After finishing his statement, Fan Tianlei picked up some photos from the table and held them up, handing them to Qin Feng. "You can accuse me. I'll be waiting, but only after we've caught Octopus. Until then, you either choose to withdraw from the black boxing operation, or you shut up."
"As long as Octopus is caught and revenge is taken for our fallen compatriots, I will pay any price," he said, then snatched the photos back from Qin Feng and held them up, looking at the others. "What do you think this is? This is war. War knows no scruples."
"This is not the war we want. Our war should not be fought this way," Qin Feng retorted directly.
War could be brutal, even savage, but it should not be borne by women. As long as men were not all dead, there was no need for them to sacrifice for the country.
Hearing Qin Feng's words, Fan Tianlei's expression turned displeased. "This is real war. Real war leaves you with no choice."
"But I reserve the right to report you to higher authorities," Qin Feng stated.
"You may. But who will be your witness?" Fan Tianlei countered with a very practical question upon hearing Qin Feng's words.
After all, taking someone to a military court was a complicated affair, potentially implicating oneself and even leading to dismissal from the service. At this point, no one wanted to get entangled in trouble.
As soon as Fan Tianlei finished speaking, He Chenguang's voice rang out, "Report! I will! I saw the entire process. I'll be a witness."
"Report, me too!" Wang Yanbing chimed in immediately after.
Li Erniu, not to be outdone, quickly added, "Report, and me too."
"Me too!" Xu Tianlong said.
"Report!" Song Kaifei did not hesitate and immediately declared, "I'll testify as well."
As Song Kaifei spoke, Xu Tianlong, standing beside him, felt a bit surprised and kept looking at him.
After finishing, Song Kaifei saw Xu Tianlong staring at him and quickly explained, "Good guys always do this in action movies."
Before Xu Tianlong could say anything, Fan Tianlei's voice cut in, "Is there anyone else willing to testify for him?"
The remaining six members of the Red Cell team, who had remained silent, lowered their heads slightly.
"Good!" Fan Tianlei looked at the situation and said, "Six to six. Very good. I don't need to choose anymore. Six have already been eliminated."
Hearing Fan Tianlei's words, Qin Feng's expression remained unchanged. "I respect you, but you have disappointed my respect. Even if I am eliminated from your Red Cell Special Operations Team, I will never betray my soldier's creed or my moral bottom line. I cannot forget those things. I need to know what we are fighting for."
"Good! Spunk!" Fan Tianlei looked at Qin Feng and said directly, "I hope you remember what you've said."
"I will remember. I will use my life to fulfill the oath I took under the flag," Qin Feng's tone was extremely firm.
"Do you know your military career is over?" Fan Tianlei stepped forward, speaking with intimidation.
Hearing this, Qin Feng directly retorted, "So what? I don't believe that the soldiers of Yan Country would tolerate such a situation."
"And you lot!" Seeing Qin Feng's stubbornness, he turned his gaze to the others. "I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourselves. Are you truly willing to testify for him?"
"Report!" He Chenguang spoke first. "We joined the army with the belief of protecting our homes and country. We will absolutely not accept such dirty, despicable, and especially illegal methods."
"Report, I won't change either," Wang Yanbing also stated immediately. "No matter what we do, morality and our bottom line cannot be compromised. Even in combat, there are rules of engagement and a moral code."
"Report, I won't change either. This is not the kind of soldier I imagined. I want to be a decent and upright soldier," Li Erniu said.
Xu Tianlong also reported immediately, "Report, I am a soldier of Yan Country. I will always remember the oath I took under the flag."
"Good. After this mission is over, you can go and do what you need to do," Fan Tianlei said, determining everyone's fate with a single sentence. "But before that, you either participate or get out."
Not a single person chose to leave or abandon the mission.
Seeing this, Fan Tianlei nodded and said, "It seems you've all chosen to participate. Then shut your mouths for now."
With that, Fan Tianlei walked towards Wen Changlin, apologizing as he went, "Old Wen, I'm sorry to have made you witness this spectacle."
Wen Changlin waved his hand upon hearing this, then glanced at Qin Feng and the others. He lowered his voice and said to Fan Tianlei, "You've really gone too far this time. If you end up in prison, I'll have to bring two bottles of wine and a roast chicken to visit you."
Hearing this, Fan Tianlei said with a slight bow, "Would roast duck do?"
The lighthearted banter here was a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere surrounding Qin Feng.
One of the Red Cell team members cautiously said, "I... I'm sorry, I... I really wanted to join Red Cell."
Hearing this, Xu Tianlong immediately said, "Don't worry, no one blames you. But as a soldier of Yan Country, shouldn't you at least have a moral bottom line?"
"No matter what happens, I'll be with you," He Chenguang said, leaning slightly towards Qin Feng and lowering his voice.
Wang Yanbing, standing beside him, immediately chimed in, "Me too. In a narrow path, the brave one wins!"
"Me too!" Li Erniu.
Song Kaifei also stepped forward and whispered in Qin Feng's ear, "This is the first time I've disobeyed orders since joining the army, but I also think it's the right thing to do."
"Everyone has a first time. This is my first time too," Xu Tianlong stepped forward as well, lowering his voice.
Hearing his companions around him speak, Qin Feng felt for the first time that they were not the familiar people he knew. Perhaps his intentions were good, but his methods were wrong. For the sake of those fallen compatriots, Qin Feng swore in his heart that he would participate in this operation.
But no matter what, he would not violate his moral bottom line, which was also the moral bottom line of a Yan Country soldier.
Similarly, for the first time, Qin Feng felt a sense of resonance with this world and a feeling of belonging.
Because in his previous world, like most people, he was just a diligent worker. He wasn't some domineering CEO who could bring ruin with a single word. He was just a true reflection of most people.
He had always been the most hardworking person, but he had never achieved anything significant.
His arrival in this world was also an accident. He had always felt like an outsider, and that he might leave at any moment.
But at this moment, he no longer felt that way. He thought this world was quite good, and his companions around him were also very good.
And they had allowed him to create different miracles.