City of Burning Snow

He hesitated.

The door was two meters behind him, and when he stepped out of this door, the deployment mission started last week was officially over.He wants to ask the other party, will he come back to you later?His throat tightened, and he felt so ignorant.

"I... ok. Well, let's do this. Take care of yourself."

Avoiding Dostoyevsky's sight, Gogol grabbed the golden doorknob and pushed it open.

This may be the last time he entered this room in his life, the cold metal texture in his palm, the diametrically opposed sound structure inside and outside the soundproof wall, will become a small nightmare that he can't get rid of when he is annoyed in the future.He was a little too naive, and when he stepped out the door, he had a thought: Will Dostoevsky ask him to go back?Will he tell him what time it is in the afternoon, and he needs to return to the office to report to him officially-whether the newly acquired uniform can be kept, and where should he go back next?

The senior guide did not speak, he remained in the middle of the office, waiting cruelly for Gogol himself to close the final door.

Didn't even say "goodbye".

Before he closed the door, he heard Dostoyevsky's distant breathing unbearably still.He has indeed been able to deal with the little problem of overheating after touch.Gogol came to the coffee shop, ordered a glass of lemonade for himself and poured it down.That's enough, in this way, his last mission has been completed.The sky was blue and clear, not even a cloud to be seen, and he felt like a complete fool as he lay on the glass table.Dostoyevsky will not do too much with him, and Gogol still has confidence in that.He will only return to his sentry post and continue to live his day-to-day service life...

He took off his hat and put it on the back of his head, resting his face on the table.His soul hasn't returned yet, so he plans to close his eyes and go to the cafe to close in silence.If someone chased him away, he would pretend to be dead, and at worst he would be sent back to the dungeon, since that's where he came out anyway...

For the bodyguard job he imagined he would receive, he has been scratching his heart and liver for the past few days.The lemonade had set him on fire, and the pain was all the more charming now, at least it would distract him a little bit so that he wouldn't feel so regretful and ashamed.He thought the indescribable life in those few days at the dam was the saddest experience in his life.Only now did he realize that at least there was still hope.Now that he is sitting here, no one cares where he will go in the future except for someone collecting money from him to order.In his vision, he will indeed have the courage to confess to Dostoyevsky one day, definitely once, but only if they sit at the table of a revolving restaurant or a candlelight dinner, and they must have a The ring, behind is the pre-ordered band...

Breathing out the air softly like a choking fish, he wanted to say what a failed confession experience it was! ?It can be called the first of the top ten embarrassments in this life...

A person sat down beside him, and he heard it when he first appeared at the stairs.When he got closer, he realized that it was a stranger.

He pretended to be dead, thinking in his heart who is so ignorant of the atmosphere, who deliberately sat next to the lovelorn to order.The visitor's voice was erratic, and he ordered half a glass of whiskey with ice hockey amidst the clerk's questioning.When the clerk left, "Are you alone?" the person started talking to him.

"I sensed a strong presence, and thought it was Fyodor who came out with you, but I didn't expect that you were not only alone, but also vulnerable like a stimulated cat. So, this is the trump card he said I don't care, I'm used to being disappointed—huh?"

Gogol opened his eyes, and looked sideways at the young man beside him. His white hair was braided sideways, and his eyes were melancholy and extremely tired.Fyodor... okay.From the flat accent, it can be heard that he is from the East, and his appearance has a little European temperament.There are a few people in the world who affectionately call Dostoevsky Fyodor, and he will be well informed in a day.

The white-haired young man glanced at him, clearly feeling that he was in a bad mood.

"You have suddenly increased your sense of coercion, Mr. Nikolai Gogol. The person I mentioned should be you."

"It's me," Gogol said perfunctorily. "Don't worry about it. I often release my mental power like a leak. What should I do? Of course it's just a habit. Do you have anything to do with me?"

When the other party was talking, his scarlet pupils were like priceless gems, and only when he squinted did he reveal a little bit of expression, otherwise there would only be a hollow transparency.Facing Gogol's strong aura, which was different from his speech, he didn't even use the basic defense network. He took a few sips when the wine he just ordered came over.He muttered softly like a sleepwalker, and the tip of his tongue lightly rubbed the wine stain on the corner of his lips. At this moment, Gogol felt like a snake.

"I'm Shibusawa. Shibusawa Tatsuhiko."

In this kind of sleepwalking, the snake-like man pinched the rim of the glass with his fingertips, he pointed at him, and the ice cubes knocked out a clear luster in the glass.

"I have a good friendship with your Fyodor. I am waiting for him here as promised, obviously,"

Under Gogol's complicated gaze, Shibusawa reveals a kind of pure disappointment.

"Obviously, he was late again today."

In the office, Dostoevsky clasped his fingers in front of his eyes.

He allowed his mind to operate better in a smooth posture, and an upcoming wave was brewing in the air.He is constructing a method to resolve it in the thinking world, no matter how he changes the pieces, the next storm cannot be avoided... The pointer slowly cuts a scale, and the person he is waiting for knocks on his door.

The anger on the outside can be felt even through the sponge wall.

"Belinsky."

He sighed that things were not going well these days.Just like he usually mistakenly entered a common people's casino, he made a wrong step and was passive every step of the way.He frowned tightly before politely inviting the other party into the room, and then completely relaxed his expression. He put on a slight smile and invited the other party into the room.The young man who entered the room was in his early 30s, but he was as serious as he was in his 40s.

Belinsky took off his hat and scribbled a salute, and the white uniform looked as if it had been ironed on the spot without a single wrinkle.Sitting on the single seat of the sofa in front of Dostoevsky's desk, he leaned his cane against the table, and the man stared coldly at the lifeless office.

Dostoyevsky feigned unfailing amazement.

"Why are you here? You should have informed me earlier, I just returned to Moscow, I should have prepared some black tea."

"Tea?" the visitor snorted, "you haven't had tea in the tower for several years. It seems like one of us is going to poison you. Forget it, don't bother, I have a much more important one here." The question, obviously, can only be answered by the owner of this room."

"Oh." Since the other party's tone was very unkind, Dostoevsky put on an air of respectful and careful questioning. "Okay, so what's the problem?"

"Three days ago, my soldiers told me that a sample taken from a sentinel finally showed a solvable phenomenon. You and I both know who it is." Belinsky said the name through gritted teeth, "Nikolai Guo Golly."

"That's a good thing," said Dostoevsky. "Then what?"

"Then? I flew back from Kazan in a hurry just to see this precious specimen—"

Belinsky thumped a stack of papers in plastic folders onto his desk.Dostoevsky looked up politely.The records are really detailed.

"—and only to see these utter deceptions!"

"Alas," said Dostoevsky. "how could be?"

"You explain to me what's going on?" Belinsky glared at him, "None of the basic items match, but the extraction process is surprisingly stable. Some data are so familiar that I can memorize them backwards! Why is this? Because when I was working in the R&D department a few years ago, it was my project team that recorded the service status for Mr. Goncharov!"

"So that's how it is..." During the other party's interrogation, Dostoevsky carefully flipped through the documents at hand, showing a considerate look. "I'm afraid they got the wrong person. Tsk... What a pity, the excision operation was performed by mistake? This indicator can still be seen before the operation, alas, what a pity."

Belinsky was furious with him.

"Don't be sloppy! I asked the soldier to ask what happened, and he said he didn't remember. I checked his memory circuit again, and the brain has been modified!"

"how could be?"

"You perfectly eliminated the sensory body of a completely irrelevant sentinel! In order to hinder our work, are you even doing this kind of thing now?"

"Eh? You misunderstood, this is a misunderstanding." Dostoevsky put down the document, with a light smile on his pale face, "How could this have anything to do with me. I told you just now that I am I just came back from the battlefield this morning. If you don’t believe me, ask Mr. Herzen, he was the one who sent me to Italy. He also signed the documents for Nikolai.”

"You are ashamed to mention Herzen! The senior guide tampered with the documents privately, replaced the sentries who were interrogated and tested, and even started to fake their identities." Belinsky frowned more and more tightly, "These news did not reach him. It's all because Mr. Turgenev and I were suppressing you before. Now we can't hide it, and we don't want to hide it. You know why I came, I-"

"I know, you are here to arrest me."

Dostoevsky calmly finished speaking for him, his eyes flashing across the extremely cold temperature for a moment.

"I guess if I don't tell the truth, the organization will depose me. Herzen's ultimatum cannot be avoided. You are here today to test my tongue for the last time, isn't that right?"

Belinsky glared at him like a monster.

As a veteran cadre of the Supervision Section, Belinsky has few responsibilities, mainly assisting and supervising the work of senior guides secretly.He, Herzen, and Turgenev declared Dostoyevsky's files, and then he was gradually promoted by the organization. It was Dostoyevsky who was personally selected by the "old guys" in the early days of the tower's establishment. Vsky, who made him a model for the leadership of the new Russia.

He saw Dostoevsky's non-contradictory attitude, and his chest in his suit fell flat like a bullfrog.Belinsky had an inherently melancholic and gentle temperament.It made any anger in him seem like a security screen.The atmosphere is always in a situation that Dostoevsky could salvage, although the latter never shows itself.

"You changed Nikolai Gogol's personal file over and over again, just to exempt this sentry from the experimental task?"

"Indeed."

"At first we thought that you were concerned about the difficulties in collecting samples. Mr. Turgenev even praised your compassion! Recently, there have been rumors that you have crossed paths with this sentinel," Belinsky said tightly Seat armrest, "Is your material fake from the beginning? Or was it improvised because of the recent mission of dispatching marriage?"

Dostoevsky thought for a moment under the glaring eyes of the other party.

Belinsky said he wanted to defend Goncharov, but in fact he was just angry that the planned plan was not carried out as promised.What they were supposed to remove was Gogol's perceptron.They wanted to do this, but they only mentioned it in a high-level meeting, and never discussed it with Gogol himself.Dostoevsky used Goncharov to replace Gogol with his own consent.As he thought so, there was still a polite smile on the corner of his mouth.

Then, as if he had decided on something difficult, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"It was a fake from the beginning." He said, and the other party immediately continued to question him.

"Why do you want to combine by leaps and bounds?"

"It's not leapfrogging," Dostoevsky raised his eyes slightly under the gaze of the other party, and he smiled wryly. "That happened a long time ago...Visal, I really can't hide it from you even now."

"Let me be honest, I know you are on my side, and you also know that I have made many enemies in the organization."

"Some rumors are fictitious. I can see your worries. The angrier you are, the more you are for my own good..."

"Don't talk about these polite words," the young man interrupted him. "You don't want to get any guarantees from me until you tell the truth. The problem between me and Mr. Turgenev is here: what is the matter between you two?" What's going on?"

"We were combined before we entered the tower."

"Okay!" Belinsky slapped the table angrily and folded the pages of the document, "When did it happen! How long have you been hiding the organization? I think Mr. Herzen's analysis is reasonable! He and We vouched for you when we said--"

"I have married Nikolai, but before continuing to confess, I have to ask you to keep the content of the next conversation a secret." Dostoevsky said earnestly, "because it has nothing to do with anything else. It’s because I feel sorry for myself—”

"That can't be done," Belinsky glared at him, as if he was guarding against a poisonous snake that was ready to pounce on him at any time, "I told you, before you give everything, don't even try to cheat me out of a single word of promise. .You don't even try to intercede for your Sentinel."

"Senior guides serve the country completely. An important criterion for selection is that the guides must be celibate. Only in this way can they be combined with high-quality sentries selected by the country. Now you claim that you have sentries. And you have already had them. Where does this put the face of the new Russian system?"

"It is my fault."

Dostoevsky was a little hunched, and when he sat at the table with his chin resting on the back of his hands, there was a subtle gap in his eyes when he raised his eyes.This made him appear to be flattering in front of Belinsky who was sitting upright, and Dostoevsky looked at him in embarrassment.

"Well, I promise you to tell the truth. The timing of this matter is really bad..."

Belinsky was wary of possible disturbances from this man.There is no abnormality for the time being.When he first became a colleague, he saw that the other party was still a teenager and didn't take precautions. As a result, he was successfully tricked into the list of sentinels within the organization.Now he saw a shadow of the past in this person's expression again, smart and arrogant, quite innocent, as if others could be easily controlled and deceived by him.Dostoevsky acted too freely, and Belinsky and his colleagues actually bear part of the responsibility for him to come to the cusp of today.

"You'd better speak up before things get out of hand."

he reminded. "It's not easy to change to another person now!"

"Yes, of course," said Dostoevsky, "that's exactly what I thought. Since you have helped me so many times, I will confess..."

He resented that Belinsky was no longer on his side.Of course Dostoevsky knew that Belinsky was ordered to arrest him, and he showed no knowledge of it, thinking about how to take revenge on the other party's betrayal and accusations.

One of Dostoyevsky's nerves has been a little out of touch since just now, and he has not taken time to think about Gogol's problem until now.That possibility was not included in the careful plan, but before that, when talking with Gogol in the car, he had clearly ruled out that possibility.

Didn't Gogol say they were friends?He also didn't feel that the other party was lying.

He said in his heart that he liked him.How is this going.

What was he thinking?

In this repetitive and unsolvable thinking, Dostoevsky spared some energy to deal with Belinsky slightly.

"He and I have known each other since we were young, Nikolai and I. Before we discovered our identities, we had a crush on each other. He was the first to touch me, and at that time—"

Dostoevsky stopped talking, and he saw Belinsky take out a notebook from his pocket, which was the work notes of the supervisory post.Belinsky pressed down the end of the ballpoint pen, and he wrote it down, while Dostoevsky smiled to himself inwardly.All right.He went on with his story solemnly.

"——At that time, we were looking for my lost sister in the woods. I didn't pay attention to the road and almost fell into the ravine. He held my hand..."

"It was summer. We searched for a long time and we were all sweating. He didn't hold me completely."

"We rolled down the hill together. Fortunately, the slope was not too high and we didn't hit hard rocks. Nikolai blocked a lot of impacts for me, and I fell on top of him...our lips almost hit each other. , but this is not the most important—”

"Did they collide?"

Seeing Belinsky look up, Dostoevsky rubbed his lips.

"Maybe. It touched a little bit."

Looking at the other party's dedication record from the corner of the eye, Dostoevsky continued.

"That's not the main thing. The main thing was the skin-to-skin contact, plus Nikolai was worried that I would get hurt. He was quite frightened—and so was I. We were instantly connected."

"The temperature rise was staggering. For a split second, we thought we were going to die. We had no sense of time."

"Binding fever?"

Dostoevsky nodded.

"I was young, I had no experience. I didn't know exactly how to deal with these problems. Nikolai was a little bit older than me, and he acted more like a child in a lot of times. He was surprisingly ahead of me at that time. Calm down, he said, Fedya, why don't we try kissing..."

He saw Belinsky write the word "kiss" on the paper, and he thought that this note must not be seen by Gogol and how he explained it.

"He also said that he had secretly seen someone do it when he was in Ukraine, and then he stuck his tongue in my mouth."

Belinsky hesitated in spelling when he wrote the word "tongue", which he didn't write very often, and his hand was not very smooth.

"His body temperature is higher than mine. He stimulated me a little. I guessed that I might have the physique of a guide, but at that time, how should I clear Nikolai's thoughts that are running around? I I don't know...I just let him kiss me. Nikolai is not sure where all these impulses will lead, his spirit is completely wide open, and I feel his strong and complicated desires before losing control."

"I followed his mood and saw that his breathing became a little smoother. I groped along this desire. This is probably the function of the tentacles of thinking. At that time, we didn't have the time to observe these..."

Dostoevsky found it amusing that the inspector was too serious to forget any part of the explanation, so he never felt nervous or shy about the actual content from the beginning to the end.He remembered that Gogol was just looking at him, and his emotions were jumping like he had crashed into a rabbit's nest.He has captured Gogol's pure desire to protect him since he was a child. At that time, he thought that when he could see through everything, he would naturally be able to see why Gogol always wanted to protect him.He didn't realize that he was wrong until today. He didn't see through that Gogol protected him because he liked him.

He said he was a friend...but he liked him.He likes him and avoids him.

Dostoevsky had no idea what to do with the matter afterwards.He thought to himself that Gogol was really a man he could never figure out.The recorder seriously interrupted his narration: "I didn't hear clearly, where did you say his hand touched?"

"Oh," Dostoevsky returned to the topic at hand, glanced back at Belinsky's notes, and continued without leaving a trace, "Arm. He grabbed my arm because I'm trying to push him away. Pushing him back then can't get things done, can't you..."

Now he was looking forward to finishing the nonsense as soon as possible, so that Belinsky could temporarily give up the idea of ​​arresting him on the spot, and go back and think about it with Turgenev.He hoped to use this poor margin to escape from the tower's strict monitoring overnight, and it would be easy to talk about leaving here.

He also counted on Gogol not to come in by mistake.

Nikolai Gogol is his only uncertain factor, if Gogol breaks in now, maybe something will happen - just as he was thinking, Dostoevs Ki intertwined his fingers, his face darkened and he silently blocked his face behind his fingers, and the person who had broken through the boundary of his thinking pushed open the door of his room in a hurry.God.

I really come here for whatever I am afraid of.

tbc.