Light Barrier - Chapter 12: Pardon Order

The scarred face of the chief justice of the Azure River District, Yan Shicheng, twitched as he stared at the ‘contract’ that was almost plastered on his face.

He was already very fast, but he was still a step too slow. This old man had already signed him!

It wasn’t easy to come across a young man with great potential.

The chief justice slammed the table.

Rip!

A heart-shaking sound resounded in the small room!

A scarlet electric arc exploded out of thin air, instantly shredding the contract into pieces.

Witnessing this scene, Gu Shen felt his scalp tingle. As expected, this chief justice is a powerhouse who wields transcendental power.

He had seen firsthand Mr. Tree sealing A-009. Looking at the confrontation between these two, he guessed that they should have been ‘enemies’ for many years.

Mr. Tree was quite magnanimous and spread his hands indifferently. “It’s just a copy. Tear it up all you want.”

“Zhou Jiren!” the chief justice said sternly. “Do you dare to fight me fair and square? What’s the point of using these tricks?!”

Zhou Jiren.

So, Mr. Tree’s name is Zhou Jiren. Gu Shen scratched his head, feeling that this name was inexplicably familiar.

“Let’s not point fingers at each other. I came first, and you came after.” Mr. Tree leaned back lazily and smiled. “It’s not an honorable move to rush to Oto City overnight to interrogate Gu Shen, is it? You have your schemes, and I have my stratagems. When it comes to recruiting people, everything depends on your own abilities. Anyway, you’ve lost to me more than once. You should be used to it by now.”

The veins on the chief justice’s cheekbones throbbed faintly.

“You should know what the deaths of the two transcendents on the roof last night means.” He suddenly looked at Gu Shen and changed the topic. “With the charge of an out-of-control transcendent, I can throw him directly into prison.”

Gu Shen: “???”

Hey, hey, hey… This isn’t the first time I’ve suffered when gods and immortals fight!

“Is that so?” The old man in the tunic suit was calm and composed as he spoke indifferently. “You and I both know that transcendental awakenings are uncontrollable events. This young man has shown immense potential. Out of humanitarianism, the Federation should show leniency.”

“Humanitarian? I’m discussing federal law with you!” The chief justice didn’t give in at all. “According to Article 13 of the Security Law, I can have him strictly monitored twenty-four hours a day, and if necessary, I can take restrictive measures!”

“Gu Shen’s counterattacked when in danger. His actions can be considered as excessive self-defense at most.”

“It’s an established fact that Gu Shen killed people. The trial of this case requires the Penitentiary Bureau and the Transcendent Court to judge based on the details. Old thing, you should know that your Adjudication Bureau only has law enforcement authority regarding transcendental events.” The chief justice had the upper hand and looked smugly at his old opponent.

“Perhaps… you’re right.”

After a moment’s thought, Mr. Tree shrugged and gave up arguing. But a cunning smile appeared on his lips.

Zhou Jiren looked at Gu Shen and said regretfully, “Look, this is the true face of the Penitentiary Bureau. It’s coercion, manipulation, and all sorts of tricks. It doesn’t feel good to be treated as an object, does it? Gu Shen, if you were given another chance, would you really choose to join them?”

The chief justice’s expression changed.

During the heated argument just now, he had subconsciously attacked the opponent and had somewhat forgotten his original intention.

Gu Shen’s face was pale, and beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead.

Right now, he only cared about one thing. If what the chief justice said was true, then what kind of fate awaited him?

“If it weren’t for the pardon order, this villain might have succeeded!” Mr. Tree looked at the tense expression on the young man’s face and suddenly laughed. He patted Gu Shen on the shoulder. “Relax. You’re a genius that the Adjudication Bureau has obtained with great difficulty. How could we sit back and do nothing?”

“Pardon order?”

Not only was Gu Shen stunned, but even the chief justice was stunned momentarily.

Mr. Tree took out a long rectangular token engraved with golden wheat ears and once again held it in front of Yan Shicheng. “Be careful. It isn’t a copy this time. This is the only one. Don’t damage it. Do you know how difficult it is to obtain a pardon order from the Parliament?”

The chief justice looked at the token with golden wheat ears and then at Zhou Jiren.

He opened his mouth, but not a single word could come out.

He knew too well… how difficult it was to obtain a pardon order.

The issuance of the pardon order meant that the ‘big shots’ at the top of the East Continent had forgiven this young man.

This was the will of the highest echelon of the East Continent.

Perhaps it was for the sake of one of them.

But no matter what the reason was, this case had truly come to an end.

Was it worth it for this young man?

The chief justice’s expression became solemn as he looked at Zhou Jiren, his gaze first puzzled before gradually becoming respectful. Although he couldn’t understand why, this old man had truly invested a lot in recruiting this young man.

He didn’t feel unjustified in his defeat.

Gu Shen was still bewildered. Having lived for nearly two decades, he had never heard of a pardon order. But from the chief justice’s expression, he could vaguely tell that it was something extraordinary.

Seeing the chief justice give up, Gu Shen thought nervously, Is it over?

Yan Shicheng collected the scattered documents one by one and gently placed the stacked papers on the table. Someone let out a long sigh. This battle with hidden gunpowder finally came to an end.

Gu Shen was overjoyed. Does this mean I’ve been successfully redeemed?

A certain victorious old man beamed widely as he held his arm high, insisting on sticking the pardon order in front of Yan Shicheng’s forehead, and teased, “Have you seen enough? I’m going to put it away. Get lost.”

The chief justice’s face was full of black lines as he pushed away the weighty wheat ear token angrily.

He said meaningfully, “Gu Shen, from now on, you are free.”

He paused.

“Also, don’t take what I said earlier to heart.” Yan Shicheng stood up with the documents in his arms. This old man’s slightly stooped back became as straight as a sword. He congratulated him formally and solemnly. “Congratulations on joining the Adjudication Bureau. I hope you will shine brightly one day. Although we have crossed paths today, we will eventually become comrades.”

Zhou Jiren narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly. He reached out a hand and patted Gu Shen on the back from behind.

Gu Shen hurriedly stood up and shook hands with the chief justice.

After the handshake, the chief justice hesitated for a moment before finally turning his head and speaking seriously to his ‘old friend’. “You’re really going all out for a newcomer. As expected of you, you’re as bold as ever. But the Adjudication Bureau isn’t peaceful. Zhu Wang and the others have been eyeing your position. Applying for the pardon order is bound to cause controversy in the Parliament. You’ve been too high-profile these years, so you have to be careful recently.”

Mr. Tree smiled and nodded.

…

The door of the interrogation room opened.

Wei Shu, who had been waiting anxiously for a long time, perked up. After the surveillance was turned off, no one knew what the final outcome of this interrogation would be.

Would Gu Shen be detained?

Although this young man was cunning and full of tricks, Wei Shu hoped that he would get a good result. Wei Shu knew very well that once someone was detained by the Penitentiary Bureau, their future days wouldn’t be good.

However, Chief Justice Yan Shicheng of the Azure River District was notorious for being cold and ruthless. He was hailed as the iron-blooded bastion of the law of the East Continent. Since he was personally presiding over this interrogation, the outcome would likely be… very severe.

But unexpectedly…

When the chief justice left the interrogation room, his ferocious and terrifying scar-faced face actually bore a faint smile.

Although it only lasted for a moment before quickly returning to indifference, Wei Shu was certain that he didn’t see wrongly.

The usually cold chief justice… actually smiled?

“Let’s go.” The old man straightened his back and adjusted his hat. Before leaving, he didn’t look back and only said these two words.