Chapter 7: High-Risk Experimental Subject  

“‘Adjudicators’ are all out of contact! What’s going on?”  

“Target lost! But the tracker in Jue’s shackles shows he’s still alive.”  

The officer at the control console went weak in the knees, collapsing into his chair with a face full of cold sweat.  

Chaos reigned in the Ork military headquarters.  

They couldn’t make sense of the situation—Lyon’s Suicide Squad had lost all contact, Joson’s medical division was unreachable, and the remaining military members exchanged bewildered glances.  

Until the dust settled.  

The encirclement had long lost its original purpose. Those still alive followed orders and converged on the signal’s location.  

To their horror, everyone realized that what covered the entire Ork Square wasn’t the usual dust and haze surrounding the capital—it was the pulverized remains of their weapons, the “Adjudicators”!  

The shattered Mental Power of a thousand Adjudicators still lingered on the ground, radiating a chilling aura of slaughter. Centered on the square, not a single active-duty officer could take a single step forward.  

This was the Empire’s most dangerous weapon of mass destruction. Even in pieces, no one could handle it.  

Troops poured in from all directions, halting at the square’s perimeter.  

Everyone saw the figure at the center.  

Though not everyone fully grasped the situation, they had all heard the soldier’s transmission from the prison fortress over the radio.  

That was Adjudicator No. 11.  

Adjudicator No. 11 was alive, while the High-Risk Experimental Subject had vanished without a trace.  

“Do we…” A soldier shuddered, having witnessed the annihilation of Lyon’s Suicide Squad. “Do we really have Adjudicators this powerful?”  

The blizzard raged on.  

Amid the pitch-black surroundings, Jing Rong held Jue in his arms, sitting quietly on a set of steps, waiting for 626 to finish the surgery.  

626 had erected an invisible barrier, swiftly stitching Jue’s wounds. To the naked eye, the major injuries were being rapidly repaired, blood replenished into circulation.  

626 said, “My medical functions aren’t restricted, but the worst damage is to his Mental Power. The ‘Adjudicator’ nearly shattered his entire Spirit Body.”  

Jing Rong understood the gravity of the situation and replied without hesitation, “Tell me what to do.”  

“Fortunately, the fragments aren’t scattered far. There’s a reagent container for Spirit Body samples in his embrace. Open it and walk around the square to collect them. Even if impurities get mixed in, I can purify them later.”  

Jing Rong glanced down but couldn’t find the container 626 mentioned—only a flash of silver light across Jue’s pale neck.  

He reached out and discovered a crude pendant made from a container, its cord stuck to Jue’s skin with dried blood, clinging beneath his cloak.  

Without hesitation, Jing Rong severed the pendant at its connection point, then carefully adjusted Jue’s disheveled collar.  

Before 626 could stop him, Jing Rong used his thumb to pop open the container’s seal.  

A dark blue crystal dissolved into the back of his hand.  

Jing Rong stared at it. “What is this?”  

626 sighed. “Dude, next time don’t move so fast… Whatever, it’s fine. I think this is the sample the High-Risk Experimental Subject took from the prison. But now it’s fused with you.”  

Jing Rong asked, “What’s inside? Can he get it back?”

626 said, “This is a very small Spirit Shard. After merging with you, it’s like you’re holding onto it for him. It can still be separated later.”  

Jing Rong understood. “Got it.”  

He took off his own coat and draped it over Jue, then picked him up and walked toward the nearest military unit.  

The leader of the unit was a lieutenant. By the time Jing Rong approached, the soldiers had already formed orderly ranks, awaiting orders from the Adjudicator before them.  

Jing Rong recalled the speaking order from that day in the conference room and called out his name: “Lieutenant Dai Wei’er.”  

“Present, Adjudicator!” The lieutenant immediately saluted, clearly proud that one of their own was a capable Adjudicator. “We’ve lost contact with His Highness Prince Rhines. Now that you’ve captured the High-Risk Experimental Subject, we’ve decided to follow your lead!”  

Jing Rong’s expression remained indifferent. “You don’t need me for your operations, but I have a command for you—to be carried out in my personal capacity.”  

The lieutenant looked puzzled. “Wh-what is it?”  

Jing Rong rummaged for a moment before pulling out a crumpled royal decree from his coat pocket and handing it over. “I need a clean residence. Have your men escort Mr. Experimental Subject there.”  

After a brief pause, Jing Rong added nothing else, simply stating, “The room must have smoke. I’ll be there soon.”  

The lieutenant’s hands trembled as he unfolded the royal decree. The first line read:  

“My dear son, our nation faces a thorny problem…”  

Before he could finish reading, the lieutenant immediately realized the identity of the man before him.  

He snapped to attention and saluted, then turned and roared at the soldiers behind him, “All personnel, assemble immediately!”  

A stretcher was quickly brought over.  

Jing Rong placed Jue onto it and instructed, “No one is to touch him—not even the medics.”  

His words were calm, devoid of any threat, but everyone who saw the black ashes scattered across the square shuddered in silence.  

The soldiers moved swiftly, forming an efficient escort team.  

626, acting as a doctor, blended into the group. Before leaving, he simply waved and said, “I’ll keep an eye on him. Good luck with your search.”  

Jing Rong gave a brief nod to the air.  

The other troops remained standing in place. Jing Rong glanced at them, knowing they wouldn’t move without his orders, so he waved dismissively. “There’s nothing else. Stand down.”  

Everyone exchanged bewildered looks.  

That’s it… stand down?  

They had mobilized countless personnel, summoned all Adjudicators, and deployed the most advanced and dangerous weapons—only for one man to resolve it all… effortlessly?  

The whole situation was bizarre in every way, making it too unsettling to dwell on.  

“This is way too fragmented.”  

Jing Rong crouched on the ground, picking up shards with one hand while holding a cigarette in the other.  

The fragments varied in color, hidden among the black “Adjudicator” powder, making them incredibly hard to spot.  

A medical team in hazmat suits approached. The leader called out softly, “Your Highness. Is there anything we can assist with?”  

Jing Rong recognized Joson’s voice. He looked up and met Joson’s gaze, brimming with emotion.  

Jing Rong replied, “No. Don’t interfere.”

Joson took a step forward. “We’re wearing protective suits, and you must be exhausted from the battle. Let us help—”

Before he could finish, his words turned into a bloodcurdling scream.

A silver Executor’s staff instantly embedded itself at his feet, the shockwave sending Joson flying backward.

Jing Rong’s voice was calm. “I told you not to move.”

Joson rolled several times on the ground before coming to a stop, unable to get up for quite some time.

Overwhelming terror seized Joson’s heart.

Accustomed to being the center of attention since childhood, he had never imagined someone would treat him this way—completely indifferent to his status.

Only now did he finally understand the look in Jing Rong’s eyes.

Beneath that composed, gentle, and elegant demeanor lay a frozen abyss.

A silent warning from its depths.

Cross the line, and you die.

*

Jing Rong searched from noon until late at night, finally gathering all of Jue’s scattered Spirit Shards.

Once pieced together, the tiny fragments formed delicate crystalline patterns inside the specimen jar, resembling an intricate wildflower.

The moment Jing Rong returned home, 626 greeted him with mockery. “Damn, someone’s pissed.”

Jing Rong: “.”

626 nodded sympathetically. “If I were sorting through terabytes of data and someone kicked over the database, I’d lose it too. Though I’ve heard some humans enjoy sorting—picking seeds out of strawberries and extracting oil from them.”

Jing Rong ignored the tangent about bizarre human behavior and handed over the specimen jar. “Take a look.”

626 said, “I’ll run the analysis now. Give me a moment. You should rest in the meantime.”

Jing Rong nodded and lay down on a nearby couch.

Only now did he have time to properly examine the place the lieutenant had arranged for him.

It was small—just a cramped living area and a bedroom. The dim yellow light flickered as the ventilation fan whirred noisily.

Jue lay motionless on the room’s only bed. Despite its unassuming appearance, this was the most secure stronghold available.

On the table was an enthusiastic note from the lieutenant: “Adjudicator No. 11 personally apprehended and is guarding a High-Risk Experimental Subject. We are deeply impressed. The Guards have provided our sturdiest outpost for your use.”

Jing Rong didn’t need to guess—the military had misunderstood his intentions. But he saw no reason to correct them.

He was perfectly satisfied with the accommodations.

Lighting a cigarette, Jing Rong took one drag before glancing at the figure on the bed. He stubbed it out and dragged the couch into the bedroom.

626 had already completed most of the treatment. A faint flush had returned to Jue’s pallid face.

Jing Rong’s ability to recognize human faces was worse than a cabbage’s. Based purely on proportional estimates, he concluded that—aside from possessing two of the most aesthetically pleasing colors—Jue likely had what humans would consider an exceptionally handsome and beautiful face.

That face now looked serene and pale.

The exhaust fan hummed, muffling the howling wind and snow outside.

626 hadn’t returned yet. Piecing together Mental Power was probably just as tedious as collecting its fragments.

Jing Rong waited, then tilted his head against the couch and fell asleep.

In that moment, a new worldline was born.

Author’s Note:

When assigning complex, high-stakes combat missions to the Executor:

Executor: *emotionally stable*

When the task was to remove the seeds from a hundred strawberries.

Executor: FML