296: Your Majesty, I will not

Shang Wan Ning stood up from the stone chair, the low pressure emanating from her body causing the candlelight in the hall to flicker and dim.

Step by step, she descended the stone stairs, the soles of her boots tapping against the black stone floor with a dull 'thud-thud' sound.

Every step felt like it was treading on Tudor's very soul.

Finally, she came to a halt just a step away from Tudor, her gaze filled with a condescending scrutiny.

“Com~man~der Tu~dor,” Shang Wan Ning said.

“My Lord Judge, has these years as the Ceremonial Guard Commander been quite leisurely? Was that roasted chicken delicious?”

She leaned forward slightly, her phoenix eyes burning with an imperial wrath that could leave a million corpses in its wake.

“Give me an explanation.”

Looking at the furious Empress, there was no fear in the depths of Tudor's amber pupils. Instead, a flicker of resignation passed through them, as if he were thinking, 'What was bound to come has finally arrived.'

He twitched the corner of his mouth. “Your Majesty, your Subordinate... er, this official's contract with the System back then only said I had to offer my loyalty; it never mentioned I couldn't slack off, right?”

Under Shang Wan Ning's almost murderous gaze, he braced himself and added another sentence, his tone carrying a hint of reckless honesty:

“Besides, Your Majesty took a liking to this official's disguise at first glance. You said it was perfect for the ceremonial guard and could command the scene.”

He even raised a hand and pointed at the word 'Judge' between his brows. “I figured that after the Judge's statue was remodeled later, it wasn't as handsome as this disguised face.”

“So I rarely showed my true appearance.”

After listening to Tudor's excuses, Shang Wan Ning felt the string called 'reason' in her mind snap completely.

【He actually has the nerve to make up excuses on the spot. This is absolutely intolerable.】

“Commander Tudor, Lord Judge. You're quite skilled with disguise techniques, playing me for a fool.”

Taking a step closer, Shang Wan Ning was almost pressed against him, the pressure of an Eighth-Rank Deity crushing down directly.

“Offering loyalty? Slacking off?”

She sneered, her eyes glinting with cold light. “The contract didn't say you couldn't slack off, did it? Well, let me tell you now.”

“The Department of Judges is established, and the divine office is restored. From now on, you, Tudor—no, Judge.” Her finger almost poked Cui Duo's nose.

“You will work overtime for me, indefinitely. Until you have cleared all the backlogged cold cases and wrongful convictions in the mortal realm.”

“For every one missing, I'll let you taste the mud at the bottom of the Wangchuan River.”

Tudor's amber pupils shrank suddenly.

【Overtime, indefinitely, clearing cold cases.】

It was over; his days as a salted fish had come to an end. If he soaked in the mud of the Wangchuan River for too long, even his soul would get damp.

A chill surged up from his tailbone. He wanted to retreat, but as soon as his heel moved half an inch, he was pinned in place by Shang Wan Ning's gaze.

“Your... Your Majesty...”

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was dry. “I'm actually not very familiar with the Electronic Case File System.”

“Besides, my cultivation is still stuck at the peak of the sixth rank; I can't check the book of life and death for long periods.”

“Not familiar? Long periods?”

Shang Wan Ning's brow twitched as she laughed out of sheer anger. “It's fine, we can take it slow.”

“I will teach you personally. Start now, right in front of me, and clear them out.” She turned and took out the Electronic Case Files and a Silver Tablet from her storage space.

“Take the tablet and pull up the files.”

“Don't even think about leaving this room today until you've processed a hundred backlogged cases.”

Tudor stared at the Electronic Case Files, the roasted chicken in his arms feeling as heavy as dark iron.

If he had known, he wouldn't have gone out to buy Yin Cuisine today.

He sighed in resignation and shuffled toward the tablet.

The moment his hand touched the metal casing, a flood of information belonging to the Judge's divine office crashed into his sea of consciousness.

Details of countless cold cases, flawed chains of evidence, and piles of case data smashed into him like a tsunami.

“Ugh~” Tudor let out a muffled groan.

His body swayed, and his face turned pale. The word 'Judge' on his brow glowed red as he forcibly organized the chaotic information.

Shang Wan Ning leaned against the stone chair with her arms crossed, watching coldly.

Keep pretending, go ahead.

She watched as Tudor struggled to stand firm, sweat beading on his forehead and his fingertips trembling as he held the tablet. He clumsily opened the case file System, his movements as stiff as an old man using a computer for the first time.

The blue light of the Electronic Case Files flared up, and a cold wind mixed with years of resentment swept past, ruffling the hair on his forehead.

He frowned deeply, the data stream in his eyes flashing rapidly as he tried to find the first breakthrough in the tangled mess of the evidence chain.

His palm hovered over the screen, hesitating to touch it. Cold sweat slid down his scar.

Shang Wan Ning's patience was exhausted.

“What are you dawdling for?” Her voice wasn't loud, but it felt like a whip cracking against Tudor's nerves.

“First case: the death of Programmer Zhang from the Tech Park three years ago due to overwork. The evidence was covered up, the true culprit escaped punishment, and the resentment after death didn't dissipate, turning him into a Fourth-rank Red-clothed Ghost. Investigate it.”

Tudor jolted, almost dropping the tablet. His divine sense delved into the record of 'Programmer Zhang' in the case files.

Countless images flooded in: a glowing computer screen late at night, dregs in a coffee cup, a forged signature on a labor contract, traces of a replaced hospital diagnosis, and finally, the cries of family members holding signs outside the company building... The clues were strangely broken, key surveillance footage was mysteriously damaged, and the evidence chain pointing to the person in charge had disappeared from the police archives.

How was he supposed to investigate this? He couldn't open the book of life and death, and the surveillance had long been overwritten. Tudor wailed in his heart, his palms drenched in sweat.

He instinctively wanted to fudge it, thinking of how to say 'it's been too long, evidence is lost, suggest archiving.'

“Wait until his cultivation recovers, then use the book of life and death to verify.”

Shang Wan Ning shot him a sideways glance.

Trying to slack off again?

“Buzz~”

The tablet suddenly lit up on its own, and a golden light shot out from the screen, piercing into an almost invisible energy residue in the 'Programmer Zhang' case record.

Sizzle, like an electric current piercing through an old wire.

That residue suddenly twisted, and a phantom wearing a work ID was dragged out, his face full of terror.

It was the Administrative Assistant responsible for destroying the surveillance hard drives back then. He had died in a car accident while on his way to quit and go abroad.

But the Karmic Remnant Soul involved in covering up the truth was firmly locked by the case files.

Tudor was stunned, his hand holding the tablet frozen in mid-air. You could play it like this? Dragging 'evidence' directly out of the data?

Shang Wan Ning's tone was icy: “See clearly now? This is the combination of spiritual energy and technology. The Electronic Case Files under the underworld app are not just for show.”

“Everything in the mortal realm is recorded in the data. What you think is gone is only what you think.”

“Continue the interrogation.”

Tudor shuddered as he looked at the screaming phantom, his scalp tingling. He composed himself, the red light of the 'Judge' character in his pupils brightening as the pressure of a Judge emanated from him.

“Speak!”

His voice carried the unique coldness of a deity, piercing straight into the phantom. “In the case of Programmer Zhang, who instructed you to destroy the surveillance? Tell the truth. If there is a single lie, this Judge will make your soul scatter.”

Under the pressure of the underworld god, the phantom trembled violently and haltingly spat out several names and details of the destruction.

The truth was quickly laid out before them.

Looking at Tudor's suddenly brightened eyes, the anger in Shang Wan Ning's heart receded slightly.

This Judge is finally of some use.

She sat back on the stone chair, her finger tapping the armrest.

“Continue, next one.”

Tudor wiped away his sweat, watching as the resentment marker next to 'Programmer Zhang's' name in the files slowly faded. Looking at the tablet in his hand again, he suddenly felt it was much lighter.

It didn't seem that hard after all; it just took a lot of mental effort and talking.