"..."
"I suppose it's for the justice in my heart."
The man paused, then spoke softly.
Lin Yu frowned, his gaze toward the man growing even more bewildered. He even felt as if the man were speaking some impractical nonsense in his sleep.
The justice in his heart?
What kind of melodramatic line was that?
Did you walk onto the wrong movie set?
It was late at night, and almost no new customers were coming into the tavern.
The man, acting as the bartender, finally had some free time.
He could chat with the person in front of him—someone who, for some unknown reason, seemed quite different from everyone else in this world.
"I believe that everyone has their own version of justice in their heart."
The man lowered his head, carefully wiping a wine glass with a pristine white handkerchief in his hand, and said in a calm tone:
"Some people can't stand seeing the weak being bullied."
"Some people can't stand seeing a man beat a woman."
"Some people can't stand seeing good deeds go unrewarded."
"Some people can't stand seeing fairness and justice being trampled upon."
"Some people can't bear to see a woman cry."
"Some people can't bear to see their brothers suffer."
"There is no hierarchy to these forms of justice hidden in people's hearts."
"It purely depends on personal preference."
"The question is..."
At this point, the man placed the freshly wiped glass upside down on the rack beside him.
He looked up at Lin Yu and asked:
"How much of a price are you willing to pay for your justice?"
In front of the man.
Lin Yu's expression was blank. Realizing that the man wasn't just being cryptic, he couldn't gather his thoughts to answer right away.
Lin Yu did not answer.
The man didn't wait either. He picked up another glass at hand, lowered his head to wipe it, and continued:
"Let me give you a simple example."
"Take today's public opinion, for instance."
"If an old person falls by the side of the road, hardly anyone dares to help them up."
"Those passersby who choose to stand and watch aren't heartless."
"Seeing an old person lying helplessly on the hard, cold pavement with no one to help."
"They also feel a pang of sorrow and reluctance in their hearts."
"They also feel pity for the old person."
"This is the justice in their hearts."
"But they aren't willing to risk being falsely accused and sued for compensation just to pay for this justice."
"If this were years ago."
"Before the news of the elderly running extortion scams became widespread."
"I think many people would be willing to lend a helping hand to the elderly."
"They would be willing to pay the price of some time, effort, or even tens or hundreds in cash."
"To pay for that justice in their hearts."
"But when the price becomes being slandered, a thankless task, massive compensation claims, or even the unbearable disaster of having to provide for the rest of the old person's life."
"Even if the chance of such a thing happening is only one percent."
"People will no longer pay for the justice in their hearts."
"Because the price to pay is simply too high."
"No one is willing to pay for the justice in their hearts anymore."
"Yet, there are always some people in this world."
"They are willing to brave the massive risks and near-zero returns to help up that old person lying on the ground, unable to rise, and send them to the hospital for treatment."
"Nowadays, the public's opinion of such people isn't very friendly."
"They all say this kind of person is stupid."
"Those who put it nicely would say they are naive."
"But in reality, they aren't stupid."
"Nor are they as naive as others imagine."
"We all live in the same world."
"They have also heard those sensational news stories spreading across the internet."
"It's just that the justice in their hearts makes such a fuss that they simply can't ignore it; they have no choice but to pay for it."
"This small handful of people is willing to brave enormous risks for the justice in their hearts, to help up that old person fallen on the ground."
"As for those others who stand by and watch."
"They, too, have one or perhaps several other forms of justice in their hearts that they would willingly pay a massive price for."
"In the eyes of the public, those forms of justice might be worth it, or they might not be."
"But that doesn't matter."
"Because the person who has to pay the price is you."
"It only requires you yourself to think it's worth it."
After listening to the man's long speech, Lin Yu stared blankly at the tabletop, speechless for a long time.
After a good while, he lifted his head somewhat stiffly, looking at the man with a bewildered gaze as he asked:
"So everything you're doing right now is paying for the justice in your heart?"
"Yes."
The man nodded, admitting to it.
"What happened?"
"Do you mind talking about it?"
Lin Yu asked curiously.
The man's movements paused for a moment. After a brief silence, he spoke:
"The matter actually isn't that complicated."
"This friend of mine, his mother got cancer."
"He didn't give up on his mother."
"He chose to mortgage his car and house, raising money everywhere to treat his mother's illness."
"But his mother still passed away from the cancer."
"Months of exorbitant medical bills drained his savings and left him with a massive debt."
"He has no ability to repay it in the short term."
"The debt collectors showed up at his door."
"And unexpectedly took a liking to his wife."
"His wife is a very good person."
"She has always supported her husband, whether in work, life, or the matter of treating his mother."
"Even now."
"When their family of three is on the verge of losing their place to live."
"She hasn't complained about anything."
"She just feels a bit sorry for her six-year-old child having to suffer along with the two of them."
"The debt collectors told her in private."
"That if she was willing to pay a small price."
"They could hold off on repossessing her husband's house and pause the interest."
"Allowing their family to continue to survive."
At this point, the man paused, as if drawing a question mark on this unfinished story, before continuing:
"I can't stand seeing someone do something incredibly right, only to end up with an incredibly tragic outcome."
"So I intend to pay for the justice in my heart."
"How are you paying for it?"
"By working three part-time jobs a day like this?"
Lin Yu pointed out the reality and said:
"Even adding three of these part-time jobs together, you wouldn't make ten thousand a month, right?"
The man had clearly realized this as well. He nodded frankly and said:
"Yes."
"But I have other ways of making money."
"Just give me a little more time, and it should be about enough."
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
