty, like a frail emperor reaching out to a general, declaring his willingness to conquer the world alongside her. Such self-assured aura startled Chu Hengkong. He wondered if the history books were true; there really were characters in this world that made people want to follow them.

When you see someone reaching out to you like this, even if she is just a girl, how can you have any reason to refuse?

So Chu Hengkong held the girl's hand and smiled without any gloom.

"Okay, boss," he said, "it's a deal."

From that day on, he became the sacrificial snake.

(End of this chapter)