"This...this works too?" He Wei blurted out the shocking words that filled him with disbelief.

He stared wide-eyed at Lin Feng, dumbfounded. He felt that the legal beliefs and professional dignity he had built up and held as his guiding principles over the past few decades were crumbling and shattering into dust inch by inch with just a few words from this man in front of him.

Lin Feng's eyes slowly narrowed.

An invisible, chilling, and tangible pressure instantly enveloped the entire study.

The smile on his face vanished, replaced by a faint, yet chilling, indifference.

"Oh, is that not allowed?"

The four simple words uttered by Lin Feng made He Wei feel as if he were being stared at by the cold, vertical pupils of a prehistoric beast that had just awakened.

He shuddered violently, a chill shooting from his tailbone straight to the top of his head like an electric current. He instantly snapped out of his shock, realizing how foolish and treasonous his words had been.

Do mortals have the right to say "no" before God?

"No! No way! Of course it will work! It will work! It'll work perfectly!"

He Wei's body suddenly slumped to the ground, bending at a ninety-degree angle. His voice, sharp and obsequious with extreme fear, even carried a hint of a sob: "Your Excellency is wise! Your wisdom is like the two suns in the sky, illuminating all things. We mortals are utterly incapable of reaching it! This humble servant is foolish and deserves to die! I... I will do it right away! I guarantee... I guarantee that this public trial will be a perfect example of your supreme majesty and boundless benevolence!"

"Very good." A satisfied smile returned to Lin Feng's face.

The terrifying, suffocating pressure also vanished.

He waved his hand casually, as if shooing away a tamed fly: "Go. Let everyone see. Let them remember forever who is in charge of the rules in this shelter."

"Yes! Yes! Your humble servant takes his leave!"

He Wei felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and he scrambled out of the study, almost backwards.

When he stood outside the palace again, bathed in the glaring midday sun, he felt no warmth whatsoever. His heart was cold and lifeless.

He knew that from this day forward, the laws governing shelters were dead.

Instead, the will of a god named "Lin Feng" took its place.

And he, He Wei, the former lawyer and future chief executioner, will become the most loyal... and also the most humble puppet of this divine will on earth.

...

The public trial in the square was quickly prepared.

Li Xiangbin's construction department demonstrated astonishing efficiency. In just one hour, they erected a courtroom in the center of the square, using heavy obsidian, that was even taller and more imposing than before.

It is now officially named the "Temporary Execution Center".

A long table carved from a single block of black marble, and a high-backed chair made of black iron with an extremely high back carved with a black dragon totem—these were the executioner's seats. Below them was the defendant's dock, where Chen Mo remained kneeling numbly, like a soulless gray statue.

The crowd in the square had been forcibly divided into two areas, left and right, by the Discipline Department using caution tape.

They were informed that the leader attached great importance to this case and that Chief Executioner He Wei would conduct a fair, open, and solemn trial. Everyone was required to remain silent; those who disobeyed would be punished for "disorderly conduct."

When He Wei, dressed in a specially made robe that imitated the judge's robe of the Blue Star era, but was entirely black except for the gold dragon pattern embroidered on the collar and cuffs, walked solemnly into the execution chamber, holding a blank legal code with a black dragon relief on the cover, symbolizing the "will of the leader."

The breath of tens of thousands of people in the entire square seemed to freeze at that moment.

He Wei sat down in the high-backed chair, the cold touch coming from behind him clearing his chaotic mind.

He looked down at the dark mass of people, at their faces filled with anger, sympathy, or numbness, and finally, his gaze fell on the prisoner kneeling motionless on the ground, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He knew that this was not just a trial for Chen Mo, but also a trial for He Wei, and a public declaration of the future order of the shelter.

He took a deep breath and forcefully threw all distracting thoughts, all the principles of his past beliefs, and all the struggles of human nature out of his mind.

From this moment on, he is no longer fearless; he is merely the will of the leader, the most important character in that grand drama.

"quiet!"

He picked up the specially made, heavy black iron gavel from the executioner's table and slammed it down on the table.

"Thump!"

The crisp yet heavy sound echoed across the deathly silent square, shaking the hearts of everyone present.

"The trial is now officially in session at the First Temporary Execution Station of the Shelter!"

He Wei's voice, transmitted through a makeshift loudspeaker hastily set up by the technical department, resounded throughout every corner of the square: "Today, this court will publicly hear the case of citizen Chen Mo, who is suspected of intentional homicide!"

He cast a cold gaze at Chen Mo, who was kneeling on the ground.

"The defendant is Chen Mo."

Chen Mo's body twitched slightly, as if the long-unheard name had awakened a sliver of his consciousness. Slowly, very slowly, he raised his head.

What a face it was!

His sallow skin clung tightly to his cheekbones, and deep-set eyes were hollow, numb, and like stagnant pools of water.

There was no anger, no fear, not even despair in his eyes. Despair, such an emotion, seemed too luxurious for someone whose soul had long since been devoured.

He looked at He Wei on the judge's bench, and at the thousands of faces around him with their varied expressions, and a barely perceptible smile, full of endless self-mockery, appeared on his lips.

Trial?

Does his life need to be judged by others?

From the moment he was swindled out of all his savings, falsely imprisoned, and his mother died of grief.

From the moment he went to argue with that family and was beaten bloody and stripped of all dignity.

From the moment he picked up that boning knife and poured out all his hatred and despair on that blood-red night... he had already judged himself.

For him, death might be the only escape from this boundless sea of ​​suffering.

"Defendant Chen Mo, do you admit that in 2020, in Qinggang City, you murdered seven members of your enemy family?" He Wei's voice was cold and formulaic, devoid of any emotion.

"I admit it," Chen Mo said, his voice hoarse as if two rough pieces of sandpaper were rubbing against each other, yet unusually clear.

There was no explanation, no appeal, and not even the slightest emotional fluctuation.

The two simple words caused another collective gasp in the square, and reignited the anger of the "severe punishment faction."

He Wei continued, following the procedure he knew by heart, "The witnesses are all here, and you yourself have confessed. Do you know your crime?"

Chen Mo fell silent.

Acknowledging guilt?

He raised his head, his empty gaze slowly sweeping over the women below the stage who were shouting at him to kill him and wishing they could tear him apart, and then over the men who looked at him with pity and complicated expressions.

What crime did he commit?

Is it a sin to trust the wrong person? Is it a sin to want back what rightfully belongs to you? Is it a sin to resort to the most primitive and savage violence to seek the long-vanished "fairness" when driven to the brink of ruin and with nowhere else to turn?

Perhaps, that's all true.

He laughed, but his laughter was more painful than crying.

“I killed someone. That’s a fact.” He said slowly, his voice carrying a weary sense of having seen through everything. “If you want me dead, then do it. There’s no need for... any more nonsense.”

His "unrepentant" attitude thoroughly enraged the "punishment faction" among the public.

"Look at him! He shows no remorse whatsoever!"

"Even on the verge of death, he's still so arrogant! This kind of person deserves to be torn to pieces!"

"Kill him! Your Honor, kill him immediately!"

He Wei struck the gavel again, forcefully suppressing the commotion in the square.

He glanced at Chen Mo, and a complex mix of pity and admiration inexplicably welled up within him. But he knew the script had to be played out.

"The defendant has waived his right to defense. The facts of his crime are clear, the evidence is conclusive, the impact is extremely egregious, and the nature of his crime is extremely cruel!"

He Wei's voice suddenly rose, becoming increasingly authoritative and cold: "This court holds that the right to life is the most fundamental and sacred right of citizens, protected by the highest will of the sanctuary! No one, for any reason, has the right to illegally deprive another of their life!"

"The defendant, Chen Mo, murdered seven people with cruel and inhuman methods. His actions have posed the most serious and unforgivable threat to the public safety and moral bottom line of the shelter!"

Every word he said struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

Everyone waited tensely, holding their breath, for the final verdict.

Chen Mo slowly closed his eyes. He was in a daze, like a sinking ship, preparing to face the final storm he had long anticipated.

Finally, He Wei slowly stood up from the high-backed chair. He raised the black iron hammer in his hand high and, with all his might, uttered the two words that had been personally chosen by the gods and were filled with the aura of death.

"This court hereby solemnly pronounces its verdict in the name of the Supreme Temporary Execution Station of the Shelter!"

He paused, his icy gaze sweeping across the room, causing everyone who met his eyes to involuntarily lower their heads.

"The defendant, Chen Mo, was sentenced."

"Death penalty! Execute immediately!"