Sun Yong shook his head. “No.”

The lawyer seated at the defense table kept winking at him, trying to signal him to say something that might earn leniency, but Sun Yong never even looked his way.

What he did was wrong. He had no wish to excuse his crime. He was ready to accept the judgment of the law.

Seeing the defendant had nothing more to add, the judge prepared to announce the verdict.

Just then, a voice came from the audience. “Your Honor, I’d like to say a few words for my soldier...”

Wrench, who hadn’t planned to speak, couldn’t hold himself back any longer, but the moment he rose, a stern rebuke rang out nearby.

“Commander of the First Army, mind where you’re standing. This is the New Alliance’s courtroom, not your barracks! No one except the defendant’s attorney is permitted to speak for him.”

Wrench turned to the source of the voice. It was Charlie, who was also seated among the audience.

Faced with Wrench’s look of surprise and confusion, Charlie simply met his eyes calmly, not even frowning.

Others might be too intimidated by Wrench’s position to speak up, but Charlie was not.

“Damn it, bah! That’s not what I meant! I’m standing here as a citizen... I’m a New Alliance citizen too! Why can’t I express an opinion?!”

Bellowing in his rough voice, Wrench argued like a stubborn ox, but Charlie replied expressionlessly. “You’re a citizen of the New Alliance, and so am I. My position is right here, and no one is above the authority of the law.”

While Wrench scratched his head in frustration, unable to outargue the old man, the young soldier in the defendant’s dock suddenly spoke. “Commander, I already understand my mistake. I betrayed the trust of the administrator and of everyone else... I should face the punishment of the law. Please don’t plead for me.”

Removing his gaze from Wrench’s stunned face, Charlie looked at the young man and nodded approvingly.

The boy was sensible.

He had gone astray, but if he reformed himself inside, one day he could still become a pillar of the community.

A murmur spread through the courtroom.

Then another voice, one that made Charlie frown, rose from the crowd. “Please wait, Your Honor. I’m one of the parties involved... I may not hold any title, but I believe I’m qualified to say a few words!”

A well-dressed middle-aged man stood from the packed gallery and stepped into the aisle.

Seeing that the guards didn’t stop him, he smiled faintly and continued, “To be honest, that night really scared me, especially when I saw the warehouse on fire. In the flames, I seemed to glimpse your bravery on the battlefield.”

Blushing with embarrassment, Sun Yong said softly, “I’m sorry...”

“No, in fact, the one who should apologize... is me.”

Wangtu sighed, then turned to address the audience.

“I’m Wangtu, the director of Tujia Press. I failed your trust. I didn’t properly inspect the newspapers shipped from our warehouse, and some questionable materials slipped through. Because of that, the city was left without newspapers today, and all of you had nothing better to do than come here... Thinking back, that was a major safety hazard.”

“With just a few dozen silver coins, someone could have circulated three pages full of lies across every newsstand in the city. Thankfully, it was only paper, and not a bomb or something worse.” He paused as the crowd whispered among themselves, then went on. “I reflected the whole night. Over the past year, I’d been obsessed with improving productivity, raising efficiency, cutting costs, and earning more money... all while neglecting the most crucial thing, that my factory isn’t just a machine. It’s part of society. Its duty isn’t only to produce, but to shoulder its social responsibility.”

“I’m grateful to you for making me realize this. Before something worse happened, this lesson wasn’t such a bad bargain. And since the insurance already covered my losses, I’ve decided to add an extra inspection stage in our shipping process to ensure this never happens again.”

“Also, I don’t think this is just my problem. I only run a factory, I can double-check every order, but you can’t expect me to verify whether every order’s content is true or false. At the very least, we should have a media-rating institution to give higher credibility to honest reporting! If no representative proposes it, I will. And if I’m elected, this will be my first bill!”

Applause erupted from the audience.

Wangtu smiled and nodded at his supporters before turning to the judge.

“Your Honor, I understand that public-prosecution cases can’t be settled privately, but perhaps you can show leniency, seeing that we all share responsibility and have recognized our faults. After all, no one was hurt in the fire, all that burned was some paper.”

“I don’t think I’m alone in this view. If my oversight ends up robbing a young man, one who should be serving a greater cause of his youth, while I bear no consequence... that guilt will haunt me for life.”

The applause grew louder.

His words had clearly moved many people, even some of the business owners who had favored a harsh sentence softened their stance.

Harsh punishment alone solved nothing. They weren’t in the Middle Ages, no one needed gallows to deter crime. And in the wasteland, who was really afraid of death anyway?

Without improving the system, the same issues would just happen again and again, and the hidden tensions beneath society would only sharpen. What happened was merely the beginning.

“Well said!” Wrench clapped vigorously, his palms turning red.

This guy could talk circles around him, what a talent!

Charlie didn’t applaud, nor did his expression change, but as he glanced at the factory owner, a hint of surprise crossed his face.

He didn’t know whether the man was being opportunistic, but with just a few words he had managed to win the sympathy of soldiers, civilians, and business owners alike, without offending anyone.

“Order! Order!” The judge struck the gavel twice. Once the noise subsided, he looked down at Wangtu and said,

“According to the law, I shouldn’t accept your proposal.”

Wangtu’s face showed regret.

True enough, he could only plead, not decide.

But then the judge paused and went on. “However, I must admit that there are several details in this case that our current laws don’t yet address.”

He looked out at the crowded gallery before he spoke again. “If I’m not mistaken, legislation is the responsibility of the council. Some of you here should be representatives, I’d like to hear your opinions.”

No sooner had he spoken than the room burst into chatter.

Some shouted that he shouldn’t be guilty, others mentioned reducing his sentence. Others still called for community service. The uproar made the courtroom sound more like a marketplace than a trial.

Especially Wrench, his booming voice drowned out nearly everyone else, his face flushed with excitement.

Charlie rubbed his temples, exasperated, but said nothing. After all, the New Alliance’s law did grant judges a degree of discretion, and if a judge invited public discussion, it wasn’t technically improper.

In theory, a judge shouldn’t be swayed by public opinion, but in practice? It was impossible.

The New Alliance’s laws were written by the Council, and representatives came from the citizens themselves. The laws were, in essence, an expression of the public will.

Looking at the noisy crowd, the judge had to strike the gavel again and raised his voice. “He’s guilty!”

“However, I agree that the defendant’s sentence should be mitigated, considering the victim’s forgiveness, the absence of casualties, and the defendant’s sincere remorse.”

Cheers broke out from the audience.

Sun Yong stood there in shock, his face full of disbelief.

When his eyes met Wangtu’s warm smile, guilt welled up in his chest, and he bowed his head in shame.

At that moment, the remorse in his heart ran deeper than anything he had felt since that night.

If the man had been arrogant, or scolded him, or even thrown something at him, perhaps he would have felt better.

But the truth was, they were the same. Both wished to see the New Alliance grow greater and better. His self-righteous sense of justice had not punished any villain, it had only wounded a fellow comrade.

Amid the cheers, Wrench raised his eyebrows at Charlie, but the old man just sighed, at a loss for words. He shook his head and turned to leave the courtroom.

He had expected Wrench to come, ready to play the bad cop if necessary to defend the dignity of the law, but he hadn’t foreseen a wildcard like that.

For such an outcome, he had nothing to say.

After leaving the court, Charlie reported the proceedings to Chu Guang via his VM, and hesitated before adding, “I’m not sure if this was the right thing.”

Seeing the old man’s troubled expression, Chu Guang, who had just concluded successful talks with the corporations, smiled in good spirits. “It’s not a matter of right or wrong. It was simply their choice.” 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Mistaking the meaning behind that smile, Old Charlie asked hesitantly, “Should I take that to mean... you’re satisfied with the result?”

Chu Guang smiled. “Not satisfied, exactly, but pleased, yes. And not because of the verdict itself. Do you remember the very first rules on this land? The clauses I wrote? They were only three lines long. There should be no killing, no robbery, and no theft.”

Charlie nodded. “Of course. It wasn’t even that long ago.”

Chu Guang continued casually, “Right, not long ago at all, and yet those clauses have since filled a whole book. People are now proposing solutions to our problems, taking on more social responsibility of their own accord. I agree with the factory owner. This wasn’t a loss. With just one small fire, we’ve traded for social progress, and prevented greater trouble in the future.”

“I’m glad they’ve realized so quickly that only the self-disciplined can truly be free.”

He knew well that he was no all-knowing ruler. Yet too many survivors in the New Alliance still projected unrealistic hopes onto him. Fortunately, he understood himself clearly. He was just an ordinary man.

He had always been guiding the citizens of the New Alliance to solve problems on their own.

Whether through electing representatives from every profession and social class, or letting players propose bills on the forums, these were all steps he had been encouraging.

Even if some proposals were immature, so what? He didn’t have all the answers either.

Someone proposes, someone improves, it’s how things get better, bit by bit.

Charlie gave a weary smile. “Maybe my mindset just hasn’t caught up yet... Perhaps it’s time I retired.”

Looking at the self-mocking old man on the screen, Chu Guang smiled. “There’s no need to force yourself to change. Conservative voices are just as essential.”