Separating the crowd of prisoners into a path that can be used by people is just like in a subway station during the morning rush hour at work, there will be staff who will separate the crowd into a path that at least can be used by people.
The reason for issuing this order was naturally because Malashenko wanted to go in personally to see what was going on.
Malashenko would not be at ease if this matter were done by someone else. Only by confirming it with his own eyes can seeing be believed.
This is what Malashenko thought, and of course he did it.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!!! Do you want to get shot? Get out of the way!"
"Get out of the way, back off! Didn't you hear me telling you to back off? Get out of my way right now!"
The soldiers who received the order from the division commander executed it very efficiently. They directly used coercive measures, pushing and kicking the prisoners to clear a passage. They did not do this until Malashenko raised his hand to indicate that it was OK.
Stop.
Malashenko's goal is very clear. There is only one, which is the sneaky guys he saw just now, and it is obviously not normal to get together. So to clear the way through the crowd, he only needs to drive in front of these guys.
There is no need to go on and on.
"Maintain order. If there is any suspicious behavior, shoot and kill immediately without warning! Stay vigilant!"
The bandits, who were already frightened, would not dare to move again after hearing this. Anyone who is well-informed knows how terrifying the man named Malashenko is in front of them. It is simply too scary to play tricks in front of him.
It’s just a trick to seek death!
The five tall and thick warriors clenched the steel guns in their hands and stared angrily at the trembling prisoners in front of them, while Malashenko led Iushkin who was following him along the path carved out of the prisoner pile.
Tongtong came to the prisoners he cared about.
"Should we whisper or get together to discuss what we want to eat for dinner? Huh? Why are we standing so close to each other!? Didn't you listen to the rules I just told you? Or are you tired of living and want to die?!"
Malashenko's immediate response was a full-blown scolding. The main reason why he did this was to see how these people would react under pressure. This was actually a small test.
The more secretive a person is, the less likely they are to be able to withstand the test, especially when they are affected by timidity and fear. Malashenko is convinced that this trick should be useful.
"Hey...hey hey, it's nothing, nothing, sir. We brothers got together just to keep the temperature warm and to block the wind. Look, you guys pulled me out of the barracks and didn't even give me a coat. Feng Yi
It’s really cold to blow, after all, no one wants to catch a cold and get sick in such a cold weather.”
"...."
Malashenko did not say anything directly, but glanced at the rather glib guy in front of him in a noncommittal manner, then shifted his gaze to look at the "brothers" behind him, grinned and then raised his head.
Point your finger at someone and speak.
"No coat? What are they wearing? Are you blind?"
The prisoners standing at the front did not have coats, but the ones at the back were not only wearing coats but also cotton-padded clothes. The guy who was facing Malashenko had obviously chosen an unreliable person at random.
excuse for not observing the situation in detail.
Excuses and lies often exist to conceal the truth. Malashenko felt that he was getting closer to the answer he wanted.
"Name and age, and position!"
"...."
"Igokov, 36 years old, position...the position is to help think of solutions. In the army, it is called staff officer, probably."
Malashenko's question was answered quite simply without thinking. This guy named Igokov is most likely a liar. At least Malashenko couldn't detect any flaws in his facial expressions when he spoke.
People who are smooth-talking and lie a lot are often the hardest to deal with. They are like loaches in a pond, sticky and slippery, and very difficult to catch.
For a while, it was probably difficult to find any breakthrough in this guy. Malashenko, who had no extra time to waste, then turned his attention to several other people.
The few people standing behind Igokov looked relatively ordinary. No matter how they were dressed, how worn their clothes were, or their facial expressions, they looked like the lowest-level soldier bandits in the bandit den.
Malashenko just stood here and glanced around, staring, and these people were so frightened that they suddenly trembled as if they were electrocuted and even took half a step back.
Using fear or fear as a breakthrough point, Malashenko felt that this was a good choice to get closer to the truth, and his eyes immediately focused on a person who seemed to be the youngest and who was also the most timid and afraid of himself.
"Hey, don't be afraid, how old are you?"
Different from the angry and scolding expression just now, Malashenko's face-changing speed changed directly into a warm spring breeze.
"I...I, I am 19 years old."
"Oh? 19 years old. Why did you become a bandit at 19 years old? Why are you standing so close to these guys?"
While getting close, he casually asked slightly minor questions, making the childish prisoner in front of him feel that he was just talking casually and not specifically interrogating him. Malashenko had reason to believe that this would lead to good results.
.
"I, I'm not a bandit! I was captured by them! They asked me to chop wood, boil water, cook, carry dung, and do all kinds of work for them. They only gave me the worst food that was going to go rancid! I
I miss my mother so much, how sad it must be for her to be alone, I just want to go home, ugh——"
He started crying on the spot before finishing a sentence or two. This situation was beyond Malashenko's surprise.
However, Malashenko did not intend to speak just yet, because the young man was hesitant to speak, and it was obvious that he had not finished speaking.
"I...I don't know why I have to stand here. They pulled me from behind to stand here. I wasn't standing here originally. It's already very crowded, why do they have to squeeze in one more person? I can't figure it out
I understand why there are so many people standing in the same place. If the ground were made of wooden boards, it would collapse."
"...."
The boy cried, wiping his tears and kept complaining. It was difficult for the word bandit to be associated with such a person. And Malashenko, whose face and expression could not tell what the specific taste was, seemed to be thinking about something at the moment.
What, the smooth-tongued Igokov just now intervened.
"Sir, how can a child say anything important? If you want to know something, you might as well ask me. I still know some details."
"...."
Malashenko still did not reply, and was noncommittal. His lowered head kept staring at the ground beneath his feet, not knowing what he was thinking.
After half a minute, Malashenko finally recaptured the flash of inspiration and took it back. He stretched out his hand and made a simple gesture, followed by a soft question in his mouth.
"You just said that if the floor here was made of wooden boards, it would collapse under the feet, right?"