Opening

When Lin Wen opened his eyes again, the sky was already bright.

Sharp blades of light pierced through every part of the room. Dust floated in the golden light, as if it were a projection of spiritual energy in the physical world.

Lin Wen's mind was still stuck in the dream of the cultivation world. Like a puppet, he finished washing up and pushed the door open.

Outside the door were Li Yuchen and the six giants. They had been waiting for a long time.

Lin Wen didn't wake up. Subconsciously, he opened the Heart of Seven Orifices for himself. He continued to immerse himself in his dream. He thought about it day and night, and he didn't want to wake up.

It was not until the bright sunlight shone into his pupils and the noisy voices filled his ears, and the faces of Huang Mingxiao, Yuan Zhimen, Lei Tiantong, and other imperial officials appeared before his eyes, that Lin Wen's spirit reluctantly returned to reality.

In front of him was a wooden platform that had been constructed overnight. It was a meter tall, twenty meters long, and three meters wide. It was shaped like a semicircle and faced the wilderness outside Changle Town.

In front of the wooden stage, in the wilderness, there was a hubbub of people. There were already tens of thousands of people gathered. Some of the refugees had come out to maintain order, so this place was not chaotic.

Behind the wooden platform were all the members of the temporary command post. There were close to 800 of them, and many of them had ashen faces and were trembling when they saw the refugees.

Behind them were three thousand imperial soldiers in a semicircle that covered the wooden platform. Rather than maintaining order, they were more like guards of the eight hundred officials.

When Lin Wen stepped onto the wooden stage, the refugees cheered. It was unknown who led them, but the refugees suddenly raised their right hands.

"Kill without mercy!"

"Kill without mercy!"

The voices gradually became synchronized, emitting an unimaginable power.

Under the deafening roar, the expressions of the people in the temporary command post became even worse.

Huang Mingxiao looked worried. He was worried that the mood of the refugees would become feverish and they would attack all the staff of the temporary command post indiscriminately.

If Lin Wen didn't follow their opinions, it would greatly reduce his prestige and might even cause a direct conflict.

If that was the case, then all his previous efforts would be wasted.

He wanted to remind County Head Lin, but Lin Wen ignored him and only called the Fang Yaobo, judge of the Criminal Court, over.

For some reason, County Governor Lin did not display his incredible loud voice today. He only took a loudspeaker from Yuan Zhimen.

"Pfft. Pfft. Hey."

His voice was loud and clear, but it wasn't as deep and clear as it was yesterday.

"I'm Lin Wen."

Lin Wen's words were as succinct as ever.

"The trial begins."

The people quietened down.

Lin Wen continued, "Imperial Criminal Court Judge Fang Yaobo will go on stage."

Lin Wen didn't mention he was only a judge of Changshan County, so that he would be even more authoritative.

Fang Yaobo blushed and was forced to go on stage.

"Read the documents!"

Fang Yaobo lowered his head and did not dare to look at the gazes of the tens of thousands of people. He only picked up the loudspeaker and read out the dossier that he had barely managed to round up after brushing off the only strand of hair on his head last night.

"Criminal, Jin Nianshuang is guilty of abusing his power, bullying the refugees, embezzlement, sexual harassment, and attempting to murder County Governor Lin Wen…"

"… There's no sign of humanity in him. For this reason, he is convicted of crimes against humanity. The facts are clear and the evidence is conclusive. His crimes are unforgivable…"

The documents of the four security guards were read one by one. Every time he read the details of their crimes, the citizens would be stirred. All kinds of curses, cries, and roars would be heard.

"All four of them were killed by County Head Lin Wen on the spot…"

The loud cheers almost completely covered Fang Yaobo's loudspeaker.

"We will now publicly show their bodies to prove the solemnity of the law of the Empire."

Four bodies were carried up and around the stage against countless pebbles. The carriers had to hide behind the bodies to prevent themselves from being hit by the pebbles.

After the quick testing, Lin Wen stepped forward and shouted, "Begin the trial!"

His announcement stirred up a wave of voices.

"Kill that bastard official!"

"Justice!"

The sound reverberated in the surroundings, and there was still an endless stream of refugees gathered from all directions. The number of people present had already reached 100,000. At a glance, the entire mountain was filled with people.

Many people backstage were pale and trembling. They had never seen such a situation in their lives.

The cries of 100,000 people filled heaven and earth. Even the immortals had to avoid them.

The first batch to go on stage were twelve officials led by Huang Mingxiao.

The refugees fell silent.

Huang Mingxiao picked up the loudspeaker and said, "I am Director Huang Mingxiao. I apologize to the people of Changshan County for my poor management and for causing some scums to harm the people."

With that, everyone bowed deeply to the refugees.

Lin Wen's eyes sparkled as he looked at them deeply.

"Alright, go down."

Huang Mingxiao still wanted to say something, but Lin Wen ignored him and turned the volume of the loudspeaker to the highest.

"The second batch."

"Get twenty up."

His voice was distorted.

There was some commotion among the refugees, but it was still relatively stable.

The officials behind the stage heaved a sigh of relief. Many of them straightened their backs and their legs stopped shaking. There were even smiles on their faces.

The second batch of 20 people quickly walked onto the platform. Like Huang Mingxiao, they bowed and apologized to the refugees, but when they wanted to leave, they were stopped by Lin Wen.

"You. You. And you. Come here."

Five of the 20 were asked to stay by Lin Wen.

Their expressions were still quite relaxed. They did not know what they were about to face.

Lin Wen asked them to stand in front of the stage and face the hundred thousand people.

After tens of seconds of silence, Lin Wen finally opened his eyes when there was a slight commotion.

"Yu Dachang!"

A short fatty was stunned for a few seconds before replying, "Present."

"11:12 a.m. on the 19th. What were you doing?"

The short fatty recalled for a few seconds before his expression suddenly changed. However, he still tried his best to act normal.

"I-I was distributing the medicine to the refugees in the area I'm in charge of."

Lin Wen stared at him. "How many drugs did you receive? How much did you distribute?"

The short fatty tried his best to keep his voice from trembling.

"I—I got thirty-two bottles of Abbvie Johnson antibiotics. I distributed seven bottles."

Lin Wen's voice became stern. "What about the other bottles?"

The short fatty suddenly wailed, "That day, the road was slippery due to the rain. I… I accidentally fell down the mountain when I was riding my bicycle. I'm guilty. I've let everyone down! I didn't protect the medicine and couldn't save everyone. I'm guilty. Please punish me!"

"Bullshit!"

Suddenly, an angry shout came from below the stage.

"You said that it was difficult in the county too, and that you went through so much just to get that little bit of medicine for us!"

The voice came from the crowd. There was no telling who it was.