The personnel responsible for the transport were clearly specially trained, and the entire process, from start to finish, took less than fifteen minutes.

Eoubs' execution site was set in a rose-filled manor, designed with extreme elegance, purity, and luxury comparable to the Queen's Theatre in Stockholm.

Li Lin could hear the conversations behind them and knew that Yu Jianchu had just been injected with the drug and regained consciousness. There would be a huge rack in front of her, and she would be tied up there.

He froze for a few seconds, not knowing how he moved his feet. When he came to his senses, he was already standing in front of the rack.

It was very quiet around, and the sunlight streamed down from the manor's dome. The temperature here was very low, like thin ice.

The whole thing had a vague and illusory feel to it, but everyone in the room knew that it wasn't like that at all, and that the absurd disaster was about to befall them.

Li Lin took a breath.

"Yeah... what's the big deal?"

Finally, he said.

He remained expressionless, as if this were truly an easy task, nothing special, just like any other control mission, and would be over soon.

Surprisingly, Yu Jianchu was basically the same as before. Some people were saying that her body was mostly ruined, she had lost one eye, and even her organs had been removed.

But now—it's clear that the higher-ups deliberately used a special medicine to heal all the wounds, except that there's still a black collar around his neck and a similarly black iron chain.

She looked up at him, smiled, and nodded.

They knew this all along, a truth that everyone understands—in this day and age, if you don't actively destroy a part of your personality, you absolutely can't survive. You have to sell your dignity or conscience in exchange for a chance to live. But some people are so unlucky that they may end up with nothing and even lose their lives.

Li Lin recalled what Yu Jianchu had said to him when he first arrived at Euubd. She had said she had never seen such a reckless newcomer, and asked if he could be more sensible. She didn't want anyone under her who liked to cause trouble.

But at the time he didn't think anything of it, he just thought she was a stupid woman who was younger than him but acted so arrogantly.

He didn't mind doing things that would definitely involve bloodshed or harming others; he just felt... it was absurd, and he could never forgive himself for what he was about to do.

Li Lin prepared for less than a few seconds, bit his finger, condensed the drop of blood into a blade, and slowly pressed it against Yu Jianchu's finger.

It didn't feel like torture at all; the movements were so damn gentle, even apologetic. He remembered when he had lost control of his personality and accidentally injured Yu Jianchu. Many people died that time. The memory was still tinged with various aftereffects: the smell of blood, the scene of thick smoke. Only a heartless woman had always treated it as a joke worth reminiscing about.

At that moment, a voice came from the space: "Maximize the corrosive properties and cut off her fingers first."

The two of them froze for a moment, and the voice continued, "Didn't you understand?"

They realized who this was: one of the most ruthless figures in the upper echelons, Gore, who had been transferred here from the Americas and was said to be the best executioner in the entire Tribunal, the one who designed the execution grounds.

This idiot has definitely had enough to drink; his tongue can barely move.

He thought, please, let this whole thing be a nightmare. If it's a dream, that's enough. It's enough. They'll slide hand in hand into the darkest place, and no one can stop them, as if no one in the world is alive.

Li Lin instinctively wanted to take a step back, but Yu Jianchu grabbed him.

He then realized that the shackles binding her limbs were loose, and she could have easily gotten off, but she was willingly playing the role of a tortured person while still on them.

They moved closer again. The two were no strangers to torturing people. Although Yu Jianchu was usually too lazy to deal with rebellious operatives, he would watch some videos from time to time. They both knew how to choose the weak points of the human body to attack and how to amplify the pain caused by minor injuries to the extreme.

She knew exactly what to do, and Li Lin was an expert as well.

But now... he absolutely does not want to return those things in this way.

However, it began anyway. Like an apprentice holding a knife for the first time, he carefully aimed at a thumb. Yu Jianchu grinned and laughed. She said...

"Let's get started."

Even when torturing their colleagues, the two top interrogators in the adjudication department maintained a focused and meticulous demeanor. The coldness and ferocity in their eyes were unmatched by anyone else—born in that place, dealing with the dead every day, they knew clearly that they would eventually meet the same end, and they had considered all the consequences.

Regardless of their own hidden pain, or witnessing the pleas and cries of their fellow human beings, they disregarded it all, choosing to go to their deaths and pondering how many more people they needed to kill to save themselves.

There could never be a worse time than now, and there could never be anything more cruel than cutting one's own flesh and blood. Perhaps there is—for example, the whole world watching coldly as it happens.

Now, the show on the rack begins.

Li Lin saw a wound on Yu Jianchu's neck, which looked like a bite mark left by something—a human. The higher-ups had obviously left it as a souvenir on purpose. The deepest tooth mark had almost turned black, chewed up the flesh, and severed the blood vessels.

He thought this attack must have been premeditated. You know, Yu Jianchu usually offended quite a few people, enough to fill several control rooms. But at that time, she must have resisted. In the instant that the humiliating punishment came, she calmly thought and used various means to kill her opponent.

He could imagine her decisive and efficient movements, filled with pent-up anger.

A severed finger was left behind.

"Okay, now cut off the rest of your fingers."

He did as instructed.

When those cuts were swung down, Yu Jianchu shuddered and almost jumped off the rack. Li Lin could only hold him down and repeat the cutting instructions until all her fingers were chopped off, and he could clearly smell the blood.

He could feel a shiver emanating from the man, as if something would cloud his reason and crush his hope.

But she still didn't make a sound. She just had to endure it. As long as she could get through it, it would be worth it. That's how it always is.

Li Lin heard her distorted breathing, as she tried to find a more comfortable rhythm. Even at this point, Yu Jianchu was still trying to control the situation, even though she couldn't.

She just bit Li Lin's shoulder tightly; it hurt so much that it almost bled.