Elara and I, we were inseparable, the deadliest duo our special ops team had ever seen. Until one mission, I drew the short straw to pose as her husband. But then someone sabotaged us, and our staged marriage became frighteningly real. She blamed me for stealing the role of husband, a title meant for the man she truly loved. I blamed her for marrying me out of pure spite, when she clearly didn’t love me. For five years, we were at each other’s throats, practically wishing for the other’s demise. Until our old enemy, Ms. Obsidian, came seeking revenge. She cornered me on a luxury yacht, holding a gun to my head. “You die, or he dies, Elara. Your choice.” The moment the shot rang out, Elara lunged forward. She threw herself in front of me, tackling Ms. Obsidian, dragging her into the raging sea with her, taking her down with her. As they plunged, I heard her last words: “If there’s a next life, let’s just be partners, okay? No more being husband and wife.” I watched, numb, as the sea churned with crimson ripples, then swallowed them whole. The next second, the bomb beneath my seat reached zero. When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back to the day we drew lots. I was a step ahead this time. I snatched the two mission slips. “No need to draw. I’ll go undercover alone.” This time, I’d make sure she got her happy ending. I wouldn’t be a roadblock to their love anymore.
Holding both slips, I felt a jolt of surprise. I looked up at Commander Thorne. Her eyes flickered with something I couldn’t quite place. After a moment, she looked at me, a complex expression on her face. “Falcon, this mission is extremely dangerous. Are you sure you want to go undercover?” In my past life, Leo had drawn the long slip and gone undercover. I, on the other hand, had been paired with Elara, pretending to be husband and wife. Back then, my heart had been pounding with excitement at the thought of faking a marriage with Elara. I hadn’t suspected for a second that Commander Thorne, who always favored me, had tampered with the slips. What she didn’t know was that her ‘favoritism’ had condemned Elara and me to five years of pure torment. I looked at her, gratitude welling up inside me. “Leo’s too impulsive. It’s better if I go undercover.” Seeing my insistence, she finally nodded. If one person went undercover, the other would automatically be paired with Elara to pose as a couple and provide backup. Just as we stepped out of the room, Elara rushed in, looking anxious. Leo’s face lit up. “Elara!” Her expression was cold, but her eyes were fixed on him. They stared at each other, and Leo’s ears turned crimson as he finally looked away. The tenderness in their eyes twisted a knot in my gut. The next second, she pulled me aside. Behind her, Leo’s face fell, a hint of jealousy in his eyes as he watched us. “I won’t agree to this plan.” “Ms. Obsidian is a sharp woman. The undercover agent will be found out.” “Leo doesn’t have much experience. I won’t agree to put him in danger.” She had protested just as fiercely in my last life when she found out Leo was going undercover. But in the end, every single one of her suggestions was shot down. I just calmly waited for the mission day, took her hand, and practically dragged her to City Hall to get our marriage license. A bitter taste filled my mouth. “You know someone has to go undercover. It’s either Leo or me.” Her cold face was emotionless, her voice cool but confident. “Just give the organization a little more time, and I’ll find Ms. Obsidian’s weakness. Going undercover isn’t the only way.” I gave a faint smile. The reason it had to be either Leo or me was because the enemy’s intelligence indicated that our special ops team was all women. So Leo and I were the most suitable candidates for the undercover role. “Elara! We’re out of time!” “No matter what you say, the mission has been set. Come to the team meeting or don’t, I don’t care!” With that, I ignored Elara’s stunned expression and walked away. I wasn’t going to tell her that I was the undercover agent this time. After all, the news that ‘Falcon’ was the groom would be much more surprising coming from the source. Elara, this time, I’d trade our partnership for a quiet drink at my grave.
That night, I kept replaying the events of my rebirth, still finding it hard to believe it was real. A knock at my door. I opened it to find Commander Thorne. She was carrying two cans of beer and a bag of skewers. “I don’t drink before missions,” I said, confused. She nodded. “I know. So I’ll drink, you eat the skewers.” I smiled genuinely. She drank silently, and I ate silently. After a long while, I couldn’t help but ask the question on my mind, “Why?” She knew I was asking about the slip-tampering and raised an eyebrow. “I was shipping you guys.” My jaw almost dropped. But her presence somehow calmed the turmoil in my heart. The next morning, before I was even fully awake, Elara was knocking on my dorm door. I rubbed my eyes as I opened it, and she strode straight in. Her cold eyes were bloodshot, narrowed into dangerous slits, the outer corners turned up. When she was on a mission, she’d draw a scorpion at the corner of her eye. Coupled with her ruthless expression, those in the underworld called her ‘The Scorpion’. Now, her eyes were bare, but her gaze was like daggers, ready to tear me apart. “Falcon, you’re despicable!” “Why did you conspire with Commander Thorne to tamper with the slips?!” “I thought, I really thought all of this was fate.” Her hands were around my throat, and she mumbled to herself. I struggled, my voice hoarse. “Elara, let go. It hurts!” “You feel pain? Doesn’t Leo feel pain?” “Doesn’t it hurt to die undercover?” “You don’t know, in my last life…” She stopped abruptly as if remembering something. When she looked at me again, her eyes were filled with disappointment. “Why do you insist on tearing us apart? Why do you insist on sending Leo undercover?” Her grip tightened. I hadn’t been expecting it, but I reacted instinctively, twisting my arm. We fought in the cramped space of my dorm. “Elara, are you crazy?” “Going undercover is the organization’s decision. It’s not something we can decide!” Her eyes were bloodshot as she roared, “You’re lying! Both slips were long! Leo said he drew the long slip to go undercover!” “We all know about your little trick with Commander Thorne!” Knowing her weakness, I used my strength to pin her down. “I’ll say it again: everything is the organization’s arrangement.” “As for what you want, the organization will consider that too!” She laughed, a bitter, desolate sound. “What I want, I can never have, all because of you.” Only when I felt her resistance drain did I slowly release my grip. Freed, she remained on her knees, slamming her fists repeatedly against the floor. After a long while, she recomposed herself, becoming that cold, aloof person once more, as if her earlier outburst hadn’t happened. She stood up, mumbling “I’m sorry,” but I didn’t respond. Only Leo could make her lose her composure like that. In our past life, when we were pretending to be married, she accidentally ingested a powerful drug. The situation was critical. To save her, I had no choice but to… Even then, in bed, she remained aloof and self-possessed. Not a trace of passion. Only after the drug wore off, as she stood up, did she say: “You will take responsibility for this.” After Leo’s death, the mission was terminated, but we never divorced. We continued our marriage, but she became even colder towards me. We used to be perfectly in-sync, partners in life and death. Later, we became mere acquaintances, a couple in name only. I thought this time, with me going undercover, we would remain true partners. I never expected such a rift to form between us. But perhaps it was for the best. If this mission failed, my death wouldn’t cause her too much pain.
I had spent three years researching Ms. Obsidian’s organization; the intel was crystal clear. Our team discussed the mission procedures and plans in an orderly fashion. Because he would be posing as Elara’s husband, Leo’s smiles became more frequent. After a meeting one day, he pulled a small yellow amulet from his pocket and, with a shy smile, handed it to Elara. “Elara, I got this at the temple yesterday.” Elara was an atheist; she detested anything to do with gods or prayers. When she was seven, her father died, and her mother, claiming enlightenment, gave away all their family wealth and became a nun. Elara was left to fend for herself, growing up with little support and a lot of judgment. Once, on a mission, I simply said, “May the heavens protect us,” and she glared at me fiercely. “Say that again, and you’re out of my team!” Watching Leo pull out the amulet, everyone in the team gasped. But the next second, everyone’s eyes widened as Elara smiled, took the amulet, immediately hung it around her neck, and then pulled out a jade pendant in the shape of a Bodhisattva from her own shirt. I recognized that jade pendant. It was something her mother had left behind before she abandoned them. Elara was a stubborn one; she hated her mother but still kept these things as mementos. In my past life, after we were married, I accidentally knocked the pendant off, and it fell to the floor. The pendant was fine, but she slammed me to the ground with an over-the-shoulder throw. Gus, our team observer, recovered first and started to tease. “Is our frosty Elara finally getting a heart?” I twisted open my water bottle and took a swallow. For some reason, the water today tasted bitter, even more so than my usual black coffee. The other two also chuckled. “Our Leo’s got real charm! He even melted Elara! If he goes undercover, he’ll have Ms. Obsidian, that old woman, wrapped around his finger. This mission is a sure thing!” Hearing that, I looked up, stunned, at Leo. His eyes darted away. I understood. He hadn’t told them. I couldn’t fathom why. Gus chimed in, “Leo, you’re so good-looking, make sure to protect yourself when you go undercover.” I watched Elara’s hands clench tightly. The next second, she slammed her fist on the table and said coldly, “Shut up!” Everyone fell silent, not daring to joke anymore. After the meeting, Leo pulled me into the shadows. “Falcon, I… I didn’t mean to say I was the undercover agent. Elara asked me about it.” His face flushed as he spoke. “Elara told me to protect myself and gave me lots of details and tips about going undercover in private.” “I didn’t have time to tell her.” Looking at him, I understood. I shook my head. “It’s fine. Elara’s just worried about you. Learn everything you can from her.” After all, Leo would be her partner now. I told myself this, trying to feel better. I don’t know how I got back to my dorm that day. The next morning, at the early meeting. I was a few minutes late. There were six people inside; I was the seventh. As soon as I entered the conference room, the atmosphere inside was heavy. Everyone was standing. Elara’s face was grim. Seeing me, she slowly spoke. “The first day you joined my team, I laid down three rules. Gus, recite them.” Gus hesitated, looking at me, then at Elara, before quietly speaking. “First, ensure your own survival. Second, ensure your teammates’ survival. Third, no infighting within the team.” Elara looked at another teammate and asked, “What’s the punishment for breaking a rule?” “Breaking the third rule means 3000 push-ups, a 10km weighted run, and a public apology.” She scanned the room, then turned her gaze to me. “Falcon, get ready for push-ups!”
I was utterly bewildered. “Why?!” I demanded. Gus leaned close to me, his face serious. “Falcon, seriously, you went too far this time. You need to apologize to Leo properly.” The other two nodded in agreement. I looked at Leo, who stood opposite me, his head bowed. “Why would you threaten him? You made a mistake and refuse to admit it!” She said, pulling a tissue from her pocket and spreading it open in front of me, her eyes burning. “That jade pendant was a gift I gave Leo for good luck.” “Why did you snatch it and smash it?!” I looked up, utterly shocked, and instinctively tried to explain to the others, “No, I didn’t!” “Leo, tell them what happened!” He shook his head, biting his lip, his voice choked with tears. “Falcon, I didn’t mean to tell on you, but Elara saw it. If I didn’t tell the truth, I’d be the one getting punished.” “Falcon, we know you like the Commander, but this is too much. She just gave Leo a jade pendant for good luck.” “After all, the undercover mission is so dangerous.” The others chimed in, accusing me. I looked at Leo, disbelief written all over my face. I couldn’t understand how someone could fabricate such lies out of thin air. “Leo, look at me. Was it really me?!” I stared at him, my voice trembling. The next second, he burst into tears. “Elara, Falcon didn’t mean to!” “Enough, Falcon!” “I am truly disappointed in you.” “With all these incidents, you don’t deserve to be my teammate.” “Confess and accept your punishment, and we might still accept you back on this team. Otherwise, I will report to headquarters that you are unfit to be a special agent.” I shook my head, my eyes burning. We had been on so many missions together. She knew what kind of person I was, but just because Leo shed a few tears, I suddenly became an unqualified agent in her eyes? “Are you going to apologize or not?!” She barked at me sternly. I bit my lip, staring fiercely at Leo. After a long moment, I spoke coldly, “I’m sorry!” “Louder!” “I’M SORRY!” “Get ready for push-ups!” I performed the push-ups without a word. Three thousand was no small number. My hands began to tremble, and the frequency of my reps slowed. When the 3000 push-ups were done, I picked up the weighted pack and turned to leave the room. Gus tried to intercede for me, but Elara silenced him with a cold glare. I ran lap after lap around the training ground. Until my legs were shaking. Towards the end, I stumbled and fell to the ground. A shadow fell over me, and a faint scent of perfume wafted into my nostrils. “Falcon, tsk tsk, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to test Elara’s feelings for you.” “Seems it wasn’t much after all!” He grinned triumphantly. I looked up, staring at him coldly. “Why?!” “Why does everyone, one by one, want me to go undercover?!” “Knowing it’s a death sentence, Commander Thorne too, and Elara too? She’s been training me daily, isn’t it all for you?” “To keep you safe, so they can sacrifice me?” I shook my head, finding it ridiculous. “It’s not like that, Leo.” “Not like that? Don’t think I don’t know just because you snatched the slips. And what if you and Elara were partners? As long as I’m the one by her side from now on, I’ll replace you eventually.” I said bitterly, “I’m sure you will.” Her heart has always been with you, that’s undeniable. But my sincere words were perceived as mockery and provocation in his eyes. He said fiercely, “Don’t get cocky.” As he spoke, he grabbed my hand and brought a pill to my mouth. “Falcon, I need you to do me a small favor!” The next second, he put the pill in my hand, then grabbed my hand and shoved *it* into his own mouth. He clutched his throat. “Falcon, why would you do this to me?”
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