An Zhe and Lu Feng looked at each other. Lu Feng had his usual indifferent expression, his eyes calm and serious. An Zhe couldn’t speak smoothly. “No… No, I don’t need it.”
If there was something else in the box and the Judge wanted to help, he might not be willing to have too much contact with this person but he wouldn’t refuse. However, this box currently contained nothing good. An Zhe placed his hand on the lever and tried to take it back from Lu Feng. “I can do it.”
“You can?” Lu Feng looked at him, eyebrows slightly raised. “Do you live on the first floor?”
“…I live on the fifth floor but I can do it.”
“Oh.”
Lu Feng’s hand held An Zhe’s fingers and it was unknown what force he used but An Zhe’s hand was pulled away from the lever. There was a click and the lever was pushed back into the box, Lu Feng held the handle on the side with one hand and easily lifted the entire box.
An Zhe, “……!”
He hurriedly said, “I really can do it.”
Lu Feng asked, “The fifth floor?”
Yes.
An Zhe realized that he had just sold his floor.
Before he could react, Lu Feng had already started walking toward the door of the unit. An Zhe could only keep up. Before entering the building, he glanced back at Josie and saw the man watching them with surprise. Boss Shaw had said that if he hooked up with a powerful mercenary, Josie would have to detour whenever seeing An Zhe. Now it seemed that this statement was true. Even if he was next to the Judge, not a mercenary, and had nothing to do with Lu Feng.
It was just that in this moment of distraction, An Zhe fell behind Lu Feng by several steps. The colonel’s legs were longer than his and he had to speed up his pace to keep up as he walked into the corridor with Lu Feng.
In order to save electricity, only small emergency lights were on in the corridor. This place was very dark and narrow. In the silence, the sound of Lu Feng’s military boots stepping on the ground was extremely clear. Based on An Zhe’s understanding of Lu Feng, this person would ask, “What’s in the box?”
Strangely yet fortunately, Lu Feng didn’t speak until they reached the fifth floor.
An Zhe stood at the door of No. 14, took out his ID card and swiped the door. The curtains in the room weren’t drawn so as soon as the door opened, the aurora shone through the window. The bright colour covered most of the dark sky, mainly green with the edges an orange-purple. An Zhe entered the door, turned on the small lamp in the room and out of the politeness of human society, he looked at the colonel at the door. “Please come in.”
Lu Feng walked in and placed the trolley box by the wall. An Zhe saw his expression and felt that this person was currently in a good mood and didn’t want to leave. He tentatively asked, “Do you want to continue patrolling?”
Lu Feng leaned against the wall and lightly replied, “No.”
The cold green eyes stared at him. An Zhe always felt that even today, the Judge didn’t fully believe he was human and was still looking for possible cracks.
“What are you going to do?” An Zhe whispered.
“Go back to the city to rest.” He heard Lu Feng say.
An Zhe tried to talk to him in a human style. “Aren’t you going back to the Trial Court?”
“Too far.”
“…Oh.”
He felt that under the present circumstances, he should ask the colonel to sit. However, he really wanted this person to leave. It was because while there seemed to be only one colonel in this room, there were actually two.
He inquired, “So when are you going?”
Lu Feng glanced at him.
An Zhe lowered his eyes and pursed his lips.
Lu Feng stated, “Go and pour me a glass of water.”
It wasn’t a tone of negotiation or suggestion at all. This person spoke it like an order.
“Okay.”
He picked up a drinking glass from the table and opened the door. It was far to the public water room at the end of the corridor. He walked over and faced the red and blue buttons, wondering if Lu Feng wanted to drink hot water or cold water.
Soon, he pressed the blue button representing cold water. There was no ice water here or else he would’ve gotten ice for Lu Feng.
He held the water glass and walked back to his place with a heavy heart at the thought of continuing to face Lu Feng. The Judge helped him carry things up the stairs late at night and actually came in to have a glass of water. Was he thirsty from patrolling outside all night? If he told this experience to Boss Shaw tomorrow, Boss Shaw had only one thing on his mind and would definitely say, “He wants to sleep with you.”
Wrong.
An Zhe stopped moving. He suddenly remembered why Boss Shaw had left the box with him.
It was because Jin Sen selling mobile phones at the black market suddenly couldn’t be contacted. Boss Shaw felt something was strange and could no longer bring the Judge’s doll back to the store.
He frowned and started to recall Lu Feng’s every move. The Trial Court liked to patrol in groups. For example, Lu Feng had brought three people to the entrance of the black market. Why was he alone now and why did he appear downstairs? Moreover, Lu Feng seemed to have a mind-reading ability. Any abnormalities in the past would be discovered by him. Yet why didn’t he ask what was in the box?
An Zhe had just placed his hand on the doorknob and now he stopped. He felt that the Judge had perhaps come to catch him. He quickly pulled out his communicator and called AE77243, Boss Shaw’s number. The following words appeared on the communicator’s black and white electronic screen: Can’t answer.
Alarm bells rang in An Zhe’s head. Just then, a cold and life-threatening voice was heard from inside the door. “Come in.”
An Zhe’s heart jumped several times. He took a deep breath and opened the door. He saw Lu Feng still standing in his original position, head slightly bowed, trolley box beside him while it was unknown what he was thinking. An Zhe took two steps and handed over the cup. “Colonel, your water.”
Lu Feng was motionless. An Zhe suddenly realized something. He slowly turned towards the other side of the room. Then he met the real Lu Feng’s eyes. Lu Feng sat at the desk with his legs crossed. In his seated position, he held a piece of paper in his hand and looked up at An Zhe.
An Zhe knew true despair. Yet at this moment, he could only slowly step forward and place the cup on the desk. “Your water.”
Lu Feng picked up the cup, placed it against his lips and took a sip. Then he frowned slightly. “It’s cold?”
An Zhe didn’t want to talk. It seemed he had done another thing wrong. Lu Feng put the water cup and paper back on the table before looking at him.
An Zhe quickly opened his mouth. “I was wrong.”
Lu Feng didn’t speak. After a full 10 seconds, he inquired, “What crime did you commit?”
“I didn’t give you hot water.”
Lu Feng’s tone was light. “Cold water is fine too.”
An Zhe saw the bloody flyer that protested the atrocities of the Trial Court and his heart became cold again. “I participated in an illegal event.”
“No.”
It was over. There was only one crime he might’ve committed. What was the crime of making the Judge’s doll? An Zhe hated that he hadn’t taken a closer look at the base’s laws at the time. He searched his mind for nouns, Doll, a not so good use for a doll—
Suddenly, the words that Lu Feng spoke downstairs to Josie appeared in his mind and An Zhe despaired. “…The crime of an indecent assault?”
A slight smile appeared in Lu Feng’s eyes like he was trying not to laugh. “Have you read the base’s laws?”
“No.”
Lu Feng ordered, “Come here.”
An Zhe stepped forward.
“Reach out.”
An Zhe held out his hand.
Lu Feng’s words were still brief and in a commanding tone. “Put it on.”
An Zhe wondered, “Where should I put it?”
“On me.”
An Zhe hesitated before slowly placing his hand against Lu Feng’s left chest. The silver buckle and badge pinned on his chest were cold and there were some lines on the surface. An Zhe couldn’t understand why Lu Feng asked him to do this.
Click.
The cold, silver handcuffs were once again placed around An Zhe’s wrists.
Lu Feng was expressionless. “The crime of indecent assault.”
An Zhe, “……?”
Immediately after, Lu Feng raised his communicator. He said, “The arrest was completed and one prohibited object was seized.”
The corridor of the city’s defense station was darker and colder than the residential building. An Zhe was taken to the ground floor. In the dim light source, surrounded by iron doors, he realized that this might be a human prison. He was locked up in one of them.
“Tomorrow is the trial.” Lu Feng locked the iron door and explained, “You have 10 hours to prepare your defense.”
“…I have no defense.”
“I think so as well.”
Having said that, he turned around and left without looking back, leaving only one sentence. “Have a good rest.”
An Zhe pressed against the iron door and watched Lu Feng’s figure disappearing into the corridor. A whisper came from opposite him.
“I tried to persuade them but it was unavoidable.”
“Why is Hubbard out in the wilderness? He should also be in prison. He asked me to take a photo and the two of you pitted me. Once we go out, pay me money.”
“You should go to Du Sai. She hasn’t given me the final payment for the order.”
“Then take me to find her.”
They were the voices of Boss Shaw and Jin Sen. An Zhe squinted in the dim light as he tried to identify the two men locked up on the opposite side. “Are you here as well?”
“That’s right.” Jin Sen answered. “I was selling my phones when I was taken away by the people of the Trial Court.”
Boss Shaw sighed. “After I separated from you, I was arrested before I entered the station.”
Jin Sen asked, “What about you? How did you get caught?”
An Zhe didn’t answer.
“Master,” he called out.
Boss Shaw wondered, “What’s the matter?”
An Zhe asked, “Am I really easy to bully?”
“You know it?” Boss Xiao replied lazily. “Why are you asking this?”
An Zhe didn’t answer. Then he asked, “What crime did you commit?”
“Do I have to say it?” Boss Shaw gave an answer. “The crime of illegally stealing a judge’s information.”
“Is that so?”
“Why?” Boss Xiao wondered. “Aren’t you the same?”
“Yes.”
Boss Shaw chuckled. “Your tone has changed. Someone bullied you?”
“No.” An Zhe’s tone was apathetic.
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