An eye for an eye

The First Act of the Great Code was born in a cruel and bloody age.

Back then, civilization on Jarilo-VI had shattered, and order had collapsed. Faced with a devastating freeze and limited resources, people became beasts that attacked one another.

Against this backdrop, the Architects who founded Belobog, the city of Preservation, drafted the first version of the code.

That was the First Act!

The act was filled with primitive, violent provisions that seemed downright ignorant to people today. But for the people of that time, it had swiftly established a rudimentary order.

After that, the laws were continually refined, eventually expanding to the Thirteenth Act.

Yet the First Act, as the earliest expression of the Architects' will, was never cut. Instead, it had been preserved to this day.

Although Chu Mu had never seen the original code, the Orphanage's library had a hefty copy, and he had once studied its provisions carefully.

As far as he knew, adjudicators in Belobog's current legal system rarely cited the First Act, because it was far too savage and primitive.

But since the act had never been repealed, it still carried legal force!

As long as a party involved expressly requested the First Act's implementation, the adjudicator could not refuse.

Just as in Chu Mu's current situation.

"Child, do you know what you're saying?" The elderly chief stoker looked quietly at Chu Mu. Suddenly, he felt as though he could no longer see through this child.

The First Act was appallingly barbaric. It made no distinction between children and adults, nor did it recognize any assessment of injuries. Even though Chu Mu was a child covered in small wounds, as long as he was alive and no part of his body was missing, he was not considered injured.

Only the eye that could not be healed counted: if I blinded one of your eyes, I would pay you back with one of mine.

"I understand. I know exactly what I'm doing." Holding back the pain, Chu Mu struggled to his feet and repeated, "Your Honor, I request that the First Act be applied."

"This is your decision. I respect your choice." The chief stoker nodded silently.

He took out the hefty code again. This time, he did not need to turn any pages, because the First Act was printed on the cover.

The cover of the Great Code was the original First Act!

"Kid, don't be rash!" Oleg urged loudly. "You can still back out before the adjudication begins!"

"Boss, what are you doing?!" Realizing something terrible was about to happen, Seele clutched Chu Mu's hand.

Natasha and the Old Director exchanged a glance, unmistakable shock in both their eyes!

The power of Abundance could heal bodily injuries, but at this point, Chu Mu could not possibly have known that Natasha possessed such power.

In other words, when he made this choice, he had truly been prepared to sacrifice an eye.

"Child, you really don't have to do this." The Old Director looked at Chu Mu in anguish.

She knew Natasha would heal everything, but she still did not want Chu Mu to suffer the agony of gouging out an eye!

If she could, she would rather bear it all herself and give her own eye to that old rat!

"Old Director, I've already caused you far too much trouble." Chu Mu shook his head, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

He had thought it through now. His life was already like a candle flame about to burn out. Why drag anyone else down with him?

If he had to watch everyone at the Orphanage scrimp and save because of him, what little life he had left would be miserable.

It was only an eye. All he wanted was a clear conscience.

But with one eye gone, I won't have the face to go back and see Xiao Bu.

The little girl will cry again.

Chu Mu raised his head toward the glaring incandescent light and lifted a hand to block the light on one side.

This is probably what the world will look like from now on.

Now I'll be just like the one-eyed Svarog. We'll be one-eyed brothers, with only a pair of eyes between us.

At that thought, Chu Mu could not help smiling.

Seeing this, Scott frowned and asked:

"What are you smiling at?"

Scott could not understand how this uncanny child could still smile at a time like this!

Then the chief stoker spoke his final words in that place:

"At the party's request, the ruling is hereby amended to apply Article Ten of the First Act: a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye."

After delivering the ruling, he did not remain. He left with the code in his arms.

He did not want to witness what would happen next.

He had no doubt that the child would gouge out one of his own eyes to carry out the ruling.

But that was precisely the outcome he did not want to see.

For the first time in his life, he no longer felt proud of a ruling he had made.

Instead, an oppressive feeling lingered in his heart, weighing on him so heavily that he could barely breathe.

Was the Architects' will always right?

Had I done wrong?

His lifelong convictions had suffered a tremendous blow. He might find it difficult to sleep tonight.

Inside the Fight Club, Chu Mu picked up the knife from the floor, carefully wiped the grime off it with a bandage, then asked Scott:

"Will you do it, or shall I?"

"I'll do it!" Scott looked delighted, but then he seemed to think of an even better way to take revenge.

He shook his head and smiled:

"No, on second thought, you should do it. I want to watch you gouge out your eyeball. I lost my right eye, so you have to gouge out your right eye too. Then I want to watch you crush it under your own foot!"

"You're a damned devil!" Oleg cursed.

"Chu Mu, don't listen to him. None of that was in the ruling. You don't have to satisfy his demands!" Natasha reminded him.

As for Seele, she was already sobbing too hard to speak.

To her, everything had happened because of her!

If he had not been trying to save her, Chu Mu would never have suffered any of this!

But why wasn't I the one losing an eye now?

Seele watched the scene through her tears, an indescribable grief threatening to crush her.

Scott was like a monster wearing human skin. How she wanted to knock him down and hack him to pieces!

If only I had greater power.

With power, I wouldn't be bullied.

With power, I could protect the people around me.

Instead of being protected by them.

Seele's eyes gradually turned scarlet. Across billions of light-years, a distant, mighty being cast a glance in her direction.

At that moment, the power of a Path planted its seed.

And now, Chu Mu had tightened his grip on the knife.

He raised his head for one last look at the incandescent light overhead. Its glaring light burned his eyes, drawing tears from them.

Yet the sight before him was so beautiful, so hard to let go of.

One last look?

It was time to say goodbye.

He could not help wondering-could a dead eye still dream of the stars?

He smiled again.

Scott's eyes widened. He seemed utterly unable to understand why Chu Mu was smiling.

But the boy's knife had already descended, plunging toward his young face.

When he looked at Scott again, his right eye had become a blood-red hollow, while his remaining left eye stared at him with utter coldness.

The pale eyeball was skewered on the knife in the boy's hand.

The boy's face was expressionless.

For no apparent reason, a chill of dread ran through Scott.

But he still forced himself to urge him on:

"Step on it! Hurry up and step on it! It's no fun unless you stomp on it."

"I have something more fun." The boy smiled as he spoke, threads of blood still clinging to his pale teeth.

He opened his mouth and bit the eyeball off the knife.

Crunch, crunch...

The boy's face was expressionless.

He simply watched Scott in silence.

Crunch, crunch...

The sight drove Scott mad!