Chapter 3228: Strangers (Part 2)

"Of course I haven't forgotten, it's just——"

Malokov, who was almost unaware of the scorching heat that was about to burn his fingers, still did not put down or put out the cigarette butt in his hand. Looking at Malashenko, he calmly replied with only a meaningful word.

"Sometimes you have to pretend to forget, force to forget, seem to really forget, and then you can live a better life, just like me now."

""

Malashenko, who felt that his hands on the armrests of the sofa were trembling slightly, were still enduring. He could only endure until now because there was still one last question that remained unanswered.

"What about Commissar Petrov? Will you forget him too? Forget his teachings, forget every minute, every second and every day he was with us?"

""

The burnt cigarette butt, which had blistered his fingers, fell silently to the ground. Malokov, who did not need long to reply to Malashenko, began to speak slowly.

"It's not impossible if it's really necessary."

boom--

Malashenko, who couldn't bear it any longer, stood up in an instant. As if he was seeing an enemy, he was crushed by his body of over 1.9 meters in a furious state. He stretched out his big hand and grabbed Malokov's collar with one hand. He put his forearm against his chest and pushed Malokov into the wall.

"Are you crazy!? Ah!?"

"Commissar Petrov is your and my teacher! He treats us with great kindness! Apart from me, you are his most important person, and you are also the only one who still writes letters and letters home to him on the front line from Moscow!"

"Do you want to hear what nonsense you are talking about!? Where has your heart gone!? Malokov! You can even forget Comrade Political Commissar, forget everything, for what? Just for yourself!? For you What a boring future! ? To betray your old master and then go lick your new master’s stinky shoes and follow him!”

"You used to be a trustworthy person, Malokov! Why did you become like this!? What happened to you!?"

No roaring sound can be heard outside in the well-soundproofed lounge.

Due to the difference in size and weight, Malokov was completely suppressed by Malashenko. With one arm firmly pressed against the wall and unable to move, Malokov did not panic, nor did he have any intention of resisting. He just continued to act like an old friend. looked directly into Malashenko's eyes and sneered without looking away for a moment.

"I've woken up, Malashenko, why haven't you woke up yet? Why are you still stubborn?"

"Nothing can't be changed. As you said, I realized this from my "new master"."

"When the hard work that has been spent in the past decades of youth turned into nothing overnight and was overturned and denied, what's the point of keeping your thoughts in the past like this? Huh? You Rather, tell me, Malashenko.”

"you--"

Before Malashenko, who didn't know how to respond, finished speaking, Malokov, whose sneer didn't fade at all, continued to speak.

"I woke up, so I chose to forget those things that would be erased sooner or later, and look forward only to the future."

"There is actually no essential difference between you and me, Malashenko. We are all just property, a property that can be given up and sacrificed if necessary. But unlike you, I want to make the best use of my property." At one point, I don’t like the feeling of being thrown into the trash, and I will never be a fool like Zhukov.”

"I am me, I am Malokov. Whether you misjudged me today or not, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to me and I don't care. I only do what I think is right. It's that simple."

""

"You fucking bastard! Malokov!!!"

boom--

Malokov, who had never seen what a real battlefield looks like until now, was thrown away by a fist in front of Malashenko's tyrannical power that had experienced many battles, and was hit hard on the shoulder and collapsed on the ground.

"Get out! Get your butt-wiping paper and get out of here. I don't want to see you again!"

"If you want to do something to me, then feel free to do whatever you want. Just like you, I won't care about your choice anymore, no!"

"Hehehehehehehehahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha"

He started laughing from the moment he collapsed on the ground, and continued to laugh as if he was laughing at himself until he covered his arms and stood up from the ground.

When the laughter gradually died down, only the shaking head's laughter still echoed.

"What a pity, neither you nor I are destined to go back to the past."

"But thank you anyway, thank you for hitting me, Malashenko."

"To tell you the truth, I think I'm a bastard. Bastards speak bastard words and are a complete bastard. But look at me now, look at me as I am now. A bastard can live such a nourishing and glorious life, just because he wants to Isn’t it a great irony that I can take you away immediately?”

""

Malashenko, who neither wanted to hit anyone nor talk nonsense, still stood coldly, motionless.

Even though Malokov walked by, grabbed the two documents on the sofa and coffee table, stuffed them into his bag, turned around and left without saying a word, he still remained indifferent.

It wasn't until the footsteps outside the door gradually faded away, and Malashenko was left alone in the lounge, that a secret door hidden behind a bookcase was slowly opened.

"who is it?"

Lavrinenko smoothly closed the thin secret door and ducked out from behind the bookcase before speaking helplessly.

"It's me, just me."

"I was worried about you, so I came here to take a look, to prevent anything from happening, but I didn't expect this to happen."

Lavrinenko walked past Malashenko and slowly sat on the armrest of the sofa, sighing with his hands hanging on his legs. After thinking about it, he had to speak.

"You shouldn't have hit him. I can't even imagine what will happen next. What if he really puts you in? What do you think about me, your brother? Have you ever thought about it?"

"Then have you ever thought about how it feels when a comrade-in-arms who has known you for 16 years, a person who is like a family member, says that kind of thing in front of you? If it were you, what would you do?"

""

Lavrinenko, who was slumped on the armrest of the sofa, stopped talking. Just looking at the scene just now made people feel uncomfortable, not to mention how Malashenko, the person involved, should feel now.

"Well, it's no big deal. Let him change, at least I haven't changed, I'm still the Lavrinenko you know, always."

When Malokov returned to Moscow and came to the Kremlin, his shoulder still hurt since returning from East Germany, but it was not a big deal and he didn't break any bones.

While sighing that Malashenko still showed mercy, Malokov, who had already received the promise, pushed the door of the familiar office in front of him.