Chapter 717: The Weight of Judgment
by xennovelNot sure if it was during this training that he learned so much, Lu Xin felt his mind had grown remarkably calmer.
He feared not the approaching trial of power.
As for Teacher Xiao Lu’s concealment, his curiosity barely extended further…
What did Teacher Xiao Lu and Number Eight discuss privately, and why must that conversation be kept from him?
This was the one mystery he cared about most.
Though he couldn’t explain why, a subtle resentment stirred inside him over Teacher Xiao Lu secretly reaching an agreement with Number Eight; still, he resolved to face everything with tranquil composure.
Whether it be that courtroom or the pair of watchful eyes from above…
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Only when he returned home did he finally sit on the sofa, taking out the file folder that Professor Bai had specially given him, and leafing through it carefully.
This was the most detailed dossier on the Midnight Tribunal, compiled by Qinggang along with other forces from High-wall City and various factions.
Or, you might say, it was the enforcement transcript of the Midnight Tribunal?
Though on the surface it appeared to be nothing more than a series of gruesome murders…
In [Year] [Month] at [Place], at a massive glass production base, a glass salesman was killed at a client lodge…
Surveillance cameras captured a man in a black suit jacket carrying a silver suitcase and clutching a file folder. He entered the lodge after knocking on the door, and half an hour later, he emerged with both the suitcase and folder, calmly leaving the premises.
The next day, the glass salesman was found dead in his bed, his body suspended by wires, fashioned into a penitent display.
Beside him lay a card detailing the reason for his judgment: six months earlier, he had defrauded a scavenger team by selling substandard glass, which led the team—entering a polluted area—to suffer contamination that claimed all their lives. Even the team captain’s wife and child met a tragic fate.
Midnight Tribunal’s investigation confirmed that the glass salesman was primarily responsible for the deaths of that scavenger team.
Claimant: Wei Lanlan (the Scavenger Team Captain’s Wife)
Enforcer: Chen Jing
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[Year] [Month], at [Place], [Settlement].
Security Captain Xu Lin was found hanging at the main gate of the settlement, his body marked by 169 wounds.
Judgment: During his tenure as security captain, his brutal methods and violent temper resulted in 169 murders both inside and outside the settlement over three years. Midnight Tribunal’s investigation revealed that most killings were carried out as ruthless, unprovoked executions. With irrefutable evidence, his sentence was carried out.
Claimant: [Name Withheld]
Enforcer: Chen Jing
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[Year] [Month], in the West, on X Island.
All the adult males of a nomadic tribe were killed, found kneeling and facing east in death.
Judgment: In an effort to save resources, the tribe’s adult men decided to abandon all elders over sixty in the eastern barren mountains, leaving behind a massacre of bones and cries of sorrow. Midnight Tribunal confirmed these facts and applied full punishment.
Claimant: The Tribe’s Elders
Enforcer: Bai Han
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[Year] [Month], at [Place], in the Laboratory.
The secret financial backer behind the laboratory was killed.
Judgment: For conducting unauthorized human experiments with inhumane methods.
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[Year] [Month], at [Place], in the Wasteland Village.
Former Village Chief Gao Hui was judged; his corpse was found near a reservoir, later dismembered and burned by villagers.
Judgment: After losing a water dispute with a neighboring village that led to a failed harvest and ten deaths by starvation, Gao Hui confessed during his Midnight Tribunal trial and pleaded for redemption. Thus, his execution served as retribution for the dead villagers’ souls…
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He flipped through the dossier piece by piece.
Lu Xin found that every recorded incident was detailed meticulously. Whether it was the content on the card or the condition of the executed, every detail was documented—even photographed. Yet as he continued, he could only skim through quickly until, unable to bear it anymore, he gently closed the folder.
Had Number Eight and his group really killed so many people?
Just this dossier alone records hundreds of cases, perhaps?
Moreover, Professor Bai had given him only a portion of the records.
Besides, the confirmed and documented cases amount to just a trivial fraction of all judgment events.
Staring at the thick pile of records and pondering the grim realities they represented, he felt an overwhelming unease.
He even felt slightly oppressed.
He recalled an execution he once accompanied Number Eight on. That man, self-styled as General Xiaoyeshan, was utterly despicable—what he did was monstrous. Even if it were him, he couldn’t help but want to execute such a man.
But when it comes to so many lives…
Additionally, Lu Xin had noticed a few peculiar details in these records.
Each card left by a judged individual bore the enforcer’s signature along with a detailed account of the judgment. Nearly every case was marked with either ‘irrefutable evidence’ or ‘confessed to the crime,’ yet not every card contained both. So…what was missing between the two?
Lu Xin couldn’t piece his thoughts together, but something felt off.
Holding onto that thought, he slowly perused the records once more.
Soon enough, he came upon the case file of a man named Gao Hui.
He took a particular interest in this case, studying it intently as a strange feeling welled up inside him.
This village chief, Gao Hui, was 56 years old—a man who was born before the age of the Red Moon.
He and the villagers had once been slaves in the same human market. Under his urging, they captured a guard’s gun, escaped, and settled in an abandoned village, cultivating the land and living peacefully for many years.
Yet, due to scarce water, conflict with a neighboring village erupted. His grave mistake led to a failed dispute and the loss of their water supply.
The poor harvest, compounded by natural disaster, led to many starving and triggered a plague that spiraled into further calamity.
The villagers harbored deep hatred for him, cursing his name relentlessly.
Why did all of this feel so strange?
Lu Xin couldn’t quite find the words to describe the sensation.
He had no intention of committing crimes that would make him the object of divine wrath, yet witnessing such judgments still terrified him.
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Moreover, as he continued to leaf through the records, he gradually began to grasp the true horror of the Midnight Tribunal.
Not every victim targeted by the Midnight Tribunal remained passive.
Some records, handpicked by Professor Bai for Lu Xin’s attention, told an alternative story…
After being marked by the Midnight Tribunal, some chose unique ways to protect themselves.
Some even enlisted an army that kept vigil day and night.
Yet on the day of execution, one had his head severed and then it was placed on his neck.
Surveillance footage shows a man with a black suitcase striding confidently past armed forces laden with live rounds, then calmly approaching his target, declaring his crime, and methodically administering the final judgment…
The cameras caught this scene, yet afterward, those armed forces couldn’t recall a single detail of what had transpired.
Someone hid in an underground bunker capable of withstanding a nuclear strike, prohibiting any approach.
But on the day of judgment, that very person used shards of a broken mirror to prick himself like a hedgehog, ultimately dying in the washroom.
A cardinal from a mysterious organization, upon learning of his impending judgment, knelt before his ‘God’ and pleaded for protection.
Then, before judgment even descended, he witnessed the statue he worshipped crack open.
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Seeing these unusual records, Lu Xin couldn’t help but sit up straight in disbelief.
What rank did the Midnight Tribunal’s enforcers hold?
Just from one case alone, the terror of these enforcers was unmistakable.
Many in this world have founded mysterious organizations, and countless others have forged pacts with creatures from the Abyss, worshiping them as ‘Gods’ to gain their protection—voluntarily exposing themselves to pollution—in order to acquire special abilities.
Such beings are at least beyond the Fourth Step.
But if they’ve already reached that state, how were they still slain by the enforcers?
Realizing this, Lu Xin fell silent for a long while before dialing Han Bing’s number, asking her to help locate Professor Bai.
Shortly after hanging up, Professor Bai’s call came through, as if he had been expecting it.
“You must have seen the items I selected for you,” he said.
As soon as the call connected, Professor Bai added, “And that’s exactly what worries me.”
“The Midnight Tribunal operates loosely, without a concrete, powerful target. Yet in every execution they perform, their demeanor remains unnervingly composed. It seems no matter the opponent, the defense, or the situation, they effortlessly pinpoint and eliminate their target.”
“That is the true terror of the Midnight Tribunal.”
“If my hunch is correct, they possess seven levels of ability, which they can freely employ.”
“And having seven levels of ability in our real world is tantamount to…”
“… infiltrating every corner.”
“Nothing can stop them, and no one can hinder their path.”
“…”
Lu Xin listened quietly before slowly saying, “So…”
Professor Bai replied in a low voice, “So, Mr. Lone Soldier, we’re now facing the toughest bodyguard mission in the industry.”
Lu Xin pondered for a moment, nodded, and laughed, “Then it’s clear to me.”
“Well…”
Professor Bai, startled by Lu Xin’s laughter, grew a bit tense. After a brief pause, he asked, “What exactly have you figured out?”
“I might have to take some time off soon.”
Lu Xin exhaled softly and said, “I’m heading to Red Moon Elementary School for a while.”
“No other plans?”
Professor Bai murmured, “Are you planning to directly stop the Midnight Tribunal’s judgments?”
“Yes.”
Lu Xin slowly nodded and said, “I even want to see for myself how they intend to execute them…”