Volume 3: Stormy Weather Chapter 8 "Forced onto Liangshan" Special Agent

  "I don't know if I should congratulate you, but Comrade Zhilnina is indeed a very nice girl." Kryuchkov said with some envy as he watched Zhilnina's figure disappear into the distance on the other side of the long corridor.

  Chu Si Nan seemed to agree and nodded, then patted the shoulder of this young man who had just been promoted as the director of the third bureau of the secret police, saying: "If I am worthy of congratulations, then you are even more worthy of congratulations, aren't you, Director Comrade? Not yet thirty years old, and already promoted to be a director, Kryuchkov Comrade, your future is boundless."

  "Don't mock me, Comrade Chusinan. How I got to be the director is none of your business, isn't it?" Kryuchkov smiled self-deprecatingly, then looked around cautiously before pulling on Chusinan's sleeve and saying in a low voice, "Come on, let's go to your room and talk."

  "Greenev has already been secretly executed," Kryuchkov said in a flat tone of voice in Chusova's room, "charged with being a spy for German fascism and intending to undermine the stability of Soviet power."

  "Oh?" Chu Si Nan's body shook, he didn't expect Bellia to be so ruthless.

  Before his execution, Grynnev confessed to all his crimes," Kryuchkov took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it for himself and took a strong drag, then said in a barely trembling voice, "His interrogation was initially conducted by me personally, although physical torture was used, but this guy was tough, he didn't admit to any of the charges brought against him. Later... later Belyaev came himself, three hours, just three hours later, Grynnev confessed everything. Oh God, I guarantee that when I saw him again, there wasn't a single piece of intact skin and bone left on this poor man's body..."

  Chu Si Nan was silent, he knew why Klyuchkov was so abnormal now, the tragic end of Grinev had left a deep impression on him, and he worried that his own future would be the same.

  "Comrade Chu Si Nan, perhaps you don't know, but Gribnev was once Beria's most trusted man. They were together even during the civil war period... But look at him now..." Kryuchkov took only a few puffs on his cigarette before burning his fingers, extinguishing the butt and lighting another one with a habitual gesture. "I'm really scared now, my own fate may be even more miserable than Gribnev's in the future. Beria is not human, he's a wolf baring its teeth, always on the lookout for someone to devour... I believe anyone who threatens... oh no, might threaten his power will be eliminated without hesitation."

  "Are you afraid?" Chu Si Nan slanted his eyes at Klyuchnikov, who was hanging his head and smoking silently. After a long silence, he sneered, "Want to quit? Then go die for Beliya with determination?"

  Kritchikov said nothing; he really thought so.

  "If that's the case, I absolutely won't stop you." Chu Si Nan continued to say, "However, I still have to say one thing, it's probably already too late for you to regret now. Your position and power are already quite large, as the third bureau chief, although still under Bellia, but you've already posed a threat to him. It's what I said before, Bellia wanting to take down Greenleaf isn't just because of my instigation, even if I didn't appear, Bellia would have made his move sooner or later. The power struggle is like the arena, once you enter this circle, all you can choose is to fight to the death, knock down everyone who threatens you, otherwise, in the end, it will be you who falls. Bellia isn't born ruthless and cruel, he's doing this because he deeply understands the underlying logic, relying on a strong person, striking his opponents, while using cruel means to suppress subordinates who might pose a threat to him, this is his usual method. Mercilessly eliminating enemies on his path forward to the maximum extent, this is the only rule in the power arena, it may be cruel and fraught with danger, you can dislike it, but unfortunately, you've already entered the game, you no longer have the right to quit. Of course, you can keep silent, maintain a calm detachment, but I'm sure that even if you do nothing, Bellia won't let you off in the end. Now, there are only two paths before you, one is waiting for death to come in silence, the other is staking your life on a gamble, choosing the former, you have no choice but death, choosing the latter, you may still have a glimmer of hope, how to decide is entirely up to you."

  Kryuchkov's smoking had become more ferocious, and he was now very afraid, afraid to death. At first, he just wanted to get rid of Grinev in his mind, and only Grinev was his enemy. But now that Grinev had fallen, fallen so quickly and suddenly, with such a miserable outcome, Kryuchkov, having taken over his power, also vaguely saw from this poor superior the possible outcome he might face. To be honest, since the day Grinev was executed, he had hardly slept a single peaceful night, feeling anxious every day, and every gaze towards him seemed to be filled with ferocity and coldness.

  One cigarette after another was smoked out, but Klychkov's hand holding the cigarette never stopped trembling.

  "Comrade Chusonan, do...do you think we have a chance to overthrow Belia?" Kryuchkov finally blurted out a sentence in the silence.

  "Alright," Chu Si Nan nodded his head and said in a relaxed tone, knowing that Klyuchkov had no other choice at this point. "But how much possibility there is will depend on your performance."

  "I don't want to hear this now!" Kryuchkov was apparently somewhat deranged, waving his right hand which held a cigarette, and said in a hoarse voice, "I just want to hear your plan! I've staked my life on it, you must give me some hope, no matter how slim it is, I'll accept it!"

  Chu Si Nan couldn't help but laugh maniacally in his heart, knowing that Klyuchevkov was not acting at this moment, he had really decided to go all out. Facing a life-or-death turning point, no one could remain calm, and what's called "dying with dignity" was just a forced composure when there were no other options. However, Chu Si Nan also had some concerns now, it was clear that Klyuchevkov, who was still young at this time, was absolutely not experienced enough, and putting all his hopes on him might be a bit rash. But then again, it seemed like he himself didn't have any other choices either.

  "Comrade Kryuchkov, calm down," said Chusun, getting up and walking over to Kryuchkov's side. He patted Kryuchkov on the shoulder and then whispered, "Actually, Belyaev isn't that scary. His situation is probably more precarious than yours."