2

Zone 4 Chemical Plant, Waste Disposal Area.

I dragged myself into this hellish place, the pungent chemical odor assaulting my nostrils. Green acid churned in huge waste pools, gurgling and making nauseating noises. Heavy cranes overhead were transporting barrels of toxic waste, their steel cables creaking ominously under the weight.

For the past three years, I have been working sixteen hours a day in this environment.

"Hey, look who's back." A gruff voice rang out.

Foreman Jack Mallory emerged from the shadows, followed by fourteen peripheral laborers. They glared menacingly and surrounded me around the waste pit. Jack was a typical low-level thug from the West—a burly face, skull tattoos on his arms, and a half-smoked cigar dangling from his mouth.

"Jack," I said calmly, looking at him, "move aside, I'm here to buy a pen."

"Buy a pen?" Jack grinned maliciously. "Leo, you don't need to buy a pen. Because you're going to die here today."

I frowned. This wasn't right. Normally, Jack would have immediately thrown me into work, extracting the last bit of value from me. But now, their eyes held something else—greed, and a thirst for my life.

What do you want to do?

"What else can we do?" Jack spat out his cigar and said menacingly, "Kid, you know what? Every worker here has an 'accidental death insurance policy.' It's not much, only five thousand Aurora Dollars, but it's enough for us."

I understand. They want to kill me for insurance money.

"And seeing how you're about to die, rather than letting you succumb to your illness, we'd rather give you a hand." Jack winked at his men. "Brothers, let's take Leo to see his parents. Just say he slipped and fell into the waste pit."

Fourteen laborers approached with menacing grins, holding crowbars and wrenches.

I leaned against the metal railing and slowly activated the [Eye of Sin].

In an instant, the world changed. A scarlet mark of crime appeared above everyone's head:

Jack Mallory – Insurance fraud, premeditated murder, long-term exploitation of underage laborers

Tommy Brown – Insurance fraud, premeditated murder, rape

Billy White – Insurance fraud, premeditated murder, drug trafficking

Sam Davis – Insurance fraud, premeditated murder, child abuse

At a glance, all fifteen people had blood-red charges above their heads. Not one of them was innocent.

I sneered, "Trade my life for insurance money? Go spend it in hell."

The Book of Judgment opened automatically in my hand. I plunged the broken pen into my arm , used my blood as ink, and began to write frantically:

Jack Mallory, convicted of insurance fraud, premeditated murder, and child labor exploitation, sentenced to death by being cut in half at the waist by his own greed!

The pen had barely touched the ground when a deafening crash of a steel cable snapping overhead filled the air. The heavy-duty crane, carrying three tons of scrap, plummeted out of control, the cable slicing through the air like a sword, striking Jack squarely in the waist.

"Aaaaaah!" Jack screamed in agony as his body was severed at the waist, his upper and lower body separated, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

Tommy Brown, charges: insurance fraud, rape, sentence: dissolve in acid!

Tommy recoiled in fright, but his foot inexplicably slipped, and he fell backward, plunging directly into the bubbling waste pool. The acid instantly began to corrode his body; he struggled desperately in the pool as his skin rapidly dissolved.

Billy White, Convict: Drug trafficking, Verdict: Died from his own drugs!

Billy suddenly began convulsing and foaming at the mouth. The drug packet in his pocket had somehow broken open, and he inhaled the highly toxic powder into his lungs.

I continued writing frantically, one name after another. With each name I wrote, someone died in a way most befitting their crime. Some were burned to death by chemical waste, some were crushed by machinery, and some suffocated inexplicably.

Death energy continuously surged into my body, repairing it, but at the same time, I could feel my sanity slowly slipping away. My eyes turned completely blood red, and the black lines on my skin became increasingly pronounced.

"Stop! Stop!" Hela's voice echoed in my mind. "You've become terribly demonized! And to fill those last dozen or so spots, you even included that security guard who only stole one of your cigarettes? Do I need to send you a photocopier from hell?!"

"He took a cigarette from me?" I continued writing with a sneer. "Miss Hela, he took more than just a cigarette. He accepted my cigarette, promised to report the dumping of toxic waste, and then turned around and accepted even more bribes to let it go. Forty-three people died from poisoning, including seven children."

Hela paused for a moment, then said, "...The living Yama has appeared in the world!"

"Just a few more!" I roared, continuing to write. "Just a few more and we'll have a hundred!"

The last worker tried to escape, but the metal plate beneath his feet suddenly flipped, and he fell into the waste pool. Acid splashed everywhere, and his screams echoed through the factory.

The 100th one!

Instantly, a hundred wisps of death energy converged like a tornado, forming a rudimentary law that surged into my brain. A system notification sounded in my mind:

[The sins of one hundred people have been served!]

[Lv1 Basic Judgment Permission - Unlocked!]

[Target for Judgment: Early-Stage Awakened Individuals]

[Current Death Aura Level: Demonic Transformation 15%]

I felt an unprecedented surge of power coursing through my body. My muscles grew stronger, my senses sharpened, but at the same time, a thirst for killing roared within me.

"Hahahaha!" I laughed loudly, my voice hoarse and inhuman. "One hundred! I did it!"

Hela covered her face, her voice trembling: "Leo, the death energy will corrupt your sanity! If this continues, you'll become a demon!"

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the factory. The series of horrific deaths at the chemical plant and the overwhelming deathly aura alerted the law enforcement team responsible for maintaining order in the area.

A man with a gloomy face pushed open the door and entered, followed by more than a dozen fully armed law enforcement officers. He saw the corpses scattered on the ground and the remains in the waste pool, and his eyes flashed with shock before locking onto me, who was standing in the center.

"I am Mark Smith, the Sheriff of District 4, a low-level Awakened." His voice was icy. "You are the perpetrator of this massacre?"

I turned around, my blood-red eyes fixed on him. Seeing that face, the rage within me instantly reached its peak.

Mark Smith. I will never forget that name.

A year ago, I was arrested and taken to the police station for reporting a chemical plant dumping toxic waste. This beast was in charge of interrogating me. Instead of investigating my report, he hung me in the torture chamber for three whole days, repeatedly torturing me with an electric shock baton, claiming he was going to teach me a lesson for being a "bastard who falsely accused an innocent person." I still have the scars on my back from the electric shock baton he left.

[Eye of Sin] activates automatically, and a dense list of sins appears above Mark's head:

Mark Smith – Bribery, harboring criminals, massacring civilians, rape, murder, torture, and condoning the dumping of toxic waste...

A mid-level Awakened One had more crimes on his head than those laborers.

I licked my lips, revealing a devilish smile: "Mark Smith...long time no see. Do you remember how you treated me with a stun gun in the interrogation room a year ago?"

Mark frowned, as if remembering something: "You are... Leo Carson? The Ranger's son?"

"That's right." I held up the Book of Judgment, still dripping with the blood I had just used. "I'm just glad I finally have the right to judge you."

Mark's pupils suddenly contracted. He sensed the threat of death and immediately activated his Awakened ability—Lightning Manipulation.

Blue arcs of electricity danced in his hands, illuminating the entire factory.

"No matter what kind of monster you are, you will die here today! Just like your parents!"

Lightning struck me, but I had already begun to write:

"Mark Smith, charges: bribery, harboring a criminal, torture, rape, murder, torture to extract confessions... Verdict—to be burned alive by lightning!"

The first battle to slaughter the awakened ones has begun.