Judgment

"Head hurts.

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Who knew how much time had passed.

A thought surfaced in Gu Shen's mind.

"My head hurts."

Though there was no sound around him, it felt as if a tsunami had swept through his mind... a silent roar churned and boiled. Gu Shen felt like a fallen leaf. He could vaguely sense that his limbs were lying still, yet it also felt as though he had been thrown into a drum, spinning wildly.

He struggled to open his eyes. A blazing lamp shone on his face.

"Hiss..."

Fine threads of pain surged through his entire body. Even moving a single finger was difficult.

"You're awake."

A familiar, cool female voice.

Gu Shen tried hard to turn his head. This simple movement nearly drained all his strength.

It was a spacious white hospital room, exceptionally quiet at the moment, with only the slow ticking of the wall clock.

Nan Jin sat by the bed with a long sword and short sword in her arms. Her trench coat was slightly open, revealing the alluring curves outlined by her black bodysuit. In Gu Shen's eyes, her figure appeared as three or four swaying images gradually overlapping.

She was simply too distinctive, so he recognized her even through the double vision.

"Have you been taking care of me this whole time..." Gu Shen smiled warmly and said earnestly, "Thank you, Big Sis Nan Jin."

The moment the words "Big Sis" left his mouth, a faint click came from the scabbard in Nan Jin's arms.

"Don't misunderstand. I was merely following my teacher's orders."

She replied coldly, "And the doctors and nurses at Da Teng Hospital are the ones who took care of you... I didn't do anything. I merely waited here."

"You're too modest, too modest."

Gu Shen did not see it that way.

During the earlier assassination in the Great Fire, he had overdrawn his mental strength and used the Truth Ruler just to barely stay alive... Looking at it now, if he had stayed overnight in the Interrogation Room, how could there have been so much trouble?

Those two people who had been so terrifying to him were probably nothing worth mentioning in front of this woman, right?

With this big sister beside him, he was safe.

He let out a long, contented breath. Gu Shen now felt both lingering fear and gratitude—grateful that he had managed to make that call in the end...

But then Gu Shen's eyelids twitched.

He was currently wearing a hospital gown. Feeling around, he found both pockets completely empty... He had been poor to begin with, so money did not matter.

But the Truth Ruler was gone!

"Nan Jin, Big..." Gu Shen cautiously began, then changed his form of address after reading her expression. "Big Brother Nan Jin, how long have I been lying here?"

This time, the scabbard did not emit any chill.

Nan Jin glanced at the clock and said irritably, "Twenty-eight hours have passed since the call ended and you were brought here. The doctor examined you and said there was nothing wrong with your body. You just needed to sleep... Are you a pig? How could you sleep for so long?"

He had slept for that long... Even Gu Shen felt a little embarrassed.

Scratching his head, he asked, "So... how did I get here?"

"You don't remember?"

Nan Jin frowned. She activated the projection in the room, and a news report came into view... A sudden fire had broken out in a residential area along Da Teng City's northern ring.

"The people trying to kill you started that fire. They thought you were an ordinary person without powers... But they didn't expect that, at the critical moment, you would awaken as a Transcendent, and with power of an extremely high sequence."

As Nan Jin spoke, she noticed that something was off about Gu Shen's expression.

"What... is wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" she asked with concern.

"No... it's nothing." Gu Shen rubbed his brow.

What was going on... From Nan Jin's tone, they seemed to have concluded that he was also a Transcendent with that sort of power. Still, that was understandable. The bloody scene on the rooftop could not be explained away with any other excuse.

But from what she had just said, the Truth Ruler had not been exposed.

Big Orange had probably taken it away... That was good news.

Gu Shen steadied himself, then suddenly heard Nan Jin ask, "What did awakening as a Transcendent feel like?"

"..." Gu Shen tried his best to look as though he were recalling it. "It was painful. It felt like all the strength in my body had been drained... I don't have a drop left now."

Nan Jin comforted him, "The greater a Transcendent's power, the heavier the burden they bear. I saw the scene on the rooftop... The power you awakened was so strong that overdrawing yourself is perfectly normal. There is no need to worry."

Gu Shen was somewhat concerned. "About those two people... I won't have to bear any responsibility, will I?"

"Don't worry. People who do such things hide underground, unable to see the light." Nan Jin's attitude was surprisingly gentle. "Besides, you are now one of the Adjudication Court. No one will dare bully you from now on... After all, even when beating a dog, one must consider its owner."

"That's good..." Gu Shen sighed in relief, then abruptly sprang upright, his face full of disbelief. "Wait—"

"What did you just say? I'm from what court?!"

"Ad-ju-di-ca-tion Court."

"Adjudication of what?"

"Ad-ju-di-ca-tion Court."

Nan Jin was unusually patient as she taught Gu Shen to pronounce those three words. With a hint of teasing, she took out a paper contract. "Here... the agreement you signed before being sent to the hospital. Sir signed and pressed his thumbprint for you."

The contract was densely packed with words. Gu Shen looked at it as though it were a death warrant, his head spinning. Finally, he saw his own crooked signature in the lower-right corner, along with a red thumbprint pressed in ink.

"What era is this? Signing and thumbprinting?!"

Gu Shen spat and tore up the contract. "You people are abducting an innocent young man by force. I'm not staying in this hospital anymore!"

"Teacher already guessed you would react like this. That one was only a copy..."

Nan Jin shrugged indifferently. She slid back in her chair, watching scraps of paper flutter down between them, and said calmly, "You can leave the hospital if you want. If I remember correctly, the hospitalization fees come to 138,000 yuan. Please settle them yourself."

Gu Shen: "???"

"Teacher specifically instructed them to use the most expensive medical equipment. We also gave you a full physical examination while we were at it. The report is here. Want to take a look? Your physical condition is pretty good." Nan Jin took out another report.

Gu Shen sat there dumbfounded.

"By the way, we checked your bank account last night. Your total balance is approximately 5,000 yuan." Nan Jin leisurely asked, "Even without that fire, you would barely be able to pay next month's rent, right?"

Seeing the boy's despondent expression, Nan Jin pressed her advantage. "And you do not seem to understand what comes next... If you do not join the Adjudication Court, then because you are implicated in the two Transcendent incidents involving A-009 and the Great Fire, you will be sent to the Interrogation Room once again. This interrogation will not be so simple. The people from the Prison Institute are watching hungrily. You may be placed on the Uncontrolled List—at best, strictly monitored; at worst, directly imprisoned."

Nan Jin put away the report. A victor's smile actually appeared on her eternally icy face as she said, "Think it over. If you obediently submit, not only will the hospital bill be covered, but the losses from the fire can also be reimbursed. As for the coming interrogation, Teacher will personally step in and bail you out of the Prison Institute's hands."

What a wicked woman, what a wicked woman!

Gu Shen gritted his teeth and glared at Nan Jin's lovely face. It was rare to see her smile, but he had not expected it to be so infuriating! Her pretty face practically read: shamelessly despicable, just give in to us already.

After a long silence.

"Do I even have a choice?"

Gu Shen let out a long sigh of resignation and held his forehead. "If I go with you, there definitely won't be any shortage of killing and arson in the future... Can Big Brother look after me a little more?"

"Of course!"

Done.

Nan Jin patted her new underling's shoulder in satisfaction. She took out a silver badge from inside her trench coat and handed it to Gu Shen. "We are messengers of justice. We have nothing to do with killing and arson... Do you see the words on the badge?"

Gu Shen stroked the badge. It was about half the size of his palm and made of some unknown material, with an exquisite texture. On its face were two crossed blades, crafted with extraordinary detail, every pattern clear and finely rendered.

Below the blades were two words.

"Ad... jud..."

Gu Shen paused and murmured softly.

"Wrong—"

Nan Jin curled her finger and flicked the very top of the badge, producing a clear, crisp clang.

Only then did Gu Shen notice a crown above the crossed blades. Within the crown were two roughly engraved cursive words, hidden within it and positioned above the blades, quite inconspicuously.

"It is... Justice! Adjudication!" Nan Jin said in a low voice. "Above the crown lies justice! Beneath the blades lies adjudication!"

Above the crown lies justice!

Beneath the blades lies adjudication!

Gu Shen said nothing more. He merely rubbed the badge with his fingers, his expression growing complicated.

Nan Jin glanced at the clock and sat upright. "By my estimate, those people from the Prison Institute should be arriving soon. Wei Shu should still be handling this interrogation. Now I'll tell you... how to deal with what comes next."