A little after five in the morning, the Army Lieutenant General woke from his dream.
He couldn't tell whether he had been asleep just moments ago or unconscious until the previous second. In any case, the return of his consciousness gradually brought him fully awake.
Looking at the still-dark sky outside the window, he remembered many things from the past.
When people died, did they really recall everything that had happened to them?
All the regrets, all the surprises—everything flashed rapidly through his mind.
There were too many regrets he wanted to make up for, as well as those shining moments.
It turned out that people really did feel fear. They feared death, even when they had already prepared themselves mentally.
"I want a pack of cigarettes."
He picked up the phone and called the duty room. The phone had been provided to him when he moved in.
Someone would answer whenever he called that number. It was part of the work procedure.
Who knew when a person under interrogation might suddenly suffer a mental breakdown, without contact from anyone else, and become willing to say something?
To give them an opportunity to speak in time, there was a duty phone like this.
This had happened in the past during interrogations—and more than once.
Some people had refused to confess even after severe torture, but when left alone, they would inexplicably begin to break down, weep bitterly, and desperately want to end everything!
The person on duty did not find this surprising. He soon brought over a pack of cigarettes. "The regulations state that we can't give you a lighter, so if you need to light your cigarette, there's someone at the door."
"Thank you." The Army Admiral thanked the staff member. He knew very well that these workers were