Jiang City.
Tribunal.
Su Zhan and Wang Mingyuan had been practically dragged here by Qin Bai.
Su Zhan had clearly wanted to return to Vermilion Bird Academy long ago, but Qin Bai said, "Since I'll be going back to Vermilion Bird Academy with you anyway, we might as well watch this before leaving."
Su Zhan frowned slightly at the time, "What is it?"
"Over this past month, I've been busy digging out every single person connected to Du Shanhe one by one."
A cold smile curled at the corner of Qin Bai's lips, "Now it's time to give the public an explanation."
At this moment.
Qin Bai pushed open the heavy wooden door of the tribunal. A dark red carpet extended toward the central judge's bench, with the surrounding seats filled with formally dressed observers.
The air was thick with a suppressed, murderous tension.
Su Zhan followed behind Qin Bai, his gaze sweeping across the room.
He thought to himself: If not for having to give the public an explanation, these people would probably have already died under Qin Bai's private executions.
The judge's gavel fell, and the entire courtroom fell silent.
"Bring in the defendant."
A side door opened, and armed personnel escorted a middle-aged man inside.
He wore a suit and tie, but his face was pale, and the suppression shackles on his wrists glowed with an eerie blue light.
This was an awakener.
"Defendant Chen Zhi, former Director of Jiang City Urban Construction Supervision."
The judge's voice was filled with authority, "After verification, you abused your position to cover up seven human transports of aberrants for the Transcendence Society, and accepted bribes totaling fifty-three million from Du Shanhe. Do you have anything to say in your defense regarding these charges?"
Chen Zhi raised his head, his voice hoarse, "I... I was just following procedures! I didn't know anything about aberrants! Those construction material transports were all legally documented!"
Qin Bai sat in the observation gallery, sneering coldly but saying nothing.
Watching this scene, Su Zhan felt a sense of déjà vu.
Back then, Doberman had also been tried in this very place.
Now these people who had once helped Du Shanhe would also pay their price.
The judge opened the case file, "Witness to the stand."
A thin young man walked up to the witness stand.
His empty right sleeve was particularly striking.
"Last November, I was working at the southern city warehouse,"
The young man's voice carried suppressed rage, "I saw Director Chen personally open the container with my own eyes. What was inside wasn't construction materials—it was people... people chained with iron locks!"
He raised his phone, showing a blurry photo on the screen, "I secretly took this picture. The next day... the mist appeared."
The photo was projected onto the large screen.
Inside the container were dozens of crouching figures with pale skin.
This was a transport vehicle for aberrants!
Chen Zhi's face instantly changed color, his eyes shifting nervously, "Your Honor, I've been wronged! That so-called evidence is nothing but fabrication!"
The judge said coldly, "In the photo provided by the witness, you personally opened the container containing living people. How do you explain this?"
Cold sweat beaded on Chen Zhi's forehead, but he still stubbornly defended himself, "Th-those were temporary workers! Sometimes our urban construction department hires laborers from remote areas. Their conditions might be poor, but it's completely legal!"
From the witness stand.
"Bullshit!"
The young witness who had lost his right arm suddenly stood up, roaring angrily, "Those people had chains on their hands and feet! Would temporary workers be treated like that? Like animals! Do you think I'm blind?!"
Chen Zhi still refused to give up, "I... I was only responsible for inspecting the goods! What was specifically loaded inside is the transportation company's business!"
The judge said calmly, "The shipping order bears your personal signature, indicating you had already inspected this vehicle. Therefore, the evidence is conclusive."
Hearing this, Chen Zhi collapsed in the defendant's dock, his lips trembling but unable to form any more words.
The trial continued, with defendant after defendant being brought before the court.
The safety supervisor of Du Pharmaceuticals, responsible for secretly transporting "test subjects" from orphanages and slums to laboratories.
The former deputy editor of Jiang City Daily, who specifically wrote articles downplaying the severity of mist incidents, and even created larger public opinion distractions to draw public attention away from the dangers of mist events.
His face was deathly pale, his legs weak, barely able to stand.
"Defendant Xu Ming, you have long written false reports, downplayed casualties from mist incidents, misled the pub—"
"I confess! I confess to everything!"
Xu Ming shouted as if having a breakdown, tears and mucus streaming down his face, "But I was forced too! Du Shanhe threatened my family! I... I can testify, I can identify more people! Please... give me a chance!"
He knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold floor, crying so hard his whole body trembled.
The judge remained silent for a moment before asking, "Who can you identify?"
Xu Ming seemed to grasp at a lifeline, suddenly looking up, "I can identify xxx from the propaganda department! And xxx from the television station! They... they all took money from Du Shanhe!"
In the observation gallery.
Qin Bai sneered coldly, muttering softly, "Now you're afraid? When you were writing fake news, why didn't you think about the people who died because of your reports?"
Hearing this, Xu Ming completely collapsed to the ground, mumbling, "I... I just wanted to survive..."
...
The director of a certain department's archives room, who privately altered and destroyed background check records related to Transcendence Society members.
The evidence was conclusive, leaving no room for defense.
Su Zhan watched coldly from the sidelines, understanding clearly in his heart.
If not for going through these formalities, Qin Bai would never have let them live until now.
But when truly facing death, one's character becomes most apparent.
These people either made excuses or begged for mercy.
They knew that behaving like this was meaningless under such circumstances, only making them appear wretched.
Yet they still did it, hoping for that slim chance of a miracle.
However, miracles would not occur.
As human traitors who helped aberrants, the result was death penalty!
In any era, race traitors, when caught, always meet death—without any exceptions whatsoever!
"Student Su Zhan."
Qin Bai spoke at this moment, "Do you think these people deserve to die?"
"Of course."
Su Zhan nodded, not reacting at first and wondering why Qin Bai would ask such a question with only one possible answer.
Until he met Qin Bai's smiling eyes.
He immediately understood.
Qin Bai was testing him, probing him.
This was also the reason he had brought Su Zhan to the tribunal today.
To make him see the fate of these humans who betrayed humanity.
Su Zhan couldn't really say anything more.
"These people who betrayed humanity all deserve to die."
Qin Bai said calmly.
Yet it was precisely these calm words that made Su Zhan shudder with fear.