Qing River District Judgment Chief Yan Shicheng stared at the deed of sale that was almost pressed against his own face, his scarred face twitching with the muscles.
He had moved quickly, but he was still a step too late, that old man had already signed the person away!
It was hard to come across such a promising young man.
The Judgment Chief banged on the table.
"Rip—"
A crisp sound that sent shivers down the spine echoed in the cramped room!
A streak of crimson electricity exploded out of thin air, and the contract was instantly torn to shreds.
Witnessing this scene, Gu Shen vaguely felt his scalp tingle. Indeed, this Judgment Chief was also a strong wielder of Extraordinary Power... He had personally witnessed Mr. Shu sealing A-009. Seeing the confrontational stance between the two, they must have been "frenemies" for many years.
Gu Shen guessed that the Judgment Chief's strength should be on par with Mr. Shu.
Mr. Shu, quite magnanimously, spread his hands indifferently, "It's just a copy, tear it up as you please."
"Zhou Jiren!" the Judgment Chief demanded sternly, "Do you dare to face me squarely in a duel? What skill is there in using these tricks!"
Zhou Jiren.
So Mr. Shu's name was Zhou Jiren... Gu Shen scratched his head and suddenly felt an inexplicable familiarity with the name.
"Don't talk about each other, I was here right after you left," Mr. Shu leaned back lazily, smiling, "Summoning Gu Shen to Da Teng City for interrogation overnight isn't exactly honorable, is it? You have your strategies, I have my wall-ladder; snatching people... it's all about skill. You've lost to me more than once anyway, you should be used to it by now, shouldn't you?"
The Judgment Chief's cheekbones twitched slightly.
"You should be aware that the death of the two Transcendents on the rooftop last night means something," he suddenly turned to Gu Shen, shifting the topic. "On the charge of Transcendent loss of control, I could put him directly into prison right now."
Gu Shen: "???"
Hey, hey, hey... caught in the crossfire of immortals fighting, this wasn't the first time!
"Is that so?" The elderly man in a Zhongshan suit calmly responded, "Both you and I know, Extraordinary Awakening is uncontrollable... This young man has revealed his immense potential, out of humanitarianism, the federation should grant him clemency."
"Humanitarianism? I'm discussing federal law with you!" the Judgment Chief stood firm, "According to the Safety Law Article Thirteen, I can have people monitor him strictly around the clock and take restrictive measures when necessary!"
"Gu Shen acted in self-defense, at most it could be considered excessive defense."
"Gu Shen's murder is an established fact, the trial of this case would require the prison and the Extraordinary Court to make a judgment based on the details... Old man, you should know, your Judgement Institute only has the law enforcement power for Extraordinary events," the Judgment Chief took the upper hand, proudly looking at his old adversary.
"Perhaps... you are right."
After a moment of thought, Mr. Shu shrugged his shoulders, giving up the argument while a cunning smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
Zhou Jiren looked at Gu Shen and spoke regretfully, "Look at this... this is the true face of the prison, coercing and enticing, full of deceits, it feels awful to be treated as an object, doesn't it? Gu Shen, if it were to happen again, would you really choose to join them?"
The Judgment Chief's expression changed.
His focus on attacking his opponent in their recent argument had made him somewhat forget his initial purpose.
Gu Shen turned pale, with beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.
Now, he was only concerned about one thing—if what this Judgment Chief said was true... what kind of fate was waiting for him?
"If there wasn't a 'special amnesty,' this evil doer might have just succeeded!"
Mr. Shu looked at the young man's tense expression and suddenly burst out laughing, slapping Gu Shen on the shoulder vigorously, "Relax, you are a rare genius the Judgement Institute managed to snatch, they won't just sit by and watch."
"Special amnesty?"
Not just Gu Shen was stunned, even the Judgment Chief paused for a moment.
A rectangular token carved with golden wheat sheaves was taken out by Mr. Shu, once again hung before Yan Shicheng, "Hey, hey, hey, be careful, this isn't a copy. It's the only one, don't damage it... you know how difficult it is to get a special amnesty from the Council?"
The Judgment Chief looked at the golden wheat tribute token, then back at Zhou Jiren.
At that moment, his mouth opened, but he could not utter a single word.
He knew all too well... how tough it was to obtain a special amnesty...
In the East Continent Council, there are only twenty seats, and acquiring a special amnesty requires at least one council member to vouch with their reputation, followed by a full council vote, with more than half in agreement, to secure this special amnesty.
This meant that "Gu Shen's" name had already been heard by the bigwigs of the East Continent Council.
The issuance of the special pardon indicated that the top echelons of East Continent, the bigwigs, had forgiven the young man.
Perhaps it was for the sake of someone's face.
But whatever the reason, the case had truly come to an end.
Was it worth it for this young man?
The Judgment Chief's expression became solemn, and his regard toward Zhou Jiren shifted from confusion to respect. Although he could not understand, this time Zhou Jiren had truly gone to great lengths.
He didn't feel wrongly defeated.
Gu Shen still appeared utterly bewildered, having lived for over a decade, he had never heard of a special pardon before. However, from the Judgment Chief's expression, he could vaguely discern that it was something incredible.
Seeing the Judicial Chief's cessation of hostilities, Gu Shen thought uneasily, Did it succeed? Did it?
The scattered documents were collected one by one by Yan Shicheng, the stack of papers gently shook the table, and someone sighed deeply. The battle shrouded in smoke had finally concluded.
Gu Shen felt a surge of joy.
Did this mean he had successfully redeemed himself?
An old victor grinned ear to ear, his arms were stiff from being raised, yet he insisted on affixing the special pardon right in front of the other's forehead, feigning ignorance as he clamored, "Haven't you had enough of looking at it? I am going to take it back soon."
"Go away, go away, go away."
The Judgment Chief, with a stern face, pushed away the hefty wheat token.
He spoke meaningfully, "Gu Shen, from now on, you are free."
He paused.
"Also, don't take to heart what was said earlier." Yan Shicheng stood up, holding the documents, his slightly stooped back could suddenly stand as straight as a sword. He formally and gravely congratulated, "Congratulations on joining the Judgement Institute, and I hope that one day you will shine brightly. Although today we merely brushed by, someday we will become comrades-in-arms."
Zhou Jiren squinted his eyes and smiled lightly. He reached out and patted Gu Shen on the back.
Gu Shen quickly bounced up to shake hands with the Judgment Chief.
After shaking hands.
The Judgment Chief hesitated for a moment, but eventually turned around and spoke seriously to his old opponent: "To think you would resort to a special pardon for a newcomer. You've always been bold... But the Judgement Institute is hardly peaceful, and Zhu Wang's group has been eyeing your position. There will be a lot of controversy from the council, so be very cautious."
Mr. Shu nodded smilingly.
...
...
The interrogation room door opened.
After waiting for a long time, Wei Shu's spirits lifted. With the monitoring turned off, nobody knew the final outcome of this interrogation.
Would Gu Shen be detained?
Although the young man was cunning, deceitful, and full of schemes, Wei Shu hoped for a favorable outcome for him. Wei Shu was well aware that once imprisoned, the days ahead would be unbearable.
But the Judgment Chief of Qinghe District, Yan Shicheng, was notoriously ruthless, hailed as the iron wall of East Continent's legal system. This interrogation, led by him personally, feared the result would be severe.
Unexpectedly.
When the Judgment Chief left the interrogation room, a faint smile remained on his fierce and scarred face.
Although it lasted only a moment and quickly returned to being indifferent, Wei Shu was sure he hadn't seen it wrong.
The usually stern Judgment Chief... had actually smiled?
"Let's go."
The elderly man straightened his back, adjusted his wide-brimmed hat, and without turning back for another look, he uttered that one word, leading the grand jury away.
That single word, "Let's go."
That was the final outcome of this hearing... Gu Shen, not guilty.