Paul's gaze is extremely firm, and that resolute determination burst out with incredible light, no more panic, no more fear, no more hesitation, no more despair, as if all the chaotic thoughts were cut in half in an instant, and the killing was decisive. The strength has an unstoppable momentum.
"My name is Paul Conroy, a U.S. citizen from Hastings, Michigan, I'm a CTR truck driver, and I'm being held hostage somewhere in Iraq."
Rodrigo heard a cold and determined voice in his ear, and his heart couldn't help but tremble slightly. There was no hesitation in that voice, and there was a determination to return home, but the calm tone revealed the sadness of perishing together. Rodrigo couldn't help shivering, recalling Paul's despair just now - his colleague's life was hanging by a thread, but at least there was still a chance, and he was trapped in a coffin under the desert, dark and dark, except for waiting stupidly Can't do anything other than that.
He is still his colleague. It's a moral tug of war. The video being recorded now is his choice.
Rodrigo shivered again, gritted his teeth involuntarily, the almost suffocating dullness firmly netted his heart, and no sound came out.
"I need a million dollars before nine o'clock tonight, Baghdad time, or I will die in a coffin buried in the ground. They told me, just give me the money..." The voice did not fluctuate in the slightest, as if even the most basic His emotions had disappeared, and the calmness made Rodrigo's bones begin to feel cold, as if he was immersed in the seawater of the bone-piercing winter. He could clearly feel the temperature disappearing from his blood little by little.
"Bang!" The sudden sound startled Rodrigo, and he almost jumped up, only to see Paul clenched his right hand into a fist and smashed it on the ground. Then he regained his composure again, stared at the camera intently, and continued calmly, "They said, as long as they give me money, they will let me go."
Rodrigo looked at Paul in disbelief. He didn't understand what was going on at all, but after a moment's stun, he realized that the flashlight might be malfunctioning, or the light stick was not bright enough, so Paul was adjusting the light to ensure that The video has enough light.
Originally this was just a small accident, but Paul's simple and powerful movements erupted into a fierceness. That's what Paul really feels in his heart right now, isn't it? He is neither a saint nor a great man. He has neither the consciousness of sacrificing himself for righteousness nor the nobility of sacrificing himself to save sentient beings. He just made a difficult choice in a critical situation. He doesn't want to die if he can, he wants to live on. But... the energy that burst out at that moment released all the anger, unwillingness, bitterness and tyranny in the depths of my heart.
This simple action caused a storm in Rodrigo's mind.
"If you don't give me money, I will die here." Paul continued to record as if nothing had happened just now, and when he said this, he couldn't help but pause for a moment, "These threats are real and will be executed. "His voice betrays a trembling that is not easily detectable, the trembling from the soul that hides his helplessness and desire to survive.
He stared blankly at the camera, those dark brown eyes fluttering gently behind the thick eyelashes, as light and fragile as butterfly wings; the lips wiggled slightly, wanting to say something, but finally swallowed go down. The thumb pressed the button, ending the video recording.
After calming down again, he operated the phone, sent the video, and then stood still, keeping the same posture, motionless, and time seemed to stop.
Rodrigo hesitated for a moment, not sure if the show was over, if he should have a voice or something. However, at this moment, the corner of Paul's mouth drew a shallow arc, and he smiled.
It was a warm smile, like a ray of warm sun falling over the white snow.
The smile paused for a while, then burst into bloom again, accompanied by a low laughter, spinning in the chest, as if the thunder in the sky was looming, but it easily attracted everyone's attention. The bitterness, helplessness, absurdity, and depression in that smile reflected an indescribable anger—after reaching the extreme, the anger turned into powerlessness, and the whole body was pulled away in one breath along the spine, and the whole person was paralyzed. Can't do anything other than laugh in vain.
The smile was withdrawn, and finally disappeared into the loneliness of the corner of the mouth; the eyelids slowly drooped, and the last gleam of light in the bottom of the eyes was extinguished, and the shoulders suddenly became discouraged and relaxed. Let the air get tight. Then, he closed his eyes and gently put his face on the sofa, all his shoulders, arms and torso were relieved, exhaustion swept like a tide, all the pain, all the torture, all the confusion All fell silent as the noise disappeared.
Rodrigo could hear heartbreak, not out of sympathy, but out of helplessness. Watching Paul try his best to save another life, but at the risk of giving up all his life, the desire for survival hidden in the depths of his eyes was forcibly suppressed in the depths of his soul, and that repression weighed heavily in his heart, It was so cruel that I couldn't bear to keep watching.
Until now, even if Renly didn't speak, Rodrigo knew that the performance was over and that he finally understood what "two parts" meant.
The first part is the fear, panic and despair in a desperate situation; 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, and he also made his own choices, but in a crisis situation where his life is on the line, every choice, every Every decision defines his life. He is not a good person or a bad person, he is just an ordinary person struggling in life.
However, he became a victim of the war—or, in other words, a victim of the game of government/government interests, a small shrimp in the "whale fight, shrimp suffer". On his shoulders is the dilemma of the whole society: they are paying for the decisions of the government/government and the elite. How could Paul's small, thin shoulders carry such a weight
So, he failed.
Rodrigo suddenly remembered the ending of the movie "Buried Alive": Paul, was really buried alive. Cold and cruel cut off all life, there is still hope.
"Are you all right?" "Are you okay?" "Is something wrong at home?" "Do you need me to help you call the police?" "Is it serious?"…
The cluttered voice disrupted Rodrigo's thoughts, and the heavy emotion couldn't be shaken off for a while, so that when he saw the concerned crowd in front of him, he couldn't understand the situation.
"Is it you? Are you the mastermind behind the scenes? Say, what are you planning?" Suddenly someone pushed Rodrigo's shoulder hard, and Rodrigo didn't know how to explain it when he was caught off guard.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Renly's voice came from the crowd. He stood up again and smiled at the unfamiliar faces. "I'm really fine. It was just a show." After calming down a bit, Renly explained briefly, "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 really too real and too cruel. The stormy waves that were suppressed under the calm water seemed like strings that could break at any time, so that they couldn't help but hold their breath, worried that their rash actions might lead to irreversible consequences. , The strong heartbeat made everyone panic.
Now they're told, it's all about acting
"Really or not?" The voice of doubt came out immediately, and a blond girl who looked like a college student rolled her eyes and said incredulously, "Are you kidding me? Was it all fake just now? Jesus Christ, I was frightened. You're going to have a heart attack and you tell me it's just acting? I really thought your wife was kidnapped or something."
Renly turned his head to look at Rodrigo, who was beside him in a state of embarrassment. A tall and strong man grabbed Rodrigo's neckline and lifted him up. He looked at Renly with a fierce look on his face. There was still a gleam of suspicion—he still seemed worried, that Renly had to say so because he was being coerced.
"Look at me, I'm fine, my future wife... should be fine too." Renly's humorous tone loosened the atmosphere slightly, "I'm an actor, and the situation just now was just acting." Li shrugged, "I will take your reactions as positive feedback, which means my performance is very successful, doesn't it?"
"Guys, guys, I can testify." The front desk staff of the youth hostel also came over, "Rodrigo is indeed a director, he has been living here for two weeks; as for this one..." Work The officer pointed to Renly, "Didn't you recognize him? He is indeed an actor, the rich young master from 'The Pacific War'."
Everyone exchanged glances, and then someone finally responded, "Yes, yes, I said why he is so familiar, he is the sledgehammer!"
"'Eugene-Sledgehammer-Sledge?" Another person echoed, two out of eight people recognized Renly, which is really rare, and considering that this is only a restaurant In youth hostels, the average age of tourists is not only relatively young, but most of them are foreigners, which is even more commendable.
Renly spread his hands and nodded, "That's me."
After getting the confirmation, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and sighed, "God, your performance just now was really amazing!" "What 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?" Rodrigo patted the strong man's arm and said sadly.
"Treading the Stars"