Chapter 54: Shifting Blame

Leng Mohan’s anger flared at those words. He glared at the speaker, saying, “Do you think you can shirk responsibility this way? You were his colleagues! You didn’t stop him; you joined in his mischief!”

The speaker, under Leng Mohan’s gaze, grew even more afraid. He knew he’d truly angered Leng Mohan. If he didn’t quickly find a solution, they all faced severe consequences.

“Camp Commander Leng, we know we were wrong. Do whatever you want with us; just let us off this time,” Zhou Lin pleaded.

Zhou Lin hadn’t expected the woman he’d harassed to be Leng Mohan’s wife. He’d just returned to the unit and didn’t know Leng Mohan had brought his wife back. Besides, shouldn’t he be with his cousin?

“Leng Mohan, how can you do this to my cousin? She likes you, she’s waited five years!” Zhou Lin glared, resentment lacing his voice.

Leng Mohan’s anger didn’t subside. He looked at Zhou Lin. “You know you’re wrong now? Didn’t you think about the consequences when you did it?”

“And Zhou Lin, don’t drag my cousin into this. It’s none of my business if she likes me. Five years, fifteen years, twenty years—I wouldn’t give her a second glance. I owe her nothing.”

Zhou Lin and the others dared not speak, only listening to Leng Mohan’s rebuke. They knew they’d made a terrible mistake, angering someone they shouldn’t have. Their only hope was to appease Leng Mohan and then find a way to resolve the situation.

“Camp Commander Leng, we really know we were wrong. Please let us off this time. We promise it won’t happen again,” Zhou Lin said.

Leng Mohan coldly scanned them, a mocking smile playing on his lips. “You dream well. But I, Leng Mohan, don’t easily forgive.”

Zhou Ling struggled to stand but his legs gave way. He glared at Leng Mohan, threatening, “Leng Mohan, do you know who I am? My uncle is the regiment commander of the Second Regiment! Dare you treat me like this? Be careful, my uncle won’t let you off!”

Leng Mohan scoffed, as if amused. He roughly threw Zhou Ling to the ground, kicking up dust that obscured the view.

Zhou Ling sat on the ground, covered in dust and shock.

He never imagined being humiliated like this in public by Leng Mohan. Leng Mohan, as if nothing had happened, coldly glanced at him and turned to leave.

“Leng Mohan…” Zhou Lin mumbled, clutching his face. Before he could finish, Leng Mohan’s fist landed, drawing blood.

Leng Mohan didn’t stop there, delivering several blows to Zhou Lin’s ribs. Zhou Lin curled up, his lips trembling, unable to speak, only glaring at Leng Mohan with venomous eyes.

Leng Mohan said nothing, only stepping on Zhou Lin’s face. His gaze was fierce and sharp, as if he wanted to gouge out Zhou Lin’s eyes.

Zhou Lin, a pampered child despite being a soldier, had never experienced such violence. Under Leng Mohan’s glare, he became a weakling. He closed his eyes, enduring the pain, not daring to look at Leng Mohan again.

Leng Mohan felt a touch of disdain. He knew Zhou Lin was just someone with money and protection from the Second Regiment commander; in a real crisis, he was useless.

“Stop!” A voice came from afar. Leng Mohan looked up to see a man in uniform running towards them.

Seeing the man and Zhou Lin on the ground, Leng Mohan sneered. He’d beaten the younger one, and now the older one was coming to protect him.

“Leng Mohan, don’t you know that according to military regulations, fighting outside of designated training is forbidden?” Regiment Commander Zhou Kang sternly addressed Leng Mohan.

He looked at his nephew with pity. His brother only had this one son, the only two boys in the Zhou family, the most cherished grandson of his parents. They would be heartbroken.

Zhou Kang, as regiment commander, held considerable authority. His voice was strong and authoritative, commanding attention. Leng Mohan felt a pang of unease, knowing more trouble was coming, but he wouldn’t let them see him back down.

Leng Mohan showed no regret for his actions.

“Regiment Commander, I…” Leng Mohan began to explain.

“You what! Look what you’ve done to Zhou Lin!” Zhou Kang interrupted, pointing at Zhou Lin. Zhou Lin’s face was contorted with pain and resentment; blood streamed from his mouth, clearly showing the severity of the beating.

“I just wanted to teach him a lesson, and he deserved it!” Leng Mohan said.

“Teach him a lesson? This is murder!” Zhou Kang raged.

His voice was filled with pain and anger. His eyes fixed on Leng Mohan, as if he wanted to devour him.

Zhou Kang felt immense anger and resentment towards Leng Mohan. He believed Leng Mohan’s actions went beyond a lesson and constituted cruel revenge. He wouldn’t tolerate it and would seek justice for his nephew.

“And you completely disregarded military regulations. You think your high rank makes you above the law?” Zhou Kang pointed at Leng Mohan’s nose, berating him.

His voice was filled with authority and righteousness. He believed Leng Mohan’s actions were a serious violation of military regulations and deserved punishment. Zhou Kang felt immense anger and resentment towards Leng Mohan and would seek justice for his nephew.

Leng Mohan chuckled after Zhou Kang’s accusation. His laughter was filled with disdain and mockery; he saw Zhou Kang’s accusations as unfounded.

Leng Mohan felt he’d shown great mercy by not crippling Zhou Lin. He didn’t believe he’d done anything wrong. He looked at Zhou Kang, a coldness in his eyes.

“Before you condemn me, Regiment Commander, ask your precious nephew what he did. Since you think I was too harsh and want to charge me, let’s bring in the inspection team to investigate. Then you can decide if my lesson was justified.” Leng Mohan didn’t back down.