Chapter 58: Exchange

"Little brother, the surgery has been arranged now. Can you let me go now? The current situation is very unfavorable for you, but if you let me go now, I can assure you that they won't harm you. After all, you were just trying to save someone..."

Because of the continuous bleeding, the elderly dean was growing increasingly terrified.

It wasn't that he thought Shen Xing would kill him, but rather that he feared dying from excessive blood loss and leaving his old bones right here.

"Why do you talk so much?"

Shen Xing said speechlessly, shoving the muzzle of his gun forward forcefully.

Aiyoyo!

The old dean immediately cried out in pain.

Among the surrounding soldiers, the lead captain began shouting at Shen Xing, telling him to release the dean immediately.

Otherwise, they would not rule out using drastic measures against him.

However, Shen Xing turned a deaf ear and didn't take it to heart at all.

He was well aware of these soldiers' capabilities; even if they were stronger than him, the margin was very limited.

Merely with the weapons in their hands, they were not enough to shoot him down while keeping the hostage safe.

Helpless, the captain had no choice but to ask Shen Xing:

"You still have demands, you can at least state them, right? Do you intend to keep going like this until the surgery is over?"

Only then did Shen Xing smile, and say to the captain:

"I've been waiting for those exact words. If this happens again next time, remember to ask upfront."

With that, he lowered his head and asked the dean:

"I heard that the reason you kept refusing to operate on that female soldier was because someone in this military camp conveyed his will to you? I wonder what that person's... name is? I suppose the dean would be willing to tell me, right?"

The old dean froze, a look of hesitation instantly appearing on his face: "This..."

"Oh? Still hesitating? That ear of yours that fell off won't be able to be reattached if you wait a little longer. Are you fine with that?"

Shen Xing gently reminded him.

"..."

The old dean's expression was conflicted, but he endured it and said nothing.

"Ah, I truly admire you. At your advanced age, you're unexpectedly good at keeping secrets for others. Well, since you care so little about your ears, you might as well not keep this remaining one either."

After mocking him with a couple of sarcastic remarks, Shen Xing's voice suddenly turned cold. Holding the gun in one hand, he freed his other hand to grab the old dean's remaining ear.

Then, he pulled hard.

"Ah!!!"

Shen Xing didn't tear it off all at once with a single pull; instead, he slowed the process down considerably.

Consequently, the pain the old dean experienced was extraordinary.

"Don't! Don't! I... I'll talk. That person... is Zhang He, the officer in charge of military supplies."

Only then did Shen Xing stop, satisfied, and let go of the old dean's ear, which was now half-ripped to shreds.

"You heard it too? Officer Zhang He, who handles military supplies, who can go invite him over for me?"

Shen Xing said with a smile, looking at the captain who had just been speaking with him.

The captain furrowed his brows tightly. Shen Xing's actions just now made him feel that this person was extremely tricky to deal with.

At this moment, he almost no longer dared to entertain any thoughts of a risky rescue.

He felt that once they botched the attempt, the old dean would definitely not survive.

Adopting a wait-and-see attitude, the captain pointed at a soldier:

"You go. Lives are at stake, so make sure to ask the officer to come over."

"Yes!"

The soldier turned and ran off quickly.

The scene fell into a brief silence.

Having witnessed Shen Xing's brutality moments before, no one dared to open their mouths to offer advice anymore.

At the same time, a wave of gossipy curiosity stirred within the soldiers' hearts.

Ten minutes later.

A vehicle roared into the vicinity.

With a screech of brakes, a tall figure leaped gracefully from the passenger seat.

"I am Zhang He. Who's looking for me?"

On his way here, he had already heard a brief account of the situation from the soldier.

Yet, after walking a few steps and seeing the scene inside, he still couldn't help freezing for a moment.

Because the old dean's entire head now looked almost like a ball of blood.

The sight was as miserable as it could possibly be, looking utterly gruesome.

"It's you. Since you're here, come over. Standing so far away makes talking too tiring."

Shen Xing said indifferently.

Zhang He frowned, and reluctantly walked over to stand opposite Shen Xing.

"Do you know what you—"

Zhang He searched for words, but just as he began to speak, he was ruthlessly interrupted by Shen Xing.

"Alright, cut the crap. Let's talk about something real; the old dean doesn't have that much blood to spare for your nonsense."

Zhang He's face flushed crimson. Such a feeling of being rebuffed was completely unfamiliar to him, and he had zero mental preparation for it.

"What do you want to say?"

"Simple. I'm asking you, do you want the old dean to live or not?"

"Of course."

"Good. Now, kneel down and kowtow 30 loud kowtows toward the operating room."

Shen Xing commanded indifferently.

"...What did you say?"

Zhang He was completely stunned.

"If you don't comply, the old dean might be killed by me. But when all is said and done, it will be because you refused to lift a finger to save him."

Zhang He clenched his fists. After a moment of hesitation, he still refused to kneel, and instead said coldly:

"No criminal can ever threaten a military officer! The dignity of a soldier shall not be trampled upon! Go ahead and do whatever you want. The old dean has a backbone of steel, how could he possibly fear death?"

The old dean, blocking Shen Xing's path, raised his head, his face covered in blood, and looked at Zhang He in disbelief as he whimpered:

"Save... me, save me!"

Yet Zhang He turned a blind eye to this, raised his hand instead, and gave the order:

"The old dean is currently being held hostage, which means I am the highest-ranking officer here! Obey my command, everyone, and shoot this criminal dead immediately!"

"Wait!"

As the words fell, some soldiers had already prepared to pull their triggers.

However, at that moment, the captain immediately spoke out to stop them:

"No one is allowed to fire!"

Zhang He looked at him, bewildered and angry:

"Who gave you the gall to disobey my order?!"

The captain said expressionlessly:

"I simply don't want my brothers to carry the burden of a monstrous crime. The old dean is still in his hands, and we will never stand by and do nothing."

Zhang He laughed out of anger:

"Look at the demands he's making. Does he look like someone who would let the old dean go? Obey my order and start shooting immediately!"

"That's not something I should be worrying about. On the contrary, Officer, he specifically named you to come over. Clearly, as long as you communicate, the old dean can be rescued. Why are you resisting so much? Could it be that your kneecaps are more important than the dean's life?"

The captain had finally figured it out: Zhang He was simply hiding a guilty conscience.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a frantic rush to fight it out with the suspect.

"...Fine, I'll kneel! To save my fellow countryman, suffering a little humiliation is nothing."

Zhang He finally dropped to his knees and, following Shen Xing's instructions, began kowtowing loudly toward the operating room, thump, thump, thump.

"Tsk tsk! Magnificent! And those kowtows pack some real force. It's just that my hands are tied right now, otherwise I'd give you a hearty round of applause. Well, congratulations on passing the first test. Now let's enter the second stage: answer me this—if you step up to be the hostage now, you can trade the old dean back. Are you willing, or not?"

Shen Xing nodded in satisfaction, smiling as he proposed a demand that terrified Zhang He even more.