Working Records in a Weird World - 100

 

| WRIAWW | Zong Le! Zong Le! Zong Le | 100

Zong Le was in an unusually good mood at the moment.

Although it was the first time he and Joshua had a brief clash after completing the mission at Sunshine Elementary, Zong Le had been uncharacteristically bothered by it.

Because when he firmly said "Even if it's you," he caught a glimpse of undisguised doubt and distrust on the silver-haired patriarch's perpetually smiling mask-like face.

This discovery left Zong Le extremely displeased.

Although he never voiced it, he had already tacitly accepted Joshua as a companion, and no longer viewed him as or categorized him as a "bad person." In Zong Le's mind, the most basic requirement between companions was mutual trust.

If they couldn't even trust each other, how could they be called companions?

But this couldn't entirely be blamed on Joshua, after all, it's genuinely difficult for people to place trust in things they haven't personally witnessed.

Precisely because of this, Zong Le rushed to the scene without pause. Partly out of concern for the survivor's future, and his sense of responsibility as part of the group, but also to prove something to Joshua.

"As the old saying goes: 'You are not a fish, how do you know what brings joy to fish?' If you haven't experienced it yourself, don't speak so absolutely. Anyone in trouble must hope someone will help them. No matter what others think, at least I'll keep my word."

Ignoring his complicated gaze, Zong Le continued on: "Take that survivor from last time as an example, who you said wasn't worth saving, of course he would care! If he was still alive, he will definitely be happy to know that someone has avenged him..."

As he spoke, he tightened his grip slightly and pulled the silver-haired man directly out of the encircling Holy Flames of the scales.

Strangely enough, despite the Chief Justice's claims about how troublesome and powerful the Holy Flames were, the moment they touched Zong Le, they faded like harmless flowing water.

The fierce fire twisted and shrank, emitting sounds almost like whimpers. The flames that had spread across the entire scale tray gradually faded away, eventually dissipating into wisps of smoke that vanished into nothingness.

Having been burned by the Holy Flames, Joshua, who had been barely clinging to consciousness, his body flickered twice after the flames receded.

Before Zong Le could ask anything, he witnessed the silver-haired man's form suddenly flicker like a holographic projection with poor signal, first turning transparent, then the edges breaking into fine light particles, before completely vanishing into thin air.

Zong Le: ???

He stared blankly at his now-empty hands, utterly confused about how a living person could just disappear like that.

"Are there other procedures to this trial?"

The black-haired youth looked up toward the center of the courtroom.

For some reason, ever since he proposed taking Joshua's place in the trial, the Chief Justice had fallen completely silent, as if lost in deep contemplation.

Only when Zong Le called out did she snap out of her thoughts.

"Ah...? What? No. The trial only has the procedures that I mentioned earlier. His disappearance is related to himself alone."

This reminded Zong Le, during the matchmaker mission, Joshua had mentioned his immortality. Given his fearless attitude and how other survivors treated him, it was probably true.

"Oh, yeah, I added him as a friend."

It was only then that Zong Le remembered the friend list he had added but never opened since.

Taking out his phone, he entered the list, found Joshua's contact, and sent a message.

[Why did you suddenly disappear?]

Just as he finished and was about to look up, a series of cold system notifications echoed in his ears.

[The trial is over and has passed the review of the Central Court.]

[?-level Mission 'Central Court' completed.]

[The 'West District of Guiyi City' area has been unlocked. Survivors may now accept missions in this area.]

[When the completion rate of the next regional mission meets the standard, the next stage of the ?-level mission will be unlocked.]

[All survivors have been granted the 'Guiyi City Pass,' issued by: Central Court.]

[With this pass, you can freely pass through Guiyi City. Note: Only valid during mission execution.]

Frozen in place wasn’t just Zong Le, but also the survivors who had been anxiously waiting outside the door.

Their eyes widened in disbelief before they erupted into cheers: "We did it!"

"Holy shit! We actually made it!"

"We pulled it off!!!"

"Lord Joshua is just too amazing. I knew he’d come through!"

"Exactly! And that newcomer, talk about the new generation surpassing the old. So many veteran survivors and S-levels couldn’t climb up, but this B-level pulled it off. It's really amazing."

Inside the courtroom, although Zong Le was unaware of the celebrations outside or the forum crashing from the sudden explosion of activity, he also felt very happy.

"Thank you for letting me pass."

He looked up again. "If there’s nothing else, then I will leave first?"

"Please wait a moment!"

The Chief Judge’s voice suddenly became clear, losing its usual layered and authoritative voice.

After a pause, she finally asked the question she had been holding back: "I have one more thing I want to ask, it's a more personal question... Why do you want to help these outsiders? They obviously have nothing to do with you, right?"

"I just wanted to help, I don't need a reason to help others."

Zong Le blinked. "Besides, they are all good people. As a judge, you should know better than anyone. These outsiders who entered Guiyi City not only did not do evil, but also cleared out a lot of bad weirds that harmed people."

Hearing such selfless words, the Chief Judge was deeply moved.

She murmured, "You’re right... you are truly worthy of passing the Holy Flame’s trial. I was too narrow-minded."

"Ah, don’t say that. Staying true to your principles in a place like Guiyi City is already remarkable. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to maintain order, I would have done the same."

Unaware of the complexity in her tone, Zong Le scratched his head sheepishly. "Oh, right! I came here for another thing. My companions mentioned that the Central Court oversees all judicial activities in Guiyi City. If the scale is too large, the leader will be summoned. It so happens that I opened an Ankang Prison in the East District of Guiyi City. Since I’m already here, I might as well apply for a permit."

"No problem."

Surprisingly, the Chief Judge agreed immediately.

Moments later, a scroll bearing her signature and stamped with the Central Court’s golden seal descended from above, its center sealed with crimson wax, landing perfectly in Zong Le’s hands.

"Huh? That’s it? There's no other procedures?"

Zong Le still remembered how Old Wang had specifically warned him not long ago: "The Central Court has extremely strict requirements, and the approval process is very cumbersome. Getting a permit from them will be difficult."

So he had mentally prepared himself for the challenge.

On the drive over, he had even hastily composed a promotional pitch: "Ankang Prison has a beautiful environment, orderly management, and comprehensive facilities."

To his surprise, the Chief Justice didn't even ask any questions and directly issued the permit, which left him utterly bewildered.

"No need."

The Chief Justice: "You've passed the Holy Flame's test. The Holy Flame's judgment is never wrong, just like your decision."

"Oh... alright then."

With the matter settled, Zong Le had no reason to stay any longer.

As he turned to leave, pushing open the door, he suddenly remembered something. Turning back with an apologetic smile, he said: "Ah, right. I accidentally broke the door lock when I pushed it open earlier. But I came in a hurry this time and didn't bring my wallet. I'll have someone send over the repair costs later."

Chief Justice: "There's no need."

"It was definitely my fault, and I'll take responsibility!"

In order not to let the Chief Justice continue to be polite, Zong Le quickly hurried out.

He practically leaped down the courtroom steps in his haste, only to freeze in place the moment he crossed the threshold.

The steps of the courtroom were packed wall-to-wall with survivors, a sea of black-clad figures stretching all the way to the end of the square. Every single person had their head raised in unison, countless pairs of eyes locked onto him.

After conquering this notoriously difficult ? level mission at the Central Court, all survivors had received notification of obtaining Guiyi City pass.

Previously, they could only enter Guiyi City for missions, but now with the pass, they could freely come and go through the main system, with each person allowed one hour of stay per day.

Not only that, geographical restrictions were lifted, allowing free exploration of areas beyond mission locations.

With the city pass in hand, many survivors had rushed to the Central Court entrance immediately upon receiving the mission completion notice, completely surrounding the building to welcome their two legendary heroes.

When the black-haired young man emerged from the courtroom, the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.

With the trial being over, the inscriptions on the stairs had dimmed, and no longer held any power, making them the perfect viewing platform. People stood upon them, waving their arms excitedly, shouting at the top of their lungs in waves of increasing volume.

"Boss Zong Le! Joshua! You're amazing!"

"We actually did it! We succeeded! A flawless completion of a second question-mark level mission!"

"The record for fewest casualties in a question-mark level mission has been broken again!!!"

"Wait, why is only Zong Le coming out? Where's the 1st?"

"He must have returned to the Temple respawn point from severe injuries. Ah, truly befitting the compassionate Temple patriarch."

The deafening roar nearly startled Zong Le, who had just stepped out of the courtroom.

But he quickly recovered, blinking slowly as he stared dumbfounded at the scene before him.

"Quick, chant with me! Zong Le! Zong Le! Zong Le! Zong Le!"

"Zong Le! Zong Le! Zong Le! Zong Le!"

No one knew who started it, but the unified chants quickly swept through the entire crowd.

Every face in sight was filled with rich expressions, glistening tears, trembling lashes, and indescribable hope and gratitude. Happiness, joy, excitement, anticipation, emotion... People's feelings were being conveyed without restraint through words, gestures, and expressions.

Zong Le found himself surrounded by such overwhelming positive emotions for the first time, his eyes widening slightly.

It was hard to put this moment into words, only the uncontrollable upward curve of his lips revealed what he truly felt inside.

Zong Le even felt that the dark sky of Guiyi City, which had been gloomy all year round, looked so good for the first time, and the red blood moon seemed kind and warm.

Something hot welled up in his chest, slowly rising to his heart.

After being released from Taikang Yongle Psychiatric Department, he became a survivor, carried out tasks, logged into the forum for the first time, completed tasks, met survivor friends for the first time, and worked with his companions to complete missions together.

The memories along the way began to flash back... It finally stopped when he accidentally collided with Liu Jianhua on the subway. If he had bumped into someone else, he would probably not have had the opportunity to bind to the main system, let alone meet the survivor's.

At this moment, only one thought remained in Zong Le’s mind.

—It's great to be a survivor and to be able to help everyone.

And so, the black-haired young man raised his hand, responding to the crowd with his brightest smile.

Just then, a sudden commotion erupted at the back of the crowd.

Amid the cheers, it was as abrupt and jarring as a snapped string in the middle of a classical performance, instantly drawing the attention of many.

Several survivors at the rear turned to look.

A group of people dressed in black strode in through the arched gate of the Central Court.

The middle-aged man in the lead was wearing a long sword, and his aura was strong and fierce, which made many people who were blocking the way in front of them retreat, like Moses in the Red Sea, leaving a path for them to pass through.

"Damn, what a lineup, so many S-levels!"

"Isn’t that 2nd Qin Ye at the front? What is he doing here?"

"No idea. And the people behind him, aren’t they all elites from the Watchtower Guild?"

"Whoa, I didn’t even notice at first, but you’re right! Not just that, this whole squad is made up of their core legion members. The ones in front are all S-level, and even the ones at the back are at least A-level. What’s going on? Did they come to celebrate the two big shots clearing the question-mark-level mission too?"

"Uh... doesn’t look like it. They’re practically radiating killing intent, their robes are basically flying. If anything, it seems more like they’re here for revenge."

Whispers spread through the crowd, confusion mounting.

As the top of the three major guilds, the Watchtower's Guild had always relied on their overwhelming strength.

The core legion in the guild is even more famous, and everyone in it is an elite, which can be called the dream team for strength-type survivors.

The selection criteria were brutally strict, requiring at least an A-level just to qualify for evaluation. They represented the pinnacle of combat strength in the Infinite Space. Back then, Zuo Wenxuan had fought tooth and nail to join, only to lose his chance at the last moment because of the guild master’s son.

While the murmurs continued, Qin Ye and his subordinates had already ascended the twenty steps leading to the Central Court's platform.

The moment they halted, the members of the core legion silently expanded their formation without a word, forcibly driving away all the survivors standing there.

The result of military training was efficiency, silence, order, and minimal explanation.

The survivors who were shoved aside were left utterly bewildered.

"What the hell? How domineering, you are actually pushing people?!"

"Exactly! Just because they're strong, they can clear the area like this?! Is there no justice?!"

"Damn, the Watchtower Guild has really thrown all pretense out the window. Who doesn’t know the three major guilds are all vying for the talented newcomer? At least they used to put on an act before, but now they’re openly intercepting him in public, no more pretending, huh?"

"I’m gonna curse you all! When I get back, I’ll flood the forums with ads for the Moon Guild and the Spiritual Guild. I swear I’ll be the stumbling block that stops the talented newcomer from joining the Watchtower Guild!"

But the Infinite Space had always operated on the principle of whoever has the bigger fist is right, so the low-level survivors who were driven down can only complain in a low voice, and no one dares to stand up and confront them openly.

The clearing of the area was swift. By the time Zong Le snapped out of his daze, the nearest front steps were left with only Qin Ye standing there.

The rest of the core legion members had retreated to Qin Ye’s side or behind him, some even drawing their weapons without hesitation, their blades now openly aimed at Zong Le, who remained on the steps above.

"What are you doing...?"

Just as Zong Le was puzzling over the tense atmosphere, Qin Ye spoke.

"Zong Le."

The guild master of the Watchtower Guild, with whom he had crossed paths a few times before, now wore a cold expression, so dark that ink was almost dripping out.

His gaze was sharp, and full of vigilance at this moment: "As a native of Guiyi City, and a NPC from the Ultimate Dungeon, you deliberately disguised yourself here and infiltrate our group. What exactly is your plan?!"

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TL: AHHHH, I never hated a character so much before now. Sorry for the cliffhanger!