Chapter 4 3

It happened here!Bob.Lieutenant Halliberg saw the suspicion in the sergeant's eyes, who were only up to his chin.The sergeant could not hide his disbelief and distaste.The soldier was obviously thinking, why didn't the higher-ups send legal experts from the military and police department, but picked out this stupid giant from the US Army Intelligence Agency, which is in charge of military reconnaissance? It can be seen at a glance.replied the sergeant irritably.He didn't want to come here at all. Halliberg nodded.The rough tawny walls were riddled with bullet holes.The tables and chairs were tilted and broken.Even so, they can still be seen in their original placement.There are three rows with three desks in each row.Behind each desk sit two children.A large blackboard hung in front, broken in the middle.There are also Arabic letters written in white chalk on the blackboard.

Dried dark brown blood stains were everywhere on the floor, walls, tables and chairs. It seemed that someone wanted to paint this classroom with dark paint, but it was not yet finished. Halliberg closed his eyes, lost in thought for a moment.The noise of the street outside died away.There is still a breath of death here.He heard the children screaming, saw them running in panic, trying to hide under the low wooden tables, squatting on each other, calling for their mother, and saw the terrified eyes of the governess.Afterwards, the female teacher was found in a corner of the classroom. She was shot through by an automatic rifle 14 times.

He looked at the classroom from the eyes of the soldiers who rushed into the classroom.They likely believed they were hunting a terrorist.It's impossible for them not to know what they're doing when they shoot. Fourteen children between the ages of eight and ten, plus their teacher, died here.Only three children escaped through the opposite door and survived.One of them was shot in the back. What happened is unreasonable, unimaginable, unbelievable! Listen, let's not stay here too long.The sergeant said, you know, the local people haven't been completely pissed off, and the building has been safe so far, but

Enraged?What a strange word.The shock caused by this incident spread like a wave across Baghdad, across the country, and abroad.The U.S. military massacred innocent children!The Pentagon Intelligence Service, home of the US Department of Defense, is trying to create the impression that Islamic terrorists are using children as shields.In the past few days, large-scale demonstrations against the US military have been held all over the world.A U.S. patrolman was injured in a car bomb attack, but was cheered by the crowd.The Iranian government also issued a formal note of protest. Parts of the Arab world were outraged.The unremitting efforts of the past few years and the trust of the people built up through untold hardships have been destroyed in one go.

The fact that the three soldiers involved in this incident were shot and killed in the classroom by their comrades did nothing to alleviate the public outrage.This is the biggest mystery in Halliberg's mind. He is very confused, and it is also the reason why he, an officer of the Psychological Investigation Division, was sent here to investigate. The incident was very different from the soldiers he repeatedly encountered in various garrisons attacking local people.Halliberg knew that when a person lived in chronic fear of death, he became prone to excessive violence.Fear is a stronger motive for violence than revenge.But he had never heard of such a bloody massacre of unarmed and innocent children.And why did the soldiers attack each other?

If it was just a soldier who was insane and shot dead by his comrades, maybe it could be explained.However, according to the investigation of the weapons and bullets of the parties involved, it was shown that all four soldiers shot, not only blindly shooting at the children, but also blindly shooting at their comrades in arms!This is unprecedented in the history of the U.S. military. Can we go or not? Halliberg stared at the sergeant.He was African-American like himself, with a thin upper lip beard and a badge of valor pinned to his uniform.Such people are not afraid of the Iranians, but they have lingering fears about the scene in front of them.

Halliberg nodded silently, and followed him back to the bulletproof military vehicle parked on the school grounds. Sir, what do you think of this matter?asked the sergeant as we drove back through the streets of Baghdad to camp headquarters. Halliberg didn't answer. sir? Like most people, the sergeant eagerly awaited a thoughtful answer.People who dealt with Halliberg thought him slow at first, unable to respond quickly, and later, after getting in touch with him, thought he was rude.Only a few know him well enough to know that he will not give any answer until the time is right. Here a very unusual thing happened.The sergeant had long since given up hope of an answer, and as he turned his attention to the once again hostile street, he heard Halliberg speak.

The sergeant ignored Halliberg.In his opinion, this answer is very common.But in fact, this answer is unusual. I want to talk to Levi again.Back at camp, Halliberg said to Sgt.This is Saddam Hussein.Hussein's army garrison is now converted into a large prison.Jordan, the only survivor of the US military in this incident.Li Wei was imprisoned here.It was just to separate him from the soldiers who got drunk on duty or got locked up for some insignificant mistake. Levi didn't even look up when Halliberg entered.He sat on the bed with his arms around his knees, his arms wrapped in a splint.Levi, also African-American, was tall, almost as tall as Halliberg, less massive but muscular as a marathon runner, with a lighter complexion.

Lieutenant Li Wei? Levi turned his head, didn't look at Halliberg, just stared at the wall next to him, casually, as if still immersed in daydreams. How many children were in the classroom when you rushed in?Of course he knew the answer, asking this question just made Levi focus on what happened in the school house.This kind of fact-oriented questioning helps to distance Levi from what happened at the time. Seventeen, sir.He answered softly, almost in a whisper. how do you know?When you rushed in, did you count the children? No, sir, I heard later that we killed fourteen children and only three survived.His tone was indifferent and expressionless.

Are there any adults present? Yes, sir, it's a governess.We also beat her to death.Fourteen shots, as far as I know, sir. no one else?no man? No, sir. Who fired first? I don't know, sir. Lieutenant Livy, please look at me! Sir, I'm not Private Levy anymore, sir, just Levy. Jordan, look at me! Levi seemed to be struggling to notice the person he was talking to, his eyes rolling back and forth like a blind person.He was still in shock. What the hell happened, Jordan? We're hunting an assassin, sir.With a submachine gun in his hand, he shot at our patrol and fled into the school.We rushed to chase and chased to the classroom.He spoke in a toneless tone, as if he was talking about a report he saw on a movie or read somewhere.

Was the suspect still in the classroom when you rushed in? No, he must have slipped through the opposite door. Why didn't you go after him?Why did they stay in the classroom and shoot randomly? Li Wei opened his eyes wide.Suddenly, his tone changed, and he seemed to be crying, but there were no tears.I don't know, sir.Fuck, I don't know!I can't remember.We run upstairs.Corporal Miller was ahead of me.Suddenly, he stopped still, and Levi wrapped his arms around his knees even harder, as if to get behind.He rocked back and forth. Halliberg gave him time. Li Wei was silent for a minute, and then said: Then, my eyes suddenly turned red. You mean, there's blood everywhere? No, sir, it's as if the world has suddenly turned red.I felt something welling up in my heart.It's anger, it's anger.In short, there is no suitable word to describe it.He shook his head slowly. They haven't talked this deep yet.Halliberg tried again cautiously.anger?You mean, you piss off the kids? No that's true, I believe, and I'm suddenly very angry, but not with the kids Who is that for? All in all, sir.I'm just mad at everything.like, like Halliberg waited. Like I'm stuck with something, like I'm not myself anymore. You mean, like being possessed by a demon or something like that? Yes, sir, it's the devil possessed!That's right, that's exactly what I'm going to say. Jordan, there is no devil in this world. Yes sir, I know.But that’s how it was then, I was possessed by the devil. Jordan, do you think that your comrade-in-arms is also possessed by the devil? Li Wei thought for a while and nodded.Yes, sir, I believe, so to speak.