Who left their last words here?

Chapter 2 Bloodstained Trial

"Clatter, clatter..." Heavy combat boots pounded on the dark corridor, and pedestrians gave way upon seeing the newcomer.

A girl in a black trench coat with a cold expression walked at the front, holding a knife, her eyes lowered, giving off an air of "keep away."

Behind her, two heavily armed soldiers wearing goggles dragged the trembling white boat, striding forward in their combat boots.

"..." Bai Zhou, who had just woken up from his coma, had a furrowed brow and deep eyes, as if he was thinking about something.
But in reality, he was just confused about his own situation.

The tunnel walls are all hard black rock, sloping downwards like a long corridor of no return leading to hell.

Sure enough, he became a prize of the aliens and was taken back to their lair.

Hopefully, these aliens don't have the habit of using human flesh to make hot pot.

Fortunately, they seem to have mastered the language spoken by the white boat.

"Where are we going?" Bai Zhou asked, mustering his courage.

"The public trial." The soldier's answer was succinct, as if he didn't want to have much interaction with Bai Zhou.

"……public trial?"

Upon hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar word, Bai Zhou's heart skipped a beat, but he couldn't think of any way to escape.

—Because that "god-like girl" who seemed to have shattered the heavens and the earth, and even the moon, was walking in front of him.

Despite her petite stature of only 1.6 meters, she exudes an immense and overwhelming pressure.

Notably, a three-legged, raven-like black bird was perched on her shoulder.

But the passersby in the tunnel didn't find the bird strange; they were probably used to the girl's presence. Instead, they were curious about the white boat behind her.

To aliens, humans like him would be considered a rare species; if they could be considered protected animals, everything would be fine.

"arrive."

A cold female voice suddenly rang out, and the leading girl with the knife stood quietly in front of a door.

Two soldiers arrived shortly afterward with a white boat.

Sensing the arrival of someone, the doors slammed open automatically to reveal a vast world beyond—

The towering, silvery-white walls on all four sides, the gleaming pillars and beams that seem to be burning with brilliant light, support the magnificent dome that is infinitely high and imprinted with some kind of mysterious pattern.

This is an incredibly large underground base, with soldiers coming and going in groups, and it is heavily guarded.

The area was brightly lit from all sides, and the gray stone slabs stretched towards the high walls, resembling a huge underground prison.

"Brother Zhou, you're here too!"

The voice of Uncle Xiang, the shop owner, reached Bai Zhou's ears, and he immediately saw the central square packed with people.

Familiar neighbors from Wancheng were gathered here one by one, as if a grand gathering was being held. The restless crowd, filled with the same bewilderment and fear, surrounded a high platform.

On the towering platform, black-clad prisoners, chained behind their backs, knelt on the ground, facing the crowd below, their faces covered in dust and dirt, their expressions filled with terror.

"Black...black robe?" Bai Zhou's heart suddenly raced.

These kneeling prisoners in black were clearly the members of the black-robed law enforcement team that Bai Zhou admired and respected most; their faces were both familiar and unfamiliar.

Surrounded by heavily armed soldiers, five men in dark gray camouflage uniforms sat with their legs apart on a tall throne, looking down expressionlessly at the black-robed figures kneeling on the ground.

Sitting in the middle was a young man wearing sunglasses and smoking a pipe.

His slicked-back hair was meticulously styled with hairspray, and his dark gray officer's uniform clung to his tall and upright figure. The three medals he wore on his chest subtly hinted at his past glories.

"Lieutenant Han, is everyone here?" The man in sunglasses glanced to the side, his pipe trembling slightly, and spoke sparingly.

“Everyone’s here.” A handsome man turned around and bowed respectfully, his voice soft and melodious.

In his arms, he was also unusually holding a black and white cat police officer doll. The stuffed doll was bulging, with three pairs of white whiskers clearly protruding from the velvet, looking very spirited.

Then, Lieutenant Han hugged the sheriff doll with both arms and looked to the side, "Major's time is precious, let's get started."

"Yes, Major!"

An officer stood up abruptly, saluted the major on the throne, and strode over the kneeling men in black robes to the front of the group.

“蓝星东联邦时间，2030年8月17号下午2点36分！”

"The Provisional Court of the Black Box Special Control Agency under the Tinghai City General Bureau, with the approval of the Department of Law, announces the verdict!"

The officer spoke in a language Bai Zhou couldn't understand at all, and then unfolded a document and read it aloud—

"Zhao Qing, a sinner! A mid-level cadre of the Blood Worship Cult, and the Black-Robed Elder of Wancheng, is guilty of participating in an illegal association, murder, sacrificing to an evil god, and organ modification. He is sentenced to death for all these crimes!"

"The rest of you are accomplices, acting as henchmen and accomplices to the tyrant, causing havoc in Wancheng! You are sentenced to death! Execute immediately!"

"—Haha! The raven sings of the quiet hour, the day the blood moon returns to the earth!"

An elderly man, who had been tortured the most and was covered in blood with his limbs limp, was still shouting mysterious incantations, his expression one of fanaticism.

Then he got slapped hard across the face.

Old Huang's teeth, mixed with blood and foam, were flung out and flew to Bai Zhou's feet.

"...The Black-Robed Elder?"

Bai Zhou, who was mixed in with the crowd, recognized the person and his gaze sharpened.

The crowd was in an uproar.

The mysterious and supreme elder in black robes, Zhao Qing, is a household name in Wancheng.

Because in the middle of the Civic Square is the gilded statue of the Grand Elder.

People regard him as the sun in the sky, and they are always filled with gratitude and tears when they mention him.

In Wancheng, even the Zhao family's dog gets a second look and a smile when it goes out!
But now?

"Spare us! We are also people of Wancheng persecuted by the Blood Worship Cult!" a man in black robes cried bitterly.

"I'm open to cooperation! I love the Federation too!"

Then he also had his front tooth knocked out by a slap.

The officer looked at him, his expression growing even colder:

"Originally a victim, yet after joining the Black Robe and learning the truth, he willingly became an accomplice to evil, making him beyond redemption..."

"That's enough." The major, sitting in the middle, seemed impatient and waved his hand. "Go ahead and carry out the execution!"

"Yes!"

Immediately, several people in white uniforms carefully carried over a large black box.

The officer deliberately kept his distance from the black box before taking out another document from his pocket and reading it aloud:
"In accordance with Article 7 of the Special Control Agreement and Article 11 of the Eastern Federation Black Box Management Regulations, the death penalty for the Blood Worship Cult will be carried out using the black box with catalog number 'E-1350'."

"The application has been approved by the Department of Justice!"

The black box was opened, revealing a magnificent, enormous oil painting inside.

The painting depicts a lion-like man, holding a scepter, head held high, chest out, with a majestic and imposing appearance, and thick, long hair flowing to both sides.

Then, several people wearing white coats and masks dispersed around the oil painting, took up paper and pens, and nodded to the officer:
"Black box E-1350, 'Portrait of Louis XVI,' Record of the Eighteenth Experiment... Begin!"

"What is a black box...?"

The moment Bai Zhou's gaze fell upon the oil painting, a chill inexplicably ran down his neck.

—At that moment, the officer gave an order.

"Execution!"

"..."

The air was completely silent. No one could be seen on the platform. The kneeling men in black robes looked at each other, puzzled as to what tricks these people were playing.

Until someone in black robes looked at the portrait and noticed that the corners of the man's mouth seemed to be curving upwards, giving him a meaningful smile—

The next instant, the man in black lost consciousness.

"Gurgle..." A head rolled on the ground, blood gushing from its neck.

"...!"

The man in the black robe and the audience below screamed simultaneously.

The oil painting became increasingly vibrant, and the man in the painting, named "Louis XVI," smiled even more brightly.

The men in black robes dared not look at the oil painting any longer, and hurriedly turned their backs in a panic, closing their eyes tightly and not daring to open them.

Closing your eyes didn't help; an eerie atmosphere enveloped the entire platform, and in the next instant, another head flew high into the air.

The cuts on the corpse were smooth and clean, as if an invisible, enormous guillotine had fallen from above his head.

"A perfect experiment!"

The doctors in white coats recorded data on forms, their pens flying across the paper while they whispered amongst themselves.
"The Louvre Museum of the Western Federation lent the portrait of Louis XVI on the condition that eighteen effective experiments be conducted, and they are worried about not having enough consumables..."

Every second, someone's head falls to the ground with a thud.

Large spurts of blood, like a swarm of wildly dancing snakes, shot across the sky, turning into a light drizzle.

This reminded Bai Zhou of the black dog's blood and goat's blood that people rushed to throw into the sky when the city was destroyed. The stench of blood and clumps of rotting flesh meandered and filled the execution platform, carrying a hint of madness.

Bai Zhou's vision was filled with blood.

He was in a daze, feeling as if all the noise of the crowd around him had disappeared, and he could only hear the tense thumping of his heart in his chest.

When the city was doomed, everything happened so suddenly that Bai Zhou didn't really feel much of it.

But now, with the fall of the black-robed figure, he truly heard the echo of the world collapsing.

Because the black-robed men are the people Bai Zhou most admires and wants to become, and he is also the chief of the youth training group, but now the black-robed men are said to be heinous sinners.

Even the man in black robes didn't refute it.

Bai Zhou didn't know what was right and what was wrong, but he knew that his world was truly doomed.

Many images flashed through his mind, only to shatter in the end. The past was like a painting on the sand; the sand was blown away by the wind, and the memory became blurred as well.

"Stimulate!"

The bloody scene prompted a soldier nearby to light a cigarette, inhaling it with a whirlwind-like suction.

"That elder is extraordinary; it's rare to see a Level 3 Extraordinary being conduct an experiment against an E-level black box!"

"Swish..." The crow stretched lazily, while the girl in the trench coat flipped through the documents in her hands, reading softly:

"—More than twenty years ago, on the eve of the turn of the century, the rampant illegal association 'Blood Worship Cult' put forward a whimsical and insane idea."

"If we send humans from the present world to the [Reflection Ruins], a realm where the dead gather on the other side of the world, and let them grow and reproduce amidst its erosion and pollution, could we cultivate special individuals who can transcend life and death?"

"To this end, the Blood Worship Cult imprisoned 128 people on the edge of the [Reflection Ruins] and built a stronghold called 'Evening City'."

"However, because the experiment was slow to yield results, the Blood Worship Cult was eventually maintained by only a few observers."

"—The leader of these observers became the Black-Robed Elder of the City of the Night."

"The other observers formed the original black-robed enforcement team, brainwashing and wreaking havoc on Night City."

"Twenty-six years." The girl in the trench coat pursed her lips and lowered her eyes. "Justice has been delayed for far too long."

"The Reflection Ruins? The Blood Worship Cult?" Bai Zhou's eyes widened in confusion.

"Observer?"

He instinctively wanted to hate; he felt he should hate these outsiders who destroyed his world and trampled his dreams underfoot. But the girl's words left him bewildered.

All that had passed had shattered into illusions, and a tidal wave of loneliness completely engulfed the white boat. Everything unfamiliar suffocated him, as if the world was vast, yet he could find no place to belong.

"Gurgle..." Another head rolled on the ground, and the swirling wind blew the blood rain sideways, drenching Bai Zhou's face and shoulders.

The stench sent a chill down Bai Zhou's spine. After a moment of confusion, a profound fear belatedly gripped his heart.

Bai Zhou took two steps back with a "clatter," bumping into the arm of a soldier next to him who was puffing out smoke.

"Are you scared? Wondering why you've been brought here to watch a trial?"

The soldier, who had previously been indifferent and listless, even seemed quite interested in conversation.
"Because we all come from the same blue planet, have you ever heard of blue planet?"

“You were just kidnapped and taken to another place; the man in black is the bad guy who imprisoned you.”

He took a deep drag on the cigarette butt, and pungent smoke billowed from his nostrils.

He coughed a few times, as if he were coughing up his lungs:
"A false life can't be flawless. Why have you never seen anyone outside Night City? Because the outside world is a forbidden ruin where even the living dare not tread!"

“Only today do you truly stand on normal land… on the blue planet.”

"Honestly, you're lucky." The soldier tossed his cigarette butt on the ground and scratched his backside.

"The information says you are a reserve member of the Black Robe. You're just a little short of standing on it."

"Almost?" Bai Zhou subconsciously thought of Li Wang, who had taken his place through connections.

It was a close call; I almost completely lost my mind.

At that time, Li Wang was riding high, showing Bai Zhou the truth that hard work and studying are not as good as having a good father.

"——Bai Zhou!!"

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching scream rang out from the high platform, startling Bai Zhou.

Following the sound, Bai Zhou saw a chubby face twisted with jealousy and hatred; he was the youngest among the kneeling men in black robes.

"Li Wang!" Bai Zhou exclaimed in surprise.

Then, under Li Wang's desperate gaze, Bai Zhou quickly revealed a bewildered and innocent expression.

"Do you know him?" the soldier asked Bai Zhou, turning to him.

Bai Zhou waved his hands repeatedly: "It's irrelevant, it's irrelevant."

Li Wang wailed loudly, his neck stretched out, and his screams from the high platform attracted a lot of attention—

"Bai Zhou, I'm dying in your place!"

No one paid him any attention, except for Louis XVI, who gave him a benevolent smile.

The next instant, a hideous head flew high into the air and rolled on the ground with a thud.

Li Wang's headless corpse fell, spewing blood like a fountain.

"..."

Bai Zhou, who was watching from the stands, suddenly felt a chill on his neck. He subconsciously touched his face and then his arm.

Bai Zhou suddenly felt that fate was fickle, and he had been angry with Li Wang for taking his place.

If it weren't for that, Bai Zhou would be the one standing on the high platform getting beheaded right now.

Suddenly, Bai Zhou, who had been in a daze, came to his senses.

He had felt he should hate something, but now he could only feel immense joy at surviving the ordeal.

Bai Zhou looked around and found that everyone seemed to be in the same boat.

People didn't seem to care much about the death of the Black Robe or the origin of the City of Evening; they were more concerned about their own future.

It seems that as long as one can survive, it doesn't matter where or how one lives; one can always adapt.

...As he watched, Bai Zhou suddenly held his breath, his mind going blank for a moment.

"what is that?"

On the high platform, headless corpses lay scattered everywhere, thick blood carpeting the ground, and in the depression where the blood had pooled—

A string of grotesque, glaringly red characters was clearly twisting and slowly writhing on the viscous blood.

They huddled together like tiny, living insects, scrambling to climb out of the platform.

[I'm not giving up! I'm just one step away from becoming a Level 4 "Butcher," and these bastards from the Special Administration can't stop me!]

I'm about to die, but what will happen to my sister?

[Ha, no one would have guessed that the Dead Sea Scrolls they were after were buried under the big tree in front of the Yongning Life Care Center on Dongxing Road... They'll never find it in their lifetime!]

[Will the key word for advancing to Level 2 "Family" be "out of control" or "blood"?]

[Bai Zhou! Bai Zhou! How could I have been so blinded by greed to insist on taking Bai Zhou's place?!]

【…】

The words and phrases varied in color, some were scarlet and glaringly menacing, while others were pale and mottled, almost fading.

"These are... the last words of the executed men in black robes?"

Bai Zhou rubbed his eyes, a question forming in his mind.

—Am I overreacting and going hysterical?

One of the last words, the deepest crimson in color, almost glowing, resonated most strongly with Bai Zhou.

But this sentence is unusually simple.

it says--

Before leaving, I really wanted to smoke a Furongwang cigarette!

"..."