That scream chilled the spine, like the last roar of a prisoner whose limbs were torn apart by a horrific torture device.
Even through a wall, one could vividly feel the unbearable pain.
“What’s going on outside?” the Jury glared angrily at Wu Xiaomi. “Is it you lot again?”
When a group of unruly guests barge into your home, no matter what terrible things happen inside, you can’t help but suspect them.
Wu Xiaomi understood this.
But she also felt stifled and unwilling to accept it.
“My comrades just received intelligence—the danger is coming from the sea. A living corrosive acid has dissolved all the ships and crew. Meanwhile, marine life has been acidified as well.”
Wu Xiaomi released the communicator and once again met the Judge’s gaze calmly. “I told you, the Strategy Guide has the power of precognition. We didn’t choose to come to Feisi City; rather, ‘it’ foresaw danger here and sent us to help.”
The courtroom descended into chaos.
“Bang—thud—”
The door was smashed open, and protesters with distorted bodies, reeking of blood and burnt flesh, desperately poured into the courtroom.
Some had lost scalp and shoulders to corrosion, limbs mutilated; the rest wore tattered clothes.
“There’s poison in the shit!” one let out a final wail before collapsing in the sacred center of the courtroom.
Blood spread along the floor’s grooves, flowing toward every juror’s feet.
“……”
Bird droppings—piling up and sizzling on the eaves, yet when they landed on flesh, they corroded large patches of flesh and blood.
Every intricately carved pattern was corroded to oblivion by the strong acid… Not just the patterns, even the courtroom ceiling was loosening, the entire structure swaying dangerously.
“Sequence 7-47 Specter Catastrophe,” the Judge trembled, staring at the wooden gavel in his hand.
Just moments ago, a drop of acid had eaten through the ceiling and landed on his gavel.
The gavel was already broken into two halves.
“Sequence 7-47 Specter Catastrophe? What does that mean?” Wu Xiaomi hurriedly asked.
“All Specter Catastrophes are numbered. Disaster sequence 7-47 means its threat level is seven, requiring Sequence 47 to respond. But with Feisi City’s defensive strength, facing such a Specter Catastrophe, we’re helpless.”
Some had already started to commit suicide.
Rather than dying slowly from painful acid corrosion, they preferred to decisively end their own lives.
The entire city was turning into a pool of acid.
This was hell.
…….
The courtroom’s thick ceiling had already been corroded through with holes.
The Judge could hardly imagine the situation in the nearest residential areas by the coast right now.
Most likely…
They had already flowed into the sea.
[Ah Lei? A Jie? Miss Nuo? Huang Xiao? Sister Xiaozhi?]
No reply.
Perhaps they were busy; Wu Xiaomi could only comfort herself thus.
She had to trust her teammates. For now, she had to focus on her own work.
“Everyone, don’t panic! The corrosive power of the acid can be diluted! As long as we block it with sufficiently thick materials, the acid won’t harm us!”
Wu Xiaomi’s shout was drowned out by screams.
Fortunately, the cage was made of metal and was quickly corroded through by the dripping acid.
Wu Xiaomi had no time for anything else; she grabbed Lu Lutina, shielding the girl, and charged outward.
“Hm?”
Because of too much contact, Lu Lutina suddenly felt the scene before her blur, Wu Xiaomi’s figure flickered for a moment.
Up close, she could even smell a unique, familiar fragrance.
The little thief crow’s eyes narrowed.
……
Death was closing in.
The air was thick with fumes rising from the corrosion process.
In a daze, the Judge raised his acid-sharpened gavel and pressed it against his own neck.
“Feisi City is finished…”
He muttered.
His life was ending here—suddenly and hopelessly.
He had dreamed of advancing to the Imperial Court, serving the Queen, protecting the people of this land, and leaving behind a legacy of justice and integrity… There were still so many goals and regrets.
But now, it was all cut off.
Since he could no longer choose his life, at least he could choose how to die.
He had served civil rights his whole life and shouldn’t have to endure such pain.
If he must die, he wanted to die with some dignity.
Raising his hand, he pulled back the sharpened wooden tip.
Goodbye…
“Crack!”
The wooden spike was knocked away.
The Judge opened his eyes.
Wu Xiaomi’s foot was on the judge’s bench, wielding a white iron sword to swat the spike aside.
“I told you! Raiders will swear to defend your lives to the death!”
Wu Xiaomi stood tall, her cold gaze piercing the Judge’s eyes. There was no more polite calm from the Sin Cage; now, she was like a battle-hardened furious beast.
“Even if you won’t give us even a moment of trust…”
“We are refugees! Not beggars!”
“We’ve drifted here, never to ask for handouts!”
“We will earn our dignity through actions! Gaining your trust isn’t easy, but we are confident enough to make you see us differently!”
“You will not die!”
“That’s what I say!!”
No sooner had she finished than a squad of black-armored soldiers stormed into the courtroom.
Their soft, tailored suits covered them completely, not a patch of skin visible. Behind transparent masks were familiar faces.
They looked like black knights or astronauts exploring the galaxy.
Ah Lei, Ah Feng, Nurse An, Huang Xiao, Miss Nuo.
And Sister Xiaozhi.
“Carbon fiber protective suits, masks made of polyvinylidene fluoride, built-in oxygen circulation devices, corrosion and high-temperature resistant, specially designed for harsh environment missions,” Miss Nuo said calmly. “Considering the unpredictability of the mission, I casually brought eight thousand spare sets in my inventory. Just now, all Raiders were fully equipped.”
“……”
Now Wu Xiaomi believed Han Nuo’s words.
His praise of this woman was no exaggeration.
“Squeak—crack—”
The sound came abruptly from the ceiling.
The joints connecting the courtroom ceiling had been thoroughly corroded. Steel reinforcements were no match for the strong acid and instantly snapped.
“First Rescue Squad, action.”
At Nurse An’s order, Xinhui members leapt out, positioning themselves at the four corners of the courtroom.
Four high-density polytetrafluoroethylene staffs extended segment by segment, quickly converging in the center of the courtroom ceiling.
Then, using the staffs as beams, titanium plates were laid out in all directions.
The ceiling completely collapsed. Acid splashed onto the titanium plates, and amidst the smoke, a protective oxide film instantly formed on the plates.
This was the unique property of titanium, making it impervious to acid penetration.
“In Jinli Law, only Sequence 47 can counteract acid, but in our world, we have many ways to deal with strong acid, especially when any material can be exchanged,” Miss Nuo said with a slight smile, pushing up her mask.
“How are the coastal residents?” Wu Xiaomi asked.
“Most residents have successfully entered the titanium shelter. Others are conducting rescue operations in the city… How is your negotiation going?” Nurse An asked.
“Negotiations…”
Wu Xiaomi glanced at the dumbfounded and morally shattered Judge and smiled.
“That depends on our own performance.”
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