Game of Deception Chapter 53: I Will Never Kill

"I..."

Chen Bingwen's Adam's apple bobbed, his heart thumping wildly.

Inside this dim, lightless space, the only sound was the ticking of the clock hands.

In a trance, he felt as if he had returned to his first ga, with the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, ready to fall at any mont.

And in his mind's eye, the pale, twisted, yet handso face of [Frankenstein]... gradually overlapped with that fierce, bloodstained gray wolf mask, and the face hidden beneath it.

"If you're asking whether I have ever 'thought' about it..."

Chen Bingwen heavily emphasized the words, "Then I certainly have."

He cautiously chewed on these words, yet dared not swallow them.

Because he realized that "Frankenstein" harbored an inexplicable hostility toward him.

It was not just a desire to step on him or cause trouble... but genuine murderous intent.

Though faint and subtle... it was incredibly pure, clear, and as sharp as a blade.

—He suspected him.

He wanted to control the narrative and have him killed.

Chen Bingwen realized this with absolute clarity.

Yet, when truly facing a life-or-death crisis, Chen Bingwen's mind beca incredibly sharp.

Even as a swarm of stray thoughts surfaced in his mind—cowardice, malice, or anger—

he swung the hamr of rationality and shattered them all!

A blue glow gradually ignited in the depths of Chen Bingwen's eyes.

He took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "The mortal world is murky, full of prejudice and malice... I have crossed paths with many people, and most of them are guilty. If you ask ... whether the thought 'this person deserves to die' has ever crossed my mind, I will tell you—it happens almost every day."

To prevent the others' votes from being swayed, Chen Bingwen realized he could no longer play word gas or rely on clever tricks. He had to explain away every single doubt and leave absolutely no flaws for the other party to distort.

And as it happened.

This was exactly what he excelled at.

"But I can say... I will never actually take a life or plot to murder another person."

Chen Bingwen pushed up his gold-rimd glasses, squaring his shoulders as he looked straight at "Frankenstein." "This is my conviction. I have sworn an oath."

His statent was validated by the Table of Truth.

Lawyer Chen stared directly at Ming Po and asked, "Is this answer satisfactory?"

Instead of trying to pass the floor to the other players, he confronted Frankenstein directly, tossing the floor back to him.

"No, it isn't."

Ming Po's gaze grew increasingly profound.

A crimson glow flickered in his eyes. He did not back down in the slightest; instead, he pressed forward, "You say you will never kill—but what if that person once tried to kill you?

"What if he murdered your father?

"What if he is about to kill you right now?"

Ming Po's questions grew sharper with every sentence.

Yet, Chen Bingwen handled it calmly. "I swore that oath... precisely because my father died for this very reason."

He fell silent for a mont before continuing slowly, "My father was a judge.

"Over twenty years ago... the laws back then were not perfect, and public security was far worse than it is now.

"A gang of thugs was harassing a woman in broad daylight, but no one on the street dared to intervene. Then, soone stepped forward to do the right thing.

"But he was only one man, and there were four of them. Outnumbered, with two of the attackers wielding fruit knives, the man couldn't afford to hold back.

"He grabbed a cleaver from a nearby butcher's stall and charged right in. In the end, three of the thugs died, one was critically injured, and he himself sustained minor injuries."

At this point, Chen Bingwen took a deep breath.

He subconsciously interlaced his fingers, gripping so tightly it looked as though he might snap them off.

"...Because his primary intent was to stop an unlawful assault, self-defense was established, ruling out intentional homicide. Fighting one against four ard n also t the necessity for defense.

"However, because only two of the attackers had knives, yet three died... the defense exceeded the limits of necessity, making him liable for negligent homicide. Furthermore, since he didn't turn himself in... taking everything into account, the baseline sentence should have been seven to ten years. The judge's discretionary power was quite limited.

"Under the legal conditions at the ti, cases resulting in multiple deaths didn't even allow for a suspended sentence. Ultimately, due to the man's righteous motives, his ritorious act, and the severe fault of the victims, my father sentenced him to five years in prison. That was the absolute limit of what his authority level allowed."

Chen Bingwen took another deep breath. "But... public opinion was still highly dissatisfied. Both the prosecution and the defense appealed.

"Every newspaper in the city published the case, and nearly forty people held up banners in the courthouse lobby demanding an acquittal. After the final verdict was announced, the courtroom filled with argunts. So were satisfied, others were not. People wept loudly, and cara flashes went off. Experts in the newspapers argued for a not-guilty verdict: 'If he is convicted, who will ever dare to step up and do the right thing? Heroes deserve everyone's support.'

"And at that ti... I was still in elentary school. My classmates later told about it, calling the child of a 'corrupt judge.'

"I went to ask my father, and he said he had done everything he could. He spoke to for a long ti... about the law, about justice. He accepted a dia interview and defended his decision. He believed that a 'plain sense of justice' was comndable, but it had to operate within reasonable boundaries. For example, eye-for-an-eye retaliation simply wouldn't work.

"Yet, right at the interview venue, a flying brick struck the back of his head, knocking him into a coma on the spot. Public outcry exploded even further... until authorities finally intervened and suppressed the coverage.

"When my father finally woke up, he remained silent for a long ti. He chose to resign. Eventually, he vanished, leaving behind an ambiguous letter."

Chen Bingwen took a deep breath as he finished.

He fell silent for a long ti, casting his gaze downward.

He whispered, "After my father disappeared, the dia turned their sights on .

"That day, on my way ho from school, a man who looked like a reporter blocked my path. He asked , 'Your father believed that eye-for-an-eye vengeance doesn't work. If you ever got the chance, would you seek revenge on the people who killed your father?'

"I believed my father was not wrong. He had reached the absolute limit of what he could do. If there was a flaw, it lay with the law itself, not with him."

He raised his head, looking earnestly at Ming Po. "I swore an oath right then and there—I will never intentionally kill anyone. I will only strike back in self-defense, unless it is soone actively trying to kill ... Even if it is soone who once plotted to kill , even if it is the person who killed my father, I will never murder them.

"Call it hypocrisy, call it an excuse, whatever you like...

"Only by doing this can I prove that my father was right.

"If a day cos when I can quit this ga... I will make sure none of this ever happened. Even if it might change ... or entirely destroy the '' of today.

"—Does that answer satisfy you?"