Top Secret Entrustment [Rebirth]

18 years ago, in the suburbs of Queens, New York.

This is a dry city, but it unexpectedly rained for several days in this summer, which belongs to the dry season.In the afternoon, the sky was as gloomy as the night, and layers of dark gray cumulonimbus clouds pressed down on the ground. A sharp snake-shaped electric light suddenly flashed, splitting the sky into extremely strange shapes. A few seconds later, thunder exploded.

In the distance, a person came from the end of the stone path. The person held a black umbrella, and his face could not be seen clearly.

On the cane-shaped umbrella handle, the man's long and slender fingers clasped tightly, the knuckles are slightly white, the meridians and blood vessels on the back of the hand are clearly visible, and there are light blue lines intertwined under the fair skin, which looks cold The texture, but it is undoubtedly a pair of carefully maintained hands, which are too delicate and eye-catching.

The man is tall, slender and slightly thin. The long hem of the windbreaker was splashed by the rain, but he didn't seem to care. He always maintained a steady speed and took every step steadily. The weather was out of place.

The torrential rain, mixed with hail, broke a lot of branches at the top of the trees, and they were sparsely soaked in the stagnant water on the stone road. The drenched gray fur hare was shivering under the bushes, screaming again. After the thunder, they fled in fear.

It ran to the man's feet in a panic.

At that moment, the few drops of water falling from the sky seemed to be crushed by something out of thin air. In the next second, there was a very inconspicuous "噗嗤" in the noisy rain, and the poor gray rabbit froze, as if hit by something. He fell down as softly as before, leaving only a violent gasp that was about to exhaust his vitality.

There was no blood, no obvious trauma, the rabbit twitched for a while and then completely quieted down.

The man took a step back, bent down, gently pinched the corpse's wet neck hair with his white index finger and thumb, and pulled out the ceramic blade that blocked the artery. The thick blood instantly lost its restraint and spurted out very dazzlingly .

The accumulated water on the soles of the shoes was stained dark red, with a strong fishy smell. He wiped the blade clean, retracted the cuffs, stepped over the dead rabbit, and walked steadily towards the wrought iron gate at the other end of the stone road.

The three-storey villa behind the courtyard wall was covered tightly by vines, and the lights could not be seen. It looked a bit gloomy on a rainy day.The man stopped on the side of the courtyard gate, pushed the ivy away, and pressed the doorbell.

Not long after, the villa door opened.

A somewhat chubby young woman looked out, her vision was very blurry in the rainstorm, but she still recognized who was coming, the woman strictly concealed the mixed emotions of surprise and nervousness, and hurriedly took an umbrella , lifted the corner of her skirt and trotted over to open the door.

"Master Schumann," the woman opened the iron door, "Your confession has been completed, sir is taking a nap in the bedroom, I called him, but he couldn't wake up, the dose should be enough!"

The black umbrella was lifted up, revealing the young and handsome face of the man. Different from that cold demeanor, Cornell Schumann's light brown eyes were unusually soft, and the lip line was slightly raised, forming an arc that seemed to be a smile but not a smile. It is a kind of expression that is very easy to make people feel friendly, and it is a deception method that the thief will never make a mistake.

Those who are best at deceiving people are themselves an extremely delicate part of the deception.

"Thank you, Madeleine." Schumann bowed like a polite gentleman, and he even pushed the black umbrella over the maid's head, even though the maid herself held an umbrella.

Madeleine was flattered, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "I'll take you in."

After finishing speaking, she turned sideways to give way, but she heard Schumann say: "No, you leave here now, my people are outside and will take you to a safe place."

Schumann raised his hand, and gently pinned a strand of hair that fell on the woman's face behind her ears, "I've already made arrangements for you, and you must do things for me in the future, you know?"

Madeleine only felt her heart pounding, and nodded obediently.

"Go."

"Yes, young master...you, be careful."

After the sound of footsteps behind her disappeared completely, Schumann took out a handkerchief, carefully wiped the fingers pinned for her, and then walked into the yard.

The door of the villa was not locked, the porch and the living room were pitch black, and there was a faint smell of paint floating in the air. The lack of people and the impact of the rain made it even feel a little cold inside.

He closed the umbrella and entered the door, dried the water on the soles of his shoes on the rug, took off his windbreaker, and hung it on the hook that belonged to Cornell Schuman just like he did every time he came back. In comparison, the height of the hook has become a lot shorter, and Schumann can't help but lose his mind, and subconsciously looks around.

——More than ten years ago, he walked in this door for the first time, with a plaster cast on his left arm, bruises on his face, less than half the height of the clothes hanger, and he couldn't reach the short hook, that man Standing behind him, helping him hang up the little coat he took off...

Schumann suddenly came back to his senses, looked away, took a few steps away from the hanger, and then took a deep breath.

He thought he was indifferent enough, had a firm and clear goal, would not be moved, and his frozen heart would not be shaken by any emotions—but when he entered the house where he had lived for nearly 20 years , the breath of the past seems to have permeated every detail, and the past is imprinted deep in the memory, and it cannot be completely avoided by escaping once.

Emotional human beings will never forget what they have obtained. The deeper the emotion, the more unbreakable obsession they will have. He will feel that he is special and unique, and he will become stingy and eager to possess, so when the result is lower than It is expected that his disappointment will turn all the once good feelings into the worst failure in life.

Schumann went up the stairs to the second floor, and stood in front of the very familiar door of the master bedroom. The complicated thoughts in his mind gradually calmed down. He raised his hand and was about to knock on the door, but suddenly realized the moment his knuckles hit the door. Something strange to the other side.

The house was old and the sound insulation was poor. As a thief, his five senses were superior to ordinary people, but he didn't hear the normal breathing sound after falling asleep in the bedroom.

Could it be... no one? !

Madeleine missed - this was his most direct reaction, but he immediately calmed down, she was just a maid, how could she be better than the teacher?

Schumann pushed the door and went in. The bedroom was indeed empty, the lights were not turned on, the air was a bit humid, and the thin light in the corridor shone in from the door. He noticed that there were still traces of people lying on the mattress, and the only door There was a gap in the window.

He walked to the bed and picked up a medicine bottle on the bedside table. It was an analgesic. There were seven or eight other bottles like this. The thief's physical fitness is usually good, but he was almost in a state of overdraft in the first half of his life. Once the peak period is passed, the sequelae left by the original injury will be extremely obvious.

It is not a pleasant thing to admit that the man is old. Even as an opponent, he is more willing to believe that he is an omnipotent thief, which is more in line with an existence that is regarded as a belief.

Schumann put down the medicine bottle, turned and left the bedroom.

The window of the master bedroom is facing the back garden. There is no thief in this world who forgets to close the window because of negligence. That is a signal, and he is suddenly very curious. What?

The rain outside has eased, and the white roses planted in the backyard were smashed to pieces by the hailstones. The air full of moisture is fragrant, and just as Schumann walked out of the corner of the villa with an umbrella, he saw that person also holding a black umbrella. Standing quietly in the majestic heavy rain.

He is not tall, and the long coat on his body makes his figure very thin. The man's face is sickly pale. It seems that this unhealthy condition has lasted for a long time. Schumann was a little surprised, and he left for less than a year. , He had never heard that he was so seriously ill that he was so thin that he was out of shape.

This backyard is full of roses, leaving no trails, and the snow-white flowers are in full bloom as far as the eye can see, like a solemn and solemn cemetery.

There was an indescribable feeling in Schumann's heart. He stopped behind the man, and after a long silence, he opened his mouth softly and called out, "Teacher."

"I thought I would never hear this title again, and now I finally have no regrets." The man turned around, his dark black eyes curled up with a smile, just like every time they looked at each other before.

Twenty years have passed, and the years have hardly left many deliberate traces on him. The smile in the man's eyes deepened, and he said with a smile: "Didn't you come to kill me? Cornell, the thief will never be shaken. Your decision, what the teacher taught you, why did you forget?"

Schumann was dumbfounded for a moment.

"Don't you hate that I didn't choose you as my successor?"

"no!"

A surprised expression appeared on the man's face.

"I just can't understand why you don't follow the rules of thieves to decide your heir? Why don't you give me a chance to compete fairly with Leonard? Why... you choose... to give up on me before seeing my ability? Teacher, He and I are obviously your students..."

"What are the rules for thieves?"

"Inheritance is the only one."

"What does it mean?"

"Leynard and I can only live as one."

"That's right, because thieves have always lacked trust since ancient times. They think that their brothers and sisters are the ones who know their own weaknesses the most, and they are more likely to become future opponents. Moreover, because they are familiar with each other, they will be more difficult. There is the only rule of inheritance."

The man said softly: "But I think it is very painful, Cornell, I will never forget the way those people who were important to me looked at me before they died."

"Teacher," Schumann said, "I just want to know why you didn't choose me as your heir? I obviously—"

"Better than Leonard?"

Schumann was stunned, and the man smiled knowingly, "I have two students, and I think they are both qualified to enter the world of thieves, but I noticed the difference in one of them, he is too cruel and too adapted to the laws of this world , he believes in the so-called 'inheritance only', and wants to take away all the skills I can give from me, so I can only choose to protect the relatively weak among them—"

"This is the answer, are you satisfied?"

"So you gave up on me? Just because I'm more like a thief than Leonard?" Schumann's palms hanging by his side clenched into fists involuntarily, trembling slightly, "In this case, why did you save me in the first place? Isn't a student better?"

"You think I really haven't hesitated?"

"If I had left you alone, it wouldn't be such a trouble now."

Schumann only felt the part in his chest tremble violently, "Teacher..."

"But I've changed my mind now. You dare to use Madeleine to attack me. It seems that keeping you will be bad for Leonard one day."

"teacher!"

"Calm down, Cornell," the man said: "According to the rules of thieves, as long as I die at your hands, even if the chosen heir is not you, the peers will admit that you have obtained my inheritance, this is what you came to do." The purpose of looking for me, isn't it?"

Before today, Cornell Schumann originally thought about the reason for forgiveness. He only needed an answer about why he gave up on him. As long as that person gave it, he could respect his choice and leave forever, but he just said The most heartless words.

The past 20 years seem to be a big joke made by God. The people he believes in tell him that he regrets saving him...

Behind the villa, the courtyard full of white roses looked like a cemetery. In the rainy day that year, he did make those plain white flowers splashed with blood.

……

The warm summer wind blew the rich aroma of the backyard into the bedroom, and there was a knock on the door. Cornell Shuman, who was trapped in the armrest, slowly opened his eyes and pressed his temples wearily.

"Come in."

Song Yuan walked into the bedroom and put a cup of weak tea on the desk.

Schumann took a sip of the boiling tea and asked casually, "Is someone here?"

"It's Leonard Duke." Song Yuan said respectfully.

"I knew he would come," Schumann smiled. "I thought he would never disobey the teacher's last words. Now it seems that he hates me more than I thought."

"Boss... this subordinate has a question."

"You said."

Song Yuandao: "You obviously had countless chances to kill Xiao Qi, especially when he was still young and couldn't leave your side, so why do you let him go again and again, let him have a chance to grow up, In the end, leave a hidden danger to yourself?"

Schumann put down the teacup, twisted a worn ceramic blade on the table with his fingers, and said after a long time, "Because they are so similar."

This sentence was almost finished, Song Yuan was puzzled, but he also knew that he couldn't ask any more, so he said: "Then Leonard, boss..."

"not see."

"Yes."

……

On that day 18 years ago, the dark red plasma melted into the stagnant water and was washed far away.

The two black umbrellas rolled to the side, and until the dagger was pulled out, Schumann couldn't believe what happened not long ago, and the man had already pressed his heart tightly, and fell to the ground as if he had been drained of anger.

"Why?" He walked over, and couldn't help hesitating when he saw Zhang's pale face, "Your body... really can't hide from the—"

"Konrad..." The man's weak voice interrupted him, "I have only accepted two students in my life, and I love them equally, even because of their similarities, I will love one of them more, but also because of their similarities , I just realized that he will definitely not let his senior brother go, so the teacher must protect the weak among them..."

Schumann froze.

"Reynard is the heir chosen by the teacher, and you took away the inheritance of the teacher."

"You will all be recognized, and you can all live in the name of my students..."

That night, it rained heavily.

The young Cornell Schuman hugged the dead body of his teacher and wept until the night was dark. Then, he dug a grave in the backyard by himself, buried the men who trained the two most outstanding thieves in the world, and at the same time adopted him. The one-year-old son embarked on the same path as the teacher amidst huge rejection and contradictions.

"They are so similar. I regretted half my life the last time I killed him. This time... I couldn't bear to kill his child after all."