第119章 Here are a few options for a chapter title: 1. "Shattered Faith" 2. "Betrayal's Echo" 3. "Trust in Ruins" 4. "Deception's Aftermath" 5. "The Lie Unr

**Chapter 119: The Crisis of Trust**

程星's words still echoed in the engineer's mind like a ticking time bomb. He couldn't believe he had been so thoroughly deceived. The revelation left him feeling like a shipwreck, battered and bruised, with his sense of trust in shambles.

"What does this mean?" the engineer asked, his voice laced with incredulity. "How could you do this to me?"

程星's expression was a mix of regret and defensiveness. "I had no choice. My true intentions were to protect you, not deceive you."

The engineer's gaze turned cold. "Protect me? By manipulating me, by making me believe I was working for the good of humanity, only to reveal that it was all a lie? You call that protection?"

程星's eyes dropped, and for a moment, the engineer thought he saw a glimmer of shame. "I know it was wrong, but I had to. The stakes were too high. If the truth got out, humanity would have been destroyed."

The engineer's anger boiled over. "So, you think you're the only one who knows what's best for humanity? You think you have the right to decide who lives and who dies?"

程星's face fell, and he looked like he was about to collapse. "I...I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted to keep you safe."

The engineer's words dripped with venom. "Safe? You call this safe? I thought we were working together to uncover the truth, but all along, you've been playing me like a pawn in your game."

程星's eyes welled up with tears. "Please, don't say that. I swear, I'll do anything to make it right."

The engineer's gaze never wavered. "Anything? That's not enough. You're going to have to do better than that."

As the tension in the room reached a boiling point, the engineer's phone rang, shrill and insistent. He ignored it, his attention fixed on 程星. But the ringing persisted, growing louder and more insistent.

程星's eyes flicked to the phone, and for a moment, the engineer saw a glimmer of fear. "What's going on?" 程星 asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The engineer's grip on his coffee mug tightened. "I don't know, but I think we're about to find out."

With that, the phone went silent, and the room plunged into darkness. The engineer's heart was racing, his mind reeling with the implications. What had just happened? And what did it mean for the fate of humanity?

To be continued...