The Murderer 011

The war had finally ended, and the provisional government of Upper City was established—no, it was now the provisional government of the entire Ruined City, jointly formed by both Upper and Lower Cities. The one thing that connected all these people was that they had once been Fang Zhiyi's clients or subordinates.

"I demand his release," a well-dressed man slammed the table.

A dark-skinned worker muttered, "I want that too, but he won't come out."

"He's a hero!"

Almost everyone agreed, until the bespectacled girl pushed the door open.

For a long time, Fang Zhiyi's messages had been relayed through her to Guan Xiong, Mei Ming, and the others, who then passed them on to the civilians. She also had the right to speak.

"He wants me to ask you: What kind of world do you want to create?"

The room fell silent.

"One that remains chaotic, where the privileged stand above and trample on the people, where crime runs rampant? Or one filled with sunlight, governed by law and order?"

"But he... but those were things of the past," someone tried to defend him, though their words sounded weak.

"Precisely because it was the past, he made this choice," Mia interjected, her voice firm but trembling.

Mia grew more emotional, tears glistening in her eyes as she gestured wildly. "Everyone here knows why, but what about the people outside? The civilians—do they know?"

Her question struck like a blade, piercing straight to the heart. Indeed, those at the bottom of society—did they understand the truth behind it all? Could they comprehend his actions? How could such a thing be explained? Should people be led to believe that underground trials were justified? What, then, would the new laws stand for?

Desperation tinged Mia's voice as she continued, "Do you want another underground tribunal to rise in the future? He said only he has the weight to serve as the first cautionary tale under the new law."

Her words landed like a hammer blow on everyone's conscience. The enforcement of new laws was meant to bring progress and justice to society, yet here was someone willing to become the sacrificial cost of that change.

Guan Xiong, who had remained silent until now, suddenly stood up. "I... He never asked me to kill anyone. But if he's chosen this path, I... I want to see him off."

In the prison cell, Fang Zhiyi sat cross-legged. The cell door wasn’t locked, yet he made no move to leave.

"No! You lied to me! You're not the original host! Who are you?!" The system screamed hysterically.

"Shut up."

"Who are you?!" The system panicked. From the moment Night Owl died, it had sensed something was wrong with its chosen host.

"Does it matter?"

The system grew uneasy. "Don’t think you can deal with me. I’m a higher existence, far beyond you lowly humans!"

Fang Zhiyi opened his eyes. "You're annoying. Don’t talk to me—talk to it instead."

"Who?" The system shrieked in alarm.

Fang Zhiyi looked up as a black tentacle suddenly descended, snatching the noisy presence away from him.

Watching the now much-larger entity, Fang Zhiyi narrowed his eyes. "What did you eat?"

Little Black replied gruffly, "The Heavenly Dao. That bastard Heavenly Dao. Took some time."

It tossed the system into its mouth like a snack.

"Are we leaving now?"

Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "Not yet. I want to see this through."

On Judgment Day, a line of criminals was brought to the stage—former councilmen, wealthy merchants, and Lower City gangsters.

The reading of charges alone took an excruciatingly long time. The trial lasted five full days, and the spectators grew numb from watching. Yet they stayed, eager to see how these once-powerful figures would defend themselves.

When it came to the last one, the announcer opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.

Someone stepped forward and took the charge sheet from him. Dace adjusted his glasses.

"Conducting underground trials in secret, violating Article 12 of the new law. Murder—countless victims, impossible to tally—violating Article 3. Arson..."

Whispers spread among the crowd below.

"Sounds like a serial killer."

"I heard his methods were brutal."

"I thought the last one would be a big shot. Turns out it’s just a murderer."

The list of crimes was long. Dace recited them emotionlessly, and with each word, the crowd grew more horrified. How could someone so terrifying have existed in the Ruined City without their knowledge?

Fang Zhiyi was led onto the stage. He simply gazed at the crowd below, silent.

"Big brother!" a little girl called out. Fang Zhiyi turned to her and smiled. The woman holding her covered her mouth in shock.

"I confess. My hands are stained with blood. Let me serve as a warning to you all."

He closed his eyes.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "The murderer deserves death!"

"Death! Kill the murderer!" For days, they had only seen criminals from the underworld and the old regime. Now, he stood as proof that the Ruined City would henceforth be ruled by law.

Guan Xiong stepped up behind him, gripping his blade. His hands trembled uncontrollably. Mei Ming turned away, burying her face in Mia’s embrace.

Wang Meng clenched his teeth, fighting the urge to storm the execution grounds.

"Do it."

Fang Zhiyi’s voice carried an unshakable authority.

At that moment, he saw countless hands rise from the crowd—slender, rough, scarred—each clutching a communicator.

Tears streamed down Guan Xiong’s fierce face. "Go in peace!"

"Damn, getting beheaded hurts," Fang Zhiyi muttered, rubbing his neck as the crowd erupted in cheers and sobs.

Little Black watched the people. "Humans really are strange. Is this the philosophy of thought you studied in your last world?"

It had always observed Fang Zhiyi, aware of the ideological lessons he gave Mia and how deeply the lower classes believed in them—so much so that they’d rather stay silent than betray their convictions, even in the face of the Wolf Syndicate.

Fang Zhiyi only smiled.

"When did you recover?" Little Black asked. "I thought it would take longer."

"Does it matter?"

He wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Instead, he watched for a long time. They were doing well. Reconstruction had begun in many parts of Lower City. Children were now required to attend school. Guan Xiong and the others had turned themselves in, but since they had never killed anyone, their sentences were lenient. Due to a shortage of personnel, Guan Xiong was appointed head of the new Ruined City Police Department, expanding patrols to farther regions.

Mei Ming began studying pharmaceuticals while working as a chemistry teacher. She and Dace grew close.

Wang Meng joined the military, excelling in his duties. His inner turmoil found an outlet through rigorous training.

The only unexpected one was Mia. She had returned to her old life in the sewers, but one day, the city's renovation project reached even there. Mia was at a loss for words. With the help of Mei Ming and others, she eventually opened her own scrap recycling yard.

Many years later, a statue of Fang Zhiyi was erected in the city center, yet there was no inscription about him.

At the statue's base were just two words:

"Hero."