| WRIAWW | Psychiatric Medical Records | 95
Thinking of Joshua was natural.
Given his reputation across the Infinite Space and his saintly public persona, it was as simple as breathing. The first wave of survivors who entered the Central Court unanimously thought of him after their failure, with the Temple Army being the most fervent supporters.
They saw this as the perfect opportunity to thoroughly implement their master's identity as the savior and severely slap the faces of those who opposed and scorned him.
"Given the current situation, I’m afraid that only your intervention can truly resolve this. Unfortunately, during our first attempt, none of us made it inside the Courtroom, so we don't know if it is really as fair just as that voice said.”
"Yeah, since this is a solo mission, there’s no need to rush. We should wait for more survivors to attempt it and gather more intel before making a decision."
Faced with the collective plea from several top-ten S-level survivors, Joshua smiled.
No matter what he truly thought, he smoothly offered reassurance: "I've roughly understood the situation. You've just returned from a question-mark level mission after ten hours, your minds must be utterly exhausted. I've already instructed the logistics priests to prepare baths. If you're too tired, you may stay overnight in the temple, there are plenty of guest rooms available."
Seeing that the mission details had been delivered, the survivors in the reception hall finally relaxed, they began taking their leave one after another. As Joshua had said, prolonged missions easily drained mental energy.
Their exhaustion was evident, leaving no room for further pleasantries as they followed the priests' guidance to leave.
The only one remaining was Qin Ye, who had stayed silent throughout, motionless in his chair.
"Guild Master Qin, why are you still here? Are you not tired enough?"
The slightly sarcastic remark received no response.
Only when the room had emptied, with just priests waiting by the door, did Qin Ye finally look up and speak slowly.
"Joshua, I don't recommend you go."
He cut straight to the point: "Those steps that question your heart may seem harsh, but they truly test the firmness of one's convictions. With enough resolve, one could disregard the steps' rules and ascend."
Qin Ye himself had progressed furthest among the survivors, nearly reaching the two-hundredth step. But then came an exceptionally tricky question, asking if he could send his own child to death. A moment's hesitation became his undoing.
Because he had no way to face this question calmly, he had no way to go up any further.
Yet through this, Qin Ye grasped the steps' true essence. It's not whether you can, but whether you are firm enough. The Central Court's weird domain cannot detect what people have not done, but it can detect whether people are lying.
This was precisely why Qin Ye believed Joshua would inevitably fail this ?-level mission.
"I don't agree with you going, not because I think you can't pass the steps. On the contrary, I believe they'd pose no challenge to you, you might ascend easily."
Others don't know Joshua well and are deceived by his saintly facade. But Qin Ye was different, he understood what lay beneath that meticulously crafted mask of elegance, was a heart indifferent to the world.
He knew Joshua wouldn't be troubled by the steps' seemingly cruel questions.
Ordinary people, with normal emotions, couldn't remain unmoved by such questions. Joshua was the exception, not a flicker of emotion could impact his heart.
"What truly concerns me is that courtroom which what comes after the steps."
Qin Ye's face showed a little fear when he said this: "There is no doubt that the head of the Central Court is the judge. We know through various channels that this judge is selfless and merciless. As for the scale... Si Yuyan happened to interpret some key information from the archives of Taikang Yongle Hospital, including the fact that you cannot lie in front of the scale. Since the rules demand only a true saint can qualify."
Hearing this, Joshua's smile gradually faded.
He said nonchalantly, "It seems Guild Master Qin is still concerned about my identity. Well, that's understandable. After all, I'm just a failed experiment, and what those researchers call a 'false saint.' Naturally, I can't shoulder the so-called responsibility of saving the world."
"Please don't demean yourself, that was never my intention," Qin Ye hastily explained, visibly startled.
"I'm only concerned for your safety. If the rules of the weird domain prove too harsh, the consequences would be unthinkable! Moreover, the archives indicate that once the Central Court activates its scales, the holy flames will punish the guilty. Even you will find it difficult to remain unscathed..."
"Have you forgotten about my immortality? Why would I be afraid of the so-called holy flame?"
Joshua's words cut like a silver blade, slicing through his false pretenses to reveal the bloody truth beneath. "Surely you remember, that obtaining this ability was the whole reason you rushed to attack the Temple when we first entered the Infinite Space, right? And what about the bomb in my heart that was implanted to force me to save you all? Why are you hesitating now?"
Qin Ye's face flashed with shame, embarrassment, and discomfort... but ultimately, he closed his eyes. "This is the higher-ups' order, and it is also for the collective interests of all mankind. I have no way to override the will of the higher ups."
Joshua sneered, "Even if you have the ability to shake their will, you will make the same decision for the so-called 'righteousness' and to preserve the interests of the majority. Qin Ye, you are this kind of person, why do you have to be hypocritical here? "
"Besides, this isn't about whether I want to go, I have no choice."
The desperate longing of all survivors to return to the real world, and the shackles of saving them are still tied to Joshua. How could he refuse?
Moreover, while this ?-level mission wasn't fatal, the final result would be that all survivors would hope for Joshua to go to the central court to win that sliver of hope.
Clearly, Qin Ye had reached the same realization. He slumped in his seat, looking utterly defeated.
"The Central Court's standards are impossibly strict. I doubt any survivor could meet them."
These were no saints, every S-level team member had blood on their hands. The longer one survived the Infinite Space's high-pressure environment, the more it warped them. Only newcomers might retain enough idealism and innocence to climb a few steps further.
"This mission... we must prepare for the worst outcome."
"Not necessarily." As he spoke, a figure appeared in Joshua's mind.
If the Central Court wanted a pure and innocent person, someone fit that description perfectly.
Unfortunately, the Central Court's truth-revealing rules would expose Zong Le's identity, which was something the silver-haired patriarch couldn't allow before achieving his goals.
The silver-haired patriarch said meaningfully, "But Guild Master Qin is wrong about one thing, I couldn't care less whether this mission succeeds, whether humanity is saved, or whether you all can return to the real world."
Which was why he'd never share his exclusive treasure for the sake for some collective survivor goal. Zong Le was better off remaining ignorant, and given his nature, who knew what trouble might arise?
However, through these rounds of testing, it became clear that Zong Le didn't have the habit of frequently browsing the survivors' Forum. He remained unaware of many trending posts, which was actually quite a beneficial habit.
As long as they could make it through these seven days, everything would return to normal.
Indeed, everything unfolded just as Joshua's had anticipated.
After the first batch of survivors returned and publicly shared information about this ?-level mission, the forum was flooded with increasing demands for him to take on the mission.
[Perfect! This mission seems tailor-made for the 1st!]
[Absolutely! I'd call it the easiest question mark-level mission in history. The 1st could breeze through it with minimal effort.]
[Hahahaha, looks like it's god's will, we will be returning to the real world soon!]
[Another day being carried by the big shots, hehe]
Usually the Temple Army or other subordinates could be relied on to steer forums discussions, but this time the situation had completely spiraled beyond control.
Joshua's reputation was already at its peak, and now, coinciding with this mission, every string discussing the new ?-level mission inevitably circled back to him.
Qin Ye's worst fear had come true.
In this scenario, even if Joshua wasn't bound by restrictions, he’d still be thrust into the spotlight with no way out.
Inside the small meeting room of the Watchtower Guild, Qin Ye frowned deeply.
Before him, the forum was flooded with celebratory cheers from survivors. The overwhelming public sentiment had all but sealed the matter.
"Guild Master."
Just as he was lost in thought, An Tao knocked on the door, carrying a freshly brewed cup of tea.
Seeing Qin Ye still seated in the same position as two hours prior, she couldn't help but suggest, "The archive sorting task you assigned to Si Yuyan and the logistics team is almost done likely within the next day or two. Maybe you should check on them? Sitting for too long isn’t good for your health."
This time, Qin Ye finally took her advice and stood up. "Alright."
There were too many variables at play, and racking his brain alone wouldn’t solve anything. It was better to consult the guild’s strategists.
The logistics department was brightly lit.
To extract useful information from the archives Qin Ye had brought back, the team had been working overtime for half a month, their workload no lighter than that of the active survivors.
When Qin Ye entered, everyone was buried in mountains of documents, too busy for small talk.
Not wanting to disturb them, he quietly picked up a stack of already sorted files labeled "Completed" and began flipping through them.
Taikang Yongle Hospital had one redeeming quality, while it lacked medical ethics, and often letting patients die through negligence and extorting money, its record-keeping was meticulous. Every case file clearly documented organ removals and their destinations, making their investigation easier.
After several pages, Qin Ye found nothing noteworthy, though the NPCs’ unscrupulous actions in the final dungeon continued to shock him. Just as he was about to close the file, he froze upon seeing a patient’s ID photo.
Something suddenly flashed through his mind, but it was blocked by some kind of barrier, as if veiled by fog.
At that moment, Si Yuyan suddenly looked up from her documents.
She shot to her feet, clutching a medical record, her voice trembling with excitement and urgency: "Oh my god, Guild Master! You need to see this!"
Qin Ye's thoughts were interrupted by her voice. He didn't have time to think about it, so he put the medical record in his hand back and hurried to Si Yuyan's desk.
TL: Wow~ I've reached so far in the chapters and I still don't like Qin Ye lol
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