The town square was deathly silent, like a graveyard.
The biting wind, whipping up snowflakes, lashed at everyone's faces, but it was far less impactful than the shock of the newly erected stone tablet.
It was an unnamed monument, made of the last piece of bedrock left over from the suppression of the seventh node. It was dark and deep, as if it could devour all light and hope.
There was no epitaph or record of achievements on the monument, only a line of blood-red characters carved with a sharp blade, each stroke conveying a cold, questioning tone:
Why do you need a savior?
Lin Yi stood in front of the monument, his figure as straight as a spear, letting the wind and snow fall on his shoulders.
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the wind and snow, reaching everyone's ears.
"Starting today, for the next seven days, a 'trial of Lin Yi' will be held here."
“Anyone can come up here. Talk about the wrong things I’ve said, the wrong things I’ve done, even…” He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces that were filled with astonishment, anger, or confusion, “…the reasons why I deserve to die.”
The whole town was in an uproar!
The crowd was like a lake surface thrown into a giant rock, instantly creating towering waves.
People couldn't understand why the man who single-handedly pulled the town back from the brink of despair, the man secretly regarded by countless people as the guardian of the new era, would stage such an absurd farce.
"He's insane! He's absolutely insane!"
"Judgment him? What right do we have to judge him? Without him, we would have been food for those monsters in the rift long ago!"
"But...is he telling the truth? Can we really...accuse him?"
Whispers mingled into a buzzing sound, and doubt and unease grew wildly among the crowd.
A graceful figure enveloped in wind element appeared silently behind Lin Yi. Chu Yao's voice, filled with suppressed anxiety, condensed into a thin line and reached his ears: "You're playing with fire! The Cleaners have been waiting for the opportunity of 'divine return.' By deliberately placing yourself at the center of all beliefs and resentment, you're essentially opening the door for them! Once people's faith in you collapses and transforms into pure hatred, your 'divine essence' will be polluted and stripped away, leaving you powerless to resist!"
Lin Yi did not turn around, his gaze remaining calm as he watched the restless crowd.
“That’s right, so I won’t argue, not a single word.” His voice also came through a secret technique, carrying an undeniable resolve. “What the Cleaners want is a ‘fallen hero’ abandoned by his followers, a perfect sacrifice drowning in hatred. And what I’m going to do is let people drag me down from my pedestal with their own hands—with the truth, not with hatred.”
Chu Yao wanted to persuade him again, but looking at Lin Yi's profile, she saw the unwavering determination beneath his calm demeanor. In the end, she could only let out a sigh and disappear into the wind and snow.
The trial has begun.
On the first day, in the dead silence, a gaunt woman staggered onto the makeshift stone platform.
Her eyes were bloodshot and red, staring intently at Lin Yi as if she wanted to torture him to death with her gaze.
"Lin Yi!" Her voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows. "I accuse you!"
Everyone's heart was in their throat.
“Three years ago, to seal the spatial rift in the eastern district, you ordered all the town’s energy to be drawn and concentrated into one point, activating the ‘Soul-Suppressing Thorn.’” The woman’s words grew increasingly agitated, each syllable like a mournful cry of a cuckoo. “My son was born weak, surviving only thanks to the life support system in his medical pod. You drained the energy…you drained the last bit of electricity…the life support system went out. I watched helplessly as the indicator lights went out one by one, as if watching his life slowly ebb away…You saved the whole town, but killed my son!”
By the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably, collapsed to the ground, and let out a desperate, beast-like wail.
Countless people in the square were deeply moved.
They only remember the devastating victory, but forget the price paid for it.
Complex gazes converged on Lin Yi, some filled with sympathy, some with pity, and a hint of resentment that had been stirred up deep within his heart.
Lin Yi listened in silence, letting the tearful accusations cut into his skin like knives.
He did not defend himself by saying it was a last resort, nor did he explain that more people would have died if he hadn't done it.
When the woman's crying subsided, he slowly spoke, his voice low and clear: "I'm sorry."
He walked up to the woman, ignoring her hateful gaze, and said, word by word, "I remembered his name. His name was Li Hao. He liked to look at the stars by the window and dreamed of becoming a botanist."
The woman's body trembled violently, and she abruptly raised her head, her eyes filled with disbelief.
That was a secret known only to her and her son.
Lin Yi didn't say another word, turned around and returned to the monument, standing like a stone statue.
He showed everyone through his actions: I accept your accusations, I remember your pain, but I will not change my decision.
As the night passed, when the sun pierced the clouds the next day, the number of people in the square not only did not decrease, but actually increased.
A burly Awakened One strode onto the stage, the badge on his chest signifying his status as a core member of the town's hunting party.
"Lin Yi! I accuse you of your arbitrary and domineering ways!" he roared, his voice booming. "You taught us that everyone should be the protagonist of their own life, and that everyone should be responsible for the future of the town! But what has been the result? Who gets the best energy cores first? How are the resources from newly discovered ruins allocated? Which team goes on the most dangerous but also the most rewarding mission? In the end, it's all about what you say!"
These words stirred up a huge wave of discussion, especially among the many awakened individuals, who resonated strongly with them.
It is human nature to worry about inequality rather than scarcity.
Lin Yi's strength convinced everyone, but his power was also like a mountain, making it hard for everyone to breathe.
Faced with this pointed question, Lin Yi remained silent, but in front of everyone, he took out a data tablet and a pen from his pocket.
He wrote quickly on it; it was a completely new draft of resource allocation and task decision-making, which detailed a points redemption system based on contribution, team strength, and task risk assessment, as well as a reform plan to establish a joint council composed of representatives from all parties to jointly decide on major issues.
After finishing writing, he held the data board high, facing the entire town.
"This plan is not perfect, but it is a beginning." Lin Yi's voice echoed throughout the square. "From today onwards, the allocation and decision-making of resources in the town will no longer be decided by me alone. It will be put to a public referendum, and if more than two-thirds of the people agree, it will take effect immediately."
After speaking, he handed the data board to the notary in the audience and then returned to the monument.
The crowd erupted in excitement. They hadn't expected Lin Yi's response to be not a defense, but a direct delegation of authority!
That extremely detailed plan was clearly not a spur-of-the-moment idea, but rather something that had been carefully considered long ago.
On the third day, the atmosphere became even more eerie.
Several elderly people from the town carried a tattered box onto the stage.
The box was opened, revealing the remains of a puppet almost melted into molten iron. Only the head remained intact, and one of its electronic eyes was still faintly flashing red.
"This is... 'The Arbiter'?" Someone recognized the puppet's origin; it was a combat puppet that was melted by the enemy's core energy while protecting Lin Yi during the last great battle.
A faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation of consciousness emanated from the processor core of the wreckage, transforming into intermittent whispers that echoed in everyone's minds:
“They…those eyes lurking in the shadows…want to plunge you into self-doubt…make you hate your past…make you break down with guilt…but I know…you never run away…”
Realizing that this was the end, the flashing electronic eye dimmed completely.
Lin Yi stepped forward and silently looked at the remains of the puppet that had followed him for many years.
He reached out and carefully removed the still slightly warm processor core, then turned and walked to the stone tablet.
Under the astonished gaze of everyone, he carved a groove at the base of the monument and solemnly embedded the core into it.
“You are not evidence of my guilt, but rather a witness to my ‘trial’,” he said softly.
Just as the core merged with the stone tablet, an invisible, evil wave suddenly descended from the void!
The will of the seventh node, that terrifying being lurking in the dimensional rift, finally seized its opportunity.
It attempts to use the anger, doubt, sadness and resentment accumulated over the past three days to forcibly distort Lin Yi's image and reshape him into the "fallen hero" template that it most desires to see!
The sky above the square instantly darkened, the air seemed to solidify into a gel, and the immense mental pressure caused many ordinary people to kneel down and wail in agony.
Uncontrollably, illusions of Lin Yi coldly issuing orders and sacrificing the innocent surfaced in their minds, and their trust in him was being forcibly torn apart and corrupted by an external force!
Lin Yi groaned, his face turning deathly pale instantly.
This force rushed straight to his spiritual core, threatening to drag him into an abyss of no return.
However, a glimmer of light suddenly flashed from the puppet core embedded at the base of the monument, and a pure, unadulterated sense of "protection" flowed out, like the strongest dam, blocking the first wave of the torrent.
The trial continued despite interference from the seventh node.
The fourth day was spent in a depressing atmosphere.
On the fifth day, an unexpected person walked onto the stone platform.
He was a boy of only ten years old, pale and thin, but with a stubborn flame burning in his eyes.
His voice trembled with nervousness, yet remained remarkably clear.
"I...I didn't make any accusations." The boy took a deep breath, mustered all his courage, and said loudly, "I just...dreamed about Brother Long Wu last night."
The moment the name "Long Wu" was uttered, the entire venue fell silent.
Those were the guardians of the previous generation, heroes who sacrificed their lives to secure ten years of peace for the town before Lin Yi rose to power.
The boy's eyes reddened, and his voice trembled with tears: "Brother Long Wu told me in my dream... that he wanted me to come back. He said that only you can guard that 'door,' and we can't live without you. Everyone says that you are the only one who can guard the door!"
These words struck like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.
Yes, trials are trials, but who will protect them?
If Lin Yi is really "judged" and killed, what will become of the town's future?
The resentment and anger of the past few days suddenly seemed somewhat ridiculous in the face of the fear of survival.
People's eyes changed, from scrutiny and suspicion to dependence and pleading.
They want to push Lin Yi back onto that pedestal.
The will of the seventh node surged with excitement once more, just as it desired!
The people's dependence is the best shackle!
However, Lin Yi's next move completely stunned everyone, including the will hidden in the shadows.
He looked at the boy, at the pure expectation in his eyes, and slowly knelt down on one knee.
He put himself at the same level as the teenager.
"Child, listen to me." Lin Yi's voice had never been so gentle, yet so firm. "If I come back and continue to be that lock, will you... still think about opening the door yourselves?"
He reached out and gently placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.
“Long Wu burned himself not so that I would come back. He did it so that you, so that everyone, would no longer have to wait for anyone.”
"What he lit with his life was not a torch to be given to me alone, but a spark to be spread to all of you. What he hoped to see was a world where everyone could be a hero, not a world that needed a hero to save it."
Lin Yi stood up, his gaze sharp as he swept across the entire room.
"The one guarding the gate shouldn't be me. It should be each and every one of you!"
At this moment, a crack appeared in the oppressive atmosphere above the square.
The seventh day, late at night.
The commotion lasted for six days. By midnight on the seventh day, the square was finally deserted, leaving only the solitary stone monument standing in the wind and snow.
Lin Yi stood alone in front of the monument, as if he had become one with the world.
During the seven-day trial, he endured all the accusations, resentment, sorrow, and expectations, yet he never uttered a word in his own defense.
He was simply listening, acknowledging, and guiding.
He slowly reached out his hand, his cold fingertips tracing the deeply engraved words on the monument: "Why do you need a savior?"
“I am no longer the key, nor the lock.” He whispered to the stone tablet, and to the whole world, “From now on, I am just the one who stands in front of the door and asks you, ‘Do you want to open the door yourself?’”
The moment the words fell, it was as if an ancient pact had come to an end.
Deep within the void, the immense, malevolent, and calculating will of the Seventh Node let out a silent, incredulous roar. Then, the wave that had plagued the town for decades, attempting to lead this civilization to a "designed" end, collapsed with a deafening roar!
It finally confirmed that this civilization no longer needed to be designed, nor could it be designed anymore.
The wind and snow suddenly stopped at that moment.
The night was deep and silent, as if gathering all its strength for a completely different dawn that was about to arrive.
In the center of the square, the stone tablet that witnessed the seven-day trial stands silently in the darkness, as if awaiting the inspection of the first rays of dawn.
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