The captain's roar attracted the attention of thousands of people at the scene. Everyone quietly looked at him for three seconds, and then with another roar, the whole pier became chaotic again. The speed of those survivors rushing to the boats increased again, and those boats that were already full of people left first, leaving empty spaces in the docks.
These boats didn't think of rescuing the people who fell into the water, they just scattered in all directions in a daze. For a moment, there was no leader, just like the birds in the forest, flying away in the face of disaster. Seeing this, Weng Li was so angry that his hair almost stood up. All along, he had been sticking to his original heart, keeping a clear mind in this dirty post-apocalyptic world. The survivors here were the most dignified group of ordinary people in Shanghai, they didn't have to suffer trampling on their dignity, they didn't have to kneel in front of others for a little bit of food, they didn't even have to sacrifice their wives and daughters in order to survive. But it was this group of people who were protected by the military, in order to escape first, they didn't care about the lives of others. Seeing the floating corpses floating on the water surface, the captain who was maintaining order didn't give the order to open fire, he just shouted in vain, trying to maintain order.
"Everyone prepare your weapons … …"
Weng Li's comrades looked at the scattered boats in a daze. The people on the boats just kept their heads down and rowed aimlessly in all directions. Some were heading downstream, some were heading upstream, and some were preparing to enter other waterways in a chaotic escape. As for suicides, they had no food, no place to settle down, and no soldiers to protect them. These people would definitely die a horrible death because of a moment of fear. Even if Weng Li and the others wanted to stop them, they wouldn't be able to. They only had one boat, and there were boats everywhere on the water surface. It was impossible to stop them. Weng Li shouted loudly, causing his comrades beside him to be shocked.
"Fire warning, if they don't listen, shoot them all … …"
Weng Li gritted his teeth and squeezed out this murderous order, immediately causing the soldiers who were preparing their guns to become sluggish. The second lieutenant at the stern was the first to question, "They are all on the same side, and they are all civilians, we are soldiers, but we are not executioners … …"
The second lieutenant's words caused everyone to stop. They were soldiers, and it was their duty to obey orders. On top of that, they had an even greater responsibility, which was to protect the safety of the people, and not to kill them. Weng Li's originally gloomy face became even more unsightly, he grabbed the gun of the soldier beside him and reprimanded, "Open your eyes wide and look, there is no organization, no direction, not even a goal, even if they run out, how long can they survive? Our comrades at the rear are using their lives to buy time for them, but they are wasting precious time. Order, we need to restore order, if those men steal all the boats, what will happen to your wives and children?"
After Weng Li finished speaking, everyone else was silent. Those who boarded the boats first were all strong men, they had no qualms about leaving this place to find a way to survive. No one knew what had happened to the upper echelons, the dock area was in chaos, seven to eight thousand people were squeezed here to fight for less than a hundred small wooden boats, and those who could really get a boat and leave would not exceed one thousand and five hundred people, the rest of the people would not be able to leave even if the army bought them more time. At that time, it would most likely turn into a disaster, whether it was the blocking army or the stranded survivors at the dock, none of them would be spared.
"Anyone who wantonly escapes will be killed, make them afraid, make them obey our orders. Our comrades are fighting for their lives, and they are blocking the retreat of the soldiers from the back. Are we going to let them waste the time that our comrades have bought with their lives?
We have done too much in the past, let them take it for granted, in the future, we have to let them understand that the way of the world has changed, no one owes them anything … "
Weng Li's words shook the hearts of the soldiers, they had always been under the orders of the higher-ups to take care of these survivors as much as possible. Even if they encountered some unfair treatment, they would be wronged in the name of taking care of the overall situation. Over time, they had also gotten used to this kind of unconditional sacrifice, just like now, even if the company commander said some harsh words, he still did not dare to really give the order to shoot, even so, the survivors below still cared about their own selfishness, disregarding the safety of others, the survivors who were protected only wanted to protect themselves, it was really not worth it to risk their lives for this group of people.
"It's time to let them understand …."
The soldier sitting next to Weng Li suddenly shouted, raised his gun and shot at a boat in the distance that was fleeing in panic. The boat that originally could hold 15 people was now only able to hold eight people, these eight strong men looked at the chaotic dock with lingering fear, while trying their best to paddle the boat to move in the direction of Tai Lake. The sound of gunfire was deafening, a meteor rain tore through the air, creating small waves on the surface of the water beside their boat, through the clear water, they could even see the bullets dragging a white trace underwater and drilling under the boat.
"Everyone calm down, in case we kill someone, when the higher-ups blame us …."
The second lieutenant was still the last slave, Weng Li shouted:
"If you are resisting in the front, and the people behind you cut off your retreat, will you blame them?
When a general is out in the field, military orders are not obeyed, we are the main rescue force …. "
At this time, everyone made up their minds, raising their guns and looking for their own targets. The boat that had been warned earlier was obviously not afraid, they loudly scolded Weng Li and the others, paddling the boat even harder, suddenly increasing the speed of the boat by a large margin. The soldier who fired the warning shot hesitated, turning his head to look at Weng Li. Weng Li also did not speak, raising his gun and firing a clip of bullets. Unfortunately, he was not good with guns, the chaotic bullets scattered everywhere, causing more splashes, instead making the guys on the boat even more noisy.
"Da … Da … Da …"
Five consecutive shots, five of the eight people on the boat had their skulls blown off one after another, the remaining three screamed and fell into the cabin, not daring to move anymore. The one who fired was the second lieutenant, whose face was pale, the second lieutenant's eyes were ferocious, he nodded to Weng Li and ordered loudly: "We can't let this group of cowards take the boat, our brothers are still waiting for us …"
As he spoke, the other soldiers pulled the triggers one after another, the concentrated gunshots shaking the river surface, causing countless splashes of blood to splash on the boats that were fleeing in all directions. These soldiers' immediate superior was the second lieutenant, and with his orders, the others no longer resisted. Although shooting civilians made them feel conflicted, when they thought of the helpless women and children at the dock and their comrades who were fighting for their lives at the frontline, they still steeled their hearts and bathed the boats in blood.
The clear river water was dyed red with blood, and the corpses that were shot to death floated along the water, rolling downstream. On the boats, the remaining men's faces were covered in blood, and their eyes were filled with fear as they looked at Weng Li and the others who were coming from the downstream direction. In the midst of loud curses, these men who thought that they had escaped the disaster were pointed at by the muzzles of the guns that were filled with the smell of gun smoke. With trembling hands, they rowed the paddles and rowed towards the quiet dock area.
All the boats returned to their original positions, and those men who had escaped the disaster were driven to the dock and knelt by the water, waiting for their verdict. Weng Li and the others then went ashore, and the moment they came ashore, dozens of soldiers surrounded them, all the muzzles pointed at them. In the midst of Weng Li and the others' bewilderment, the captain walked over and saluted them solemnly: "As individuals, I thank you for everything you've done, but as soldiers, I hope that you can hand over your weapons and wait for the punishment from above …"