Chapter 691 - A shackle

The man's eyelids lifted.

A tall man whom Gunan had never seen before entered the room. He had a suitcase in his hand like the others.

Gunan observed him as he entered. 

New shoes. New suitcase. And an I.D that had no signs of wear. 

Gunan's eyes flashed.

He glanced at the time. It was already past ten. The interrogation usually takes place around 6pm to 9pm. This had been the case in the past two days.

And the people who interrogated him were three officers in rotation.

Tonight was the first time he had seen this man. 

Gunan had a thought. His heart raced as he glanced at the four cameras in the room. 

The lights were not blinking.

Gunan swallowed.

His eyes became cautious as he watched the man put the briefcase and his phone on the table.

The tall man did not speak and simply stared at him. 

Gunan found the man's staring uncomfortable. He felt as if he was being judged and laughed at. 

He narrowed his eyes coldly. 

"Who sent you here?"

The tall man spoke calmly. "Master sent me here."

"...!"

Gunan's cold face collapsed.

Master...

He knew in an instant who was the master this man was talking about.

"Master is very disappointed. Not only did you fail to 'prove' yourself, but you also endangered your master by revealing your identity." 

Gunan's back chilled. He swallowed heavily. 

So his master had heard about it. It was no surprise, because the news had already spread far and wide.

The dreadful situation which Gunan hoped would never come awfully arrived, as if by predetermined fate.

"Let me talk to my master. I will explain this to him. "

"You are nothing but a useless slave now. Even if you beg the master, he would not save a useless pawn like you."

Gunan: !!!

His eyes went ablaze. 

This spy must be one of those lowly subordinates who were jealous of the privilege given to him by the master.

"Look who's talking. A dog only barks and does what its master says. Just do what you came here to do," Gunan replied haughtily. 

The tall man was irked, but was also afraid that his master would know his words. 

If it was not for the master's order, he would have abandoned Gunan here right now.

Alas, no time should be wasted. He dialed their master's number and kept the complaints to himself.

Gunan could not help but wonder at his master's power. 

His master had spies here in the national investigation team, one of the strictest departments in which many spies failed to get in. Even though this spy was arrogant and annoying, the fact that he managed to mix in showed his capabilities and how deep and wide Ming Zhi Yi's connections were.

Hope came to Gunan's heart. Since his master was so powerful, he could surely get him out of here, couldn't he?

Ring… Ring…

Ding.

The sound of the call getting answered made Gunan wake up from his daze.

The tall man respectfully spoke. "Master, I have Gunan with me."

"Speak." The master's voice sounded. 

It was only one word spoken, yet Gunan could feel the man's disappointment with him.

A chill started to slowly creep on his back.

He knew what fate awaited those people who disappointed their master. But, he… he had the privilege to call him 'father'… He might be given a special privilege unlike the others...

"Master, it's Gunan. I made a mistake. But the master can rest assured, I have countermeasures prepared in place. If master helps me this once to solidify the founding doc.u.ments of Univ One and push the planned scapegoat out to the public, everything will be solved--"

"Gunan." A chilling voice interrupted him.

Gunan swallowed. "Y-yes, master."

"Do you know what you have done wrong?"

Snicker.

A low snicker came from the tall man in front of Gunan. 

Gunan looked at him. His eyes burned darkly, seeing the spy look down mockingly on him.

This man had been annoying him since earlier.

However, it was not the time to berate others. 

"...Yes master. I am wrong."

"You haven't told me yet why."

"Master, I, I became careless and let others fool me. But master, I can solve this if you help me just this once! "

"Gunan. You still don't understand why you got fooled by others. You don't understand what you did wrong." The voice sighed.

"..."

"Gunan, you disappointed me. I have let you go for once to 'prove' yourself. But what happened?"

"...."

"Have you become the respected chief or the indomitable chairman? No. What has been proven instead is that you, Gunan, cannot do anything without me. Don't forget where you came from. Remember the dirty place where Lu Jin picked you up from. That is your origin. It appears that you have to go back to where you belong."

Snicker.

The tall man chuckled again. His eyes were clearly laughing at Gunan. 

His master's slave was only given the privilege to call their master 'father', yet he thought that he became the master's son? How laughable.

Gunan's hands trembled.

His pride was trampled to pieces. 

Blazing with fury, he glared at the tall man and imagined him being stabbed and sliced into mush. 

But as he looked down, his heart could not help but be scared.

His master was truly disappointed in him. Gunan was terrified of what his master would do.

Based on his master's words, he planned to let Gunan withdraw from now on and have him start from the bottom again, or keep him there.

His Univ One would be gone.

The Guan Empire which had become his would be taken away.

He would no longer be Guan Gao Huan anymore, but a lowly Gunan who came from slums, beaten and starved.

Gunan pressed his eyes shut. 

His hard work, sweat, and bloody tears would all go away just like that.

"Master, I was wrong. I should have listened to you. But master, I have done all that for you! For your great plan! If we had the Guan Empire with me, the plan would be much smoother!"

"Gunan, I can make it happen even without you."

Chill.

The cold sensation finally crawled to his limbs. 

His masters' words...

Gunan held the phone tightly, veins protruding from his hands. 

He finally abandoned all of his pride and begged, disregarding the contemptuous eyes looking down on him.

"Master, please give me another chance! Please don't abandon me! I can still make it right. If you help me once, I can definitely get it back again! I am still useful, master!"

"I know." 

The man on the phone was calm and relaxed, the opposite of the desperate Gunan.

"I know, you still have a 'use'."

"...."

'Use'. 

Colors drained from Gunan's face.

He understood what this 'use' was for. 

An image of a person entered his mind. 

Gunan's fingers trembled.

His only use now was to get hold of 'that' person.

Since he could no longer act as Guan Gao Huan, then his worth would be reduced to nothing. 

His master only kept him and was still talking to him, because of 'him'.

Coldness fully seeped into Gunan's bones and numbed him, as if he was inside an ice cellar. 

A strange sensation of guilt and despair filled his heart. 

Only this kind of strange and rare emotions could enter his c.h.e.s.t, whenever it came to 'that' person. 

The remaining light in his eyes slowly disappeared.

Gunan closed his eyes. 

"I understand what my use is, master. I understand it all." 

So please… Do not abandon me.

Do not throw me away.

"It's good that you understand. We will get you out on the day of your trial. Sit still and don't do anything useless."

Toot... Toot...

The call ended.

Gunan stared blankly at the phone. He was deathly pale.

He lost it all.

He lost all his hard work, his dignity, his identity.

He lost the chance to prove himself.

He had now become a useless Gunan.

Gunan stood in daze.

What was the most frustrating was, the real reason why he wanted to prove himself was coming back to bite and mock him.

"Haha." Gunan chuckled out of helplessness. His eyes were filled with self-mocking and despair.

'...I am sorry Lu Jin. It turned out, in the end, I will still be your shackle.'