Chapter 353 20: The Soviet Union's Last Tear

He wore a cotton coat that didn't look particularly thick, the material stretched taut over the sharp lines of his muscles. He strode ahead.

This tall and imposing warrior might have served as a decent windbreak, but the air was colder at this altitude. A light snow had just fallen on Mamaev Hill the day before, and now that the white blanket had melted, the late autumn chill was even more biting.

"Paul!"

The blonde woman called out sharply, hurrying to press herself against his back.

"You've been so strange lately. Why are you always running around to see these things?"

"And a few days ago—I was just speechless—you actually took me to see some dilapidated old radar dish! What was there to see?! We squatted there for half the day, just to watch it turn its head once?"

"Anna."

The powerfully built Paul stopped and looked up at the sky.

"That radar dish hadn't moved in a very long time. I believe that was the last time it ever will."

"It was welcoming the return of a long-lost native, one that had been away for fifty-three years… the final teardrop of the Soviet Union."

Tsk tsk.

The young woman, Anna, clicked her tongue.

"I really wish you were this romantic when you talk to me. That was just a satellite probe returning to Earth. It's a radar's job to track it. What's there to get so sentimental about?"

The man smiled faintly and lowered his head.

"You're right. That was the Venus probe launched by the great Soviet Union in 1972. It was originally intended to compete with the United States in the space race."

"It was once a symbol of glory. Now, its mission is complete, and it has fallen back into the atmosphere along the trajectory set fifty-three years ago. You could say its fall was the final glimmer of the Soviet Union's brilliance."

"It's just… the glorious union that launched it has long since dissolved. Its mission is complete, but its motherland is no more."

Hearing this, Anna fell silent.

She bit her lip and murmured.

"[Isn't that… just like you?]"

Paul had once been the youngest agent in the KGB. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, he was only seventeen years old and on a mission abroad.

He never saw the red flag lowered over Moscow Red Square, nor did he witness the final moments of his great motherland.

By the time he finally set foot on his native soil again, he was lost. The Leningrad he knew was gone, along with its October winds. Both the flag and the world had changed.

The giant that had once dominated the world had fallen, shattered into pieces—just like Paul's heart.

"Lift your head, Anna."

Paul lifted his own head, looking toward the peak of Mamaev Hill, at the gray statue standing tall against the sky.

It was a woman, her face a mask of fighting spirit, as if shouting her motherland's name. In her right hand, she held a sword aloft; her left pointed straight toward Berlin.

"You know this statue, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

Anna raised her head, gazing up at that majestic and profound piece of history.

"[The Motherland Calls.]"

She recited the name of the tallest statue in the world.

The statue appeared countless times in textbooks; everyone in her country knew of it.

"But now… her sword is turned against her own people."

Anna's voice was filled with sorrow.

"It's been two years since you saved me from the battlefield, but the war still isn't over."

Anna had been born in a poor border region of Ukraine, the very place where the war with Russia first erupted.

She was twenty-two that year. Her parents and older brother were killed in the war. She alone was saved, rescued by Paul. Her life was spared, but she was left all alone.

For the past two years, she had remained by Paul's side.

Paul gently patted Anna's head.

"That's why I'm saying… the world shouldn't be like this."

"It doesn't matter if it was brought down by the space race or by its own internal problems. In the end, the will of the Soviet Union, its great ideal, was not wrong."

"If history could be turned back, if the Soviet Union had been allowed to endure, I believe the entire world would be marching toward a shared, brighter future… under the light of the red flag."

After a pause, he removed his hand from her head and clasped his arms behind his back.

"Anna, this is our last stop. I won't drag you all over the place anymore."

"Hmph! So you finally admit you're tired!"

Anna looped her arm through his.

"Then let's… find a city, get a house, and make a home together."

"I've told you this so many times, but you never answer me! I don't mind that you're old, you know! I like older men!"

"Hee hee. You saved my life, and I have no other way to repay you… How about I bear you a child?"

She looked into his eyes, her own gaze full of adoration and love.

"You're a Russian, and I'm a Ukrainian. Our countries are at war, but politics has nothing to do with us. I just want a peaceful life, just like this, by your side."

"Since you miss the Soviet Union so much, let's make a family and have a Soviet baby together!"

However.

This time.

Paul still didn't give her the answer she wanted.

In fact, his response was even more final.

"I have to go."

Anna's eyes widened.

"Where are you going?"

"Dragon Country. East Sea."

Paul said softly.

"A lot has happened there recently. It seems to have become the main battlefield for 'this game'."

"To resurrect my great motherland, to let the will of the Soviet Union once again shine upon the world, I must win this game."

"This is the only chance, and the only way. I've never forgotten the oath I swore to the KGB… Even though it no longer exists, I will always be loyal to my motherland!"

With that, he took out his phone and held it to his ear.

"Lilith."

"At your service! My loyal Mr. 'Pirate,' how may I help you?"

"Transfer nine million US Dollars to Anna's account."

He paused before adding, "Make it 9.99 million. As long as the transfer is under ten million points, there won't be a public announcement."

"Roger that!"

The moment Lilith's voice faded, a notification pinged from Anna's pocket.

"What are you doing?!"

Anna grew frantic, clutching Paul's sleeve.

"I don't want your money! I don't want a single cent! Take it back!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

Paul glanced at the point balance on his phone.

"According to the game's rules, points can be converted one-to-one into US Dollars, but you can't convert them back… 9.99 million is the maximum I can give you while still ensuring your safety."

"That's right, sir. You know the rules very well. Points are very precious, you know~"

Lilith's playful voice chirped from the phone.

"Well then, have a pleasant day, Mr. Pirate. Please continue to uphold your noble ideals and forge a better future for the world."

Paul turned off his phone's screen and put it back in his pocket.

"Anna, take care of yourself."

"No! I'm going with you!"

Anna clung to Paul's arm, gritting her teeth.

"I'll go wherever you go! I won't leave you! Don't even think about getting rid of me!"

"I can't take you with me."

Paul shook his head.

"This is an extremely dangerous game. You could die at any moment. I saved you from one battlefield; I can't drag you into another."

"You wait for me here, in Volgograd—the city once known as Stalingrad. When I win this game, I'll come back here for you. And then, just as you wished… I will ask you to marry me."

A tremor ran through Anna's body. She held her breath.

"A-Are you telling the truth?!"

Her excitement was so overwhelming, Anna couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You! Don't you lie to me! You secret agents are the best liars in the world!"

She let go of his arm, took two steps back, and pointed to the statue on the summit, its sword raised to the heavens.

"Paul! Swear it! Swear on this statue—on your Motherland! If you do, I'll believe you!"

Anna knew.

Paul might betray the entire world, betray all six billion people in it, but his loyalty to the motherland in his heart was absolute. He would never speak a lie before it.

So…

If he could truly swear an oath before his Motherland, she would believe him. She would let him go. And she would wait for him to fulfill his promise.

Before her, Paul took a deep breath.

He stood at attention.

Threw his shoulders back.

Raised his head.

He gazed up at the gray statue, as if answering the Motherland's call, and gave a solemn salute.

"I will return."

His voice was low and deep:

"Bringing news of victory, and… a red future!"