Chapter 746: Midnight Tribunal and the Mind Palace

Huh?

Is that Han Bing?

Can you hear me clearly? The mental power around here might be a bit chaotic, messing with the signal…

Yeah, the issue has been resolved…

I can’t head back now. There’s still something here that needs guarding – worst case, something else goes wrong…

…

Under the Red Moon, family members stood in a row beside a truck, their expressions odd—mixing seriousness with resignation—as they watched Lu Xin, not far away, call Qinggang. He adjusted his stance, raising or crouching to catch the weak signal scattered across the Wasteland.

Oddly, it had a very lived-in feel.

Lu Xin was truly at his wits’ end.

The Pollution was indeed dealt with, but what remained was this Midnight Tribunal.

Whether you call it real or fake, I simply can’t haul it back on the truck.

Leaving it here wasn’t viable either. The Wasteland teems with oddities, and this Midnight Tribunal is now an empty shell. If something unwelcome sneaks in, no one can guarantee nothing worse happens…

Just moments ago, Father was all raring to go, eager to haul the Midnight Tribunal back himself.

But Mom shot him a look that made him feel guilty.

Seeing that, Lu Xin had no choice but to stop him, hastily explaining, “It’s not that I don’t trust you…”

“The main thing is, someone just died inside…”

“A haunted house? You expect to live there?”

…

…

Shortly after Lu Xin’s call, rows of high beams lit up across the Wasteland.

Section by section, they rolled in from the far end, skimming close to the ground with an imposing presence.

Qinggang isn’t messing around this time…

“Swish, swish, swish…”

Military trucks rolled in, screeching to a halt on the Wasteland, instantly cordoning off the area.

Rows of fully armed soldiers emerged—half aiming their weapons outward, half toward the space behind Lu Xin. It might not change much in practice, but it clearly showed how seriously Qinggang was taking the matter.

Inside the circle of military vehicles, a Support Team in heavy protective suits rushed in.

Unexpectedly, the first to arrive was Gecko, accompanied by a kid lugging a computer bag. The youngster trotted up to Lu Xin, scanned the surroundings warily, then saluted and said, “Captain, is it over?”

Surprised by the timely appearance, Lu Xin nodded, “It’s over.”

“Understood.”

Gecko immediately responded with a stern nod, standing behind Lu Xin with the kid like a pair of model soldiers.

“What are you doing?”

Lu Xin found it a bit odd.

“As vice-captain, it’s our duty to lead our team and ensure your safety at all times.”

Gecko replied seriously, even drawing his gun to assume a vigilant stance.

The kid mimicked him, though lacking Gecko’s prowess; his eyes darted nervously.

“Um…”

Lu Xin realized he was momentarily lost for words.

Just then, another group approached from the distance—Chen Jing and the Support Team she led. With her tall, slender frame clad in heavy protective gear, she somehow looked as imposing as a burly muscleman. Had it not been for her voice, Lu Xin might not have recognized her as she asked, “Solo soldier, what’s the situation?”

“It’s over…”

Lu Xin replied while carefully assessing the scene.

Then he noticed that alongside Chen Jing and her team, several squads of Qinggang soldiers in new protective gear armed with advanced plasma weapons had arrived. On one of the trucks, there was even a group of researchers dressed in white street outfits.

Lu Xin even spotted the figures of Professor Bai, Mr. Su, and Minister Shen on the last truck.

Though they hesitated to approach in uncertain conditions, they leaned in, their faces full of concern.

“This is such a minor issue, so why the massive turnout?”

Lu Xin was taken aback, thinking, “If a missile were to hit, wouldn’t the Qinggang Cleanup Department be wiped out?”

These folks show no hint of caution…

…

…

“It’s right there…”

Muttering to himself, Lu Xin pointed toward the Midnight Tribunal. “It’s because we left this thing behind that I wasn’t ready to head back immediately. Look—there’s the Midnight Tribunal, the Mind Palace left behind after the Sword Bearer’s death.”

“What?”

Lu Xin spoke calmly, but Chen Jing’s voice suddenly rose, nearly shifting in tone.

Far away, Professor Bai and the others picked it up on the channel, all of them visibly taken aback as they sprang to their feet.

“The Mind Palace…”

Noticing Chen Jing’s reaction, Lu Xin wondered if he had misspoken.

But her astonishment didn’t lessen as she incredulously replied, “The Mind Palace?”

“Exactly!”

Chen Jing’s voice trembled, “Left behind after the Sword Bearer’s death?”

“Exactly!”

Chen Jing’s voice suddenly rose, “The Sword Bearer is dead?”

“Yes…”

Behind her protective helmet, Chen Jing banged her head and said, “Is it that Sword Bearer?”

“Yes…”

Chen Jing nearly lost it, “You killed him and left this behind?”

Lu Xin, puzzled, replied, “Is there a problem?”

…

…

There’s no issue—if there were, I’d have asked…

Chen Jing could only think so as she turned and spotted a vague, indistinct shadow in the night—a mere outline drawn by distorted air. The bright glow of the Red Moon made it barely discernible, and it wavered like it might vanish at any moment.

After a brief glance, she quickly pulled her gaze away.

She felt as if even behind her helmet, her eyes were irresistibly drawn to it.

Is this the Midnight Tribunal?

The S-level Pollution Source that triggered a global crisis?

And it’s just been abandoned in the Wasteland outside Qinggang?

She didn’t consider herself easily rattled—after witnessing so much mental pollution, nothing really scared her.

Yet now, she felt genuinely anxious.

She drew a deep, labored breath under her protective mask, feeling the oppressive weight inside.

Then, gently patting her chest to steady herself, she asked Lu Xin, “What should we do with this?”

Lu Xin’s gaze grew even more perplexed as he replied, “I have no idea…”

Chen Jing found it odd; after all, isn’t she usually just in charge of handling pollution…

The Midnight Tribunal—or rather, the Mind Palace—is just like leftover corpses after pollution has been cleansed. What’s it got to do with me?

…

…

Chen Jing gave Lu Xin a long, piercing look and said, “Wait for me.”

After that, still in her protective gear, she strode back to a distant truck. There, she quietly conferred with researchers and Professor Bai. Murmurs like “Holy crap!”, “What the heck?”, “That’s intense!”, “We’ve got it in us?” floated by. Minutes later, she returned…

“Alright… fine.”

Chen Jing responded, feigning calm despite a noticeably shaky tone, “Leave it to us. We’ll cordon off the area immediately and dispatch a research team to investigate. Do you have any other instructions?”

“Qinggang really is something else—they never pass the buck when it’s their responsibility…”

Lu Xin nodded appreciatively, adding, “There are still a few matters. If you can uncover what’s wrong with this Mind Palace or find any other leads, share the report with me. There are some really bizarre aspects about this Midnight Tribunal—or rather, Mind Palace—that I want to understand…”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Chen Jing nodded, “Alright. Anything else?”

Lu Xin pondered, “Make the report detailed—don’t just gloss over it…”

Chen Jing gave him a lingering look, inwardly noting, “So you know how a proper report should be written…”

…

…

After formally handing over the work to Qinggang, Lu Xin calmly finished his task and prepared to head back for some rest.

“It’s in your hands now.”

The silent, serious Vice-captain Gecko, seeing that Lu Xin had explained everything to the Qinggang Cleanup Department, naturally took over driving and loudly assured Chen Jing and the others, “I’ll get the Captain back to Qinggang safely.”

“Let’s go!”

Everyone could only nod, sensing something was off though they couldn’t quite put their finger on it.

“One, two, three…”

With the help of over a dozen Support Teams and two military truck cranes, Lu Xin’s overturned civilian grocery truck was finally righted. After a careful inspection, he couldn’t help but marvel at the stringent quality of Flame City’s products—a truck that once barreled through a thousand-headed force and even crashed into the Sword Bearer, yet still managed to catch fire…

“Captain, you’ve worked hard…”

Gecko willingly took over the driving, returning steadily to Qinggang while asking with genuine concern, “Captain, were you hurt this time?”

“…”

Lu Xin, visibly touched, nodded.

Then he heard Gecko add, “Your sister is okay too, right? I’m really worried about her.”

Lu Xin glanced at his sister in the rearview mirror and saw that she, too, seemed touched.

Gecko continued, “And Uncle and Aunt? They’re all right, I hope?”

Lu Xin was genuinely surprised as he looked back, seeing Mom and Father with confused expressions.

“This kid, so mature…”

The family, who had been heavy-hearted after the Midnight Tribunal incident, suddenly brightened up considerably.

Even Mom couldn’t help but say, “Go ask him if he’d like to come home as a guest?”

“The kind that barely make it out alive…”