"Men, take Sun Da away and execute him on the spot!"
This sentence echoed in the air like a doom-laden sentence, chilling everyone to the bone.
As soon as Zhao Mengsheng gave the order, the surrounding soldiers sprang into action. Their movements were swift and orderly, without a hint of hesitation.
They quickly surrounded Sun Da, clean and efficient, with no wasted motion—only cold, ruthless execution.
Sun Da was pinned down on the spot, facing the dirt, still having no idea what was happening.
The moment a rifle barrel pressed against the back of his head, a bone-chilling cold washed over him.
The chill rose from the depths of his heart and rapidly spread through his entire body.
This... was he about to die?
Realizing this, he sprang up like a compressed spring hitting rock bottom, struggling wildly!
"You're all insane!"
"What right do you have to shoot me?!"
This roar, imbued with terror, pierced the sky, and only then did the surrounding crowd snap back to reality.
They were all ordinary folk; the highest authority they had ever encountered was Sun Da, an arbitrary and tyrannical county magistrate.
Execution was a concept that had never existed in any concrete form within their minds.
Yet they all knew that execution meant killing.
Once that concept formed in their minds, the looks they cast at Zhao Mengsheng were filled with fear.
Even though Zhao Mengsheng was standing up for them, looking at the soldiers before them—with their resolute faces and eyes devoid of the slightest hesitation or mercy—they still could not help but feel a deep dread.
Some of the villagers even went over to Grandma Liang.
"Are they really going to kill someone?"
Grandma Liang had also stopped choking back her tears. The gaze she directed at Zhao Mengsheng was clouded and hazy.
Just moments before, she had been wishing she could skin Sun Da alive and drink his blood.
Yet if he were to die right before her eyes...
Grandma Liang dared not picture that scene.
With trembling hands, she stepped forward, wanting to say something.
But Liang Song stopped her.
Liang Song said to Grandma Liang in a firm tone, "Uncle Zhao knows what he is doing."
"Sun Da has been squeezing the life out of the common people for all these years, treating us worse than animals. Who knows how many human lives he has on his hands."
"Leaving him alive is only going to harm our folks."
Hearing this, Grandma Liang's expression cleared for a split second. She looked at the collapsed house behind her and the funeral portrait of her son in her arms.
Right—her son had given his life to protect the country and its people. How could she soften her heart toward these vicious villains now?
Once her fear and terror subsided, Grandma Liang couldn't help worrying again.
"But this is a society governed by law now. Executing someone on the spot might bring trouble for Uncle Liang..."
When Qi Tongwei looked at the terrifying scene before him, his expression shifted from initial shock to sheer disbelief.
A flash of doubt and fear crossed his eyes because he knew that in a society governed by law, even he did not have the authority to issue such a ruthless order.
Qi Tongwei's gaze locked onto Zhao Mengsheng, trying to find an answer in the old man's face.
Yet Zhao Mengsheng's features were like a sculpture, completely devoid of emotional fluctuation.
It was as if issuing an execution order was the most ordinary thing in the world to him.
What kind of immense power could lead someone to such a point?
Because of that shouted execution order, a subtle unrest rippled through the crowd.
Seeing this, the troops quickly stepped in to maintain order. They didn't even need to make a move; just standing coldly before those whispering people was enough to seal their lips.
Soon, the scene quieted down, leaving only Sun Da's howling and wailing.
"I was wrong! I was wrong! I'll never dare do it again!"
"Spare me this once, and I'll surely serve the country and the people from now on! I'll pay out of my own pocket to rebuild every house I tore down!"
"Whatever they say goes!"
Sun Da begged first.
Pinned to the ground by the soldiers, his tears mixed with the dirt, forming mottled streaks across his face.
Seeing that no amount of pleading made Zhao Mengsheng bat an eye, he immediately roared at the men standing stiffly like wooden posts behind him.
"What the hell are you all still standing around for?!"
"If I die, do you think any of you will get away?!"
Liu Qiang, Zhong Mao, and the others snapped out of their daze.
If Sun Da were truly executed on the spot, none of them would come to a good end either.
A moment ago, they had all been trying to distance themselves from him, but now they only wanted to save their own skins and avoid ending up like Sun Da.
"You have no right to kill people!"
"This is a society governed by law!"
After blurting out those two sentences, Liu Qiang only then seemed to realize what he was saying.
"That's right! You're soldiers, how can you point your guns at unarmed civilians?!"
"Even if Sun Da has done wrong, he should be put on trial and handed over to the court through proper legal procedures!"
As if he had finally found a lifeline, Sun Da roared at Zhao Mengsheng.
"Even if I've done wrong, it's up to the municipal police department to deal with me!"
"Don't think that just because you can mobilize the army you can act like a tyrant who can blot out the sun with one hand!"
"If you execute me right now, how are you any different from me?"
"You're just bullies who only know how to pick on people!"
Sun Da's words hit home with every single syllable, crashing like thunder through everyone's minds.
Zhang Chong was Sun Da's most fiercely loyal flunky—not just because of his obsequiousness regarding his official post, but because Sun Da had once saved his life.
As soon as Sun Da finished speaking, Zhang Chong immediately led his lacklings in a counterattack and whipped up the crowd.
"Having guns makes you special? Being a soldier makes you special?!"
"You just decide to execute someone on a whim—do you think you own the country?!"
"Even if you were the President of the State, there's no reason to casually execute innocent civilians!"
"Everyone, come and look! The soldiers are going to murder people!"
Liu Qiang gave Zhong Mao a shove. "You're the chief of the county police department. Magistrate Sun's abuse of power falls squarely under your jurisdiction."
"Take the magistrate to the police station, and then interrogate and convict him according to the proper procedures!"
Supporting his bulging belly like Zhu Bajie, Zhong Mao first shook his head.
Then, catching Liu Qiang's various cueing glances, he finally snapped to his senses.
If he could take Sun Da away, it would prove that none of them would face sanctions from the soldiers before them.
As long as they could survive this ordeal, would they ever lack opportunities in the future?
Taking a deep breath, Zhong Mao dragged his big belly over to Sun Da.
"Thank you for your hard work, gentlemen. Please hand Sun Da over to me."
Though Zhong Mao had mustered the courage to speak, to the ears of the soldiers, it sounded like the buzzing of a mosquito—completely devoid of intimidation.
They simply stared at Zhao Mengsheng with unwavering gazes.
Soldiers only obey military orders.
When Zhong Mao reached out to pull Sun Da up, a soldier shot him a cold, piercing glare.
He instantly shuddered and leaped backward.
"Are you still refusing to let him go?!"
"Are you really going to execute a civilian on the spot?"
"Do you truly believe there is no longer any rule of law in this land?!"
Hearing these words, the villagers could only find them laughable.
Not long ago, such words had rolled off these men's tongues as a matter of course, yet now they had become their own plea for survival.
What goes around comes around, and cause and effect always exact their due!