Finishing the book means death; I abandoned the whole world.

[Prosecution's Third Statement]

The prosecutor took a deep breath; this was his last chance.

"Liu Tianyong, you say you're doing this to protect the readers, but I have a question for you!" His voice turned icy.

"Are you truly trying to protect the readers, or are you simply trying to increase your own narrative weight?"

With another snap of his fingers, a string of data appeared in the air:

After killing Lin Ruyan, Liu Tianyong gained a narrative weight of +200.

"See? Killing an author gives you access to her narrative weight. That's the rule of the narrative graveyard, and it's your real motive for killing authors!"

He walked towards Liu Tianyong, pressing him relentlessly: "You keep talking about protecting readers, but in reality, you're hunting authors! Lin Ruyan is just your first prey!"

"In this world, narrative weight is power, is the capital for survival, and you! Liu Tianyong! You've already tasted the sweetness of killing to seize power, I ask you!"

His voice boomed like thunder: "Who will be the next to die by your pen?!"

The golden words, like sharp swords, pierced Liu Tianyong's heart.

The narrative weight has begun to drop rapidly once again: [Current narrative weight: 660→600→540→480]

Yong felt a tightness in his chest, and a mouthful of blood welled up in his throat. What was this? Narrative backlash?

As expected of the monitor, this time he didn't argue about right or wrong, but directly attacked the motive. Once the jury believes that Liu Tianyong "killed the author to seize power," then all the previous arguments will become nonsense.

Liu Tianyong smacked his lips and licked the blood from the corner of his mouth. He had indeed gained narrative weight, and he had indeed promoted the sweetness of success. Even at the moment of killing Lin Ruyan, a thought of "this is not bad" flashed through his mind.

[The defendant's third statement] The reviewer's voice rang out, "This is your last chance."

Yong held the pen in his hand, his hand trembling slightly—a trembling of excitement. He himself didn't know why he felt a little excited in this environment. Was it a thrill? This was a feeling he had never experienced in the normal world before!

"No matter what this world is like, I believe that justice will not die, and the truth has not yet been buried by my deception!"

"I admit that when I killed Lin Ruyan and gained narrative weight, I did have a little bit of a good idea, but that wasn't the main motivation; it was just a side effect."

"It's like a doctor charging for surgery, but the doctor's main purpose is to save lives, not to make money! I killed her because she threatened innocent people; I gained power because that's the rule of the narrative graveyard. The two coexist and are not contradictory!"

"The most important point! I didn't write that Lin Ruyan died! I wrote that [Lin Ruyan, female, 28 years old, a healing author, her character has collapsed!]"

"What I wrote," Yong Ge picked up a red pen and traced the words in the air: "She's a murderer!"

"See? I didn't write that she died. I only wrote about her character collapsing, how her own moral blackmail backfired, how her own saintly logic killed her! I, Liu Tianyong, was just the one who broke the silence!"

Zhang Gou Dan's eyes lit up, and he muttered under his breath, afraid the reviewers and prosecutors would hear, "Brilliant! This lets the readers see the truth!"

"I, Liu Tianyong, may have always been just a nobody, only good at fooling people, but I have my own bottom line!"

"I will not kill innocent people!"

"I will not seize the rights of the innocent!"

"I will only kill those who deserve to die! I will only seize the power that deserves to be seized!"

The red characters burned in the air, turning into an inextinguishable flame.

"If this is a crime, then I am guilty; but if it is not, please allow this damned 'order' a place in this apocalypse!"

Brother Yong doesn't know if justice exists in this world, but there must be some order, and this court is the best proof of that!

[The defendant has finished his statement]

The room fell into a deathly silence. The reviewers seemed lost in thought, while the readers and authors on the panel whispered, nodded, shook their heads, and pondered.

The prosecutor's face was ashen; he knew he had lost this round.

[Jury voting begins]

The reviewers' voices rang out: "[Six readers, four authors, please make your decision.]"

Ten beams of light rose from the jury box, each beam representing a choice:

Gold represents guilt.

Red represents innocence.

The first beam of light illuminated, revealing the girl in pajamas, Li Yumeng, in red.

The second beam of light illuminated, revealing a middle-aged man in a suit: Gold.

The third beam of light lit up, and the blond-haired boy said: "Red."

The fourth beam of light lit up, Sister Hu, golden.

The fifth beam of light lit up, and Huang Chaobin looked at Liu Tianyong with a simple smile: "Brother Yong, I believe in you!" (Red)

The sixth beam of light lit up, and Zhang Gou Dan stood up, stretched, and looked at Liu Tian Yong: "Kid, you're right! I don't know if there is justice, but order should definitely still have a place in this world."

He grinned: "Although I think you'll definitely get into a lot of trouble in the future, the world has become so strange, more trouble means more fun! I support you!" (Red)

……

Voting has ended. Total: 6 red, 4 gold.

[Jury verdict: Not guilty.]

The reviewer's voice rang out: 【But】

Liu Tianyong's heart, which had just been at ease, jumped again. "Can you not speak in such a fragmented way? Are you trying to kill me?"

[Although the defendant Liu Tianyong's act of murder was determined to be an act of emergency self-defense and maintenance of world order, the methods used were excessive and showed a tendency towards narrative hegemony.]

The verdict is as follows:

[1. Narrative weight -200, as a penalty for excessive use of "force"]

[2. Once you receive the "Ethics Watch" label, any act of killing an author within the next 30 days will automatically trigger a "second trial" and be punished more severely.]

[3. Community Service Required: Write a revised version of the "Author Conduct Guidelines" for the Narrative Ethics Committee, with a minimum of 5000 words, and ensure it is a valid narrative. Complete within 10 days.]

Yong was completely dumbfounded. "What the hell is the third one?"

The reviewer's voice seemed to carry a hint of amusement: "Aren't you very good at deceiving people? And after this trial, you're still so reasonable. Well then, write down your reasoning and let the world see it."

A line of small print appeared on the red pen: [Trial of Survivors, Narrative Weight: 280, Status: Under Ethical Observation.]

"Old Wang, if you're watching over me from heaven, please let me get through these 30 days peacefully. I don't want to get into any trouble..."

The reviewer's voice came again:

[Trial concluded]

However, trials are not child's play; the opening of a courtroom comes at a price.

[The prosecutor will force the case to "finish" in this session] As soon as these words were spoken, the prosecutor roared in resentment, instantly engulfed by red flames, and finally turned into a page that floated into the reviewer's hand, displaying: Failed Prosecution.

[This is a punishment for the Narrative Ethics Committee. As authors and readers, we must also pay a corresponding "payment" to demonstrate the fairness and impartiality of this court.]

[In the next chapter, a reader or author present will be randomly selected and forced to "complete the story" as "fee" for this trial.]

Is it you, Huang Chaobin, or Zhang Gou Dan, or Li Yumeng, or Hu Qiaozhen...?

Yongge's pen fell to the ground with a "thud".

"Holy shit! They actually do this! This awful place, can't we even breathe in here?!"