Seated at the far end of the table, Pang Xingwen glanced at the ti, fidgeting anxiously.
’It’s almost ten o’clock. Why isn’t he here yet!’
"Xingwen, what’s going on? Why hasn’t your guest arrived?" the middle-aged man to Pang Hui’s right asked, his words dripping with sarcasm. "Did sothing happen? Maybe he can’t make it. Did he even bother to tell you?"
"Did you not give him the details? You’re sure you didn’t mix up the ti or place?"
Pang Xingwen was furious, but he could only manage an awkward smile. "Second Uncle... he’s probably just held up on the way."
"There’s no way he’d be this delayed. He’s probably just blowing you off. I bet he never intended to co in the first place," a young man beside him chid in.
Pang Xingwen’s composure finally broke. Before he could say a word, his second uncle feigned smoothing things over. "What kind of talk is that? Our Xingwen follows Zhu Xuan now. And that Su Chen is a Core Seed of the Judicial Court. He has to show *so* respect, right?"
"I..." Pang Xingwen’s face flushed crimson. With every word, they were backing him into a corner. He couldn’t stop his gaze from shifting to his father, seated at the head of the table.
But his father remained expressionless, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
"I need to use the restroom." Pang Xingwen could only make an excuse to escape. He rushed out of the banquet hall and into a washroom. The mont he activated his Wristband, he realized he didn’t even have a way to contact Su Chen.
SLAM!
He slamd his fist onto the countertop, gritting his teeth. "Su Chen!"
No one in his family had a kind bone in their body. They were all just waiting for him to make a fool of himself. He was used to it.
What infuriated him the most, however, was Su Chen.
’I already humbled myself, and this invitation ca from my father. How can you not show even this little bit of respect?’ Pang Xingwen thought, staring at his own twisted reflection in the mirror.
Su Chen had only said, "Got it," which sounded vague at the ti. But in Pang Xingwen’s mind, that was just an excuse—a way of saving face instead of agreeing directly.
’Do you really think becoming a Core Seed ans you can rest easy?’ Pang Xingwen muttered under his breath. ’There’s only one Chief Judge, and even if... even if...’
His own words trailed off, his confidence faltering. There was indeed only one Chief Judge.
But with Su Chen’s Talent, even if he lost the struggle, he would most likely beco a figure like Xia Hanshi—soone whom only the Chief Judge could keep in check.
’Hmph. The future is a long way off. Who knows, maybe Xia Hanshi will get rid of him one of these days...’ In the end, Pang Xingwen could only resort to self-consolation. He splashed his face with water, clearing his head slightly, and took a deep breath, steeling himself to return to his seat and endure more mockery.
Just then, however, he felt the floor lurch beneath his feet as a low rumble echoed from below.
"What the..." Pang Xingwen was stunned for a mont. The shaking around him grew more and more violent, the rumbling louder and louder, as if the entire building was about to collapse.
"What’s going on?"
Utterly bewildered, he instinctively burst out of the washroom, only to find the hallway in utter chaos.
His second uncle, the very man who had been sneering at him monts ago, now had an ashen face, his eyes wide with panic. He roared as he charged for the stairs, "Who—who dares attack the Pang Family!"
’An attack?’
Pang Xingwen’s eyes flew open. Before he could even process the thought, he was lifted off his feet and dragged into a room.
"Fa-Father!" he cried out, recognizing the familiar face before him.
But on that face, layered over the usual cold indifference, was an indescribable mix of fury and regret.
"Don’t ask, don’t question, they will get you away from here!" Pang Hui barked. With a hard shove, he sent Pang Xingwen stumbling into the arms of two figures.
Pang Xingwen instinctively looked up. One man’s face was covered in black tattoos; the other had no facial features at all. Each of them carried a tal case.
"Why is the Judicial Court making a move now?" one of the Black Tuo Followers demanded, his voice a mixture of shock and fury. He had been lying in wait for Su Chen’s arrival.
Resentnt burned in Pang Hui’s eyes. "I’m afraid they’ve locked onto . I can’t escape. Your Tiers are low, your life signatures aren’t as strong. You still have a chance."
"Avenge... !" Pang Hui gave Pang Xingwen one last, deep look.
Pang Xingwen was frozen with terror, completely helpless as he was dragged away. They reached the deepest part of the building, where a secret passage lay hidden in a crevice in the wall, a chasm of bottomless darkness.
...
"Who—who dares attack the Pang Family! You’re courting death!"
"Ah, Judges from the Punishnt Departnt! Why are Judges here?!"
"Wait, don’t... There must be a misunderstanding! We’re all on the sa side, we’re allies!"
"I have a great relationship with your Punishnt Departnt’s first squadron leader! We were just together yesterd—ARGH!"
From the fortieth floor up, every mber of the Pang Family went through the sa cycle: from outrage to shock, then to disbelief, and finally, to desperate pleading.
But the attacking Judges showed no rcy, killing those they were ordered to kill and capturing those they were ordered to capture.
The squadron leader and the deputy director made a beeline for the highest floor, leaving the rest for the Low Tier Judicial Guards to clean up.
"If the Judicial Court won’t let us live, then don’t bla us for fighting for our lives!"
Realizing that pleading was useless, the Pang Family’s second uncle’s expression hardened instantly. He drew a blade from his waist, wreathed in a furious blaze that vaporized the surrounding air the mont it left its sheath.
As he spun and slashed, the air around the blade compressed into transparent ripples. The crimson fire erupted into a tidal wave of fla that swept through the area and blasted out of the side of the building.
It was as if the entire skyscraper had been sliced in half, with scorching flas spewing from the wound.
"A Tier Four Professional!"
Yang Yan, the closest Judge, looked on in shock. Before he could even react, he was flung backward.
"The Judicial Court is carrying out an execution. You refuse to surrender and dare to resist?"
Zhao Gang, who had been a trembling subordinate before Xia Hanshi, was now the picture of ferocity. He charged straight into the inferno, and in a matter of monts, the crimson flas vanished.
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