Chapter 91: General, You Must Stand Up for Us

Chapter 91: General, You Must Stand Up for Us

"General, you must stand up for us!"

"They killed three of my brothers right here! Look, the bodies are still here!"

When Brother Mink saw the soldiers, he immediately put away his arrogance and started to plead his case.

Meng Ci couldn't help but give Brother Mink an extra glance.

No wonder he's the leader; he's a master at changing his face.

"Lieutenant Lu, it's been a while!"

Meng Ci ignored Brother Mink's accusations and greeted the person in charge of the soldiers instead.

The leader of the soldiers was none other than Lu Chen.

Lu Chen didn't indulge Meng Ci's attempt to reminisce and directly asked, "Who will explain what happened?"

Meng Ci thought to himself, Lu Chen truly is an impartial man, not even giving a chance for pleasantries.

Initially, Brother Mink, dressed in his mink coat, believed he was doomed upon realizing Meng Ci knew the soldiers.

But when he heard Lu Chen's words, he instantly perked up and hastily spoke first.

"General, it was them!"

"We were the ones who arrived here first to chop down trees, but they, relying on their strength, tried to take the trees we worked hard to cut."

"General, you must stand up for us."

"And we didn't want to fight; they killed one of our companions first, so we had to retaliate."

The remaining five people from Brother Mink's group also chimed in.

"That's right, General. Don't be fooled by their small numbers; they're ruthless!"

"Yes, they killed three of our brothers."

...

Meng Ci and Shen Que did not offer much defense.

This wasn't about who had more people or who was stronger; it was clear that Brother Mink and his group were just too weak.

Although Meng Ci had only met Lu Chen once, he was certain that Lu Chen wouldn't believe just one side of the story.

Sure enough, Lu Chen turned his attention to Meng Ci and Shen Que.

"You two, tell me what happened."

Meng Ci said, "It's because they have no shame."

"Many of us come here to chop wood for warmth. We've never heard of anyone claiming ownership of this forest before."

"Now they see there are only two of us and try to steal the wood we worked hard to chop."

"Lieutenant Lu, you can't believe their words just because we're only two and less influential."

The few people from Brother Mink's side naturally supported their own.

With no resolution, Lu Chen called over two soldiers.

"You two, take their axes and compare them."

"Yes."

There was only one fallen tree on the ground, making the comparison straightforward.

Shen Que handed his axe to the soldiers without hesitation, while Brother Mink's group hesitated and refused to hand theirs over.

"The axe in his hand belongs to us."

"Yes, he snatched it from us earlier. Comparing them won't prove anything."

Lu Chen ignored Brother Mink's protests and insisted the soldiers proceed with the comparison.

Shen Que's axe was slightly smaller than those of the others, making the difference obvious.

"Is there anything else you need to explain?" Lu Chen asked Brother Mink.

Brother Mink, now resigned, admitted, "Yes, we did try to take their tree first."

"But this forest belongs to us. They came here without permission to chop down trees, so we had every right to stop them."

"And they injured someone."

Lu Chen responded, "As far as I know, this mountain is planned to be developed into a tourist attraction and does not belong to any private individual."

"When did it become privately owned?"

Meng Ci nodded in agreement. "That's right, Lieutenant Lu is fair and just."

"And they were the ones who started the trouble; we only retaliated."

Brother Mink's group tried to say more, but Lu Chen stopped them.

"Due to the recent heavy rain and the drop in temperature, half of M City's population has already died."

"Now that you're alive, it's already a stroke of luck. You should get along well and avoid any more fighting."

"Understood?"

Meng Ci hurriedly nodded, indicating he understood.

But Brother Sable still felt resentful in his heart. However, due to the guns in Lu Chen's hands, he reluctantly agreed.

The fallen trees on the ground were assigned to Meng Ci and Shen Que, but they also received an additional task: to bury the three corpses under the snow to prevent panic.

As for Brother Sable and his group, they should go about their business.

Brother Sable and his companions no longer had any intention of chopping down trees and left one by one.

Before leaving, however, they silently issued a threat, telling Meng Ci and Shen Que to wait.

Meng Ci wasn't afraid at all and instead waved at them.

"Brother Sable, see you next time."

After that group left, Meng Ci looked at Lu Chen with some difficulty.

"Captain Lu, how about we forget about burying the bodies?"

"After all, we don't have shovels or anything, and there might be a blizzard tonight that buries them anyway."

Lu Chen ignored him and waved his hand, and two soldiers stepped forward, each carrying a combat shovel from behind and handed them to the two men.

Goodness, soldiers truly are soldiers; their equipment is always complete.

Meng Ci and Shen Que could only take the shovels and started digging vigorously.

Never before had they hoped so much for a snowstorm from heaven.

Lu Chen didn't leave but stood nearby watching Meng Ci and Shen Que. The soldiers he brought began to spread out and chop down trees as well.

"Didn't you use that replica gun to scare people, did you?" Lu Chen suddenly asked.

Meng Ci hurriedly assured him, "Of course not."

"And that gun, I don't even know where I threw it."

"Good." Lu Chen stared at Meng Ci for several moments but saw no sign of lying in his eyes.

After finishing his questioning, Meng Ci tried to gather some useful information from Lu Chen.

"Captain Lu, when I came out today, I saw many residents returning."

"Didn't you set up refugee camps? Why are they coming back?"

Lu Chen replied, "They chose to come back themselves."

Last night, the government issued a notice that those who wished to leave the refugee camps could do so this morning.

Those who left would receive five packets of cold-resistant vegetable seeds, a box of instant noodles per person, and five cans of fish per person.

Since meals in the refugee camps required work to obtain food, they naturally preferred to leave with supplies.

Meng Ci nodded.

"Are you not worried that after they take the food and leave, they might return to the refugee camp once they finish the food?"

"And then find another chance to get food and leave again?"

Lu Chen said, "Their departure was registered. Within half a year, the refugee camp will not accept them again."

Hearing this, Meng Ci couldn't help but give Lu Chen and his team a thumbs-up.

Indeed, soldiers think comprehensively.

"Hurry up and dig!" Lu Chen urged.