Night Journey

Chapter 69 Justice
Inside the interrogation room, desperate screams echoed intermittently.

Valerie collapsed onto the table, her body convulsing uncontrollably, cold sweat dripping down her face.

Tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision, but she could still make out that her bound left hand was covered in blood.

Gavin used a knife to peel Valerie's skin open, exposing her muscles and fascia.

"Valerie, you're very good."

Gavin unscrewed a bottle of potion and applied it to the knife. "Of all the sinners I have dealt with, your lament is the most melodious."

"This medicine will enhance your senses, which means the upcoming torture will be more painful. I hope you can be strong."

Gavin spoke sincerely, as if he were not interrogating Valerie, but rather standing with her through thick and thin.

Valerie said in a hoarse voice, "Is your so-called 'not killing' just to torture me?"

"This is not torture, but a purification."

Gavin dug out Valerie's finger bones, saying, "It is through pain and suffering that you come to know yourself and truly repent for your past actions."

"I won't ask you anything, child."

Gavin stared into her eyes and said, word by word.

"You will take the initiative to repent to me."

Valerie forced a smile and shook her head, saying, "Monk, you will get nothing from me."

“It’s okay. I’ve heard similar things many times, but they all eventually repented sincerely.”

Gavin took Valerie's broken, scarlet hand in his and said gently.

"And I am always with you, my child."

A soft light rose between the two, and Valerie's horrific injuries gradually crossed the boundary and transferred to Gavin.

Gavin carefully savored the pain Valerie had suffered.

Self-healing.

Valerie stared in disbelief at her perfectly intact left hand. If it weren't for the lingering pain in her mind, she would have thought that everything that had just happened was just a hallucination.

"See? I wasn't lying."

As Gavin spoke, he peeled off Valerie's nail, a section of her finger, and then her entire wrist.

Valerie screamed and wailed, struggling frantically, but she could do nothing against Gavin's benevolent smile.

"The most resilient sinner I have ever encountered was a man who refused to die."

Gavin ripped open her abdomen. "So, do you know about the Rebels? They come from the Eternal Path and are loyal to Evil and Ruins."

"The most distinctive feature of the Rebels is their immortality. Even if their heads are cut off and their bodies are shattered, they will still reassemble themselves. Even if they are burned to ashes, as long as they wait for a long time, they can still awaken and return from the miraculous creation of Evil Ruins."

As Gavin recounted his story, he pulled out his intestines and showed them to Valerie.

"Look, it's a very healthy color."

Ah...ah!

Valerie screamed helplessly, looking pleadingly at Cillian, only to witness an even more bizarre scene.

Cillian stared at her, his gaze never wavering from the cruel torment she was enduring.

Most people would gag at the sight of this, but there was no disgust in Cillian's eyes. On the contrary, his gaze was clear and pure, staring straight ahead, like a child seeing a beloved toy.

Cillian had no worldly desires, only a near-distorted, morbid desire to kill.

"You crazy people!"

The extreme despair completely engulfed Valerie.

"Shh, I haven't finished speaking yet."

Gavin slit Valerie's throat; the blood blocked her trachea, and she could only let out low whimpers.

"To be honest, the turning point in my life started with that person who refused to die."

Gavin recounted his past, saying, "He killed many people, including my family and friends, and when I caught him, there was nothing I could do to punish him."

"Yes, even if you kill him, he will still come back to life, and it would be pointless to grind his bones to dust."

Gavin blinded Valerie's left eye. "I was troubled for a long time, and then one day, I suddenly understood."

Why should I kill him?

Gavin laughed innocently, blood smeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Since I cannot kill the one who refuses to die once and for all, then let him live under my supervision forever, to engage in endless repentance."

Gavin muttered to himself.

Even immortal beings fear eternal torment.

Valerie struggled to her feet, and only then did she truly realize what kind of being she had encountered.

She broke down, wanting to reveal all her secrets, but she couldn't speak, and Gavin wasn't going to listen.

"So I carefully dissected his body, removing almost all of his organs, bones, and skin, leaving only the dense nerves and skull."

It was a very troublesome and lengthy process. If he was accidentally killed, he would turn to ashes and disappear, only to awaken again years, decades, or even centuries later from the miraculous creation of the Evil Ruins.

Gavin ripped Valerie's hair off, tearing off large sections of her scalp.

"In the end, I succeeded."

He exclaimed excitedly, "I 'sealed' a death-defying soul, and he is still living in that dark and sunless dungeon, suffering extreme pain every moment."

"Later, we captured and sealed more of those who refused to die. Their cries echoed in the dungeon as they constantly repented and prayed for death, day and night."

Gavin lifted Valerie's face and kissed her forehead.

“But death will not come; they will remain sealed in the dungeon until the day the City of Wounded Cocoons collapses.”

A soft, shimmering light bloomed between the two, and gruesome wounds spread across Gavin's body, only to heal in an instant. The light faded, and Valerie lay unharmed on the table, her severed wrist, ripped stomach, blindness—everything had healed.

It was as if everything that had just happened was just a nightmare.

Gavin endured the pain of his injuries spreading, but his voice trembled with excitement.

"Shall we continue, Valerie?"

"no, do not want!"

Valerie screamed.

……

"It's over. She should be able to say anything now."

Gavin wiped the bloodstains from his hands and addressed the crowd.

"Okay... okay."

Dai Lin's face was pale. Although he was outside the interrogation room, everything that happened inside was seen and heard by him.

No one could have imagined that the Painful Monk, regarded by the world as a benevolent savior, would have such a terrifying and cruel side. Even though Valerie was a member of the Claws, for a moment, Daelin felt sympathy for her.

Anya avoided Gavin's gaze, while Maefuni mustered her courage and spoke.

“Sister, we don’t remember what just happened.”

"Thank you."

Gavin went outside, where a cool evening breeze was blowing. He lit a cigarette and calmly took a drag. Cillian followed behind him.

“You are much calmer than I expected, Cillian.”

Gavin stared into the distance, his gaze unfocused. "When others see this side of me, they are filled with fear and unease. Some even vomit and dare not look me in the eye again."

He paused for a moment, then asked.

Do you find me terrifying?

Before Cillian could answer, Gavin said self-deprecatingly.

"Well, many times, I find myself extremely terrifying, even disgusted with myself."

Cillian shook his head. "I don't understand, monk."

"I don't understand. Why should I do this?"

Gavin's tone carried a hint of anger, yet was also filled with helplessness.

“I am a believer in the Virgin Mary, a savior monk, and I should love all people, but I also know that love alone cannot save anyone.”

Gavin clenched his fist. "Someone has to get their hands dirty. I'd rather give it my all."

"No, monk, what I mean is, why do you hate yourself?"

Cillian grabbed Gavin's fist and pried it open little by little.

"You're amazing, aren't you?"

Gavin doubted he had heard correctly.

"You...what did you say?"

“I said, you have pure goodness, you are a true righteous man.”

Cillian released Gavin's hand. "I know that the plot of a novel shouldn't be applied to reality, but I have to admit that fictional stories always reflect the shadows of reality."

“There will always be plots where the criminals commit murder, torture, rape, and all sorts of evil deeds, but the protagonists can’t just kill the criminals directly.”

“Sinners need judges to decide their fate, let ridiculous justice decide their life or death,” Cillian cursed. “Damn it, do you know what they are in my eyes?”

"They are accomplices of sinners!"

"Sinners don't care about so-called punishments at all, nor do they truly repent. Don't be fooled by their sorrowful and remorseful faces; they're probably secretly laughing to themselves."

Cillian punched the wall hard, scraping his skin and drawing blood.

"What's even more foolish is that even the most extreme punishment is nothing more than taking their lives."

Cillian's eyes darkened as he asked, puzzled.

"Why is that, monk? I can't understand it. Sinners cause so much suffering to so many people, yet they can die so easily?"

"This problem has been bothering me for a long time, even to this day."

Cillian looked at Gavin with adoration and spoke in a fervent tone.

“Brother Gavin, you have inspired me and given me inspiration.”

At this moment, even the battle-hardened Gavin was taken aback by Cillian's manic tone.

“Sinners shouldn’t die, or at least not so easily.”

Ciri lowered his head and clenched his fists.

"They should continue to suffer pain and torment until their lives can no longer bear it!"

After listening to this speech, Gavin was completely stunned and stood there for a long time before he finally spoke.

“You are very talented, Cillian.”

Gavin took a deep breath and countered, "But who do you think you are? A judge, an executioner, or an avenger, a vigilante?"

“I am nothing, monk.”

Cillian placed his hands on Gavin's shoulders and lowered his voice, as if he were about to reveal a shocking secret.

"I am justice itself."

(End of this chapter)