When the cadets reached the summit, Zhang Fangxiao, still terrified, burst into loud sobs; the rope marks around her neck had turned from red to purple. The piece of rope, discarded on the ground, looked like a dried-up snake after the mud on it had dried.
Ren Minghang stood there in a daze, wondering what had happened.
Lu Xun’s face was ashen with anger. Xia You turned her head to glance at Zhang Fangxiao; first at her neck, then at her mouth, immediately silencing her cries.
She was truly trying to kill someone. In that moment, Lu Xun intensely felt Xia You’s rage. Had she not been stuck in the mud, no number of extra people could have restrained her murderous actions.
No matter how Zhang Fangxiao schemed, it was just a woman’s jealousy and hatred at work, but Xia You, when she took action, was genuinely intent on killing.
One who hadn’t handled a gun for long, a new cadet at the academy, who gave her such audacity? Afterwards, she didn’t show the slightest bit of remorse.
"It was the other party who provoked first; she was just defending herself," Ren Minghang argued loudly, causing the military triathlon to come to an abrupt end because of the incident between Xia You and Zhang Fangxiao.
Zhang Fangxiao was taken away by her family that very night. Her father, a Major in the Southeast Military District, arrived the next day, demanding a stringent investigation of Xia You, saying that after Zhang Fangxiao returned home, she had nightmares all through the night, on the brink of a mental breakdown, repeatedly crying out, "She wants to kill me."
"From the video footage, it was Zhang Fangxiao who went to entangle with Xia You first. She lay in ambush in the mud and deliberately entwined Xia You’s feet, which was why the dispute arose." Ren Minghang also reviewed the video afterwards, and considered it reasonable for Xia You, provoked repeatedly by Zhang Fangxiao, to have struck back in anger.
However, the Executive Vice Chancellor of Longzhi did not see it that way: "Even though it was Zhang Fangxiao who was at fault first, it was just mischief, but Cadet Xia You’s actions and the choking motion can be construed as attempted murder."
Both sides stuck to their guns, refusing to give in to each other.
The Executive Vice Chancellor didn’t quite understand why Ren Minghang, who had always been a model student for observing discipline and following orders during his days as a student, suddenly turned so hot-tempered upon graduation, "Well then, since Lieutenant Colonel Lu also witnessed the whole incident, give us your stance. Should the student named Xia You still stay at Longzhi?"
In the office, both pairs of eyes turned to Lu Xun.
"She is not suitable to stay at Longzhi anymore," Lu Xun’s statement sealed Xia You’s fate. Ren Minghang’s fingers tightened, his nails digging into his palms; Lu Xun had long been displeased with Xia You, this time he did it on purpose.
Lu Xun didn’t react much to Ren Minghang’s fury, because, factually speaking, if he had not jumped into the mud to rescue Zhang Fangxiao, she would now be indistinguishable from the leaves floating in the mud.
"However, Zhang Fangxiao is also no longer suitable to stay at Longzhi," declared Lu Xun. A cadet who only wails and makes a fuss after undergoing an ordeal does not deserve to graduate from Longzhi with a diploma in hand.
The vice chancellor fell silent for a moment, unable to believe Lu Xun had given such an unexpected response.
"Instructor," Ren Minghang followed Lu Xun out of the office, quickening his pace to overtake Lu Xun. Ren Minghang, having just graduated three months prior, was still a very humble and cautious young man. In the military, with its strict hierarchy, he had always treated Lu Xun with great respect and maintained pace without ever surpassing Lu Xun’s shoulder.
Just like countless soldiers in Hua Country’s military, Lu Xun represented an insurmountable existence to Ren Minghang. Strong and fearless, he embodied all traits of a soldier, yet only today did Ren Minghang realize that Lu Xun was a man of blind judgment, unable to distinguish right from wrong.
"This is the last time I’ll address you as ’Instructor’," Ren Minghang saluted and strode away. His rage had made him lose his reason; had he not left, he might have ended up trading blows with Lu Xun.
"They say women are the root of all troubles, it seems this saying isn’t wrong," Lu Xun watched as Ren Minghang walked away. From this military triathlon, some emerged from the mud, while others sank deeper. He did not wish for Ren Minghang, a young man with a promising future, to get completely mired in the vortex of emotions; therefore, he had to keep that vortex far from Ren Minghang.
In the cadet dormitory, Li Xi was restless. A day had passed since the incident on Longzhi Mountain, and Xia You had not spoken about what had transpired.