Paul's gaze was extremely resolute, and that resolute determination burst out with an incredible light, no longer flustered, no longer afraid, no longer hesitant, no longer despairing, as if all chaotic thoughts were cut in half in an instant, and the strength of killing decisiveness had an unstoppable momentum. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

"My name is Paul Conroy, a U.S. citizen from Hastings, Michigan, I'm a truck driver with CTR and I'm being taken hostage somewhere in Iraq. ”

Rodrigo's ears heard a cold and resolute voice, and his heart couldn't help but tremble slightly, the voice did not hesitate, there was a determination to see death as home, but the calm tone revealed the sadness of the same end. Rodrigo shuddered, thinking back to Paul's despair just now—his colleague's life was hanging by a thread, but at least there was a glimmer of life, and he was trapped in a coffin under the desert, in the dark, unable to do anything but wait stupidly.

He, or his colleague. It's a moral tug-of-war. The video that is being recorded now is his choice.

Rodrigo shivered again, gritted his teeth involuntarily, and the dullness that was almost suffocating firmly netted his heart, and he couldn't make a sound at all.

"I need a million dollars by nine o'clock tonight in Baghdad, or I'll die in a coffin buried in the ground. They told me that as long as you give money...... "There was not the slightest fluctuation in his voice, as if even the most basic emotions had disappeared, and that calmness made Rodrigo's bones begin to feel a chill in his bones, as if he was soaking in the bitter winter sea, and he could clearly feel the temperature disappearing from his blood little by little.

"Bang!" the sudden sound startled Rodrigo, and he almost jumped up directly, only to see Paul's right hand clenched into a fist and smash it on the ground, the fierce and brutal posture burst out and disappeared in an instant, and then he regained his composure again, looked at the camera intently, and continued calmly, "They said that as long as they gave me money, they would let me go." ”

Rodrigo looked at Paul in disbelief, not understanding what was going on, but he was stunned for a moment before he realized that maybe the flashlight was out of order, or maybe the light stick wasn't bright enough, so Paul was adjusting the lights to make sure the video had enough light.

Originally, it was just a small accident, but Paul's simple and powerful movements exploded with a ferocity. That's what Paul really felt in his heart at this moment, wasn't he? He wasn't a saint, he wasn't a great man, he didn't have the consciousness to sacrifice himself for righteousness, he didn't sacrifice himself to save all beings, he just made a difficult choice in a critical situation. He doesn't want to die if he can, he wants to continue to live. But...... The energy that burst out in that moment released all the anger, unwillingness, bitterness and tyranny in my heart.

A simple action, but it set off a storm in Rodrigo's mind.

"If you don't give money, I'll die here. Paul continued to record as if nothing had happened, and he paused slightly, "These threats are real and will be carried out." His voice gave off a subtle tremor, a tremor from his soul that concealed his helplessness and his desire to survive.

He stared at the camera in a daze, his dark brown eyes flapping lightly behind his thick eyelashes, as light and fragile as butterfly wings, and his lips squirmed slightly, trying to say something, but swallowed anyway. The thumb pressed the button, ending the video recording.

Calming down again, he operated his phone, sent the video, and then stood still, motionless in the same position, and time seemed to stop.

Rodrigo hesitated for a moment, he wasn't sure if the show was over, if he should make a sound, or something. However, at this moment, the corners of Paul's mouth outlined a shallow arc, and he smiled.

It was a warm smile, like a ray of warm sun falling on the snow.

The smile paused for a moment, then burst into bloom again, accompanied by a low laugh that swirled in his chest, looming like thunder on the edge of the sky, but easily attracting everyone's attention. The bitterness, helplessness, absurdity, and repression in that smile reflected an indescribable anger - after the anger reached the extreme, it evolved into powerlessness, and the strength of the whole body was drained away with the backbone in one breath, and the whole person was paralyzed, and there was no reaction except for a nihilistic laugh.

The smile was retracted, and finally disappeared into the loneliness at the corner of his mouth, his eyes slowly drooped, extinguishing the last trace of light under his eyes, and his shoulders suddenly deflated and relaxed, and the tightness that he didn't feel just now suddenly surged out, making the air tense. Then he closed his eyes, gently pressed his face against the couch, his shoulders, arms, and torso all discharged, exhaustion swept over like a tide, and all the pain, all the torment, all the confusion fell silent with the disappearance of the murmur.

Rodrigo could hear the sound of heartbreak, not because of sympathy, but out of helplessness. Seeing Paul doing his best to save another life, but risking giving up all his life, the desire to survive hidden in the depths of his eyes was forcibly suppressed in the depths of his soul, and the depression was pressed heavily in his heart, so cruel that people couldn't bear to continue watching.

Until this moment, even if Lan Li did not speak, Rodrigo knew that the performance was over, and he finally understood the meaning of the so-called "two parts".

The first part is the fear, panic and despair in a desperate situation, and the second part is the collision between survival/desire/hope and reality. Paul is just an ordinary person, one of thousands of ordinary people, he has his own problems, he has made his own choices, but in a crisis situation where his life is hanging by a thread, every choice, every decision defines his life. He's not a good guy, he's not a bad guy, he's just an ordinary guy struggling in life.

However, he became a victim of the war - or in other words, a victim of the government/government interest game, a small shrimp in the midst of "whales fight, shrimp suffers". What he is burdened with is the dilemma of society as a whole: they are paying for the decisions of the government and the elites. How could Paul's small, thin shoulders carry such weight?

So, he failed.

Rodrigo suddenly remembered the ending of the movie "Buried Alive": Paul, who was really buried alive. The cold brutally cut off all life, and there was hope.

"Are you alright?" "Are you alright?" "Is there something wrong at home?" "Do you need me to call the police for you?" "Is the matter serious?" ......

The jumble of voices disrupted Rodrigo's thoughts, and the heavy emotion could not be shaken off for a while, so that when he saw the people in front of him, he was a little confused.

"It's you, right? You're behind it, right?" Say, what the hell are you having?" Suddenly someone pushed Rodrigo the shoulder, and Rodrigo didn't know how to explain it unexpectedly.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Lan Li's voice came from the crowd, and he stood up again, smiling at the unfamiliar faces, "I'm really fine." Just now it was just a show. The commotion calmed down a little, and Lan Li explained simply, "I'm an actor, he's a director, and I'm auditioning." So, I'm fine, and so is my family. ”

The young people looked at each other.

The situation just now was so real and cruel, that the turbulent waves suppressed under the calm water seemed to be the strings that would break at any moment, so that they couldn't help but hold their breath, fearing that their rash actions might lead to irreparable consequences, and the strong heartbeat made everyone fall into panic.

Now they're told, then it's all acting?

"Really?" a blonde girl who looked like a college student stared at her eyes and said incredulously, "Are you kidding? That was all fake? Jesus Christ, I was so scared that I was going to have a heart attack, and you told me it was just acting? I really thought your wife was kidnapped or something." ”

Lan Li turned his head to look at the embarrassed Rodrigo next to him, a tall and strong man grabbed Rodrigo's collar and lifted him up, looking at Lan Li with a fierce look on his face, and his eyes still flashed with suspicion - he still seemed to be worried that Lan Li had to say this because he was being coerced.

"Look at me, I'm fine, my future wife...... It should be good too. Lan Li's humorous tone made the atmosphere slightly relaxed, "I'm an actor, and I'm just acting. Lan Li shrugged, "I'll take your reaction as a positive feedback, which shows that my performance was a success, doesn't it?"

"Guys, guys, I can testify. The front desk staff of the youth hostel also walked over, "Rodrigo is indeed a director, he has been living here for two weeks, as for this ......" the staff pointed to Lan Li, "Don't you recognize him? He is indeed an actor, the rich young master from the 'Pacific War'." ”

Everyone exchanged glances, and then finally someone reacted, "Yes, yes, I'll just say why he's so familiar, he's the sledgehammer!"

"'Eugene-Sledgehammer-Slaich?" The other person chimed in, two out of eight people recognized Lan Li, which was really rare, and considering that this was only a youth hostel, the average age of the tourists was relatively young, and most of them were foreigners.

Lan Li spread out her hands and nodded, "That's me." ”

After getting the confirmation, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and sighed, "God, your performance just now is really amazing!" "What kind of movie is this? I'm going to have a heart attack!" "I can't believe it, I can't believe it!" ......

"Uh...... Excuse me, can you let me go?" said Rodrigo with a sad expression, patting the strong man's arm.