Chapter 692: Judgment in the Midnight Tribunal

Midnight Tribunal Enforcer?

Lu Xin observed Xu Jing’s actions all the way, watching him use his ability with complete abandon as he confidently made his way to the bed of the leader of the Xiaoyeshan Settlement, the so-called “General”, preparing for judgment in a strangely methodical manner.

Xu Jing was alive – a fact proven when they shook hands earlier.

Yet his demeanor was as eerie as a ghost that appears at midnight.

A sense of bizarre disquiet welled within Lu Xin, but he remained silent, just watching from the sidelines.

Xu Jing leaned forward and gazed at the man sleeping on the bed.

This self-proclaimed General appeared to be intoxicated, snoring loudly in a drunken slumber.

It wasn’t until Xu Jing seemed to inspect his face intently that the snoring suddenly ceased.

It was as if some unseen force had stirred him.

Seconds after the snoring stopped, he abruptly flipped over and, in one swift motion, pulled a handgun from beneath his pillow.

With a flick of his thumb, the safety disengaged and the barrel was pointed squarely at Xu Jing’s face as he shouted, “You are…”

Facing the now unsafe, pitch-black muzzle, Xu Jing suddenly thrust his forehead forward.

His eyes locked onto the General’s as he intoned in a deep voice, “You are guilty.”

No outsider could fathom the General’s inner turmoil. He had been drunk, had just had a wild night with the women of the Settlement – having only just kicked one out – and had sunk into a deep slumber. Yet he was abruptly jolted awake by an inexplicable stirring.

Upon opening his eyes, he found two dark shadows standing at the foot of his bed, one of them uncomfortably close.

An indescribable shiver surged through him and he instinctively raised his gun for protection, desperate for a sense of security.

But to his astonishment, the figure facing him drew near, pressing its head against his.

A pair of chilling, unyielding eyes stared him down, accusing him of guilt.

“I have your mother…”

Terror, shock, and a cascade of emotions ignited the General’s blood, and he opened his mouth to hurl curses and fire a shot.

Yet he only managed to roar those few words, his finger twitching on the trigger as a strange sensation welled up from within. Suddenly, a crippling sense of guilt washed over him, and all his courage evaporated.

Under the unyielding gaze of those eyes, flashbacks surged through his mind, overwhelming his heart.

He couldn’t bring himself to curse further; the trigger stayed unmoved, his voice reduced to a whisper of uncertainty.

At that moment, Xu Jing slowly straightened his posture.

With cold indifference, he swept a glance at the “General” before retrieving a file folder from the lower compartment of a nearby briefcase.

He flipped it open slowly, scanning its contents with careful attention as he read aloud: “Chen Zhi, 42 years old, formerly the second son of the Minister of Transportation of Beishu City’s Fifth Satellite City. Later, he fled under his father’s protection after committing crimes. He has been to Western Sichuan, the Black Marsh, Qinggang, and finally ended up at the Xiaoyeshan Settlement outside Qinggang City. Known by aliases such as Chen Yiguan, Wang Kun, Zhao Qiang, nicknamed General, Baldy, and Cross-legged…”

Pausing, he looked up at the General and asked, “Is this you?”

The Xiaoyeshan General’s face now wore a peculiar expression.

It was as if he were sleepwalking even while awake, a subtle struggle marring his features as every muscle seemed to twist uncontrollably.

He appeared internally resistant, but eventually, he nodded slightly.

“Yes.”

He replied in a dull, monotonous tone.

Xu Jing nodded lightly and continued, “Ten years ago, while you were in Beishu City, you ordered Yongcheng Business Transport Company to smuggle Black Grass. When that plan was thwarted, you exacted revenge by breaking into the home of Zhao Changqing, the General Manager of Yongcheng Business Transport, in the dead of night – silencing eleven people including Zhao Changqing, his wife, father-in-law, brother, sister-in-law, cousin, and nanny…”

“Then, upon noticing Zhao Changqing’s daughter’s beauty, you succumbed to a vile desire, defiling her before abducting her…”

“Three days later, with everything exposed and no place to hide, you escaped Beishu City with the help of your family. Is it true?”

“…”

As Xu Jing recited the account in an even tone, even Lu Xin felt a slight jolt of apprehension.

His pupils narrowed as he stared at the Xiaoyeshan General.

The General’s face remained vacant, his brows trembling incessantly, but after a long moment, he nodded again, “Yes.”

“Very well.”

Xu Jing nodded subtly and declared, “You are guilty.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Xu Jing suddenly reached into the briefcase and grasped a slender silver dagger.

Without blinking, he plunged it straight into the space between the General’s brows.

With a wet sound, the sharp dagger pierced through the General’s head, a large chunk of his skull jutting out the back.

“You…”

Lu Xin was taken aback, his feet shifting uneasily.

“It isn’t over yet…”

Xu Jing suddenly spoke, though it was unclear if he was addressing Lu Xin or the General.

Even more startling, Lu Xin noticed that despite the fatal breach in the Xiaoyeshan General’s head, he remained alive.

Blood began to trickle down the dagger’s handle, and chunks of white matter erupted from the back of his head.

Yet he still sat upright, his face contorted between terror and agony as his muscles convulsed.

His lips pressed together tightly, not uttering a single sound as the blood streamed down.

His eyes were forced open, fixed unwaveringly on Xu Jing, who still held the file folder.

“This man can still feel pain…”

“He sustained a fatal injury; ordinarily, he should have died immediately or at least fallen into a coma…”

“But he hasn’t. His vitality is somehow restrained, forcing him to remain painfully conscious…”

“…”

Lu Xin keenly noticed the General’s condition, a shiver of dread running down his spine.

“The judgment must continue!”

Xu Jing stated calmly, “This one transgression alone is enough for you to pay with your life.”

“But a death would settle debts, and that is not our principle of judgment.”

“You must now live to atone for every sin you’ve committed…”

“…”

Continuing slowly, Xu Jing lowered his gaze to the file and read on, “Nine years ago, arranged by your family, you escaped to the Screw Market in Beishu City to seek refuge with Zhao. In a struggle for profit, you coveted his three gold bars and, while he was away, murdered him…”

“Is it true?”

“…”

Despite having blood streaming down his face, the Xiaoyeshan General sat upright and nodded slowly.

Xu Jing whispered, “You are guilty.”

Softly, he reached into the briefcase again and retrieved a slender nail, which he drove straight into the General’s heart.

The Xiaoyeshan General’s body jolted violently; the blue veins on his neck bulged as if about to burst.

Yet he did not die, maintaining the same posture.

Without expression, Xu Jing continued, “Seven years ago, you partnered with others in a human smuggling business, which led to multiple murders…”

“Is it true?”

“…”

The Xiaoyeshan General nodded, and Xu Jing casually picked up an ornate saw with intricate patterns.

“…”

“…”

One sin after another, each punishment recounted, filled the room with a pervasive stench of blood.

Lu Xin watched as Xu Jing methodically recited every crime committed by the Xiaoyeshan General.

He had never imagined that a single man could have perpetrated so many atrocities a decade ago, killing so many.

He even doubted whether the flesh beneath that human mask could truly belong to a man…

“…he is,” Xu Jing confirmed.

Moreover, he was not an Ability User – simply put, he was an ordinary man.

What unnerved Lu Xin further was the meticulous manner in which Xu Jing conducted the trial and execution of his crimes. Every detail on that page of the file had been recited, and the array of torture devices in the briefcase was nearly exhausted.

As for the Xiaoyeshan General, he had become an unrecognizable wreck…

His body was riddled with wounds that should have been fatal, yet he remained seated.

Lu Xin could even sense that he was still conscious.

It was as if some strange force was keeping him alive – like a beheaded man forced to live on, witnessing his own body depart and feeling utter despair.

…

…

Lu Xin found himself at a loss for words; for the first time, the overwhelming stench of blood in the room felt almost too heavy to bear…

So when he saw Xu Jing finish reciting the final crime and slowly approach the Xiaoyeshan General,

he couldn’t help but step forward, instinctively raising his hand and grabbing Xu Jing’s shoulder.

He couldn’t quite describe the feeling – even though a man who committed such heinous crimes should never live, witnessing Xu Jing’s actions stirred a deep-rooted worry in him.

The sequence of events, charged with overwhelming impact, shook his heart.

As his hand pressed on Xu Jing’s shoulder, he paused his movements.

After a long moment, he slowly turned away.

His face and body were drenched in blood, turning his white shirt a deep red.

The stark contrast in the streetlight outside lent him an eerily tragic aura.

Yet his expression remained calm and composed as he slowly spoke, “Do not obstruct me, Number Nine. I have my own principles and ways of handling things.”

“There are many such villains under the Red Moon, but do you know why I had to take his case?”

“…”

With a serene, almost tender tone, he continued, “Because of a girl called Zhao Xiaomeng.”

“She is the sole survivor of the massacre committed by this man in Beishu City, and she is Zhao Changqing’s daughter.”

“At the tender age of seven, she was violated by him and abducted.”

“Later, through her family’s arrangements, he left Beishu City while the poor little girl was sold off to the Labor Market.”

“There, she lived like a stray dog, enduring unimaginable misery.”

“At age eleven, she was sold to a cabaret, becoming the youngest songstress there. Three years later, an eighty-year-old man took notice of her, making her his youngest mistress. Though inhuman, he tortured her in many ways until he eventually died two years later, allowing her to escape and find work at a factory.”

“She tried to forget her past and live an ordinary life, but then she fell gravely ill…”

“She spent all the little savings she had, only to acquire half a bottle of painkillers.”

“Six months later, while lying in a fly-infested welfare home awaiting death, a single question haunted her mind:”

“Is there any fairness in this world?”

“…”

As Xu Jing narrated the story in his calm tone, Lu Xin’s hand grew stiff.

In his mind, he even saw a pair of despondent, helpless eyes.

“Because of that question, on her deathbed she poured her complaints to the Midnight Tribunal, and we accepted her case.”

After finishing his final sentence, Xu Jing turned and walked towards the Xiaoyeshan General, inserting his hand inside his suit to slowly draw out a slender, gleaming silver short sword with an ornate hilt fashioned into the shape of a scale.

“My duty is to deliver a final measure of justice to such souls…”

He said softly, standing before the Xiaoyeshan General, “You are guilty!”

In the next moment, he raised his sword.