Chapter Twelve: Hero

In an instant.

A dazzling white light, like the first ray of dawn breaking through the darkness, erupted as Su Wen’s Judgment Hammer came crashing down with immense weight.

It shattered through the bloodthirsty butcher—a runaway madman kneeling before him—and even pierced the thick floor beneath him.

At that moment,

All the panicked onlookers fleeing for their lives were struck dumb with awe.

According to later eyewitness accounts, they clearly saw—

Dawn.

[‘Verdict’ successfully rendered]

[‘Fair Trial’ ruling:

The guilty party, Huang Zhiming, due to excessive gambling debts and under the influence of ‘Fuzzy Whispers,’ experienced a further weakening of his willpower, failing to restrain himself and committing robbery, murder, and corpse disposal last night.

Having been contaminated by an unknown polluting source (@&*# pending investigation), his mental threshold collapsed completely at 8 a.m. today, causing him to kill three people, maim twelve, and severely injure seventeen while in an uncontrollable state.

Judgment damage multiplier: 278%, with a single-use additional effect [Judgment]—[Knight of Justice] meme increasing damage against mentally polluted individuals by 50%, cumulatively inflicting a massive 198 points of damage.]

[Due to the excessive additional damage from the judgment, the adjudicator—the chief player Su Wen—is currently suffering from severe psychic exhaustion and mental overload.]

Su Wen felt an indescribable fatigue seep through every fiber of his being.

Once the danger passed,

The surrounding crowd gradually ceased their flight.

They feared Su Wen, yet dared not approach.

The vast shopping mall area became a suspended zone, frozen in time.

Only Jiang Menghan stepped forward. Though her demeanor was cold, her eyes held nothing but concern for Su Wen and guilt toward herself.

“Are you alright? I’m sorry, it’s all because of me, I…”

In the next moment,

Su Wen gently raised his hand to halt her words.

“No one ever wishes for misfortune to befall them.”

Jiang Menghan paused, saying no more.

At this moment,

The background noise of the mall shifted from fear and screams to an eerie silence.

She cast a cold glance at the passersby nearby,

Preparing to support Su Wen as they left.

Then suddenly,

The little girl he had saved rushed forward.

“Brother, thank you for saving me.”

Su Wen ruffled her hair gently and replied warmly,

“You’re welcome. Remember to stay close to your mother next time, don’t get lost again.”

The girl’s action was like the first torchlight ignited in the darkness.

Soon,

The crowd’s silence was broken.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you for stepping up.”

“You are a true hero.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have run away.”

Until this moment,

Dawn had truly arrived.

[Achievement unlocked: Hero]

[Achievement description: I believe this world is neither great nor is human nature noble.

But I also believe in the resilience of civilization.

It is a journey spanning eras, continuously propelled forward by progress, where countless miracles give birth to even greater wonders.

Therefore,

When these people become indelible fragments in the annals of civilization,

They are naturally called: ‘Heroes.’]

Ten minutes later,

The Mental Examination Bureau arrived.

Their leader was a square-jawed middle-aged man:

“There was no psychic fluctuation detected earlier. Are you an awakened one? Did you feel any discomfort during awakening?”

Su Wen had once fought alongside Nordic-European aristocratic heirs, and even at the Fiery Banquet Hall had proposed guiding principles for the future of civilization to Duke Reinhardt, the architect of extraordinary laws.

Facing the special operations captain of the coastal old city, who was merely a first-rank extraordinary, Su Wen felt no tension.

He smiled leisurely:

“I woke up after a nap and just had it.”

“Your extraordinary ability?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Interested in joining the Mental Examination Bureau?”

“No.”

And so,

After a few mundane questions,

The crowd, who had witnessed the entire process, began to spontaneously resist and criticize the Mental Examination Bureau:

“I’m a reporter from the Coastal Daily. I personally witnessed his heroic act. If you dare to interrogate him illegally, I will report you!”

“What are you pointing at the big brother for? He saved me! You’re all villains.”

“Where were you when the monster was killing people? Now you question this young man—whose side are you on?”

“Seriously, it’s so coincidental how you showed up?”

No one told them to get lost or cursed at them; that was already courteous.

Compared to the solitary title of [Hero],

Perhaps now,

Su Wen truly felt the centripetal force of civilization.

But no matter how much the crowd vouched for him,

As an extraordinary being, Su Wen could not be ignored by the Mental Examination Bureau.

He received a notice scheduling his examination for twenty days later.

The long delay was likely to prevent further negative public opinion against the Bureau from erupting.

Of course,

To maintain social stability,

Those involved in this incident were also ordered to keep silent.

Yet in today’s advanced internet society,

Can a society-shaking news story worthy of Twitter’s top headlines really be so easily covered up?

Forty minutes later,

Su Wen and Jiang Menghan left the sealed-off mall.

They arrived at their usual bubble tea shop.

“Two cups of bubble tea. I’ve already paid.”

“What’s this? Miss Jiang is being so generous today?”

Su Wen teased as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Menghan gave him a sharp glare.

“Do you want some other form of payment?”

Su Wen took the warm tea.

“I’ll have to think about that.”

Her normally icy expression blushed faintly at his words. She feigned calmness and said,

“The project model you ran to your place before was pretty good.”

“What, betrayal after kindness?”

And so,

They chatted amicably.

Occasionally, Su Wen’s offhand remarks about amusing things brightened the mood of the ice-cold girl.

Or Jiang Menghan would seriously propose research ideas, only to be led astray by Su Wen’s erratic thinking.

Their relationship seemed as if nothing had changed.

Thus,

A morning of research discussion ended.

They had roughly outlined their research direction.

Only then did Jiang Menghan finally ask about what had just happened:

“I heard the control over extraordinary beings is strict now. You won’t be forcibly transferred, will you?”

“What if you leave and I’m left without a partner? What will happen to your competitions?”

Su Wen asked.

Jiang Menghan had probably long made up her mind. She gently tucked her hair behind her ear, her gaze clear and bright:

“I’ll give up all future competitions, apply to the Meteorite Research Institute, and support some fool with extraordinary data.”

“Who’s the fool? If I remember right, improving your ranking through the world physics competition, publishing top journal articles, and applying for a combined master’s and doctoral program in theoretical physics at Harvard in your junior year has always been your dream.”

He looked into the girl’s clear eyes.

Familiar with her stubbornness, he kindly gave his final answer:

“Don’t worry, twenty days is a bit too long.”

After all,

Nineteen days later,

The [Equality Act], signed by Duke Joseph Reinhardt of Bavaria,

Would change the course of civilization itself.