Trial and murder

Old Zheng looked at the head of the girl who peeked out from behind Lin Yu. She had four pigtails, two on top and two on the bottom, and was wearing blue eyeshadow. His face showed surprise.

"Holy crap, boss— 'Fluoxetine' has Prison Break!"

Lin Yu stepped aside, Bai You, wearing a dress with a predominantly light green color scheme and printed with various elements such as unidentified flying objects, cows, aliens, remote controls, and satellite dishes, stepped out from behind Lin Yu and held up one finger.

"Show some respect, First Generation President. I didn't escape from Prison Break. I was specifically called here by my senior to check if you're still hiding the truth."

Your reputation score with your senior is really low!

Old Zheng looked at Lin Yu and sighed, "Boss, are you really that suspicious of me?"

Lin Yu nodded. "Yes."

Then, Lin Yu saw Old Zheng make an exaggeratedly shocked expression. Although he knew Old Zheng wasn't serious, he still explained.

"I trust you most of the time, but when you talk about your past, your words become so distorted—it's almost an unconscious attempt to cover it up."

"And because you are well-versed in psychology, you can even subconsciously make this 'concealment' behavior exceptionally 'seamless'..."

Old Zheng awkwardly touched his nose. "Boss, what you're saying is a bit... Actually, I'm very aware of this problem of mine. Although I'm not very willing to analyze myself deeply, because many of my behaviors are so typical, once a thought or action occurs, I can subconsciously find the 'root cause' for myself..."

"I'm aware that what you're saying about how I 'seriously distort' my past actions is something I'm also aware of."

"But, boss... I really have nothing to hide about Mist Island."

Lin Yu said, "That means you've successfully fooled even yourself."

Old Zheng hesitated for a moment. "It can't be that bad. I just forced myself to examine what I said, and there really wasn't anything I was hiding."

Lin Yu glanced at Bai You, who snapped her fingers and pointed two index fingers at Lin Yu.

"Received, senior."

Bai You took another step forward, pointing her index fingers from Lin Yu's to Old Zheng's.

"So, First Generation President —if you believe you haven't concealed anything, then why do you say that the 'Psychology Society' didn't explore beyond the Absolute Sea during your tenure?"

"The time you went with the First Generation 'Jung' to find the whereabouts of Mist Island's 'Authority' and killed him, wasn't that one?"

Old Zheng said, "Oh, that time... the main gains he and I made that time were just pinpointing the location of the 'soul' Authority and confirming the existence of the 'Oblivion' power—this boss already knows that, so I didn't include it in the count."

"Moreover, I am still subject to the interference of the 'Oblivion' power... and it is indeed easy to subconsciously overlook things at times."

Bai You looked at Lin Yu: "Senior, does this answer mean he passed?"

Lin Yu looked at Bai You and said in a low voice, "Don't ask me, you definitely still have questions for him."

Bai You laughed, a bright smile on his face, "Haha, you really are worthy of being called my senior—I do still have some questions."

As she spoke, she looked at Old Zheng.

"Let's put aside the one that killed the First Generation Jung... What about the one before that?"

Old Zheng was taken aback. "Where was it before?"

Bai You blinked. "The First Generation 'Adler'."

"We didn't even reach 'beyond the Absolute Sea's that time. Although we had such a plan, we encountered Mirage Labyrinth Projection from Illusory Islands when we reached the edge of the island, which was the most dangerous 'Dead City'," Old Zheng said, then realized, "No, what do you mean by killing the First Generation 'Adler'... Although I admit that I was the one who killed Jung, the First Generation 'Adler' really encountered an accident, okay?"

Bai You's eyes widened. "Wow, that's so unexpected! Esteemed President, how come you've only come back by yourself both times you led people to explore beyond the Mist Island's Absolute Sea?"

"Why is it always members of the 'Council' who happen to die? And why is it that shortly before they die, they always present you with a plan that you seemed to agree to at the time, only to have it indefinitely shelved after their deaths?"

Fu Luo also looked at Old Zheng, took a sip of his cola. "Wow, so cunning? Now you finally have the feel of Founder the 'Psychology Society'..."

Lin Yu also seemed to be thinking, "So, out of the five 'Council' members, the other three weren't the 'First Generation.' Apart from yourself, the dead First Generation 'Freud,' you were the one who killed the First Generation 'Jung' and the First Generation 'Adler.'"

Old Zheng was both amused and exasperated. "Boss, but you have to believe me, the death of the First Generation 'Adler' really had nothing to do with me... We encountered the 'Dead City' back then, and due to the chaotic fog and the unrest among the Fakes, we quickly got separated—and then he disappeared without a trace."

Lin Yu looked at Old Zheng: "When you told me about the death of the First Generation 'Jung,' you said he encountered the 'Mist Surge' on the Illusory Islands and was devoured by the Soulless Monsters."

"But it turned out that while the method of death was correct, you used the 'Mist Surge' mechanism to kill him."

As Lin Yu spoke, Bai You clapped.

"Wow, this is the first time I've heard of such a specific method of execution—it's really creative! The First Generation President actually managed to utilize 'Mist Surge' and those soulless monsters. You said you didn't understand Mist Island, but you clearly know a lot about it."

"As expected, you really have no qualms about killing your colleagues."

Old Zheng looked at Bai You: "I suddenly realized, what right do you have to talk about me like that... Wasn't I the one you killed?"

Bai You patted his head. "Right, right -- but is it possible that I'm seeking Revenge for Mr. Jung and Mr. Adler?"

Old Zheng said helplessly, "Did you know the real cause of their deaths back then... or rather, did you really care?"

"Haha, oh yeah, sorry... but I killed you in self-defense— First Generation President, you didn't expect me to survive the 'Trial' you set up back then, did you?" Bai You said, tilting his head. "But what about you?"

Old Zheng immediately responded, "The situation was very urgent for the First Generation Jung... My actions were practically self-defense, weren't they?"

Fluoxetine whispered, "That's why I was asking about Professor Adler."

Old Zheng sighed again, "That's why I didn't kill him... You've met the First Generation Adler, Fluoxetine. He wasn't a fanatical, dangerous guy like Jung. Even if he did have some disagreements with me, I wouldn't have planned my actions with killing him as the goal from the start. I would definitely have discussed it with him first."

Fu Luo said leisurely, "Oh, so you mean you didn't really intend to kill him in 'Dead City,' but just accidentally, or perhaps you underestimated the intensity of 'Dead City'?"

Old Zheng was about to answer when he suddenly turned to Fu Luo and exclaimed, "Damn, what a classic 'Detective -style leading question'... Can you please not ask questions based on the premise that I am the 'murderer'? That goes against the Profession Principles of Detective, doesn't it?"

Fu Luo shrugged. "The problem is, I'm not Detective right now. I'm just asking you as if I'm 'helping a friend.'"

Old Zheng had given up on negotiating with Fu Luo and Bai You, and turned his attention to Lin Yu.

"Boss, it's okay if they don't believe me, but you have to believe me... The matter of the First Generation 'Jung' was something I had to do. Every member of the 'Council' is an important asset to me. How could I possibly want to kill them?"

"The First Generation 'Adler'... it was truly because the Dead City was too dangerous, and we were caught off guard, that he perished inside."

Lin Yu looked at Old Zheng and nodded slightly. "I believe you. I've witnessed the strangeness of Mist Island myself... I've also heard people from the 'Freedom Alliance' mention the 'Dead City' once; it's definitely not a simple place."

Old Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, "Boss, I'm so glad you trust me."

"Actually, whether you killed the First Generation 'Adler' or not is not important... but I am indeed quite interested in the 'Dead City'," Lin Yu said. "After all, when you came back back then, you must have brought back some information as well."

"Fluorvosamine proclaims herself the Second Generation 'Freud' and claims to be your Orthodoxy successor, so even if her personality is inherently rough and reckless, when arranging the 'Trial,' she would at least make herself feel that she was 'carefully designing' it, so it's impossible that she would actually choose a place where she knows nothing."

"If the 'Dead City' itself is dangerous and unpredictable, but you have some information left behind, then perhaps... she might choose the Dead City as the location for my 'Trial'."

Hearing Lin Yu steer the conversation back on track, Old Zheng quickly chimed in.

"Boss, your analysis makes sense. Based on the strength that 'Schreiber' has shown so far... just the fact that she needs to refer to the fact that you've already killed the S-class Specialist 'Potassium Chloride' means that the range of 'Trial' locations and scenarios available within the Mist Island Realm is already very small."

"If we also exclude the 'beyond the Absolute Sea's and those 'Illusory Islands' whose patterns are difficult to grasp, the probability of her choosing the 'Dead City' is probably at least 30% to 40%."

Old Zheng added.

Lin Yu nodded. "Then tell me everything you know about the 'Dead City' after this operation in the Barren Realm is over."

Listening to Lin Yu and Old Zheng's conversation, Bai You chimed in with a grin.

"However, it's also possible that the Second Generation Esteemed President really did throw you out to the Absolute Sea, and the 'Trial' was meant to bring you back alive."

"After all, that's how she survived back then."

Bai You spoke, Old Zheng was stunned. "There's such a thing?"

"Of course, although I don't know how she did it either, I've always been very curious," Bai You said, looking at Lin Yu, "So, she considers herself a successor of 'Freud'... Facing someone who also claims to be a 'successor,' she might very well put you through this kind of Trial."

Old Zheng said, "But even if she survived, this can't be called a 'Trial' at all. If I'm not mistaken, she survived only by relying on 'Soul Authority' —even Qiao Ke intelligence, should be able to understand that this is a low-probability event that cannot be replicated."

"So, if she really did throw someone out of the Absolute Sea and onto Illusory Islands, then it would just be 'murder,' right? -- If that counts as a 'Trial,' then my trapping Jung in the 'Mist Surge' was also a 'Trial'!"

Bai You laughed, "That's true, it does sound... more like murder."