"boom!"

The moment the verdict was announced, the already tense atmosphere in the square was instantly ignited.

"good!"

"Well done! It's gratifying!"

"The executioner is wise! Long live the law! Long live the leader!"

The women who had been demanding severe punishment for Chen Mo, and the citizens who firmly believed in "a life for a life," erupted in a thunderous cheer.

They clapped their hands, jumped up and down, and even wept with joy, as if celebrating a great victory for justice.

In their view, the verdict upheld order and protected their and their families' sense of security.

On the other side of the square, most of the men who sympathized with Chen Mo fell into a long, oppressive silence.

"Alas, in the end... I still have to die."

"Yes, although his circumstances are understandable, he still killed so many people... If you kill someone, you have to pay with your life. This principle applies everywhere."

"Sentencing me to death... I have nothing to say. It's just that my heart feels heavy."

They shook their heads helplessly, their eyes filled with regret and sympathy.

On the high platform, two discipline enforcement officers stepped forward, grabbed Chen Mo's arms, and prepared to drag him off the platform to carry out his execution in front of everyone in the square.

The crowd parted to make way, and everyone looked at the man who was about to reach the end of his life with incredibly complex expressions.

However, at this critical moment, when everyone thought the dust had settled, a calm voice, yet carrying supreme majesty and a sacred aura, clearly resounded throughout the entire world.

"etc."

Just two words were enough to plunge the noisy, bustling square into a deathly silence, more profound than ever before.

Everyone, whether they were cheering, sighing, or fearing, seemed to have been put on pause.

They suddenly raised their heads and looked in the direction from which the voice came with an incomparably fervent, reverent, and devout gaze.

On the highest terrace of the "Chengtian Hall" in the Imperial Palace.

Lin Feng had appeared there without anyone noticing.

He was still wearing that seemingly simple black silk casual clothes, standing by the railing, looking down at the thousands of people in the square below, who were like ants, with a compassionate yet indifferent gaze.

The afterglow of the sun, filtering through the clouds, cast a dazzling, sacred golden outline on his figure.

At that moment, he was like the one true god who descended from the heavens to earth.

"leader!"

"He's the leader!!"

A suppressed, tearful gasp erupted from the crowd.

The next second, one, ten, a hundred, thousands of people, regardless of age or gender, all spontaneously and devoutly knelt down on the ground, prostrating themselves.

This is their god, and they offer their highest respect to this god.

On the high platform, Chen Mo, who was preparing to face death calmly, also heard that voice.

He raised his head blankly, looking at that lofty, godlike figure. For the first time, an indescribable confusion appeared in those long-dead eyes.

On the executioner's seat, He Wei bowed his proud head deeply, his heart pounding wildly.

He knew that the climax of this grand drama about faith and power, personally directed by the leader, was finally approaching.

Lin Feng's gaze slowly swept over the kneeling people below, like a tide, and finally landed on the prisoner who knelt alone on the high platform, like a small boat about to be torn apart by a storm.

"The law is cold. It is based on facts and measured by its provisions."

Lin Feng spoke, his voice amplified and amplified by some unknown force, clearly reaching the ears of every citizen kneeling on the ground: "According to the shelter's ironclad rules, murderers must pay with their lives. Chen Mo's crime is unforgivable. He Wei's verdict is just and impartial; it upholds the dignity of the law and maintains the shelter's order. I accept this verdict."

Upon hearing this, the kneeling "punishment faction" members of the public once again showed expressions of joy and self-righteousness.

Meanwhile, the sympathetic public felt a sinking feeling, as if their last glimmer of hope was about to be extinguished.

Does even an omnipotent leader believe that this poor man must die?

However, Lin Feng's next words brought everyone's thoughts to a standstill.

“But,” he suddenly changed the subject, his voice now carrying a hint of compassion and empathy that seemed to penetrate the heart, “I am not only the legislator of the shelter, but also the guardian of all its inhabitants. The law is the embodiment of my will, but my will is not merely cold rules. It also has warmth and emotion.”

"I can feel the joys and sorrows of each and every one of you. I can feel the temperature of every beating heart on this land."

“I saw Chen Mo’s sins. I also saw Chen Mo’s pain.”

He slowly, in a highly infectious tone, full of compassion, recounted Chen Mo's tragic experience.

"An honest and upright man, all his hopes were ruthlessly trampled upon. All his dignity was wantonly humiliated. When all roads were blocked, when all hopes were shattered, hatred became the only thing left in his soul."

"His revenge was barbaric, bloody, and wrong. But if we think about it, isn't the root of this hatred something we should all ponder?"

Lin Feng's voice, like a warm and thought-provoking torrent, resonated in everyone's heart.

Those who had initially sympathized with Chen Mo were now in tears, feeling that their leader had spoken all the words they had wanted to say but dared not.

The anger on the faces of the women who had initially been shouting for violence gradually faded, replaced by complex thoughts and an overwhelming sense of emotion.

"The sins of the old world should not be borne entirely by us, the people of the new world."

"The shelter is a brand new beginning. I hope that here, every kind person can receive the fairest treatment, and every person who has made a mistake can have the opportunity to be redeemed."

Lin Feng's gaze fell on Chen Mo again, his eyes piercing through time and space, seeing all his pain and struggle.

“He killed someone, and he must pay the price. But that price should not be the end of his life. Because his life no longer belongs to him; it belongs to me, to the shelter.”

Lin Feng paused for a moment, giving everyone time to process what he had said.

Then, in a tone as authoritative as a divine pronouncement, he delivered his final decision, which shocked everyone.

"I, Lin Feng, in the name of the highest leader of the shelter, hereby declare:"

"I hereby pardon Chen Mo for all his crimes!"

The square was completely silent.

You could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was completely stunned by this amazing, miraculous reversal, their minds went blank.

He was sentenced to death, and then the leader personally granted him a complete pardon!

What majesty this is! And what mercy this is! This is a power only a god could possess!

Lin Feng's voice continued to ring out authoritatively: "From this day forward, Chen Mo will no longer be a prisoner, but a free citizen of the shelter. I will give him a chance to start a new life."

"This is my verdict!"

After he finished speaking, Lin Feng said no more. He just took one last deep look at the kneeling crowd below, who were like a tidal wave, and at the man on the high platform who was already in tears and trembling violently.

Then, he slowly turned around and disappeared behind the terrace.

The silence in the square lasted for a good ten seconds.

The next second, a cheer that was more fervent, more earth-shattering, and more heartfelt than ever before soared into the sky!

Long live the leader!

"Our leader is benevolent! Our leader is wise!"

"Praise be to our leader! You are our god!"

This time, there were no more disagreements. Whether men or women, whether sympathizers or those who advocated for severe punishment, everyone was completely won over by Lin Feng's miraculous and flawless methods.

He upheld the dignity of the law while demonstrating supreme benevolence.

He both punished the criminals and offered them redemption.

He was like an omniscient and omnipotent god, perfectly balancing law and human sentiment, fairness and compassion, dignity and mercy.

Everyone wholeheartedly and unreservedly dedicated their reason, emotions, and even souls to this great, godlike leader.

They chanted Lin Feng's name frantically, over and over again.

On the high platform, Chen Mo knelt there blankly, letting scalding tears wash over his already dried face.

He did not die.

He was granted a pardon.

That godlike man not only gave him a life, but also the status of a "free citizen" and a chance to "be reborn".

In his empty eyes, the stagnant pool was finally pierced by a sun. The endless darkness was dispelled, and a faint but tenacious ray of light called "hope" began to slowly rise.

Facing the direction of the palace, he mustered all his strength and kowtowed three times heavily.

Each one was earth-shattering.

His forehead struck the cold stone slab, blood flowed down, mingling with tears, dripping onto the land that symbolized new life.

He Wei, the executioner, slumped into the cold iron chair as if all his strength had been drained, his whole body soaked in sweat.

Looking down at the frenzied, almost religiously ritualistic scene, and recalling Lin Feng's unfathomable and manipulative methods, he felt nothing but endless, deep-seated awe.

He knew that after this battle, Lin Feng's rule was no longer solely based on force and wealth.

It is based on the willing and spiritual surrender of everyone.

The laws governing shelters have acquired a unique and sacred name.

Lin Feng's will.