A trainee strode forward, trying to grab Qin Hao's collar. His hand was about to reach its target when it was firmly seized by Qin Hao.
"I think… you don't need this hand anymore." Qin Hao spoke calmly, a stark contrast to his previous angry and panicked demeanour.
With a slight exertion of force, the trainee's arm bent backward unnaturally. He screamed in pain and tried to retreat, but how could Qin Hao allow that? Qin Hao grabbed the trainee by the head and smashed it viciously into the ground. A dull thud echoed, sending tremors throughout the barracks.
Everyone stood speechless, unable to utter a sound.
"You…" Sun Tao was stunned. He had thought Qin Hao would be an easy target because of his age, but it turned out the boy was a vicious beast masquerading as a sheep.
Sun Tao quickly regained his composure and shouted, "Qin Hao, are you not afraid of being punished by the trainer?!"
"Punished? Hehe." Qin Hao chuckled lightly. "Not only will I not be punished, I will be rewarded for capturing a heinous criminal who killed his own batchmate."
"What… what do you mean?!" A sense of dread struck Sun Tao as he watched Qin Hao approach him step by step.
"Stop!" Another trainee rushed forward to block Qin Hao's path.
Qin Hao's right arm blurred. The trainee felt a massive force strike his abdomen and was sent flying, blood spilling from his mouth as he crashed to the ground.
Everyone froze. "Just how strong is he, to send someone flying with a single punch?"
"Someone stop him!" Sun Tao shouted in panic as his gaze met Qin Hao's. Yet no one dared to move.
"What's wrong?" Qin Hao sneered. "Weren't you very confident earlier? Where did your sense of justice go?"
In a flash, Qin Hao appeared before Sun Tao. His knee smashed into Sun Tao's nose. In an instant, the world spun violently as his vision darkened. A wave of searing pain followed, blood gushing from his shattered nose.
Sun Tao's face was drenched in blood and tears. He couldn't even open his eyes.
Qin Hao grabbed his hair and yanked his head back, whispering into his ear, "Who is it? I don't believe someone like you would have the guts to do this alone."
"Ith..waaash Chen Mo." Sun Tao uttered with difficulty.
"Good, now sit down like a good dog." With that said Qin Hao strode toward Han Yu. The latter went pale with fright, hiding behind the crowd.
Without uttering a word, Qin Hao struck Han Yu's neck. Han Yu's eyes reddened as he gasped for air and collapsed to the ground. Qin Hao then stomped on his head, producing a dull thud. Again and again, he stomped down with full force.
Soon, Han Yu stopped moving altogether. He died with his eyes wide open, frozen in fear. Witnessing this scene, everyone felt their blood run cold.
"What kind of devil have we provoked?!" In their eyes, Qin Hao was no different from a demon. Some trainees collapsed to the ground, wetting themselves in terror.
One trainee tried to sneak away to alert the trainer, but Qin Hao was faster. He kicked the man in the head, knocking him unconscious.
"No one is to leave or scream." Qin Hao spoke with a mild smile. His words sent chills down everyone's spine.
All the trainees were youngsters raised in villages, people who had never seen blood before. Qin Hao's sudden violence terrified them to their core. No one dared to even breathe loudly.
"Aren't you going too far?" the First Consciousness frowned.
"Too far? How naïve…" Qin Hao sneered.
"You… come here." He beckoned one of the trainees forward. The young man trembled, then approached with hesitant steps, not daring to meet Qin Hao's gaze.
"Brother… Brother Qin Hao… I was wrong…" He was the one who had testified that Qin Hao threatened Han Yu.
Qin Hao cut him off dismissively. "Break one of your legs, and I'll let you live."
The trainee was so terrified he couldn't even decide how to respond. "Brother Qin… I…" Before he could finish, Qin Hao struck his knee joint, shattering it. The trainee was about to scream, but without the slightest pause, Qin Hao stuffed a towel into his mouth and pressed down with his foot.
The scream died abruptly, reduced to muffled whimpers as tears streamed down his face.
Some trainees turned away, unable to bear the cruelty. Sun Tao lay paralyzed on the ground, regret flooding his mind. If only I hadn't provoked him… He wished he could smash Chen Mo's head with a brick.
Qin Hao then turned to another trainee, then one by one he pummelled each one of them to the ground without injuring them seriously. Half an hour later, most of them were bitten black and blue, bruises all over their body.
"Why are you doing this?!" the First Consciousness tried to intervene several times, but Qin Hao ignored it completely.
After finishing, Qin Hao exhaled deeply and stood up. Stretching his body, he spoke calmly. "Now then. Our fellow brother Sun Tao attempted to snatch food from Brother Han Yu. Han Yu refused. Enraged, Sun Tao assaulted him but was stopped by Brother Ji Wen. The three fought, and in the process, Brother Han Yu lost his life, Brother Ji Wen's leg was crippled, and Sun Tao emerged victorious."
Qin Hao's lips curled upward. "But how could I allow such injustice to occur? I subdued Sun Tao, a criminal whose greed led him to harm others."
Everyone was rendered speechless. The shameless shifting of blame was far too scheming and vicious.
"Why is everyone silent?" Qin Hao's voice turned icy.
"Yes! Brother Qin is right!"
"Sun Tao is a criminal who harms others! He must be punished!"
"Brother Qin is a hero!"
"Sun Tao, how dare you murder someone inside the barracks?!"
Sun Tao was completely dumbfounded. The sudden reversal sent goosebumps racing across his body.
"You all…" His voice was drowned out by the shouting crowd.
Qin Hao smiled coldly as he observed the scene.
Soon, Trainer Mohim arrived.
"Tell me what happened." He briefly glanced at Han Yu's corpse before speaking calmly.
After hearing the explanation, his eyes narrowed as he swept his gaze across the trainees. He then crouched down to inspect the body.
After a moment, he stood up. "So, Sun Tao killed Han Yu out of greed, and Qin Hao subdued him afterward. Is that correct?"
"LIES!"
"Trainer, I didn't kill him! Qin Hao did! He threatened everyone and framed me!"
"He is the killer!" Sun Tao screamed hysterically.
"Everyone, why aren't you speaking up? Expose him! The trainer is here!" Sun Tao cried desperately.
Most of the trainees lowered their heads. A few hesitated, wanting to speak the truth until Qin Hao spoke.
"Sun Tao, even after killing someone, you still try to push the blame onto others? How shameless." Qin Hao's voice was filled with grief. "Trainer, if I hadn't stopped him in time, another life would have been lost. Please punish him, or else our deceased brother's soul will never find peace."
"You devil… you're the one who killed him!" Sun Tao lost all reason, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Enough!" Trainer Mohim snorted. He sealed Sun Tao's mouth and dragged him away. Before leaving, he cast a deep look at Qin Hao. "I don't want to see anything like this happen again."
In truth, the story was riddled with loopholes. Trainer Mohim was no fool, he likely understood what had happened but chose not to pursue it. With everyone testifying against Sun Tao, his fate was sealed unless someone spoke up.
After the trainer left, the First Consciousness sighed in relief. It had been anxious to the point of panic, fearing someone might expose the truth midway and bring punishment upon Qin Hao. Yet everything had gone smoothly.
The cold expression on Qin Hao's face faded, replaced by an awkward look. He straightened his posture, adopting an emotionless expression as he tried to mimic the Second Consciousness. Feeling the wary gazes around him, he quickly returned to his bed and pretended to sleep.
"Did you see that? He's a demon. He killed someone and went to sleep without batting an eye."
"The blood hasn't even dried… how can he sleep?"
"Hush… he might hear you…"
"I swear, I don't want to stay under the same roof as him."
The trainees whispered among themselves, fear spreading across their faces.