After bidding farewell to the heroes who sacrificed themselves for the nation, the special task force gradually returned to its daily training.
The members of the five major sects and ten great clans also departed one after another.
After such a great battle, perhaps the greatest gain was not victory itself, but rather the realization of a crisis by the entire cultivator world, leading to their subsequent unity.
One day, Han Lang quietly entered Song Heguo's office alone. He stood before Song Heguo's desk, his expression grave.
"Commander Song, here are the special communicator, the military rank, and the official appointment letter you gave me. I'm returning them all to you now!"
As Han Lang placed the items on his desk, Song Heguo felt an immense sadness.
"Regarding the innocent deaths of the Zhao family, I will do my utmost to plead your case with the higher authorities. Rest assured!"
Song Heguo knew very well that Han Lang was resigning his military post because he intended to surrender himself to the highest special investigation bureau.
The massacre of the innocent Zhao family, though with some underlying reasons, was still a heinous act.
If the special investigation bureau did nothing about it, it might cause the entire cultivator world to feel disheartened.
However, no matter how great Song Heguo's power was, all he could do was plead for leniency based on Han Lang's numerous contributions in the special task force. He could not interfere with the final outcome.
Therefore, he could only offer Han Lang such words of comfort.
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Commander. However, I committed these acts, and I have no regrets about accepting the responsibility. I only request that you please take good care of Tang Geng, Tang Qin, and Brother Ma. They only acted under my orders."
Song Heguo did not say much more.
He knew perfectly well whether Ma Long and Tang Qin had acted under Han Lang's orders to assist him in committing grave mistakes when dealing with the Zhao family's grievances.
However, since Han Lang was willing to take full responsibility, he did not want to see these promising individuals from the military suffer any setbacks.
"Rest assured! I have this matter handled. By the way, do you want Deputy Dan to accompany you to the capital?"
Han Lang shook his head.
"There's no need to trouble Deputy Dan. I can go by myself. Commander Song, if the final verdict is not to my liking, I would like to request that you secure some opportunities for me to visit home. I haven't had a proper gathering with my family in a long time!"
Song Heguo nodded.
"That's absolutely no problem!"
Having received Song Heguo's promise, Han Lang nodded and turned to leave.
Watching his retreating back, Song Heguo couldn't help but sigh with regret.
Not long after, Liu Xiaoxiao and Tang Qin, along with two others, rushed into Song Heguo's office.
They were all out of breath and immediately asked upon entering.
"Commander! Where is Han Lang?"
Song Heguo looked surprised.
"He's already left. What's wrong? Didn't he say goodbye to you?"
"Left?"
Ma Long was astonished. He was about to chase after Han Lang but was stopped by Song Heguo.
"Don't chase him! The plane must have already taken off. Besides, if he didn't say goodbye, it's likely because he didn't want you to worry. Chasing him now will only deepen his reluctance to leave!"
Hearing this, Ma Long's face fell with disappointment.
His life had been changed by Han Lang, and now that Han Lang was in trouble, he still wanted to protect him, which made him feel incredibly distressed.
Seeing this, Liu Xiaoxiao quickly placed a scroll in her hand before Song Heguo.
"Commander, you and I both know the reasons behind Han Lang's actions. While he made mistakes, his intentions are understandable. We don't want you to help him escape punishment, but rather to do something to help him. Therefore, we have united all the senior officers of the special task force and all the soldiers of the First Army to jointly sign a petition. We wonder if this will be beneficial to Han Lang's final judgment?"
Song Heguo took the scroll with surprise and opened it to find it densely covered with the signatures of various soldiers.
This included Dan Nan and Liu Xiaoxiao.
"When did you do this?"
Song Heguo quickly inquired.
"After the memorial service, we guessed that Han Lang would go to surrender. To lessen the severity of his conviction by the special investigation bureau, we quickly gathered the soldiers to do this. Commander, will this be useful?"
Song Heguo quickly affirmed.
"Of course, it's useful! With so many soldiers pleading together, the special investigation bureau will definitely consider it carefully. This is much more useful than my words alone! Quickly, without delay, let's all head to the capital immediately. We must deliver this to the Supreme Special Court before Han Lang's case is tried!"
With that, Song Heguo hurried out from behind his desk.
Liu Xiaoxiao and the others also hurried to follow.
As they stepped out, Dan Nan saw Song Heguo's actions, immediately understood, and quickly ran to arrange a plane at the airport.
On the way, Ma Long, filled with worry, finally couldn't help but ask.
"Commander Song, can you tell me what the special investigation bureau's approximate final judgment will be for Young Master Han?"
"Sigh!" Song Heguo sighed.
"Han Lang's act of revenge was truly too egregious. The Zhao family members killed at the hotel numbered almost a hundred. By ordinary legal standards, it would be difficult to avoid the death penalty!"
Ma Long instantly panicked.
"That serious? But he is a hero of the military. Can't his contributions be used as a bargaining chip for merit to offset the crime?"
Song Heguo nodded.
"It should be considered. However, it's hard to say. The higher-ups in the special investigation bureau will also find this situation difficult. On one hand, like us, they don't want the country to lose such a talent. But if the law is not strictly enforced, the entire cultivator world might not be appeased. If some malicious individuals exploit this situation, it would be detrimental to the stability of the entire cultivator world. Therefore, even with Han Lang's significant contributions, he cannot be completely absolved. The key lies in how the special investigation bureau weighs the pros and cons!"
After Song Heguo finished speaking, Ma Long and the others finally understood his meaning.
In other words, Han Lang's case was no longer a simple one.
His trial would depend on its impact on the overall situation.
If, after deliberation, the bureau concluded that Han Lang's case would not cause unrest in the cultivator world, they could also do the special task force a favor.
However, if public sentiment was strong, they would have to uphold the law and enforce national law strictly.
"What if I bear it with him? Can it reduce his punishment?" Tang Geng couldn't help but ask at this point.
Upon hearing this suggestion, Tang Qin and Ma Long also voiced their agreement.
They were all willing to share the consequences with Han Lang.
But Song Heguo shook his head.
"It won't. The principal offender is the principal offender, and the accomplice is the accomplice. Adding more people to the case will not change the decision on Han Lang's punishment. All we can do now is to do our best and leave the rest to fate!"