Chapter 1 A Sunny Morning

The morning sun was bright.

Gu Shen sat up, stretched languidly, and rubbed his eyes.

"Meow~~"

A certain orange cat was unusually well-behaved, lying obediently on the balcony, whimpering softly as if begging for help.

Gu Shen rubbed his eyes again, making sure he wasn't mistaken.

To be precise, the orange cat was lying in the arms of the trench-coated woman on the balcony... At this moment, it was licking its fur every now and then, obviously restless, but dared not leave without permission due to the pressure exuded by the advanced being.

Gu Shen was so scared that he grabbed the quilt. "Big Brother, how did you get in here?"

Nan Jin lay comfortably on the sled rocking chair. On the transparent surface of the small round tea table were delicate toast, fried eggs, and coffee. She was holding a stack of newspapers, basking in the warm and gentle sunshine and breeze.

The trench-coated woman calmly asked, her tone as natural as could be, "I paid the rent for this house. Why can't I come in?"

"..."

Gu Shen was speechless for a moment.

"Where did you go last night?" Nan Jin took a sip of coffee and suddenly asked.

Gu Shen scratched his head. "I went out to buy something, and then... fell asleep. I've been too tired these past few days."

He asked himself, and this was the honest truth.

He had indeed been too tired these past few days.

Last night, after the operation, Gu Shen returned to the apartment in the early hours of the morning. Perhaps it was because he had used the Ruler of Truth again that he was physically and mentally exhausted.

This answer was perfect. Chu Ling had already erased his entry and exit records from the apartment.

"Mm..." Sure enough, Nan Jin was just asking casually. She suddenly asked, "Good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?"

Gu Shen breathed a sigh of relief. "Then... how about the good news first?"

"There's been a breakthrough in the fire investigation." Nan Jin closed the newspaper and looked back at the young man. "Someone tried to destroy the evidence last night and was caught by us."

"Oh, oh, oh..." Gu Shen looked sleepy and asked, puzzled, "Who do you mean by 'us'?"

"Because of you, Teacher specially transferred two powerful fighters from other cities in Qinghe District."

Gu Shen felt his scalp tingle.

Even Nan Jin called them powerful fighters... How terrifying would they be? One had chased after him last night.

There was another one that he probably didn't even meet before leaving.

Seeing Gu Shen's reaction, Nan Jin was very satisfied. She said calmly, "You can also call them... Senior Brother and Senior Sister."

Gu Shen was a little confused.

"The audit date for the Tribunal has been set, in fifteen days." Nan Jin said as if it were a trivial matter, "These two Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters are here to give you special training."

"Wait, wait, wait..."

"Special training? What the hell?!"

This was completely beyond Gu Shen's expectations. He forced a smile. "Big Brother, Big Brother! Have you forgotten? You told me before that the audit wasn't important? Wasn't it this that Old Man Shu valued in me?"

"This really isn't Teacher's intention—"

Nan Jin said helplessly, "I don't know why, but Teacher has high hopes for you and is extremely confident. He seems to think that you don't need to do anything, and you will surprise the entire Tribunal."

Gu Shen thought silently.

In a sense, that was true...

If he did nothing, he might become the newcomer with the worst audit results in history, without exception.

At that time, wouldn't everyone be more than just surprised?

"Teacher's original intention was just to have the two Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters help investigate the fire, but unexpectedly, after they read the files, they couldn't wait to meet you, this extraordinarily gifted newcomer." Nan Jin shrugged. "They were all monsters who got A-level ratings in their audits back then. It's very reasonable that they want to see how perverted you, the newcomer who alarmed the 'Special Pardon,' are, right?"

"Very reasonable..."

Gu Shen's voice suddenly weakened.

He could probably guess why Nan Jin's attitude towards the "audit" had changed overnight.

It was not difficult to see that Mr. Shu's lineage had a very high status in the Tribunal.

Otherwise, it would not have been possible for a bigwig in the Council to issue a Special Pardon.

However, precisely because of the "Special Pardon," everyone in this lineage was forced to endure great pressure... If he guessed correctly, Mr. Shu had not appeared since bailing him out because the disputes within the Tribunal over the "Special Pardon" needed him to resolve personally.

He didn't know what had happened—

The controversy over that Special Pardon eventually came down to the "audit" of his extraordinary abilities... If his audit results were excellent enough, then the precedent of using a Special Pardon to preserve talent could be legitimately opened.

In other words.

If he got an S-level, everyone would shut up.

……

……

"The bad news is that the Tribunal held a high-level meeting last night regarding the Special Pardon." Nan Jin said seriously, "Representatives from major districts in the Eastern Continent all condemned Teacher, and some even impeached him."

"Impeachment?" Gu Shen was surprised. "Is it that serious?"

"Actually, impeachment isn't a big deal. Because of Teacher's style, there's impeachment every year." Nan Jin rubbed her forehead and said, "But this time, the situation may be more serious, because it involves the high levels of the Council. Some old guys in the Tribunal are exerting all their strength, taking advantage of the 'Special Pardon' to cause trouble... The result of this meeting may not be good for you."

Gu Shen's heart thumped.

He had a bad feeling... The result of this meeting was no longer just a matter of pressure.

Perhaps it was even worse than he had originally anticipated!

"The heads of the major districts of the Tribunal unanimously believe that the Special Pardon was inappropriate to use on you." Nan Jin said with a wry smile, "Unless, in the upcoming audit, you can prove that your potential is strong enough... Otherwise, the Special Pardon will be revoked."

As expected.

Chu Ling's previous prediction was completely correct.

The protection of that Special Pardon was only temporary... His survival was the result of the will of a powerful figure. At the slightest disturbance, he could turn from a "lucky one" to a "jinx" at any time.

Gu Shen stroked his chin and muttered, "If the Special Pardon is gone, I may face the accusations of the prison again..."

After such a commotion with the Special Pardon,

That Chief Judge probably wouldn't bring him under the jurisdiction of the prison.

According to the laws of the Eastern Continent, he would most likely face 24-hour strict supervision and monitoring, or even imprisonment.

"Unless..." Gu Shen thought of a solution.

"Unless the fire is completely investigated."

Nan Jin spoke for him, "The prison's accusation of loss of control needs to be based on the premise of 'intentional homicide.' A thorough investigation of the fire is enough to prove that you acted in self-defense."

"Phew, that's right..."

Gu Shen sorted out his thoughts. He let out a long, turbid breath and asked, puzzled, "Didn't you catch the culprit last night? The fire should be solved soon..."

"This case is more complicated than we thought."

Nan Jin shook her head.

She stood up, and the orange cat in her arms took the opportunity to run away in a puff of smoke.

"Gu Shen, you probably don't have much time to rest... Let's go take a look at the situation in person."