Proving His Innocence

Xu Le's sudden outburst drew the attention of the squad of Night Watchers.

Normally, ordinary people stranded out here like him would either be trembling too hard to make a sound at a time like this.

Or they would truly have been contaminated by Guyinduo Pollution, too confused to speak coherently.

In all their years, this was the first time they had seen someone like Xu Le stand up and loudly declare that there was nothing wrong with him.

So the Night Watchers hesitated for a moment, and then...

They went right back to discussing how to deal with Xu Le.

That brief pause had been nothing more than curiosity. What Xu Le actually wanted to convey had been completely ignored.

Xu Le knew this was a matter of value.

If he failed to demonstrate some value, these people would not even care whether he had been contaminated.

Or rather, disposing of someone contaminated was merely an excuse to leave him out in the wilderness.

Xu Le calmly looked at the young squad member who had examined him earlier.

Of all of them, this was the one he liked best.

I'll start with him.

"I know you don't care whether an ordinary person lives or dies. So... Mr. Wang Shu, you have a piece of Guyinduo residue on your left leg. From where I'm standing, it looks like a hidden fragment of a ghost oddity. I don't know whether you care about such things, but I imagine bringing oddity fragments back to Lighthouse would cause at least a little trouble, wouldn't it?"

"By Wang Shu, do you mean me?" Wang Shu pointed at himself, asking uncertainly.

"Yes, you." Xu Le nodded.

Looking somewhat puzzled, Wang Shu glanced at Xu Le, then at his teammates.

The others clearly had not taken Xu Le's words seriously.

He's just an ordinary person. Does he even know what oddities are? Does he understand how they form?

He makes it sound so convincing. Ha!

Wang Shu hesitated for a while. Then he pointed at his left leg and asked uncertainly:

"You mean here?"

"A little lower."

Xu Le pointed farther down, and that tiny gesture made Wang Shu's gaze turn grave.

He had been feeling an itch in his left leg for some time, but he could not be sure whether it had anything to do with the oddity fragment Xu Le had mentioned.

So he had deliberately indicated the wrong spot and asked Xu Le again.

Yet Xu Le had actually pinpointed the oddity fragment's exact location, right where his left leg itched.

"Captain!" Wang Shu looked at his captain.

The rapport they had built through working together allowed the female captain to immediately understand what Wang Shu meant.

She took out something resembling an antique dressing mirror, walked over to Wang Shu, and crouched down, angling the mirror toward his left leg.

Soon, a translucent finger still clutching Wang Shu's trouser leg appeared in the mirror.

"There really is something?" Some of the squad members looked at the finger in surprise.

Their captain had already handed the mirror to Wang Shu, leaving him to deal with the fragment on his leg himself.

She walked over to Xu Le and raised a hand slightly.

"All right. Whatever you want to say, you can say it now."

Xu Le breathed a sigh of relief. His ability had earned him some respect by proving his value.

It had given him a small opportunity to explain himself.

"Whew. You're all members of the Lighthouse Night Watchers, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Although I don't know what your specific mission is, as a Lighthouse Night Watchers unit, you should at least uphold Lighthouse's basic civil rights and laws, shouldn't you? I'm right here. Before dealing with me, shouldn't you ask the person involved what he has to say?"

The female captain raised her head with interest.

"Do you think we need to?"

Xu Le did not argue with her over that question. There was no point.

What he needed to do was stay alive.

"I'm human, a normal human being. I haven't been contaminated.

"To prove my innocence, I'm willing to undergo the strictest, most thorough examination Lighthouse has to offer.

"But before that, you have no right to subject me to extrajudicial punishment.

"Article 39-4 of the Lighthouse Civil Code states that Lighthouse's military has a duty to rescue Lighthouse citizens stranded in the wilderness.

"As a law-abiding Lighthouse citizen and a student at Lighthouse University.

"I have the right to fight for my life. These are the most basic protections I'm entitled to.

"If you kill me here without a second thought, you'll be trampling on Lighthouse law and the Night Watchers Code.

"Will that do, Captain?"

Did you think Xu Le was using the law to reprimand the Night Watchers?

Too narrow. That was far too narrow a view.

Xu Le was actually using the law to prove that he was a normal person.

Someone contaminated by Guyinduo Pollution, especially an ordinary person, could not maintain sound, rational thought.

Lighthouse's complicated laws in particular were difficult even for normal people to remember.

Let alone someone contaminated by Guyinduo Pollution.

Proving himself this way was far more effective than shouting, "I, so-and-so, swear I wasn't cheat..."

Watching the clear, articulate Xu Le, the woman actually took out a tube of lipstick.

She twisted it up and applied some to her lips.

"Well said."

You know I made a good point. So what now?

For a moment, Xu Le had no idea what this woman meant.

Not until she put away the lipstick and extended a finger toward him.

"Hello. My name is Bai Jing, captain of the Night Watchers' Dark Pioneers Sixth Squad in B2 District. Now then, young man who knows his law, what should I call you?"

Xu Le steadied himself.

"My name is Xu Le. Xu as in 'perhaps,' and Le as in 'happy.'"

"All right, Mr. Xu Le. Now I know your name. You're right. As Night Watchers, we shouldn't trample on Lighthouse's laws. I also hope that, as you said yourself, you can endure the strictest, most thorough examination once we return! Finally, do you know why you've survived?"

Xu Le keenly picked up on the word "endure" in Bai Jing's remarks.

That word carries some weight!

But answering Bai Jing's question was more important right now.

"Is this a test?"

"It isn't a test."

Looking at her smiling face, Xu Le did not believe so much as a punctuation mark.

"I think I'm a lot better than those people who drop to their knees as soon as something goes wrong, crying and begging you not to kill them."

"Mm, I like that answer. You really are much better."

She was still somewhat surprised that Xu Le could remain so calm and clearheaded at a time like this.

Generally speaking, even if they had not been contaminated by Guyinduo Pollution, most people who appeared here at a time like this would be utterly panicked.

This kid's composure... isn't bad.

She stared at Xu Le for a while, until he felt uncomfortable all over, before speaking with a hint of amusement.

"You think clearly enough. Studying law at Lighthouse University?"

"I took law as an elective."

"Mm. I've heard people who study law are all good with finances. Can you cook the books?"

"No," Xu Le said with righteous conviction.

"Mm. A gun from Zion costs 45, plus 9 for two magazines. If I wanted to get reimbursed by the higher-ups, how much should I claim?"

Xu Le's hesitant gaze held a hint of inquiry.

"459?"