Chapter 745: Mysteries at the Midnight Tribunal

What on earth is going on here?

Standing in the desolate Midnight Tribunal, Lu Xin and his family remained silent for a long while.

Above, a figure in a judge’s robe hung lifeless in the grand hall, swaying gently in the breeze blowing in from outside.

A profound silence pervaded the space, and in many dark, hidden corners an eerie, furtive presence seemed to loom.

It was as if someone was lurking in those shadows, secretly watching them.

Yet when they tried to focus their gaze, they realized it was merely an illusion—the tribunal was completely empty.

The Sword Bearer—one of the Thirteen Ultimate—stood before them.

The Ultimate had long symbolized the pinnacle of humanity’s grasp of mental power, a being at the top of the food chain.

And yet, as an Ultimate, it had been killed within its own Mind Palace, its body now controlled by another.

If the Ultimate had indeed been dead all along…

Then what of the contamination at the Midnight Tribunal that nearly affected the entire world?

What force was controlling the Sword Bearer’s assault on Qinggang just moments ago?

As Lu Xin wrestled with these tangled questions, a realization struck him:

The Sword Bearer’s actions resembled those of the madmen—or rather, the demented—who once spread across the world thirty years ago.

They all appeared human, sporting complete bodies capable of both running and walking.

But their inner essence had vanished; they were human in appearance yet nothing more than walking corpses…

Wasn’t the Sword Bearer just an Ultimate-level walking corpse?

For the first time, while Lu Xin was with his family, he felt an inexplicable surge of fear.

……

……

“Phew…”

After a long while, someone softly sighed—it was Mom.

She appeared to compose herself, slowly circling within the Midnight Tribunal while casually surveying every detail, then stepped outside the main gate and looked upward—the pair of eyes in the sky had vanished.

One eye had been shattered by Qinggang, and the other disappeared with a hint of satisfaction.

Now, only a red moon remained in the sky, with scattered stars hidden in its crimson glow.

“It’s truly strange,” she murmured.

Mom turned to face Father and Sister, both of whom wore looks of curious wonder.

With a gentle smile, she said softly, “Right now, I still can’t figure it out—some things lie beyond my understanding.”

“But doesn’t that make it even more intriguing?”

She laughed lightly and nodded, as if reassuring them, “We’ll find the answer in time.”

“Indeed,”

Lu Xin, unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere any longer, nodded and said, “Is there any clue at the moment?”

“There is.”

Mom glanced toward the spot where the vanished eyes had been and whispered, “At first I thought those eyes belonged to the dear sister of my Codename Dark Queen—placed there to spy on your secrets. But now I’m sure they were meant to pry into your secrets, though I can’t be sure it was truly my sister in the sky…”

“It seems this isn’t something she can achieve on her own.”

“But one thing is for sure—it’s connected to her mirror. She must know something.”

“Then go find her and ask, won’t you?”

……

Though Mom’s tone was light, Lu Xin suddenly looked at her intently and said, “You shouldn’t go alone.”

Even if its nature was unclear, judging by the Sword Bearer’s fate, a formidable force was clearly at play.

This force was powerful enough to kill an Ultimate and leave it as nothing more than a demented husk.

Lu Xin worried that Mom, who often left abruptly, might inadvertently stir up major trouble.

The last time she left, she was injured—and if she recklessly pursued this power again, who knew what even more terrifying consequences might follow?

Mom, reading Lu Xin’s concern, showed a hint of surprise before smiling and nodding.

“Then let’s go together…”

His family nodded slowly, reaching a preliminary consensus, and Lu Xin heaved a sigh of relief.

Then he turned his gaze toward the wasteland—scoured as if by an unidentified bomb—and at the Midnight Tribunal, a structure that seemed both real and illusory, entwined with the red moonlit night, and whispered:

“In any case, this threat has been dealt with. Now we must consider…”

He paused, then looked at the tribunal again, “…how to transport it back to Qinggang?”

Even though a truck had been sent over, it seemed insufficient to carry something of this magnitude…

It’s rather tricky to manage.

After all, this is a crime scene—it wouldn’t do to leave it adrift in the wasteland.

……

……

Meanwhile, as Lu Xin and his family debated how to handle the Sword Bearer, several hundred miles from Qinggang,

on the flat wasteland under the red moon’s light,

the Old Director and Number Seven beside a Jeep scrutinized a figure emerging from the weeds.

Likewise, the newcomer’s eyes—peeking from beneath a wide-brimmed hat—betrayed both appraisal and curiosity as they studied the Old Director.

“How did you recognize my identity?”

The stranger, holding a gun steadily pointed at the Old Director’s face, asked curiously,

“Your wristwatch.”

The Old Director, still having the gun trained on him, remained surprisingly composed and smiled, “That’s one of the first batches of Special Pollution Armor produced by the Research Institute.”

“I once saw its design details at the Institute.”

“Later, as various models of Special Pollution Armor succeeded one another, no one wore such an old piece anymore.”

……

“Oh?”

The stranger glanced at his black wristwatch, then smiled and nodded, “Indeed.

This item has long lost its practical use—it now serves merely as a keepsake.”

“But I’m curious—seeing me appear, you’re not at all surprised?”

……

“A little surprised, yes—but not enough to show on your face.”

The Old Director met his gaze calmly and said, “In fact, I’ve been waiting for your arrival.

When the Red Moon incident struck and the first generation of researchers at the Institute vanished without explanation, it was truly baffling.

Some said you all perished in the chaos at the Red Moon’s onset—which was a plausible explanation.

After all, in that initial turmoil, with no one prepared, many lives were lost.

In such chaos, everyone was equal—especially those researchers closest to the contamination.

But later, I reviewed the materials you left behind for study, and the deeper I delved, the more astonishing it became…

Though most crucial materials had been destroyed, one could still occasionally find traces…

……

His smile slowly faded, and his voice grew heavier.

“Had you foreseen the Red Moon’s arrival? Or rather…”

“Was the Red Moon’s descent orchestrated by you?”

……

“Boom…”

Number Seven, listening to their conversation, suddenly felt a chilling dread.

She looked up in shock, silent, while thunder seemed to rumble in her mind.

How had the Red Moon incident truly unfolded? What was its original source…

These were questions everyone had pondered.

But now, hearing these two finally discuss it, a surge of fear overwhelmed her.

Even though she was an Ability User, in their presence she couldn’t shake the sense of helplessness against fate.

On the other side, the gunman who was pointing at the Old Director fell silent for a long moment before softly saying,

“From now on, especially in the eyes of you second-generation researchers, this is hardly a secret anymore.”

“It’s perfectly natural for you to notice these issues.”

“The child who jumped from the building must have noticed, and that’s why he made his choice…”

“It’s just a pity—he was truly remarkable…”

……

……

Hearing the Old Director’s admission, the gunman’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Beneath his somewhat reserved exterior, unusual emotions stirred, and many questions nearly burst forth.

But his strong will kept him in check as he quickly sorted through the few matters he truly cared about, finally asking,

“Were you the ones who conducted experiments on Number Nine?”

The gunman remained silent.

After a few seconds, he softly replied, “We did make certain arrangements and adjustments on some key individuals.”

The Old Director’s expression turned unnervingly cold as he suddenly asked, “For what purpose?”

Even though he tried to control his tone, it carried a weight of gravity.

“Of course…”

The stranger slowly looked up, meeting the Old Director’s gaze, and said calmly, “It was all for the original plan…”

The Old Director couldn’t help but flinch; Number Seven tensed noticeably.

The gunman gripped his weapon tighter, and, having started, he no longer hid anything as he continued, “Whether it’s you, the current Institute, or other researchers, you must have noticed something was amiss.”

“Many events occur for a reason.”

“The Red Moon wouldn’t just appear in the sky out of nowhere, nor would mental contamination suddenly engulf the world.”

“Everything always has an origin…”

……

He paused briefly, then softly stated, “What I can tell you is that it truly is that way.

Both the original secret and the final plan do exist.

Your suspicions aren’t unfounded…”

……

“Swish…”

Listening to his calm words, the Old Director abruptly looked up, his eyes narrowing.

A lonely wind swept between them across the wasteland.

The Old Director seemed about to speak but held back, simply staring at the stranger’s dark gun barrel with furrowed brows.

“That’s also why I came looking for you,” he said.

Noticing the Old Director’s twitching eye, the gunman paused briefly and then said softly, “After we leave, countless researchers unbound by restrictions will frantically experiment with their own ideas. But few will achieve success. The child who jumped from the building was unexpected, and you, too, are an unexpected presence.”

“Especially now that you’ve reached a level where if we don’t detain you, you could jeopardize our plan.”

“So, I came to see if you might be interested in talking with us?”

As he spoke, his arm trembled slightly from holding it up too long, and he sighed softly,

“Threatening people with a gun isn’t ideal—I grow tired of always having it raised.”

“But if you refuse my invitation, I’ll have no choice…”

His finger curled around the trigger, poised to pull at any moment.

The Old Director’s expression darkened as he simply stood there, radiating a palpable threat.

Number Seven remained silent, glancing over at the Old Director.

Even though what she had just heard from him made her deeply uneasy, she would still obey him.

Inwardly, she even hoped the Old Director would suddenly issue an order.

If it came even as a mere request, it would be all the better.

No matter how dangerous this man seemed, she wouldn’t hesitate to help him escape.

But unexpectedly, after a long silence, the Old Director suddenly nodded and smiled,

“Alright!”