One by one, those before Bain were judged. And soon, it was his turn.
"Next!"
The front guard fiercely nudged him forward, letting him stand on a massive white square below his feet. Looking around, Bain thought this should be the perfect position for all cameras to capture him.
"Former Military Recruit, Bain Ratnier, age 16…" The judge momentarily paused, arousing the curiosity of many watching.
The judge cleared his throat, reading the charges with a stoic expression.
"Bain Ratnier, recruited to the army 5 and a half months ago. Charged with not only maliciously killing your Supervisor during your first outdoor training but also killing the other 449 in your camp!"
He didn't do it.
Bain was overwhelmed, thinking of that fateful day.
In Oven Country, after 3 months of service, new military recruits would join light-weighted or laissez-faire missions that required little to no effort. It was practically 99% risk-free and was only there first to teach them how to force out in various climate situations. But who would've known that while out, all 449 of those he went with would die overnight?
Bain slept and woke up to find the entire campsite bloody. Blood everywhere he looked.
The foul stench reeked for miles without end. And what was more ghastly was that a minute after opening his eyes, he found the entire site was surrounded by other military and police forces.
Before he could react and explain himself, they rained tranquilizers as though he was some devilish monster about to go berserk.
He later woke up in a tightly locked security sight for questioning. And no matter how he spoke, all evidence led to him. There was even evidence in his home!
Bain was an orphan adopted by a kind widow. She also lost her son 5 years back. Bain was just 11 when he stared at his brother's cold corpse with a bullet straight to his skull. And after burying him alongside his adopted mother, Bain made a promise to his 30-year-old brother, who had always been good to him.
At that time, he swore to fulfill his brother's dream of becoming the best soldier. However, reality was quick to turn him into a villain. Worse, his 66-year-old adopted mother was also killed, with all evidence pointing to him.
He had been set up. But by who?
What person had such a deep hatred against his family and himself? Why single him out when killing the other 449? And why attack his adopted mother?
There's nothing worse than having an invisible enemy watch your every move.
.
Bain dropped his head, recalling the painful memories in his mind.
His alleged crimes were so heavy that they caused those watching to burst out in rage.
What? Murdering 500? What's worse, killing his poor and kind foster mother too?... What an ungrateful person!
(*⌗*)
Listening to the charges read out, a majority of people already looked at the youngster unfavorably. And seated within many military facilities, many watched, coldly wishing to personally kill the bastard that caused one of the greatest one-person slaughter in Military history!
Many knew that with time, his incident would be forgotten.
Though he killed 449 military personnel, would you believe that it wasn't as big a deal as the case of one of the soldiers who single-handedly killed the famous Skull Crusher?
These 449 were considered weak in the eyes of many because they had no significant rank.
The world had truly turned too rotten to the point where even the military deposited their lower-rank officers.
The world's population was rampant. Recruits will come, and others will go.
Such a case would be forgotten in no time, with many not even wanting to look deeply into the case. After all, the military training route was extremely tough, with ⅛ of the recruits dying before they could even rise a rank up.
It could not be stressed how dangerous the world of today was.
Most people will forget his face, especially now that he stood before the camera in such a disheveled state.
His skin was dull, and his hair was overgrown, falling over his face, making him look too haggard.
Many military people were immersed in the heat of the moment. But give it a couple of months later, new stories would emerge replacing his, not to mention that the Absolute Court judged batches of devious cases like his twice a year.
In several main military offices, many superiors who knew the real situation briefly looked at one another in understanding.
There was a secret in their eyes.
In Particular, a burly man with a deep scar running from one end of his forehead to another lightly tapped his table.
"Did you process the documents?"
"Yes, sir. The kid's fate is decided."
"Good."
....
-Silence-
It was as though the world gave a collective wave of silence.
What will the boy's fate be?
The judge looked at Bain for longer than he had looked at anyone since the proceedings began.
"Bain Ratnier… We, the Absolute Judges, will now pass judgment on you. At this point, because your charges involve murdering our brave defenders of Oven country, if you are indeed found guilty, you will be sentenced to 310 years in 'Mainland 01' (A.K.A. ML-1)."
Hiss!~
Many sucked in their beaches in horror.
The Mainland? That was just suicide!
As of now, the judges have indeed sent almost everyone guilty into the Mainland. But those were far older than this boy of 16. To them, it would be a miracle if the boy could last a day after going in.
Tch.
The boy better prays that his verdict came out innocent, or he would be in for Hell.
The Judge picked up the boy's file to pass it to the side. And everyone knew that the verdict was about to drop.
"Former military recruit Bain Ratnier, we found you— GUILTY!"
Bam!
"Next!"
Case closed.
….