Vice Principal Gao Shengxue could no longer bear to watch. Another one had come to join the fray!
And this one outdid even Gu Shenhong: the reigning campus beauty, a gifted law student, and, more importantly, a child who had been clever from an early age. In fifth grade, she had written an essay titled "My father, the county magistrate," which won second prize in an essay contest.
The moment Xia Mingyue stepped forward, the atmosphere in the auditorium reached fever pitch.
Quite a few male students who had supported Director Zhou automatically switched into devoted-suitor mode and joined Xia Mingyue's opposing camp.
Director Zhou's expression did not change at the arrival of this new challenger.
Among university students of this era, there was no shortage of those who liked challenging "authority." Some wanted to express their critical views, some wanted to show off their abilities and attract attention, some simply resented authority's lofty attitude, and others argued out of sheer reflex, just for the sake of arguing!
Zhou Yi neither knew nor cared which category these two students fell into. His approach could be summed up in two words: hit back!
"I'm not sure what gave you that impression, Miss Xia. Or, to put it another way, where exactly do you think I failed to follow due process?"
Faced with Zhou Yi's question, Xia Mingyue replied calmly, "Under the circumstances, I believe you had at least three alternatives to shooting Ma Erli dead on the spot. First, send someone to reason and negotiate with him. Second, seek another way to subdue him by force. Third, order the sniper to shoot the arm holding the knife!"
"The decision to shoot Ma Erli dead should only have come after all three alternatives had failed. That is why I said you did