The young officers immediately jumped up from their chairs as if they had seen a ghost.
Only the brown-haired young man, who had previously gone to Rakishchenko, grabbed the booklet and turned to throw it into the fireplace.
Kishchenko did not stop him but said in a disdainful tone, "Burn it. It's just paper, and its spirit will eventually imprint on everyone's soul."
"Are you crazy?" The brown-haired young man stopped, looking bewildered. "If the secret police see this, you'll be thrown into prison immediately, and the entire Kishchenko family will suffer!"
Kishchenko's gaze swept over everyone: "Everyone has read Lajshchev's book, how ordinary people suffer torment and hardship while a few in power live in excess."
