Light Barrier

Chapter 9

Light Barrier - Chapter 9: Adjudication

Headache.

An unknown amount of time had passed.

This thought floated into Gu Shen’s mind.

My head hurts.

Despite the silence around his ears, his mind seemed to be wrapped in a tsunami... A silent roar boiled. Gu Shen felt like a fallen leaf. He could vaguely feel his limbs lying steadily, yet he felt as though he had been thrown into a roller, and the world was spinning.

He struggled to open his eyes, and a bright light shone on his face.

“Hiss...”

Pain assaulted every part of his body, making it difficult for him to even move a finger.

“You’re awake.” A familiar cold female voice.

Gu Shen made an effort to move his head. This simple action exhausted almost all his strength.

In a spacious, white hospital room, it was very quiet, with only the slow ticking of the clock on the wall.

Nan Jin was sitting by the bed with a saber in her arms. Her trench coat was slightly open, revealing the alluring curves outlined by her black tight-fitting clothes. In Gu Shen’s eyes, her figure appeared as four swaying and overlapping images.

Because of her distinctive appearance, even with the overlapping images, he could recognize her.

“You’ve been taking care of me...” Gu Shen smiled warmly and said sincerely, “Thank you, Big Sister Nan Jin.”

As soon as he said big sister, the scabbard in Nan Jin’s arms made a faint clicking sound.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m just following my teacher’s orders,” she replied coldly. “And the ones taking care of you are the doctors and nurses of Oto Hospital... I didn’t do anything. I’m just waiting here.”

“You’re too polite.” Gu Shen didn’t think so.

During the fire and assassination earlier, he had overdrafted his mind to use the Ruler of Truth to barely save his life... Now, it seemed that if he had stayed in the interrogation room for the night, how could he have encountered so much trouble?

Those two men who were terrifying to him were not worth mentioning in front of this woman, right?

With this expert by his side, he should be safe.

Gu Shen let out a long, satisfied breath. His emotions were very complicated. He was both afraid and glad that he had made the call in the end.

But immediately after, Gu Shen’s eyelids twitched.

He was wearing a hospital gown now. His fingers fumbled around. His pockets were empty... He was poor to begin with, so money didn’t matter.

“If you like it, take it. It doesn’t matter if you tear it because this is only a photocopy...”

Nan Jin poured a cup of tea for Gu Shen and said politely, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to join. Besides the economic losses caused by the fire last night, the cost of covering up the truth is not a small sum. In addition, the cost of your treatment in the hospital is quite high. Without the Adjudication Bureau, I’m afraid you’ll have to pay these bills yourself.”

Gu Shen: “???”

“It’s about... a few hundred thousand. But does it matter how much it is to you? Last night, we checked your bank account, and the balance is about five thousand yuan,” Nan Jin said sympathetically. “This bit of money is barely enough to pay your rent for the next quarter, right?”

It’s indeed not enough... Gu Shen fell completely silent.

Nan Jin comforted, “Moreover, you don’t seem to be aware of your future situation... If you don’t join the Adjudication Bureau, you will be sent to the interrogation room again because of your involvement in the two transcendental incidents, A-009 and the fire. This interrogation won’t be as simple as before. According to the Supervision Treaty of the Safety Committee, the people from the Penitentiary Bureau will put you on the ‘suspected out-of-control individuals list’ until they completely eliminate any danger. At best, you will be closely monitored. At worst, you will be directly detained.”

Nan Jin put the report away and said seriously, “So, think about it yourself. If you behave well, not only will we cover the hospital bills but also the losses from the fire. For the following interrogation, my teacher will personally intervene and bail you out from the Penitentiary Bureau.”

He looked at the bill.

Then he looked at Nan Jin.

“What do you mean by behave well? This is called a good bird chooses the right tree to nest in,” Gu Shen said earnestly. “Just to be clear, it’s not that I can’t pay. I’m just simply interested in the transcendental world...”

A hint of amusement appeared on Nan Jin’s icy face.

She reached out, patted Gu Shen’s shoulder gently, and jested, “Is that so? What a coincidence. The Adjudication Bureau always welcomes sincere young people like you.”

Gu Shen accepted his fate and let out a long sigh. He asked carefully, “If I follow you, will I have to carry out dangerous missions all over the world? ... Big Brother, can you look out for me?”

Be it the scene of Nan Jin fighting fiercely against A-009 or the scene of the transcendents being killed on the rooftop, they had a considerable impact on Gu Shen.

He still needed some time to calm down.

“Of course!” Nan Jin patted her little brother’s shoulder in satisfaction. She took out a silver badge from the inside of her trench coat and handed it to Gu Shen. “We are envoys of justice. We won’t do things like killing and arson... Do you see the words on the badge?”

Gu Shen touched the badge. This badge was about half the size of a palm and made of an unknown material. The texture was exquisite, and on the front of the badge were crossed swords. The design was incomparably intricate and exquisitely crafted, down to the finest details.

There was one word under the swords.

“Adjudication...” Gu Shen murmured softly in a daze.

Clang!

Nan Jin bent her finger slightly and flicked the top of the badge, making a crisp ring.

Only then did Gu Shen notice that there was a crown on the crossed swords. In the crown, two engraved cursive words were hidden. They were above the swords and quite concealed.

Gu Shen didn’t speak and only rubbed the badge with his fingers, his eyes becoming complicated.

“Okay, now isn’t the time to chat.” Nan Jin glanced at the clock and sat up straight. “It’s about time. Those guys from the Penitentiary Bureau should be coming soon. Wei Shu should be in charge of the interrogation this time. Now, I’ll tell you... how to deal with the upcoming interrogation.”