Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

The next half hour was a textbook example of physical torture.

Epstein, that scumbag, endured almost every form of physical torture in human history yet could not die, not even fall into a coma or lose consciousness.

Scraping punishment, castration, waist-cutting, skinning, dismemberment, and being torn apart by five horses.

He can be healed when injured, brought back from the brink of death, and there is no option to lose himself due to pain—because these things do not happen to his physical body.

Faldius brought his family's heirloom dolls, these precious magical artifacts that could not be replicated in modern times. These dolls were linked to Epstein's senses, and all the torture was inflicted on these dolls.

He screamed endlessly in his agonizing cries, reliving the pain again and again, unable to die, forever wailing.

This situation caused countless people in front of the screen to vomit, and countless others to curse in fear.

"not enough."

Tsurugi's words were cold and mocking, yet they made Faldius's heart stop, and he couldn't help but speak.

"Isn't that enough? We won't stop here! This scum won't die, we'll torture him forever! And there are others, we're already hunting them down..."

"You think sacrificing the pawn to save the king is enough?" Tsurugi coldly interrupted Faldius, scoffing.

"I thought you could give me a more valuable performance today. At the very least, you should publicly torture and kill your commander to show your sincerity. That would be the basis for convincing me."

"You think handing over this guy as a shield is enough? Are you looking down on me, or on the world? Is this piece of trash even worthy of being a scapegoat?"

“This, I…” Faldius stammered, he had so much to say.

What do you mean by saying the president is the head of state and the face of a country? What do you mean by saying an investigation into the president is already underway? And what do you mean by saying that taking action against the head of state rashly could cause a world war?

But he knew these words were meaningless; the saint before him didn't care about them at all.

He pursues punishment for sins without end, and he would never regret it if his punishment of evil led to a world war.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that if the scum he's punishing is the ruler you yourselves have chosen, then as the selectors, you must also bear this responsibility.

Unreasonable and domineering, just like a child throwing a tantrum!

But such children are far more dangerous than mature adults; the word "compromise" is utter nonsense to them!

His world has no room for delicate gray; it is only black and white, a stark contrast between good and evil, life and death!

Tsugumi knew that many more people were hiding and watching her; some were those who had slipped through the net on the list, while others were higher-ranking 'clients' who had never even been on the list.

Through the screen, Tsugumi seemed to be looking into their eyes, laughing cruelly.

"Want to hide away and watch the monkey show like before? No way."

"I can see you, I can see every single one of you! You must die cruelly, just like these people, your souls falling into my hands to suffer eternal torment!"

"113,254 people! Those who went to that island, committed crimes, or were involved in it, deserve to be tortured to death!!!"

Tsurugi opened his arms, and the souls of the dead appeared in his hands. He wantonly toyed with their tormented souls, stuffing them into his underworld, preparing to take them back to his cyber hell for further torture before sending them, along with the recordings, to heaven, laughing maniacally.

“I will spare none of them! The same goes for you. Purge them all. Not a single one can be spared. You have forty-eight hours left. If even one of these people is still alive, the trial will continue!”

"You have no room to bargain with me. I am not as tolerant as your Lord. My standard is absolute intolerance!!!"

Under this demand that was no less difficult than a challenge, he severed his communication with Faldius and swept his gaze over the countless pairs of fearful eyes.

He knew that many of these people were cursing him, feeling that they had suffered an undeserved misfortune.

Perhaps, but to correct a wrong, one must go to extremes. If the pain doesn't penetrate to the bone, people won't know their mistakes or how to repent!

Even with such pain, Dongjiang doesn't believe he can control them for even fifty years. But if he doesn't do it, they will never know they're wrong!

It's time for the next wave of calamities, but before we begin, Tsugumi decides to start a small interactive session.

The first one chosen was a farmer from a small East Asian country.

This simple, honest farmer was also flustered about being chosen. After nervously wiping his hands, he hesitated for a while before speaking somewhat anxiously.

"God, God, I don't know what bad things those foreigners did, but could you please turn the water in my house back to normal?"

"I didn't water the vegetables all day yesterday. It's the dry season now, and our crops in the fields can't wait!"

Seeing the old farmer's anxious expression, almost on the verge of tears, Tsurugi remained silent for a moment, then suddenly raised her voice and said...

"The water source has been restored, sir, you can irrigate now."

"Thank you, God! Thank you, God!"

The old farmer thanked him profusely, rubbing his rough, furrowed fingers together. Then, after a moment's hesitation, he said cautiously...

"Could the gods please stop punishing us? It's not that we don't want the bad guys to suffer, but... we're innocent too."

"We work in the fields all year round just to support ourselves and our families. We really don't know anything about those men's affairs, and we really haven't participated in them!"

"Why are you punishing us too, gods?"

Tsugumi opened her mouth slightly, a rare complex expression of inner turmoil appearing on her face. After a long silence, she spoke softly.

"I... I can't offer any grand principles, sir. I can only ask you what your choice is and respect your decision."

"Which would you prefer: to live your present life without divine intervention, only to enter the void after death, or to have your present life treated as an exam, facing judgment at the end and ultimately going to an eternal afterlife?"

223. Would you rather be nothingness after death, or hope to exist in heaven or hell?

The old farmer that Tsurugi drew was perhaps not a coincidence; he sensed a faint but miraculous force at work, similar to his own.

Perhaps it was Hier, but Tsurugi wasn't angry, because the old farmer's simple words were indeed about a problem that Tsurugi had never had the chance to face directly.

His punishment will affect truly innocent people.

He despises those who use grand narratives to morally blackmail others, challenging the whole for the sake of immediate ugliness.

But wouldn't what he did be the same if it happened to some ordinary, ignorant people?

He didn't know, he just didn't think about it, but now that the problem was in front of him, he had to face it.

For a fleeting moment, Tsugumi did consider cutting off the communication and escaping the issue. But he didn't; he knew he would have to face this problem sooner or later.

Rather than reflecting alone in the dead of night, he prefers to confront himself in front of everyone.

Undoubtedly, this is also the question and plea that many, if not most, people in front of the screen have.

Why are you punishing us, who are completely unrelated to this?!

One minute, three minutes, five minutes

Silence fell over Dongjiang, and she fell into a rather long silence.

312 >>

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313

In silence.

But for those who feared punishment and felt that Dongjiang shouldn't have taken such a drastic approach, hope began to ignite. They wanted nothing more than to hug and kiss the old farmer, feeling that this issue had truly awakened Dongjiang's humanity!

Ha! Surely the saint who reflects on his actions will forgive us!

However, sometimes human nature doesn't necessarily lead to good results.

Tsugumi spoke softly.

"Old man, in this life and the next, which would you rather have?"

"what?

"Or rather—if I could be certain that you would have a bright afterlife, go to a carefree heaven, and have a better life in the next life, while you could only have your current life, without any change, and return to nothingness after death, what would you choose?"

Dongjiang's question left the old farmer somewhat bewildered, but for many people watching on the screen, they undoubtedly understood what Dongjiang meant.

Although it may sound like a threat, it is a very real problem.

Would you rather live in a world where there is heaven and hell, or in a world where death is the end of everything?

For the former, for any world where heaven and hell exist, human life is inevitably far too insignificant.

Compared to the long, even endless, 'second life' that comes after entering Heaven or Hell, a life of only a few decades is more like an exam that determines one's fate.

Those who do well on the exam go to the better school. Those who do poorly go to the worse school.

Of course, the world of reincarnation also exists. But to be honest, that's just turning life from a decisive college entrance exam into a series of monthly tests. You use the answers you get in each life to get a different exam venue in the next.

However, it cannot be denied that a world where good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished is by no means bad for most ordinary people.

Ultimately, the religious tradition of establishing a death legend where evildoers suffer is essentially driven by a desire to punish those who commit evil in reality but gain power in return, reflecting the discontent and wish to quell such behavior.

Furthermore, entrusting life, death, and the future to the gods is actually a kind of yearning for a 'philosopher-king'.

Having experienced countless forms of political systems, humanity may have concluded that it is fundamentally incapable of escaping privilege and exception. And rather than venerating the privileges and exceptions of an entire class, it is better to venerate only one.

Therefore, the ideal philosopher-king is no different from a myth. People hope to have such a great and omnipotent father, and they rely on his protection and obey his commands like children.

The same goes for Tsugumi; this is why he would rather choose AI than human rule. Deep down, he doesn't trust humanity, but he actually yearns for the existence of such a philosopher-king, only to realize, unfortunately, that he knows he isn't one.

Even if he possessed such abilities, he lacked such noble character. He was quite self-aware and knew his own limitations well.

But he doesn’t think having an afterlife is bad. Some people might think it’s a kind of indifference to the suffering in this life, but if you can really have a happy ending after suffering, what’s so unacceptable about it?

After all, the standards of life have changed. How can those who adhere to their principles, uphold kindness and dignity, not deserve a good future?

Getting back to the main point, Tsurugi looked at the bewildered old farmer and gently inquired...

"I...I don't know, but I feel like I'm not living a bad life..." the old farmer said softly.

“Life and happiness are relative, old man... You have indeed given me the opportunity to reflect on my mistakes, and I have indeed been hypocritical in some areas.”

Dongjiang stood up, bowed slightly to the old farmer, and then said softly.

"In that case, I will give all those who deserve it a choice."

He should have walked between heaven and earth, touching the bodies of livestock, and spreading these plagues.

Poison every animal, whether it is a tool for the farmer to till the land or a meat animal to be slaughtered.

But now, he has changed his mind; he wants to try and explore this miracle!

He closed his eyes and tried, hoping for change to happen, and a miracle actually occurred.

A piece of paper appeared in front of everyone.

Or rather, those who follow his morals and principles, who do not actively pursue illicit sexual activity, who do not deliberately choose to plunder others, who do not exploit and enslave others from a position of superiority, who do not intentionally cause unnecessary killing, and who do not steal from others when they are wealthy and healthy, all have a piece of paper before them.

Simply put, as long as you are not a murderer, rapist, cruel robber, greedy thief, insatiable capitalist, or corrupt official, Dongjiang has miraculously obtained a piece of paper for you.