Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Fan Si's blood spread in An Zhe's peripheral vision, a deep crimson hue. The people in line, hearing the commotion, turned their heads to look as well. Upon seeing the scene, they nonchalantly returned their gazes, as if nothing had happened at all.

But Fan Si was dead – a human had just been killed right at the entrance of the human base, and no one raised any objections.

It was then that An Zhe suddenly realized that this person was the Judge, the one Fan Si had mentioned to him just a day ago.

He was the master of the Court of Judgment, deciding whether those who entered the gate were human or not, with the power to decide the life or death of anyone, regardless of their identity, without needing a reason.

And now, it was his turn to be judged.

An Zhe's heart pounded fiercely for a moment, realizing that he could truly die with the gun barrel pointing straight at him.

But looking into the cold green eyes of the Judge, he gradually regained his calm.

Coming to the Northern Base was a decision he had inevitably made, so accepting judgment was his inevitable end, regardless of the outcome.

He silently counted seconds in his mind.

One, two, three.

The gunshot didn't ring out. The executioner, with his gun pointed at An Zhe, slowly approached him.

The queue seemed to have an unspoken agreement and quickened their pace, instinctively closing the gap. In a moment, the area was deserted, leaving only An Zhe standing alone.

Eleven, twelve, thirteen.

By the fourteenth second, the executioner stood before him. The man's ring finger curled around the gun handle, lowering the barrel, then he holstered his weapon.

In a cold, detached tone, identical to his gaze, he said, "Follow me."

An Zhe stood still, waiting for him to move, but after three seconds, the man remained stationary.

Perplexed, he looked up, only to hear the executioner's voice turn even colder as he instructed, "Hold out your hand."

An Zhe obediently extended his hand.

Click.

A shiver ran through him from the chill.

A silver handcuff was secured around his wrist, the other end held by the officer.

—Thus, An Zhe was led away like that.

Strangely, when Fan Si had been neutralized, the queue of people had shown no reaction. Now, as he was taken away by the Judges, they started whispering to each other.

An Zhe only had time for a fleeting glance at Fan Si's fallen form before he was pulled inside the gate.

Upon entering, he discovered that it wasn't a narrow passage but a spacious area divided into several sections, all illuminated by bright white lights that reflected off the steel walls like winter sunlight on gray stone.

Armed soldiers and heavy weaponry were just as abundant here as they were outside. Amidst this tight security, a long, white table stood, behind which three officers in black uniforms similar to the Judges sat – An Zhe assumed these were the judges. Across from them sat a human. The judge was asking, "How is your relationship with your wife? Was she not with you when you left the city this time?"

From An Ze's memories, An Zhe knew that infected humans, apart from changes in appearance, demeanor, and habits, also suffered cognitive and memory impairments. Hence, interrogation was one method to identify the Others.

The one who had brought him in glanced over and said, "Hurry up."

The central judge acknowledged with a "yes" and then turned to the defendant, "You may leave."

The man seemed to have survived a calamity, a smile appearing on his face as he hastily walked through the gate passage.

Thus, An Zhe realized that the man who had brought him here was indeed a judge, and when he said "quickly," he wasn't urging the judge to hasten the interrogation but rather expressing that he had already determined in an instant that the defendant was entirely human.

The next defendant approached the long table from the queue, a considerable distance away. There were several door-like machines along the way, with turns and inclines at intervals. An Zhe understood that this was designed to exhibit the defendant's movements to the judges as much as possible.

However, he didn't have time to observe more, for in the next second, he was pulled around a corner into a long corridor.

The man took out a black communication device and said, "Judicial Court, Lu Fen, requesting genetic examination."

An Zhe inferred that the two middle characters were his name.

Immediately, a mechanical door slid open before them. Lu Fen stepped in without hesitation, and An Zhe stumbled along, pulled by the man.

It was a silver-white room, equipped with unfamiliar machinery from floor to ceiling. Six soldiers were stationed throughout the space, and at one end of the room, seated behind a workstation, was a young man with short blond hair, blue eyes, and a white lab coat.

"Colonel Lu actually comes here," the man pushed up his glasses, "aren't you usually the one who solves everything with bullets?"

Lu Fen said, "Please cooperate, Doctor."

The doctor gave Lu Fen a glance and then stood up, addressing An Zhe, "Come with me."

Following him, An Zhe was placed on a silver platform, his limbs secured by mechanical restraints. The doctor instructed, "Don't move."

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through An Zhe's arm. He turned his head to see the doctor slowly extracting a vial of bright red blood from his body.

The doctor remarked, "Your blood has a healthy color."

An Zhe replied, "Thank you for the compliment."

The doctor's response amused him, causing a chuckle.

"The blood will be sent for genetic testing, which will take about an hour. The full-body enhancement scan should take around forty minutes, so please remain still."

As he finished speaking, blue light illuminated the silver platform, accompanied by a low humming sound that seemed to emanate from every particle in the air without a discernible direction. The omnidirectional hum reminded An Zhe of those distant nights in the abyss, when the distant sea would rumble with muted waves, and at the darkest hour of night, an unknown creature's howl would echo from that direction, a vibration beyond human language that swept across the rainy land.

Electric currents felt like countless ants crawling and biting over his body – forty minutes might not be long for a mushroom, but An Zhe felt it could be the last forty minutes of his life. He cherished every moment, attentively observing the mechanical patterns on the ceiling.

After an indeterminate amount of time, he heard Lu Fen outside say, "Andrei informed me that your examination methods have been upgraded."

"The news travels fast," the doctor remarked. "We've discovered that when the human body undergoes mutation, certain specific segments in the DNA become activated. We've named these segments 'targets.' Animalistic mutations and vegetative mutations fall under two main categories. The improved genetic testing now consists of two concurrent processes: one for animal targets, and one for plant targets, taking a total of one hour."

"Congratulations," Lu Fen replied.

The doctor chuckled. "Colonel, if genetic examinations become significantly quicker and less costly, will your tribunal cease operations?"

"I'm looking forward to it," came the reply.

"You're truly no fun," the doctor commented.

Silence fell between them.

Meanwhile, An Zhe gazed at the silver ceiling, contemplating what species he belonged to.

He was a mushroom, he thought.

The doctor had mentioned that mutations could be either animalistic or vegetative.

He believed, first and foremost, that mushrooms were not animals.

Secondly, they didn't seem to belong to the plant kingdom either, for they lacked leaves.

An Zhe was perplexed. He tried hard to classify himself as a plant but couldn't find sufficient evidence to support this.

This contemplation consumed too much of his time, and before he could reach a conclusion, the blue light receded from around him like a retreating tide.

"Enough," the Doctor's voice sounded, and the mechanical ring released him automatically.

The Doctor then continued, "Colonel, may I ask why you brought him in for a genetic examination?"

"No."

The Doctor was clearly taken aback.

He helped An Zhe up, seating him on a swivel chair nearby, and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Be good and rest here for a while. I'll check on the blood test results."

An Zhe sat quietly.

The colonel-judge sat opposite him, still observing him with his cold green eyes. It was a youthful face, chiseled and framed by the brim of his hat. A few strands of black hair fell across his forehead, hiding the slanting ends of his brows. The corners of his eyes and brows were tinged with a faint, chilling light that seemed to cut like a blade.

Feeling the icy gaze, An Zhe grew even colder. Mushrooms didn't like the cold. So, he swiveled his chair to face away from the colonel.

He felt even more chilled.

After a long while, the doctor's footsteps echoed again, thawing the room. "The genetic report is normal. You're free to go."

There was a brief silence before Lu Fen asked, "Are you one hundred percent certain he's human?"

The doctor replied, "Though it might disappoint you, we really didn't find any targets. Other infected and hybrids usually have at least ten or more."

Then, he added, "Look, the little guy doesn't even want to bother with you."

The colonel instructed, "Spin back around."

An Zhe turned back silently.

In the face of Lu Fen's gaze, he slightly avoided eye contact. Because, in truth, he wasn't human at all.

To his surprise, even his attempt to avoid confrontation had displeased the colonel. A voice as cold as ice rang out, asking, "What are you afraid of?"

An Zhe remained silent, intuiting that speaking too much in front of this man might lead to trouble, possibly giving the other party leverage.

Finally, Lu Fen raised an eyebrow and said, "Still not leaving?"

An Zhe obediently hopped off the chair and followed him again—this time, he was free from the handcuffs.

Halfway through their walk, Lu Fen suddenly spoke, "The moment I saw you, I had a gut feeling that you're not human."

An Zhe felt his heart skip a beat.

After a three-second pause, he managed to ask, "Then... what about the second glance?"

"I requested a genetic test for the first time," the colonel said, extending his hand to present the genetic report before An Zhe's eyes. "You'd better be."

Silently, An Zhe took the report confirming his normalcy. For a moment, the only sound in the silver-hued corridor was the monotonous rhythm of their footsteps.

As they approached the exit, they turned a corner and collided with a squad. At its head was a judge in a black uniform. Behind the judge, two heavily armed soldiers escorted a man, while a disheveled, tall woman with short hair walked alongside them.

The judge noticed Lu Fen and said, "Colonel."

Lu Fen cast a glance at the restrained man. Upon meeting his gaze, the man's throat convulsed as he loudly protested, "I'm not infected!"

The judge stood firm and addressed Lu Fen, "Highly suspected infected individual, but no definitive evidence. The family is insistently requesting a genetic examination."

Lu Fen nonchalantly acknowledged with a soft "Mm," while the soldiers continued to escort the man forward, brushing past Lu Fen. At that moment—

"Bang!"

Lu Fen holstered his weapon without turning back, "No need."

The man's body slumped forward, held back by the soldiers. The woman trailing behind let out a scream and collapsed weakly.

An Zhe turned to study Lu Fen's expression. His gaze was so cold—An Zhe had never seen such a look before. He knew An Ze was always gentle, Fan Si was calm and broad-minded, Hosen was filled with greed, and Anthony was perpetually on guard. But Lu Fen was different; there was nothing in his eyes.

An Zhe thought that for a judge, killing might be as routine as breathing. He wouldn't experience any emotional fluctuations because he was already accustomed to it.

Soon, An Zhe joined Lu Fen at the corridor's exit.

At the exit, two casually dressed soldiers were awaiting him, accompanied by a body covered in a white sheet.

An Zhe knew it was Fan Si.

His vision blurred, and he stepped forward, yearning to uncover the cloth to see Fan Si's face one last time. But he was stopped by the soldier.

The soldier extended a blue chip towards him with a calm tone, "The AR1147 mercenary team has been confirmed with no survivors. Their equipment and supplies will be retrieved by the base. The spoils of war have been converted into currency and combined with the compensation for the bereaved family, which has already been distributed. Please collect his belongings."

An Zhe asked, "Where are you taking him?"

The soldier replied, "To the incinerator."

His body trembled slightly, and he hesitated to take the ID card.

Lu Fen's voice echoed, "Don't you want it?"

An Zhe didn't respond. After a long moment, he looked up at Lu Feng, "He really... wasn't injured, was he?"

In those cold green eyes, he saw his own reflection, his slightly widened eyes revealing a serene sorrow.

Lu Fen's expression remained stoic. Just as An Zhe thought the man was about to turn and leave, he took a step forward instead.

The black gunstock lifted the edge of the white cloth, revealing Fan Si's right hand.

An Zhe knelt down to examine it. On the tip of his ring finger, there was a tiny red dot, like the most insignificant of punctures. However, at the edge of the spot, a sinister, grayish-black fluid was seeping out slowly.

He froze, and in that instant, those scenes flashed through his mind.

Human blood on an ant's carapace – on that day, Fan Si had told him that some people hid the truth about their injuries because there was still a chance they wouldn't be infected if they were hurt in less contaminated areas. That person wanted to go home.

So, so – the one pricked by the ant's carapace wasn't Anthony; it was Fan Si.

An Zhe found it hard to breathe. His fingers trembled as he took Fan Si's ID card and put it in his inner pocket. Turning to look at Lu Fen, he found the space beside him empty.

He stood up and looked outside, watching a slender, black silhouette fade away against the gray sky at the city gates.

Moments later, a sound came from behind him. He turned around to see the woman whose companion had just been killed. She stumbled out, only to be stopped by the soldiers.

"Lu Fen! The Judicator—" She struggled violently, pushing forward, her arms flailing in the air as she screamed hoarsely, "You'll rot in hell!"

Her raw, piercing cries echoed through the chambers, yet failed to solicit even a glance from the arbiter.

As silence gradually fell, the two bodies were removed one after another. In the empty corridor, only the woman's sporadic sobs resounded.