Light Fortress

A stack of case files was pushed towards Gu Shen by the Judgment Chief.

Without looking, one knew that the file contained the official records of "A-009" and the "Massive Fire" incidents in detail.

"If you are here to ask about the details in the archives..." Gu Shen shook his head, "I can only tell you that I am innocent, and the truth of the matter is exactly as recorded in this file."

The old man laughed.

"Who cares about the truth?"

This unexpected response made Gu Shen look up in surprise.

Under the large-brimmed hat were eyes as deep as the Black Sea.

"Files are written by humans, and so is the truth," the Judgment Chief said expressionlessly. "The attitude of the prison towards high-risk individuals has always been uniform, better to kill ten thousand by mistake than to let one go. Last night's fire caused dozens of casualties... plus the two Transcendents who died tragically on the rooftop, these lives can all be attributed to you. Your first awakening as a Transcendent caused such massive destruction, what awaits you is not supervision but detention."

The air grew tense.

Gu Shen tried to shift his gaze away from under the large-brimmed hat... but it was as if some invisible magic power fixed him in place, and he could only meet the Judgment Chief's eyes, each second stretching as long as a century.

Before leaving, Nan Jin had told him that Mr. Shu would arrive soon.

In the upcoming interrogation, if he couldn't handle it, he just needed to keep silent.

But obviously... she hadn't anticipated that this event would agitate a high-ranking official like the "Judgment Chief" to come in person.

The situation was now far from the lighthearted one previously anticipated.

This Judgment Chief held tremendous power in his hands.

As he had said earlier, the truth is written by humans; with the stature and status of the Judgment Chief, just one command would suffice, and the truth of the fire case would be written according to his will.

He needed to hold on until "Mr. Shu" arrived... Gu Shen took a deep breath and told himself to relax.

The current situation was bad, but being anxious would only make things worse.

"Gu Shen, you're only seventeen years old, and you have a long life ahead of you... You wouldn't want to spend it like this, would you?"

The Judgment Chief gazed at the tense young man and suddenly frowned.

In the almost stagnant interrogation room, a very soft laughter suddenly emerged...

"You are not here to find the truth..."

After taking a couple of deep breaths, Gu Shen laughed, revealing his white teeth, "So... these two case files aren't really important, are they?"

The Judgment Chief remained silent.

"You just said that I belong to the high-risk group, posing a risk of losing control," Gu Shen kept his eyes on the pair under the large-brimmed hat, noting every change in the other person when each word was spoken, "Yet you personally came to interrogate me and even turned off the surveillance confidently... This hardly seems like an environment for interrogating a high-risk individual... Are you too powerful, or am I too weak... or perhaps, you also believe that I'm just an innocent victim."

The eyes under the large-brimmed hat were calm, signaling him to continue.

So Gu Shen kept talking.

"Your trip to Da Teng wasn't really for this interrogation, was it?"

"When we first met in the hospital, you were holding this file... And when you entered the interrogation room, you told me you had just finished reading the case files... Given the urgency of your journey, you could have easily finished reading this file on the way, which indicates that this interrogation isn't important. So... why did you come to Da Teng?"

"The only explanation is: Judgment Chief, you didn't come for these two cases at all."

A brief pause.

In a flash, Gu Shen connected several incredible matters... the phone number Mr. Shu had thrown out, that contract signed in haste to settle matters... All this happened too suddenly and too quickly.

It took him until now to realize, it was very likely that cunning old man had set him up in a "conspiracy".

"Could it be..."

Gu Shen tentatively asked, "Did you come to Da Teng... for me?"

Gu Shen knew it sounded narcissistic and unreasonable... but he couldn't think of any other explanation.

What was terrifying was that the interrogation room fell silent for a moment.

Then, the old man in the overcoat began to clap, and under the wide-brimmed hat, his eyes twinkled with approval.

"Young man... you are sharper than I imagined."

The applause only brought Gu Shen a sense of dread... He had guessed correctly, but he couldn't understand why someone of the Qinghe Judge's stature would come for him?

"This interrogation was just a pretext, I just needed a setting to be alone with you."

The Judgment Chief said, "Since you've already guessed, there's no need for me to hide it anymore... Gu Shen, I came for you! Since a certain shameless old man personally took action to recruit newcomers, I too had to make a move!"

Gu Shen was flustered in the wind.

If he hadn't misunderstood... what the Judgment Chief was doing now was "snatching people," and his motivation was quite straightforward.

Nan Jin's teacher had made a move, so he had too.

The Judgment Chief patted the file, persuasively, "Look at this case file, how beautifully you handled the rooftop incident. Awakening your power for the first time, you counter-killed two Transcendents, one sliced into pieces, one burned to charcoal, clean and precise, elegant, you are a genius! Join the prison, those guys at the Judgement Institute only know about fighting and killing... it's not for you!"

Nobody expected, after turning off the surveillance, that the murderous interrogation room would suddenly take this turn—

The Judgment Chief, hands pressed against the desk, spoke passionately, "I bet they told you that Judgement Envoy is the embodiment of justice, wielding the sword and crown... Bullshit! The East Continent Council has twenty desks, they only have three! And we... have the biggest voice! The most resources! The most advanced equipment!"

Gu Shen swallowed.

Just then, the Judgment Chief furrowed his brow and coldly turned around—

With a "bang."

The door of the interrogation room was kicked open.

Dust billowed.

The old man in the Zhongshan suit, leaning on a dragon-headed cane, slowly walked out, his hair meticulously groomed, a milky white ancient tree pin on the lapel of his navy-blue Zhongshan suit.

Standing at the door were Wei Shu and the burly jury, casting apologetic glances toward the Judgment Chief... they really couldn't stop this old man's entrance.

"Humph."

The Judgment Chief snorted coldly, the fervor on his face subsiding as he impatiently gestured for the jury to close the door.

This old guy arrived quite timely...

Mr. Shu pulled up a chair and sat next to Gu Shen.

"The surveillance is already off... so now there are no outsiders here."

The old man in the Zhongshan suit glanced at the corner, took out a signed and sealed contract from his chest, and flaunted it in front of the Judgment Chief.

Seeing this contract... the Judgment Chief was stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Mr. Shu straightforwardly killed the interrogation: "Since we both came to snatch people, I'll just say it— the person is already mine."

The atmosphere in the interrogation room was tumultuous.

Caught between the formidable presences of the two big shots, Gu Shen felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. Seeing that contract only complicated his feelings further.

It was clear that a certain despicable and shameless old man was in a very good mood.

The signed and sealed contract fluttered in the wind, proclaiming a complete victory for the Judgement Institute in this battle for recruitment.

"Old Yan, you can get lost now."