Chapter 52: Sudden peace?

He asked a question that many people had asked her before. All her life, people had expected her to be like her sisters: go into the family business or join her mother’s music school.

When she chose to apply to a police university, everyone had been shocked.

Her mother had almost forced her to quit after Lin Tian’s attack.

She gave Weijun the same answer that she gave everyone else. “Because I am good at it.”

“It doesn’t mean you must do it.” Weijun told her. “Take a look at the murderer in this courtroom. He has a system that requires him to instill fear in people. It started out small and escalated to murder.

He will probably blame the system and say that it gave him no choice. But, in reality, just because you have a system does not mean you should use it.

The Bureau understand this more than me. You understand this more than me.”

Liwu nodded. “Valid points, but the difference between me and Lin Tian is that I am putting scum away and keeping people safe. I am good at it and enjoy doing it. If I went into any other profession, my bad luck would not allowed me to succeed. Imagine me playing a violin on stage in an auditorium and the roof caves in!”

The judges returned, robes brighter than before and the courtroom was silenced.

The lead judge leaned forward and said, “We have reached a verdict.”

Lin Tian, still grinning, shouted, “You can’t convict me. Systems are meant to test the boundaries of humanity. I just wanted to help them conquer fear. If we eliminate it, imagine what humanity could accomplish. Besides, I gave them a choice. I said you could lose your lives and they laughed and accepted the challenge. They all signed waivers.”

The lead judge spoke: System host Lin Tian, you are guilty of reckless and illegal invention. You are found guilty of six counts of murder. Your system will be revoked, your devices will be dismantled and you will be sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.”

“Yes!” Liwu screamed.

Lin Tian sneered. “You can’t dismantle my devices and you can’t take my system.”

Another judge said to him, “We can and we will.”

The courtroom floor opened, swallowing five devices into a pit of fire. As sparks flew, Lin Tian seemed to lose his grin and luster. The floor closed slowly and Lin Tian vanished in a bolt of light.

The Judges vanished in similar light and so did the crowd in the courtroom, including Liwu and Weijun. Within a heartbeat, they were back where they had been, in the back of the car.

The only difference now was that the car doors were open and Weijun’s men were frantically pacing.

Mo Xia was the first to notice them and she threw herself in the driver’s seat before turning to look at them. “Were did you two vanish to? How could you leave without informing us?”

Weijun replied eagerly. “We were in system court.” He could not wait to tell them that the Bureau could revoke people’s systems. What kind of system was that and who was the host that had it?

More people squeezed into the car, stuffing it full to the point that it was hard for Liwu to breathe. She felt like a sausage crushed between two buns. Her husband was on one side and three people on the other.

She was crushed against her husband’s chest, her cheek flattened against the hard muscles. With every breath she took, she swallowed the scent of his cologne.

For a few seconds, all she could hear was the steady beating of his heart.

The people around them continued to shout questions like disorderly reporters facing a celebrity couple at the airport after they were caught returning from a secret vacation.

“I can’t breathe.” Liwu squeaked.

She slapped Weijun’s arm.

He raised his voice. “Everyone, out. Unless you want me to start hitting you all with bricks.”

This was not a threat, but a promise. One by one, they stepped out and finally, Liwu could breathe easier.

Weijun pushed her away from his chest slowly, “Are you okay?” he asked, in a concerned voice.

Liwu nodded, brushing her clothes like dust had been dumped on them. “It is late, I have not yet had dinner. We should go our separate ways now. I will….”

Weijun looked out of the window and called the driver. “Drive us to the nearest nice restaurant or stall.”

“In flame district?” Cross asked curiously.

Weijun shook his head. “In this district.”

The driver got behind the wheel and drove them to a new restaurant that had been opened that very morning. It was on the edge of the shoreline. His sister and her husband were the owners.

His sister was a good cook, so he figured the boss and his wife would ignore the short longevity of the restaurant as long as the food was good.

Liwu was surprised to see an operational restaurant close to an old beach. “Wow, people are moving fast.”

Weijun knew that better than her. City hall had been processing permits and filtering through applications of people that wanted to do business in the sea or near it.

The restaurant had no walls for now, just wooden stands, tables and chairs. Behind one of the partitions was a kitchen which had only grills for the moment.

A salty breeze drifted through the air, mingling with the sound of waves and laughter of guests that were overflowing. Lanterns danced gently in the wind, casting their glowing amber light across the wooden tables.

“Lanterns.” Weijun muttered before shuddering. He almost hated lanterns as much as Liwu hated rugs.

They sat down at one of the tables close the beach-close enough for their shoes to touch the sand.

An eager young girl who was in her teens rushed over with a note pad. “Hello, welcome to Coconut Ocean, we just opened today. We don’t have a menu yet or options, just grilled snapper with citrus glaze, my mom’s signature coconut shrimp served in a bamboo basket and fruit cocktails.”

Liwu looked around. At every table, there were glasses with cocktails, crowned with tiny paper umbrellas.

“Give us everything and two cocktails.” Weijun ordered. “Oh, and some water.”

The girl bounced away, smiling like he had ordered for food worth a million.

At another table, Weijun’s men huddled close, whispering about the state of confusion they suddenly found themselves in. Just before the couple vanished, they had been fighting.

Now, they were back from a mysterious place and eating dinner at the same table!!

“This is so wrong.” Hale whispered.

Mo Xia stretched her neck, widening her eyes like her view was being obstructed by their small size. “Everything is wrong.” she muttered.

“Maybe she is going to poison him.” Reed whispered. “We should tell the waitress not to give them anything that could be used as a weapon.”

“Her bad luck is a natural weapon.” Cross whispered. “Hopefully, we will not be buried in this wooden shack tonight.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep