America: I'm really not crazy

Chapter 41 Li Wei's New Fun

Li Wei unceremoniously occupied Wesker's office in the bar.

After closing the door, Li Wei put his legs up on the desk and lay back in the leather chair.

"Tell me, you're not planning to sell your position as the third-in-command, are you?"

Thomas's mustache twitched twice, but he quickly got to the point.

"Let's start with the good news... The development of the prosthetic limb is progressing faster than expected. If all goes well, Zhang Qiu can come to Miami for surgery within two months."

Li Wei sat up straight in his chair with a start.

"Don't tell me Khadgar is planning to pull the same old trick again!"

"Damn it! I haven't even had a chance to cause him any trouble! And here he is..."

"Calm down! Li Wei! Let me finish!"

Thomas became unusually stern.

Li Wei tilted his head, looking at Thomas with a somewhat cold gaze.

"What do you mean?"

Faced with Li Wei's blunt questioning, Thomas instantly reverted to the familiar Li Wei.

He replied with a bitter face and a hint of grievance.

"You think I would betray Zhang Qiu for personal gain? I didn't expect that our shared experiences wouldn't earn me your trust?"

"The issue isn't whether I trust you, but rather your choice."

Li Wei's reply was extremely cold and hard.

Thomas shrugged helplessly.

"Okay, I'll put your mind at ease first."

"Based on my understanding and investigation of Khadgar, he won't devote more attention to a game he's already lost. In other words, he won't use the assassination of the 'foreign guest' to deal with my uncle again."

"You promise?"

Although he had already received a clear answer, Li Wei still asked one more question.

"I promise."

Thomas nodded seriously.

Li Wei settled back into the leather seat.

"Now that the good news is over, it's time for the bad news... You politicians always save your real purpose for last."

But Thomas used just one sentence to put Levi back into his tense state.

"Claude mailed a USB drive to my office, but after looking at it, I think he probably wanted to give it to you through me."

"USB drive? What's on it?"

Li Wei picked up his phone and instinctively brought it close to his face.

"It's a video recording. Please wait a minute, I'll send it to you via an encrypted internet connection."

After saying that, Thomas took out another phone from his suit jacket and operated it for a while.

Just as he put his phone away, Li Wei's phone rang.

That's an email notification.

"I'll hang up now, I'll get back to you after I finish reading this."

Li Wei hung up the video call, opened the email, downloaded the video file to his phone, switched to "airplane mode," and then started watching the recording using a local media player.

The first thing that catches the eye is half a palm.

But soon, the hand moved away, revealing Claude's face.

"Li Wei, if nothing unexpected happens, I should be dead by the time you see this video. But first, I want to say that I thank you for letting me die as a warrior, not a coward."

In the video, Claude appears relaxed, even with a smile on his face.

"What? You old codger, you're not going to tell me you were going easy on me back then, are you?"

Even though it was just a video recording, Li Wei acted as if he were making a video call.

Even more surprisingly, Claude actually "replied" to Levi.

"If you doubt that I'm holding back, then you underestimate my 'honor' as a 'warrior.' I'm gratified to die at your hands; it proves you're stronger than me."

Li Wei scoffed.

"When did you become so sentimental?"

Claude smiled in the picture.

"I bet you're thinking I'm being sentimental right now."

"Okay, let's get straight to the point."

Claude's smile vanished.

"The people who abandoned you, the people who betrayed me, the people who tried to assassinate the Seris delegation—they're all in cahoots."

Li Wei's gaze sharpened, and he began to look at Claude in the picture with extreme seriousness.

Claude hesitated for a moment before continuing to speak.

"They are a very well-organized group. I've been investigating for many years, but I don't know much about them."

"Victor Cross. That bastard colonel who killed my squad, not only was he not held accountable, he was promoted. Now he should be drinking coffee in the Pentagon with the rank of major general."

"Kardgar Portfield. The current director of the CIA, and also... my employer. A bastard who believes only he can save America and put the country back on its throne."

"They are all members of that organization."

"Besides that, all I know about the organization is called the 'Revival Society,' and its members seem to be very high-ranking. They use their power to 'help' each other, allowing 'their own people' to climb faster and higher."

"I think you understand now, right? If you don't, let me remind you. Do you remember who your direct commander was when you joined the peacekeeping force?"

"Victor Cross".

"I don't know what the Revival Society is trying to revive, but I found out they are colluding with many terrorist organizations. It's not just simple covert support, but providing weapons, equipment, and military training to those inhuman lunatics, and even... indirect political support."

"So, strictly speaking, we were all betrayed."

Li Wei showed no anger, only a cold laugh.

"Alright, Claude. You've confirmed my initial guess."

At this moment, Claude in the video seemed to hear Levi's words and nodded slightly.

"I think you understand now, right? After all, you've always been a smart guy."

Li Wei laughed and cursed.

"Hey old man, are you really dead? Or are you just video calling me?"

But this time, Claude didn't "respond," instead looking serious and earnest.

"Li Wei, I'm telling you this not so you can seek revenge. At least... not in a moment of impulse, grabbing a sniper rifle and charging in to kill them."

From the moment the video started playing, Li Wei took his eyes off the screen for the first time.

Because Claude guessed correctly.

Until Claude's voice reached my ears again.

"I'm not doubting your abilities, but I feel it's not worth risking your life to kill these bastards. I'm not stopping you from seeking revenge, but I hope you'll survive after you've done so. Promise me, okay?"

Li Wei's gaze returned to the screen, but instead of agreeing or disagreeing, he made a sarcastic remark.

"Old man, why are you getting all sentimental again?"

However, Claude on the screen shook his head.

"Okay, my question. I should trust your judgment; you've always had your own rhythm, haven't you?"

"Finally, I'm going to get really 'emotional,' I hope you won't get bored."

After saying that, Claude took out several files and held them in his hand.

"I have no family, only comrades-in-arms. Therefore, the orphans of my comrades-in-arms are also my family."

"I know nothing about 'work' except fighting."

"I don't know what else I can do besides giving money when it comes to 'family ties'."

"So, I went abroad to work as a mercenary, not only to earn money, but also to escape."

"I dragged their fathers, sons, and husbands into hell, and I shamelessly survived. I... don't know how to face them."

"I'm telling you this now in the hope that if you have the means, you can take care of them for me. If not, that's fine too. The money I leave behind may not be enough for their retirement, but it's enough for the children in these families to grow up and start taking on the responsibilities of 'family'."

Finally, I'd like to say a few more words to you.

"When I tried every means to obtain 'fairness' but gained nothing and lost even more, I lost the most important quality of a warrior—courage."

"I didn't dare point a gun at Victor Cross because I was worried that killing him recklessly would cause trouble for those broken families. After all, they are an organization, not a thug."

"I couldn't turn down Khadgar Portfield's dirty deal because I desperately needed the money, and I wanted to learn more about the Revival Society by getting in touch with him—these were my personal reasons."

"But there is no denying that I eventually raised my gun and pointed it at innocent people, possibly including you."

"Therefore, I became an incurable coward."

"But in the very end, I thank you."

"Li Wei".

"You succeeded in stopping me from becoming a complete scoundrel like Victor Cross."

"Really, thank you."

After Claude finished speaking, the following scene showed Claude displaying the file folders in his hands one by one.

It contains information about deceased comrades and their relatives, as well as intelligence about the Restoration Society that Claude has investigated over the years.

Li Wei looked at it very carefully, as if he wanted to "print" these things into his brain.

After the video finished playing, Li Wei dragged the progress bar back to the beginning and watched it again.

Then, the third time, the fourth time, the fifth time...

Tessa's voice came through when there was a knock on the office door.

"Li Wei, how are you?"

Li Wei silently deleted the video from his phone and put on a smile again.

"I'm fine, better than ever before."

"I've found new fun, great... fun."

Li Wei was laughing, but his laughter was somewhat ferocious, and every word he uttered was almost squeezed out from between his teeth.