The spy had no rights.
When An Xiaoxue, Xu Tui, and Gong Ling found Cha Yifeng, he was still tied up like a shrimp, and he had even more injuries than before.
Now that everyone knew he was a spy, plenty of people had come by to kick him or throw rocks at him. No one stopped them.
"Professor An, we owe you a lot today." When An Xiaoxue came over, Liu Tianhu offered her a brief word of thanks, though his voice was hoarse.
"Don't thank me. It's my duty," An Xiaoxue replied.
Liu Tianhu said nothing more.
Protecting the students was An Xiaoxue's duty, as it was the duty of every teacher accompanying them.
But it was rare to find someone as willing to risk her life as An Xiaoxue.
"Did the interrogation turn up anything?" An Xiaoxue asked.
Liu Tianhu shook his head. "He must have received specialized training, including training to resist drugs.
"Ordinary drugs that affect the mind don't work on him.
"That's how he passed all the layers of screening."
"We've also heard back from Jincheng Prefecture. His home, office, and Personal Communication Device were all thoroughly cleaned out a long time ago. There's nothing of value left.
"His family has disappeared, too.
"The neighbors said they hadn't seen his family for at least two days.
"He must have planned this before setting out," Liu Tianhu said.
"Then what will happen to him?" An Xiaoxue asked, pointing at Cha Yifeng.
"The higher-ups will handle it. Under normal circumstances, he'll be sent to a military court and face the firing squad. But..." Liu Tianhu suddenly gave a bitter smile and stopped.
"But what?" An Xiaoxue asked, puzzled.
The situation made her frown.
Xu Tui was completely bewildered.
Cha Yifeng deserved to be tried and shot. He had it coming.
Liu Tianhu suddenly took out an evidence bag. Inside were the two false teeth Xu Tui had pulled from Cha Yifeng's mouth.
They were made from Magnetized Tantalum Alloy, a special material capable of transmitting a signal.
"Their magnetization technology for tantalum alloy may have made another breakthrough. The magnetism in these things is almost gone," Liu Tianhu said, shaking the evidence bag.
"The magnetism is almost gone?"
An Xiaoxue's eyes widened. "Does that mean the Magnetized Tantalum Alloy will soon become ordinary tantalum alloy, unable to transmit the signal?"
"It also means these false teeth can no longer serve as evidence that he's a spy."
At that, Liu Tianhu took a deep breath.
"In this situation, we can still get him shot at a military trial. But if this bastard starts making wild accusations and manages to drag things out, he might still have a chance of surviving."
Liu Tianhu had only said half of what he meant, but his frustration was unmistakable.
An Xiaoxue wasn't the only one who felt sick with frustration at the possibility. Xu Tui felt a heavy anger churning in his chest, so intense it was almost unbearable.
An Xiaoxue kicked Cha Yifeng onto his side. "You really are a spy. Your people were thorough, and your schemes were clever."
Cha Yifeng clenched his teeth and said nothing.
That only made An Xiaoxue angrier.
Silence often meant confirmation.
"Scum!"
An Xiaoxue snapped, but she didn't hit Cha Yifeng again. Instead, she turned to Colonel Liu Tianhu.
"Of the two students who died, one was on my bus."
"I know." Liu Tianhu nodded.
"Your soldiers suffered even more losses."
Liu Tianhu's expression was grave.
"I don't like probabilities. I want certainty. Even the smallest chance is unacceptable!" An Xiaoxue said coldly.
"Colonel, we're still operating under wartime regulations, right?"
"Of course. And because of the ambush just now, the standard wartime regulations have automatically been raised to emergency wartime regulations." Liu Tianhu seemed to realize what she was getting at and answered immediately.
"Good. I believe we may be attacked again. To eliminate any potential danger, I recommend an intensive interrogation of this spy," An Xiaoxue said.
"Intelligence officer, take that down," Liu Tianhu ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
"I agree with Professor An. For security reasons, we'll use extraordinary methods to interrogate Cha Yifeng immediately," Liu Tianhu ordered.
"Go. Hang him up," An Xiaoxue said to Xu Tui.
Xu Tui didn't understand what An Xiaoxue intended to do, but he realized she was going to deal with Cha Yifeng.
He promptly hoisted Cha Yifeng up into a nearby tree.
Cha Yifeng seemed to realize what was coming. Suddenly, he cried out in terror.
"You can't do this!"
"I want a trial! I have a legal team! I want a trial!" Cha Yifeng shouted in fear.
"This is your last chance. Tell us how to contact your emergency network," Liu Tianhu demanded.
"There's no point. His accomplices already know he's been captured. By now, they'll have cut off every emergency contact he knows and started wiping out any possible loose ends.
"He's no longer of any use," An Xiaoxue said.
Xu Tui suddenly felt a chill. In that moment, An Xiaoxue's voice was thick with murderous intent.
"Lend me your dagger." An Xiaoxue broke free of Gong Ling's support and turned to Xu Tui.
Xu Tui still had the tactical dagger from earlier.
"I'll do it.
"Even if it causes trouble, I've already got enough trouble to worry about."
Liu Tianhu stepped in front of An Xiaoxue. The dagger flashed several times, slicing open a few cuts around Cha Yifeng's neck. Hanging upside down, he immediately began to bleed profusely.
At the same time, Liu Tianhu casually dislocated Cha Yifeng's jaw as he tried to scream.
Cha Yifeng thrashed violently, but could only make muffled noises. The harder he struggled, the faster he bled.
As a battlefield commander, Liu Tianhu had the authority to shoot spies who resisted when captured. But even as a commander, he couldn't simply execute a spy after taking him alive.
In theory, he did have the authority to execute him at will.
But Liu Tianhu was a soldier, and he had to follow regulations.
If he executed a captured spy, he had to submit a report to his superiors and clearly explain why it had been necessary.
That was procedure!
If his reasons weren't solid enough, he could even be ordered to write a self-criticism!
Afterward, he might also face a political review!
But with An Xiaoxue involved and backing him up, things would be much simpler.
Executing this spy wouldn't cause nearly as much trouble.
That was why Liu Tianhu had come to find An Xiaoxue.
"The intensive interrogation lasted five minutes. Spy Cha Yifeng died from blood loss caused by his earlier injuries."
The intelligence officer hurriedly recorded the statement.
Cha Yifeng thrashed like a madman, his face twisted with terror.
With so many wounds and hanging upside down to bleed, he wouldn't last five minutes. He'd be dead in three.
Watching this, the anger that had been pent up in Xu Tui's chest suddenly vanished.
What a relief!
An Xiaoxue watched Cha Yifeng struggle, her face full of murderous intent.
"I, An Xiaoxue, have always hated spies and traitors more than anything!"
With that, she turned and walked away.
Her words sent a chill through Gong Ling and Xu Tui, who remained behind.
To be honest, both Xu Tui and Gong Ling wanted Cha Yifeng, the spy and traitor, to receive the harshest possible punishment. They had even wanted him dead.
But wanting something was one thing.
Doing it was another.
Witnessing it firsthand had left Xu Tui and Gong Ling utterly shaken.
After a few stunned moments, Xu Tui and Gong Ling hurried after her. Gong Ling carefully supported An Xiaoxue, whose steps were a little unsteady.
Suddenly, they found themselves looking at An Xiaoxue as if she were a stranger.
"What? Do you think I'm cruel?"
"No!" Xu Tui answered, and Gong Ling shook her head.
"Teacher An, I just don't understand. Why wasn't a spy like him shot on the spot?" Gong Ling asked.
"Everything has its rules and procedures.
"The law is fair, too."
An Xiaoxue answered suddenly. "But a lot of the time, bad people understand the law better than good people do."
"So a lot of the time, we need to know the law and the rules better than they do. Only by understanding the rules and using them can we protect ourselves and more people."
There was a deeper meaning in An Xiaoxue's voice.
"What you experienced today has probably overturned everything you thought you knew. Once you arrive at Huaxia Gene Evolution University, you'll gradually discover that the world you're about to enter is completely different from the one you knew before!"
"Remember: the first thing you need to learn is how to protect yourself."
At that, An Xiaoxue glanced back at the tree where Cha Yifeng was hanging. "Liu Tianhu agreed with my proposal partly to protect himself, too."
"As for me, my reasons are even simpler.
"I, An Xiaoxue, hate spies more than anything!"
An Xiaoxue's last words sounded as if she were saying them to herself.
Gong Ling and Xu Tui exchanged a look, both suddenly realizing that An Xiaoxue might have a story behind her hatred.
About half an hour later, after the wounded had been dealt with, everyone boarded the vehicles again.
Normally, the seriously wounded were supposed to ride in the medical vehicle.
Cheng Mo counted as seriously wounded.
But there weren't enough beds in the medical vehicle, and Cheng Mo was among the less severely injured. He'd travel on the bus for now and receive treatment later.
On the bus, Xu Tui rearranged the seats into a bed for Cheng Mo and helped him lie down.
The guy was pretty carefree. He didn't need Xu Tui to look after him; after wolfing down a meal, he promptly fell asleep.
With nothing else to do, Xu Tui went back over to An Xiaoxue.
"Teacher An, there's something I want to ask you."
"Sit." An Xiaoxue got up and offered him her seat, letting him sit beside her.
"Teacher An, can you tell me about Cyborgs? Why have I never heard of them before?
"And that Earth Element Extraordinary User—how was he so strong?
"And what kind of Mysterious System ability do you have?
"How are you so powerful?
"You can not only block the plasma rounds from a high-energy electric sniper rifle, but also fly?
"Will we be able to learn those things later?"
As soon as Xu Tui sat down, he fired off a whole string of questions.
Gong Ling, who had overheard him, leaned closer. "Teacher An, I want to know, too."
"By the way, Gong Ling, is your Mysterious System ability controlling plants?" Xu Tui asked, then added.
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