Light Fortress

A sunny morning.

Gu Shen sat up, stretched a big lazy stretch, and rubbed his eyes.

"Meow~~"

A certain orange cat was exceptionally well-behaved, lying honestly on the balcony and whimpering softly as if asking for help.

Gu Shen rubbed his eyes again, making sure he was not seeing things.

Specifically, the orange cat was lying in the arms of a woman in a trench coat on the balcony... at this moment, it was licking its fur intermittently, apparently restless, but due to the pressure emanating from a certain superior being, it didn't dare to leave without permission.

Gu Shen was so startled that he picked up the blanket: "Big brother, how did you get in?"

Nan Jin was comfortably lying in a sleigh rocking chair, with an elegant breakfast of toast, fried eggs, and coffee placed on the circular glass tabletop, currently holding a stack of newspapers, bathing in the warm, gentle sunlight and breeze.

The woman in the trench coat calmly responded as naturally as she possibly could, "I'm paying the rent for this room, why can't I come in?"

"..."

Gu Shen found himself at a loss for words.

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

Gu Shen scratched his head, "Went out to buy some stuff, and then... fell asleep. I've been really tired these few days."

Upon reflection, what he said was the absolute truth.

These past few days had indeed been exhausting.

When the operation concluded last night, Gu Shen didn't return to his apartment until midnight, possibly exhausted again from using the Truth Ruler.

This response was seamless, as Chu Ling had already erased the apartment's access records for him.

"Hmm..." As expected, Nan Jin had just asked casually, but then she added, "Good news or bad news, which do you want to hear first?"

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

"We made a breakthrough in the fire case," Nan Jin closed the newspaper and turned back to look at the young man, "Last night, someone tried to destroy the body and eliminate evidence, but we caught them."

"Ohhh..." Gu Shen, still looking half asleep, asked puzzled, "Who do we refer to by 'we'?"

"Because of you, your teacher specially transferred two strong enforcers from other cities in the Qinghe District."

Gu Shen felt a tingling sensation on his scalp as he listened.

Someone even Nan Jin referred to as a strong enforcer must be terrifying... last night was chased by one of them.

There was another one he probably hadn't met until he left.

Seeing Gu Shen's reaction, Nan Jin seemed satisfied and casually mentioned, "You can also call them... senior brother, senior sister."

Gu Shen was a bit dazed.

"The audition date for the Judgement Institute is set, fifteen days from now," Nan Jin spoke as if mentioning an insignificant little matter, "These two seniors have come to give you special training."

"Hey, hey, hey..."

"What the hell is 'special training'?!"

This was completely unexpected for Gu Shen, who tried to muster a smile, "Big brother, big brother! Have you forgotten? Didn't you tell me before that the audition doesn't matter? Didn't Mr. Shu favor me for something other than this?"

"It really isn't the teacher's idea—"

Nan Jin said helplessly, "I don't know why, but the teacher has high hopes for you and is extremely confident. It seems like he believes that without doing much, you're going to shock the entire Judgement Institute."

Gu Shen silently thought.

In a way, that was true...

If he didn't do anything, he might become the worst-performing newcomer in the history of the auditions, bar none.

By then, wouldn't everyone be more than just shocked?

"The teacher originally just wanted the two senior fellow apprentices to help investigate the fire case. He didn't expect that after they reviewed the files, they would be so eager to meet you, the newcomer with extraordinary talent," Nan Jin shrugged. "They were all monsters who secured A-grade evaluations during their reviews, so it's perfectly reasonable for them to want to see what a shock the 'Special Pardon Order' has caused with you."

"Perfectly reasonable..."

Gu Shen's voice suddenly turned listless.

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

It was clear that Mr. Shu's lineage held an extremely high status in the Judgement Institute.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible for the congressional bigwigs to deploy a Special Pardon Order.

But precisely because the "Special Pardon Order" was invoked, everyone from this lineage was forced to bear considerable pressure... If he wasn't mistaken, the reason Mr. Shu hadn't appeared after bailing him out was because of the disputes over the Special Pardon Order within the Judgement Institute that he had to resolve personally.

Some unexpected turn of events must have occurred—

The controversy over that Special Pardon Order eventually led to his own "review" of Extraordinary Abilities... If his review results proved to be outstanding, then setting a precedent by using the Special Pardon Order to preserve talent would naturally follow.

In other words.

With an S-grade, everyone would shut up.

...

...

"The bad news is that last night, a heavyweight meeting about the Special Pardon Order was held within the Judgement Institute," Nan Jin said seriously. "Representatives from all districts of East Continent condemned the teacher, and some even initiated impeachment proceedings."

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

"Actually, impeachment is nothing new, because of the teacher's style of doing things, there are impeachments every year," Nan Jin held her forehead and said, "But this time, the situation may be more severe because it involves the upper echelons of the congress. Some old-timers in the Judgement Institute exerted their full strength using 'Special Pardon Order' as leverage... The outcome of this meeting might not bode well for you."

Gu Shen's heart sank.

He had an ominous feeling... The outcome of this meeting was no longer just about whether it was pressuring or not.

Perhaps it was worse than he had originally anticipated!

"The heads of various districts of the Judgement Institute unanimously agree that using the Special Pardon Order on you was inappropriate," Nan Jin said with a bitter smile. "Unless, in the upcoming review, you can prove your potential is sufficiently strong... otherwise, the Special Pardon Order will be revoked."

Just as expected.

Chu Ling's earlier predictions were completely accurate.

The protection of the Special Pardon Order was only temporary... His survival was at the whim of the higher-ups, and with any small change, he could instantly go from 'lucky' to 'unlucky'.

Gu Shen stroked his chin, murmuring, "If the Special Pardon Order is revoked, I might face charges from the prison again..."

After such an ordeal with the Special Pardon Order.

The Judgment Chief, likely would not place him under the prison's control anymore.

According to the laws of East Continent, he might face 24 hours of strict surveillance and even imprisonment.

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

"Unless the fire case is thoroughly investigated."

Nan Jin spoke for him, "The prison's charge of losing control needs to be based on the premise of 'intentional murder.' Thoroughly investigating the fire case can prove that you were acting in self-defense."

"Yes, exactly..."

Gu Shen sorted out his thoughts. He let out a long sigh of relief, puzzled, "Wasn't the criminal caught last night? The fire case should have been resolved quickly..."

"This case is more complicated than we imagined."

Nan Jin shook her head.

She stood up, and the orange cat in her arms took the opportunity to dash away.

"Gu Shen, you probably don't have much time to rest... better come with me and see the situation for yourself."