Chapter 691: The Midnight Tribunal

Is Number Eight really just passing through on a business trip?

Lu Xin gave Number Eight a peculiar look. Having already been treated to a meal and reminisced about old times, he had seriously inquired. If Number Eight harbored any ulterior motives, he should have been honest by now, right?

But even now, his answer remained the same – and he said it so nonchalantly.

Faced with Number Eight’s invitation, Lu Xin fell silent and pondered the question seriously.

If Number Eight was merely passing by to visit him and Teacher Xiao Lu, then he could finally relax.

Yet, Lu Xin couldn’t help but be curious about his work.

Sharing a quick glance with the waiter in the restaurant, Lu Xin nodded and said, “Alright then!”

……

……

Number Eight was a very dangerous man.

And by dangerous, it wasn’t necessarily that he harbored malevolence.

It was that even in Qinggang City, under the watchful eyes of the Mental Overlord, he could slip past the scrutiny of the Special Pollution Cleanup Department – and even make the Mental Overlord perceive the inherent danger in him. He was labeled a “strange person” who deserved close observation.

A man like him, arriving openly in Qinggang with unclear motives, left no one at ease.

That was also the attitude in Qinggang.

They hadn’t subjected Number Eight to any forced inquiries or actions, but necessary surveillance was indispensable.

Compared to other agents and ability users, Lu Xin, having been invited by Number Eight, was undoubtedly the best choice.

After agreeing to accompany him on his work, the atmosphere at the table lightened considerably.

Lu Xin and Number Eight each downed a bottle of beer, while even Teacher Xiao Lu gradually finished a small bowl of rice.

Seeing that it was about time, Lu Xin first escorted Teacher Xiao Lu back. Under normal circumstances, given the situation, he wouldn’t have minded if she wasn’t seen off personally – Chen Jing or Gecko could have done it – but Lu Xin insisted on doing it himself.

As for the half-hour math class, it was canceled due to time constraints.

That was one good deed by Lu Xin.

Stepping out of the orphanage, he found a Jeep already waiting.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lu Xin and Number Eight hopped into the Jeep – with Lu Xin at the wheel and Number Eight in the passenger seat.

Taking advantage of the lingering twilight, they drove straight out of Qinggang and into the dim expanse of the wasteland.

……

……

“Aren’t you dying to know how I survived?”

As the Jeep entered a stretch of the wasteland devoid of streetlights, an oppressive gloom settled around them.

The Red Moon still hung in the sky, though its position had shifted to the west.

Coupled with an overcast day, the only light came from the Jeep’s headlights, slicing through the darkness to reveal the rugged, pothole-ridden road, scattered with broken stones and puddles left from a recent rain.

Outside, silence prevailed; inside, the air was stifling. Number Eight had not turned on any music.

He drove quietly for hours before suddenly breaking into a smile and asking,

Lu Xin turned to him and gave a slight nod.

“I was rescued by the Director.”

Number Eight chuckled, “I thought I was done for – destined to slip into an eternal sleep, disillusioned with this world.”

“But then, I unexpectedly woke up. It was the Director who saved me.”

“The Director’s abilities are formidable. He wields a unique form of Mental Power that played a crucial role in our recovery.”

……

At that point, he paused, then glanced at Lu Xin with a smile and said:

“I noticed Teacher Xiao Lu has been confined to a wheelchair. Her spine must have suffered severe damage, right?”

“It’s a pity – she used to be such a swift girl…”

“Always bouncing around like Teacher Xiao Lu, which is why everyone nicknamed her that, wasn’t it?”

……

Lu Xin sat silently in the passenger seat, rolled down the window, and lit a cigarette.

“I’ve observed her closely. Her injury isn’t something routine medical treatment can mend – I’m sure you understand that.”

Number Eight continued on as if merely musing.

Lu Xin just smoked in silence, not replying.

The Jeep’s headlights cast only a faint glow into the cabin, barely revealing his expression.

In truth, Lu Xin’s face was expressionless, his silence profound.

The sorrow in his heart flickered like a stray cigarette ember – briefly, then gone.

Number Eight sighed and remarked, “But if we get the chance, maybe the Old Director could help. He has the capability to heal her.”

Lu Xin slowly turned his gaze toward Number Eight, studying him intently.

He felt he had grown different from before – more perceptive and better at controlling his emotions.

After a moment of silence, he softly asked, “Are you working for the Director?”

The mood in the Jeep grew noticeably oppressive.

“No,”

Number Eight shook his head with a refreshing frankness. “I once thought about becoming the Director’s assistant. I believed I met his standards, but once I learned about his true intentions, I had to refuse.”

“The Director has his own pursuits, and I have mine.”

“So I left him and took up the work I’m doing now.”

In the dim light, he turned to Lu Xin with a smile and said, “I truly love what I do.”

Lu Xin frowned slightly.

The conversation with Number Eight left him feeling increasingly uneasy.

After a while, he directly asked, “So, what exactly is it that the Old Director is trying to do?”

“I can’t say.”

Number Eight shook his head and replied bluntly, “Besides, I only got a vague idea – just scratching the surface of the core.”

“Perhaps it’s because I don’t know the core well enough that the Director let me go. Otherwise, with his temperament…”

……

He paused, shook his head slightly, and let out a soft sigh.

Lu Xin’s feeling of unease only deepened, prompting him to ask more questions.

Just then, Number Eight lifted his head, glanced diagonally ahead, and murmured, “We’re almost there.”

Lu Xin shot him a glance, choosing to set aside the topic for now.

Following his line of sight, he noticed a patch of lights flickering at the end of the dark expanse.

Based on the distance, it would be another forty or fifty minutes of travel.

Lu Xin pulled up the map on his glasses and realized that the location was a settlement known as Xiaoyeshan.

The data indicated that about twenty thousand people lived there – mostly surviving through scavenging and underground trade.

Such settlements were scattered throughout the wasteland.

But why had Number Eight come all the way here?

Could it be that he had some unsavory goods he needed the market to move?

……

……

“Inside, there’s a man who calls himself the Xiaoyeshan General, but in reality, he’s just a village chief.”

Number Eight explained eagerly, “The wasteland is full of tough characters. Survival here demands ruthlessness. This so-called Xiaoyeshan General is a man who has thrived. Unlike those who dreamed of living in Qinggang City, he was originally from within its walls but escaped after committing a crime, eventually ending up here.”

“Not only did his life not spiral downwards, it became quite colorful.”

“He was born to master the brutal, survival-of-the-fittest life in the wasteland.”

“In just a few years, he clawed his way to become the captain of a scavenger team, and then, seizing the opportunity when the old general fell gravely ill, he smothered him with a pillow—murdering the entire family of the old general along with his own subordinates, all thirty-two people—to feed the pigs.”

“Since then, he’s been known as the Xiaoyeshan General.”

“Having grown up in Qinggang City and coming from a well-off background, he is well-versed in its inner rules, rubbing shoulders with big officials from several major factions including Qinggang, and secretly laundering and handling unsavory deals.”

“On the surface, his main business is fencing stolen goods, but in reality, he’s more skilled at robbery.”

“To this day, there are few rumors about his hijacking of caravans in the wasteland – simply because he is extremely cautious.”

“So cautious that he never leaves any survivors behind.”

“Even a beautiful woman who might catch his eye won’t escape; after playing with her, he’ll kill her instantly.”

……

Listening to Number Eight’s detailed account, Lu Xin’s brow furrowed deeper.

There was no doubt – Number Eight was talking about a truly wicked man.

Even if only half of his crimes were true, they amounted to monstrous evil.

Yet, Number Eight had come here…

“This is my business…”

As Lu Xin mused, Number Eight smiled and added, “I’m here to judge him.”

……

……

Before Lu Xin could press further, Number Eight stopped the car. In the distance, the grand entrance of the Xiaoyeshan Settlement could be seen.

Number Eight opened the car door, donned his suit jacket, grabbed his ever-present black suitcase, and walked with Lu Xin toward the settlement’s gate. Outside, armed guards stood watch.

“Who goes there?”

Noticing a vehicle approaching in the darkness, the guards immediately took aim as soon as they saw people.

“Hello, I am Xu Jing, the enforcer of the Midnight Tribunal.”

At the settlement gate, Number Eight boldly announced his identity while flashing a business card from his pocket with a smile.

Lu Xin noticed that the black business card was completely blank, yet it captivated the armed guards’ attention.

Their gazes grew perplexed before they gradually cleared the way.

And just like that, Number Eight strode into the settlement and headed straight for the villa at its heart.

When someone asked for directions along the way, he simply flashed his business card; whoever it was, he made them step aside immediately.

After they passed by, those people soon recovered their senses – as if they had never seen them before.

Chattering as they walked, it took them less than ten minutes to reach the villa of the Xiaoyeshan General. They then signaled for his guard to open the door. Stepping into the lobby, they climbed the creaking wooden stairs to a large bed.

Number Eight set down the black box and carefully opened it. Inside were exquisitely arranged tools that looked like works of art.

There was a slim, gleaming, razor-sharp knife, a pair of elegantly curved stainless steel hooks neatly nestled in a black velvet box, a row of slender nails embedded in leather, vibrantly colored liquids, and a bundle of barbed iron wires, among other things.

After removing his suit jacket, Number Eight put on a pair of white rubber gloves.

Facing an unaware man lying on the bed, he smiled at Lu Xin and said, “Now, it’s time for me to begin my work.”