Chapter 93

The next morning, Liu Wanqi blew his whistle in the riverside park, and everyone in the base who could move rushed over.

Several people, bound hand and foot, were being pointed at by soldiers with sticks, their eyes filled with resentment, yet they had no choice but to kneel obediently around the stone seat.

"These must be the group of Japanese people, right?"

"It doesn't seem like they were all from Japan. I heard quite a few people speaking Chinese when they broke in that day..."

"What are they trying to do?"

...

Survivors who had gathered from all directions huddled together in twos and threes, whispering amongst themselves. Their gazes towards the central stone pedestal revealed a mixture of scrutiny, curiosity, disgust, and resentment...

Seeing that most people had arrived, Liu Wanqi glanced around and spotted Tong Shu, Qin Xiaoxiao, and others coming from the opposite bank. He nimbly flipped onto the stone seat, cleared his throat, and announced loudly, "Fellow new and old residents of the base, the reason I blew the whistle to call you all over is to let you participate in the base's first trial process."

Liu Wanqi, holding an iron rod, pointed at the people kneeling below: "I believe everyone here is very familiar with these people. Since entering our country, they have committed arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of atrocities!"

"From Z city to G province, this group of people has never stopped harming our compatriots. Their hands are stained with the blood of hundreds and thousands of Chinese people."

"Now, at this very moment, all the criminals have been brought to justice." Liu Wanqi's eyes shone brightly, like the sun blazing down on the crowd, sweeping across everyone's faces: "We firmly believe that, whether in times of peace or in times of chaos and natural disasters, those who harm others will ultimately receive the punishment they deserve!"

Liu Wanqi took out two pieces of paper from his pocket, which contained information about the group of criminals they had interrogated overnight. He read out a person's name, and a young soldier pulled the person out of the crowd and made him kneel in the front row.

"Shi Dongruo, a native of Y City, S Province, joined a reactionary organization two months ago and killed more than ten of his compatriots. He was sentenced to death by firing squad."

The man knelt on the ground, listening to the judgment above him, his whole body trembling like a leaf, his pale lips quivering, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"That's the man! He killed my brother!" A girl's voice, filled with hatred, rang out from the crowd. She picked up a pebble and threw it at the man. The pebble hit him hard in the chest, knocking him backward.

The soldiers maintaining order quickly stepped forward to stop her, but their actions were not forceful; they merely symbolically restrained the emotionally agitated girl.

There are two groups of soldiers at the base. One group consists of soldiers from various military units who were previously stationed in different locations. The other group is the special forces team led by Wen Shaocheng. Under the control of Wen Shaocheng and Section Chief Li, only the soldiers in the special forces team carry sidearms.

Under Liu Wanqi's instructions, a team member stepped forward and stood behind the man, the dark muzzle of his gun pointed at the back of the prisoner's head.

A gunshot rang out, and brains splattered. The body lunged forward, collapsing heavily onto the muddy ground, and fell silent forever.

Except for the child whose eyes were covered, everyone present cheered with delight.

"Brother... the country has avenged you..." The girl's eyes were fixed on the makeshift execution ground, the image deeply imprinted in her mind. Her eyes welled up with tears.

"Ding Baolin, a native of D County, M City, J Province, murdered more than 30 of his compatriots and was sentenced to death by firing squad."

"Tetsu Arai, from R country..."

...

"Hao Jia, from Jiulongjiao Community in Z City, was sentenced to death by firing squad for brutally murdering more than 30 of his compatriots, including more than 20 women."

Those who were trying to mitigate the crime confessed all of Hao Jia's crimes yesterday. Several soldiers who had been with the team from the beginning still had some impression of Hao Jia, only remembering that this family was shrewd and selfish. They never expected that after so much time, the young woman who was originally just a little scheming would become a psychologically twisted murderer.

Hao Jia's fear reached its peak when she was pushed forward. She was terrified of death. It was because of this fear that she was willing to follow this group of Japanese people, to be treated as playthings, and to desperately learn Japanese after losing her parents, hoping to be of some use in this organization.

Her eyes darted around, and suddenly she spotted Tong Shu in the crowd. She screamed as if she had grasped a lifeline.

"Tong Shu!! Tong Shu! This person is suspicious! Her family has endless supplies and always manages to escape before anyone else! Now, this whole situation is her fault! Arrest her!"

Tong Shu didn't even frown, quietly watching this person go mad on the execution ground.

Liu Wanqi looked troubled. He glanced at Wen Shaocheng, who was standing in the shade of a tree, wanting to see what he was thinking.

The crowd erupted in chaos, but no one took her words seriously; they simply assumed she was going mad before her death. This disaster had swept the globe and lasted for over a year. If someone truly possessed such power, they wouldn't be standing here like them, being identified by a criminal; they would have crushed her with a single finger long ago.

Only Tian Zhaozhao stood beside Tong Shu, giving her a meaningful look.

"So it wasn't Sister Hua, it was Sister Tong..."

Tong Shu ignored him and walked straight to Hao Jia.

The soldiers nearby tried to stop her, but her teammates from the special forces team wisely stopped them.

“Hao Jia.” Tong Shu stood in front of Hao Jia, looking down at her.

The woman's hair was disheveled, her eyes were bloodshot, and she had a hysterical, almost manic laugh on her face.

"Sun Xiaolong, Teacher Sun, do you still remember him?" Tong Shu asked in a flat tone, and it took Hao Jia a long time to react to her question.

"Ha..." Hao Jia chuckled strangely, "That short-lived bastard..."

"It seems you still remember." Tong Shu tilted her head. "It was you, no, it was your whole family that killed him, right?"

"What are they saying?" Tong Shu's voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for the people in the front row to hear.

“It seems to have happened in our neighborhood before, I remember! A PE teacher died in front of their building, that teacher was from my daughter’s school, I have a vague impression of him.”

...

Hao Jia scoffed, her face completely indifferent: "So what? He deserved it, acting like a saint and not letting us take supplies..." Her eyes darted around, as if she remembered something, "Right, if it weren't for your family having a speedboat full of supplies parked downstairs, he might not have lost his life. Tong Shu, everyone is starving, yet you have so many supplies to trade. Do you still dare to say you're innocent?"

"Whether I have a problem or not, others will naturally decide. As for you, Hao Jia, you're about to die," Tong Shu said with a soft laugh. She took two steps back, waved her hand on her nose with a look of disgust, then looked up and nodded to Liu Wanqi above the stone seat before returning to the crowd.

"Tong Shu!! You bitch! I should have found you and killed you back then!" Hao Jia was provoked by Tong Shu's words and actions, screaming and leaning forward.

The soldier next to her pulled her back with a look of disgust, picked up a piece of trash from the ground and stuffed it into Hao Jia's mouth. She whimpered, her face full of resentment and anger, but she couldn't utter a single swear word.

Gunshots rang out, and this woman ended her short and sinful life.

Those who had suffered at the hands of this organization witnessed the execution and felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

A few people kept Hao Jia's dying words in mind and all cast inquiring glances at Tong Shu.

Tong Shu is no longer the same Tong Shu she was a year ago. She's long been immune to this kind of probing. Anyone who wants to take something from her will have to see if they have the ability. Besides, everyone here is now under the jurisdiction of Wen Shaocheng and Section Chief Li, and if all else fails, Tian Zhaozhao will step in to suppress them. She doesn't think these people can cause any trouble.

"Sister Hua... no, Sister Tong, so you were already that powerful back in your hometown?" Tian Zhaozhao realized something and boldly followed Tong Shu around like a bee.

Tong Shu glanced at him sideways, a smirk playing on her lips, and asked, "What? You want to see my strength?"

"No, no, no, no..." Tian Zhaozhao hurriedly denied, "I absolutely, absolutely, have no such intention."

He smiled ingratiatingly and leaned closer: "I've known for a long time that you're incredibly capable, Sister. We've known each other for quite a while now, haven't we? Now that I don't have to worry about the important matters of the base anymore, Sister Tong, please take care of me a little. If you have any good stuff, please think of your little brother, okay?"

Tong Shu found his puppy-like behavior amusing. After getting to know him over the past few months, Tian Zhaozhao was indeed a worthwhile friend. Seeing his head bending down and getting close to hers, Tong Shu reached out and rubbed his head without thinking, then pushed him away: "Alright, alright, I can't do anything with you."

Tian Zhaozhao chuckled.

Tong Shu rubbed her fingers together. This guy hadn't washed his hair in ages; it was greasy. "I'll bring you a bottle of shampoo this afternoon; your hair is filthy."

Tian Zhaozhao's eyes lit up, and she scratched her head happily, saying, "It has to be my Sister Tong! Even at this hour, she still has shampoo!"

"Don't yell, it's homemade."

"That's good stuff too..."

...

After the execution, the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed. Wang Jie led Qin Xiaoxiao away first, while Tong Shu and Tian Zhaozhao walked away while talking.

"...Captain? Captain? Major!" Liu Wanqi raised his voice.

"Hmm?" Wen Shao Cheng silently shifted his gaze back. "Go on."

Liu Wanqi was a shrewd man and had already seen through the situation on both sides. He was secretly laughing his head off, but he didn't dare to ridicule his superior. He continued to inquire about the upcoming work and training arrangements with a serious expression.

I told you not to seize the opportunity to express your feelings when you were alone. Now look what happened! That girl has no shortage of handsome young men around her!

"...That's fine, no problem." Wen Shaocheng stood up to send Liu Wanqi away, but Liu Wanqi didn't want to stay at all. He couldn't wait to gossip about the captain with his brothers!