Chapter 1048: "Justice"

"So fast!?"

Sun Bumian looked at Liu Qingyan, whose pace had quickened, in surprise. After exchanging glances, the others immediately chased after her.

Following the red thread in her hand, Liu Qingyan navigated through a desolate neighborhood. The red thread swayed in the void, finally disappearing before an unfinished building.

It was an unfinished building with only its basic structure completed. It had no roof and its exterior walls were unadorned. From a distance, it resembled a deserted ruin, and a cold wind swirled through its empty floors, creating mournful wails.

"...He's right here."

Liu Qingyan said with certainty, holding one end of the red thread.

Jian Changsheng and the other two exchanged glances, then walked directly into the unfinished building. After searching the entire floor, Jian Changsheng said with suspicion:

"But there's nothing here..."

"Didn't I tell you? He hid the 'Red Heart' in a spatial rift," Sun Bumian said, spreading his hands. "Even if they're in the same physical location, they exist in a different space. We can only see the 'Red Heart' if we break into their space."

Jian Changsheng reached out and forcefully swung two punches at the void, but hit nothing. He felt frustrated:

"This hide-and-seek is so frustrating! We've clearly pinpointed the 'Red Heart's' location, but we still can't get in??"

"Our rank isn't high enough, and our paths aren't related to space, so it's not easy to get in," Sun Bumian said in a deep voice. "But being able to pinpoint the 'Red Heart's' location is already a great achievement. Someone in the Twilight Society can definitely break open space!

"We need to call for reinforcements immediately, then..."

"Let's go!!"

Jian Changsheng was incredibly anxious. He couldn't even wait for Sun Bumian to finish speaking, turning and rushing out of the unfinished building.

But after only two steps, Sun Bumian and Jiang Xiaohua saw Jian Changsheng freeze. He stared blankly ahead, rubbing his eyes hard, looking as if he'd seen a ghost...

"Spade, what's wrong?"

Jian Changsheng didn't answer. He just took a stunned step backward, then another...

Meanwhile,

A man wearing a blood-stained enforcer's trench coat slowly walked into the unfinished building, advancing towards Jian Changsheng as the latter instinctively retreated...

"How is this possible..." Jian Changsheng murmured. "I thought you had gone with Aurora City..."

Seven silver patterns silently shimmered on the hem of the enforcer's trench coat.

The black trench coat fluttered like a ghost in the wind-swept unfinished building. The man came before Jian Changsheng, glanced at him casually, then looked towards the void ahead as a domain rapidly expanded beneath his feet!

"Move aside, youngster," the man said indifferently. "You're blocking the way."

Jian Changsheng froze. Before the domineering pressure of the Soldier God Way emanating from the other person, his Asura seemed somewhat weak and helpless. As the opponent's domain gradually expanded, Jian Changsheng gritted his teeth and could only step aside.

Slender fingers gripped a gun handle, which slowly rose from the center of the domain, its dark muzzle locked onto the void...

The next moment,

The trigger of judgment echoed in the cold wind.

The Court of Justice.

"In summary..."

"After the final deliberation by this court, the defendant Chen Ling is guilty of multiple unforgivable crimes..."

The new judge stood at the center of justice, meticulously reading the verdict from the paper. On the blood-scented seats, sweaty hands nervously jotted down every word.

Drip—drip...

Blood dripped from the hem of the vermillion theatrical robe, gradually spreading into a pool. Chen Ling stood silently, bearing eight bloody holes in his body, his eyes still filled with intense mockery and disdain.

Audience Anticipation: 5Current Anticipation: 85

As the two lines of text floated before Chen Ling's eyes, his eyebrow slightly rose.

He hadn't done anything, yet the audience anticipation value had significantly increased. Based on experience, it was highly likely that some change had occurred elsewhere, unbeknownst to him...

Could it be...

Chen Ling looked around, finally gazing at the tightly shut door, a faint light flickering in his eyes.

The new judge turned another page of his script. Now, only his last line remained... He took a deep breath, suppressing his voice as much as possible, and slowly began to speak:

"The Court of Justice, based on human interest and moral justice, has reached a final verdict and sentences the defendant Chen Ling to death... effective immediately."

The judge, pale-faced, put down the script and turned to look at Huang He.

Huang He, who had been sitting nonchalantly in the front row, finally rose slowly. With one hand pressing his straw hat, he walked towards the center of the courtroom... All the reporters present put down their pens and notebooks, raising their cameras to his back, their hearts in their throats.

They knew that after all the superficial procedures were completed, the most crucial moment had finally arrived...

The execution of Chen Ling, the fusion-bearer of the Calamity of Annihilation, and Red Heart 6 of the Twilight Society.

"Do you have any last words?"

Huang He stood in the center of the courtroom, before Chen Ling. He stretched his calloused hands while speaking expressionlessly.

"If I were you, I wouldn't waste so many words right now... After all, villains always die because they talk too much." Even at this stage of execution, Chen Ling remained incredibly calm.

"Heh heh, even now, haven't you understood the situation?"

Huang He stood in the center of the courtroom, with the pale flashes of countless cameras flickering behind him, as if casting a divine halo of light around him. Against this dazzling light, his features, as he faced Chen Ling, appeared dark and blurred.

He raised his hand, pointed at Chen Ling, and his lips curved into a smile:

"Now, I am the one standing on the side of justice... and you, you are the villain."

Chen Ling scoffed. He didn't even bother to speak to Huang He further, slowly raising the arms of his large red theatrical robe in a gesture that seemed to say, "If you want to kill me, then kill me..."

The pale camera flashes flickered frequently, reflecting the indifference and disdain in Chen Ling's eyes. It was as if, in his view, everything was a ridiculous farce.

Seeing the look in Chen Ling's eyes before his death, Huang He's expression grew increasingly grim. He no longer hesitated. Instead, he directly raised his hand and fiercely clawed towards Chen Ling's head!

Bang—!!!

Almost simultaneously,

A deafening roar erupted from behind him!

Gasps of terror came from the reporter's seats. Huang He's pupils suddenly contracted, and he sharply turned his head to look back...

Unbeknownst to them, the court's main door had been blasted to pieces. The bubble-like outer shell that had previously isolated the space seemed to have been torn open by a single shot, creating a gigantic breach. Surging air currents, carrying a cold wind from an unknown source, poured into every corner of the courtroom.

Blinding white light filled the area outside the door, obscuring the view... But then, a figure draped in a blood-stained black trench coat slowly emerged from the white light. A cold wind blew from behind him, scattering the fragments of the door across the floor like flying snow.

A voice, cold as ice, resonated through the courtroom:

"Do you... even deserve to represent 'justice'?"