"You're saying it was President Ling who did it, so does that mean it was President Ling who did it?"
The second aunt and the others stood protectively in front of Ling Huanwu, pointing at Su Haiting who was spouting nonsense and retorting, "Who doesn't know that you, this toothless slut, like President Ling's man? I think you're just spouting nonsense!"
“Yes, yes,” Aunt Liu straightened her back to defend Ling Huanwu, “President Ling just risked her life to save us, do you really believe she would do such a thing? Don’t let this woman blind you!”
Their words instantly enlightened everyone.
The villagers who had just glared at Ling Huanwu turned their attention to Su Haiting and her group, their expressions demanding, "They're right, President Ling just saved us. You lot only know how to talk big all day, why should we believe you!"
"Also, is it true or false that the cemetery was bombed?"
The villagers, filled with righteous indignation, surrounded Su Haiting and her companions, determined to force them to explain themselves.
Su Haiting and the others had never seen anything like this before. They all swallowed hard, afraid that if the villagers found out that they were the ones who blew up the grave, they would be turned into graves on the spot!
Fearing something might happen, Political Commissar Hao and Captain Sun quickly pushed through the crowd and pulled Su Haiting and the others out.
As if grasping at a straw, Su Haiting grabbed Captain Sun and Political Commissar Hao and began to defend herself, "Captain Sun, did you just see Ling Huanwu at the Binhai Cemetery? Did she blow up the Binhai Cemetery?"
Her aggressive words left Political Commissar Hao and Captain Sun completely bewildered!
Captain Sun stammered, "We saw Comrade Ling at the cemetery, but we didn't see her..."
Before he could finish speaking, Su Haiting interrupted him, "That's right! Everyone heard it, right? That vicious woman Ling Huanwu was in the cemetery just now. She was heartless and deliberately blew up the cemetery so that everyone could move away from the island!"
"And as you've all seen, she's a fugitive! Folks, don't be fooled by her!"
Ling Huanwu covered her ears, which were being blared by the loudspeaker, and was amused by her shameless, blatant lying and blaming others.
"My mother-in-law is in the Binhai Cemetery. Do you think I would blow it up? Everything needs a motive. What motive would I have to blow up the cemetery? Everyone, think about it, what motive would I have to blow up the cemetery? It's you relocation team staff who are planning to blow up the cemetery and relocate everyone to the Northwest!"
The villagers looked at Ling Huanwu and then at Su Haiting, unsure of whom to believe.
Su Haiting, however, became so anxious that she jumped up and down, looking wronged as she argued her case, pulling several members of the demolition team beside her to testify.
As it grew darker, Ling Huanwu became increasingly anxious.
If this drags on any longer, we don't know when we'll reach the mountain camp.
Ling Huanwu completely ignored Su Haiting, snatched the tin megaphone from her hand, and began urging everyone to keep moving forward.
"Keep going. Although we've crossed the suspension bridge, it's still very dangerous. If a storm surge comes, mudslides could easily occur here. Let's hurry and keep going!"
Hearing Ling Huanwu's words, the villagers who had stopped to watch the commotion moved forward a little and turned around to continue walking.
Su Haiting wouldn't have it, and took a few steps forward to block the narrow mountain path. "You can't go, Ling Huanwu, are you feeling guilty and afraid that everyone will discover your misdeeds, so you're deliberately changing the subject!"
"No one is allowed to leave until the situation is clear!"
"Yes, you can't leave. You haven't told me where the big dog is yet. You can only leave after you tell me!"
Chu Mei echoed her, her eyes brimming with anxiety. She looked at Political Commissar Hao and Captain Sun beside her, "And you guys, how could you let a murderer escape? This kind of escaped convict should be executed immediately! Otherwise, you're just protecting a criminal!"
Captain Sun and Political Commissar Hao exchanged a glance, looked at Ling Huanwu with difficulty, and then looked at Chu Mei, "She can't really be considered to have escaped from prison. If she had, why didn't she run away? Why is she here saving people?"
His words made everyone agree.
Chu Mei choked, the words of rebuke stuck in her throat.
She stuck out her neck, furious. "Whether it's an escape or not, it's wrong of her to come out without permission. You have to put her in handcuffs and tell me where my big dog is before you can leave!"
"Yes, it's safer with handcuffs on. Otherwise, none of us can guarantee that this murderer won't hurt anyone!"
Su Haiting blocked their way and refused to let them pass.
Captain Sun had no choice but to take out the handcuffs he carried with him and put them on Ling Huanwu's wrists.
The handcuffs had just been put on when a loud "boom" was heard. A bolt of lightning struck the mountainside, splitting a large tree in half and causing it to collapse and block the villagers' path up the mountain.
Political Commissar Hao and Captain Sun, along with their soldiers, rushed forward and together rolled up their sleeves to move the large tree.
Dark clouds, like cotton wool soaked in ink, pressed down on the island, and a salty wind whipped up sand and gravel that pelted people's faces.
"One, two, three! One, two, three!" The soldiers' shouts were torn apart by the wind as they worked together to lift the tree.
As the large tree was gradually moved aside, the villagers, clutching their luggage, eagerly formed a long, winding queue on the muddy mountain road.
The narrow mountain path is flanked by a steep valley, with clouds and mist swirling below, a sight that makes one's legs weak.
Chu Mei, still clinging to Su Haiting's arm, continued to chatter, "Haiting, once this period is over, I'll have Jiuzhen get to know you better..."
Before he could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly broke out ahead.
Countless pebbles rolled down from above, their thunderous force resembling the end of the world!
"Run!"
The villagers were terrified.
Several young soldiers immediately rushed forward, their dark arms braced against the tree trunk, shouting slogans as they pushed with all their might.
Just then, large raindrops suddenly began to fall, instantly forming a dense curtain of rain, making the mountain road slippery and difficult to traverse.
"Is the mountain going to collapse?" someone shouted, and the already panicked villagers instantly erupted into chaos, all pushing and shoving forward.
Su Haiting's expression changed, and she abruptly shook off Chu Mei's hand, squeezing into the gap in front of her through the crowd.
She was quite strong; with a single squeeze, she caused the unsuspecting Chu Mei to stumble, half of her body already hanging over the edge of the mountain path, with a bottomless abyss below.
"Ah!" Chu Mei's scream caught in her throat, and she flailed her arms wildly.
At this critical moment, a cool hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Chu Mei looked up and saw Ling Huanwu half-squatting by the mountain path, her other hand tightly gripping the roadside rock. The iron shackles on her wrists gleamed coldly in the rain, and the rough edges of the shackles had already chafed her skin. Blood mixed with the rainwater dripped down, staining the place where the two were holding hands.
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