Chapter 62: Fulfilling A Just Cause
Translated by: kevin1782
Edited by: Isalee
That soldier didn't seem to want to answer Gao Yang. He had no intention of doing so, but Gao Yang didn't want to give up just like that. After he waited for a brief moment, then he slowly said, “What's that? Where do you want to go?”
The soldier turned his head to the side, still not acknowledging Gao Yang. If Gao Yang was socially sensitive enough, he’d be better off by shutting his mouth, turning around and leaving. But was really persistent this time, so he was not going to give up until he got some answers.
After waiting for another moment, he lowered his voice to the minimum. “You killed people, didn't you?”
The soldier who refused to answer all along suddenly turned his head and stared intensely at Gao Yang. Gao Yang could tell that the soldier wasn't thinking about doing anything to him.
After hesitating for a very long while, Gao Yang spoke very softly. "I'm guessing the two people just now were your brothers-in-arms right? It's actually very obvious. No need to really guess ;and I could tell they didn't wanna take you away so they pretended to not see. So I think even if you killed some people, it definitely was for a good reason."
That soldier finally couldn't keep the silence as he looked left and then right. After making sure that there was nobody else around, he answered softly, "What do you wanna do?"
He gave a bitter chuckle and replied, "Rest assured, I'm not planning to rat you out to the police. I only want to know what you’ve done. To be really honest I'm just really curious. What exactly did you do? Even people from such a high discipline-focused unit are willing to let you go."
The soldier was silent for a moment before he growled, "Although I don't know what the hell you’re playing at, I advise you to keep your trap shut."
He shrugged and replied, "Don't be so suspicious. I don't really mean any harm. I just want to know if your case is reasonable not. Maybe I can lend you a hand. Left to your own devices, even if your comrades didn't rat you out, you wouldn’t be able to run far after you get off this train. If I help you, your probability of successfully running away would be a lot greater."
Nobody wanted to die. If that soldier really sought death, he would’ve already stepped out after seeing his brothers. Gao Yang's words really shook him. But a stranger that offered to help him for nothing? Nobody would believe it.
That man stared at Gao Yang for a long time. He softly asked, "Who are you? What did you wanna do? Since you know that I'm a soldier, then you'd know that I rather be shot than become involved in anything with scums. You better tell me your agenda."
Gao Yang pondered for a very long while and finally made a decision. ;He decided to put an ante in this.
"I really wanted to only help you because if the people you killed deserved death, then you shouldn't be shot. As for why I want to help you, the answer to this question is really simple. This is because I killed somebody too, and I've killed seven."
Hearing him self-proclaim that he had killed seven people, the soldier's eyes and expressions became a whole lot sharper and stricter. He didn't speak because he knew Gao Yang would continue.
"I also think those people deserved it, because they're all scumbags. They pretended to be a shell company, but they're really loan sharks that lent my father five hundred grand. After my old man paid up, he didn't return the IOU. He used the IOU to ask my father to give him another million dollars. I said that was the main reason why they had to die. The reason why I killed him and his henchmen was because they shouldn't have barged into my house and hit my parents in front of me."
After he was done speaking, he quietly looked at that soldier. He calmly continued, "The person and his henchmen I killed destroyed who-knows-how-many families. So after killing them, I don't feel guilty at all. I felt I did a righteous deed for the Heavens, it's just that I still have to run. If not, I'd be a buried offering to those dead scumbags. I'm on the path of running away right now and that's why I wanted to help you. To be honest, I'm scared right now and I think that your situation is about the same as mine. I just want a companion, that's all."
That soldier coldly replied, "How do I know what you've said is true? What if you're the scum who committed all those heinous crimes?"
Gao Yang shrugged and said, "Look at the news and you'll know. I bet that case will cause a really big stir."
The soldier shook his head and said, "I think you're probably bragging. ‘Cause I don't believe you've really killed people. You don't seem like that kind of baloney that would tell so much to a stranger."
Gap Yang was serious as he replied, "You better believe it, because whatever I said is all true, and the explanation for why I risked it was, well, there's no harm in telling you. I wanna go to Africa and be a mercenary over there. You are a soldier. If you listened to what I said and feel that I shouldn't be shot by the police, I hope you can follow me there. Rather than dying in the Mainland, even living as a runaway for a short period of time like this makes me feel like a Sword of Damocles is hanging over my head. Might as well work for it. Besides, I have a way of getting outta this country and bringing you out shouldn't be a problem."
Hearing his words, that soldier's eyes sparkled and lit up. He finally nodded after a long hesitation. "I will look at the news. If it really is as you've said, I at least won't rat you out."
Gao Yang waved his hands and said, "Now, isn't it your turn to talk?"
The soldier said, "What you said isn't wrong. I've killed people, not as many as you though. I only killed three. However, ever since the start of conscription, this is the first time that a soldier went off to kill three civilians during an army exercise. And so, regardless of the people from my unit or the police, they want to arrest me to take me to the trial. I didn't want to be arrested, and even if I were to be shot, that would have to come from my unit."
Gao Yang was puzzled and asked, "Why? Why did you do that?"
That soldier’s face immediately blackened with rage. He said furiously, "What else? Poor anger threshold and I’m a temperamental man. Military exercise was held in a district in the mountains. I was doing a solo reconnaissance (recce) mission, and in the end, I saw a b*stard raping girl who was about fourteen to fifteen years old. I couldn’t just ignore this type of case could I? It's just that I hit a little too hard and I killed him within only a few rounds."
Gao Yang was shocked, mouth agape. Then he said, "How was that possible? Wasn’t it too much of a coincidence? How did you kill that person? Did you shoot?”
The soldier replied indifferently: "Fire? I did not need my gun for a scumbag, my bare hands were enough."
Gao Yang scratched his head and replied, "Then why did you run? I feel that you fulfilled a just cause, so why did you run away? Even though you killed someone, that would viewed as courageous. Even if you are wrong, it's not that big of a problem is it?”