Chapter 289: What You Say Doesn’t Count
Accompanied by a sharp whistle, the soldiers assembled urgently.
More than a dozen officers had thin sweat on their foreheads, their faces tense, their complexions frighteningly grim.
Members of the combat group in black attire coldly took over the corps’ alert duty.
Inside the train.
The secretary in a gray pencil skirt pushed open the train conductor’s room door, her gray-blue eyes seeming tempered with fire, sharp and piercing.
As the train conductor looked up, she spoke.
“An hour ago, two deserters left the train.”
“Deserters?”
Su Huan was slightly stunned.
A document on the desk about investigating armed corps officers had not yet been formally approved.
……
Su Huan looked at the sun in the sky, blazing and glaring.
Rows of soldiers stood closely aligned under the sunlight, like healthy corn stalks.
He didn’t know how those two fools picked the timing; in his previous life, he had deliberately chosen a pitch-black rainy night, even using the flood to cover his tracks, though he still didn’t escape.
But under this bright sky, should he send people to chase them or not?
Goat, Qu Hang, and other officers also stood straight and upright, ignoring the licking rabbit who kept winking at them with schadenfreude.
During the meeting a while ago, he was transferred to the crew, so he dodged today’s incident.
Su Huan circled around the more than five hundred people.
Among them were recruits who hadn’t finished training yet, and recruits who had just recovered from injuries and returned to the team.
The crowd, who originally didn’t quite understand the situation, felt the train conductor’s terrifying aura up close, and their hearts sank, knowing something had happened.
Su Huan finally stood in the middle of the group of officers.
Old Wu’s dark face turned faintly pale from the train conductor’s footsteps landing right in front of him.
“Not enough people.”
Su Huan said indifferently.
Goat, standing at the front, felt his scalp tingle, his forehead like a faucet with the gate opened, sweat pouring out.
Giraffe, standing behind, rolled his eyeballs, then turned and left.
Soon, Liang Kuan, Yu Yue, and others joined the ranks with serious expressions.
Facing the obviously expanded team, Su Huan showed no reaction and repeated, “Not enough people.”
Three minutes later, He Jie, with bandages wrapped around his upper body, led a group of wounded soldiers over.
“Train conductor, He Jie requests to return to the team!”
The resounding sound wave shook their lungs, slightly warming the crowd’s hearts that had fallen to freezing point.
He Jie might have this or that flaw, irritable temper, smoking and drinking, but he really protected his own.
Su Huan turned his head and saw He Jie with a cigar in his mouth, hammering his shoulder with his right hand in a sloppy manner, his eyes showing a hint of disgust.
“Don’t heal your wounds properly, what are you running around for.”
Hearing that Su Huan didn’t reject his return request, He Jie waved his hand grandly, letting the wounded soldiers behind him return to the team, then naturally walked to Su Huan’s side.
His grinning expression instantly turned ferocious and brutal when facing the corps members.
“Goat!”
“Here!”
Goat shuddered and stepped forward.
Although startled by He Jie, honestly, this familiar feeling was much more bearable than the train conductor’s oppression.
He Jie took a deep drag on his cigar and poked Goat’s chest with his thick finger.
“I’ve only been lying down for two days, and I hear you lost two soldiers in training?”
Goat’s cheeks bulged, as if gritting his teeth.
“Yes.”
“Bang!”
Before the crowd could react, Goat and the fat rabbit behind him flew out, knocking down four or five soldiers.
“Get up.”
He Jie’s complexion turned fierce.
The mess from the big battle with Black Kite hadn’t been explained to the train conductor yet, and now two more deserters!
He Jie, hearing this news in the medical carriage, felt like the sky had collapsed.
The armored train wasn’t without people getting off and leaving.
But since the train rules became more formal, no one had sneaked away; as long as they greeted the train conductor, not only could they leave safely, but they could also retain their armored train identity, and if the train conductor was in a good mood, they could even get some supplies.
Last time a soldier in the corps wanted to leave, he didn’t want to approve it, but the train conductor waved his hand and let them go.
He gave them both substance and face.
Today was good.
Two directly ran away!
Even their crew knew to say hello, but the corps he personally trained, the most disciplined place, had two run away quietly!
This was stepping on his He Jie’s face under the shoe sole!
Hearing the scolding, Goat staggered trying to get up, but like having drunk fake liquor, his vision went black and he fell headfirst to the ground.
With his Tier 1 evolver physical fitness, he still couldn’t stand up after that kick.
Seeing He Jie about to step forward, Mongoose in the crowd frowned slightly.
He said resolutely, “Report, it was due to Old Wu abusing recruits that caused the deserters, it has nothing to do with Lieutenant Goat.”
He Jie whipped his head around, his gaze first sweeping over Mongoose’s face, then rooting ferociously on Old Wu’s face.
This stocky man felt the strange gazes from his colleagues around him, and in his heart, he had already cursed Mongoose’s ancestors eight generations.
Looking at Su Huan’s half-smiling gaze, his throat rolled, unable to say a word.
He tried his best to suppress the urge to turn and run.
He Jie strode over like a raging black bear, his whole body’s strength accumulated to the peak, but he suddenly stopped when a tall and straight long-haired figure landed in front of him.
Su Huan stood in place, turning his head back like a wolf, squinting and smiling, “Don’t be hasty, let me hear what they have to say.”
He Jie’s aura stalled and gradually dissipated.
He looked darkly at Old Wu in front of him.
Abusing subordinates could be big or small, couldn’t withstand a thousand taels on the scale.
What’s more, this was the apocalypse, who knew what the train conductor’s punishment standard was?
“Who can give me a detailed explanation of what happened?”
Su Huan asked, looking at everyone.
The officers and soldiers were silent, a few recruits’ eyeballs rolled, but their feet were firmly nailed in place.
Mongoose stepped forward and said, “I personally saw him beat recruits four times.”
Old Wu’s face twitched, and he said angrily, “Train conductor, I admit I have hit them sometimes, but who doesn’t get impatient while training soldiers? Moreover, I didn’t injure anyone, how can it count as abusing subordinates?”
Mongoose confronted sharply, unyielding, “At least what I saw included choking throats and slapping faces.”
“Who is responsible for training the recruits?”
Su Huan asked indifferently.
Goat walked over and said weakly, “After Captain He was injured, I was responsible for training recruits. Veterans like Old Wu each train a portion of recruits, starting from when they were transferred over before the big battle.”
Su Huan nodded thoughtfully.
Dense footsteps came from the back of the team, the combat group in black attire and scavenger exoskeletons ran over dusty under Old San’s lead.
They stopped three or four meters in front of Su Huan.
“Train conductor, we have searched the surroundings. According to the train surveillance, we confirmed that after the two deserters ran out of the temporary camp, they were picked up by a small convoy with six vehicles and thirteen motorcycles, likely a survivor convoy from the storm zone.”
Shu Wei stepped out from the vehicle and added beside Su Huan, “We accessed the on-train surveillance. Within the surveillance range, Old Wu did have instances of physically punishing recruits, but it wasn’t severe.”
Su Huan’s gaze shifted and directly pointed out seven soldiers, including two female soldiers.
“You are recruits under him, right?”
This familiar attitude made Old Wu’s heart chill.
The seven soldiers glanced at the others with the corners of their eyes, not daring to answer.
Goat’s eyes flashed with surprise, “It’s those few.”
“Then why bother investigating? You few, say it yourselves, did Old Wu abuse you?”
The plaza of several hundred people was silent.
Under everyone’s gazes, the few recruits’ faces turned pale.
“No, he didn’t abuse us.”
A female soldier stepped forward and said.
When she stepped out, many recognized this woman; the first conflict between Mongoose and Old Wu was because of this woman, unexpectedly she had become a member of the armed corps.
Wrapped in green military uniform, the woman looked much fiercer and stronger.
“What about the others?”
Su Huan continued indifferently.
The woman nudged another female soldier with her eyes, and the latter hesitated before stepping out to testify for Old Wu.
Seeing Su Huan show no anger at all, the other soldiers fell silent.
Mongoose’s brows were tightly furrowed, wanting to say something, but suddenly felt her hand being pulled, and turning back saw Yu Yue gently shaking her head at her.
“So it’s a false accusation.”
Su Huan’s voice carried a faint sigh.
“Yes, it’s a false accusation. That woman was unwilling last time because she didn’t take down Old Wu, so she repeatedly made false accusations!”
Seeing the person with the highest status on the entire train listening to her, the woman’s ego swelled infinitely, even proudly winking at Old Wu.
Coming back to her senses, she found Su Huan already right in front of her, his eyes puzzled, “Train conductor, everything I said is true…”
Su Huan reached out and grabbed the collars of the two women, smiling faintly, “If it’s true, that’s good.”
Then he tore hard with both hands.
Amid the two women’s terrified screams and the crowd’s stunned gazes, a patch of white flesh jumped out.
“Ahhh—”
Amid the woman’s screams, Su Huan’s eyes held no lust, only cold chill.
He Jie behind him was initially surprised too, but upon seeing the marks on the two women, a deep disgust appeared in his eyes.
The woman who spoke had only some normal intercourse marks.
But the wounds on the female soldier behind were much more complex: strangling, burns, whippings… the bruises and purples hadn’t faded yet.
These were all evolvers; wounds that would take ordinary people two or three days to heal couldn’t stay on them for half a day.
Every fool present knew what had happened to the woman.
White Deer stuffed the muzzle into the woman’s mouth.
The piercing scream abruptly stopped.
Old Wu looked at the two naked women and panicked, “Train conductor, even if she has marks, it can’t prove I did it, right?”
Su Huan turned his head to the male soldiers, “Do you need my help too?”
The few soldiers straightforwardly stripped off their clothes, revealing shocking wounds that caused an uproar in the crowd.
The soldier said indignantly.
“Train conductor, it’s not that we want to deceive you, we didn’t dare say, we were really beaten afraid. After all, times are different, we were afraid he’d kill us…”
“And he arranged people to surveil us. Last time I complained once, he hung me from a tree and whipped me for over an hour.”
“He’d mess with us for no reason, sometimes coming to torment us even at night when there was no training.”
“We all knew about Wang Ling’s matter, but didn’t dare say…”
“…”
The few soldiers pieced together Old Wu’s usual behavior with one word after another.
This time, all the soldiers’ gazes toward Old Wu had completely changed.
Disgust, hatred, anger…
Everyone’s eyes seemed to hold a flame, wanting to burn him alive.
Old Wu could disregard ordinary soldiers, but Yu Jing, Liang Kuan, Lin Jin, Xiao Ba, He Jie, Goat… even the train conductor—anyone here could easily crush him.
He had to care!
“Don’t tell me they accidentally whipped each other playing games.”
Su Huan said with a squinting smile.
Old Wu’s dark face turned deathly pale, his pupils trembling.
Under the train conductor’s increasingly sinister gaze, he knelt with a thud.
“Train conductor, spare me this once. I was momentarily bewitched, but I’m not… I just, just wanted them to improve faster, yes, that’s it…”
Looking at Su Huan’s calm eyes, Old Wu seemed to foresee something.
His whole body trembled in fear.
Like a trapped beast cornered, the string in his mind snapped from excessive fear.
He raised his head and roared hysterically at Su Huan.
“This is the apocalypse, the apocalypse! I just slept with two women, why treat me like this?!”
“Who do you think you are?”
“You’re just evolved a bit faster than us, took control of the train, why act high and mighty deciding our life and death?!”
“Who do you think you are?!”
“Are you an organization?! Are you the military?!”
“Why?”
“And it’s not just me beating soldiers. He Jie beats and scolds them in front of you every day, have you ever cared about him?”
“You’re just a damn hypocrite, a petty person!”
Hearing the latter part, everyone’s complexions changed several times.
He Jie did beat people, but never abused soldiers; even if they made mistakes, he just made them train harder.
Regardless of male or female soldiers, officers or soldiers, he treated them basically equally.
Even Mongoose, who was disciplined the most by him, was never tormented into wanting to desert.
Instead, the repeated blows ignited Mongoose’s fighting spirit, wanting to compete with him.
Seeing the train conductor’s increasingly calm face, He Jie felt something bad was about to happen. He roared and kicked toward Old Wu.
“Boom!”
Amid flashing lightning, a clearly muscled hand grabbed He Jie’s tactical boot.
The terrifying strength was suppressed to a tiny area by this one hand.
The lightning illuminated that cold side face in flickering light.
Su Huan patted Old Wu’s shoulder and smiled mildly.
“Let me add one for you: people often curse me as a beast, I feel it’s much more fitting than petty person, what do you think?”
Feeling the electric light scattering onto his face, Old Wu’s built-up courage and resentment vanished completely.
“No no no… Train conductor, hear my explanation…”
“I I…”
“Train conductor, please don’t kill me, give me one more chance…”
This burly man seemed to lose his language ability and burst into tears with a wail.
One second cursing freely, the next hugging the train conductor’s thigh and sobbing.
Interestingly.
Even when cursing Su Huan just now, he hadn’t stood up.
His knees were firmly nailed to the ground.
“Do you know where you went wrong?”
Su Huan restrained his smile and asked mildly.
Old Wu hurriedly said, “I’m not human, I shouldn’t have abused recruits, I shouldn’t have forced Wang Ling, I shouldn’t have broken the train rules…”
“Eh…”
Su Huan’s faint sigh interrupted his confession.
“You have to know, on this train, only when I say who dies can they die… What you said doesn’t count.”
