Chapter 138

While everyone present watched with bated breath, Qin Lu raised an eyebrow and adjusted her neat braids before retrieving a murky spherical crystal from the box-like machine to display it to the crowd.

“The core of this machine is a crystalline lens preserved from S-Class Aberrant Realm No. 136. It can store static images. When the machine drives it to rotate at high speed, those static images are displayed in rapid succession, creating the illusion of moving footage."

“Because it rotates so quickly during operation, the lower section connected to the fixing device inevitably suffers wear. Everyone, take a look—the bottom of this sphere is extremely smooth, as though it just came off the production line.”

“According to Mr. Green, this recording device was frequently used to document experimental processes. It shouldn’t appear this new.”

David Green shot back, “Perhaps the original core was damaged, and this is a newly replaced one!”

“Because the recording devices' core stones are non-renewable and possess a limited three-year shelf life, the sales contract explicitly mandates their return to the royal factory for reprocessing and reuse upon expiration or accidental damage.”

“I’ve checked the batch number. We’ve received no returned core from this machine, nor have we approved a replacement for it.”

“Even if His Highness Sykes suddenly had the whimsical urge to broadcast his extravagant daily life across the entire empire, he wouldn’t dare discard one every time it broke, just what kind of experiment were you conducting that was so valuable?”

David Green was left speechless. His panicked gaze darted toward the judge’s bench above. When he saw the chief judge avoiding his eyes, his expression began to collapse. He opened his mouth to argue again, only to be cut off once more.

“This machine may indeed belong to your base, but the core does not. I suspect it was only recently acquired and deliberately forged.”

Qin Lu let out a cold laugh. Her languid eyes shifted toward Ye Fanjing above.

“Judge Ye, if you find my personal statement insufficient to prove that the opposing party falsified evidence, experienced veteran workers can determine the recording’s timestamp from the color of the core and the tint of the images. They can assist in the appraisal.”

Seeing Qin Lu’s confidence and Ye Zheng’s calm, indifferent composure, Ye Fanjing understood. This footage was, in all likelihood, fabricated.

After all, how could Ye Zheng have done something like that? She had always been a sensible and well-behaved child.

He hesitated for a moment, gripping the gavel, before finally striking it down. “The evidence presented by the plaintiff is suspected to be falsified. The court will initiate an investigation into this evidence. Today’s trial is temporarily suspended pending the results of that investigation…”

“No.”

“No!”

The two voices rang out almost simultaneously. Ye Fanjing first looked at Ye Zheng in surprise from the lower left, then turned toward a certain direction behind him.

A middle-aged woman dressed in black, wearing both a black dress and a black hat, stood up from the witness stand. Tear stains were still clearly visible on her face. “Even if Ye Zheng didn’t kill those two people, what about my younger brother, Henry Jones?”

“He was drowned by Ye Zheng using her ability in a remote, shallow stream. When the base was attacked by monsters, his body was, fortunately, preserved…”

“His corpse told me that the one who killed him was Ye Zheng!”

A headache began to form in Ye Fanjing’s mind. He could only hope that this woman didn’t have any solid evidence. After so much time had passed, the body should’ve already bloated beyond recognition. What possible clues could still remain?

Suddenly, Ye Fanjing straightened in his seat. No… perhaps there really was someone capable of tracking a murderer through a corpse.

As the middle-aged woman dabbed away her sorrowful tears with a handkerchief, she secretly cast a glance at the man seated beside her. The man next to her stood up and gave a respectful bow toward Ye Fanjing above.

“Your Honor, I’m just an ordinary security officer from the Middle District. I was invited by this lady to assist with the investigation.”

Ye Fanjing narrowed his eyes. “Are you the Middle District’s Hound Officer?”

The Middle District had always been dull and overlooked. To the Upper District, it had even less presence than the Lower District.

However, this Hound Officer was a well-known figure in the Middle District, renowned as an exceptional detective. The Upper District Security Bureau had invited him multiple times, yet he’d always refused, claiming he didn’t want to leave his hometown.

And for this case, the Jones family had actually managed to invite him?

Ye Zheng turned her head to look at the unfamiliar man. He appeared neither humble nor arrogant, and every movement he made radiated confidence. Ye Zheng instantly realized that David Green had only been a feint. The real threat was this man.

The man smiled and nodded. He tapped lightly at his side, and a translucent, ghost-like hound leapt out.

“My ability is very weak, only D-Class. Its sole function is to track ability auras.”

“I discovered a strange ability aura on Mr. Jones’s corpse, along with two gunshot wounds. The gunshot wounds weren’t the cause of death, but when I extracted the bullets, I found that they weren’t a common type circulating on the market.”

　“Saintess, I’ve heard you’re quite skilled with firearms. Would it be convenient for you to hand over your sidearm? Oh and my little dog would also like to get acquainted with the aura of your ability.”

The young man smiled faintly as he stroked the ghostly hound at his side, his gaze fixed steadily on Ye Zheng across the crowd.

Noticing the slight downturn at the corner of Ye Zheng’s lips, the man adjusted his expression into one of polished courtesy, as though gently inviting her cooperation with his investigation.

In the very next moment, Ye Zheng’s lips curved upward instead, her expression turning faintly cold. The man’s smile immediately vanished. He could clearly sense the subtle trace of mockery and disdain emanating from her.

Ye Fanjing held the gavel suspended mid-air. Drawing on his many years of experience, he knew that if this hound-like man were allowed to take part in the investigation, he’d most likely uncover decisive evidence. Should he intervene and stop it? The Jones family was, after all, a highly influential pro-imperial faction.

The atmosphere in the courtroom grew stagnant and suffocating. Just as the raised gavel was about to slam down heavily onto the desk, a startling voice abruptly froze it in place—

“It was me who killed Henry Jones.”

Ye Zheng glanced briefly at the clock hanging along the left wall of the hall, then withdrew her gaze. Her calm, indifferent voice delivered that shocking declaration without the slightest ripple.

The entire courtroom instantly descended into chaos. The gavel in Ye Fanjing’s hand first stiffened, then slipped from his grasp altogether. The symbol of justice and fairness clattered to the floor, yet no one paid it any mind. At that moment, every single gaze in the hall was locked onto one person alone.

“Ye Zheng, do you even understand what you’re saying?” Ye Fanjing, clad in his black judicial robes, shot to his feet in complete discomposure, his eyes wide with shock.

Ye Zheng merely smiled indifferently, her eyes settling on the young man whose face was now filled with astonishment. “I’ve no interest in continuing this little detective game.”

The ghostly hound at the man’s side vanished instantly. He stared at the legendary Saintess in utter disbelief. He’d encountered all kinds of criminals before and had always taken pleasure in matching wits with them.

This time, he’d accepted the Jones family’s invitation not out of any desire to seek justice for Henry Jones, but simply because he was bored. If he could cross swords with the famed Saintess, it would surely prove entertaining.

He’d imagined Ye Zheng employing every possible method to evade his investigation and dismantle his conclusions, but he’d never expected that the game had barely begun, and she’d already overturned the entire board!

Had she lost her mind?

“Ye Zheng, are you confessing? Do you have any idea what awaits you?!”

Ye Fanjing stared at his daughter in disbelief, hoping she was only momentarily out of her senses.

“You’ve already presented so much evidence. It’s about time I contributed something as well.”

Ye Zheng flipped her palm, and a metal card appeared between her slender fingertips. “This is the access badge of the nursery supervisor, Henry Jones, used within the base.”

“I killed him first, then used this card to move freely throughout the base, where I uncovered quite a number of secrets. Alright, Ye Fanjing, I won’t say too much.”

　Ye Fanjing’s eyes widened even more. For a brief moment, he couldn’t tell whether he was more furious that his daughter had confessed, or that she’d dared to address him directly by his full name.

Everyone in the courtroom stared at the Saintess who had openly admitted her guilt, their gazes filled with shock and uncertainty. They held their breath, waiting for her to go on.

“Ye Zheng, what are you trying to say? Your Honor, she’s already admitted to killing my younger brother. You should convict her immediately!” the middle-aged woman in the black hat snapped sharply.

“I did kill your brother, but Ye Fanjing, the Upper District Court doesn’t have the authority to convict me.”

Ye Zheng flicked the metal card lightly between her fingertips. “He worked for the church. As the church’s Saintess, I was simply handling an internal dispute.”

“And yet you’re trying to put me on trial for the sake of the empire’s parasites, its disasters, and its true heretics. Are you really standing on the side of justice and truth?”

Ye Fanjing slammed his hand against the desk and said sternly, “Ye Zheng, you can’t prove that the victims had any connection to the church. The court has already conducted an investigation. That base was a private enterprise and—”

“The base belongs to the church.”

The rapidly escalating argument was abruptly cut off by a sudden voice. Ye Fanjing’s pupils trembled as he stared at the wide-open entrance of the hall. Someone was walking in.

At the front was a man dressed in a satin white robe, his temperament gentle and composed. Behind him followed a tall young man and a sturdy knight.

Pope Wen Jian.

“Judge Ye, the church has been overwhelmed with matters in the Western District recently, so we temporarily neglected the Saintess’s case. That base does indeed belong to the church. This matter involves internal church secrets, so I can’t disclose much more.”

Wen Jian stood in the aisle, maintaining his usual gentle smile, but his eyes were pitch-dark, devoid of even the slightest hint of amusement.

“Hand Ye Zheng over to the church. Trying her is the church’s responsibility. We’ll ensure the victims receive justice.”

Pei Xi, standing behind Wen Jian, frowned. Something about Wen Jian’s words felt off.

On Friday night, he’d received a message from the Saintess’s knight. The sender actually knew he possessed information about Wen Jian and wanted to join forces with him to pressure Wen Jian, using the church’s authority to help Ye Zheng escape conviction.

It seemed Ye Zheng’s faction also held some kind of secret about Wen Jian. Under pressure from both sides, Wen Jian had personally come to this courtroom with them.

Pei Xi stared uneasily at Wen Jian’s back, then glanced at the stern-faced Knight Wende beside him, and finally looked toward Ye Zheng in the distance.

Transferring the trial to the church was like leaping from one pit of fire into another. It would only delay her execution.

Pope Wen Jian was merely compromising for now. Their actions must’ve thoroughly angered him. He definitely wouldn’t let Ye Zheng off easily during the church’s trial.

Pei Xi clenched his fists. The best course of action would be to help Ye Zheng disappear before the church’s trial began. Although Ye Zheng had once nearly killed him, she held too many secrets. She couldn’t be allowed to come to harm now.

Suddenly, their eyes met.

She was looking straight at him. Pei Xi froze for a moment, then instinctively gave her a reassuring, encouraging smile. Unexpectedly, his body lurched as someone bumped into him.

“How lively. The Saintess’s entourage is even grander than mine as Crown Prince.”

When Sykes’s iconic golden hair came into view, the people in the courtroom were already numb with shock and disbelief. This trial’s lineup was destined to become one of the most unforgettable spectacles of their lives. Even royal banquets rarely gathered such an extravagant assembly!

Sykes strode into the courtroom, followed by several imposing knights. His expression looked somewhat listless. He tilted his chin toward the person beside him, and a knight immediately stepped forward, documents in hand.

“This David Green’s identity is fabricated. He isn’t a member of the base at all.”

The courtroom instantly burst into an uproar. After everything that had unfolded, the plaintiff wasn’t even someone from that so-called base? He had absolutely no connection to the victims he claimed had met such tragic ends?

The short, stout man standing at the plaintiff’s bench trembled, his head lowered as he remained silent.

“His accusation is invalid. If the church intends to try the Saintess for her crimes, I’m afraid they’ll have to find someone else willing to file the lawsuit.”

Sykes shot Wen Jian a look of utter disgust, his expression even more impatient than before.

The gentle smile on Wen Jian’s face stiffened, as though he’d sensed that something was amiss.

The moment Ye Fanjing saw Sykes appear, he nearly burst into tears of gratitude. The emperor truly still regarded him and Ye Zheng as family. The Crown Prince would never allow his future fiancée to be cast into prison.

The plaintiff’s identity was fake, and that revelation had come directly from the imperial Crown Prince. Ye Zheng’s case could finally be suppressed!

How wonderful. This matter had been resolved perfectly. His daughter, her promising marriage, and even his own future had all been saved!

Ye Fanjing hurriedly picked up the gavel from the floor, eager to declare the end of today’s session. However, the girl who’d remained silent for so long suddenly spoke.

“Mrs. Jones, I killed your younger brother. You may file a lawsuit against me again as the plaintiff.”

Ye Zheng fixed her gaze on the woman in the black dress at the witness stand. At this moment, there wasn’t a trace of grief left on the other party’s face, only sheer surprise at suddenly being called out.

Ye Zheng finally grasped the truth behind everything.

Many people wore expressions of deep confusion. Ye Fanjing even felt the urge to rush up to the girl and demand what in the world had gone wrong with her.

The matter could’ve ended right then and there. So why did she insist on condemning herself?

Suspicious, bewildered, and scrutinizing gazes surged toward Ye Zheng from every direction, yet she remained standing in silence at the very center of it all.

At this moment, only Ye Zheng truly understood the anger within her.

——The emperor had never intended to convict her with this case from the very beginning.

When Sykes appeared and struck the final blow, Ye Zheng finally realized that this entire incident had merely been a display of power.

It was the emperor issuing a warning to his unruly future daughter-in-law.

He was telling Ye Zheng that the imperial family could just as easily cast her into the abyss and just as effortlessly pull her back out. Her fate rested entirely within the palm of his hand.

Even Wen Jian was merely a part of this warning, to see how dangerous and untrustworthy the church is, and yet the imperial family can still generously pardon all your sins without holding a single grudge.

The loud clamor surrounding her faded, like waves slowly receding into the distance. Within the vast hall, it felt as though she alone remained.

Ye Zheng’s thoughts raced. What should she do next?

According to the original plan, if the trial had been handed over to the church, she’d had both the ability and the confidence to contend with Wen Jian.

But now, she no longer needed to waste her effort crossing wits with him, because the matter had already been settled.

Had it truly been settled? Even if the charges were withdrawn, this incident had already inflicted immense damage upon her reputation.

Ye Fanjing looked at his unmoving daughter and couldn’t help but leap down from the bench to seize her. He wanted to scold her severely, then drag her over to express gratitude to His Highness Sykes.

The moment his hand touched Ye Zheng’s arm, it was forcefully shoved away.

Ye Zheng’s indifferent gaze swept over her enraged father, the impatient Sykes, the concerned Wende, the bewildered Pei Xi…

At last, her eyes came to rest upon the gloomy-faced Wen Jian.

“Wen Jian, I killed members of the church. You have the right to accuse me as the plaintiff.”

Wen Jian revealed a look of surprise. He couldn’t comprehend why she would still foolishly step forward when the imperial family had already shielded her.

“But I don’t need you to judge me.”

“I wish to request 【the Holy Verdict】!”

The Holy Verdict was a method of judgment entrusted to the gods. Those who passed would be declared innocent by divine will; those who failed would meet death.

Wen Jian stared at her for a moment, nearly bursting into laughter. Did she even realize that almost no one in history had ever passed the Holy Verdict?

His greatest threat was now voluntarily walking toward her own demise. What reason did he have to refuse?

“Good! The gods won’t misjudge!” Wen Jian suppressed the excitement surging in his heart.

Ye Zheng looked straight at him and said, “I have only one request: broadcast my Holy Verdict simultaneously across every major district.”

Wen Jian froze for a moment. He thought it over briefly, then clenched his teeth and said, “I agree.”

Ye Zheng let out a quiet breath of relief. She pushed aside her father, who was still trying to grab hold of her, leapt down from the defendant’s stand, and walked toward the main entrance of the hall, passing through the crowd whose expressions varied widely.

She could’ve taken advantage of the emperor’s “favor” this time to shield herself, lie low once more, and wait patiently for the right moment to strike back ; just as she’d done before.

But Ye Zheng had a premonition. In the face of an absolute behemoth, she couldn’t retreat. Once she slipped into the opponent’s rhythm, climbing back out would become incredibly difficult.

She could move forward through detours, but she absolutely couldn’t afford to take even a single step back!

She would reclaim her dignity and seize back the initiative in this Holy Verdict!