Chapter 469: Those Who Were Once Great (Part 2)

When those agents were sent flying by the airflow, Kyla frowned deeply. She looked at Alfred's complexion and then asked him, "Aren't you curious about who that person is?"

Alfred shook his head and said, "I am just an aging old butler. The major events about to happen in this world have nothing to do with me."

"What exactly did you mean by what you said earlier?"

Kyla walked to Alfred's side and looked at him. After saying those words, Alfred's state appeared somewhat weary.

If it were an ordinary old man, Kyla might think he was tired; after all, thinking and speaking are very energy-consuming. But Alfred remained robust. Although no longer young, Kyla had no doubt that she couldn't beat this old butler at all.

"Valeria, in your previous letter, you asked me what I thought about your future life planning. In my reply, I didn't mention this point. It wasn't because I didn't have an opinion, but rather, I'm afraid, my opinion is not one you would want to hear..."

Kyla tilted her head, not understanding what Alfred meant by this. She thought for a moment and then said:

"Are you worried that I won't adopt your advice? It doesn't matter. I believe that in all things, listening to multiple sides leads to clarity. Even if some suggestions don't align with my expectations, I am happy to use them as a reference and thank the person who gave me the advice..."

"That is why you have been able to progress so quickly, but likewise, it is also why you wouldn't want to hear this suggestion of mine."

Kyla thought Alfred was still worried about her not accepting his advice. She walked in front of Alfred, looked into his eyes, and said, "Oh, Mr. Pennyworth, you really don't need to have such worries. I have always regarded you as my teacher and godfather..."

"... My suggestion is to bring your family to the United States as soon as possible, then find another job and live out the rest of your life in peace. Do not mention a certain identity from the first half of your life again, to anyone."

Kyla's brows slowly furrowed. The frequency of her chest rising and falling began to quicken. It was evident she was becoming somewhat angry, but she still asked as patiently as she could, "Why?"

Before Alfred could answer, Kyla couldn't help herself. She said, "How could I betray my career? How could I betray my ideals? The shores of Lake Baikal are my hometown; I must return there eventually."

The more she spoke, the more agitated she became. Thinking of her hometown made her more emotional. Her voice trembling, she said:

"Yes, I know, most people have a bad impression of Siberia, thinking it is a land of eternal frost..."

"But that is also a child in the embrace of a great mother. Lake Baikal is the pearl on her forehead, the teardrop at the corner of her eye. That is my hometown. I was born there, and I will certainly die there."

"Calm down, Valeria. I did not deny that point, which is why I said you might not like to hear my suggestion."

"You must at least tell me the reason, Alfred. Otherwise, how can you expect me to accept this absurd suggestion?"

Alfred sighed and said:

"Decades ago, I was just like you, full of passion and ideals..."

"Even until I completed the task of transporting the list according to instructions, I was intoxicated by the beautiful vision of the great cause being realized..."

"But all of this ended with one decision I made."

"What was that?"

"I remember I mentioned that after hiding the list, I didn't return directly to the UK to find my superiors and contacts, but instead headed to Moscow."

Kyla frowned and said, "I wanted to ask about that earlier. Heading directly to Moscow should have been a violation, right? Even if I were Soviet, I couldn't do that easily."

"That's correct, but I had no other choice at the time because I knew that only the scientists in Moscow could possibly solve the problem of that monster egg."

"The process of obtaining that egg from the Court of Owls was exceptionally perilous. During the process, we witnessed many things ordinary people haven't seen. I realized that some kind of dark force might be threatening this world, and we had to find a way to stop it."

"At the time, I felt the crisis was imminent. By comparison, regulations were not that important. Thus, I found a way to come to Moscow."

"And then?"

"I was arrested... Of course, this was not unexpected; after all, I had violated regulations. But afterward..."

Alfred sighed and then said:

"At that time, Philby had already returned to Moscow. He vouched for me, and the Moscow side decided not to pursue my negligence in violating the regulations."

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"But when I told them all of this, their first reaction wasn't how to solve that monster egg and that mysterious dark force to ensure the safety of the world's people. They interpreted it as a new type of weapon developed by the United States..."

"They asked me for detailed parameters of this weapon, hoping to obtain more exhaustive intelligence. I repeatedly emphasized to them the danger of that thing and the fact that we must solve it to eliminate the hidden danger for all mankind."

"But the answer I received left me deeply disappointed."

"The person in charge who communicated with me told me that to ensure this newly developed weapon wouldn't be used by the United States against them, they would send other agents to investigate this matter."

"And if it were just an uncontrollable monster that couldn't be utilized, then the first to suffer would be the United States, and they would be happy to see that happen."

Kyla fell silent. When these stories were told from Alfred's mouth, they seemed understated, but she could empathize with that disappointment and anger.

"Actually, at the time, I tried hard to convince myself. For example, the Soviet Union's financial situation at the time was also quite worrying, and they couldn't invest heavily in an ethereal project. For example, perhaps I hadn't obtained more concrete evidence and couldn't prove the danger of that thing..."

"Or, I also thought... perhaps in the final analysis, no one has the obligation to save all of humanity."

Kyla could hear Alfred's voice becoming somewhat choked, especially when he uttered the last sentence. That old, hoarse voice carried the crisp sound of something shattering, and when it reached Kyla's ears, it made her feel suffocated as well.

"But what truly disappointed me was that on the way I was granted to leave Moscow, I was assassinated."

"At the time, I thought it must have been American spies lurking in Moscow who wanted to finish me off. They almost succeeded; the person who acted was very skilled, and two bullets hit my calf and chest respectively."

"I luckily escaped with my life, but just as I recovered from my injuries and intended to investigate this matter, I discovered that the person who acted wasn't an American spy, but... one of our own."

Kyla widened her eyes and said, "How is that possible?? Why would they..."

"Because the intelligence about that monster egg and the dark forces I knew, once spread, could greatly shake the confidence of the army. They didn't want me to go out and spread panic..."

Alfred closed his eyes and said:

"Once, we walked on a road that would never know fear. When we wanted to move forward, we didn't need to bypass mountains; the mountains would bypass us out of fear."

"All of this ended at the moment we began to hesitate."

"Perhaps, there is indeed no one in this world obligated to save the whole world. All of this is just an impractical fantasy. But when we abandon this fantasy, we abandon everything."

Kyla saw the gullies crisscrossing Alfred's face trembling. She suddenly discovered that the old age of this butler didn't seem to come from physical decay, but more like the decadence and weariness after his spirit had collapsed and been rebuilt.

Kyla suddenly understood that Alfred didn't abandon this profession because of his feelings for Bruce. Rather, it was that after he abandoned his own beliefs, Bruce became his only spiritual sustenance.

Thinking this, Kyla suddenly said somewhat anxiously, "Wait, Alfred, Benjamin obtained your information before, and it recorded your previous resume..."

"If it is as you say, that you actually didn't develop young Wayne into a member of the organization, and he doesn't even know your past, then you must hurry and destroy those materials!"

"Come with me quickly, I'll take you to that room!"

Alfred looked at Kyla, his eyes carrying some surprise. He said, "I thought you would denounce me for making up stories, or be dissatisfied with me intentionally smearing her..."

"You are not that kind of person."

Kyla's movement to walk forward stopped. She turned around, hesitated in place for a while, looked back at Alfred, and said:

"In difficult times, people like you and Philby, bearing unimaginable pressure, wanted to turn the tide, and you indeed achieved it."

"When you are on the verge of death, you can say: 'My whole life and all my energy have been dedicated to the most magnificent cause in the world—the struggle for the liberation of mankind.'"

Kyla paused, her tone trembling slightly as she said:

"Perhaps, all of humanity will not be liberated..."

"Alfred..." Kyla looked into Alfred's eyes and asked: "... But will you regret the cause you once fought for?"

Alfred also looked into Kyla's eyes. He was silent for a while, then slowly shook his head.

Kyla turned around, facing away from him, paused, and then stepped forward again.

Her voice echoed in the room, like an actor who, when the curtain of a play falls early, still tries hard to finish the last line of dialogue.

"I don't regret it either." ===== CHAPTER 470 =====