“Hey, officer, what exactly happened? I’m totally confused. Didn’t you say I had an alibi? Why not let me go—instead, you attacked me?”
Of course, Ashley wouldn’t admit using Gun Counter to take down the Trial Judge.
Interrogation rooms had cameras; without supernatural forces showing on footage, it was hard to use in court.
“You, you’re still quibbling!” Amber looked utterly incredulous.
“I didn’t have a choice before, but now I want to be a good person…” Ashley buried her head deeply, her tone pitiful. She then lifted her head, revealing expectant little eyes, and asked, “This uniform looks pretty cool. I want to wear one too. Can I join the Tribunal?”
“You? You criminal!” Amber was furious. What was this criminal thinking? If Ashley wore the Tribunal’s uniform, it would be a total desecration of the sacred institution in her heart.
Ashley wasn’t just talking big. Based on her judgment, the ‘Tribunal’ was somewhat like the FBI. The FBI had the authority to take over cases, investigate special crimes, and gather intelligence. The Tribunal had similar powers, handling supernatural incidents.
Since the FBI kept dirty witnesses and undercover agents, and hired criminal experts to help with cases, the Tribunal might have similar operations.
Ashley didn’t care about Amber’s reaction—her attitude wasn’t important. Instead, she looked toward the spokesperson, Letisia.
The Trial Judge stood with one hand on her hip, her posture poised. It seemed she had already shaken off the effects of ‘Disorder.’
She didn’t immediately deny Ashley’s proposal, which was quite subtle. Instead, she changed the subject and brought up the real culprit who had been covered up.
“I don’t know who she is yet, but my intuition tells me it’s a girl.”
“So… those words earlier were just to trick me?”
Ashley took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. It turned out the misunderstanding never existed. As her heart eased slightly, a wave of fatigue surged up.
“Sorry, I didn’t expect your reaction to be so intense. I remember you were sent to Saint Dormer Community less than a month ago. I didn’t think that in such a short time, you’d have someone you’d protect even against the law.” Letisia crossed her arms, her eyes drifting to the corner, her tone one of emotion. This was a move to avoid direct confrontation.
“Huh? Who?”
Of course, Ashley wouldn’t admit it. The other woman surely had recording equipment. If she followed along, it would be tantamount to confessing directly.
“You’re smart, but there are many precocious children. Few have monstrous intellect, though. So don’t think you can control the situation. The Tribunal knows everything inside out.” Letisia’s tone darkened as she began to apply pressure.
Ashley’s thoughts drifted a bit. She didn’t need the reminder; she knew her limits. She wasn’t precocious or a genius—she just didn’t have the mystery of fetal amnesia. Her cognition had formed early.
She had seen a true genius: her Little Cousin—Xixi Sacharia.
The Sacharia Family and the Jenkins Family had intermarried often throughout history, with overlapping family trees. But their background was relatively ‘clean,’ less implicated in the Jenkins Family case. After the incident, they became even more low-profile, rarely appearing in public.
“You know it in your heart—your plan has already failed. Next, we’ll narrow the scope step by step, focusing on interrogating the residents of the community. Saint Dormer Community is semi-closed; there aren’t many people, and even fewer at specific times. We’ll question them one by one, mapping out everyone’s movements. If she has the mental fortitude to withstand interrogation, you don’t need to cover for her anymore, right?”
Letisia paused, then turned back to Ashley, her gaze sharp as she delivered the final blow.
“Besides, you don’t have many friends. It’ll be easy to find out who it is.”
Ashley fell silent. It seemed that child couldn’t be protected anymore. But things hadn’t reached the worst point yet.
After a moment of silence, she lifted her little head and asked:
“Will she be held in Saint Dormer Community too?”
This was actually two questions.
Ashley wanted to be imprisoned with Flora—that child couldn’t survive without her.
“I can make that decision.”
“Good.”
Ashley didn’t doubt that Letisia would deceive her. She knew the value of the ‘Revolver,’ especially its second ability, ‘Time Bird.’ In a supernatural team operation, everyone became her battery—teammates or enemies. As long as someone used supernatural powers, they turned into bullets in her chamber. That meant infinite firepower for her alone.
In other words, her own importance far exceeded an accidental manslaughter. Even deliberate murder didn’t compare to a fraction of it.
Moreover, Flora’s matter wasn’t strongly tied to her. At most, they’d add charges of corpse desecration, fabricating evidence, and obstructing justice.
With proper reformation, there was a chance to become a good person.
Thinking of this, Ashley’s mood lightened a bit.
“Huh, aren’t you a die-hard? What does ‘good’ mean?” Amber poked her little head out from behind the woman, seizing the chance to mock her.
“Enjoy your snide remarks while you can. Soon, I’ll join the Tribunal as an official employee, while you’re still just a trainee. By the time you get to receive the Singularity’s baptism, it might be a decade from now. Before that, I’ll have you fetching water for me in the Tribunal. ‘Little Anzi, pour me a cup of coffee. Go photocopy these files…'”
“Impossible! You criminal!” Amber shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her little face flushing red.
“We’ll see.” Ashley huffed.
