Chapter 726: The Price of Guilt

“It’s time for you to pay your price…”

As Lu Xin turned slowly, his eyes swept over the courtyard teeming with enforcers, and a soft voice began to speak.

The voice was gentle yet crowded, as if countless people had spoken in unison, their words falling in a rhythm as precise as if measured by a ruler. It wasn’t a sound of the physical world—it felt more like an unexpected auditory hallucination from deep within the spirit.

Like an advancing tide, it surged toward the teaching building from all directions, vibrating in sync with Teacher Xiao Lu’s mental power.

“In your past, driven by selfishness and vanity, you caused the death of the children at the orphanage.”

“They, with their powerless eyes, lay dying in pools of blood.”

“Now, you must pay the price, granting them peace and restoring your own inner calm…”

“Can you hear their call?”

“…”

As one after another such voices echoed throughout the small teaching building, Teacher Xiao Lu’s body began to convulse uncontrollably—a reaction to the overwhelming mental pressure that had pushed her nervous system to its limits.

Her pupils dilated slightly, reflecting scenes from a long-forgotten past.

Throughout the office—or rather, the entire orphanage—one bizarre, mysterious apparition appeared after another.

They clapped their hands, their joyful leaps echoing along each corridor of the teaching building, through the air, playfully traversing walls and windows.

“Little doll, play house.”

“You set the table, and I’ll arrange the flowers.”

“Look, look, here he comes! Let’s all go ‘wa wa wa’ together…”

“…”

“Little doll, run away.”

“Take that monster with you.”

“Oh no, he’s angry now—let’s all laugh together…”

“…”

These voices, both real and unreal, seemed to overlay a nightmare upon reality.

They evoked a deep sense of oppression in everyone and stirred a heart-wrenching guilt.

For these were emotions emanating from Teacher Xiao Lu herself—a guilt over past deeds that had long shadowed her, now amplified by the force of judgment to near the edge of collapse.

Amid this layered illusion, Lu Xin’s brows furrowed tightly.

Even the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, but he held himself still, enduring every ounce of it.

It wasn’t until the old security guard, staggeringly caught within the illusion, made his way clumsily toward the dormitory of the children on the west side of the first floor that Lu Xin exhaled a quiet sigh and suddenly raised his head.

“Whoosh…”

His shadow, like a tidal wave, suddenly spread out from beneath his feet.

It seemed as if a jet of black water had burst forth from the third floor, gushing continuously and then cascading down each level of the teaching building. Wherever it passed, all illusions evaporated, and the laughter of the children was silently swallowed.

In the next instant, Lu Xin spun around and saw Mom gracefully moving forward.

From her small satchel, she slowly produced a pair of scissors.

Her own shadow spread elegantly as well, appearing in different positions along the teaching building with equal poise and tenderness.

Some appeared in the corridors, some at doorways, some in the dark rooms, and some even behind the enforcers.

“Compared to that guy with the balloon and crown, you look more like a clown…”

Countless versions of Mom, all at once, wore smirks full of derision.

Click, click, click…

Soon, the sound of scissors opening and closing echoed repeatedly.

One by one, the enforcers—dressed in sharp suits with ties, polished leather shoes, and impeccably styled hair—filled the courtyard. They began entering the teaching building from every direction, ready to carry out judgment on Teacher Xiao Lu.

But at that very moment, their bodies suddenly froze like unstable projections of electrical currents.

Immediately after, their bodies dissipated and then went dark.

It was like a television screen whose cables had just been severed.

In an instant, the boisterous laughter of the children in and around the teaching building and the bustling crowd of enforcers vanished.

…

…

“The power of your Father and Mom is still formidable…”

Lu Xin sighed softly in awe and then noticed his Sister by his side.

She had hidden behind the sofa, her small body curled up as she peered at Teacher Xiao Lu.

When the children’s laughter had erupted just moments ago, neither Mom nor Father had been affected. Although Lu Xin had felt its impact and endured, his Sister bore the brunt—tears streamed down her face as she wiped them away repeatedly.

Lu Xin had intended to leave the room, but he paused.

After a brief moment of thought, he approached his Sister, gently ruffling her little head, and said, “You go back now.”

“Wait for me at home.”

“…”

His Sister’s eyes widened slightly, confused as she looked at him.

Lu Xin gave her a reassuring nod and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll fix everything.”

“Do you trust me?”

“…”

After a long hesitation, his Sister nodded firmly.

Lu Xin smiled, took her little hand, and fueled by her strength, his body suddenly became incredibly nimble. He dashed out the window, clambered along the wall for a few steps, and nimbly reached the rooftop of the teaching building, standing tall.

Then he let go of her hand and watched as she ran swiftly toward the old apartment building—running far away, yet glancing back at him.

“Rustle, rustle…”

After seeing his Sister leave, Lu Xin looked around.

They were in a villa area, where the surrounding buildings were mostly low and his view opened up considerably.

That’s when he noticed that although many enforcers had been eliminated by Mom earlier, countless more had appeared—on the nearby paths, rooftops, windows, even in glass reflections and underground. Their figures surged in from every direction.

They were neatly dressed in black suits, carrying silver handcases, their eyes bright.

They began appearing densely from all directions, advancing toward the elementary school.

It seemed the entire Second Satellite City had already been filled with these enforcers—shadowy figures everywhere.

At the same time, he heard the sound of children’s laughter once more.

And that haunting nursery rhyme—a tune that seemed distant yet always managed to touch his heart.

It appeared that Teacher Xiao Lu’s mental power had surged once again downstairs. The bizarre illusion—recently dispelled by Father’s force of fear, yet filled with guilt—burned like an unquenchable wildfire, slowly igniting once more.

However, this time it wasn’t just spreading throughout the elementary school—it was penetrating the entire Qinggang.

A mysterious aura enveloped all of Qinggang, with these illusions appearing everywhere.

They seemed all locked within a memory tainted by guilt.

…

…

“Saving someone who has confessed in the face of judgment is incredibly difficult.”

One of Mom’s apparitions appeared beside Lu Xin, standing shoulder to shoulder with him as they surveyed the mass of enforcer shadows. Sensing the unstable surge of Teacher Xiao Lu’s mental power below, she whispered,

“After confession, she becomes part of the pollution source. The endless guilt and self-reproach will torment her and seep out to affect everything around her.”

“That’s why it’s so hard to save her without hurting her in the process.”

“That is the true strength of judgment.”

“Others’ criticisms remain theirs alone, but when you yourself are affected, it becomes mutual. It forms a unified logic—a cycle of dual judgment.”

“You cannot stop a person from feeling guilt.”

“Kindness is a beautiful trait, but you must also admit it can be a person’s greatest weakness,”

“for it often means being overly harsh on oneself.”

“…”

Lu Xin nodded and said, “I don’t quite understand.”

“I only want to know how to destroy all these detestable forces once and for all.”

“…”

Mom couldn’t help but chuckle silently before adding,

“The power of judgment is cumulative. Just as you’re now facing what the Moon Eclipse Research Institute has classified as a world-class S-rank pollution incident.”

“I can only tell you that trying to wipe out these enforcers with brute force is nearly impossible, because you have no idea how many times they’ve already executed judgment—and with each execution they harvest a mutated mental entity.”

“Judgment ensnares every soul they have ever hurt, transforming that soul into part of themselves…”

“That is why the Midnight Tribunal has been deemed an S-rank pollution.”

“At this level, you could say you’re facing half the world alone…”

“…”

Lu Xin exclaimed, “This is terrifying!”

Mom gave him a long, searching look, hesitated as if to say more, then finally added,

“But you must know, as a Zero Ability User, your capacity to endure has always been your greatest strength.”

“To have carried the weight of such horrors up to now—others might fret over your fragility, but on another level, you possess the strongest endurance of anyone in this world. You’ve managed to bear it all…”

“The fact that you’re still alive is the greatest triumph.”

“…”

Lu Xin glanced at the enforcers as they had gathered near the elementary school, while Teacher Xiao Lu’s illusion grew ever larger.

Below in the schoolyard, Father paced restlessly, as if wanting to alert the two atop the roof but too fearful to do so.

“So, by enduring their blows and uncovering their logic chain to break it?”

Having already undergone advanced training and earned his diploma, Lu Xin quickly grasped Mom’s meaning.

Mom nodded gently and said, “Be careful—this will be your greatest test of humanity.”

“Just as not everyone dares expose their life to the judgment of others.”

…

…

After a long silence, Lu Xin nodded, a faint smile appearing as he said, “I’m not afraid.”

“After all, I’ve always been honest, hardworking, and responsible.”

“Who could ever find fault with me?”

“…”

Mom gave him one last, lingering look and suddenly smiled, “That’s the spirit…”